I'll be honest—alt text wasn't on my radar when I built Jottings. I knew it was "important" in an abstract way, but it wasn't until I started talking to users with visual impairments that I truly understood why it matters.
Here's the thing: alt text does two jobs at once. It helps people using screen readers understand what's in your images. And it helps search engines understand your images, which can actually boost your visibility. But most people—myself included—treat it like a compliance checkbox instead of a core part of good web design.
Let me change that conversation.
The Screen Reader Story
When someone uses a screen reader, images are invisible. The software reads alt text aloud to give them context. That's not a nice-to-have. That's the only way they experience your content.
Imagine publishing a photo with the alt text "image" or leaving it blank. For screen reader users, it's as if you didn't publish anything at all. They have no idea what they're missing.
I realized this when testing Jottings with NVDA, a free screen reader. Reading through content felt disorienting without proper alt text. Some images felt essential to understanding the story. Some felt decorative. Without that context, everything became a mystery.
This is why alt text isn't about compliance—it's about respect for your audience.
The SEO Connection (Yes, It's Real)
Here's what surprised me: good alt text also helps search engines. Google can't "see" images the way you do. It relies on context clues—surrounding text, filename, and especially alt text—to understand what an image shows.
If you're sharing a photo of a sunset over the coast, alt text like "sunset" isn't helping anyone. But "golden hour over the Pacific Coast at Big Sur" tells a story to both screen readers and search engines.
I tested this on Jottings sites. Users who wrote descriptive alt text saw their image-heavy pages rank better for relevant searches. Not because Google gives SEO points for "being accessible," but because good alt text adds semantic information that helps Google understand your content better.
The best part? The same alt text that helps search engines helps people. No conflict. Just better content.
How to Write Good Alt Text
Writing good alt text is a skill, not a formula. Here's what I've learned:
Be descriptive, not verbose. Don't write a paragraph. Aim for 120 characters or less. Describe what's in the image and why it matters to your content.
- Bad: "photo"
- Bad: "The sunset is very beautiful and orange colored with clouds"
- Good: "Sunset reflecting off ocean waves at Big Sur"
Don't repeat the caption. If your image has a caption below it, alt text shouldn't say the same thing. The caption is visible; alt text adds new context.
Consider the context. Why did you include this image? What story does it tell?
- For a profile photo: "Vishal smiling at a coffee shop"
- For a screenshot: "Dashboard showing three unpublished jots with save draft button highlighted"
- For a chart: "Line graph showing user growth from January to December 2024, with steep increase in Q3"
Decorative images can be empty. If an image is purely decorative—a background pattern or divider—using empty alt text (alt="") tells screen readers to skip it. This matters more than you'd think.
Practical Alt Text in Jottings
When I built the media upload system for Jottings, I made alt text a first-class citizen. The text field isn't hidden behind advanced settings. It's right there when you upload a photo.
Here's my workflow:
- Upload the image
- Pause and ask: "Why did I choose this image?"
- Write alt text that answers that question in one sentence
For microblogging, this usually takes 10 extra seconds per image. It's not a burden—it's just good practice.
The Accessibility-First Mindset
I think the real issue is that we design for the "typical" user first and patch in accessibility later. We should flip that.
When you write good alt text, you're not adding a feature. You're designing the whole experience to work for more people. The same applies to keyboard navigation, color contrast, and readable fonts.
Jottings has always been minimal. One of the reasons is that minimal design is naturally more accessible. Fewer moving parts. Fewer distractions. Clearer hierarchy. When you strip away the noise, what remains tends to work better for everyone.
Alt text works the same way. It forces clarity. "What is this image actually about?" is a question that makes your entire post stronger.
Getting Started
If you're already using Jottings, you've got a chance to improve your site's accessibility right now. Here's what I'd do:
- Go through older posts with images
- Add or improve alt text where it's missing or weak
- Notice how it changes how you think about those posts
Then, for new posts, make alt text part of your publishing routine. It's a small habit with outsized impact.
For developers building tools: Make alt text visible and prominent. Don't hide it in accessibility settings. Treat it like title or description—because it is that important.
The Bigger Picture
Writing a microblog platform taught me something: the smallest details compound. A missing alt text here, poor color contrast there, a button that doesn't work with keyboard navigation—individually, they're minor. Together, they lock people out.
When I rebuilt Jottings with accessibility in mind, I wasn't checking compliance boxes. I was asking: "Who am I excluding with this design choice?" It's a harder question, but it leads to better answers.
Alt text is tiny—usually just a sentence. But it represents something bigger: the choice to design for everyone, not just the "average" user.
If you're building something online, whether it's a microblog, newsletter, or portfolio—please write good alt text. Screen reader users will appreciate it. Search engines will notice it. And honestly, your content will be clearer for it.
Jottings is built with accessibility at its core. Upload images, write good alt text, and share your thoughts without worrying about the technical details. Get started free at jottings.me.