Do I have to describe the images on my website?
Since June 2025 the German Accessibility Strengthening Act requires meaningful alt text for images on many websites. What alt text is, when it's mandatory, and how to stop doing it one image at a time.
In many cases, yes. Since June 2025 the German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) requires many websites to provide accessible content, and that includes meaningful alt text for images. Alt text is a short description that a screen reader reads aloud when someone cannot see the image. Purely decorative images do not need one. For everything else it pays to set the alt text right when you upload, rather than reworking hundreds of images later.
What alt text is, and who it is for
Alt text (short for alternative text) describes what an image shows and what function it has in the text. People using a screen reader have this description read to them. Without alt text they only hear “graphic” or the file name at that point. As a side effect, good alt text also helps search engines understand the image. For detailed guides, see the W3C (Images Tutorial) and WebAIM (How to Write Alt Text).
When alt text is mandatory
The BFSG has applied since 28 June 2025. It mainly affects companies that offer products or services to consumers via a website, such as online shops, banks, and booking or travel portals. Micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees and at most EUR 2 million in annual turnover are exempt for services. Regardless of the legal position: accessible images simply make a better website. (Context, not legal advice.)
What separates a decorative image from a meaningful one
An image that only lightens the visual design and carries no information – an abstract background pattern, for example – is decorative and gets an empty alt text so the screen reader skips it. A product photo, a chart, a photo that makes a point: meaningful, and needs a description.
What good alt text looks like
Short, specific, in the context of the page. No filler like “image of” at the start, no stringing together of keywords. Describe what someone who cannot see the image needs to know – no more. One sentence is almost always enough.
As a rule of thumb, one sentence of at most about 125 characters is enough. WCAG sets no fixed limit, but many screen readers do not read longer texts in one go.
Examples:
| Image type | Weak | Better |
|---|---|---|
| Product photo | Image of shoe | Brown leather lace-up shoe, side view |
| Chart | Chart | Line chart: revenue rises from €1.2 million in 2023 to €1.8 million in 2025 |
| Photo of people | Team | Four people sit at a table discussing a layout |
| Decorative pattern | Background pattern | empty alt text (alt=""), the screen reader skips the image |
Typical mistakes
- Starting with “image of” or “photo of”
- Stringing together keywords instead of a description
- The file name as alt text
- An empty alt field on an image that carries information
Why this slips through in everyday work
Every image individually, every post, every product page – and under editorial pressure it is the first thing to go. That is why it pays to have the alt text generated automatically on upload and only review it. This way you do not have to describe every image individually.
Where IMG Performer fits in
The Pro version of IMG Performer generates alt text on upload using AI – through your own API key, with no credit quota. For how this stays data-protection compliant, see the guide GDPR-compliant image optimisation with AI alt text; for a comparison with a pure alt-text service, see IMG Performer vs. AutoAlt.ai.
See also: our guide to the alt text generator for WordPress.
Summary
- Meaningful images need alt text, purely decorative ones an empty one.
- Good alt text is short and specific: one sentence, without “image of”.
- Since 28 June 2025 the BFSG applies to many companies with consumer-facing websites (context, not legal advice).
- Alt text can be generated automatically on upload and then reviewed editorially.
Disclaimer
Legal note: general context, not legal advice. The binding sources are the original text of the German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) and the guidance of the responsible authorities. As of September 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Does my company blog need alt text too?
If your company falls under the BFSG, yes – for all meaningful images. Regardless of that, it is recommended.
Is the file name enough of a description?
No. Screen readers read the alt text, not the file name. An empty alt field means one thing to the user: no information.
Is AI-generated alt text good enough?
For most images, yes, as a solid basis. For images with important detail it is worth a quick editorial check.