Adding Photos With Good Alt Text to Your Shop Website

Alt text is a short written description attached to an image. Screen readers read it out to people who can't see the image, it shows if the image fails to load, and it helps search engines understand the picture.

How to write it

Describe what matters in the picture, in a short sentence. Think "what would I say if I were describing this photo over the phone?"
Be specific, not stuffed. Good: "Technician checking brake pads on a pickup truck in our service bay." Not good: "brakes brake repair best mechanic cheap brakes Springfield".
Don't start with "image of" or "picture of". Screen readers already announce it's an image.
Logos: use the business name, like "Smith's Auto Repair logo" or just "Smith's Auto Repair".
Images that are links or buttons: describe where they go, like "Call us" or "Find us on Google Maps", not what the icon looks like.
Purely decorative images (background textures, divider lines) should have empty alt text (alt="") so screen readers skip them.
Text inside an image (like a coupon graphic): put the same words in the alt text, or better, in real text on the page.

The W3C's "alt decision tree" is a simple flowchart if you're unsure what an image needs.

Where to add it

In most website builders (WordPress, Wix, Squarespace and others), click the image and look for "Alt text" or "Image description". Your web person can do it in a few minutes per page.

Choosing photos

Real photos of your shop, bays and team build more trust than stock photos. Resize and compress them before uploading so they don't slow down your site.

Check your own site in seconds

Our free website check for auto repair shops looks at one page for broken links, Google basics, phone setup, HTTPS, image descriptions and business details for Google, and explains what it finds in plain English.

Run the free check

Official sources

Related guides

General information for shop owners, not legal advice. Last reviewed October 2026.