Evidence review
What to inspect before changing anything
Start with the delivered website and the real user journey. Record the current state so the team can distinguish an observed problem from an assumption and compare the same surface after deployment.
- 01Inventory content, functional and decorative images
- 02Compare captions and nearby copy
- 03Check linked images and charts
Implementation
A practical improvement plan
Make the smallest coherent change that solves the observed problem. Keep normal code review, accessibility, security and product checks in the loop instead of optimizing for the scan alone.
- 01Write concise context-specific alternatives
- 02Use empty alt for truly decorative images
- 03Provide equivalent data for complex graphics
Verification
How to verify the result
Verification should test the intended outcome and the most likely regression. Use the production delivery path whenever headers, caching, rendering or third-party services affect the result.
- 01Disable images and read the page
- 02Navigate with a screen reader
- 03Review content-management defaults
Common pitfall
A shortcut to avoid
Describing every visual detail can bury the purpose and repeat information already present nearby.
Further reading
Primary guidance and references
These sources provide standards, security guidance or the interpretation framework used to keep this guide bounded. Product-specific implementation still requires review in the actual codebase.