What is the importance of alt text in legal website images?

What is the Importance of Alt Text in Legal Website Images?

Alt text, or alternative text, is a fundamental accessibility feature that describes the content and function of images on a website. For legal professionals and law firms aiming to uphold compliance, user accessibility, and search engine visibility, properly implementing alt text is not merely a best practice—it is a necessity. In this article, we examine why alt text is crucial for legal websites, both from an accessibility and SEO standpoint.

Enhancing Website Accessibility

For legal websites, accessibility is often intertwined with compliance obligations. The Equality Act 2010 in the UK, along with global initiatives like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), puts a responsibility on webmasters—including those in the legal profession—to ensure digital inclusivity. Alt text plays a vital role in creating an inclusive digital experience.

Screen readers rely on alt text to describe images to visually impaired users. When properly formatted, alt descriptions convey the purpose, context, or message of an image. For example, a photo of a solicitor shaking hands with a client should include alt text such as “Solicitor greeting a client with a handshake in an office setting”. This allows visually impaired visitors to understand the image’s relevance to the content, offering an equitable experience.

For legal firms, this inclusivity is not only ethical but also aligns with professional responsibilities to accommodate clients from all backgrounds and abilities.

Supporting Regulatory Compliance

Law firms are particularly risk-sensitive when it comes to compliance—both offline and online. Failing to provide adequate alt text could mean falling short of accessibility requirements, potentially leading to reputational damage or even legal action.

Incorporating descriptive alt text on images aligns with a commitment to non-discriminatory service provision and mitigates the risk of accessibility complaints. Proactively addressing such requirements demonstrates a law firm’s due diligence and commitment to serving every member of the public.

Improving Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Beyond accessibility, alt text contributes to better search engine optimisation. Search engines cannot interpret imagery the way humans do; alt text provides vital context for indexing image content correctly.

For a law firm’s website, this can mean improved visibility when prospective clients search for relevant legal services. For example, including alt text such as “Family lawyer consulting with clients in London office” not only describes the image but also associates it with key search terms that enhance on-page SEO.

By utilising concise, keyword-informed alt text, legal websites increase the chances of appearing in image-based search results, which can be particularly valuable in competitive legal markets.

Best Practices for Writing Alt Text on Legal Websites

The value of alt text hinges on how well it is written. Legal professionals should follow certain principles to ensure its effective implementation:

• Keep descriptions concise yet descriptive—typically under 125 characters.
• Avoid using phrases like “image of” or “picture of”—screen readers already indicate this.
• Focus on the purpose of the image rather than its aesthetic quality.
• Incorporate relevant but natural keywords, avoiding keyword stuffing.
• Ensure that decorative images are marked accordingly, so they are excluded from screen readers.

Ultimately, alt text should serve both functional and contextual purposes, complementing the surrounding content without redundancy.

The Role of Legal Website Design Agencies

Many law firms entrust their website builds to third-party digital agencies. It is imperative that these agencies understand the regulatory, accessibility, and SEO demands specific to the legal sector. When selecting a partner, ensure they follow accessibility standards and implement alt text consistently as part of their design and content development processes.

Conclusion

For law firms committed to professionalism, inclusion, and online visibility, implementing accurate and purposeful alt text on website images should be a standard practice. It reinforces compliance obligations, elevates the user experience for everyone—including individuals with disabilities—and improves the site’s performance in search engine rankings.

As the digital landscape increasingly becomes a client’s first point of contact, legal practices cannot afford to ignore this essential component of modern web content strategy. Investing time and expertise in well-crafted alt text is, in essence, investing in the effectiveness, reputation, and reach of your legal services online.