Answered by
Oliver Hall
Alt attribute and Title attribute both play important roles in web design, but they serve different purposes, especially regarding accessibility.
The alt
attribute is used within an HTML document to specify alternative text for an image if it cannot be displayed. This is crucial for screen readers used by visually impaired users, as the text in the alt
attribute will be read out loud in lieu of the image. It's also useful in situations where an image doesn't load due to network issues, the user will still get some information about what should have been there.
Here's an example of how you'd use the alt
attribute:
<img src='path-to-image.jpg' alt='A beautiful sunset with shades of pink and orange'>
On the other hand, the title
attribute provides extra information about the element and this info is typically shown as a tooltip when the mouse hovers over the element. However, its significance in accessibility is less defined. Some screen readers may read the title
along with the alt
text, which could lead to repeated or confusing information. Therefore, it's often recommended to prioritize the alt
attribute for the sake of accessibility and only use the title
attribute if it provides additional, beneficial information.
Here's an example of how you'd use the title
attribute:
<img src='path-to-image.jpg' alt='A beautiful sunset' title='Photo taken at Hawaii beach during twilight'>
To summarize, for better web accessibility, always provide meaningful alt
text for images. If additional information is necessary and beneficial, consider using the title
attribute, but do so sparingly to avoid redundancy or confusion.