HTML linked image alt: name the destination or avoid repetition

When it earns its place

A case evidence tile links to a scan. If the scan thumbnail is the entire link, its alt text names the destination rather than listing visual details irrelevant to navigation. If visible link text already says the same thing, the thumbnail can use an empty alt to avoid repeating the name. The full evidence page still needs a useful description of the scan itself; a thumbnail's link label cannot carry every fact in the document.

<p><a href="/cases/C-47/evidence/seal-scan"><img src="/images/C-47-seal-thumb.webp" alt="Open seal scan for case C-47" width="240" height="160"></a></p>
<p><a href="/cases/C-47/evidence/log"><img src="/images/C-47-log-icon.webp" alt="" width="32" height="32"> Open intake log for case C-47</a></p>

Browser boundary

A broken image still needs a usable link name. The destination route must exist and enforce access to case evidence; descriptive alt text is not an access control or a replacement for a document transcript.

Cost and maintenance

Good alternatives add only a few words. The real cost is editorial upkeep when a thumbnail's destination changes but its link name does not, causing misleading navigation for nonvisual users.

Common Mistakes

• Do not leave an image-only link with empty alt text.
• Do not repeat visible link text verbatim in a decorative thumbnail's alt.
• Do not use filenames as the link's accessible name.

Connected lessons

• HTML image alt text: describe function or information, not pixels alone
• HTML anchors: use href for navigation and stable fragment targets
• HTML figure and figcaption: keep an asset with its explanation