Social alt text
You have limited control over people’s experience on social platforms, but you can make it better by minding a few details.
Issue: The post contains an image or or a card that combines text and an image. If you drag your cursor over the text and can’t highlight it, a screen reader can’t “see” it. Without good, contextual alt-text that information is hidden from blind users.
Who’s affected: Screen reader users (blind), people with slow or weak internet (alt text is what shows up on the screen if the image is slow to load)
WCAG standard: Guideline 1.1: Non-text content
What to do: Read Amy’s favorite article on alt text.
Add alt text, ideally before posting (that seems to be the easiest). Steps vary, so check your specific platform for the details.
Recommended tools: Sprout, Buffer (both for scheduling), AltTxtReminder (Twitter). Also check out our video captions resources if you’re posting video.