Alt Attribute for Images Is Missing: Complete Explanation and How to Fix It Based on Bing’s Recommendation

When you use Bing Webmaster Tools to analyze your blog pages, one of the most common notices that appears is “Alt attribute for images is missing.” This notice indicates that there are images on your page that do not contain alternative text (alt text). Although categorized as a Notice rather than an Error, fixing it is important for SEO, accessibility, and proper indexing.

This article presents the official explanation from Bing, followed by an in-depth discussion to help you understand how to fix the issue correctly and comprehensively.

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Official Explanation From Bing

What is the issue about?

“As a general rule, search engines do not interpret the content of image files. The text provided in the <img alt> attribute enables the site owner to provide relevant information to the search engine and to the end user. Alt text is helpful to end users if they have images disabled or if the image does not properly load. In addition, the Alt text is utilized by screen readers. Make sure that your Alt text is descriptive and accurately reflects what the image represents and supports the content on the page.”

How to fix?

“Use the <img alt> attribute to write descriptive content for the image: <img source='pic.gif' alt='Accurate and descriptive keyword text that represents the image.' />.”

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Explanation of Bing’s Official Text

The “What is the issue about?” section explains that:

• Search engines cannot visually read images.

They only understand text, which is why alt text is needed to describe an image.

• Alt text helps both search engines and users.

If an image fails to load, alt text appears in its place.

If a user relies on screen readers, alt text becomes the spoken description.

• Alt text must be accurate and descriptive.

Incorrect, vague, or missing alt text makes it harder for search engines to understand your content.

The “How to fix?” section explains that the solution is simply to add an alt attribute to every <img> tag and provide a clear description.

The example provided by Bing is illustrative, not meant to be used exactly as HTML code.

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How to Use Alt Attribute Correctly (Modern HTML Practice)

Although Bing’s example uses source='pic.gif', modern HTML uses the attribute src.

Correct HTML implementation:

<img src="bing-dashboard.jpg" alt="Bing Webmaster Tools dashboard showing alt attribute missing notice">

Principles of good alt text:

• Describe the image accurately

• Keep it concise but meaningful

• Ensure relevance to surrounding content

• Avoid keyword stuffing

• Ensure it can stand alone as a description if the image fails to load

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Why Bing Flags Your Missing Alt Attribute

Common causes include:

• Images in articles do not contain alt text

• Images in layout widgets (header, banner, sidebar) do not contain alt text

• Theme/template images (icons, thumbnails, decorative elements) lack alt text

• Alt text was intentionally left empty without reason

• The platform or template removed alt attributes automatically

Bing considers this a quality improvement, helping search engines understand more context on your page.

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How to Fix Alt Attribute in Blog

1. Through the HTML Editor in the Article

Find the <img> tag:

<img src="image.jpg">

Fix it:

<img src="image.jpg" alt="Accurate description of the image content">

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2. Through Layout – Image Widgets

Steps:

• Go to Layout

• Edit the widget containing the image

• Add alt text inside the <img> tag

Example:

<img src="banner.jpg" alt="Blog banner showing the logo and tagline">

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3. Through Theme → Edit HTML

Use CTRL + F to search for <img>.

If you find:

<img src="icon.png">

Fix it:

<img src="icon.png" alt="Menu navigation icon on the blog">

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Examples of Correct and Incorrect Alt Usage

Incorrect Alt:

<img src="photo.jpg">                  (missing alt)
<img src="photo.jpg" alt="image">      (not descriptive)
<img src="photo.jpg" alt="SEO SEO best Bing SEO 2025">  (keyword stuffing)

Correct Alt:

<img src="bing-seo.jpg" alt="Bing Webmaster Tools report showing alt attribute for images is missing notice">

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The Role of Alt Attribute in SEO

Correct use of alt text provides several benefits:

• Helps search engines understand image content

• Improves visibility in Google Images and Bing Images

• Improves overall page ranking

• Enhances accessibility for screen reader users

• Prevents Notices in Bing Webmaster Tools

Alt text is a small element with a major impact on SEO quality.

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Conclusion

Bing emphasizes two main points:

1. Search engines cannot interpret images visually, making alt attributes critical for context.

2. The solution is straightforward: add descriptive alt text to every <img> element.

After all images are updated with accurate alt text, the notice will disappear and your SEO quality will improve significantly.

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