All listing images have descriptive alt text

WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.1.1 requires all non-text content to have a text alternative — a failing grade on this check means your directory is inaccessible to blind users relying on screen readers. Section 508 (2018 Refresh) §502.3.3 extends this requirement to federally procured software. Beyond compliance, empty or generic alt text like alt="image" degrades image search indexing: Google uses alt text as primary signal for image SEO, and directories with poorly alt-tagged listing photos lose discoverability in Google Images where visual search drives significant business referral traffic.

Generate descriptive alt text from listing data at render time — never rely on alt="" or omit the attribute entirely for content images. Decorative images are the only valid case for empty alt.

// components/listing/listing-image.tsx
<img
  src={listing.primaryImageUrl}
  alt={`${listing.name} - ${listing.category} in ${listing.city}`}
  width={800}
  height={600}
/>

For galleries, include an index: alt={\${listing.name} photo ${index + 1} of ${total}`}. Validate coverage by querying your rendered HTML for imgtags withalt=""or missingaltattributes — automate this in CI usingaxe-core`.