Empty alt attribute (alt="")

Detailed explanation

WCAG 2.0 SC 1.1.1 (Non-text Content) requires every meaningful image to have descriptive alt text and every decorative image to have an empty alt attribute. The distinction matters: missing alt (no attribute at all) causes screen readers to announce "image" or read the filename; alt="" causes them to skip silently.

Decorative images are images that add no information — background flourishes, spacer GIFs, decorative icons next to a labeled link, ornamental section dividers. If removing the image would not change the meaning of the page for a sighted reader, it is decorative.

How this applies to Shopify stores

A labeled Shopify control may contain an icon that should be hidden from assistive technology, but decorative-versus-meaningful classification depends on context. AccessComply can report eligible patterns and present a merchant-approved candidate such as aria-hidden="true" or alt="" through a supported theme path.

What merchants should check next

Treat this term as a practical audit prompt, not just a definition. Check the storefront pages where the concept shows up in real customer journeys: product discovery, add-to-cart, cart drawer, checkout handoff, account login, and support contact flows. If the issue affects code, verify the rendered HTML and computed browser output after the theme change. If it affects copy or media, keep the merchant-facing wording accurate and easy to maintain.

Primary source: w3.org