# Image Alt Text Auditor (`junipr/image-alt-text-auditor`) Actor

Find missing, weak, duplicate, or risky image alt text and image SEO/accessibility issues.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/junipr/image-alt-text-auditor.md
- **Developed by:** [junipr](https://apify.com/junipr) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $4.90 / 1,000 page auditeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## Image Alt Text Auditor

### Store Positioning

**Store title:** Image Alt Text Auditor

**Short description:** Find missing, weak, duplicate, or risky image alt text and image SEO/accessibility issues.

**SEO title:** Image Alt Text Auditor — technical SEO, web, and domain audit

**SEO description:** Find missing, weak, duplicate, or risky image alt text and image SEO/accessibility issues. Use it to find crawlability, indexability, security, metadata, and page-quality issues with evidence-backed rows and audit reports.

**Categories:** SEO\_TOOLS

**Keywords:** image, alt, text, auditor, seo audit, web/domain audit

### Fixed-Inclusive PPE Pricing

This actor uses pay-per-event pricing. Event prices include Apify platform usage; users are not expected to pay a separate platform-usage pass-through charge for the configured pricing model.

- Tier: W1 — Web/domain audit
- Primary event: `page-audited` at $0.00490 base
- Default max charge: $10.00
- Store discounts: FREE/BRONZE base, SILVER discounted, GOLD deepest approved discount

Event set:

- `actor-start`: base $0.00500, GOLD $0.00400. Image Alt Text Auditor: charged when actor start is completed. The price includes Apify platform usage; no separate usage pass-through is intended.
- `page-audited`: base $0.00490, GOLD $0.00392. Image Alt Text Auditor: charged when page audited is completed. The price includes Apify platform usage; no separate usage pass-through is intended.
- `record-extracted`: base $0.00372, GOLD $0.00298. Image Alt Text Auditor: charged when record extracted is completed. The price includes Apify platform usage; no separate usage pass-through is intended.
- `finding-emitted`: base $0.00372, GOLD $0.00298. Image Alt Text Auditor: charged when finding emitted is completed. The price includes Apify platform usage; no separate usage pass-through is intended.
- `audit-report-generated`: base $0.05000, GOLD $0.04000. Image Alt Text Auditor: charged when audit report generated is completed. The price includes Apify platform usage; no separate usage pass-through is intended.

### Public Task Concepts

- Audit Image Alt Text controls on a capped public page set
- Find high-priority Image Alt Text issues before release
- Validate Image Alt Text evidence from supplied pages
- Prioritize Image Alt Text fixes with severity and proof
- Export Image Alt Text QA rows for client review

Find missing, weak, duplicate, or risky image alt text and image SEO/accessibility issues.

### What This Actor Does

Image Alt Text Auditor inspects every `img` element in supplied or fetched HTML and returns page-level QA rows with an image-by-image evidence inventory. It distinguishes missing and empty alternatives, recognizes decorative signals, and flags duplicate, generic, filename-based, overly long, and repetitive alt text.

The actor is positioned for content and accessibility quality. It includes `src`, alt text, decorative state, loading hints, dimensions, issue codes, and remediation guidance without inventing image meaning.

### What This Actor Does Not Do

- It does not provide legal, medical, financial, investment, safety, or compliance advice.
- It does not guarantee completeness of any public source or third-party dataset.
- It does not collect sensitive personal data by default.
- It does not rely on unsupported private APIs.
- It does not generate replacement alt text or infer visual content from image pixels.

### Best Use Cases

- image SEO QA
- accessibility alt-text audits
- duplicate alt text detection

### Input Fields Explained

| Field | Type | Default | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `records` | array | built-in records | Page snapshots with HTML in `metadata.html` or `body`. |
| `urls` | array | \[] | Public page URLs to fetch; explicit URLs override schema-populated default records. |
| `fetchUrls` | boolean | false | Fetches HTML for URL rows before image analysis. |
| `fetchTimeoutMs` | integer | 12000 | Timeout per HTML request, capped at 30 seconds. |
| `watchTerms` | array | actor defaults | Terms used to mark relevant records and alerts. |
| `includeReport` | boolean | true | Writes JSON and Markdown report artifacts to the key-value store. |
| `maxItems` | integer | 2 | Caps processed records. Maximum is 50. |
| `maxTextBytes` | integer | 500000 | Caps analyzed text per record. |
| `debug` | boolean | false | Enables debug logging. |

### Example Input

```json
{
  "records": [
    {
      "sourceId": "image-alt-good",
      "sourceUrl": "https://example.com/gallery",
      "title": "Gallery with descriptive alt text",
      "description": "Images include concise descriptive alt text.",
      "category": "image seo",
      "keywords": [],
      "metadata": {
        "html": "<img src=\"shoe.jpg\" alt=\"Blue trail running shoe side view\"><img src=\"sole.jpg\" alt=\"Trail shoe rubber outsole\">"
      }
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "image-alt-risk",
      "sourceUrl": "https://example.com/product",
      "title": "Product page missing image alt text",
      "description": "Hero product image has missing alt and duplicate alt text marker.",
      "category": "image seo",
      "keywords": [
        "missing alt",
        "duplicate alt"
      ],
      "metadata": {
        "html": "<img src=\"hero.jpg\"><img src=\"thumb.jpg\" alt=\"\"> duplicate alt"
      }
    }
  ],
  "includeReport": true,
  "maxItems": 2
}
```

### Output Fields Explained

| Field | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| `auditId` | Stable hash for the checked record. |
| `sourceId`, `sourceUrl` | Source identifiers for traceability. |
| `status`, `severity`, `score` | Normalized outcome and 0-100 quality/risk score. |
| `matchedKeywords` | Watch terms found in the record text or metadata. |
| `issues`, `issueCodes` | Actor-specific findings with severity and messages. |
| `recommendations` | Next actions for the operator or content/data owner. |
| `metadata` | Original metadata plus derived helper fields when applicable. |
| `pricingTemplate`, `pricingEventName` | PPE tier and primary billed event. |

### Example Output

```json
{
  "auditId": "imageal_72dece02acb31acc",
  "actorSlug": "image-alt-text-auditor",
  "actorName": "Image Alt Text Auditor",
  "sourceType": "input",
  "sourceId": "image-alt-good",
  "sourceUrl": "https://example.com/gallery",
  "title": "Gallery with descriptive alt text",
  "status": "pass",
  "severity": "none",
  "score": 100,
  "matchedKeywords": [],
  "primaryEntity": null,
  "category": "image seo",
  "publishedAt": null,
  "summary": "Images include concise descriptive alt text.",
  "issueCount": 0,
  "issues": [],
  "issueCodes": [],
  "recommendations": [
    "Image Alt Text Auditor did not find immediate risk signals for this record. Re-run after source data changes."
  ],
  "metadata": {
    "html": "<img src=\"shoe.jpg\" alt=\"Blue trail running shoe side view\"><img src=\"sole.jpg\" alt=\"Trail shoe rubber outsole\">",
    "htmlSignalCounts": {
      "images": 2,
      "inputs": 0,
      "forms": 0,
      "headings": 0
    },
    "sourceSpecific": {
      "imageRows": [
        {
          "imageIndex": 1,
          "src": "shoe.jpg",
          "srcsetPresent": false,
          "altText": "Blue trail running shoe side view",
          "decorative": false,
          "loading": null,
          "width": null,
          "height": null,
          "issueCodes": [],
          "status": "ok"
        },
        {
          "imageIndex": 2,
          "src": "sole.jpg",
          "srcsetPresent": false,
          "altText": "Trail shoe rubber outsole",
          "decorative": false,
          "loading": null,
          "width": null,
          "height": null,
          "issueCodes": [],
          "status": "ok"
        }
      ],
      "imageCount": 2,
      "issueImageCount": 0
    },
    "normalizedTextPreview": "image-alt-good https://example.com/gallery Gallery with descriptive alt text Images include concise descriptive alt text.   image seo {\"html\":\"  \"}"
  },
  "textBytes": 265,
  "checkedAt": "2026-07-02T00:00:00.000Z",
  "pricingTemplate": "W1 — Web/domain audit",
  "pricingEventName": "page-audited"
}
```

### Cost-Control Tips

- Keep `maxItems` small for default and scheduled checks.
- Use supplied records or snapshots for deterministic QA runs.
- Leave `fetchUrls` off unless live source fetching is explicitly needed.
- Review warning rows before increasing caps.
- Schedule small frequent runs instead of broad one-off sweeps.

### Scheduling Examples

- Daily watchlist check with two to five high-value records.
- Weekly QA run before publishing a site, data, or actor update.
- Content QA before publishing product, editorial, or landing pages.

### Public Task Examples

- Audit image alternatives on a capped public page set.
- Find missing and empty alt text before a content release.
- Detect duplicate or generic alternatives across supplied HTML snapshots.
- Export image-level evidence for accessibility remediation.
- Monitor product templates for recurring alt-quality regressions.

### FAQ

#### Can I use this with live URLs?

Yes. Supply `urls` and enable `fetchUrls`. JavaScript-injected images require rendered HTML supplied in a record.

#### Why does it charge before pushing output?

The actor charges before paid output. When the charge cap is reached, it stops cleanly without emitting unpaid rows.

#### What happens on charge limits?

The actor stops gracefully and writes a summary instead of pushing unpaid result rows.

#### Is this legal, financial, safety, or compliance advice?

No. The actor produces operational signals and structured data for review. Human owners remain responsible for decisions.

### Troubleshooting

- If the dataset is empty, check that `maxItems` is greater than zero and that records are supplied or defaults are enabled.
- If a record is flagged unexpectedly, inspect `issueCodes`, `matchedKeywords`, and the normalized metadata preview.
- If live fetching fails, rerun with supplied record bodies or snapshots and keep `fetchUrls` false.

### Limitations

The actor analyzes HTML attributes, not image pixels or surrounding visual layout. Decorative intent and the accuracy of descriptive language still require human review. JavaScript-only DOM changes are visible only when rendered HTML is supplied.

### Source And Safety Notes

Use public or permissioned pages and avoid credentials or private user data. Results support content and accessibility QA but are not a compliance certification.

### Changelog

- 2026-07-10: Added image-level alt-quality evidence, duplicate/stuffing checks, honest no-image diagnostics, and expanded regression coverage.

# Actor input Schema

## `records` (type: `array`):

Records, snapshots, or source observations to process. Defaults to a tiny deterministic fixture.

## `urls` (type: `array`):

Optional URLs reserved for live fetching when Fetch URLs is true.

## `fetchUrls` (type: `boolean`):

Fetch sourceUrl text over HTTP. Default is false for deterministic local runs.

## `fetchTimeoutMs` (type: `integer`):

Timeout for each live HTML request.

## `watchTerms` (type: `array`):

Keywords or topics used to flag relevant records.

## `includeReport` (type: `boolean`):

Write JSON and Markdown report artifacts to the key-value store.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum records to process in one run.

## `maxTextBytes` (type: `integer`):

Maximum searchable text bytes per record.

## `dryRun` (type: `boolean`):

Validate input and write a dry-run summary without PPE charges or dataset output.

## `debug` (type: `boolean`):

Enable debug logging.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "records": [
    {
      "sourceId": "image-alt-good",
      "sourceUrl": "https://example.com/gallery",
      "title": "Gallery with descriptive alt text",
      "description": "Images include concise descriptive alt text.",
      "category": "image seo",
      "keywords": [],
      "metadata": {
        "html": "<img src=\"shoe.jpg\" alt=\"Blue trail running shoe side view\"><img src=\"sole.jpg\" alt=\"Trail shoe rubber outsole\">"
      }
    },
    {
      "sourceId": "image-alt-risk",
      "sourceUrl": "https://example.com/product",
      "title": "Product page missing image alt text",
      "description": "Hero product image has missing alt and duplicate alt text marker.",
      "category": "image seo",
      "keywords": [
        "missing alt",
        "duplicate alt"
      ],
      "metadata": {
        "html": "<img src=\"hero.jpg\"><img src=\"thumb.jpg\" alt=\"\"> duplicate alt"
      }
    }
  ],
  "urls": [],
  "fetchUrls": false,
  "fetchTimeoutMs": 12000,
  "watchTerms": [
    "missing alt",
    "duplicate alt",
    "keyword stuffing"
  ],
  "includeReport": true,
  "maxItems": 2,
  "maxTextBytes": 500000,
  "dryRun": false,
  "debug": false
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Structured result rows in the default dataset.

## `summary` (type: `string`):

Summary JSON in the key-value store when includeReport is enabled.

## `markdownReport` (type: `string`):

Markdown report in the key-value store when includeReport is enabled.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("junipr/image-alt-text-auditor").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("junipr/image-alt-text-auditor").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call junipr/image-alt-text-auditor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,junipr/image-alt-text-auditor"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/L290kknZH63fi4pXN/builds/Sy7EsSRcXWcoHpVK3/openapi.json