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Error - Image map area missing alternative text

  • WAVE Category: Error
  • WAVE Error: Image map area missing alternative text

Page Content Status

  • WAVE Error guidance text
  • Example of a DOM Snippet Generated From WAVE Tool
  • Project Team Error guidance
    • Project Team Page Details
    • Project Team Issue and PR details
    • Project Team Solution
  • Credits/Authors

WAVE Guidance

WAVE Tool's Reference material on Image map area missing alternative text may not specifically address your problem. We provide it here for optional reading.

Click to see WAVE Tool Reference

This content added 2026-04-09. Check for updated guidance at: https://wave.webaim.org/api/docs?format=html#alt_area_missing

WAVE Category

Errors

WAVE Error

Image map area missing alternative text

What It Means

Alternative text is not present for an image map area (hot spot).

Why It Matters

Image map areas or clickable hot spots provide important functionality that must be provided in alternative text. Without alternative text, the function of the area is not made available to screen reader users or when images are unavailable.

What To Do

Add a descriptive alt attribute value to each area element. Additionally, ensure that the area elements are listed in the code in a logical, intuitive order (e.g., matching the visual order, alphabetically, etc.).

The Algorithm... in English

An area element does not have the alt attribute or has an alt value that is null/empty (alt="") or only space characters.

Standards and Guidelines

Example of a DOM Snippet Generated From WAVE Tool

[HTML snippet showing the problematic code structure that WAVE detected]

Project Team Error guidance

The following material covers how the Project Team has provided a solution to the Image map area missing alternative text WAVE Error.

Project Page Details

  • Project Page name: [INSERT PAGE NAME or "ALL"]
  • Project Dev URL: [INSERT URL or "N/A"]
  • Requires sign in: [TRUE OR FALSE]
    • Required User Role: [INSERT ONE OF: Visitor, Logged in user, Admin, Security Admin]
    • Can access page directly from URL: [TRUE OR FALSE]
    • Accepts URL parameters: [TRUE OR FALSE]

Project Team Issue and PR details

  • Related GitHub Issue(s):
    • [INSERT ISSUE URL]
  • Related Pull Request(s):
    • [INSERT PR URL]
  • React Component(s)
    • [INSERT PATH: e.g. path/to/Component.jsx]

Project Team Solution

What is the specific problem that was occurring?

[INSERT CONTENT]

What is the proposed solution to this problem?

[INSERT CONTENT]

Step-By-Step Guide

Click to see step-by-step guide

[ADD DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS HERE]

Other Technical Details

Click to see other technical details

[INSERT OTHER DETAILS e.g. Prop References, Return Value ]

Code Snippet With Solution

Click to see code snippets

[INSERT PATH file/path/to/Snippet.jsx]

[Code example showing the fix/solution]

Why the Fix Works

[INSERT CONTENT]

Where this solution is applicable

  • [INSERT SCENARIO 1]
  • [INSERT SCENARIO 2]
  • [INSERT SCENARIO N]

Screenshots of WAVE Error

1. Descriptive Title for Screenshot Set 1

Description/text for image

[INSERT IMAGE HERE]

Credits/Authors

  • @MissBrandyLea
  • [INCLUDE Contributor 2]
  • [INCLUDE Contributor N]