Skip to content

Error - Image map missing alternative text

  • WAVE Category: Error
  • WAVE Error: Image map 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 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_map_missing

WAVE Category

Errors

WAVE Error

Image map missing alternative text

What It Means

An image that has hot spots does not have an alt attribute.

Why It Matters

Any content or function of an image that uses an image map (hot spots) and does not have an alt attribute will not be available to screen reader users or if the image is unavailable.

What To Do

Add an alt attribute to the image. Ensure the alt attribute value for the image map image is appropriate. The alternative text is typically null/empty (alt=""), unless the image conveys content not conveyed in the hot spot areas (e.g., "Map of the United States").

The Algorithm... in English

An image element has the usemap attribute and no alt attribute.

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 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]