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Why Your Therapy Website Needs Alt Text: A Complete Guide to Digital Accessibility

A teen girl in psychotherapy

Introduction

As a mental health professional, you’ve likely invested significant time and resources into creating a welcoming therapy website. You’ve chosen the perfect template, written compelling copy, and selected beautiful images that reflect your practice’s values. However, there’s a crucial element you might be overlooking – one that could be unintentionally excluding potential clients and putting your practice at legal risk: image alt text.

What Is Alt Text and Why Should Therapists Care?

Alternative text (alt text) is a written description of images on your website that serves multiple essential purposes:

  • Makes your content accessible to visually impaired visitors using screen readers
  • Ensures information is available when images fail to load
  • Improves your website’s SEO performance
  • Helps maintain ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliance

Consider this: According to the CDC, approximately 25% of adults in the United States have some type of disability. By not including proper alt text, you’re potentially excluding a significant portion of people who might benefit from your services.

The Website Builder Myth

Many therapists believe that using popular website builders like Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress automatically makes their websites accessible. This is a dangerous misconception. While these platforms provide the technical capability to add alt text, they don’t automatically generate meaningful descriptions for your images. This responsibility falls on you as the website owner.

Legal Implications for Mental Health Professionals

Clipboard on desk with words "ADA Americans with Disabilities Act"

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that professional services be accessible to everyone. This extends to your digital presence. Recent years have seen an increase in ADA-related lawsuits targeting healthcare providers’ websites, making accessibility not just an ethical consideration but a legal necessity.

How to Write Effective Alt Text for Your Therapy Website

General Guidelines:

  1. Be specific but concise
  2. Include relevant context
  3. Avoid starting with “image of” or “picture of”
  4. Describe the purpose, not just the visual elements

Examples for Common Therapy Website Images:

Professional Headshot:

  • Poor: “therapist.jpg”
  • Better: “Sarah Johnson, LMFT, smiling warmly in a professional setting”

Office Space:

  • Poor: “office”
  • Better: “Comfortable therapy office with natural lighting, blue armchair, and calming artwork”

Infographics:

  • Poor: “mental health tips”
  • Better: “Infographic showing 5 grounding techniques for anxiety management”

How to Add Alt Text on Popular Website Platforms

Screenshot of where to add alt text in Squarespace

Squarespace

  1. Click on any image block on your site
  2. In the image editor that appears, look for the “Image Settings” button (gear icon)
  3. Find the “Caption & Alt Text” section
  4. Enter your alt text in the “Image Alt Text” field
  5. Click “Save”

Pro Tip for Squarespace: Don’t confuse image captions with alt text – they serve different purposes. Captions appear visibly on your website, while alt text is only read by screen readers.

WordPress

For Block Editor (Gutenberg):

  1. Click on any image block
  2. Look for the block settings sidebar on the right
  3. Under “Image settings,” find “Alt text (alternative text)”
  4. Enter your description
  5. Click “Update” or “Publish”

For Classic Editor:

  1. Click on the image in your post/page
  2. Click the pencil icon to edit
  3. Find the “Image Details” popup
  4. Look for “Image Alt Text” or “Alt Text” field
  5. Enter your description
  6. Click “Update”

WordPress Tip: If you’re using page builders like Elementor or Divi, you’ll find alt text options in the image element settings.

Wix

  1. Click on any image on your site
  2. Click “Settings” (gear icon)
  3. Select “Accessibility” tab
  4. Enter your alt text in the “What’s in the image?” field
  5. Click “Save”

Wix Tip: Wix ADI might generate automatic alt text, but it’s important to review and customize these for accuracy and relevance to your therapy practice.

Additional Platform Tips

For Banner/Hero Images:

  • Squarespace: Access through Design > Banner > Banner Images
  • WordPress: Usually found in Customize > Header Image settings
  • Wix: Click the strip or section containing your banner, then follow standard image settings

For Logo Images:

  • Squarespace: Design > Logo & Title > Logo tab
  • WordPress: Customize > Site Identity
  • Wix: Settings > Business Info > Logo

Tools and Resources for Website Accessibility

Screen Readers for Testing:

  • VoiceOver (Mac)
  • NVDA (Windows, Free)
  • JAWS (Windows, Professional)

Alt Text Checkers:

  • WAVE Web Accessibility Tool
  • WebAIM Contrast Checker
  • Google Chrome Lighthouse

The Business Case for Accessibility

Diverse therapists smiling with hands in the center

Implementing proper alt text isn’t just about compliance – it’s about growing your practice ethically and inclusively. Accessible websites often experience:

  • Increased client reach
  • Better search engine rankings
  • Enhanced brand reputation
  • Improved user experience for all visitors

Conclusion

Creating an accessible website demonstrates your commitment to inclusive mental healthcare. By implementing proper alt text, you’re not just following legal requirements – you’re actively creating a more welcoming digital space for all potential clients.

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