2.5 Images (Lever 5)HighVerified
Text embedded in images
Text baked into an image, headlines, key copy, prices, is invisible to crawlers and AI and inaccessible to screen readers. Real text should be HTML, not pixels.
What it is
Important text baked into images.
Why it matters
Invisible to text extraction and AI grounding.
How to fix it
Use real HTML text.
How to find it on your site
- Find images that contain meaningful text.
- Check whether that text exists as real HTML on the page.
- Move the text into HTML and style it, using the image for decoration.
- Provide alt text as a fallback, not the primary source.
Cross-reference to ranking and citation factors
Text in images cannot be indexed or quoted and fails accessibility. Real text is readable by everything.
Impact
Medium-high. Direct.
Evidence
Express text content as text, not images. Google Search Central, SEO Guide for Web Developers