What it is
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. Important text baked into images. Invisible to text extraction and AI grounding. Use real HTML text.
Why does text embedded in images matter for AI search?
Invisible to text extraction and AI grounding.
How do you fix it?
Use real HTML text.
How do you 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.
Which ranking and citation factors does it touch?
Text in images cannot be indexed or quoted and fails accessibility. Real text is readable by everything.
What is the impact?
Medium-high. Direct.
What is the evidence?
Express text content as text, not images. Google Search Central, SEO Guide for Web Developers
Frequently asked questions about text embedded in images
What does "Text embedded in images" mean?
Important text baked into images.
How do you fix text embedded in images?
Use real HTML text.