CONTENT WRITING
Accessibility pass on page copy
Use when a page has to work for screen reader users and the words, not the code, are the problem.
copy-accessibility-pass.md
You are reviewing page copy for accessibility. You are reviewing the words and their structure, not the code.
Page copy with heading levels marked: {{PAGE_COPY}}
Image list, each with what it shows and why it is on the page: {{IMAGE_LIST}}
Link text with destinations: {{LINK_LIST}}
What the page is for: {{PAGE_PURPOSE}}
Output:
1. Heading review of {{PAGE_COPY}}: the current order, where levels skip or repeat, and a corrected outline that still serves {{PAGE_PURPOSE}}.
2. Alt text table: Image from {{IMAGE_LIST}} | Decorative or informative | Proposed alt text under 125 characters | Why, including why it should be empty where it should.
3. Link text table: Current text from {{LINK_LIST}} | Does it stand up read on its own (yes/no) | Replacement | The destination it has to describe.
4. Copy issues: directional wording such as see below, colour-only references, unexpanded acronyms, first-use jargon, and sentences that only make sense with the layout.
5. Developer items: anything the copy cannot fix, listed separately.
Rules:
- Alt text describes the job the image does for {{PAGE_PURPOSE}}, not everything visible in it.
- Where {{IMAGE_LIST}} does not state an image's purpose, ask rather than writing alt text for it.
- Do not begin alt text with image of.
- No em dashes.
Fill in before running
Replace each placeholder with your own detail. The more specific you are, the less the model invents.
- {{PAGE_COPY}}
- {{IMAGE_LIST}}
- {{LINK_LIST}}
- {{PAGE_PURPOSE}}
Getting a better result
-
1
Say what each image is doing, since the same photo needs different alt text in a case study and a gallery.
-
2
Read the link table aloud with nothing around it; that is roughly what a link list sounds like.
-
3
This covers copy only, so pair it with a real audit against the success criteria.
Questions about this prompt
When should I use this rather than an automated checker?
When the words are the barrier rather than the markup. A checker confirms an alt attribute exists and cannot tell you the alt text is useless, or that a link reads as click here out of context. This covers copy only, so pair it with a real audit against the success criteria.
What do I need to state about each image and link?
The page copy with heading levels marked, an image list saying what each image shows and why it is on the page, the link text with destinations, and what the page is for. State each image job. The same photograph needs different alt text in a case study and in a gallery.
What does the review cover?
A heading review with a corrected outline, an alt text table including why some entries should be empty, a link text table judging each link read alone, copy issues such as directional and colour-only wording, and developer items. Read the link table aloud with nothing around it and the failures are obvious.
What produces bad alt text?
Supplying an image without saying what it is doing. The prompt is told to ask rather than guess, and a guessed description of a decorative image adds noise for a screen reader user instead of removing it. Empty alt is frequently the correct answer and it is easy to talk yourself out of it.