How to Make SVGs Accessible: A Short Guide

Introduction

We love SVGs, don’t we? They’re lightweight, scalable, and sharp on any screen. From decorative icons to interactive graphics, SVGs have quietly become a staple of modern web design. But there’s a conversation we don’t have often enough: Are your SVGs accessible?

Most people don’t realize that, just like text or images, SVGs can either help or hinder someone’s ability to navigate and use your website. If you’ve never thought about it or you’ve kind of known you should, but never got around to it, this guide is for you.

Let’s demystify SVG accessibility together.

What Exactly Is an SVG?

SVG stands for Scalable Vector Graphics. Unlike regular image files (like JPG or PNG), SVGs are XML-based text files that describe shapes, paths, and text. This makes them scalable without losing quality, and more importantly, readable by screen readers if handled properly.

Why Should You Care About SVG Accessibility?

A good rule of thumb on the web: if a thing conveys meaning, it should be accessible. Imagine a button with no text, just a star-shaped SVG. If someone using a screen reader lands on it and hears nothing, they won’t know what it does. That’s a frustrating experience.

When it comes to accessibility, it is not just about compliance checklists. It’s about making sure everyone can use, understand, and enjoy your site.

Common SVG Accessibility Mistakes

Most issues happen because people:

• Embed SVGs without any descriptive text

• Forget to hide decorative icons from assistive tech

• Use <img> tags with no alt attribute for SVG files

• Skip proper labelling on interactive SVG elements

But the good news? These are easy fixes.

Quick Ways to Make Your SVGs Accessible

Here’s a practical guide to handling SVGs accessibly:

1. Decide if it’s Decorative or Informative

• Decorative SVGs: Purely visual, no meaningful content (like background shapes, borders, arrow icons).

• Informative SVGs: Carry meaning, like charts, logos, or icons, indicating actions.

Why this matters: Informative graphics need to be described. Decorative ones should be ignored by screen readers.

2. Add Accessible Text Inside Inline SVGs

If you’re using inline SVG (embedded directly into your HTML), you can add a <title> and <desc> element inside it.

Example:

<svg role="img" aria-labelledby="iconTitle iconDesc" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24">
  <title id="iconTitle">Search Icon</title>
  <desc id="iconDesc">A magnifying glass symbol representing search functionality</desc>
  <circle cx="11" cy="11" r="8" stroke="black" stroke-width="2" fill="none"/>
  <line x1="16" y1="16" x2="22" y2="22" stroke="black" stroke-width="2"/>
</svg>

• role="img" tells assistive tech it’s an image.

• aria-labelledby connects the visual with a text label.

• <title> and <desc> give users context.

3. Hide Decorative SVGs from Assistive Tech

If your SVG is purely decorative, hide it using aria-hidden="true":

<svg aria-hidden="true" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24">
  <circle cx="12" cy="12" r="10" stroke="gray" stroke-width="2" fill="lightgray"/>
</svg>

That way, it won’t clutter the accessibility tree.

4. Don’t Forget Alt Text for <img> SVGs

If you’re using SVG as a source inside an <img> tag, treat it like any other image:

<img src="logo.svg" alt="Company Logo">

If it’s decorative, leave the alt attribute empty:

<img src="star.svg" alt="">

5. Make Interactive SVG Elements Keyboard-Friendly

When you use an SVG as a button, link, or interactive control, it needs a few things:

• tabindex="0" to make it focusable

• role="button" or role="link" to describe its function

• A clear label using either aria-label or <title>

Example:

<svg role="button" tabindex="0" aria-label="Close menu" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24">
  <line x1="4" y1="4" x2="20" y2="20" stroke="black" stroke-width="2"/>
  <line x1="20" y1="4" x2="4" y2="20" stroke="black" stroke-width="2"/>
</svg>

You don’t need a <title> here if you’re using aria-label. In fact, avoid both at once, screen readers may get confused and announce both.

Conclusion

Making SVGs accessible is not about complicating your workflow; it’s about adding small, meaningful touches that make a big difference for someone navigating the web differently than you do.

If you’re already using SVGs, take a moment to audit them. If you haven’t started yet, now you know how to do it the right way from the beginning.

Happy coding and let’s make the web accessible, one SVG at a time.