image title attribute

The title attribute sits on the <img> element next to src and alt. Browsers that support it render its value as a small tooltip once the cursor rests on the image for a moment. That is its whole job: a hover hint for sighted mouse users.

Title attribute vs alt text

People confuse these constantly, but they do different work:

<img src="rye-loaf.jpg"
     alt="Cross-section of a dark rye sourdough loaf"
     title="Our Tuesday bake">

• alt is the accessible, indexable description. Google reads it “along with computer vision algorithms and the contents of the page to understand the subject matter of the image.” Screen readers announce it, and it feeds Google Images.
• title is a cosmetic tooltip. Google’s image SEO guide does not mention it, and John Mueller has said image title text is not used for ranking.

MDN flags the tooltip pattern as problematic for people on touch-only devices, keyboard users, and people using screen readers, because browser and assistive-tech support is inconsistent. It also does not show on keyboard focus, and repeating your alt text inside title can cause some screen readers to announce the same thing twice. If the information matters, put it in visible text or a <figcaption>, not a tooltip.

So set title only when a genuine hover label helps (a product name in a gallery, say), keep it short, and never treat it as a ranking lever or a substitute for alt text.