Why Is Alt Text Important for SEO and Accessibility

Alt text is essential for both SEO and accessibility, and it's surprising how many websites still neglect to include it. The fact is, alt text helps search engines understand the content of images, which is a significant ranking factor.

According to Google, images with alt text are 2.5 times more likely to rank on the first page of search results. This is because alt text provides context to search engines, enabling them to better understand the content of a page.

Alt text is also crucial for accessibility, as it provides a text description of images for visually impaired users. In fact, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) recommend that alt text be provided for all images, with the exception of purely decorative images.

By including alt text, websites can improve their accessibility and search engine ranking simultaneously, making it a win-win for both users and search engines.

Alt text is a crucial attribute for images, and it's surprisingly easy to get right. It's a short description of an image that search engines and screen readers use to understand what the image is about.

The main takeaway is that alt text should be added to every image uploaded online, whether it's for a blog post, tech tutorial, infographic, or any other type of content. Many content management systems (CMSs) make it easy to do this with a user-friendly interface.

To write effective alt text, there are two simple rules to follow: avoid vagueness and don't stuff keywords. For example, instead of using a vague alt text like "a picture of a phone", use a more descriptive alt text like "the back of the Pixel 7 Pro showing the aluminium camera bar."

Here are some best practices for writing alt text:

By following these simple rules, you can ensure that your images are accessible to everyone, including search engines and screen readers.

Alt text is crucial for search engines to understand the content of an image, contributing to improved accessibility and search engine rankings. This is because search engines rely on alt text to index images.

According to Google's Image Publishing Guidelines, using descriptive alt text improves image search optimization. In fact, Google itself emphasizes the importance of alt attributes for understanding image content.

A study by Moz found that images with descriptive text have a higher likelihood of appearing in Google Image Search results. This is because descriptive alt text helps search engines understand the purpose of the image.

You can never get enough of higher discoverability, improved search engine rankings, and longer visiting sessions, which is why effective alt text is essential for website growth.

Optimizing alt text is crucial for both accessibility and SEO. Google places a relatively high value on alt text, using it to determine what is on the image and how it relates to the surrounding text.

To write good alt text, focus on specificity and avoid vagueness. Describe the image as specifically as possible, and make sure it forms a clear mental image of what the content is. This can be achieved by incorporating relevant keywords from research, but avoid overstuffing and keyword stuffing.

The best format for alt text is descriptive but concise, and it should be easy to imagine a reasonably accurate version of the image by having someone read the alt text to you. Consider the following tips:

By following these tips, you can create alt text that is both accessible and SEO-friendly, improving your site's overall performance.

The optimal format for alt text is all about striking a balance between being descriptive and concise. It's not about filling up the alt text with keywords, but rather about giving the user a clear idea of what the image is about.

A good alt text should be something you can imagine if someone reads it to you and you close your eyes. For example, if you have an image of a delicious-looking stack of blueberry pancakes, your alt text should be more than just "pancakes". It should be something like "a stack of blueberry pancakes with a dusting of powdered sugar".

Avoid vagueness in your alt text, as it's not helpful to the user. Instead, aim for something that's descriptive and concise, like "Man skiing down a snow-covered mountain".

Here are some examples of good and bad alt text to illustrate the point:

Remember, the goal of alt text is to provide a clear and concise description of the image, not to stuff it with keywords. By following these guidelines, you can create alt text that's both helpful to users and optimized for SEO.

Optimizing alt text is a crucial step in making your website more accessible and search engine friendly.

To write optimized alt text, specificity is key. Describe the image as specifically as possible to form a clear mental image of the content.

Decorative images should be handled with care. If an image doesn't convey any meaning or value and is only there for design purposes, use CSS to handle it, not HTML.

Incorporate relevant keywords from research into your alt text for better search relevance. However, avoid overstuffing, as it can detract from user experience and search engine perception.

Here are the 7 smart tips for writing optimized alt text:

1. Specificity is key: Describe the image as specifically as possible to form a clear mental image of the content.

2. Decorative images: Use CSS to handle purely decorative images, not HTML.

3. Keyword integration: Incorporate relevant keywords from research into your alt text for better search relevance.

4. Avoid overstuffing: Don't stuff keywords into your alt text, as it can detract from user experience and search engine perception.

5. Skip redundant phrases: No need for "image of" or "picture of"; contextually specify for screenshots or video stills if necessary.

6. Complex images: Follow W3C Web Accessibility Initiative guidelines for intricate visuals like maps or charts.

7. Alt text for buttons: Ensure image buttons have descriptive alt text that explains their function, like "search", "apply now", or "sign up".

Writing effective alt text is crucial for both accessibility and SEO. Specificity is key, so describe the image as specifically as possible to form a clear mental image of what the content is.

To avoid vagueness, take the surrounding content and audience into account when writing alt text. For example, a photo of a woman doing yoga might be described simply as "Woman doing yoga" in many contexts, but a detailed description of the woman's pose could be necessary in a workout guide.

Avoid overstuffing your alt text with keywords, as this can detract from user experience and search engine perception. Instead, use 1-2 main keywords in the text, and prioritize good grammar and syntax.

Here are some key tips to keep in mind:

By following these best practices, you can write effective alt text that improves your site's accessibility and SEO, and provides a better experience for your users.

Adding alt text to e-commerce images is crucial for accessibility and SEO.

Always add an image alt attribute when uploading images for your online store. Many content management systems (CMSs) now make this easy with a user-friendly interface, but double-check the HTML version as well.

To write effective alt text for e-commerce images, follow these two rules: avoid vagueness and don't stuff keywords.

Here are some alt text SEO best practices to keep in mind:

By following these guidelines, you can improve the accessibility and SEO of your e-commerce images, ultimately driving more traffic and sales to your online store.

Alt text in WordPress is a breeze to add. You can set a title and an alt attribute when uploading an image, but it's best practice to craft a proper alt text for every image.

By default, WordPress uses the image filename in the title attribute, which isn't ideal. It's better than writing nothing, but it's still not great. You can do better by taking the time to add a proper alt attribute.

To add alt attributes in WordPress, follow these steps: Log in to your WordPress website, open the post or page to edit, click on the Image block, add the alt text and title attribute, and click 'Update'.

Adding alt attributes is a simple process, and it will benefit your SEO and make your website more accessible. People using screen readers will appreciate the effort you put into adding alt text.

Here are the two rules to keep in mind when writing alt image text: Avoid vagueness and don't stuff keywords.

Adding alt text to your images is a crucial step in optimizing them for search engines. Any time you upload an image, make sure to add an image alt attribute.

To write effective alt text, follow two simple rules: avoid vagueness and don't stuff keywords.

A vague alt text description is one that doesn't provide enough information about the image. To understand vagueness better, let's look at some alt text SEO best practices:

This may seem obvious, but it's surprising how often people get it wrong. Remember, the goal of alt text is to provide a clear and concise description of the image.