What Is Alt Text and Why It's Important

When it comes to SEO, there is much more than meets the eye—and one of them is alt text.

Whenever you upload an image on social media or blogs, you may see an option to “insert alt text.” They’ll even appear on your to-do list for SEO checkers, but you’re not sure what that is.

In this article, we’ll dive into what exactly alt text is and the special role they play in your SEO.

In This Article:

What Is Alt Text

Alt text, short for alternate text, is a line of HTML code that provides a description of an image. You can also write alt text for PDF files as well. It has been called several different names, such as:

• Alt attributes

• Alt descriptions

• Alt tags

Whatever term you use, just know they’re all talking about the same thing.

The purpose of alt text is to describe the contents of the image in the case the visual fails to load. So as a user, you may not see the text but know that at most times, the image contains alt attributes. In HTML speak, the code will look like this:

<img src="photographer.jpg" alt="Photographer taking pictures">

Why Alt Text Is Important

Alt text is beneficial for two main reasons – they improve accessibility and strengthen your image SEO.

Improve accessibility

There may be instances when an image fails to load for whatever reason – file size is too big or poor connection on the user's part. Either way, an error message will appear, and the reader cannot see the image, which can hinder user experience. That’s where alt text comes in handy, as it lets the user know what the visual is supposed to be.

But one of the reasons why alt text exists in the first place is to make images accessible for visually-impaired users. Readers with disabilities likely use voice readers that relay all the text and information on the page. So when it comes to images, voice readers will use the alt-text to describe the visual to the user.

Strengthens image SEO

You’ll be happy to find out that alt text is a ranking factor for search engines.

First, alt text makes it easy for engines like Google and Bing to crawl images. SEO crawlers (bots that explore and analyze webpage content) cannot fully comprehend pictures by themselves. They have a general idea of what it is but don’t know exactly what’s on the image. So alt descriptions help crawlers understand what the visual is.

Second, crawlers use alt text to provide more context around the subject of your content and vice versa. Search engine bots use image captions along with the rest of your content to get a stronger idea of what the visual and the webpage are about. It helps improve your rankings in image search.

One thing we know for sure is that Google takes both factors into account. Directly from Google’s search guidelines, the company states:

“Alt text (text that describes an image) improves accessibility for people who can't see images on web pages, including users who use screen readers or have low-bandwidth connections.

Google uses alt text along with computer vision algorithms and the contents of the page to understand the subject matter of the image.”

Tips and Best Practices for Alt Text

If you’re a writer who constantly uses images for blogging, here are some tips and tricks on crafting and using alt text properly.

Relevant images

First and foremost, the visual you’re using must be relevant to the content on the page. Imagine writing a topic about types of DSLR cameras, and there’s a random photo of a puppy. While it may be super cute, it can confuse the reader as to why it’s there. So remember to add images only when it’s relevant to the topic.

Place image near relevant text

To piggyback off the idea of relevancy, it’s also vital that you place the image near relevant text within the page. Just because a picture relates to your blog post doesn’t necessarily mean you can sprinkle them anywhere in the text. Again, you want to be sensical and logical when it comes to image placement.

Keep it short but descriptive

Alt attributes, in general, are not long. They’re often a couple lines of text. At the same time, you want your alt text to be descriptive enough for search crawlers and users to fully understand the image. So, as you’re crafting your alt description, keep in mind to be detailed yet concise.

Avoid keyword stuffing

Search engines are not stupid. They know when someone stuffs a page with keywords in hopes of improving their rankings. In actuality, keyword stuffing is detrimental to one’s SEO. So avoid doing the same with alt text. While alt attributes provide another opportunity to include your target keyword, don’t force it. Only include them when it makes sense.

Use images as anchor text

Anchor text is interactive words that direct you to another webpage when clicked. Current developments in web design allow images to be used as anchor text, which can help boost your on-page SEO.

Don’t Forget

Because there are bonus ranking opportunities with images, more and more blogs are adding visuals to their content. They serve multiple purposes – improving reader experience, accessibility, and SEO. But before you hit that publish button, don’t forget to add your alt-text to give you that extra ranking boost.

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