Alt text (alternative text) is a descriptive text attribute added to image HTML tags, providing a textual alternative for visual content on web pages.
What is Alt Text?
Alt text is a crucial element in web accessibility and search engine optimization. It serves multiple purposes:
1. Accessibility: Alt text allows screen readers to describe images to visually impaired users, making web content more inclusive.
2. SEO Benefits: Search engines use alt text to understand image content, potentially improving image search rankings and overall page relevance.
3. Fallback Display: When images fail to load, browsers display the alt text, ensuring users still receive the intended information.
How Does Alt Text Work?
Alt text is implemented using the “alt” attribute within an image tag in HTML. For example:
<img src="example.jpg" alt="A red apple on a white background">
When a browser or screen reader encounters this tag, it processes the alt text to provide context about the image. Search engine crawlers also index this text to understand the image’s content and relevance.
Why is Alt Text Important?
- Improved Accessibility: Alt text ensures that all users, regardless of visual ability, can access your content.
- Enhanced SEO: Properly optimized alt text can boost your image SEO, potentially driving more traffic from image searches.
- Better User Experience: In cases where images don’t load, alt text provides context, maintaining the user’s understanding of the content.
Best Practices For Alt Text
1 – Be Descriptive and Concise
Aim for clear, concise descriptions that capture the image’s essence. Avoid keyword stuffing or overly lengthy descriptions.
Good example: “Golden retriever puppy playing with a red ball”
Poor example: “Dog puppy canine pet animal playing toy ball red round sphere outdoor grass”
2 – Use Keywords Naturally
Include relevant keywords when appropriate, but prioritize accurate description over keyword insertion. The alt text should make sense in context.
3 – Avoid Redundancy
Don’t start alt text with “Picture of” or “Image of”. Screen readers already announce that it’s an image.
4 – Consider Context
The alt text should align with the surrounding content and the purpose of the image on the page.
Expert Tip
Use the free WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool to check your website’s alt text implementation. It highlights missing alt text and provides suggestions for improvement, helping you enhance both accessibility and SEO.
Key Takeaways
Alt text is a critical component of web accessibility and SEO. It provides context for images to both users and search engines, improving the overall user experience and potentially boosting search rankings.
Remember, the primary goal of alt text is to accurately describe images for those who can’t see them. SEO benefits should be a secondary consideration to maintaining the integrity and usefulness of your content.
Related Terms
- On-Page SEO: Alt text is a key element of on-page optimization.
- Crawling: Search engine bots crawl alt text to understand image content.
- User Experience: Well-crafted alt text enhances overall website usability.