What is alternative text?
Alternative text, commonly known as alt text, is a short description of an image that appears in place of an image if it can’t be displayed. For example, if an image is slow to load or if a visitor uses a screen reader to browse the web, the alt text will be read aloud instead of the image being displayed.
Search engines also use image alt tags to help determine what an image is about, which can impact how your website ranks in search results. Because of this, it’s necessary to use descriptive alt text that accurately reflects the image’s content.
WSI Web Enhancers is a digital marketing company that can help your website rank higher on search engines using strategies like alternative text.
Why is alternative text important in search engine optimization?
Alternative text is vital in search engine optimization for two reasons:
Improving Accessibility for Screen Reader Users
Screen readers help people with visual impairments to read the alt text in place of the actual image. The alt text needs to be descriptive enough that someone who can’t see the visual content will still understand what it’s about. If an image doesn’t have alt text, the screen reader will skip over it, and the person won’t know what the image is. That’s why it’s important to always add alt text to an image file so everyone can enjoy your content.
Improving Your Website’s SEO
Search engines use alt text to determine what an image is about, which can impact your website’s ranking in search results. Alternative text can provide a brief description of an image if the image can’t be displayed. Because of this, it’s essential to use descriptive alt text that accurately reflects the image’s content.
How can you write good alt text?
Now that you know why alt text is important, you must learn how to write it. Here are a few tips:
Keep alt attributes short and sweet.
Decent alt text and alt attributes should be brief and to the point. The goal is to describe the image, not to write a complete sentence or story.
Focus on the image content.
A well-written image alt text includes relevant keywords of what you want the user to know. The surrounding text must reflect what’s important about the image. Avoid longer descriptions, extraneous information, and empty alt text.
Use keywords wisely.
While you don’t want to stuff your alt descriptions with a focus keyword, it is vital to use them thoughtfully. Choose words that accurately describe the image and avoid keyword stuffing.
Be careful with humor.
What might seem funny to you could be confusing or even offensive to someone else. It’s best to avoid jokes when you write alt text altogether.
Don’t forget about context.
When adding alternative text, the context of the image can also be important. Is it part of a larger project? You may want to include that information in the alt text.
Adding decorative or complex images to your web page and taking advantage of the excellent alt text feature will help improve your web accessibility and image SEO.
Call WSI Web Enhancers at 505-850-9177 for a free consultation and learn how to improve your image SEO.
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Jukka founded WSI Web Enhancers in 2012. His progressive and pioneering SEO approaches help businesses increase traffic while improving conversion rates. As an accomplished digital marketing authority, he spins effective web design, SEO, and social media engagement into winning strategies for local and national companies.
