Alternative text, or alt text, is descriptive text that describes the context, appearance, or function of an image on a webpage or online platform.
Adding images to your blogs, social media posts or websites allows you to better present your content. Moreover, it helps your readers access the information conveyed in the picture. But did you know that these images can also improve your SEO? Today, almost 24.9% of Google’s SERPs show images. This trend presents opportunities for you to optimize your website for image search by ensuring your images have descriptive alt text. Images can attract more clicks and drive traffic to your website, especially for visually oriented searches. In this, alt text plays a key role. Let’s explore ten best practices for writing effective alt text for images.
What is Alt Text?
Alt text provides textual context to your visual content that may be present over your website or any other online platform.
Here is what role it plays and why it is important to optimize it.
- People who rely on screen readers (read web content aloud) rely on alt text to understand the content and context of images. Without it, they cannot access the information conveyed by the image.
- Search engine crawlers use alt text to understand the content of images. This helps them index and rank your website more effectively.
- If an image fails to load, the alt text will appear in its place, providing context to the user.
- Even for users who can see the image, alt text can provide additional context and reinforce the message.
Does Alt Text Affect SEO?
Yes, search engines cannot understand the context of the image unless you use alt text. Many SEO specialists believe that using relevant keywords in your alt text can help you improve your website’s visibility in the image search results. This powerful SEO technique, known as Image SEO, can drive more organic traffic to your site.
Having a well-defined alt text for your images, you can offer search engine the information you have conveyed in your image. Search crawlers use it to interpret your image and index it properly.
Does Alt Text Help to Rank?
While alt text is not a direct ranking factor, it makes the images on your website more accessible to users and search engines.
If you add good, detailed alt text to your images, it increases the chances of your images showing up in search results, especially in Google’s new AI-powered Search Generative Experience (SGE).
For example, if you sell products, having clear alt text for your product images helps Google know when your product should appear in search results, like in shopping searches. It can also help give people a better experience when they search, with product details, prices, and images all in one place.
When creating content, consider how your audience might want answers. Sometimes, people prefer seeing an image to just a regular search link. For example, someone looking for how to build named ranges might prefer a screenshot showing the complete steps, as just looking at it will give them the answers to all their questions.
If the image on your blog about Excel has good alt text, it can appear in both regular web search and image search results. This gives you more chances to be found by people looking for that specific information.
Expert Tips on Writing Good Alt Text
1. Be specific in the Description
Always be specific and concise. It helps ensure that everyone can understand the content and context of an image, regardless of their ability to see it.
Describe the content: Clearly state the subject matter of the image.
Provide context: Explain the image’s purpose or relevance to the surrounding text.
Include important details: Mention any significant features or elements.
Example for an image like:
Instead of: “A picture of a cat.”
Use: “A tabby cat sitting on a windowsill, looking outside.”
Pro-tip: Here are the words that you should avoid using in alt text
2. Adding Context to Your Alt Text
Contextual alt text helps screen reader users understand the image’s purpose within the overall page content. You can follow these tips to add context to your alt text:
a. Consider the Page’s Purpose like:
- What is the main goal of the page?
- How does the image contribute to that goal?
b. Describe the Image’s Function. This may include:
- Is it decorative, informational, or navigational?
- What action does it prompt the user to take?
c. Use Relevant Keywords. Incorporate keywords that describe the image’s content and context.
Let’s understand this with the help of examples:
This is what you might write if you create alt text without context:
Image: A photo of a person smiling
Alt Text: Person smiling
Similarly, if you try to write it with context:
Image: A photo of a customer service representative smiling
Alt Text: Smiling customer service representative ready to assist you
Here is another example.
Without Context:
Image: A graph showing a downward trend
Alt Text: Downward trend graph
With Context:
Image: A graph showing a downward trend in quarterly sales
Alt Text: Graph showing a decline in quarterly sales
Here are a few handy tips to come out with the best outcome:
- Centre your context around the important Information. You can do this by focusing on the most critical details that convey the image’s meaning.
- Be Concise. Keep your alt text brief and to the point.
- Test Your Alt Text by using a screen reader to ensure it’s clear and understandable.
- Don’t repeat information that is already present in the surrounding text, as it would lead to redundancy.
- Write alt text that is easy to read and understand so that an impaired person accessing your site can easily understand what your image wants to convey.
By following these tips, you can create alt text that is not only specific and concise but also provides valuable context for screen reader users.
3. Keep it Short
Keep your alt text short, but always be sure to adequately describe the image. A well-written alt text should convey the image’s essential information without being overly wordy.
What Not to Do:
- Being Overly Vague:
Bad: “A picture of a cat”
Better: “A tabby cat sitting on a windowsill, looking outside.”
- Redundant:
Bad: “A graph showing a decline in sales” (if the caption already says this)
Better: “Quarterly sales decreased by 15% compared to the previous year.”
- Too Detailed:
Bad: “A person wearing a blue shirt and jeans, sitting at a desk with a laptop, drinking coffee.”
Better: “Person working on a laptop.”
So are some alt Image SEO mistakes that you should always avoid.
Instead, do this:
- Focus on the core message or purpose of the image.
- Avoid jargon and technical terms.
- As we discussed in the previous steps, consider the image’s context, such as “How does the image relate to the surrounding content?”
- Test with a screen reader to ensure the alt text is read clearly and accurately.
4. Avoid including an alt text for decorative images.
Avoid using alt text for decorative images, as some images are better without it. Since there is no context associated with the decorative image, instead of using alt text for such images, you can choose to insert the word “null” in the alt text fields. This way, the screen reader can skip over them, and it will be a smooth experience for the search engine crawler or users with impaired vision.
5. Sparingly use your keywords
When writing your alt text, remember to balance keyword optimization with clarity. Incorporating your target keyword can boost your search engine visibility, but it’s crucial to look at the image’s accessibility and understanding for users, especially those who rely on screen readers.
So, your approach to writing alt text should be like this:
- The primary goal of alt text is to describe the image accurately.
- If your target keyword naturally fits into the description, include it. For example, if your target Keyword is “best-running shoes for women,” you can use this alt text: “Woman wearing blue running shoes, jogging on a trail.”
- Use keywords that are semantically related to your target keyword. Like suppose your target keyword is “how to make a pizza.” Now you can create an alt text like “Person making a pizza, adding toppings.”
- Try out using long-tail keywords to provide more specific details about the image, for example, “Person running outdoors wearing black wireless earbuds.”
- Last but not least, don’t force keywords into the alt text if they don’t accurately describe the image.
Winding Up
So you’ve made it this far and learned how to optimize your alt text for better SEO! Now, here’s the thing: alt text is just one piece of the puzzle. You need a solid On-Page SEO strategy to crush your online game.
That’s what we specialize in! SEO Toronto Experts has the expertise to help you audit your site, find the scope of improvement, optimize your site structure, curate content, and nurture qualified leads.
Want to take your online presence to the next level? Contact us for a free consultation and let’s get started! Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have.
