If you’re looking to improve the accessibility and SEO of your website, you’ve probably heard of alt text.
What is Alt Text?
Alt text, also known as alternative text, is an HTML attribute used to describe the content of an image. It is a crucial element for visually impaired users and search engines, as it provides context and meaning to images that can’t be displayed or read.
Alt text should be concise, descriptive, and relevant to the image.
It should also include relevant keywords that help search engines understand the content of the image and rank it appropriately.
Let’s dive deeper into the benefits of alt text and how to use it for SEO!
Why is Alt Text Important for SEO?
Alt text plays a vital role in improving the accessibility and SEO of your website. Here are some reasons why:
- Accessibility: Alt text provides a text-based alternative to images, which is essential for visually impaired users who rely on screen readers to access web content. Without alt text, they would miss out on the content and context of the images.
- User Experience: Alt text improves the user experience by providing additional information and context about the images on your website. It also helps to break up large blocks of text, making your content more visually appealing and engaging.
- Search Engine Optimization: Alt text provides search engines with contextual information about the images on your website. It helps search engines understand the content of the image and rank it appropriately in search results.
How to Write Effective Alt Text for SEO?
Now that you know why alt text is essential for SEO, let’s look at how to write effective alt text that helps improve your website’s search engine rankings.
- Be descriptive and concise: Alt text should be descriptive and concise, providing a brief overview of the image’s content in 125 characters or less. Avoid using generic or vague descriptions, and instead, focus on specific details that are relevant to the image.
- Include relevant keywords: Including relevant keywords in your alt text helps search engines understand the content of the image and rank it appropriately in search results. However, avoid keyword stuffing and only include keywords that are relevant and necessary.
- Be accurate and specific: Alt text should accurately describe the content of the image and be specific enough to provide context and meaning. Avoid using misleading or inaccurate descriptions, as it can harm the user experience and SEO of your website.
- Use proper formatting: When writing alt text, use proper formatting such as capitalization, punctuation, and spacing. This helps to make your alt text more readable and easier to understand for both users and search engines.
Conclusion
In conclusion, alt text is an essential element of web accessibility and SEO.
It provides visually impaired users with a text-based alternative to images and helps search engines understand the content and context of images on your website. By following the guidelines above and writing effective alt text, you can improve the accessibility and SEO of your website and outrank other websites on Google.
