What is Alt Text in SEO? Alternative text or alt tags, is an HTML attribute used to describe the content of an image on a web page. It is important for SEO because it helps search engines understand what an image is about and how it relates to the surrounding content.
Search engines like Google cannot “see” images the way humans do, so they rely on this alternative text tag to understand the content of an image. By providing descriptive and relevant alt text, you can help search engines better index and rank your web pages.
In addition to SEO benefits, this is also important for accessibility. Screen readers used by visually impaired individuals rely on alt tag to describe images on a web page. By providing accurate and descriptive text, you can help make your website more accessible to everyone.
It’s important to note that this should be concise, relevant, and descriptive of the image content. Avoid using it as a place to stuff irrelevant keywords, as this can be seen as spammy and may actually hurt your SEO.
Why is alt text important on photos?
This is crucial for both improving web accessibility and SEO. When visually impaired users access online content with screen readers, it provides a text alternative for images that they can’t see. This enhances their user experience by enabling them to understand the image’s content.
In terms of SEO, it contributes by providing additional information about images that search engines can read. Although not visible to users, alt attributes can help search engines understand the image’s content, which can add semantic meaning to the page. This increased relevance can help the page rank higher in search engine results.
Additionally, it can improve ranking in Google Images, which can drive more traffic to a website. Finally, alt text can also serve as anchor text for image links, giving search engines a better understanding of the linked page’s content.
The following are some best practices for creating effective an effective alt tag text:
- Evaluate which images require it: Not all images require alt text, particularly decorative images. Concentrate on pages that attract a lot of organic traffic. You don’t have to stress about every single image missing an alt attribute.
- Avoid keyword stuffing: This should include important keywords to improve your website’s SEO. However, do not attempt to cram in as many keywords as possible, as it is unethical and ineffective. Instead, use pertinent, helpful information-rich content that is relevant to the page’s content.
- Keep it short: The Functionality Accessibility Evaluator recommends that alt text be limited to 100 characters. While you can use this as an opportunity to optimize your alt text, avoid composing lengthy descriptions that might be truncated by screen reading tools.
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