Alt text can be viewed as a social responsibility to increase accessibility to your website, but are you aware of the benefits it provides your SEO strategy? It is just as important for your website to be accessible to everyone with alt text as it is to have your SEO and content strategy established.
Accessibility is pivotal to your website, no matter what industry or markets you serve, and if your website is lacking Alt Text, you could be missing out on traffic and ultimately, revenue.
What is Alt Text?
Before highlighting the benefits Alt Text can provide to your online presence, let us first review what it is. Alternative Text, better known as Alt Text, is the caption attached to an image. This will display when the webpage fails to load the image, or if the user is using a screen reader or narrator. In 2022, X (formally Twitter) announced in a blog they were adding a prompt when images were uploaded to remind users to add alt text to images.
The only kicker about alt text is that it is not automatically generated. When adding images to your website, they do not already include alt text, and this is where many websites miss opportunities. An established website having to update image alt text may seem like useless, tedious work. However, the benefits may cause you to reconsider.
Alt Text Best Practices
As with anything relating to your website, there are best practices to keep in mind when considering alt text and when to use it.
Not Every Image Needs Alt Text!
Before you scramble and call SEO specialist in a panic about updating your images, not ever image needs to include alt text. While that may sound contrary to what we have learned thus far, consider what the purpose of the image is to understand the need for alt text. Some images may be primarily used for visual purposes only. While it does provide more substance for the viewer, it is a purely visual benefit because the image typically is paired with text either before or after. Below is an example directly from our website:
Keep it Short, and Clear!
Since alt text is primarily used on the backend of the website, it is only viewed by those who use screen readers and Google Spiders. There is no need to create overly wordy alt text descriptions for images. You can also omit phrases like “image of” because Google already understands that.
Never Substitute Content for ALT Text
Remembering the original purpose of alt text (screen readers for those with visual impairments), the average user will not utilize or know it exists on your site. This does not negate the importance of including alt text, but never depend on that text for your reader to understand the rest of the page.
Don’t forget Alt Text for Infographics!
Infographics are a great way to educate your visitors, especially those who appreciate a good visual explanation (like myself). While infographics are packed with information, remember, Google crawlers have no way to read text featured on the infographic. So, despite your image including text, you want to be sure you include alt text in nearly any type of graphic.
Don’t Forget your Keywords!
Like any other part of your website, your primary and secondary keywords should be considered when applying alt text to images. this gives google the node that the image is relevant to your webpage topic and thus betters your site authority.
On the other hand, avoid keyword stuffing your image alt text the same way you would any other area of your website. Google recognizes this the same way it does any other content on the pages, except it associates the text directly with the image.
Alt Text Example
Consider the image to the left, and how you would interpret it. While we may have different conclusions about the actions to follow, it can be simply described as a large bird is flying in the sky.
However, without alt text, someone using a screen reader my miss the context of your content.
Slide #2 provides the alt text what was included with the image.
Technical SEO with Ngage Creative
A major part of an optimized technical SEO strategy is accurate alt text. This may not seem important to you, but you want your website to be as accessible as possible for everyone.
Ngage Creative specializes in website optimization including alt text. Contact us today to discuss how we can improve your website.