You know how pictures make websites way more interesting? But have you ever wondered how search engines like Google, which mostly read words, understand what those pictures are about?
Think of it like giving your images a voice so everyone, including search engines and people who can't see the images, knows what's going on.
Imagine you have a picture of your super cute dog playing fetch. Without alt text, Google just sees... well, picture data . But if you add alt text like "Golden retriever puppy catching a red ball", suddenly Google understands! It's like writing a short caption specifically for the search engine and for screen readers.
Simply put: Alt Text (or Alt Attribute) is a written description added to an image's HTML code that describes the appearance and function of the image on a web page.
In code, it looks like this:
Why is Alt Text a Big Deal for SEO & More?
Describing your images might seem small, but it has several superpowers:
- Helps Google Understand: Search engines can't "see" images like we do. Alt text provides crucial context, helping Google index your images correctly and understand what your whole page is about. This boosts your overall SEO!
- Accessibility Hero: People using screen readers (due to visual impairments) rely on alt text to understand the image content. Good alt text makes your website usable for everyone. This is vital for web accessibility.
- Image Search Rankings: Descriptive alt text helps your images rank higher in Google Image Search, potentially bringing more visitors to your site.
- Broken Image Backup: If an image fails to load (slow internet, broken link), the browser often displays the alt text instead, so users still get some information. You can check for broken images using tools like this.
How to Write Good Alt Text (It's Easy!)
Writing effective alt text isn't rocket science. Follow these simple tips:
- Be Specific & Descriptive: Describe what's actually in the image. Instead of "dog", write "black labrador puppy sleeping".
- Keep it Concise: Aim for under 125 characters if possible, though the main goal is clear description.
- Use Keywords (Naturally): If relevant, include your target keyword, but don't stuff it! "Chocolate chip cookie recipe ingredients" is better than "cookie recipe cookie cookies recipe".
- Context Matters: Describe the image in the context of the surrounding text.
- Avoid "Image of..." or "Picture of...": Screen readers announce it's an image, so you don't need to repeat it.
- Describe Function (If Applicable): If the image is a button or link (like a shopping cart icon), describe its function: "Add item to shopping cart button".
- Don't Forget Decorative Images: For images that are purely decorative and don't add information, use an empty alt attribute:
alt="". This tells screen readers to skip them.
Common Alt Text Mistakes to Avoid
- Leaving it Blank (Usually): Unless it's purely decorative, missing alt text hurts SEO and accessibility.
- Keyword Stuffing: Jamming irrelevant keywords into the alt text. Google sees this as spammy!
- Being Too Vague: "Person" or "Building" isn't very helpful.
- Writing a Novel: Keep it descriptive but relatively brief.
Need help checking your existing alt tags? Tools like an Image Alt Tag Checker can be useful!
Key Takeaway: Alt text is a simple but vital part of good on-page SEO and web accessibility. Describe your images clearly and concisely to help everyone (including Google!) understand your content better.
