What is Alt Text, and How Does it Help Boost SEO?
When uploading images to your site or posting a blog post, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the empty boxes your CMS throws at you in the process. After all, if users can see the image on your site, why are there so many extra components that need to be filled in?
Well, these empty boxes play a critical role in ensuring that websites are inclusive and search-engine-friendly. “Alt text,” in particular, is a tool that can aid your site’s SEO strategy.
But what is alt text, and how does it influence SEO? Let's dive in.
What is Alt Text?
"Alt text" or "alternative text" is a word or phrase that can be inserted as an attribute in an HTML document (think: a blog post or web page) to describe the appearance and function of an image on a webpage. Think of it as a caption for images, but with a more technical and accessibility-driven purpose.
Unlike humans, who have the ability to see the image you’re uploading on your site, search engines are just reading the image as its file name. By adding alt text, you’re giving said search engines descriptors for what the image actually is, allowing them to index it properly and improve its discoverability in search results.
For instance, if you have an image of your best selling product, a cycling backpack, the alt text might simply be “backpack for cycling.”
Why is Alt Text Important?
Alt text acts as a bridge between visual content and its textual representation, making sure no information is lost– whether it’s consumed visually or through text. It serves two roles: making content accessible to more users, and optimizing it for search engine performance.
SEO Benefits
From an SEO standpoint, alt text provides context to search engine crawlers, helping them to understand the content of your images. Properly optimized alt text can help your images rank in image search results and also enhance the overall optimization of your page.
Accessibility
Alt text's primary purpose is to provide a textual description to those who cannot see the image. This includes users with visual impairments using screen readers, or instances when the image fails to load. Screen readers read out this description, ensuring that users get the full context of a webpage regardless of their ability to see the images on the page.
How Does Alt Text Help Build SEO?
Using alt text effectively can help your SEO efforts by both enhancing your user’s experience and providing clearer signals to search engines. Let's dive into the specifics:
Image Search Ranking: Search engines cannot "see" images the way humans do. Instead, they "read" the alt text. By providing relevant alt text, you give search engines clear information about your images, which can lead to better rankings in image searches.
Enhances Contextual Relevance: Alt text can reinforce the topical relevance of your page. If your webpage is about 'Golden Retrievers', and you have images with alt text describing various activities of golden retrievers, it strengthens the content's relevance in the eyes of search engines.
Reduces Bounce Rate: If images fail to load, having descriptive alt text ensures that users still understand the content/context of the image. This might reduce the chance of them leaving (or bouncing off) the page out of confusion or frustration.
Fosters Inclusivity: Websites that cater to all types of users, including those with disabilities, may be seen more favorably by search engines, reflecting a broader commitment to user experience.
Best Practices for Writing Alt Text
Be Descriptive: Describe the image concisely. If the image is conveying crucial information, ensure that it's captured in the alt text.
Avoid "Image of" or "Picture of": Screen readers already announce an image. For example, instead of "Image of a backpack for cycling", just use "backpack for cycling."
Use Keywords Sparingly: While it's good for SEO, avoid keyword stuffing. Make sure the alt text feels natural and is relevant to the image.
Stay Within Length Limits: Aim for 125 characters or less. This ensures screen readers can read the entire description without cutting it off.
Alt text plays a role in both web accessibility and SEO because it ensures that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can access and understand your content. Additionally, it provides an avenue to improve your site's SEO, making your content more discoverable.
Nervous about crafting the perfect alt text for your images? As long as you keep the above guidelines in mind, you’ll be fine. However, there are tools, such as Ahref’s Free AI Image Alt Text Generator or alttext.in that can help.
