Guides

Alt Attributes, Alt Text and Alt Tags

What is an Alt Tag?

An alt tag is a text description embedded in the code of an image. While it becomes visible primarily when an image fails to load, its true purpose serves a more significant role.

Primarily, alt tags aid visually impaired individuals by describing images to them.

In addition, alt tags play a crucial role in helping search engines understand the context and content of images. Given their importance, search engines heavily weigh alt tags in their ranking algorithms, making them a valuable asset for SEO.

Here’s what Google mentions about optimizing alt attributes: Check out Google Search Central on Image Optimization.

How Can I View Alt Tags?

To view alt tags in the code of a webpage, look for the following syntax:

When examining the webpage’s code, an alt tag might appear like this:

In this example, the alt attribute reads: “Infographic explaining image optimisation.”

As long as this description accurately reflects the image content, it provides valuable information to search engines.

The SEO benefit of alt tags is particularly significant in visual industries. For instance, a shoe retailer should ensure all images have alt tags describing the shoe’s color and style, such as “black patent leather kitten heel.”

Google and other search engines will then index this image along with the page content, boosting the page’s relevance for search terms like “black patent leather kitten heel.”

Alt tags also influence whether and how an image appears in Google’s image search results.
The SEO advantage of using alt tags is especially evident in visual industries.

Avoid Over-Optimizing Alt Attributes

Alt tags, essential for image search optimization, often become targets for over-optimization by SEO agencies seeking quick results. This means they load alt tags with keywords instead of accurately describing the images.

For instance, consider an image in a blog post about Google’s Penguin Update. An over-optimized alt attribute might read: “How Google’s Penguin Update Affects Your Website,” even if the image simply shows a group of penguins huddling together. The correct alt text should be straightforward: “Huddling group of penguins.”

Google’s algorithm can identify and penalize keyword stuffing or inaccurate labeling in alt text.

For purely decorative images, you can omit the alt tag entirely, as shown in the following code snippet:

Avoiding over-optimization ensures that your alt tags remain effective and compliant with search engine guidelines.

Best Practices for Writing Alt Text

Here are some additional points to consider when writing effective alt text:

Be concise and clear: Aim for 12-15 words to accurately describe the image content.
Focus on the image itself: Describe what the user can see in the image, not the surrounding text.
Use keywords naturally: While including relevant keywords is beneficial, prioritize accurate description over keyword stuffing.
Start with the most important information: If the image has a main subject and details, prioritize the subject first.
Use proper grammar and capitalization: This ensures your alt text is professional and readable for screen readers.

Examples of Effective Alt Text:

Instead of: “dress” (too generic)
Try: “Red A-line dress with long sleeves” (descriptive and informative)
Instead of: “sunset” (common)
Try: “Vibrant orange and pink sunset over mountains” (more specific)

Additional Benefits of Alt Text

Improved User Experience: Alt text helps users with slow internet connections understand the content of the page while images load.
Social Media Sharing: Many social media platforms use alt text to display a description when an image cannot be previewed.
Accessibility Compliance: Alt text is essential for websites to comply with accessibility standards and cater to users with disabilities.

By following these best practices, you can create informative and effective alt text that benefits both users and search engines.

Additional Information

Google Search Central:

This is the official documentation from Google directly mentioned in the passage. It outlines best practices for image optimization, including using descriptive alt text.

NYU:

This article from Source, a project by OpenNews, focuses on how journalists can write effective alt text for images included in their articles.

CommonLook:

This article explains the importance of alt text from an SEO perspective and highlights its role in making websites accessible.

Get Better Online Visibility and Dominate the Search results

Grow your online presence with TomatoTree Digital, Kerala’s best SEO agency. We create customized strategies that align with your goals. Let’s work together—reach out today!