Quick Summary
- Alt Text’s Primary Role: Google confirms that alt text is mainly for accessibility, not directly for SEO.
- Focus on Accessibility: Alt text improves usability for visually impaired users and aligns with web accessibility standards.
- Relevance Still Matters: While it’s not a direct ranking factor, alt text can influence image search visibility.
- Impact on Image Search: Properly written alt text helps Google index images, improving discoverability for users.
Background: What is On-Page SEO and Alt Text?
On-page SEO refers to optimizing various elements on a webpage to improve its visibility in search engines. This includes meta tags, headers, internal links, content, and image optimization. Alt text, or alternative text, is an essential part of this process, but its purpose goes beyond just SEO.
Alt text was originally developed to describe images for visually impaired users who rely on screen readers. It also serves as a fallback for when images fail to load. In addition to enhancing accessibility, alt text can contribute to a website’s overall user experience.
What Google Says About Alt Text
Google recently clarified that alt text is not primarily an SEO tool but rather a key component of accessibility. According to insights shared by Search Engine Journal, alt text should focus on providing a meaningful description of images for visually impaired users. This aligns with web accessibility standards and ensures that all users, regardless of ability, can engage with your website.
This doesn’t mean alt text has no SEO value. While its primary purpose is accessibility, relevant and descriptive alt text can still play a role in helping Google understand and index your images, especially for image search. However, keyword stuffing in alt text is not recommended and can negatively impact user experience.
How Alt Text Impacts Image Search
Even though alt text isn’t a direct ranking factor for web pages, it can have a significant influence on image search results. Google uses alt text to understand the content of images and display them in relevant search queries. For businesses and content creators, well-written alt text is an opportunity to enhance the visibility of their images in Google’s image search.
For instance, if your website sells items like handmade candles, a well-crafted alt text description, such as “handmade soy candle in a glass jar,” can improve the chances of your product appearing in image search results. This makes alt text a valuable tool for e-commerce websites and blogs that rely on visual content to attract audiences.
Tips for Writing Effective Alt Text
- Be Descriptive and Concise: Clearly describe what the image represents. For example, “A man jogging in a park during sunrise.”
- Avoid Keyword Stuffing: Instead of forcing keywords, focus on writing naturally and accurately.
- Consider Accessibility First: Write with visually impaired users in mind, ensuring the description makes sense for screen readers.
- Match Context: Ensure the alt text aligns with the content and purpose of the image on the page.
- Include Relevant Details: Provide enough context without being overly wordy. For example, “A blue ceramic coffee mug with a handle sitting on a wooden table.”
Why Alt Text Still Matters
Alt text plays a dual role in enhancing accessibility and supporting image search. While it’s not a direct ranking factor for webpage SEO, its contribution to image discoverability can benefit websites that rely heavily on visual content. By writing descriptive, relevant alt text, you can ensure a more inclusive experience for your audience while also improving your image visibility in search results.
Key Takeaways
Alt text should prioritize accessibility over search engine optimization, ensuring websites are user-friendly for all visitors. However, it also supports image search visibility, making it a valuable tool for increasing the reach of visual content. Businesses and website owners should focus on writing clear, descriptive, and relevant alt text that enhances both accessibility and user experience.
For more details, visit Search Engine Journal.
FAQs About Alt Text and SEO
1. What is the main purpose of alt text?
Alt text is primarily designed to improve web accessibility by providing descriptions of images for visually impaired users who rely on screen readers. It also serves as a fallback when images fail to load.
2. Does alt text help with SEO?
While alt text is not a direct ranking factor for webpage SEO, it plays a role in image search visibility. Descriptive and relevant alt text can help images appear in Google’s image search results, indirectly benefiting traffic.
3. Should I include keywords in alt text?
You can include keywords naturally if they are relevant to the image, but avoid keyword stuffing. The focus should be on accurately describing the image for accessibility and user experience.
4. How can alt text improve image search visibility?
Google uses alt text to understand and index images. Writing descriptive alt text helps Google display your images in relevant search queries, making them more discoverable in image search results.
5. What are some tips for writing good alt text?
Write concise, descriptive text that explains the image clearly. Avoid vague descriptions like “image” or “photo.” Focus on accessibility by considering how a visually impaired user would interpret the image, and ensure the description aligns with the context of the webpage.
