The Beginner’s Guide to Image Alt Text

Today I’m going to show you how to implement “alt text” also called “alt tags and alt descriptions” And in this guide I’ll cut out all the noise around alt text and show you exactly how and explain why to implement it on your site.

The Topic Overview

What is alt text, exactly?

Alt text is text associated with an image that is used to describe the image or provide additional information about it. It is used by screen readers to provide information to visually impaired users and is also used by search engines to provide a better understanding of what is depicted in an image.

For example, let’s say you have a page on your site about apples. Alt text is used to provide a description of an image on a web page, and should generally be no longer than a few words.

For example:
Alt text: Red apple
This describes an image of a red apple.

Here’s exactly how to do it:

You implement alt text inside you tag as example below:

<src=”redapple.gif” alt=”Red apple">

Keep in mind following list when applying alt text:

Choose Appropriate Text: Make sure the text you use to describe an image accurately describes the image. Avoid using generic terms such as “image” or “picture.”
Use Descriptive Words: Use descriptive words that accurately describe the image
Keep It Short and Simple: Keep the text short and simple. The text should be no longer than 125 characters.
Use Proper Grammar: Make sure to use proper grammar and spelling.
Alt text helps Google to understand what the specific image is about, but also what the webpage as a whole is about. Alt text will increase the chances of your images appearing in image search results.

Conclusion

Start performing a basic audit of your existing images to see where you can incorporate alt text The more images you optimise, the better your SEO strategy will be moving forward.

Now you have everything you need to get started with tagging your images.