Image alt text, or alternative text, is a description that is added to an image on a webpage. It is used to provide a textual alternative to the image for users who are visually impaired, or for situations when the image fails to load. Image alt text is displayed in place of the image and is also read by screen readers to provide a description of the image to the user.
Alt text plays a significant role in improving the accessibility of a website. By providing descriptive alt text, people with visual impairments can still understand the context and information conveyed by the image. It also helps with search engine optimization (SEO) as search engines rely on alt text to understand the content of an image.
To optimize image alt text, it is important to follow some best practices. Firstly, alt text should be relevant and descriptive. It should accurately describe what the image represents and its purpose in the context of the webpage. Avoid using generic phrases like “image” or “picture” as they do not provide any meaningful information.
Keep the alt text concise and to the point. Aim for around 125 characters or less to ensure it fits within the recommended character limit for alt text. Long alt text may be difficult for screen readers or users with limited cognitive abilities to process.
Include relevant keywords in the alt text, but do so naturally without keyword stuffing. This helps search engines understand the content of the image and improve its visibility in search results. However, prioritize the needs of accessibility before SEO optimization.
If an image is purely decorative and does not convey any important information, it is best to add an empty alt attribute (alt=””) or use decorative alt text, such as alt=”Decorative image”. This indicates to assistive technologies that the image can be ignored and focuses their attention on the actual content.
When multiple images are present on a webpage, each image should have unique and descriptive alt text. This ensures that users with visual impairments can understand the context of each image individually.
It is also worth mentioning that alt text is not the only attribute that can contribute to image optimization. Other attributes, like image file names and captions, can be optimized to improve SEO and accessibility. Using descriptive file names and captions that accompany the images can provide additional context to both users and search engines.
Taking the time to properly optimize image alt text and other attributes not only benefits users with disabilities but also enhances the overall user experience and boosts search engine visibility.
