What is Image ALT text and why is it important for SEO?
Did you know that uploading images without taking into account the importance of the ALT Text (often referred to as an Alt Tag) can affect your website’s SEO ranking? This is due to search engines like Google, which crawl web pages and cannot understand what the image file is about unless there is a tag added to the image.
The ALT text is a description that you write for an image on your website. This description shows up when the image does not load properly or when someone uses a tool to read the website out loud. This helps people who cannot see the image to understand what it is about.
Why use ALT text?
There are three reasons why you should always use the ALT text on your company website:
1. Improved accessibility
ALT text helps people with visual impairments to access your content. Screen readers (assistive technology) read these descriptions aloud, allowing everyone to understand the visual context of your site. It also provides a text alternative for users in low-bandwidth areas where images may fail to load.
2. Higher search engine rankings
Search engines use ALT text to understand your images and ultimately the topic of your page. When you include relevant words in your descriptions, you provide context that helps search engines index your page accurately, leading to better visibility in search results.
3. Google images visibility
When you write high-quality Alt text, it allows your images to be indexed in Google Image Search. For many brands, this visual visibility can drive significant “ready-to-buy” traffic that traditional text search might miss.
How to write good and effective ALT text
To get the most value from your images, follow these simple guidelines:
- Describe exactly what is in the picture.
- Use a sentence that is easy to read and understand.
- Naturally use words.
- Do not say “this is a photo”. Just start with the description.
Common ALT text mistakes to avoid
Keyword stuffing
Overloading your alt text with target keywords might seem like a great idea, but it’s a bad practice to follow. Not only does it reduce clarity for users, but search engines may classify this as spam.
Leaving it empty
Not adding in the text can mean that screen readers and search engines may not be able to understand the images you have across the site. It’s a missed opportunity both for accessibility and SEO! Only “decorative” images (like background patterns) should have empty alt attributes (alt=” “) so screen readers know to skip them.
Vague & unclear descriptions
Small descriptions and file names like “image1” don’t provide any value or information on the image. Your ALT text should clearly explain what the image shows in the simplest way to understand.
Excessive length
It is not the place to be overdescribing an image with loads of words. If it’s long, it can annoy screen reader users and likely result in a bounce off your page. A good rule of thumb is to stick to one sentence or phrase and ideally under 125 characters.
Good vs Bad ALT text example
A bad example of this would be “A large, rectangular, blue wooden table situated in the very middle of a bright, sunlit modern kitchen with bright marble floors and bright white cabinets.” Why is this bad? Overuse of the keyword in this example, “bright”. This is also excessively long, coming at 154 characters.
A good example of this would be “Blue wooden table in a sunlit kitchen.”
Does your website need some help in SEO?
Managing technical SEO and AI driven search (AEO) can be time-consuming when you are busy running a business. At Echo, we help brands optimise their digital presence to ensure they rank well and reach the right audience, not just on Google but across AI platforms – reaching the right audience no matter how they search.
If you would like to discuss how to improve your website’s search performance, contact our team for expert advice today.
