How important is Alt Text: Enhance SEO every time you add an image.

The internet today is full of images that attract attention, communicate content, and inspire users. But have you ever imagined using the internet without any images at all? That experience might be quite difficult to use.

Fortunately, there is a small feature called Alt Text (Alternative Text) that helps visually impaired users, users with slow connections, or those who cannot load images, as well as search engine bots, to access and understand the content in images. This is a small yet powerful feature that makes websites more accessible to users and also helps with SEO.

What is Alt Text?

Alt Text is the image description text in the HTML code of a website. When the image fails to load or when users use screen reading devices, this description helps them understand what the image conveys. This description will help them understand what the image conveys.

Even though it sounds like just adding a general description, writing good Alt Text has techniques and reasons why you should pay more attention than you think.

Why is Alt Text important?

1. For the accessibility of all user groups (Accessibility)

Alt Text helps users with visual impairments understand the content in images through screen reader programs, as well as those with slow connections who cannot see the images but can still grasp the content.

Importantly, if a website lacks appropriate Alt Text, it may violate accessibility laws such as the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) or similar laws in the European Union, Canada, South Korea, and Australia, which could lead to legal penalties.

2. For SEO search efficiency

For search engines, Alt Text is the primary information used to analyze images on websites. When Alt Text communicates clearly and aligns with the overall content, it helps improve the chances of ranking better in search results.

Writing good Alt Text should:

• Explain the image clearly and concisely.
• In line with the content on that page.
• Insert keywords just right, not crammed.

Example to avoid:

alt="Cute kittens playing with yarn, fluffy kittens, playful kittens, cute kitten pictures, kittens for sale, kitten photos"

A good example should be:

alt="A fluffy kitten playing with a red yarn on the living room carpet"

What kind of images should (or shouldn't) have Alt Text?

Not every image needs to have Alt Text because if added unnecessarily, it may make screen reader users feel cluttered. Let's see how each type should be written:

Informative images

Images that convey content, such as illustrations for articles or product images, should have brief descriptions that help understand what the images convey.

Example:

alt="Logos of services connected to P2 include Crowdsignal, Figma, Twitter, GitHub, YouTube, Vimeo, Google Calendar, and Loom"

Decorative images

If the image is for decorative purposes only, no need to add a description. Just use alt="" so that the screen reader can skip it.

Images that serve as buttons or links (Functional images)

Alt Text should specify "what the button does," not the appearance of the image.

Example:

alt="Watch a video about bee hibernation behavior on Vimeo"

Images of text

Alt Text should describe the text in the image consistently, such as logos or quotes.

Complex images

Graphs, charts, and diagrams should explain the information presented or include a link to a more detailed explanation.

Groups of images

If multiple images convey the same concept, use Alt Text for the main image to cover the entire set, such as Cooking 

process images

Image maps

You should include Alt Text for both the main image and clickable points to indicate where each point leads.

If you're unsure how to write the image, you can refer to: W3 Images Tutorial (English website)

Tip: Try to keep the Alt Text under 140 characters to avoid being too lengthy for users of assistive reading devices.

A tool that helps manage Alt Text completely

Informe de Accesibilidad de Chrome

Available in the Chrome browser, it quickly tests the accessibility of web pages.

Alt Text Tools (from the NerdPress team)

Free plugin, easy to use Create a CSV file displaying images and Alt Text used on the website, along with direct links to edit those posts.

Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker

A freemium plugin that helps analyze accessibility issues beyond just Alt Text is suitable for websites that take accessibility seriously.

Equalize Digital also has a Facebook community and organizes online meetings for WordPress developers and general users interested in making websites accessible to everyone.

Even though it may seem trivial, Alt Text is an important part that helps make your website user-friendly for all groups and ready for SEO search.

Writing good Alt Text is not just a technical matter; it is about being considerate of diverse users and creating a more inclusive and equitable web experience.