What Is Alt Text and Why Should You Use It?
Understanding Alt Text
When you upload an image to your website, you’ll often see a box labeled “Alt Text” or “Alternative Text.”
This short description tells search engines and assistive tools what the image is about.
In simple words, Alt Text describes the content and purpose of an image. It helps Google understand your visuals and makes your site accessible for visually impaired users who use screen readers.
💡 Example:
If your image shows a woman holding shopping bags — your alt text could be:
“Happy woman holding shopping bags after online purchase.”
🌐 Why Alt Text Is So Important
Alt text plays a dual role — it boosts your SEO performance and ensures your site is accessible to everyone.
🔹 SEO Benefits:
Search engines can’t “see” images. They rely on Alt Text to understand what’s inside the picture.
When written properly, alt text helps your images rank in Google Images and improves your page relevance for target keywords.
🔹 Accessibility Benefits:
For users who can’t see images, screen readers read out the alt text.
That means every image you upload should communicate meaning through words — making your website more inclusive and user-friendly.
✍️ How to Write Perfect Alt Text
Creating great alt text is simple if you follow a few golden rules:
✅ Be descriptive, not decorative.
Write what’s important about the image. Example:
“Red leather handbag displayed on a marble table” instead of “Bag image.”
✅ Keep it short and clear.
Aim for under 125 characters — long enough to describe, short enough to stay relevant.
✅ Use keywords naturally.
If your image supports your page topic, add your SEO keyword — but never force it.
✅ Avoid filler phrases.
Skip words like “picture of” or “image showing.” Search engines already know it’s an image.
🚫 Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even experienced creators make simple errors with alt text. Avoid these to keep your SEO clean:
❌ Stuffing too many keywords: “SEO image alt text keyword ranking SEO tips”
❌ Leaving it blank for important images
❌ Writing the same alt text for every image
❌ Adding alt text to decorative graphics like icons or separators
💬 Pro Tip:
If an image is purely decorative (like a background shape), you can safely leave the alt text empty (alt="").
This helps screen readers skip it — improving accessibility.
🧠 Alt Text Best Practices (Quick Recap)
✔ Write unique alt text for every image
✔ Match it to your page’s topic
✔ Include a keyword if relevant
✔ Keep it human and readable
✔ Always fill in logo and product image alt text
Jay
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