What Makes ALT Text So Important For SEO & How To Write It?

What Makes ALT Text So Important For SEO? If you ask this question from a professional UK SEO company, it will counterquestion what does not. That’s because, it not only makes images accessible to search engines and people, but also to people who use screen readers. 

Let’s dig deep and understand what is Alt text and how to write it.

What is Alt Text & How Is It Important?

Alt text, short for alternative text, is nothing but a description of the image that appears when the image is invisible or inaccessible to the user. It is called alternative text as it gets displayed as an alternative to the actual image or when the image cannot load. For visually impaired users, the Alt text reads out the image description for understanding. Besides, it also tells the search engine bots what is in the image.

Alt text is sometimes also called Alt attribute or Alt tag because it is added to the HTML code of the image using the Alt attribute. Specifically, the Alt attribute is valuable for image SEO. It helps images rank high in the image results on search engines. You may get a lot of information about Alt text from your SEO agency York and how it will benefit both your website’s accessibility and SEO. 

Now that we learned about the meaning and importance of Alt text, let us find out the best practices for writing it. 

How to Write Effective Alt Text for Images?

The following points will describe the best practices for writing the most result-oriented Alt attributes.

Consider the Image Relevance While Writing Alt Text

Only the right kind of images should be chosen to provide an Alt tag. For images that are vague or decorative, we suggest not providing an Alt text. Instead, write one for those that are relevant to the users, including visually impaired users who use screen readers. This will help them know which image is useful and which isn’t. Hence, they can simply ignore images of no relevance to them

The following images must have a useful Alt text:

• Social media posts that contain textual information.

• Functional icons that may also contain a Call To Action or CTA icons. 

• Charts and graphs.

• Infographics or images that explain long processes.

• Images that provide additional information

Description Must be Concise & Descriptive at the Same Time

The most concise Alt text is the best. However, it is also important that the Alt text is descriptive along with concise at the same time. What matters while writing an Alt text, is that it must contain the context of the image and that the audience must understand it. 

For instance, if an image portrays a kid playing with a ball, then the most appropriate alternative text is kid playing with a ball. However, if the context of the content is different, for instance, the benefits of playing on the grass for a kid, then the image description or Alt text will be different. 

Here, you must also remember what NOT to include in an Alt text:

• Copyright info or image credits.

• Irrelevant phrases, which can make the text lengthy or confusing.

• Information that’s already given in the caption or body.

Word Limit: 

If possible, write an Alt text within 125 characters. 

Don’t Forget to Add a Keyword to Your Alt Text

While writing an Alt text, an SEO expert must also remember to add the focus keyword in it. When it comes to image SEO, a UK SEO company strongly emphasizes using keywords in Alt text as that boosts the effects of optimization. Such alternate descriptions improve the image ranking in the image results of Google. 

Make sure you have conducted a good keyword research before writing an Alt text. The choice of keyword should be determined on the basis of the search intent of the user and should satisfy it. 

Conclusion - What Makes ALT Text So Important For SEO?

So, we read that Alt text is extremely important for SEO, specifically for the optimisation of images. When it comes to writing an effective Alt text, make sure you take assistance from an expert SEO agency York. Such a company certainly accommodates SEO content writers who can write effective Alt attributes for you keeping all the factors in mind.