How to Optimize Image Alt Text for Better SEO and User Experience

Images are becoming increasingly essential for improving a website's organic traffic, with nearly 19% of Google's search engine result pages (SERPs) now including images. However, many websites miss out on this potential traffic due to improper optimization of their images' alt text. In this article, we will discuss the significance of image alt text, how to write it effectively, and provide best practices for SEO.

What is Image Alt Text?

Image alt text, also known as alt tags or alt descriptions, is a written description that appears in place of an image on a webpage if it fails to load. This text serves multiple purposes, including providing a description for visually impaired readers and enabling search engines to properly crawl and rank the website.

Why is Alt Text Important?

There are three main reasons why image alt text is crucial for optimizing a website: accessibility, user experience, and image traffic. By including descriptive alt text, all users, regardless of disabilities, can access and benefit from the website's content. This not only improves the overall user experience but also has a positive impact on brand perception.

Example: A visually impaired user accessing a webpage with an image of an upward arrow that links to a table of contents would benefit from alt text that reads "Go to table of contents."

How to Add Alt Text to Your Images

The process of adding alt text to images is straightforward. When uploading an image to a website, there is an option to add alt text. It is crucial to use concise, descriptive language to accurately convey the image's content. Avoid stuffing alt text with keywords, as this can lead to penalties from search engines.

3 Image Alt Text Examples

When writing alt text, it is important to strike a balance between including keywords and providing useful context for the image. Let's look at three examples.

• Bad Alt Text: alt="HubSpot office wall Singapore inbound marketing workplace murals orange walls ship it"
• Why it's bad: This alt text is stuffed with keywords and lacks necessary context. It makes it challenging for search engines to understand the image's relevance to the webpage, potentially impacting its ranking. This approach can also result in penalties from search engines.

Good Alt Text: alt="Office wall with orange mural and 'ship it' slogan, representing HubSpot's inbound marketing workplace in Singapore"

Why it's good: This alt text includes relevant keywords in a more natural and descriptive way. It also provides useful context for the image, making it easier for search engines and visually impaired users to understand its purpose.

Image Alt Text Best Practices

To ensure that alt text is optimized for both SEO and user experience, here are some best practices to keep in mind:

• Summarize the image's content concisely and descriptively, using relevant keywords when appropriate.
• Each image on a webpage should have unique alt text. Avoid using the same alt text for multiple images.
• If the image is purely decorative and does not add any meaning to the content, it is acceptable to leave the alt text blank or use "decorative image."
• Alt text should never be used to hide keywords or engage in keyword stuffing. This is considered a black hat SEO tactic and can lead to penalties from search engines.

How Alt Text Affects SEO

In addition to improving accessibility and user experience, image alt text also plays a crucial role in SEO. Alt text helps search engines understand and index images, making them more likely to appear in the image search results. Including relevant and descriptive alt text can also improve the image's chances of ranking for related keywords, driving more organic traffic to the website.

In conclusion, image alt text is a critical element of website optimization. By following best practices and including descriptive, relevant alt text for images, website accessibility, user experience, and SEO can be improved significantly.

Using Alt Text for Improved Website SEO and User ExperienceAlt text isn't just beneficial for visually-impaired users who rely on screen readers. It also plays a significant role in boosting your website's SEO. In this article, we'll discuss the best practices for writing effective alt text and the impact it can have on your search engine rankings.What is Alt Text?Alt text is a brief description that conveys to users and search engines the content of an image. It should be specific and relevant to the webpage it supports. For example, instead of simply stating "orange mural," a more effective alt text for an image of a mural at HubSpot's Singapore office would be "Orange mural featuring the phrase 'ship it' displayed on a wall at HubSpot's Singapore office." This not only describes the image but also provides context for the webpage's topic.Best Practices for Writing Alt Text- Be descriptive and specific: Utilize both the image's subject and context when writing alt text.- Keep it brief: Screen-reading tools may truncate long alt text, so it's best to keep it under 125 characters.- Avoid redundant phrases: Starting with "picture of..." or "image of..." is unnecessary as screen-readers and search engines can identify images without this information.- Use keywords sparingly: Only include your target keyword in the alt text if it fits naturally.- Don't overuse keywords: It's wise to have your keyword in at least one image, but avoid cramming it into every single one.- Proofread for errors: Spelling mistakes in alt text can negatively impact user experience and search engine crawling.- Use alt text for most images: In most cases, it's ideal to include alt text for SEO, user experience, and accessibility. However, images that are purely decorative or described in nearby text can have an empty alt attribute.The Impact of Alt Text on SEOAccording to Google, alt text aids in understanding an image's subject matter, along with computer vision algorithms and the webpage's content. This means that alt text not only assists Google in understanding the images on your website, but also the overall topic of the webpage. This can increase the likelihood of your images appearing in image search results.With Google's Search Generative Experience (SGE), having high-quality and contextual alt text can improve your website's positioning in the new AI-powered snapshot of relevant information. For instance, descriptive and specific alt text for product images can help Google's SGE feature provide users with a comprehensive shopping experience by showcasing product options, descriptions, pricing, and images all in one place.Moreover, many Google searchers prefer images over traditional results, especially when seeking visual instructions or examples. For example, a user searching for how to remove duplicates in Excel might prefer a screenshot that offers a visual guide rather than just a link.By following these alt text best practices, you can enhance your website's SEO, improve user experience for visually-impaired individuals, and increase the chances of your images being highlighted in Google's search results. So the next time you add an image to your website, remember to provide it with descriptive and relevant alt text. Your website and its users will thank you.