Alt Text

Overview

Alt text is an essential aspect of accessible web design. It is coded into the website and not typically visible to most users. Instead, it's used by screen readers to relay what's in an image to a visually impaired person. In addition, if an image fails to load, the alt text will display in its place. From an SEO perspective, search engine crawlers use this text to understand the content of the image.

Usage Types

Accessibility

For visually impaired users, screen readers interpret the alt text to describe the image. Alt text is an essential part of web accessibility, as it ensures equal access to information. Without alt text, these users may miss out on important visual content.

SEO Optimization

Search engines, while sophisticated, cannot understand images in the same way humans can. They rely on alt text to understand what an image is about and how it relates to the surrounding content. Including relevant keywords in alt text can help improve search engine rankings.

Display Issues

If an image fails to load due to network issues, alt text will display in place of the image. This helps users understand what should have been there, providing context even when the visual content cannot load.

Alt Text Best Practices

When writing alt text, aim to be specific but concise. The alt text should accurately reflect the content of the image, without being overly long or stuffed with keywords.

1. Use clear, concise language.
2. Avoid phrases like "image of" or "picture of." Screen readers already indicate that an element is an image.
3. Use relevant keywords, but don't keyword stuff. Alt text should enhance accessibility, not detract from it.
4. If the image contains text, the alt text should include that text.
5. If the image is purely decorative and adds no informational value, you can use an empty alt attribute (alt="").