Alt Text

Alt Text

What Is Alt Text?

Alt text (alternative text) is a written description of an image that appears in HTML code to describe the image's appearance and function on a webpage. Originally designed to help visually impaired users understand image content through screen readers, alt text has become an essential element for both accessibility and SEO purposes.

Understanding Alt Text Through Examples

Let's consider a real-world example. Imagine you have an e-commerce website selling running shoes, and you've posted a product image of a red Nike running shoe. Here are different approaches to writing alt text:

Poor Alt Text: "shoe image" Better Alt Text: "red Nike running shoe" Best Alt Text: "Nike Air Zoom Pegasus 38 running shoe in university red, side view"

This example demonstrates how specific, descriptive alt text provides more value to both users and search engines while avoiding unnecessary words.

SEO Value of Alt Text

Consider another example: A food blog features a recipe for chocolate chip cookies. The main image shows freshly baked cookies on a cooling rack. Here's how different alt text versions impact SEO:

Poor Alt Text: "cookie picture" Better Alt Text: "chocolate chip cookies" Best Alt Text: "homemade chewy chocolate chip cookies cooling on wire rack"

The detailed description helps search engines understand the image context and improves the chance of appearing in relevant image searches.

Writing Effective Alt Text

Let's examine a news website example. They're using an image of a specific event:

Poor Alt Text: "president speaking" Better Alt Text: "President giving speech" Best Alt Text: "President Biden delivering State of the Union address 2024"

This progression shows how adding relevant details creates more valuable alt text while maintaining conciseness.

Common Alt Text Mistakes

Using our running shoe example, here are common mistakes:

Keyword Stuffing: "Nike running shoes best running shoes buy running shoes red Nike shoes running shoes for sale"

Too Generic: "shoe"

Too Wordy: "This is a picture of a beautiful red Nike running shoe that you can buy on our website for running and jogging activities"

Practical Applications

Consider different scenarios:

1. Product Image: "Blue leather crossbody bag with gold hardware"

2. Team Member Photo: "Sarah Johnson, Marketing Director, smiling in business attire"

3. Infographic: "Chart showing monthly sales growth from January to December 2024"

Impact on User Experience

When images fail to load, users see the alt text instead. Compare these experiences:

Without Alt Text: User sees a broken image icon [?]

With Poor Alt Text: User sees "image1"

With Good Alt Text: User sees "Homemade chocolate chip cookies cooling on wire rack"

The third option maintains the page's value even when the image isn't visible.

Measuring Alt Text Effectiveness

Website owners can conduct simple tests:

1. Turn off images in their browser

2. Use a screen reader

3. Check if the content makes sense without visual context