Are alt tags relevant for ranking?

Alt text, also known as alt tags, are textual descriptions that are added to the HTML code of an image. These tags serve two crucial roles:

1. Accessibility: Alt text allows screen readers to describe images to visually impaired users, enhancing accessibility.
2. SEO: While alt text acts primarily as an accessibility tool, it also plays a significant role in search engine optimization by improving visibility in Google Image Search.

How Does Alt Text Impact SEO?

Alt text heavily influences Google's image results by providing a text description that search engine algorithms can index. Here are some key insights:

• Alt text accounts for a large portion of web searches. Image searches make up 22.6% of total internet searches. This means billions of people are using image search to find what they need.
• Properly used alt text helps improve the visibility of images on search engines, potentially increasing traffic to your website.

Best Practices for Writing Effective Alt Text

Crafting alt text is an art that requires balance. Here are some best practices you should follow:

• Be descriptive and specific: Instead of simply describing a "baseball player," specify "David Ortiz of the Boston Red Sox batting at Fenway Park."
• Avoid keyword stuffing: Integrate keywords naturally to avoid triggering spam filters, which might harm your ranking potential.
• Avoid redundancy: Do not repeat the same alt text for images that convey the same information.
• Skip non-essential images: Avoid adding alt text to purely decorative images to maintain focus on significant content.
• Omit phrases like "image of": Search engines already know it's an image.

Implementing Alt Text for Different Platforms

Different platforms have varying methods for adding alt text:

• Websites: Most content management systems (CMS), like the HubSpot CMS, offer an alt text field when uploading images.

  Jamal from the video tutorial

  , demonstrates the ease of integrating alt text into your CMS.
• Social Media:
  • Twitter: Use the "alt" button when uploading an image to describe it.
  • Facebook: Go to image settings and select the option to edit alt text.
  • Instagram: Look for the alt text option under advanced settings.
  • LinkedIn: Automatically provides an alt text tool for posts.

The Balance Between Accessibility and SEO

Recent insights emphasize that alt text should prioritize accessibility. While alt text can enhance image visibility in Google Image Search, it should first fulfill its primary role of making the internet accessible to all users. Alt text is not a direct ranking factor for web pages in standard search results.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

To ensure your alt text is effective:

• Do not neglect adding alt tags entirely; this excludes potential users with disabilities.
• Avoid fragmentation or vagueness. Ensure your alt text adds context to the image and the content it accompanies.

Additional Resources

• Learn more about optimizing your content with techniques like best practices for internal linking to improve your site's SEO.
• Understand the role of alt text and accessibility in web development by reading more about what SEO is and how it impacts search engine rankings.

By implementing these best practices and understanding the dual role of alt text, you can significantly impact your website's visibility and user accessibility, contributing to a more inclusive internet experience.

Further Reading and Resources

• Dive into why alt text is crucial for both accessibility and rankings.
• Understand Google's latest stance on alt text for accessibility.
• Explore how alt text impacts image search rankings.

Armed with this knowledge, you can elevate your content's accessibility and SEO performance effectively, ensuring you reach a wider audience.