What is an Alt Text?

Alt text, short for alternative text, is a written description of an image that helps visually impaired users understand what the image is about. It is embedded in the HTML code of a web page and appears if an image cannot load. Alt text is crucial for web accessibility and plays a significant role in search engine optimization (SEO), as it helps search engines understand the content of an image.

Importance of Alt Text in Marketing

For marketers, alt text is important for several reasons:

• Accessibility: Alt text ensures that visually impaired users who rely on screen readers can understand the content of an image. Providing meaningful alt text makes a website more accessible, which is not only ethical but also beneficial in reaching a broader audience.
• SEO Benefits: Search engines use alt text to understand and index images. Including relevant keywords in alt text can help improve a website’s visibility in search engine results, potentially attracting more organic traffic.
• Improved User Experience: When images fail to load due to slow internet or technical issues, alt text provides context and information that would otherwise be missing, ensuring a better user experience.

Best Practices for Writing Alt Text

• Be Descriptive: Write alt text that accurately describes the image in a way that conveys its purpose or context. For example, instead of saying “image of a dog,” say “golden retriever playing in a park.”
• Include Keywords: Include keywords that are related to the content of the image. However, avoid keyword stuffing; the alt text should still be natural and descriptive.
• Keep It Concise: Alt text should be concise yet informative, ideally under 125 characters. Avoid writing long descriptions that may overwhelm users relying on screen readers.
• Avoid Using “Image of”: Screen readers already know that the element is an image, so there’s no need to start alt text with phrases like “image of” or “picture of.”

Examples of Effective Alt Text

• E-commerce Product Image: For an image of a running shoe, use alt text like: “Men’s blue running shoes with cushioned sole.”
• Infographic: For an infographic about social media statistics, use alt text like: “Infographic showing 2024 social media usage statistics, with Facebook leading in user engagement.”
• Brand Promotion Image: For an image of a product launch event, use alt text like: “Audience attending the product launch of the new smartphone at a tech expo.”

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Keyword Stuffing: Overloading alt text with keywords can result in poor user experience and may be penalized by search engines.
• Leaving Alt Text Blank: Not providing alt text leaves visually impaired users without context. Ensure that every meaningful image has appropriate alt text.
• Using Vague Descriptions: Avoid vague descriptions like “image1” or “graphic.” Alt text should add value by describing the content of the image.

How Marketers Can Leverage Alt Text

• Enhance SEO: Including relevant keywords in alt text helps images rank in image search, potentially driving more traffic to your website.
• Support Accessibility Initiatives: Creating an accessible website that includes alt text helps marketers reach a wider audience, including those with disabilities. This can improve brand perception and loyalty.
• Optimize for Social Sharing: Social media platforms like Pinterest use alt text to determine what an image is about, which can improve the chances of your content being shared and discovered.

Final Thoughts

Alt text is a simple yet powerful tool for marketers looking to enhance website accessibility and SEO. By writing meaningful, descriptive alt text, marketers can ensure their content is accessible to all users while also optimizing for search engines. Thoughtful alt text improves user experience, helps drive organic traffic, and contributes to a more inclusive web environment.