When you think about SEO, images might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, they play a significant role in how your site is perceived by both users and search engines. That's where alt tags come into play. Alt tags, or alternative text, are a small but mighty component of your website's SEO strategy. They provide descriptions for images, which is crucial for accessibility and search engine crawling.
In this article, we’ll walk through what alt tags are, why they matter for your website, and how they can improve your SEO efforts. We’ll also cover best practices for writing effective alt tags, common mistakes to avoid, and how these tags can enhance the overall user experience on your site.
What Exactly Are Alt Tags?
Alt tags are text descriptions added to the HTML code of an image on a webpage. Their primary purpose is to describe the contents and function of the image. This description becomes visible in situations where the image cannot be displayed, such as when a user is using a screen reader or when the image fails to load.
Beyond accessibility, alt tags serve another crucial function in SEO. Search engines can't 'see' images the way humans do. They rely on alt tags to understand what an image is about. Without them, search engines are left guessing, which might not work out in your favor if you're aiming for higher search rankings.
Think of alt tags as a bridge between your visual content and search engines. They ensure that your images contribute to your SEO goals by providing context and relevancy. In short, alt tags are a win-win for both accessibility and SEO.
Why Alt Tags Matter for SEO
So, why should you care about alt tags when focusing on SEO? Well, there are several reasons. Firstly, alt tags improve the accessibility of your website. Screen readers, which assist visually impaired users, rely on alt tags to convey the content of images. This not only makes your site more inclusive but also aligns with the inclusive web design standards that Google values.
Moreover, alt tags can boost your site’s search engine rankings. By providing search engines with detailed descriptions of your images, you're helping them understand the context of your content better. This can lead to improved visibility in search results, especially in image search engines like Google Images.
Alt tags can also improve your site's load times. If an image fails to load, the alt text will appear in its place, maintaining the flow of your content. This is particularly important for users with slow internet connections, ensuring they still get the gist of your content even if the visuals don't load correctly.
Best Practices for Writing Alt Tags
Writing alt tags might seem straightforward, but there are some best practices to keep in mind. The goal is to create alt tags that are both descriptive and concise. Here are some tips to help you craft effective alt tags:
- Be Specific: Describe the image as specifically as possible. Avoid generic descriptions like "image" or "photo."
- Keep It Concise: While being descriptive is important, try to keep your alt tag to around 125 characters or less. This is generally the character limit for screen readers.
- Include Keywords: If relevant, include your SEO keywords in the alt text. However, avoid keyword stuffing as this can be counterproductive.
- Avoid Redundancy: If the image is purely decorative and doesn’t add value to the content, you can use an empty alt attribute by writing alt="". This tells screen readers to skip the image.
- Context Matters: Ensure that your alt text reflects the context of the image within the content. This makes the alt tag more meaningful.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure that your alt tags enhance both user experience and SEO performance.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even with the best intentions, it's easy to make mistakes when writing alt tags. Here are some common pitfalls to watch out for:
- Overstuffing Keywords: While it's tempting to cram keywords into your alt tags, this can harm your SEO. Search engines might see this as spammy behavior, which could negatively impact your rankings.
- Being Vague: Alt tags should be descriptive enough to convey the image's content. Vague descriptions like "picture of a dog" aren’t helpful. Instead, try "golden retriever playing in a park" for more specificity.
- Ignoring Alt Tags Altogether: This is a missed opportunity for both accessibility and SEO. Every image should have an alt tag, even if it's just an empty one for decorative images.
- Repeating Text from the Surrounding Content: The alt text should offer additional information, not repeat what's already stated near the image.
Avoiding these mistakes will help you create alt tags that are beneficial to both users and search engines.
How Alt Tags Enhance User Experience
Alt tags are not just for search engines; they significantly improve the user experience as well. For visually impaired users, alt tags provide critical information that they would otherwise miss. Screen readers can read the alt text aloud, allowing these users to understand the content and context of the images.
In addition, alt tags can contribute to a smoother browsing experience. When images fail to load due to slow connections or technical issues, the alt text appears in their place. This ensures that all users can still engage with your content, even if it's not in its intended visual form.
Think of alt tags as a form of good customer service. You're providing an inclusive experience that considers the needs of all users, which can lead to higher satisfaction and increased engagement with your site.
Alt Tags and Image Search
One often overlooked benefit of alt tags is their impact on image search. When someone searches for images related to your content, well-written alt tags can help your images appear in search results. This can drive more traffic to your site, as users might click through to learn more about the image in its original context.
Image search can be a powerful tool for attracting visitors who are specifically interested in visual content. If your business relies on visuals—like an ecommerce site with product images—this can be a significant source of traffic. Well-crafted alt tags ensure that your images are accurately represented in search results, increasing the chances of user engagement.
Tools for Checking Alt Tags
With the importance of alt tags established, you might wonder how to ensure that all your images are properly tagged. Fortunately, there are several tools available to help you audit and optimize your alt tags:
- Google Lighthouse: This tool provides a range of insights about your site, including alt tag usage. It's part of the Chrome DevTools, making it easily accessible for most users.
- WebAIM's WAVE: This accessibility evaluation tool highlights issues with alt tags and provides suggestions for improvement.
- Screaming Frog: Known for its SEO capabilities, Screaming Frog can crawl your site and report on missing or inadequate alt tags.
Using these tools, you can ensure that your site is optimized for both SEO and accessibility.
Alt Tags and Ecommerce Sites
For ecommerce sites, alt tags are crucial. Product images need to be accurately described to appear in image searches effectively. This is especially true for users who are browsing through image search results to find products they’re interested in purchasing.
Consider an online clothing store with hundreds of product images. If these images lack alt tags, they're missing out on potential customers who might find them through image searches. Descriptive alt tags can capture details like color, style, and usage, providing users with valuable information that can influence purchasing decisions.
By optimizing alt tags, ecommerce sites can improve their visibility and attract more potential buyers, directly impacting sales.
Maintaining Alt Tags Over Time
Creating alt tags is not a one-time task. As your site evolves, new images will be added, and existing content may change. Regularly reviewing and updating your alt tags ensures that they remain relevant and effective.
Set a schedule to periodically audit your site's images and their alt tags. This could be monthly or quarterly, depending on how often you update your content. During these audits, check for any missing alt tags, update tags that are outdated, and ensure that all images are accurately described.
Keeping your alt tags up-to-date is a small task that can yield significant benefits in terms of accessibility and SEO.
Final Thoughts
Alt tags play a vital role in making your website accessible and SEO-friendly. They help search engines understand your content better, improve user experience, and can even aid in driving traffic through image searches. By crafting thoughtful, descriptive alt tags, you're enhancing your site's performance on multiple fronts.
If you're looking to get the most out of your SEO efforts, consider how Pattern can support you. As an SEO agency, we specialize in helping ecommerce brands and SaaS startups not just rank higher, but convert that traffic into real, paying customers. Our approach is not just about rankings; we focus on results. By creating programmatic landing pages and crafting conversion-focused content, we ensure that every dollar you invest in SEO delivers real ROI. If you’re ready to turn SEO from a guessing game into a growth channel, we’re here to help you do just that.