Do you know there is a direct link between images and alternate text (alt text) or between audio description and alt text ? The purpose of both terms is same. Both provide a window to the visual world for visually-challenged people. As more and more people go for visual search, it has become extremely important to describe images especially for web crawlers or visually challenged.
In the digital age, both help Google and other search engines to see what images or videos contain. The old adage is still relevant. “If a picture is worth a thousand words, what is it worth to people who cannot see?”
However, the concept of describing photos and videos is not new. TV and radio are two ideal medium for visually challenged to know about news and views. With the advent of social media, it became all the more important to describe images, videos and graphics.
Now,one can not afford to leave things on viewers or listeners or readers to understand what these images or videos contained. Hence the concept of alt text came in. It is not only meant for visually challenged but for Google as well.
It is the short form of “alternative text,”. It means a textual description of images, graphics, or other visual elements on a webpage which is essential for accessibility on search engines .
As you know search engines cannot see visual information, however description of an image is attached to images which also provides important information about what the image contains and how it fits within the context of the rest of the page.
If you look at the source code of a web page, you’ll see alt text included in the HTML like this:
<img src=“image.jpg” alt=“image description”>. Therefore, it serves as a substitute for the image when it cannot be displayed or is not accessible to the user, such as in the case of visually impaired individuals using screen readers already announce that an element is an image.
Here’s an example ” It is an image of a cat:
Correct: “A gray and white cat sitting on a window sill, looking outside.”
Incorrect: “Image of a cat.”
How to get best banking on google and other search engines?
Believe it or not! This tool helps Google find information and image easily.
According to Joshua Hardwick
Alt text matters for four main reasons.
1: Improves accessibility
2: Can improve topical relevance
3: Can help you rank in Google Images
4: Serves as anchor text for image links
How Visually challenged become active on social media?
SEO and alternate text link?
Alt text is a part of SEO . So a strategy needs to be adopted to make it more effective besides creating alt text easier and automated.
Alignment is necessary in your keywords which will improve your chance of google ranking . Be it content, backlinks, and technical on-page components like alt text – the stronger your ranking potential.
It is primarily beneficial for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) rather than SEM (Search Engine Marketing).
SEO focuses on optimizing a website and its content to improve organic (non-paid) search engine rankings. When search engines crawl and index web pages, they cannot “see” images in the same way humans can. Instead, they rely on textual information, including alt text, to understand the content of images. By providing relevant and descriptive alt text for images, website owners can enhance their SEO efforts.
When search engines can properly interpret the content of images through alt text, it may lead to improved rankings for relevant search queries, especially in image search results. Additionally, alt text helps search engines understand the context and relevance of images in relation to the overall content of the page, contributing to the site’s overall SEO performance.
On the other hand, SEM involves paid advertising campaigns to increase a website’s visibility on search engine results pages through paid search ads. Alt text does not directly impact SEM because paid ads are typically text-based and do not rely on image descriptions.
However, it is essential to note that having accessible and well-optimized content, including alt text, can contribute to a positive user experience, which may indirectly affect the success of SEM campaigns.
3 easy steps for Alt Text
According to searchenginejournal, Combine distinctive, important details with the basic product data.
If you sell a popular item, these extra details can give you an edge over your competitors.
Some common search terms you might want to mention include:
- Color.
- Special functions and designs.
- Materials used.
10 common mistakes while describing image in alt text box
Blank Alt Text: Leaving alt text empty or using generic placeholders like “image” or “picture” provides no valuable information to search engines or visually impaired users, reducing the chances of ranking well in image search results.
Keyword Stuffing: Stuffing this column with excessive keywords in an attempt to improve SEO can lead to poor user experience and may be flagged as spam by search engines, resulting in lower rankings.
Irrelevant Alt Text: Providing alt text that is unrelated to the image’s content or the surrounding context can confuse users and search engines, leading to reduced traffic and lower relevancy in search results.
Overly Long Alt Text: Writing extremely long alt text can overwhelm users of assistive technologies like screen readers, making it challenging for them to navigate through the content smoothly.
Using “Image of” or “Picture of”: Using phrases like “image of” or “picture of” in alt text is unnecessary and redundant since screen readers already announce that the element is an image.
Not Conveying Image Purpose: Alt text should describe the purpose or function of the image. Neglecting to do so can lead to missed opportunities to engage users effectively and cater to their needs.
Alt Text for Decorative Images: Providing lengthy descriptions for purely decorative images can be distracting for visually impaired users and may lead to a less enjoyable browsing experience.
Ignoring Image Context: Failing to consider the context in which the image appears on the page can result in alt text that lacks relevance, making it harder for search engines to understand the content’s meaning.
Using Only File Names or URLs: Relying on image file names or URLs as alt text does not provide meaningful information to users, and search engines may not interpret it correctly for ranking purposes.
Not Reviewing and Updating Alt Text: Neglecting to review and update alt text regularly can lead to outdated or irrelevant descriptions, which can harm the website’s search rankings and user experience over time.this
Alternate text and Search Engine
Google and other search engines understand the language of words or texts through natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning algorithms. When you describe an image or graphics using alternative text, it helps search engines comprehend the content and context of the visual element. In other words, Alt Text is a ranking factor in Google and other search engines.
While search engines have made significant advancements in understanding and processing visual content, they still heavily rely on text-based information to interpret images. Alt text provides search engines with textual context about the image, allowing them to index and rank it appropriately in image search results.
When you provide descriptive and relevant text for images on your website, it enhances the chances of your content being discovered by search engines and displayed to users in relevant search queries. This is especially important for visually impaired users who use screen readers to access the web, as it allows them to understand and interact with the content they cannot see.
In summary, describing images or graphics in words using alternate text is essential because it enables search engines to better understand the visual content and enhances the overall accessibility and visibility of your website’s images on the internet.
Tools for Alt Text generators
Now Artificial Intelligence has made things easy for users to generate alt text for images and help make the internet more accessible! For instance, Ai text generator helps users to generate alternate text for your images and help make the internet more accessible! Microsoft too has a tool. It is to be seen how things take shape in the near future.
