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SEO Tip: Add Descriptive Alt Text to Your Images


When optimizing your website for search engines, images are often overlooked—but they play a bigger role in SEO than many people realize. One simple yet powerful way to improve your site’s visibility is by adding descriptive alt text to your images.


What Is Alt Text?

Alt text (alternative text) is a short written description added to an image’s HTML code. Its primary purpose is to describe the image if it cannot be displayed and to help screen readers interpret visual content for users with disabilities.


Why Alt Text Matters for SEO

Search engines can’t “see” images the way humans do. Alt text helps them understand what an image represents, which can improve your website’s relevance and ranking. Well-written alt text can also help your images appear in Google Image Search, driving additional traffic to your site.


Key Benefits of Using Alt Text

  • Improves search engine visibility by providing context to images

  • Enhances accessibility for visually impaired users

  • Boosts image search rankings

  • Improves overall user experience


How to Write Effective Alt Text

To get the most SEO value, your alt text should be:

  • Descriptive but concise (usually under 125 characters)

  • Relevant to the image and page content

  • Naturally written (avoid keyword stuffing)

  • Helpful and specific

Example:Instead of:alt="image1"

Use:alt="responsive website design displayed on a laptop and smartphone"


Best Practices to Remember

  • Include keywords only when they make sense

  • Avoid phrases like “image of” or “picture of”

  • Don’t repeat the same alt text for multiple images

  • Decorative images can use empty alt text (alt="")


Adding descriptive alt text is a small change that can make a big impact. It improves SEO, accessibility, and visibility—making your website more user-friendly and search-engine friendly at the same time.

If you want help optimizing your website content, images, and SEO strategy, feel free to reach out. Small details like this are what turn good websites into high-performing ones.

 
 
 

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