Alt text, or alternative text, plays a pivotal role in enhancing both accessibility and search engine optimisation (SEO) for websites. It’s a critical element that ensures your content is inclusive and easily discoverable by search engines.
At Kia Ora Digital, we understand the significance of alt text and offer professional services to optimise it effectively. Here we’ll explore the importance of alt text, how it works, and why businesses should trust our expert team to manage the process.
What is Alt Text?
Alt text is a brief description of an image embedded within an HTML tag. It serves multiple purposes: providing context to users who cannot see the image, assisting search engines in understanding the content of the image, and functioning as anchor text when images are used as links.
Alt text is essential for making images accessible to all users, including those with visual impairments, those using text-based web browsers, and instances where images fail to load correctly.
SEO Benefits of Alt Text
Alt text significantly enhances search engine understanding of your images, leading to better indexing and higher search rankings. It also serves as anchor text when images are used as links, providing additional context that can further boost SEO performance.
Here are some of the other SEO benefits you will enjoy:
- Enhancing Search Engine Understanding: From an SEO perspective, alt text is invaluable because search engines like Google use it to understand the content of images. When an image has descriptive alt text, Google can determine what the image represents and how it relates to the surrounding content. This improved understanding can lead to higher rankings in search results.
- Acting as Anchor Text: When images are used as links, the alt text doubles as anchor text. Anchor text is a crucial factor in SEO as it provides additional context about the linked content. Well-optimised alt text can enhance the relevance of the link, contributing to better search performance.
- Boosting Image SEO: Alt text is particularly beneficial for image SEO. Images with descriptive alt text are more likely to rank high in Google Images and other image search results. This visibility can drive additional traffic to your website, improving overall user engagement and conversions.
Accessibility Benefits of Alt Text
Improving the customer user experience is another imperative benefit that comes saddled with improving your Alt Text. These benefits include:
- Supporting Users with Visual Impairments: Alt text is essential for users with visual disabilities who rely on screen readers to navigate the web. Screen readers read the alt text aloud, allowing visually impaired users to understand the content and context of images. By providing clear and descriptive alt text, you make your website more inclusive and accessible to a broader audience.
- Content Accessibility in Various Browsers: Text-based web browsers and situations where images fail to load are common scenarios where alt text proves invaluable. In these cases, alt text acts as a fallback, conveying the message or purpose of the image even when the visual content is unavailable. This ensures that all users, regardless of their browsing environment, can access your content.
How to Write Effective Alt Text
There are some basic conventions that every business website should apply to Alt Text, however we’re also here to help. The basics steps you can take include:
- Be Descriptive and Concise: Effective alt text should be descriptive yet concise. Aim to convey the essential information about the image in a few words. For example, instead of using an image or photo, describe what the image actually depicts, such as a red apple on a white table.
- Include Keywords Naturally: Incorporating relevant keywords in your alt text can enhance SEO, but it’s crucial to do so naturally. Avoid keyword stuffing, which can harm your rankings. Instead, use keywords where they fit contextually and make sense within the description.
- Avoid Redundancy: Ensure that your alt text does not repeat information already provided in the surrounding text. Redundant alt text can create a poor user experience and may confuse search engines. Aim for unique descriptions that add value to the content.
- Keep It Relevant: Alt text should be relevant to the image and the content of the page. Irrelevant or misleading alt text can negatively impact both user experience and SEO. Focus on providing accurate descriptions that align with the overall context of the page.
Enhance Your Website’s Accessibility with SEO
Optimising alt text requires a blend of technical expertise and strategic insight. At Kia Ora Digital, we ensure your alt text is optimised for maximum impact. We employ industry best practices to enhance both accessibility and SEO, providing tailored solutions that meet your specific needs.
By trusting our experienced team of experts, you can be confident that your website will be inclusive, easily navigable, and highly discoverable by search engines. Let us handle the intricacies of alt text optimisation, freeing you to focus on other important aspects of your business.
For more information about our SEO services, contact us today to learn how we can help you achieve your digital marketing goals.