What is the meaning of ALT-Text and how does it impact your SEO?

ALT-text, also known as "alt tags" or "alt descriptions," is a small piece of text that is used to describe the content of an image on a web page. This text is intended to provide a brief description of the image, making it more accessible to users who are visually impaired or have a slow internet connection. In addition to accessibility, ALT-text also plays an important role in search engine optimization (SEO) by helping search engines understand the content of images on a web page.

The purpose of ALT-text is to provide a clear, concise, and accurate description of the image. This helps users who are visually impaired understand what's in the image using screen readers, and also helps search engines understand the context of the image in relation to the rest of the content on the web page.

In terms of SEO

ALT-text is used to provide additional context for search engines when they crawl a web page. When a search engine crawls a web page, it looks for text to understand the context of the content. But search engines are not able to see images or understand the context of an image without the use of ALT-text. By providing a clear and accurate description of an image, ALT-text helps search engines understand the context of an image and what it represents.

When creating ALT-text, there are a few best practices to keep in mind. First, make sure that the text is accurate and descriptive of the image. Avoid using generic or irrelevant descriptions like "image," "picture," or "photo." Instead, use specific and relevant keywords that accurately describe the image. Also, keep in mind that ALT-text should be concise, typically no more than 125 characters.

In addition to using ALT-text on images, you should also make sure your images are properly optimized for SEO. This includes using appropriate file names, reducing the size of images to improve page load time, and using appropriate file types (like JPEG, PNG or GIF) for your images.

In conclusion

ALT-text is an important aspect of web accessibility and SEO. It helps users who are visually impaired understand the content of an image and helps search engines understand the context of an image in relation to the rest of the content on the web page. By providing a clear, concise, and accurate description of an image, and combining it with proper image optimization techniques, you can help search engines better understand your images and improve the SEO of your website.