Alternative text (also called alt text) is crucial for accessibility, but that’s not its only job: Accurate, descriptive alt text can have a dramatic effect on search engine optimization (SEO).
After all, Google wants to send traffic to websites that answer the reader’s question. A website with relevant, high-quality images will usually do that more effectively than a website without images.
Currently, Google’s spiders can’t determine whether an image is relevant unless there’s a text alternative. That’s where the alt text comes in — and it’s also where many brands make a common mistake that impacts accessibility.
Don't use alt text to stuff keywords or promote products to customers
When auditing content, we often run into alt text that was clearly written with SEO in mind. That’s particularly common with product images, which might have their alternative text applied at the backend when the image is uploaded to WordPress or another content management system (CMS).
Content creators might write alt text that’s intended to increase the search visibility of the product in question. That often means plugging unnecessary keywords into the field.
For example, we might see something like this:
The Clean Seat Vehicle Seat Protector, seat protector for cars, protect car seat, vinyl car seat protector.
That alt text crams in as many keywords as possible to get Google to recognize the image. It’s bad practice from an SEO standpoint, and it’s horrible from an accessibility perspective: People who use screen readers will hear all of that text when they focus on the image. The experience will be confusing, and it will tell the reader in no uncertain terms that the website isn’t built for users with disabilities.
Likewise, we often see alt text that includes a great deal of marketing copy, which can also frustrate users. For example:
The Clean Seat Vehicle Seat Protector is designed to protect your car from spills, stains, and mess. Made with high-quality vinyl, it installs in seconds!
This is bad alt text because it’s not a description of the image. It’s a pitch to potential customers — it might be appropriate as a caption, but alt text is meant to describe the content of an image and its context on the web page.
Related: Be Careful When Using A.I. for Alternative Text
Simple, concise, and descriptive alt text will work best for SEO and improve the experiences of real users
Remember, real people will read your alt text. It’s not just an SEO signal; it’s an essential part of the user experience.
Without accurate alt text:
- People who use screen readers won’t be able to understand images, graphs, and other visual content.
- If your web page’s images fail to load for any reason, there won’t be a text alternative for users.
- Search engine spiders won’t understand how the images fit into the context of the web page.
The good news is that good alt text is fairly easy to write simple, accurate descriptions of visual content. Furthermore, the best practices can actually improve SEO: When you’re not overloading your text with keywords, it’s easier for search engines to interpret. When alt text isn’t overly salesy, it’s a better tool for its intended purpose.
Build better practices for writing image alt text
In 2024, WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind) found that 54.5% of the internet’s top 1 million home pages were missing alternative text for some images. The percentage of web pages with poor alt text is likely much higher.
You can help solve the problem by reviewing your alt text when publishing content. Get started by scanning your site for missing alt text attributes with AudioEye’s Website Accessibility Checker, then follow our 5 steps for writing alt text for accessibility to learn the basics.
To learn more about the best practices of digital accessibility, contact the Bureau of Internet Accessibility today.
