ALT text (Alternative text)
ALT text (alternative text): what is the ALT of an image?
ALT text, or alternative text, is short for Alternate text. It is an HTML tag that is added to the images of web pages, where a brief description of the content of the image is included. Search engines can read and interpret the ALT text of an image without the slightest problem, and thereby learn what the image contains in order to rank it.
1. What is the ALT text?
The ALT text is nothing more than a phrase associated with an image; it describes the content of the image and gives it context and a purpose. Although current content management systems already make it easy to set the ALT text of images, you can also add the alternative text of an image published on a website by using its HTML code. An example of alternative text of an image would be the following:
<img src = “amanecer-palmeras.jpg" alt = “amanecer en playa del caribe con palmeras">
2. What is ALT text used for?
The ALT text has several uses. But perhaps the most important one has to do with the SEO and local SEO ranking of the website whose images have the ALT text tag. Since this information is in the website’s HTML code, it is read by the robots or crawlers that index the information to create the results that search engines return.
They also serve to replace the image itself if the page doesn’t load correctly. In that case, instead of the image, the alternative text would be displayed and thus it is possible to know what the missing image contained.
Last but not least, they are an element that provides web accessibility for visually impaired people, since these people use special screen readers and thanks to the ALT text they can find out what the image contains.
3. Creating an ALT text
To create alternative text correctly, so that it fulfills the functions the Alt tag was created for, you need to keep these points in mind:
- All the images on your website must have an associated Alt text.
- Write it to be read by people, not for search engines.
- Avoid stuffing in too many keywords, as you will be detected and your SEO will be penalized.
- Use 4 to 8 words to describe the image.
Finally, it is highly recommended that all the images on a website have their Alt tag. However, purely decorative images that are part of the site’s design can be left without the Alt tag (although in many cases an Alt is added indicating their location and function).
Related entries
Discover how Mailrelay can help you with your email marketing strategy.