WebAIM’s 2024 report on accessibility revealed that over 20% of websites didn’t use alt text on their homepage. Although their focus is on the accessibility of a page, did you know that this site function also has explicit benefits that can get you firmly on the front page of Google?

If you are thinking, “What is alt text, and how can it help me?” then read on. This article will help you understand how your website’s images could boost your future SEO efforts. Discover the purposes of alt text and actionable best practices you can use to grow your visibility even further. 

So, stick around and uncover advice you can take forward to boost your growth online.

What Is Alt Text and Its Role in Image SEO

Alt tags were initially developed as a text-based substitute for images you might use on your website. Many people use these with screen readers to understand pictures provided on a website, even if they cannot see the page itself for any reason.

However, as search engine optimization has become more important, it has become clear that the text used in these images can concisely communicate a web page’s purpose, image by image. 

Search engines also have different algorithms for their various categories. On top of their usual search engine, they are also likely to have an image-specific search they provide. You need to try to appeal to this search engine on top of your normal offering. Doing this can improve your indexing and offer higher rankings in both normal search results and image search results specifically.

Alt text also directly aids SEO by allowing search engines to understand the flow of a page. As the search engine’s crawler looks at your site, you must ensure you use a clear layout that communicates every section’s purpose. Using clear and concise descriptions of your images makes it more likely that search engines will provide them to individuals searching for what you describe.

Adding alt text to your images also helps you prevent a poor user experience, even if your site is having trouble loading. Images that do not display will instead present the text, allowing people to understand the site’s context.

What Is the Purpose of Adding Alt Text to an Image in WordPress?

Alt text on WordPress is largely similar to other websites’ tags. However, the site makes it very easy for you to update and optimize this tag.

WordPress provides site owners with tools to add alt text to images directly from their media library. This interface can save you time when producing your site and allow you to move on to creating the rest of a page.

After launching your site, WordPress also offers insights into your image by providing clear data analytics. Using this information, you can track user interactions with your site and how much they find your site via image searches. As you continue to iterate on your site, you can leverage this data to determine which alt text is working best and which needs updating.

Why Alt Tags Matter for On-Page SEO and UX

WordPress publicly commits to encouraging its users to create accessible websites that all users can access regardless of personal abilities. Similarly, high-quality SEO includes a drive for good UX to ensure that your site users find your site simple to use so that they will not leave out of frustration.

The importance of this doesn’t only relate to blind users, who directly benefit from alt text by having an opportunity to read a clearer website. Having inclusive and accessible websites can ensure that many different users do not bounce off your site. These include:

• Users in low-connectivity areas
• Elderly users
• Users with learning disabilities
• Potential customers with cognitive disabilities
• Migraine sufferers who cannot use monitors easily

The list above is not exhaustive. Helping the above individuals access your site more easily prevents them from bouncing off to find a different service or product instead. 

Alt Text Best Practices

When writing alt tags, one of the main things you will need to do is clearly describe the image’s key components and purpose. You must also be clear and concise to avoid frustrating users with too much text. While screen readers move through a page fast, they still take time, and every extra word can lead to significant slowdown.

Remember to:

• Include the primary subject of the image in the first few words
• Avoid describing irrelevant information
• Use fewer than 140 characters (“tweet-length”)
• Avoid using “an image of” or similar
• Use descriptive language to capture the mood and context

The following alt text examples put the points above into practice:

Bad: Image of a range of breakfast items, including cooked bacon and coffee, on a white plate and surrounded by cutlery
Good: Delicious breakfast spread, including bacon and coffee

Bad: In front of a blurry car on a straight road, a tall woman holds the hand of a smaller boy. They are both standing next to the road.
Good: A mother and child wait to cross a busy road.

Also, prioritize your site’s main keywords. Leveraging these will not only help Google understand a page’s relevance but may also give you a good idea of the best images to use on the page. However, like with other areas of the site, avoid keyword stuffing for the sake of it and use the text naturally.

Visualize SEO Success with Optimized Alt Text

You aren’t the only person asking, “What is alt text, and why do I need it?” However, this high-impact method of boosting your site’s image SEO and UX does not take a lot of effort, and its value is unmistakable.

If you want to partner with someone who can offer clear advice on boosting your online visibility using features like alt text, contact Rose & Cactus. We can help you transform your website into a tool to reach more users than ever before. Why wait?

Laura Pulling Laura is a content strategist, SEO consultant, and lover of quiz nights. She works with global clients to turn great ideas into well-ranked, high-converting content.