How To Add Alt Text to All Images

How To Add Alt Text to Website Images

Article 205 From the Complete Do It Yourself SEO Checklist For Small Business

Alt text, or alternative text, is a short description of an image that appears in your website’s HTML code. It serves two important purposes: it helps visually impaired users understand your content when using screen readers, and it gives search engines more context about your images, which can improve your website’s SEO. Without alt text, search engines can’t fully understand what an image is about, which may limit your site’s visibility in search results.

Adding alt text also allows your images to appear in image search results, such as Google Images, potentially driving more traffic to your website. For small business owners, this is a simple yet effective way to make your content more accessible and reach a broader audience.

How to Add Alt Text to All Images

Here’s how you can add alt text to images, step by step:

1. Use Your Website Builder or CMS
   Most website platforms make it easy to add alt text:
   • In WordPress, click on an image in your Media Library, and you’ll see a field labeled “Alt Text.” Enter a brief, descriptive phrase.
   • In Wix or Squarespace, click on an image and look for the “Alt Text” or “Image Description” option in the settings.
2. Write Descriptive, Keyword-Friendly Text
   Alt text should describe the image in plain language while incorporating relevant keywords. For example:
   • Good Alt Text: “A succulent plant in a white ceramic pot on a wooden table.”Bad Alt Text: “IMG_1234” or “Plant.”
   • Keep it concise—around 125 characters is ideal—and avoid keyword stuffing.
3. Review Existing Images
   Go through your website’s images and ensure every one has alt text. If you’ve uploaded a lot of images in the past without adding alt text, prioritize updating key pages like your homepage, product pages, or blog posts.
4. Automate Where Possible
   If your site has many images, consider using plugins or tools that help automate alt text creation. For example, WordPress plugins like Image Alt Text can make bulk updates easier.

Additional Tip Alt text is not the same as captions or file names. While captions appear visually on your website, alt text is embedded in the code and used primarily by screen readers and search engines.

By ensuring all your images have alt text, you’re improving both accessibility and SEO, making your website more inclusive and visible to a wider audience. For more details, check Google’s Image Publishing Guidelines.