What is the Purpose of the ‘Alt’ Tag in Images?

The ‘Alt’ tag, also known as alternative text, serves two main purposes: it helps visually impaired users understand what an image depicts and it provides search engines like Google with relevant information about the content of the image. In simple terms, the ‘Alt’ tag acts as a description that both people with visual difficulties and search engines rely on to understand your website’s images better.

Full Explanation

The ‘Alt’ attribute, or alternative text, is essential for making images accessible to people who have difficulty seeing. Assistive technologies use the ‘Alt’ text to describe images aloud, ensuring that visually impaired users receive the same information as those who can see the images directly. Moreover, ‘Alt’ text is a useful space to communicate to search engines what your images and pages are about by including relevant keywords. This helps improve your website’s visibility on search results.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Accessibility: The primary role of the ‘Alt’ tag is to assist visually impaired users by providing a descriptive alternative to images.
SEO Benefits: The ‘Alt’ text also allows you to include keywords related to your page content, which helps search engines understand the context of the image and your overall page better.
When an image fails to load: The ‘Alt’ text appears in place of the image, giving users an idea of what was intended to be shown.

Real Examples

Imagine you have an image of a red apple on your webpage. The ‘Alt’ tag might say “red apple on white background”. This description helps screen readers convey the image’s content to users who cannot see it. At the same time, including relevant keywords such as “red apple” helps Google associate your page with those terms.

Common Mistakes

Leaving the ‘Alt’ attribute empty or missing, which defeats its purpose.
Using generic or irrelevant descriptions that don’t accurately reflect the image content.
Keyword stuffing the ‘Alt’ text, which can appear spammy and harm SEO.

FAQs

What does ‘Alt’ stand for?
It stands for alternative text.

Who benefits from the ‘Alt’ tag?
Visually impaired users and search engines like Google benefit from it.

Is the ‘Alt’ tag important for SEO?
Yes, it provides an opportunity to include relevant keywords, helping search engines understand your page content.

Key Takeaways

The ‘Alt’ tag is crucial for accessibility, providing descriptions of images to visually impaired users.
It is a valuable SEO tool, allowing you to share keyword-rich descriptions with search engines.
Properly used ‘Alt’ text enhances the user experience when images don’t load and boosts your website’s search engine visibility.