Picture this: you’ve spent countless hours creating visually stunning content for your website, but when it comes to search engine optimisation (SEO), your images are falling short. The problem? You’re missing out on a crucial element – alt tags.

What is an alt tag?

An alt tag, also known as “alt description” or “alt attribute,” is a way to provide information about an image to search engines and users who are visually impaired. It’s a little bit of HTML code that you add to an image on your website, and it helps search engines understand what the image is about. Think of it like a caption for your image, but for search engines.

For example, if you have an image of a fluffy white puppy on your website, your alt tag might say something like “fluffy white puppy playing with a tennis ball.” This helps search engines understand that your image is about a fluffy white puppy, and it’s more likely to show up in search results for people looking for pictures of puppies.

But it’s not only important for SEO but also for visually impaired users who use screen readers to navigate the web, by providing descriptive, relevant information about an image, alt tags can help these users better understand and engage with your content. So, in short, alt tags are a simple, yet powerful way to improve the SEO and accessibility of your website’s images.

How to optimise alt tag for SEO

Choose descriptive, keyword-rich text for your alt tags.

When it comes to optimizing your images for SEO with alt tags, one of the most important things to keep in mind is to choose descriptive, keyword-rich text. This means using words that accurately describe the image and also include keywords that are relevant to the image and your website overall.

Here are a few tips to help you choose the right text for your alt tags:

1. Be specific: Instead of using a generic term like “image,” use a specific, descriptive word that accurately describes the subject of the image. For example, instead of “image of a flower,” use “red rose.”
2. Use keywords: Include relevant keywords that people might use when searching for images like yours. For example, if you have an image of a fluffy white puppy, use keywords like “puppy,” “fluffy,” and “white” in your alt tag.
3. Keep it short and sweet: Alt tags should be brief and to the point. No need to write a long sentence.
4. Use natural language: Don’t stuff your alt tag with keywords, use them naturally in the text.

Make sure your alt tags accurately describe the content of the image.

When it comes to alt tags and SEO, it’s important to make sure that your alt tags accurately describe the content of the image.

Here’s a little more detail on why that’s so important and how you can do it:

• Alt tags help search engines understand the context of an image: Search engines are great at understanding text, but they’re not so great at understanding images. That’s where alt tags come in – they provide search engines with a text-based description of what an image is about, so they can understand the context of the image and whether it’s relevant to a user’s search query.
• Use descriptive and keyword-rich text: When you’re writing your alt tags, make sure to use descriptive and keyword-rich text that accurately describes the content of the image. For example, if you have an image of a fluffy white puppy playing with a tennis ball, your alt tag should say something like “fluffy white puppy playing with a tennis ball” rather than just “puppy.”
• Keep it brief and to the point: Keep your alt tags brief and to the point. Avoid using more than a couple of sentences to describe your image. Search engines only read the first 125 characters of your alt tags, so make sure your most important information is included in the first few words.
• Use your keywords sparingly and naturally within the text: Use your keywords sparingly and naturally within the text. Avoid stuffing your alt tags with too many keywords as it can negatively affect your website’s SEO.

Here is a list of things to keep in mind:

• • Make sure your alt tags accurately describe the content of the image.
  • Use descriptive and keyword-rich text
  • Keep it brief and to the point
  • Use your keywords sparingly and naturally within the text

Use alt tags for all images, including infographics and charts.

Alt tags are a must-have for all images on your website, whether they’re photographs, illustrations, infographics, or charts.

Here’s why:

• First of all, using alt tags can help your images rank better in search engine results. When you add an alt tag to an image, you’re giving search engines a little bit of information about what the image is about. This helps search engines understand the context of the image and determine whether it’s relevant to a user’s search query. So, if you want your images to show up in search results, you need to use alt tags.
• Alt tags also improve the accessibility of your website for visually impaired users. When someone is using a screen reader to navigate your website, the screen reader will read the alt tag to the user, so they know what the image is about. This means that visually impaired users can still understand and engage with your content, even if they can’t see the images.
• Using alt tags for infographics and charts is especially important. Infographics and charts often contain a lot of information that’s presented in a visual way, like numbers, statistics, and graphs. Without alt tags, visually impaired users wouldn’t be able to understand any of that information. But with alt tags, you can provide a text description of the information that’s presented in the infographic or chart, so visually impaired users can still get the full picture.

Keep your alt tags brief and to the point.

When it comes to alt tags, brevity is key. While you want to make sure your alt tags are descriptive and provide enough information for search engines and users who are visually impaired, you also don’t want to overdo it. Here are a few tips for keeping your alt tags brief and to the point:

1. Be specific: Instead of using general terms like “image” or “picture,” be specific about what the image is of. For example, instead of “image of a dog,” use “Golden Retriever puppy playing with a tennis ball.”
2. Use keywords sparingly: While it’s important to include keywords in your alt tags, don’t stuff them in there. Use them sparingly and naturally within the text.
3. Avoid unnecessary information: While it’s important to provide context for the image, avoid including information that isn’t relevant to the image or the content on the page.
4. Keep it short and sweet: Alt tags should be a maximum of 125 characters, so keep it short and sweet.

Use your keywords sparingly and naturally within the text.

When it comes to using keywords in your alt tags, it’s important to use them sparingly and naturally. This means that you shouldn’t stuff your alt tags with a bunch of keywords in an attempt to game the system. Instead, you should focus on writing alt tags that accurately describe the image and use keywords when they naturally fit within the text.

Here’s a quick list of best practices for using keywords in your alt tags for business:

1. Use keywords that are relevant to the image and the content on your website.
2. Make sure your alt tags accurately describe the image and its context.
3. Use keywords sparingly and naturally within the text.
4. Avoid using the same keyword repeatedly in different alt tags.
5. Use long-tail keywords when possible, as they’re more specific and less competitive.