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4 min read

Why Alt Text Is Crucial For Your Website

 

This is an in-depth guide that explains why Alt text is vital for your website. In this blog, we discuss topics such as what alt text is, how it links to SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), tips for writing alt text, how you can find it in HTML code, and how to implement it.

In 2023, 97.4% of homepages had accessibility errors, with missing alt text accounting for 61% of all homepage accessibility errors. This is why adding alt text is crucial for your website. 

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. What Is Alt Text?
  2. Why Is Alt Text Important, & How Does It Link To SEO?
  3. How To Implement Alt Text
  4. Struggling With What To Write? Here Are Some Tips!
  5. How To Find The HTML Code For Alt Text
  6. Examples Of Alt Text With Different Images
  7. What Next?

What Is Alt Text?

Alt text, also known as alternative text, serves as a crucial description embedded into the HTML of an image. Alt text becomes visible in situations where an image fails to load or isn't accessible to the user, providing an enhanced user experience. Beyond this functionality, alt text plays a vital role in offering Google all the valuable and necessary context regarding your image, improving your website's search engine optimisation (SEO). Alt text serves a key role in website accessibility, ensuring that those with visual impairments or relying on assistive technology can understand and engage with your content. By incorporating alt text, you not only optimise your website but also build up its user experience. 

How To Implement Alt Text

Learning about alt text may seem like a long and challenging task at first, but it's actually the opposite. Reaching the area that has the option for alt text may vary depending on which website builder you are using, so it may be worth trying to find it or looking at the builder's support pages. Once you have found where to add the alt text, you will need to describe the image. It's up to you how detailed you'd like to go, but we'd recommend you try to throw some keywords from your page in there! 


If we were adding alt text to a photo of a man looking out a window, you'd describe what he may be seeing, anything he's holding, the environment from his side of the window, and much more. Below, we have added an example. 

LoudLocal, a digital marketing agency, is having a team meeting in a cafe with two laptops while someone writes notes. This is the alt text for the image which was used in the example. Both the image and what was previously written are displayed within the image, allowing people to visualise the alt text on the image.

 

Struggling With What To Write? Here Are Some Tips!

Writing alt text can be difficult for some, as you need to figure out what to put. We've compiled a list of tips that can help you create the best alt text for your image! 

 

Be Descriptive
You're explaining your image to Google and people with visual impairments. Make sure to include shapes, colours, and any relevant text.

 

Consider Your Audience
Adapt what you're writing in your alt text to who your audience is. Make sure you think of what is most helpful for them and ensure it makes sense to those with visual impairments.

 

Keep It Straightforward 
When adding your alt text, try to limit it to 125 characters or less. You need to be sure you're including only a few complex words, as it is just a description of what the image contains.



Include Punctuation
It may be hidden from most, but if you are using a screen reader, including punctuation will make sure the audio makes sense the entire time, with the necessary pauses. If you leave this out, it may be hard to understand, leading to a poor user experience. 



Include Text From The Image
If your image is a graphic which contains any form of text, be sure to include this in the alt text. Ensure that the text accurately represents the image and provides all of the necessary information. 



Test Your Alt Text
Get someone to read the text that has yet to see the image and ask them if it makes sense or needs any changes. 


How To Find The HTML Code For Alt Text

Finding alt text can help you understand what others tend to write, which can inspire you when writing your own. It may look a bit intense, but we promise it's more simple than it seems! 


Once you've found the image for which you'd like to view the alt text, right-click on it and select 'inspect'.An image of a chocolate Labrador lying down on a blue carpet with his name and a small description below with a menu obstructing the view to show the different options when right clicking on an image.

This will bring up a list of code, but all you need to focus on is the area highlighted. You'll see in the line of code that if they have added alt text, it will show: alt=''the alt text that the business has written will display here;''. The same photo as the previous but this time with a slight blue tint over it. Underneath contains the code and the alt text for the image of the labrador which explains 'a brown labrador, lying on a light blue carpet, called milo'.

 

Examples Of Alt Text With Different Images

To help inspire you, we've provided three examples of alt text in different situations. These examples are below. 

A group of three people, two men and one woman, practicing their push up's in a local gym.

A woman working by taking notes on a piece of paper from her laptop whilst smiling.

someone in a race driver suit, looking directly at the camera with smoke and red lights surrounding them

 

What Next?

We have created several blogs, the latest of which was How Using Rich Results Can Enhance Your SEO. We also have monthly blogs that dive into different areas of search engine optimisation. These will be updated with any necessary changes, so why not bookmark the ones we have and begin looking at future ones we release?

If you need any help with SEO, consider booking a call with a member of our team to learn how we can help you achieve your online goals! 

Thank you for reading!
Best Regards,
The LoudLocal Team 😊

 

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