What are Image Alt Tags SEO Best Practices?
The alt tag on an image describes the image's content and the function of the image on the page. So, if you are using an image of your logo, the alt text should say: “logo image for My Company Name”
Each of your images should have SEO-friendly alt text, not only for SEO purposes but also because blind and visually impaired people won’t otherwise know what the image is about when using their screen readers.
Image alt tags and SEO
SEO-friendly image alt tags are only one piece of on-page SEO, and frankly, it’s not even one of the top five ranking factors, but it can have an impact both positively and negatively … so don’t spam or over-optimize.
- Search engines can’t “see” images, so we help them with the image alt text.
- Most screen readers have a 125-character limit for alt text so keep your tags within that limit.
- It’s also an excellent idea to make sure you rename your image file in line with the alt text. Don’t just accept the image name off your camera and upload it.
- You will also want to be aware of the file size of your image. It’s an excellent idea to reduce your images' image file size using a tool like JPEG Optimizer or Optimizilla, not to compromise your page load speed.
- When choosing the filename and image alt text, keep them descriptive. It’s a good idea to read your image alt tag out loud back to yourself to hear how it will sound to the screen reader.
- Image tags are also a great place to include related search terms. Here’s an example, if you’re optimizing your page for apartments in Raleigh, NC, you would include terms like Raleigh NC apartments, apartments Raleigh NC, and Raleigh apartments in your image alt tags.
The added benefit of writing alt text for your images is that your images may rank when someone looks up a topic. For example, if you have good alt text describing the Mayan ruins at Tulum in Mexico and someone is looking for a photo of what they look like, your image could rank in the search results, so it’s worth incorporating a link back to your content in your image.
Conclusion
Using these ideas for your image alt text, you’ll go a long way towards helping Google understand the purpose of your content and its relevance, and the more relevant they think you are, the better your page will rank.
Please read the articles below to get more information on how image alt tags can improve your rankings.
Image SEO Alt Tag and Title Tag Optimization
Alt tags and title tags improve the SEO and accessibility of your website. This article explains how and why you should optimize them.
How-to-Optimize-Your-Images-for-SEO-and-Pinterest-and-What-not-to-do-When-Writing-Alt-Text-for-Images
Looking to rank better on Google Your guide on how to write good alt text for images for SEO and how to optimize your images for SEO to rank on Google
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