All About Alt Text and Why You Should Care

In the United States alone, 26% of adults have a disability.

Increasing the accessibility in the world around us is important. This can mean installing more wheelchair ramps in businesses, incorporating closed captions on videos, and providing image descriptions on websites.

Because our smartphones and computers are a major part of our daily routine, creating an accessible virtual world is crucial. There are many things a business or blogger can include on their site to be more inclusive, including the use of alt text.

Make sure to keep reading below to discover what alt text is and why you should use it! It will create a world of difference for your site’s viewers.

What Is Alt Text?

Alt text is a text description of visual elements. These visual elements can include photographs, data charts, and different icons.

When utilizing typed descriptions, individuals may use text to speech tools to better understand the visual elements you’ve included on your site. Individuals who use text to speech features include those who are blind, have difficulty seeing, or students who prefer auditory learning.

Providing alt text for accessible design is important, but it’s also important to know how to write alt text. The text should be concise yet meaningful for the readers.

How Do I Write Alt Text?

There are some dos and don’ts of alt text you should follow.

As you create alt text for images, try to stick to around 100 words. Remain concise while providing a sufficient description.

Remember, alt text is a literal description of the image and not the same thing as a caption. A caption is usually something conceptual or witty. An example of alt text is, “Dog sits beside a large tree.”

Don’t describe decorative imagery, such as floral design elements, on the page. This can confuse the viewer.

How Does It Affect SEO Results?

Not only does alt text create a more accessible design, but it can also help SEO results. Images become searchable when alt text is provided.

Many people use Google to perform image searches. You can construct your alt text in a way that increases accessibility and search engine visibility. For example, a blind individual may want to know what color the car is in a photo, but your image could also pop up for someone searching for a ‘green car.’

Don’t forget to incorporate other SEO tips to boost your website traffic!

Increase Accessibility and Boost Your Site’s Traffic with Alt Text

Every day we should be moving towards a more accessible world for everyone! A great way to do this is the use of alt text on your site. Not only does it create more accessibility, but it also makes your images searchable.

Individuals who are blind or have difficulty seeing use tools such as text to speech readers while exploring a virtual landscape. Write concise, meaningful descriptions for your site’s images to make your site more inclusive.

Are you needing extra help with SEO, branding, and marketing? We are here to help. Make sure to check out our services and reach out to one of our professionals for a free consultation.