The proper use of image Alt tags is crucial for SEO optimization and increasing traffic. Alt tags go beyond just describing images and can enhance the value of a website in various ways.
Role and Importance of Alt Tags
Alt tags serve to describe the content of images in textual form within a web page. This description is particularly useful for visually impaired users, as it can be read by screen readers, greatly contributing to web accessibility. Moreover, Alt tags provide valuable information to users even when images do not load, helping to improve the overall user experience of a page.
Search engines cannot grasp information from the image file itself, so they use Alt tags to understand the meaning of the image. Through this, search engines can more clearly determine the content and theme of the web page in which the image is included, which can positively affect search result rankings.
Effective Alt Tag Writing Methods
When writing Alt tags, it is important to follow a few principles. Succinct and clear description is fundamental. For example, an Alt tag like "Sailboat on the sea on a cool summer day" would be an appropriate example. The key is to keep the description concise and within 125 characters.
For SEO optimization, including relevant keywords in Alt tags is advisable, but care must be taken not to overuse them. Keyword spam can have a negative impact.
It is also crucial to understand the context of the page where the image is used and write the Alt tag accordingly. Using language that harmonizes with other content on the page is ideal. Additionally, unnecessary words like "image" or "photo" should be omitted.
For decorative images, the Alt attribute should be left empty. For example, setting it as alt="" allows screen readers to skip these images, enhancing user convenience.
Examples and Practice
In the HTML code of a web page, Alt tags can easily be set in the form <img src="image.jpg" alt="image description">. The way to configure this can vary slightly depending on each web platform. For instance, in Webflow, Alt text can be added or edited through the image settings window.
Additional Considerations
The name of the image file itself can affect SEO. Therefore, it is advisable to include relevant keywords in the file name, helping search engines better understand the content of the image.
Using captions or unique images is also a method of image SEO optimization. Original images provide a greater impact to users, and image captions offer additional information related to the image.
Proper use of Alt tags enhances both the search engine optimization and accessibility of a website. This consequently increases the visibility of the content and is a crucial factor in securing more inbound traffic.
