Writing Great Alt Text for Your Website Images
The PhotoBiz Web Builder allows you to add Alt Text to your website images, which has two key benefits:
- It makes your site more accessible for visitors who use screen readers.
- It helps search engines like Google understand and index your images, improving your SEO.
This guide will show you how to write effective Alt Text and follow best practices to get the most out of it.
New to Alt Text? Learn more about best practices from Google’s guide to using alt text.
DESCRIBE THE IMAGE
Alt Text should describe what's happening in the image as clearly and specifically as possible.
Imagine explaining the image to a friend who can’t see it.
Ask yourself:
- What’s happening in the photo?
- Who or what is featured?
- Where is it taking place?
- What details stand out?
Each image should have unique Alt Text that fits what’s shown.
ADD CONTEXT
Think about why the image is on the page. What message does it support?
Your description should match the context of the page it appears on. For example:
- A photo of a family at the beach on a “Vacation Packages” page might be described as:
“Smiling family walking along the beach during sunset in Florida.”
Making the Alt Text relevant to the content around it helps both users and search engines.
BEST PRACTICES
Keep these guidelines in mind when writing Alt Text:
- Use complete sentences with a capital letter and a period.
- Keep the language clear and easy to understand.
- Aim to stay under 140 characters, as most screen readers cut off after that point.
WHAT TO AVOID
Here are some things to leave out of your Alt Text:
- Don’t use special characters (like quotation marks, parentheses, or exclamation points).
- Don’t start with “Image of” or “Picture of.” Screen readers already know it’s an image, so this wastes valuable space.
By following these tips, you’ll make your website more inclusive and more discoverable in search engines.
