What good is having a website if no one can find it online? This is what Google created SEO. As a reminder, SEO is not the acronym for Spanish Ornithological Society. It is optimizing your site so that your pages rank higher in search engine results. For example, this will allow you to appear on Google when someone types: “Aix en Provence wedding photographers.” Why is this important? Because the more visible you are on the results pages, the more potential clients will see your work and book your services.
Surely you’ve heard that good SEO is all about text. It’s true, but visuals can also impact your site’s ranking. If only you knew how … (hint: the answer is a few lines below). In this article, we’ll focus on one small step for you, but one giant leap for your SEO: Alt Text. This short textual description is essential for letting Google bots know what’s on your photos, since they can’t actually see them. The upside is huge: your snaps will be more likely to appear in image search results, which drives traffic to your site and is improving your SEO. Let’s find out how to write effective Alt Text for your images:
What is Alt Text?
Alt-text is a few words meant to describe an image displayed on a web page. They are not visible to visitors. This text appears only in your website’s source code, in the form of HTML code, also called “alt attribute.” Since Google & Co. cannot “see” per se, they scan the codes to figure out what is on your pages. Alt Text therefore allows robots to know what your images are about, their context and to better list them.
Why is Alt Text important?
Adding Alt Text to every photo uploaded to your site is crucial for three reasons:
Your images can be found on Google: they are seen and classified by search engine robots. Those with good Alt Text are more likely to appear on Google Image Search. This is important because a third of searches on Google are for visuals. It means that with these few words, you can get more traffic to your site.
Your site will rank better: Search engines prefer sites that have images optimized for SEO. Entering the Alt Texts therefore sends the correct message to Google. In addition, the traffic generated can boost your ranking.
Your website will be accessible to everyone: visually impaired visitors use screen readers to find out what is on a web page. In this case, Alt Text will be read. Adding a textual description to your images allows all users to browse and enjoy your website freely.
How To Write Good Alt Text
Define your goals
A single photo can tell several stories. You have to decide which one you want to relate, depending on the purpose of your site. You don’t want to convey the same message if you are a photographer or a web designer.
Add relevant keywords
Keywords are terms (or queries) that your potential customers would type in on Google to find you – or come across a business similar to yours. They are closely related to your business and your goals and are essential for your SEO. If you want your photos to rank on Google for certain keywords, you need to embed them in your Alt Text. How? ‘Or’ What? Put yourself in the Internet user’s shoes. What would you like people to look for to find your shot? Another handy tip: check out this guide on how to figure out the right keywords.
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Describe the image precisely
Explaining your shots in detail will help search engines better understand what is happening on the screen. And it’s best to use simple, commonly used terms. Words that are too sophisticated are less likely to be typed by Internet users. One trick is to describe the image as if you were talking to a friend who cannot see it. It will help you write concise and effective Alt Text for your photos.
Be brief
The following image of this breakfast evokes a multitude of words (we could talk about food for hours!). But your Alt Text should be brief. No more than 125 characters are recommended. Otherwise, it may not be read completely. Your description should not sound like: “Homemade Belgian waffles sprinkled with blueberries and multi-colored shavings on pink plates with pretty napkins and a cup of tea with milk and a teapot all laid out on white tiles.
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