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On-Page SEO

What Is Alt Text (Alternative Text)?

Alt text (alternative text) is an HTML attribute added to image tags that describes the content and function of an image. It serves as a text alternative when images can't be displayed, is read by screen readers for accessibility, and helps search engines understand image content.

Why Alt Text (Alternative Text) matters for SEO

Alt text is required for web accessibility (WCAG compliance) and is a ranking factor for Google Image Search. Descriptive alt text helps search engines understand the context of images on your page, contributing to overall page relevance for target keywords.

Pro tip on Alt Text (Alternative Text)

Add descriptive alt text to every image. Include relevant keywords naturally (don't keyword-stuff). Describe what the image shows, not just what it is. For decorative images, use alt="" (empty alt). Keep alt text under 125 characters.

Related terms

Image OptimizationAlt text is one part of image optimization alongside compression and format

Check alt text (alternative text) on your site

Image Alt CheckerAudit the alt text on every image on a page. Missing attributes kept apart from decorative alt="", plus image links with no name, filenames used as descriptions and duplicates.

Images without alt text hurt accessibility and miss ranking opportunities. CrawlRaven identifies every image with missing or empty alt text.

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