Digital Engine note · Saved from Facebook

Alt Text is not just a picture SEO: first describe the picture for users

Reorganize the proper use of image alt text, explaining that alt text simultaneously serves accessibility, content understanding, and image search, rather than cramming keywords into every image.

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View the original posthttps://www.facebook.com/searchenginecommunity/posts/pfbid0D7W7KMsBGrbL5GcdxdesASuLARxXyefNvCef65aL4RyT5bbzi4JBZbEnjrdLWoVRl
Image alt attribute’s Facebook post with image 1 picture alt attribute Facebook post attached picture 2

The alt attribute of the image is first of all to provide alternative information when the image cannot be displayed, and also to allow users using Screen Reader to understand the image content.

It may indeed help search engines understand the image, but that doesn’t mean every alt text should be stuffed with one or two target keywords.

If the image is decorative, or the nearby text already fully describes the image information, the alt value can be an empty string alt="" to allow assistive technologies to skip the duplicate content.

If the image carries important information, the alt text should describe content that is truly useful for understanding the page.

The core reminder to save this article is: write alt text for users first, and then think about how it helps search engines, rather than distorting the image description for SEO.

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