What is alt text?
Alt text is a short description you add to images on your social media posts and websites. It’s important for two main reasons:
- Accessibility: It helps people who use screen readers understand what’s in your images.
- SEO: It tells search engines what your images are about, which can help your content rank better.
When you write alt text, you’re making your social media more inclusive. It’s a simple way to make sure everyone can enjoy your posts, even if they can’t see the pictures.
Plus, it’s good for your brand’s visibility online.
Why is alt text important for social media?
Alt text makes your social media content accessible to users with visual impairments. When you add alt text to images, screen readers can describe what’s shown. This lets more people engage with your posts.
Alt text also helps with SEO. Social platforms use it to understand image content. This can boost your visibility in searches.
On Instagram and Twitter, you can easily add alt text when posting. It’s a simple step that makes a big difference.
By using alt text, you create a more inclusive social media experience. You reach a wider audience and improve your content’s performance at the same time.
Best practices for writing alt text
Good alt text improves accessibility and user experience. Here are key tips to follow:
- Keep it brief – aim for 1-2 concise sentences
- Be specific about the image content and purpose
- Include relevant keywords naturally
- Avoid saying “image of” or “picture of”
- Mention if it’s a logo, illustration, or diagram
For social media posts, describe the mood and key elements. On Instagram, you can add alt text to make your photos more accessible. When writing captions, include descriptive details about visual content to complement the alt text.
Remember, good alt text helps all users understand your images better. Take time to craft meaningful descriptions that enhance the overall experience.
Common mistakes to avoid
When creating alt text, watch out for these errors:
- Keyword stuffing: Don’t cram in keywords just for SEO. This hurts accessibility and readability.
- Using “image of” or “picture of”: Screen readers already indicate it’s an image, so this is redundant.
- Leaving alt text blank: Empty alt attributes provide no useful information to users relying on screen readers.
- Over-describing images: Keep descriptions brief and focused on key details. Avoid unnecessary words.
- Repeating surrounding text: Don’t copy nearby captions or paragraphs into the alt text.
- Including emojis: These can confuse screen readers and don’t add value for visually impaired users.
How alt text helps SEO
Alt text boosts your SEO by making images more discoverable in search engines.
When you add descriptive alt text to your images, you’re giving search engines valuable information about what’s in the picture.
This helps them understand and index your content better.
Search engines can’t “see” images like humans can.
Your alt text acts as their eyes, telling them what the image shows.
This extra context can improve your page’s relevance for related searches.
Good alt text can also help you rank in image search results.
When someone searches for a relevant image, yours might show up if the alt text matches their query.
Remember, alt text isn’t just for SEO – it’s crucial for accessibility too.
You’re making your content more inclusive while boosting your search performance at the same time.