Alt text

ALT textnoun, short for alternative text

Topic: Search and visibility

1. A short written description of an image, added to the page code, that is read aloud by screen readers and shown if the picture cannot load.
2. It matters twice over: it makes a page usable for people who cannot see the image, and it tells search engines what the picture shows, which helps images appear in image search. Describe what is in the picture plainly and briefly, such as “Blue ceramic mug on a wooden table”, and leave the alt text empty for purely decorative images. Do not stuff it with keywords.

Example The alt text on the product photo read, “Oak bookcase with three shelves”.

See also Accessibility SEO Meta description