What To Write For Alt Text

What to Write for Alt Text: Best Practices for Images in Web Design

Alt text, or alternative text, is a tag that provides a textual description of an image. Alt text is an important part of web design, as it helps visually impaired users understand the content of an image. Alt text also plays a role in SEO, as search engines use this text to understand the content of an image and the context in which it appears. In this article, we will discuss best practices for writing alt text.

1. Be descriptive

When writing alt text, be as descriptive as possible. Describe the image in such a way that someone who cannot see it can understand what is in the image. For example, instead of writing “man and dog,” write “a middle-aged man sitting on a bench with a brown Labrador retriever on a leash.” This type of description will help a visually impaired user imagine the scene in their mind.

2. Be concise

While it is important to be descriptive, it is also important to be concise. Keep the alt text short and to the point. If the image is decorative or does not add any additional information to the content, such as a decorative border or a stock image, use an empty alt text. An empty alt text is a tag with no text between the quotes, like this: alt=“”. This tells screen readers to skip over the image, allowing visually impaired users to focus on the important content.

3. Be relevant

Make sure the alt text is relevant to the content on the page. If the image is illustrating a concept or idea, make sure the alt text reflects that. If the image is a link to another page or resource, make sure the alt text describes where the link will take the user. This helps visually impaired users understand the purpose of the image and how it relates to the content on the page.

In conclusion, writing effective alt text is an important part of web design. By following these best practices, you can make sure your alt text is descriptive, concise, and relevant to the content on the page. This will help visually impaired users understand the content of an image and improve the SEO of your website.