Why is Image Alternative Text Important?
Accessibility
Alt Text is a crucial component of web accessibility.
Users with visual or cognitive impairments may browse the web with the help of a screen reader that converts text on the page into an audio output. Screen readers can’t do this with images, so instead, they read the image Alt Text to the user. This allows the user to discover the contents and purpose of an image, even if they can’t see it directly.
If the image alt text is missing, empty, or poorly written, the user misses out on any content or functionality the image provided.
In some cases, improper Alt text can have a significant negative impact on user experience for visually or cognitively impaired users. For example, stuffing the Alt text with keywords means that a screen reader will take longer to read it, preventing the user from discovering the actual relevant content on the page.
Search Engine Optimization
Image alt text also plays a role when optimizing your web pages for Google Search.
Search engines use web robots called crawlers to scan the contents and structure of your website for indexing and ranking purposes.
And just like screen reading software, crawlers can’t directly parse what an image means or how it relates contextually to the content on your site. Instead, crawlers use other information like image titles, file names, and image alt text as clues about the contents of an image.
With that in mind, including target keywords in your image alt text can provide Google with a stronger signal about the contents of your page and may help with your rankings in Google Image Search.
Google is also getting more focused on UX when it comes to ranking pages in the SERPs. Deploying high-quality image alt text across your website creates a better experience for users, impacting downstream metrics like bounce rate and time-on-page that figure into Google’s SERP ranking algorithm.