What is Alt Text (Alternative Text)?

Alt text is important for: • Accessibility - Screen readers read alt text aloud for visually impaired users • SEO - Helps search engines understand image content and context • Image Search - Key factor in ranking in Google Image Search • Broken Images - Displays when images fail to load • Context - Provides meaning when images are blocked or unavailable Missing alt text is one of the most common SEO audit findings.

• Be descriptive and specific ("red Toyota Camry parked in front of auto repair shop") • Keep it concise - 125 characters or less is ideal • Include relevant keywords naturally • Don't start with "image of" or "picture of" • Describe the image's purpose, not just appearance • For decorative images, use an empty alt attribute (alt="") • For infographics, describe the key information • For buttons/icons, describe the action (alt="Submit form")

Google uses alt text to understand image content because it cannot "see" images the way humans do. Images with good alt text can: • Rank in Google Image Search • Appear in Google Discover • Support the page's keyword relevance • Earn featured snippets with images Avoid keyword stuffing in alt text - it should be natural and descriptive. Google may penalize pages with spammy alt text.

PixlSEO audits check for: • Missing alt text on images • Empty alt attributes on non-decorative images • Very short or generic alt text • Keyword-stuffed alt text • Image file name optimization The Pixl Script can automatically generate and apply AI-optimized alt text to images on your client's website.