Alt text is one of those small SEO tasks that often gets overlooked. But it plays a big role in both user experience and search visibility.
Whether you’re uploading product photos, blog images, or homepage graphics, adding the right alt text can:
- Improve your on-page SEO
- Help your content rank in Google Images
- Make your site more accessible
If you’re not sure what alt text is, or how to use it properly, this guide will get you started.
What Is Alt Text (And Why Does It Matter)?
Alt text (short for “alternative text”) is the written description of an image on your website.
Its main job? To describe the image to users who can’t see it, including screen readers and search engines.
When written well, alt text:
- Makes your site accessible to visually impaired users
- Tells Google what your image is about
- Helps images rank in search results
What Alt Text Is Not
Alt text is often confused with:
- Captions: These are visible under the image
- File names: What you name the image before uploading (which also matters!)
- Image titles: Optional and rarely used for SEO
Alt text is added in your website platform or CMS (e.g. WordPress, Shopify, Showit) in the image settings panel.
How to Write Good Alt Text
Good alt text is clear, specific, and relevant to the page.
Basic Formula:
[What the image shows] + [context if relevant] + [primary keyword, if natural]
Examples:
- Bad: Screenshot
- OK: Marketing dashboard screenshot
- Better: Klaviyo email analytics dashboard showing open rates for Shopify campaign
The goal isn’t to cram in keywords, it’s to describe the image in a helpful way that aligns with the page’s content.
Best Practices for Alt Text and SEO
- Keep it under 125 characters so screen readers can easily read it
- Avoid keyword stuffing, use your focus keyword if it fits naturally
- Don’t start with “image of” or “picture of”, screen readers already know it’s an image
- Use plain language, think helpful, not clever
- Be specific, what’s the image actually showing?
Where Alt Text Makes the Most Impact
If you’re short on time, focus on adding alt text to:
- Blog images
- Homepage banners and feature graphics
- Product images (especially if you have an ecommerce site)
- Infographics or screenshots that include key data
These are the images most likely to support your SEO and help users.
Bonus Tip: Optimise File Names Too
Before uploading your image, rename the file with something descriptive. For example:
- Instead of IMG12345.jpg, use klaviyo-dashboard-email-open-rates.jpg
File names help Google understand your image before alt text is even applied.
Final Thoughts
Alt text is one of the easiest SEO wins out there, but it’s often ignored.
By taking a few extra seconds to write meaningful, keyword-aware descriptions, you’ll make your content more inclusive and more discoverable.
Need help optimising your content images or making your blog more search-friendly?
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