Images make the web lively and engaging. They brighten articles, illustrate ideas, and help us connect with content in ways that plain text alone cannot. But for a search engine like Google and for people who rely on assistive technology, images can be invisible unless we give them a thoughtful text description called an image alt tag or alt attribute. In this blog, we will explore what alt tags are, why they matter for Google Images and SEO, and how you can write them well.
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| Image Alt Tags for Google Images? |
What Is an Image Alt Tag?
An image alt tag, also called alt attribute, alt text, or alternative text, is a snippet of text that is placed inside the HTML code of a webpage to describe what an image shows. In its simplest form, it might look like this:
<img src="sunset-beach.jpg" alt="Sunset on a quiet beach with orange sky">
Here, the text inside alt=”…” is what we call the alt tag. This text doesn’t usually appear directly on the page for most visitors. Instead, it serves as a description of the image for systems that cannot “see” it. (SEOPress)
Why Alt Tags Matter
Image alt tags play a hidden yet crucial role on the internet. They were originally created for accessibility, ensuring that people with visual impairments can understand what images show when using screen readers. Over time, they have also become important for search engines like Google to understand and index visual content. Let’s break down the key reasons they matter.
Accessibility: Making the Web Inclusive
One of the most important jobs of alt tags is helping people who are blind or have low vision. Screen readers — tools used by many visually impaired users — read alt text aloud so the user can understand an image’s content. Without alt text, these users may miss large parts of information that others see visually. (Positional)
Alt tags are part of web accessibility standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which aim to make online content usable by everyone, no matter their ability. When you write good alt text, you are making your website feel welcoming to a wider audience.
Image Indexing and Search Engines
Search engines can “read” text but not images. When Google crawls a page, it needs text to understand what each element means. Alt tags provide that text description so that Google knows what your images contain. This makes it possible for your images to show up in Google Images search results. If you skip alt tags, search engines may not index your images well or at all, leaving potential traffic on the table. (Positional)
Good alt text also helps Google understand the context of the whole page better because the image description adds clues about what your content is about.
When Images Fail to Load
Sometimes images don’t load — maybe because of slow internet or a technical error. In those cases, the browser displays the alt text in place of the image. This ensures that users still get an idea of what was there, instead of an empty broken image icon. (Alli AI)
Opportunity for SEO
While the primary purpose of alt tags is accessibility, you can also use them to improve SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Including relevant keywords naturally within your alt text helps search engines associate your content with specific topics or search queries. For example, if your page is about “healthy breakfast ideas,” including relevant keywords in your image alt text can support that theme. (SEOPress)
However, this must be done carefully. Search engines can detect when keywords are forced unnaturally. Overusing keywords in alt tags (a practice known as keyword stuffing) can harm your SEO and make your site feel spammy. Write for humans first, and use keywords only when it makes sense. (Similarweb)
How Google Treats Alt Tags
Google’s official guidelines stress that alt text should be clear, descriptive, and concise. Google’s own documentation on alt text highlights that the text helps their systems understand images and should not be overly long or filled with irrelevant words. (Google for Developers)
Importantly, Google recommends that you do not start your alt text with redundant phrases like “image of” or “picture of”. The fact that the text is alt text already tells search engines and screen readers that it describes an image. (IntelliPlans)
Best Practices for Writing Alt Text
Effective alt text walks a balance between description, simplicity, and relevance. Here are key principles to help you craft helpful alt tags:
1. Be Clear and Descriptive
Think of alt text as the answer to the question: What is this image showing? Describe the object, scene, or action in the image. For example, instead of writing just “dog”, you could write “brown dog playing with a frisbee in a park”. This gives more meaningful context. (SEOPress)
2. Keep It Concise
Although alt text needs to be descriptive, it should also be short. Most screen readers cut off descriptions after about 125 characters. Long sentences might not be read in full and could confuse users. (Similarweb)
3. Use Keywords Naturally
If a keyword fits naturally while you are describing the image, include it. For example, if your page is about “Indian street food” and the image shows pani puri, an alt tag like “pani puri on a steel plate at a street stall” naturally supports your topic. But do not force keywords where they don’t belong. (Similarweb)
4. Avoid Redundant Words
Skip words like “image” or “picture of” because they are implied. Instead, start with the most important part of the description. (IntelliPlans)
5. Handle Decorative Images Properly
Not all images need alt text. If an image is purely decorative — like a background design or a simple flourish — you can leave the alt attribute empty (alt=""). This tells screen readers to skip the image because it does not add meaningful content. (Consultdex)
6. Context Matters
Think about the role of the image in your content. A photo of a person could be described differently if it appears in a biography than if it appears in a cooking recipe. Consider how the image supports the text around it. (Hike SEO)
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even experienced content creators sometimes make mistakes with alt text. Here are a few things to avoid:
Keyword Stuffing
Using too many keywords or repeating them unnaturally in alt text can make your site look spammy and reduce its credibility in search engines. Remember that readability and accurate description are more important than shoehorning in as many keywords as possible. (Similarweb)
Leaving Important Images Without Alt Tags
Skipping alt text for images that matter means losing both accessibility benefits and potential visibility in Google Images search results. Make sure every informative image gets an alt description. (LinkedIn)
Overly Long Descriptions
Descriptions that are too long or too detailed can overwhelm screen reader users. Stick to the essentials that communicate what the image shows. (Similarweb)
Alt Tags in Google Images
Google Images is a special case of search where images are the main result. Photos with good alt tags are more likely to show up in image search results when someone searches using related keywords. This can bring extra traffic to your site, especially in niches like ecommerce, food blogs, fashion, travel, and tutorials where visual content is important. (Positional)
If you optimize images with helpful alt tags and also provide descriptive surrounding text, Google can match your images to relevant queries more effectively. This means people searching for images of a specific product, place, or concept are more likely to find your site. (Positional)
Final Thoughts
Image alt tags are small pieces of text, but they have a big impact behind the scenes. They help search engines understand your images, make your content accessible to everyone, and improve your chances of showing up in Google Images results. Writing good alt tags doesn’t require complex SEO skills — it just needs careful thought about what each image actually represents.
When you write alt text with clarity, context, and care, you make your content more welcoming and discoverable. Over time, this practice becomes second nature and will make your website stronger both for users and for search engines.
Related Questions & Answers
1. What are Image Alt Tags?
Alt tags, or alternative text, are HTML attributes that describe the content of an image. They help search engines understand images, improving accessibility for visually impaired users and enhancing SEO. Proper alt tags increase the chances of images appearing in Google Images search results.
2. Why are Alt Tags Important for SEO?
Alt tags provide context to search engines, allowing them to index images accurately. This improves a website’s visibility in Google Images and overall search rankings. Well-crafted alt text also enhances user experience for those relying on screen readers, making your content more inclusive.
3. How Do Alt Tags Improve Accessibility?
Alt tags assist visually impaired users by conveying image content via screen readers. This ensures that all users, regardless of disability, can understand the visual content. Accessibility is a critical aspect of web design and is highly valued by search engines, indirectly benefiting SEO.
4. How Should Alt Tags be Written?
Effective alt tags should be concise, descriptive, and relevant to the image. Avoid keyword stuffing and focus on accurately describing what the image depicts. Including context about the page content helps Google associate the image with the overall topic, boosting image SEO.
5. Optimal Length for Alt Tags
Alt tags should ideally be 50–125 characters. This length allows search engines to understand the image while remaining readable for screen readers. Overly long alt text can be truncated, while too short text may not provide enough information for indexing.
6. How Do Alt Tags Affect Google Images Ranking?
Google relies on alt tags to understand the subject of images. Accurate alt text improves the likelihood of ranking in Google Images, especially when paired with relevant page content and proper file naming. This directly impacts traffic from image searches.
7. Differences Between Alt Text and Image Titles
Alt text describes the content of the image, while image titles provide supplementary information, often appearing as tooltips. Alt text is essential for SEO and accessibility, whereas image titles are optional and serve more as additional user guidance rather than ranking factors.
8. Common Mistakes in Alt Tags
Common errors include keyword stuffing, generic descriptions like “image” or “photo,” and leaving alt text empty. These mistakes reduce SEO effectiveness and harm accessibility. Each image should have unique, descriptive alt text aligned with the page content for maximum benefit.
9. How Alt Tags Complement Page Content
Alt tags should reinforce the surrounding text, providing context for search engines. When the alt text aligns with headings, paragraphs, and metadata, Google can better understand the page theme, which helps both organic and image search visibility.
10. Role of File Names with Alt Tags
File names work alongside alt tags for SEO. Descriptive file names containing relevant keywords improve indexation by Google Images. For example, “red-running-shoes.jpg” with matching alt text provides stronger signals than generic names like “IMG_1234.jpg.”
11. Alt Tags for E-commerce Websites
In e-commerce, alt tags describe products clearly, mentioning color, size, or type. This helps Google Images display products in search results, driving organic traffic. Accurate alt text also improves accessibility for shoppers using screen readers.
12. How to Test Alt Tags Effectiveness
Use SEO audit tools and Google Search Console to check image indexing and alt text usage. Reviewing which images appear in search results helps identify missing or poorly written alt tags. Continuous improvement ensures images remain optimized for Google Images and accessibility standards.