Images play a vital role in eCommerce website design. They are powerful tools for capturing the attention of potential customers and making a lasting impression. However, images alone are not enough to ensure an eCommerce site’s success. You must also optimize your website with alternative text to make sure images are indexed and ranked properly by search engines. This is where alt image text comes into play.
Alt image text is an HTML attribute that describes the contents of an image for search engines, web browsers, and visually impaired users. In this article, we’ll explain why alt image text is important to websites and share some tips for writing alternatives to boost your search engine ranking.
Why Alt Image Text is Important for Your eCommerce Site
Alt image text is crucial to eCommerce website design and PPC ad management. The primary purpose of alt text is to provide context, allowing search engines to understand what the image is about and make it easier to index and rank the image. When web crawlers can index and rank your images, your eCommerce site sees more traffic. Additionally, alternative text descriptions are essential for users with visual impairments who rely on screen readers to navigate the web. With alt text, screen readers can describe the image to the site visitor, eliminating a gap in the content and positively impacting user experience.
Tips for Writing Alt Image Text
- Be Descriptive
When writing alt image text, be as descriptive as possible. Describe the contents of the image in detail, including significant information that’s not immediately apparent. This will help search engines understand what the picture is about and make it more likely to appear in relevant searches.
- Use Relevant Keywords
Including relevant keywords in your alt image text can help boost your eCommerce site’s search engine ranking. However, using keywords sparingly and only when relevant to the image’s content is essential. Overloading your alt text with too many key terms, also known as keyword stuffing, can damage your website’s standing and make it seem suspicious.
- Keep it Short and Sweet
While it’s important to be descriptive, keeping your alt text short and sweet is also best. The ideal length for alt text is between 80 and 100 characters. This ensures your description is concise and easy to read while providing enough information to “paint a picture.”
- Be Accurate
Accuracy is key when writing alt image text. Your words should accurately describe the image’s contents and provide relevant information to the user. Inaccurate or misleading text can harm your site’s ranking and spoil the user experience.
- Use Alt Text for All Images
Use alt text for all images on your eCommerce site, including product and category images. By describing everything, you can ensure your site is accessible to visually impaired users and that search engines index and rank all images.
- Consider the Context
When writing alt image text, consider the context of the image and where it is placed on the website. For example, the alt text for a product image on a product page should be different from the alt text for the same image on a category page. Ensure your alt text accurately describes the image and provides relevant information by considering its context. This will improve the user experience and boost your website’s search engine ranking.
Alt image text is a must-have for more than eCommerce website design and PPC ad management. By giving your images the attention they deserve with relevant, descriptive alt tags, you can significantly improve site visibility and accessibility, resulting in higher foot traffic, better conversions, and more green for your business!