In today’s digital world, high-quality content isn’t enough—your website’s images are just as powerful. But search engines don’t “see” images the way humans do. They understand images based on the information you provide.Image Alt TextCorrect alt text not only tells Google what’s in your image, but also dramatically boosts your website’s SEO, accessibility, and overall ranking.
Whether you’re a blogger, run an eCommerce store, or manage an informational website—image alt text is an SEO factor that can’t be ignored. It helps your images rank in Google Image Search, explains the context of your content to web crawlers, and provides a better browsing experience for visually-impaired users.
In this complete guide, we’ll explain every aspect of image alt text in easy-to-understand language—character limits, HTML usage, alt text checker tools, real examples, mistakes to avoid, and SEO best practices. If you want to take your site to the next level, this guide is especially for you.
- What is image alt text?
- Why is it important
- How to write correct alt text
- Image alt text character limit
- How to Add Image Alt Text to HTML
- Alt text checker tools
- Alt text के best examples
- Common mistakes
- SEO strategy
- And much more…
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1. What is Image Alt Text?
Image Alt Text (Alternative Text) is a short textual description that explains any photo, illustration or graphic.
This is written in the “alt=” attribute inside the image tag so that:
- Google can understand the meaning of that image
- Screen readers can read out the meaning of images to visually-impaired users
- If the image doesn’t load, let the user know what was supposed to be displayed.
- Improve ranking in Google Image Search
Example:
<img src=”seo-image.png” alt=”SEO checklist with keyword research and on-page optimization” />
That is, alt text gives your image a “voice”—for search engines as well as for users.
2. Why Is Image Alt Text Important for SEO?
Alt text is important in SEO because:
✔ 1. Google can’t “see” your images
Google does use vision-based AI, but it’s not 100% accurate. Alt text clearly tells it what the image is about.
✔ 2. Image search gets extra traffic
Today approximately22% of searches happen within Google Images।
If the alt text is strong → your image ranks faster → you get extra traffic.
✔ 3. Helps with Accessibility
Visually impaired users use screen readers. Alt text helps them understand the image.
✔ 4. Your overall content relevancy increases
When the image alt text matches the content, Google understands that your article explains the topic in depth.
✔ 5. A fallback message is received when the web page does not load.
Slow network? Broken image?
Alt text does not spoil the user experience.
3. Image Alt Text Character Limit
Many people ask:
What should be the Image Alt Text Character Limit?
According to best SEO practices:
✔ Ideal alt text length: 80–125 characters
Why?
- Screen readers cut off text beyond 125 characters.
- Users have difficulty reading long descriptions.
- Short but meaningful alt text performs better.
Wrong:
“image of seo checklist with pencil notebook keyword tools laptop coffee table top view design graphic”
Right (Under 125 Characters):
“Notepad with SEO checklist with keyword research, content planning, and optimization steps”
4. How to Add Image Alt Text in HTML
Adding alt text in HTML is very easy.
✔ Basic HTML Syntax
<img src=”image.jpg” alt=”Your alt text description here” />
✔ Example for SEO image
<img src=”on-page-seo.png” alt=”On-page SEO checklist showing title tags, meta description and internal linking tips” />
✔ Example for Product Image
<img src=”red-sneakers.jpg” alt=”Red Nike running sneakers for men” />
✔ Remember:
- Always keep the alt text relevant to the image
- Avoid keyword stuffing
- Provide a clear and meaningful description
5. How to Write Perfect Image Alt Text
Follow some golden rules to write good alt text:
✔ 1. Describe what you SEE
What is visible in the image – write it in simple words.
✔ 2. Add the focus keyword (but naturally)
If the image is relevant to the keyword – use the keyword.
Example:
“image alt text example for SEO” → OK
“best image alt text for SEO keyword ranking best seo best seo” → WRONG
✔ 3. Avoid “image of…” or “picture of…”
This is already stated in the tag.
✔ 4. Keep it short
Less than 125 characters is perfect.
✔ 5. Maintain context
Keep in mind what content the image is supporting.
6. Image Alt Text Checker Tools
It is also important to check whether you are writing the alt text correctly or not.
✔ 1. AIOSEO Analyzer
Easy for WordPress users.
✔ 2. SEOptimer Alt Tag Checker
Quick scan of image HTML.
✔ 3. Screaming Frog SEO Spider
Can check alt text of thousands of images simultaneously.
✔ 4. WAVE Web Accessibility Tool
Accessibility + alt validation.
✔ 5. Ahrefs Site Audit
Gives alert if Alt text is missing.
✔ 6. SEMrush Site Audit
Detects image SEO issues.
These tools will tell you:
- Which image has missing alt text?
- Where is keyword stuffing?
- Which alt text is too long?
- which is irrelevant
7. Image Alt Text Examples
Below you will find several examples.
- BEST Alt Text Examples
Example 1
All: “Woman writing monthly blog content plan on laptop with SEO checklist”
→ Clear + contextual + useful
Example 2
All: “Red Nike Air Zoom running shoes for men displayed on white background”
→ Perfect for eCommerce
Example 3
All: “Google Analytics dashboard showing organic traffic results growth”
→ Keyword + clarity
- Good Alt Text Examples (Simple but useful)
Example 4
All: “On-page SEO infographic with ranking factors”
Example 5
All: “Chef preparing pasta in kitchen”
- Bad Alt Text Examples (Avoid These)
Example 6
All: “image123.png”
→ Meaningless
Example 7
All: “best seo keyword ranking boost fast top position guaranteed”
→ Keyword stuffing
Example 8
All: “picture of man”
→ Too vague
8. Image SEO Mistakes to Avoid
❌ 1. Leave Alt text blank
The biggest mistake.
❌ 2. Keyword stuffing
Google considers this spam.
❌ 3. Giving irrelevant description
It should not match the image.
❌ 4. Entering the file name in Alt
Wrong: alt=“image001.jpg”
❌ 5. Writing very long alt text
125 characters enough
9. Image Alt Text For Different Categories
📌 1. Blog Images
“Blogger writing SEO content research checklist on notebook”
📌 2. Product Images (Ecommerce)
“Black leather office chair with adjustable armrests”
📌 3. Infographics
“Infographic showing 10 steps of keyword research process”
📌 4. Food Images
“Spaghetti pasta served with white sauce and herbs”
📌 5. Travel Blog Images
“Sunset view at Goa Baga Beach with boats in water”
10. SEO Benefits of Using Proper Image Alt Text
- Faster indexing
- Google Images ranking boost
- Increased organic traffic
- Improved accessibility
- Stronger topical relevance
- Better content engagement
- Higher on-page SEO score
Proper alt text increases the quality of your entire site.
Conclusion
Image alt text isn’t just a small HTML attribute—it’s a powerful tool that directly impacts your website’s SEO performance. Correct alt text makes your images accessible, helps Google understand your content correctly, and improves your website’s overall ranking.
If you:
- Write the correct alt text
- Correctly adding to HTML
- Follow the character limit
- Fix errors with the image alt text checker
- Understand and use the best examples
So your images will rank very fast on Google and your site will get more organic traffic.
FAQs About Image Alt Text
1. What is image alt text?
Image alt text (alternative text) is a short written description that tells search engines and visually impaired users what an image is about. It improves accessibility and helps Google understand the image content for ranking.
2. Why is image alt text important for SEO?
Alt text helps Google index images correctly, increases the chances of appearing in Google Images, and improves overall on-page SEO. It also supports AI Overviews and enhances user experience.
3. What is the ideal character limit for image alt text?
Most SEO experts recommend keeping alt text around 100–125 characters. It should be long enough to describe the image clearly but short enough to stay readable and avoid keyword stuffing.
4. How do I write image alt text in HTML?
Use the alt attribute inside the <img> tag like this:
<img src=”image.jpg” alt=”A woman writing a blog post on a laptop”>
5. Should I include keywords in alt text?
Yes, but only naturally. Don’t stuff keywords. Add them only if they truly match the image.
6. What is an example of good image alt text?
Bad: alt=”seo alt text image”
Good: alt=”Man analyzing website traffic on Google Analytics dashboard”
7. What tools can I use to check image alt text?
You can use tools like Screaming Frog, Sitechecker, Ahrefs, Semrush, and various free online image alt text checkers to find missing or incorrect alt attributes.
8. Can I leave alt text blank?
Yes, but only if the image is decorative and adds no meaning. Otherwise, always add descriptive alt text.
9. Should every image on a website have alt text?
All important, meaningful, or informative images should have alt text. Decorative elements (lines, shapes, icons) can be skipped.
10. Does alt text work for videos or GIFs?
Only images use alt text. For videos, you need captions or transcripts. For GIFs, alt text can be added if inserted as an image file.
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