Does Alt Text help an image appear in search results?

Alt Text can give search engines useful context about an image, but image visibility also depends on the page, image quality, relevance, and technical implementation.

Should Alt Text include a target keyword?

Alt Text should include a target keyword only when the keyword naturally describes the image and supports the page's subject. Forced wording reduces clarity.

What should decorative images use for Alt Text?

Decorative images generally use an empty Alt Text value so assistive technology can skip them. The correct choice depends on whether the image carries information.

Glossary

What Is Alt Text?

Alt Text is descriptive text attached to an image in a webpage's HTML. Screen readers can read the text aloud for people who cannot see the image. Search engines can also use it to interpret an image's subject. Effective Alt Text describes the image's purpose in its surrounding page context.

Local relevance: Brisbane's subtropical climate can make images of storm damage, mould, or weather-exposed property features especially relevant to local trade service pages.

Quick Facts About Alt Text

Key Takeaways About Alt Text

Alt Text describes an image's purpose, not every visible detail.
Screen readers can read Alt Text aloud to website visitors.
Alt Text is not the same as an image caption.

How Alt Text Works

A man works on a laptop at a wooden desk, with a hard hat, tape measure, phone, notebook, and pencil nearby

Alt Text sits in an image's HTML as an attribute that describes the image. A screen reader reads the description when a visitor cannot see the image, while a search engine can use the wording to understand the image's subject. The text should match the image's role on that page.

Meaning depends on context. A photo of a switchboard may need a concise description on an electrician's service page, while a decorative divider may need no description. Screen readers help people navigate image content, and useful wording keeps the information available when an image fails to load.

Hands type on a laptop showing an alt text form, surrounded by tools, coffee, phone, notebook, glasses, and gloves

Expert Note

When we review Alt Text, we check whether each important image has a clear description that matches the page and the image's purpose. We remove keyword stuffing, avoid repeating nearby text, and mark purely decorative images appropriately. Our On-Page SEO checks also consider whether image descriptions support the page's main service topic.

Alt Text in Practice: A Real-World Example

A Brisbane electrician's page may show a technician replacing a damaged switchboard. Suitable Alt Text could be: "Electrician replacing a damaged switchboard in a residential garage."

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