What Is Alt Text?
Alt text, short for alternative text, is a written description of an image added in the page code. Screen readers read it aloud for visitors who are blind or have low vision, browsers show it when an image fails to load, and search engines use it to understand what the image shows.
Good alt text describes what matters about the image in the context of the page. Purely decorative images, such as background shapes, use empty alt text so screen readers skip them.
Why Alt Text Matters for Northern Indiana & Michiana Businesses
Accessible websites serve every customer. A Warsaw resident using a screen reader deserves to know that a photo shows "a newly installed walk-in shower with grab bars" just as a sighted visitor does. Accessibility is also part of a professional, trustworthy online presence.
Alt text supports SEO too. It helps your project photos appear in Google Images and gives search engines more context about each page, which matters for businesses whose work is visual, such as remodelers, landscapers, salons, and restaurants across Michiana.
How Alt Text Works
- Describe the contentState what the image shows that matters to the reader.
- Add useful contextInclude details such as the service or location when they are genuinely relevant.
- Keep it conciseA sentence or short phrase usually works best.
- Skip "image of"Screen readers already announce images.
- Leave decorative images emptyUse an empty alt attribute for images that add no information.
A Local Example
A Middlebury kitchen remodeler's gallery has fifty photos named "IMG_4021.jpg" with no alt text. It adds descriptions such as "white shaker kitchen cabinets with quartz countertops in a Middlebury farmhouse remodel." The gallery becomes usable for screen reader visitors, and several photos begin appearing in Google Images searches for kitchen remodel ideas in Northern Indiana.
Getting Started With Alt Text
Audit your most visited pages first: homepage, top service pages, and gallery or portfolio pages. Many website builders show the alt text field when you click an image in the editor, and free accessibility checkers can list every image missing alt text.
Write descriptions the way you would explain the photo to someone over the phone. Focus on what the image shows and why it is on the page. Rename new image files with descriptive words before uploading, and make writing alt text part of your routine every time you add a photo, so your site stays accessible as it grows.
Quick Wins to Improve Your Alt Text
- Add alt text to every meaningful image on key pages
- Describe project photos with the service and setting
- Use empty alt text for decorative graphics
- Rename image files with descriptive words before uploading
- Describe text inside images, such as logos or charts
What to Watch For
- Keyword stuffing. Lists of keywords harm accessibility and add no SEO value.
- Missing context. Describe what matters about the image on that specific page.
- Image-only text. Important information should also appear as real text on the page.
- Linked images. When an image is a link, its alt text should describe the destination.
Alt Text FAQ
Is alt text required?
Alt text is a core part of web accessibility standards such as WCAG, and it is strongly recommended for every meaningful image.
How long should alt text be?
Usually one short sentence. Complex charts can be summarized in alt text and explained in more detail on the page.
Does alt text help SEO?
Yes. It helps search engines understand images and supports visibility in image search.
What about logos?
Use your business name as the alt text for your logo.
Put It to Work
Want a website every customer can use and search engines fully understand? Riley will review your images and accessibility basics.
