.Image alt tags are short descriptions that tell search engines what an image shows. Many people forget to use them, but they help your website show up in image searches and make it easier for people to use screen readers. Adding clear alt tags is a simple way to enhance the image SEO of the website.
Great Impressions helps businesses create a lasting online impact. An effective way to do this is by adding clear alt text to images. In this blog, we’ll explain what alt text is, why it’s essential in 2025, and how it enhances SEO and user experience.
What Are Image Alt Tags?
Alt tags, also known as alt text or alternative text, are brief descriptions added to an image’s HTML code to explain what the photo depicts. These descriptions help screen readers explain the image to visually impaired people.
Alt tags not only help people with visual impairments, but they also assist search engines like Google and Bing in understanding what an image represents.
Why Alt Tags Matter for SEO
Alt text supports both users and search engines. Here’s how it can directly improve your SEO:
1. Improved Indexing and Ranking
Google uses alt tags to understand what an image represents. This helps the search engine index your images correctly and match them to relevant search queries. According to a 2024 Moz report, image searches account for more than 20% of all web searches in the U.S. If your images don’t have alt tags, they are likely to be skipped by search engines, meaning your content could rank lower than it should.
2. Better Image Search Visibility
As visual search tools like Google Lens and Pinterest Lens gain popularity, image SEO is more crucial than ever. Alt text helps your images show up in search results, making it easier for people to find your site. If your business uses images to showcase products or services, appearing in Google Image Search can bring more visitors to your website.
3. Accessibility and Legal Compliance
In the U.S., the law requires websites to be accessible to people with disabilities. This is part of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Adding alt text to images helps people with vision problems use your site by letting screen readers describe the pictures.
In 2023, over 3,200 lawsuits were filed because websites were not accessible. Many of these were about missing or unclear image alt text. Adding good alt text not only helps users but also protects your business from legal trouble.
4. Improved User Experience
If an image fails to load due to poor internet or browser issues, the alt text appears in its place. This keeps your content readable and your visitors informed, even when visuals aren’t working correctly.
What Happens If You Skip Alt Tags?
Here’s what you miss out on if you don’t use alt tags:
- You lose valuable traffic from image searches
- Your website becomes less accessible
- Your pages might rank lower in search results
- Your site may fall short of compliance requirements
Not using alt text can harm your SEO and make it more difficult for people with disabilities to use your website.
How to Write Effective Alt Text
Writing alt text is important; it must be clear and concise. It should accurately describe the image so that screen readers and search engines can understand it.
Best Practices:
- Keep it short and specific (around 125 characters or less)
- Please describe the image accurately, what’s in it, and what isn’t happening
- Use keywords naturally, but avoid stuffing them
- Avoid using generic words like “don’t” or “picture of.”
Here are a few simplified examples:
- Instead of “Skiing,” write “Man skiing down a snow-covered mountain.”
- Instead of “Builder,” write “Construction worker cutting wood with a power tool.”
- Instead of “Stadium,” write “Crowded football stadium during a night game.”
The key is to write for humans first; SEO benefits will follow naturally.
Why Alt Tags Matter More in 2025
Search engines now focus on user experience, clear content, and accessibility. That’s why adding alt text to images is more important than before. Good alt text can also help your content appear on Google Discover.
Great Impressions helps businesses improve their SEO by ensuring their image alt text is clear, helpful, and accurate. Whether you need help writing alt tags, improving site accessibility, or boosting your visibility in search results, our team is ready to support you.
