{"id":486914,"date":"2022-08-22T22:00:54","date_gmt":"2022-08-22T19:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/what-is-alt-text-why-you-should-use-it-and-how-to-write-it\/"},"modified":"2022-08-22T22:00:54","modified_gmt":"2022-08-22T19:00:54","slug":"what-is-alt-text-why-you-should-use-it-and-how-to-write-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-alt-text-why-you-should-use-it-and-how-to-write-it\/","title":{"rendered":"#What Is Alt Text? Why You Should Use It, and How to Write It"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a26bbd51ecfe\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a26bbd51ecfe\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-alt-text-why-you-should-use-it-and-how-to-write-it\/#%E2%80%9CWhat_Is_Alt_Text_Why_You_Should_Use_It_and_How_to_Write_It%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;What Is Alt Text? Why You Should Use It, and How to Write It&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-alt-text-why-you-should-use-it-and-how-to-write-it\/#Why_Is_ALT_Text_Important\" >Why Is ALT Text Important?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-alt-text-why-you-should-use-it-and-how-to-write-it\/#How_to_Write_Good_ALT_Text\" >How to Write Good ALT Text<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-alt-text-why-you-should-use-it-and-how-to-write-it\/#When_Not_to_Use_ALT_Text\" >When Not to Use ALT Text<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-is-alt-text-why-you-should-use-it-and-how-to-write-it\/#Adding_ALT_Text_on_Social_Media\" >Adding ALT Text on Social Media<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhat_Is_Alt_Text_Why_You_Should_Use_It_and_How_to_Write_It%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;What Is Alt Text? Why You Should Use It, and How to Write It&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<!-- UNCACHED CONTENT --><\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"type:primaryImage size-full wp-image-823132\" data-pagespeed-no-defer=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/glasses-on-keyboard.jpg?width=1198&amp;trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"A pair of glasses set on top of a laptop keyboard.\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"type:primaryImage imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/glasses-on-computer-keyboard-during-break-730852939\">Heiko Kueverling\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Have you noticed prompts to write image \u201calt\u201d text (sometimes stylized as ALT text) when creating blog posts or sharing photos on <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social media<\/a>? Here\u2019s why this part of the\u00a0HTML standard is important and how you can write it well.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Is_ALT_Text_Important\"><\/span>Why Is ALT Text Important?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Alt attributes exist as a backup form of content; when the main type of content cannot be rendered, its alternate or \u201calt\u201d attribute is rendered instead. In the case of alt text, if the image cannot be rendered for some reason, you\u2019ll get the alt text de<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">script<\/a>ion instead.<\/p>\n<p>This allows someone, for example, to copy an image \u201cas text.\u201d Or if you save a website without any images, the alt text remains, telling you what the images were meant to show.<\/p>\n<p>Alt text is also a crucial component of web accessibility. Visitors have low vision and rely on screen reading software to hear an image\u2019s alt text description. If there is no alt text, or if the alt text is poor, that negatively affects the experience of users with visual problems. It can also make navigation difficult for those with limited internet connections relying on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Text-based_web_browser\">text-based browsers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Alt text is also important in SEO (Search Engine Optimization) since it helps search engines like Google or Bing better index your content. Indexing is what makes content findable with those search engines.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Write_Good_ALT_Text\"><\/span>How to Write Good ALT Text<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Alt text shouldn\u2019t simply be a literal description of what\u2019s in your image. You need to consider the context of the image and why it\u2019s there in the first place. Consider this image:<\/p>\n<figure style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-823219 size-full\" data-pagespeed-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/statue-of-liberty.jpg?trim=1,1&amp;bg-color=000&amp;pad=1,1\" alt=\"The Statue of Liberty in New York against a cloudy blue sky.\" width=\"650\" height=\"433\" data-crediturl=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/statue-liberty-manhattan-new-york-city-1922578664\" data-credittext=\"f11photo\/Shutterstock.com\" src=\"\/pagespeed_static\/1.JiBnMqyl6S.gif\" onload=\"pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\" onerror=\"this.onerror=null;pagespeed.lazyLoadImages.loadIfVisibleAndMaybeBeacon(this);\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span class=\"imagecredit\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shutterstock.com\/image-photo\/statue-liberty-manhattan-new-york-city-1922578664\">f11photo\/Shutterstock.com<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>If your alt text for this image was, \u201cA large statue of a woman holding up a torch and cradling a book,\u201d it would be an accurate description of what\u2019s in the image, but it wouldn\u2019t be good alt text.<\/p>\n<p>A better description might be, \u201cThe Statue of Liberty in New York against a cloudy blue sky.\u201d The context of the page matters as well. If the image was part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> story about immigration, the alt text might be, \u201cThe Statue of Liberty in New York, a powerful symbol for prospective immigrants.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Think about the image\u2019s purpose, and write your alt text accordingly!<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s important that your primary keyword appears in some of your alt text, but don\u2019t put it into every image, especially if the keyword isn\u2019t part of a good alt text description<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_Not_to_Use_ALT_Text\"><\/span>When Not to Use ALT Text<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are two situations where using alt text is something to avoid. The first is for images that are purely decorative. These images aren\u2019t interesting to anyone using a screen reader and are irrelevant to your SEO efforts. In fact, describing purely decorative images can muddle search engine indexing and make your article harder to understand for anyone using a screen reader.<\/p>\n<p>As with the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> principles of writing good alt text, the decision on whether to write alt text at all rests on what benefits the reader the most. If alt text adds to their understanding and helps retain the value of the original images, you should make an effort to include it.<\/p>\n<h2 role=\"heading\" aria-level=\"2\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Adding_ALT_Text_on_Social_Media\"><\/span>Adding ALT Text on Social Media<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Alt text isn\u2019t just something website designers and bloggers must consider. Most of us post images to social media, and most social media platforms offer a way to add alt text to those photos. You may not even be aware of it, but in some cases, alt text is automatically generated using machine vision <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The steps for adding or editing alt text on social media change over time as these platforms undergo changes. We\u2019ve seen many out-of-date instructions for the various social media platforms, so you\u2019re the best choice is to check the official documentation for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/help\/android-app\/214124458607871\">Facebook<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/help.twitter.com\/en\/using-twitter\/add-image-descriptions\">Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Adding alt text only takes a few seconds per image, but it can make all the difference to your content\u2019s performance and how accessible the web is to those with visual impairments.<\/p>\n<p><strong>RELATED:<\/strong> <strong><em>How to Add Alternative Text to an Object in Microsoft Word<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><script>\n setTimeout(function(){\n  !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s)\n  {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\n  n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};\n  if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';\n  n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\n  t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];\n  s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s) } (window, document,'script',\n  'https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js');\n   fbq('init', '335401813750447');\n   fbq('track', 'PageView');\n  },3000);\n<\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/821673\/what-is-alt-text-why-you-should-use-it-and-how-to-write-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;What Is Alt Text? Why You Should Use It, and How to Write It&#8221; Heiko Kueverling\/Shutterstock.com Have you noticed prompts to write image \u201calt\u201d text (sometimes stylized as ALT text) when creating blog posts or sharing photos on social media? Here\u2019s why this part of the\u00a0HTML standard is important and how you can write it&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":486915,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.howtogeek.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/glasses-on-keyboard.jpg?height=200p&trim=2,2,2,2","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-486914","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486914","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=486914"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486914\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/486915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=486914"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=486914"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=486914"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}