10-Step Image Alt Text Checklist for SEO and Accessibility [Free Guide]

Alt text matters. It boosts accessibility. It improves SEO. It’s a small detail with a big impact.

If you’re not using alt text effectively, you’re missing out. Search engines rely on it to understand your images. Users with visual impairments depend on it for context. Done right, it enhances your content’s reach and usability.

This checklist will help you nail your alt text every time. Whether you’re new to it or looking to refine your skills, these tips ensure your images work harder for you. Let’s dive in.

What Is An Image Alt Text Checklist?

An image alt text checklist helps you ensure your alt text aligns with accessibility standards and SEO best practices. It’s a structured guide to crafting meaningful, concise descriptions for images that both users and search engines understand.

Over 2 billion websites rely on SEO for visibility (Statista, 2023). Accessible content, such as effective alt text, increases inclusion for the 2.2 billion people globally with visual impairments (WHO, 2021). A checklist ensures consistent application of these principles.

Key Features Of An Alt Text Checklist

• Clarity: Write clear, relevant descriptions like “blue hiking backpack beside a mountain trail.”
• Conciseness: Keep it under 125 characters to optimize user experience and search engine processing.
• Keyword Inclusion: Incorporate relevant keywords naturally, such as product names or features.
• Context: Add context for non-decorative images, explaining their purpose in the content.
• Avoid Keyword Stuffing: Use keywords sparingly to prevent spam-like behavior.

• Boost SEO: Web pages with optimized alt text rank higher in image search.
• Enhance Accessibility: Screen readers rely on alt text to describe images to visually impaired users.
• Drive Engagement: Contextual images with relevant information improve click-through rates.

Download or create your own checklist today to simplify alt text optimization and make your content accessible to all users.

Importance Of Image Alt Text

Image alt text supports accessibility and enhances SEO. Using alt text effectively ensures your content reaches broader audiences and performs better online.

Enhancing Accessibility

• Over 2.2 billion people worldwide live with visual impairments. Alt text ensures inclusivity by describing images for screen reader users.
• Without alt text, blind users or those with low vision cannot grasp the purpose of your images, harming their experience.
• Alt text acts as a backup if browsers fail to load images, offering text-based context instead.

Adding accurate alt text is essential for improving user experiences and meeting web accessibility standards, such as WCAG compliance.

• Alt text contributes to image indexing as search engines can’t interpret visual content. Proper descriptions improve rankings for both images and web pages.
• Google favors optimized alt text in its algorithms, which helps drive organic traffic to your image and regular search results.

Avoid keyword stuffing while including primary keywords naturally in your alt text to boost visibility and search ranking performance.

Key Components Of An Effective Image Alt Text Checklist

Crafting alt text impacts accessibility and SEO. Use this checklist to create precise and engaging descriptions for images.

Be Descriptive Yet Concise

Describe the image succinctly, focusing on its most critical details. Limit your text to 125 characters or less to align with accessibility standards.

If an image requires in-depth context, incorporate the longdesc attribute or surround the image with descriptive text. Avoid overloading users with unnecessary information.

Use Relevant Keywords Naturally

Include keywords that represent the image’s content or purpose while preserving clarity. For example, use “golden retriever playing fetch” instead of “dog, gold dog, golden retriever toy.”

Google prioritizes natural wording for ranking, so ensure keywords fit seamlessly into the description without disrupting readability.

Avoid Keyword Stuffing

Maintain user experience by eliminating irrelevant or excessive keywords. Overloading alt text with terms like “buy cheap shoes online sneakers store” devalues your SEO efforts.

Search engines penalize this practice, reducing your rank. Instead, focus on meaningful, user-friendly descriptions.

Describe Functionality For Functional Images

For images with a purpose, describe their function clearly. For example, “Search button magnifying glass icon” communicates the image’s role better than “button.”

Functional alt text supports navigation for visually impaired users by clarifying interactive elements. This ensures inclusivity and strengthens usability.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

Understanding common errors in alt text creation ensures your content is both accessible and efficient. Avoid these pitfalls to enhance user experience and SEO performance.

Ignoring Decorative Images

Assign an empty alt attribute (alt="") to purely decorative images that don’t add informational value. This prevents screen readers from distracting users with unnecessary description. W3C guidelines confirm that irrelevant alt text creates accessibility barriers for visually impaired users.

For example, decorative elements like borders or separators should include empty alt tags. By ignoring this, you risk overwhelming assistive tools with irrelevant data, reducing usability.

Using Generic Phrases Like “Image” Or “Picture”

Avoid redundant phrases such as “image of” or “photo of” in alt text. Screen readers already announce these, so adding them wastes character space and delays the delivery of meaningful context.

For instance, instead of writing “Image of a blue car,” simply write “blue car.” According to WebAIM, clarity in alt text improves navigation for users relying on assistive technology.

Overloading Alt Text With Irrelevant Details

Focus on brevity to keep alt text under 125 characters, ensuring screen readers deliver concise, actionable insights. Detailed descriptions can overwhelm users and diminish comprehension.

For example, “A golden retriever playing fetch on a sunny day in Central Park, surrounded by trees and smiling people” can be shortened to “Golden retriever playing fetch in a park.” Studies from NNGroup highlight that concise content enhances user experience in accessibility layers.

Tools To Help Follow The Image Alt Text Checklist

1. WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool)

WAVE analyzes web content for accessibility issues, including alt text. It flags missing or invalid alt text and provides contextual feedback. Use it to ensure compliance with accessibility guidelines.

2. AXE Accessibility Checker

AXE offers browser-based accessibility insights. It highlights alt text errors and evaluates your content for ADA and WCAG conformity. Perfect for testing SEO-friendly image descriptions.

3. Alt Text Writer by Microsoft

Microsoft’s AI-driven tool generates suggested alt text for images. While it saves time, verify its suggestions to maintain relevance and tone.

4. Yoast SEO Plugin

Yoast integrates seamlessly with WordPress to optimize alt text for SEO. It assesses keyword inclusion and alerts you to omissions or overuse. Ideal for maintaining SEO balance.

5. Google Lighthouse

Google Lighthouse audits web accessibility. It identifies images lacking alt text, promoting SEO and user inclusivity improvements.

6. Siteimprove Accessibility Checker

This tool provides comprehensive accessibility reports, prioritizing alt text checks. Use its insights to adjust descriptions and boost content usability.

Leverage these tools to streamline your workflow and align with the alt text checklist. Ensure your web content is accessible, optimized, and inclusive.

Conclusion

Mastering image alt text is a simple yet powerful way to improve both accessibility and SEO. By following a structured checklist and avoiding common pitfalls, you ensure your content is inclusive and optimized for search engines.

Incorporating the right tools into your workflow can save time and enhance the quality of your alt text. With consistent effort, you’ll create a better experience for all users while boosting your site’s visibility and performance.