The Santa Barbara Web Design and Marketing Blog

When it comes to improving your website’s ranking and user experience, you’ve probably heard about the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and making your site accessible to everyone. One crucial, but often overlooked, area where these two concerns meet is the alt tag (also known as the “alt attribute” or “alternative text”) that you use for your website’s images. As someone with thirty years of experience assisting clients in Santa Barbara and beyond, I’ve seen countless websites suffer from poor visibility and accessibility simply because this small, yet mighty, detail wasn’t handled properly.

Today, I want to break down exactly what alt tags are, why they matter for SEO and accessibility (ADA compliance), and how you can harness them the right way to maximize your site’s impact – for both people and search engines.

What Are Alt Tags, and Why Were They Created?

Before diving into best practices or SEO strategies, it’s important to understand the core purpose of alt tags. The “alt” in alt tags stands for “alternative.” This attribute is added to image tags in website code (HTML) and serves a specific, vital purpose:

Alt tags were originally created for accessibility.

That means alt tags aren’t just an SEO hack. Their true intent is to assist users with visual impairments who rely on assistive technologies, such as screen readers, to access the web. A screen reader interprets the content of a website and reads it aloud or shows it on a Braille display. When it encounters an image, it relies on the alt tag to convey what’s in the image, since the user can’t see it.

Accessibility isn’t just a bonus or an afterthought – it’s a legal standard (per the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA) and a fundamental part of making the internet available to everyone.

The Mistake Most People Make: Alt Tags as an SEO Shortcut

Because alt tags are crawled by search engines, some folks realized early on that these snippets of text could be used to feed keywords to Google. Unfortunately, this has led to a widespread practice I see all too often: developers, business owners, or even hired SEO “specialists” filling every image’s alt tag with keywords, or even just repeating the business name or website URL endlessly.

Example of misuse:

Every image, regardless of what it is, having an alt tag that reads, “Santa Barbara Web Design Company – SB Web Guy.” Whether it’s a picture of a dining set, a landscape, or a dog—every image gets the same, generic, keyword-stuffed label.

This used to be (decades ago!) an effective way to boost your site rankings, but Google’s algorithms have grown much smarter. Today, not only will stuffing keywords into your alt tags fail to give you an advantage; it can actually hurt your site’s performance and trustworthiness.

More importantly, you’re ignoring the real audience for these tags: people with disabilities. If an alt tag doesn’t describe what’s actually in the image, you’re not making your site accessible. You’re not ADA compliant. And worst of all, you’re not helping the people that these standards were designed to support.

How Screen Readers Use Alt Tags

Let’s take a moment to understand the user experience for someone who can’t see your images. Imagine you’re visually impaired, using a screen reader that reads out loud all the content of a page. You encounter an image. If the alt tag is empty or just says “Santa Barbara Web Guy” regardless of the context, that doesn’t help at all. You have no idea what the image depicts, and the context of the page makes little sense.

But if, for example, the alt tag describes the actual content: “Boy sitting at a custom handmade Amish dining room table” – now, you have a clear, mental picture of what’s intended. The image is “translated” into words you can comprehend, seamlessly integrating with the rest of the site’s content.

How Google Uses Alt Tags

Google and other search engines want to understand your website as clearly as possible. Their robots can’t “see” images in the way humans can. Instead, they read the text associated with the image – namely the accompanying captions, filenames, and most importantly, the alt tag.

The more descriptive and relevant your alt tags, the better Google can tell:

- The subject matter of your images.

- The context of your pages.

- How your website might be relevant to user searches.

Google’s algorithms use advanced natural language processing. They can spot when you’re writing for humans (clear descriptions), or when you’re trying to manipulate rankings (awkward, generic, or stuffed keywords).

Alt Tags: The Sweet Spot Between ADA Compliance and SEO

So, how do you create alt tags that satisfy both accessibility requirements and SEO best practices?

1. Be Descriptive First

Always write for humans first, and machines second. Your alt tag should CLEARLY and ACCURATELY describe what’s in the image. Think of it as you would explaining the image to someone who can’t see it.

Example:

- Unhelpful: “SB Web Guy logo”

- Better: “Circular blue and green logo for SB Web Guy web design services”

2. Incorporate Keywords Naturally (When Appropriate)

If, and only if, a relevant keyword fits naturally into your descriptive phrase, include it. Never force keywords where they don’t belong.

Example (for an Amish furniture store):

- Image: A boy sitting at a handmade table.

- Good alt tag: “Boy sitting at a custom handmade Amish dining room table”

In this example, “Amish dining room table” is both descriptive and includes a useful keyword. But if the picture is simply a landscape, there is no need to shoehorn an irrelevant keyword.

3. Don’t Repeat or Stuff

Each alt tag should be unique and specific to the image. Avoid using the same phrase everywhere, especially something generic like your company name.

Incorrect:

- Image 1 alt tag: Santa Barbara web design company SB Web Guy

- Image 2 alt tag: Santa Barbara web design company SB Web Guy

- Image 3 alt tag: Santa Barbara web design company SB Web Guy

Search engines spot this instantly, and it’s not user-friendly.

4. Keep It Concise, But Complete

Aim for a length that gives enough detail, but isn’t overly wordy or complex. The general rule of thumb: Describe the image in a simple, direct sentence or phrase (about 125 characters or less).

5. When to Leave Alt Tags Empty

If an image is purely decorative and adds no informational value (for example, a background image, or a divider between sections), it’s okay to leave the alt tag empty (`alt=""`). This tells screen readers to skip the image so users aren’t distracted by irrelevant details.

Step-By-Step: Auditing and Optimizing Your Website’s Alt Tags

Now that you know what an effective alt tag looks like, let’s talk about how to implement this knowledge on your website today:

Step 1: Inventory Your Website Images

Use your website’s content management system (CMS) or look through your HTML code to list all images. Note which ones have alt tags, and what those tags currently say.

Step 2: Evaluate Your Current Alt Tags

Are they descriptive?

Are they stuffed with keywords?

Are they all the same or mostly generic?

Are there any missing alt tags?

Step 3: Rewrite or Add Meaningful Alt Tags

For each image, write a concise, clear description. If you’re in a competitive market and a relevant keyword fits naturally, include it.

Examples:

- Product Image: “Handcrafted Amish oak side table with single drawer”

- Team Photo: “The SB Web Guy team posing outside Santa Barbara office”

- Service in Action: “Web designer creating responsive layout on a Mac laptop”

Step 4: Test for Accessibility

Try using a screen reader or accessibility tools (like the Chrome extension “axe” or “WAVE”) to ensure your alt tags deliver the intended experience. If possible, get feedback from someone who relies on these technologies.

Step 5: Monitor Impact

Give it a few weeks and then check your site’s usability scores, ADA compliance checks, and search engine performance. Also, track user engagement, bounce rates, and time on site – improved accessibility can lead to better user retention!

Common Pitfalls to Avoid With Alt Tags

- Don’t treat alt tags as an afterthought.

They are part of your site’s core content and should be considered whenever you add or update an image.

- Don’t put keywords where they don’t belong.

Google’s natural language processing will notice, and your rankings could suffer – plus, it’s not helpful for users.

- Don’t skip the alt tag for important images.

Missing alt text means users and search engines miss out on understanding what’s there.

- Don’t be vague.

“Photo” or “image” doesn’t tell anyone what’s actually depicted.

- Don’t add “image of” or “photo of.”

Most screen readers already announce it’s an image.

The Legal and Ethical Side: ADA Compliance and Your Business

Accessibility is required by law for many businesses in the U.S. under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Lawsuits around web accessibility have sky-rocketed, with organizations big and small being taken to court for failing to accommodate visually impaired users. Alt tags are one of the simplest (and most frequently checked) aspects of accessibility.

By ensuring every image has a meaningful alt tag, you help protect your business from legal exposure and, more importantly, make your site inclusive for all.

SEO is Better With Accessibility

Search engines are aligning their algorithms to prioritize user-centric, accessible, and helpful websites. When you write your alt tags properly, you’re signaling to Google that you care about your users – ALL of your users. The result? Sites with meaningful, human-friendly alt tags tend to win out over those with spammy, repetitive tactics.

Bonus: Google’s own documentation recommends writing clear, descriptive alt text for the best results in image search and standard search rankings.

In Summary: Your Action Checklist

- Review every image on your website for the presence and quality of alt tags.

- Write unique, descriptive alt tags for every meaningful image.

- Naturally include keywords where appropriate, but never force them.

- Leave decorative images with empty alt tags to avoid cluttering screen reader output.

- Periodically test your site for accessibility with real tools and, if possible, real users.

- Stay up-to-date: As search engines and accessibility standards evolve, review and refresh your alt tags regularly.

Properly using alt tags is about more than SEO. It’s about creating an open, accessible, and ethical web where everyone – regardless of their abilities – can engage with your content. Plus, you get the added bonus of higher search rankings and more organic traffic.

So, if you haven’t paid attention to your website’s alt tags before, today is the day. Your users (and your Google rankings) will thank you.

Got questions or need help auditing your own site’s images and tags? As your Santa Barbara web guy, I’m here to help guide you toward a web presence that’s not only visually stunning, but inclusive, search-friendly, and future-proof. Reach out anytime – let’s make the internet better, one alt tag at a time!