Google’s algorithms are a closely guarded secret. The company is notoriously tight-lipped about how its search engine works, which factors influence rankings, and what changes they’re making to the algorithms. 

This lack of transparency can be frustrating for SEOs and webmasters who are trying to optimize their sites for Google. However, over the years, the company has been gradually revealing more information about how its algorithms work. One such revelation came in 2018 when Google’s John Mueller said that alt text is a ranking factor. 

This was big news because it meant that Google was finally giving us some insight into how it evaluates images. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at what alt text is and how it can impact your site’s ranking in Google.

What is Alt Text

• Alt text is short for “alternative text”, and it refers to the text that is used to describe an image on a web page. The alt text is displayed in place of the image if the image can’t be displayed for some reason.
• Most importantly, alt text is used by search engines to understand what an image is about. This is especially important for Google Images, which is a major source of traffic for many websites.
• While there is no direct evidence that Google uses alt text as a ranking factor, it’s clear that it’s important for SEO. If you want your images to rank well in Google Images, you need to use relevant and keyword-rich alt text.

How to Use Alt Text

• When it comes to images, the search engine looks for what’s called “alt text.” Alt text is short for “alternative text,” and it’s used to describe an image on a web page. The purpose of alt text is to provide Google (and other search engines) with additional information about an image. This helps Google understand what an image is about so that it can be properly indexed and ranked.
• To ensure that your images are properly indexed and ranked, you need to make sure that you have alt text associated with each image on your site. When adding alt text, be sure to keep it short and descriptive. Try to use keywords that accurately describe the image, but don’t stuff too many keywords in there. A good rule of thumb is to keep your alt text under 125 characters.
• If you’re using WordPress, then there’s an easy way to add alt text to your images. When you upload an image, you’ll see a field where you can enter alternative text. If you’re using another CMS or HTML, then you can add the alt attribute to your image tags like this:
• Remember, the goal is to help Google understand what the image is about so that it can be properly indexed and ranked. So take some time to carefully fill out

Google's stance on Alt Text

• Google has never explicitly stated whether or not alt text is a ranking factor. However, they have said that content is a key ranking factor. This would suggest that alt text, as part of the content on a page, could be a ranking factor.
• Some SEOs believe that Google uses alt text to understand the content of an image. This is because Google can’t see images like humans can. They can only read the text associated with an image.
• If Google does use alt text to understand images, it stands to reason that it would use it as a ranking factor. After all, if Google can’t understand an image, it can’t rank it properly.
• However, there is no conclusive evidence that Google uses alt text as a ranking factor. So while it’s possible that it does play a role in how your pages are ranked, we can’t say for sure.

What the experts say

• Google has not explicitly said that alt text is a ranking factor, but there is evidence to suggest that it may be. Google's Matt Cutts has said that Google looks at a variety of factors when determining whether or not to rank an image, including the image's file name, title, and alt text.
• In addition, a study by Moz found that images with relevant alt text are more likely to rank higher in Google Image Search. This suggests that Google does place some importance on alt text when indexing images.
• So while we can't say for sure whether or not alt text is a direct ranking factor, it seems likely that it plays at least some role in how Google determines which images to rank and where to place them in search results.

How to optimize your Alt Text

• When it comes to optimizing your alt text, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First, make sure that your alt text is descriptive and accurately reflects the content of your image. Not only will this help Google understand what your image is about, but it will also help users with visual impairments who are relying on screen readers to understand your content.
• Another important thing to keep in mind is the file size of your image. Google recommends keeping your image file size under 100kb to ensure that it loads quickly for users. This is especially important if you have an ecommerce site where users may be trying to load product images.
• Finally, remember to use keyword-rich alt text when possible. By including keywords that are relevant to your image, you can help improve your search engine ranking for those terms. Just be sure not to stuff your alt text with keywords just for the sake of it - focus on making it natural and readable first and foremost.

Conclusion

It is still unclear whether or not alt text is a Google ranking factor, but it is definitely something that should be taken into consideration when optimizing your website. Alt text can help improve the accessibility of your website and make it easier for people with visual impairments to access your content. In addition, using keywords in your alt text can help improve your SEO, which may ultimately lead to higher search engine rankings. Whether or not alt text is a direct ranking factor, it's definitely something worth paying attention to if you want to optimize your website for both users and search engines.