Importance of an Alt Tag for Images

What is an Alt Tag?

An alt tag should be used for all of the images on your site. It essentially acts as the title for each of the images on your site. It is like a keyword rich caption for each image that the search
engines can crawl and index.
The alt tag is text that is added to the html portion of the site. Its main function is to be read by the search engines and not necessarily your customers.

Why is an Alt Tag Important?

Using an alt tag is very important to the way your site and the images on your site are ranked by the search engines. This will help increase traffic to your site and drive more qualified customers that are interested in your services or products.
Normally images on your site have a filename such as 10230001.jpeg. This file name means absolutely nothing to the search engines. It does not even describe what the picture is about.
Let’s say the picture on your site is of a man riding a mountain bike because you sell bicycles. The alt tag can then say “man riding a mountain bike.” This description now tells the search
engines what the picture is about and that it is relevant to your site. This helps to rank your images and your site better with the search engines.
Also there may be instances when your customers may not see the images on your site. Be it they have turned off that functionality on their side or a technical glitch on your site. The customer
will still be able to read the alt tag.