Use ALT Attributes (sometimes called Alt Tags) for ALL images!
But please note that an ALT attribute should be relevant to the image it is about!
And the fact that ALT attributes are NOT as important for SEO as the use of keywords in image file names.
Images and SEO
Title attribute probably adds no value to SEO.
ALT attribute may add some value to SEO.
Image File Name apparently adds more value to SEO than either of the above.
Image Captions are reputed to help reduce bounce rates.
Read more: How to reduce Bounce Rates.
Contents include:
How to add an Image ALT attribute
The image below shows the Image Manager pop up window when you select the Image Editor button in the JCE Content Editor.
Enter a short unique description, using key words if possible.
Example: a picture of a big red London bus would have the ALT attribute: "big red London bus".
For SEO, ALT tags are second order (not very important) but you may wish to include one or two keywords.
Avoid stuffing long ALT tags with keywords; instead keep them short.
This will be of benefit to visually impaired site visitors and (less so) to search engine meta crawlers.
Read more: Working with Images.
Image File Names vs ALT Attributes
Image file names are reported to be much more important than ALT attributes for SEO.
So if you run a large eCommerce website, avoid reliance on product code alone for naming images.
Add two or three keywords as well.
Repeat these in the ALT Attribute.
Dealing with images used as Design Elements
For example: an image used as a screen background or bullet point.
We recommend that you leave the ALT attribute empty for such images.
Useful Tips for when working with Images
Image file names should also communicate what the image contains.
Example: big-red-london-bus.jpg is better for SEO than say, image3.jpg.
Still second order for SEO but good practice as it also helps you manage your content.
In their Starter Guide, Google recommend that:
- images should be stored in one easy to find directory e.g. images;
- you should use only standard image types, for example, JPEG or GIF or PNG.
By default,, your website's images are stored in a directory on the web server called images.
We do however recommend sub-directories to help organise image files.
Avoid using sub-sub-directories!
Important
We offer advice for how to improve your search engine ranking. We do not offer any guarantees that your rankings will improve as a result of this advice.