/ Articles -
Best Practises
What are alt tags and how to optimize them for SEO
December 13, 2024
Alt tags are important for both web accessibility and SEO. They provide descriptive text for images, aiding visually impaired users and ensuring compliance with standards like WCAG. Alt tags also help search engines interpret your content, boosting rankings and driving more traffic.
How alt tag works
Alt tags, or alternative tags, are descriptive text added to the HTML code of an image. If you've ever seen text appear when an image fails to load on a website, that’s the alt tag at work.
Why alt tags matter for SEO
Boost search engine rankings
Search engines can’t visually analyze images, but they can interpret context through alt text. Including descriptive and relevant alt text helps search engines understand your content, improving your rankings.
Google even uses alt text to decide if an image is relevant enough to show in search results, driving more traffic to your site.
Optimizing for visual search
As Google’s visual search capabilities evolve, more users are relying on images to find information. Alt text gives you an edge in appearing in these image-focused results, ensuring you stay competitive in the search landscape.
Improving On-Page SEO
Alt text contributes to your page's overall relevance. When used correctly, it supports your keywords without overloading your text, helping you rank higher for your target words.
How to write alt text that works
Crafting alt text might sound straightforward, but it takes some finesse to do it well. Here are the best practices:
Use keywords wisely
Incorporate keywords naturally into your alt text, but avoid overloading it with unnecessary repetition and keyword spam since that might hurt your ranking.
Bad example: “Restaurant food menu restaurant food delicious food”
Good example: “Close-up of a gourmet pizza with fresh basil and mozzarella at an Italian restaurant”
Be consise
Screen readers and search engines usually stop reading alt text after 125 characters per image, so keep it concise and descriptive.
Skip the obvious
There’s no need to state that your image is an image, it’s implied. Instead, focus on describing the image and, if possible, include relevant keywords.
Bad | This is an image of a dog |
Better | Dog playing outside |
Best | Poodle puppy playing with a toy on a sunny day |
If you think it's still unclear, imagine how you would describe what you're seeing over the phone to a friend.
Advanced tips for image optimization
To get the most out of your images, pair great alt text with these additional SEO strategies:
Optimize file names
Rename your image files with descriptive, keyword-rich names. For example:
Bad: IMG12345.jpg
Good: modern-office-brainstorming.jpg
Compress images without losing quality
Smaller file sizes mean faster website load times, which is another ranking factor for SEO. There are great online tools to help you out with this. Tools I regularly use.
Think mobile-first
On phones, alt text becomes even more critical. This since an image failing to load is more likely to happen on a phone.
Final thoughts
Alt tags aren’t just an accessibility tool, they’re essential for improving your SEO. By crafting short, descriptive alt text to your images and strategically adding relevant keywords, you’re already setting your website up for success.
To maximize the impact, combine optimized alt tags with other image strategies, like compressing your images. Each small effort adds up, helping your site rank higher and deliver a better experience for all users.
Remember, in the world of SEO, every little detail counts. Alt tags might be small but their impact is huge.
What people are saying
Why your website feels cheap (even if it wasn’t)
Ever visited a website that should feel premium, but somehow doesn’t? The branding looks fine. The photos are professional. Someone has likely been paid a decent amount to create it.
And yet… it feels cheap.
This happens more often than you think. And no, it’s not about taste. It’s about execution. Here’s why your website might feel low-quality, even if a lot of money went into it.
Adobe buying Semrush: SEO future
When Adobe announced they're buying Semrush the entire marketing world raised an eyebrow. Adobe isn’t exactly known for SEO tools, so why spend almost two billion dollars on one?
The short answer to why Adobe is buying Semrush:
Search is changing faster than ever and Adobe doesn’t want to fall behind.
In this article, I’ll break down what this deal actually means, why it matters, and how it’s connected to the rise of AI-driven search.
Why most small businesses fail at marketing
Most small businesses don’t fail because their product is bad. They fail because their marketing is confusing, inconsistent, or honestly almost non-existent. And the worst part? It’s usually not their fault. Nobody teaches you how to do marketing when you start a company. You’re expected to magically “know” how to grow.
But marketing doesn’t need to be complicated. It just needs to be clear.
Below are the most common mistakes I see small businesses make, and what you should do instead. If you want your business to grow, start here.
Atlassian buying The browser company: Arc sold
When Atlassian in September 2025 announced they're buying The Browser Company, the team behind Arc, the internet reacted with a mix of surprise and fear. Arc was never a typical browser. It was loved for its clean design, creative energy, and small-team charm. Atlassian, on the other hand, is best known for tools like Jira, Trello, and Confluence, words that don’t exactly scream “fun.”
But this might be one of those rare acquisitions that actually makes sense. If Atlassian plays it right, Arc’s design vision and Atlassian’s AI and productivity focus could hopefully turn into something much bigger.
Why generative AI isn’t really intelligent
People often think of generative AI tools like ChatGPT as “intelligent.” At first glance, it feels true. The answers are fast, convincing, and often sound smart. But here’s the reality: these systems don’t actually understand anything. They don’t make choices, form opinions, or check facts. Instead, they predict the next word based on patterns in huge amounts of data.
Why building a website is harder than you think
Building a website sounds simple. In theory it's drag, drop & publish. But in reality, it’s a mix of design, SEO, accessibility, and technical details that take years to master. Here’s why doing it yourself often costs more time than hiring a pro.
Keep scrolling down
You might also like
Why your website feels cheap (even if it wasn’t)
Ever visited a website that should feel premium, but somehow doesn’t? The branding looks fine. The photos are professional. Someone has likely been paid a decent amount to create it.
And yet… it feels cheap.
This happens more often than you think. And no, it’s not about taste. It’s about execution. Here’s why your website might feel low-quality, even if a lot of money went into it.
Adobe buying Semrush: SEO future
When Adobe announced they're buying Semrush the entire marketing world raised an eyebrow. Adobe isn’t exactly known for SEO tools, so why spend almost two billion dollars on one?
The short answer to why Adobe is buying Semrush:
Search is changing faster than ever and Adobe doesn’t want to fall behind.
In this article, I’ll break down what this deal actually means, why it matters, and how it’s connected to the rise of AI-driven search.
Why most small businesses fail at marketing
Most small businesses don’t fail because their product is bad. They fail because their marketing is confusing, inconsistent, or honestly almost non-existent. And the worst part? It’s usually not their fault. Nobody teaches you how to do marketing when you start a company. You’re expected to magically “know” how to grow.
But marketing doesn’t need to be complicated. It just needs to be clear.
Below are the most common mistakes I see small businesses make, and what you should do instead. If you want your business to grow, start here.
Atlassian buying The browser company: Arc sold
When Atlassian in September 2025 announced they're buying The Browser Company, the team behind Arc, the internet reacted with a mix of surprise and fear. Arc was never a typical browser. It was loved for its clean design, creative energy, and small-team charm. Atlassian, on the other hand, is best known for tools like Jira, Trello, and Confluence, words that don’t exactly scream “fun.”
But this might be one of those rare acquisitions that actually makes sense. If Atlassian plays it right, Arc’s design vision and Atlassian’s AI and productivity focus could hopefully turn into something much bigger.
Why generative AI isn’t really intelligent
People often think of generative AI tools like ChatGPT as “intelligent.” At first glance, it feels true. The answers are fast, convincing, and often sound smart. But here’s the reality: these systems don’t actually understand anything. They don’t make choices, form opinions, or check facts. Instead, they predict the next word based on patterns in huge amounts of data.
Explore my work
Web Design
Karlsson bil
Karlsson Bil is a car dealership based in Varberg, specializing in buying, selling, and restoring vehicles, including the exclusive Lignon Scandinavia line of handcrafted Land Rover Defenders. I worked on designing a website that blends the heritage of the classic Defender with a modern, sleek aesthetic. The focus was on creating a smooth, intuitive browsing experience, making it easy for users to explore the inventory, learn about bespoke restorations, and navigate the buying and selling process with confidence.
Tools used
Wix Studio & Custom code
Web Design & Branding
Carin Fredén
Carin Fredén is a Malmö-based photographer and photo editor specializing in high-quality business photography and visual branding. Her website showcases her work and services, helping businesses enhance their visual identity through images.
Tools used
Wix Studio, Figma & code
.png)
