For greater detailed show notes, visit https://www.skyrocketradio.com/podcast/why-image-alt-tags-are-essential-to-success.

A lot of us in radio view the process of adding images to a website as a step that needs no additional work.  Find a legal image and upload it to the website - done.  However, it’s very important that the images are edited to sizes that match the rest of the site and are optimized to load fast on mobile devices.  That’s before you upload the image to the website. There are small additional steps involved once you upload the image and those are applying the proper caption (image copyright), the image title, and the alt tag.

If you aren’t using alt text in website images, then you are hurting your website and alienating a portion of your visitors.  Here are reasons why you should be using alt tags on every image to create more impact and a better user experience.

1. Alt Text Helps Accessibility

For users that can’t see images on a website and use special screen reading software to navigate online, alt tags provide a way for the visitor to understand the context of that information.

2. Alt Tags Help Your Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

You want your station website to be easy to find online and show up when people are searching for the content you have created.  Search engines specifically look for image alt tags and index them when they are found.  This alone should convince you to use alt tags in every image on your website.

3. Alt Tags Are Readable by Humans and Computers

Alt tags aren’t just something that screen readers and search engine robots understand.  Your website visitors can see and read it when they hover over an image or inspect the page code.

4. Alt Tags Help People Find Content More Quickly

Because of its impact on search engines, alt tags can help you find what you are looking for on the internet more quickly. As I mentioned earlier, every image alt text is indexable and this additional information is valuable in searches.

5. Alt Tags Give Context for Missing Images

Everyone has encountered a website where the images did not display. It might have been because of a slow internet connection or a technical error.  Alt tags on missing images can ensure that visitors know what is missing.  Think of alt tags or description tags as a type of Plan B for when things don’t go as intended.

Conclusion

As you can see, the image alt tag is quite possibly the more important attribute to add to your photos. Ensuring your images are sized correctly, optimized for speed, and including the proper tags are not extra steps.  They are the essential steps that should be taken every time.

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