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alt text glossary definition

Alt text (alternative text) is a short textual description associated with an image in the HTML code of a Web page. Its primary purpose is to describe the content or function of an image when it cannot be perceived visually, particularly for people using screen readers.

What is alt text used for?

Alt text plays an important role in Web accessibility. It allows assistive technologies to communicate the information conveyed by an image. It can also be displayed or used when an image cannot be loaded properly.

Purely decorative images generally do not require a description and can use an empty alt attribute (alt="") to indicate that assistive technologies can ignore them.

What is the role of alt text in SEO?

Alt text also helps search engines understand the content and context of an image. An accurate and natural description can contribute to image optimization and visibility in search results without artificially stuffing the text with keywords.

In summary, alt text describes the content or function of an image to improve Web accessibility and help search engines better understand the images on a page.