Alt Text Optimization

Writing good alt text sounds simple until you actually try Every time I prepare an alternative text for my images, I hesitate at first and ask myself several questions: · How detailed should I be? · Do I describe colors, emotions, or just the main idea? · Is there a limit to how long it should be? Creating effective alternative text is definitely not easy. Because it’s not just about describing an image, it’s about communicating its purpose and meaning. Studies about importance of alt text: · “Why is alt text important?” by RNIB explains how alt text enables access to images for 2.2 billion people with sight loss and why it matters for accessibility and equality (the link: https://lnkd.in/er7brMUV) · “Communicating Visualizations without Visuals: Investigation of Visualization Alternative Text for People with Visual Impairments” is a user-study showing how alt text for complex visuals like charts must go beyond description and help users build mental models (the link: https://lnkd.in/eUDPHkug) According to WCAG 2.2 (Success Criterion 1.1.1 – Non-text Content, the link: https://lnkd.in/eZjVn7Bk), every meaningful image must have a text alternative that serves the same purpose. But WCAG doesn’t tell you exactly how to write that and that’s where many teams struggle. Rules that I use for writing accessible alt text: 1️⃣ Focus on purpose, not appearance. Ask yourself: why is this image here? What does it add? For example: instead of “woman smiling,” write “customer happy after receiving support.” 2️⃣ Be concise, but complete. Alt text should be short (under ~125 characters) unless detail adds value. Use extended text (a caption or description link) for complex visuals like charts. 3️⃣ Skip “image of” or “picture of.” Screen readers already announce the element as an image. Start with what matters. 4️⃣ Describe information, not decoration. If the image adds no essential meaning, use empty alt (alt="") so it’s ignored by assistive tech. 5️⃣ Include text that’s in the image. If the image shows visible text (e.g., a button labeled “Donate”), include it in your alt text or page content. 6️⃣ Mention color only when it’s meaningful. Say “red warning icon” if color conveys status — but not “blue background.” 7️⃣ Adapt to context. The same image can need different alt text in different contexts. Describe what’s relevant to that specific page, post or message. 8️⃣ Test with real users and assistive tech. Listen to your alt text with a screen reader (NVDA, VoiceOver, JAWS). Ask youself: does it make sense in context, without visuals? Good alt text is about describing the right things with empathy, clarity, and purpose, because accessibility is about communication. #WebAccessibility #AltText #InclusiveDesign #A11y #AccessibilityEducation #WCAG #DigitalInclusion

I never knew what to actually put in LinkedIn alt text, or if it even mattered beyond the platform. Turns out, it’s entity metadata that can help you rank on Google and Perplexity. If you're building a personal brand in 2026, your images need to work as hard as your words, especially for the AI crawlers that never actually "see" your graphic. 🍒 The Invisible Signature I'm using the image in this post as a working example. Here's the logic of provenance signaling I've started using: 1. The Front-Loaded Literal Search engines and screen readers both grab the first 125 characters and prioritize them. So lead with what the image shows. > The format: “Minimalist text-based graphic defining ‘The Invisible Signature’ as an equation: Literal Description + Provenance Signal = Entity Metadata…” 2. The Source Tag Google Images crawls LinkedIn alt-text. If you want your graphics to show up when someone searches your name, you need to tell the crawler it’s yours—in text form. > The strategy: End every description with your name and series. Mine looks like: “…Source: Glen Cadorette for the #Glengorithms series.” 3. The Match Test LinkedIn’s image reader scans the text on your graphic. If your alt-text says one thing and your image says another, the system flags a mismatch and trusts it less. Here’s the full alt text I used for this post graphic: “Minimalist text-based graphic defining "The Invisible Signature" as the equation: Literal Description + Provenance Signal = Entity Metadata. Tagline: The anatomy of LinkedIn image alt-text. Source: Glen Cadorette for the #Glengorithms series.” ∴ Image alt-text isn’t just a compliance chore. Think of it as an invisible signature that proves who owns the idea, on and off the platform. Curious: Are you treating alt-text as an accessibility requirement or a brand signal? And have you tried searching your own name in Google images lately? PS: Check out the FAQs in the comments. #Glengorithms #LinkedInStrategy

Alt text isn't optional - it's a requirement for accessible content! When we add text alternatives to images, audio, and video we're not just following WCAG 1.1.1. We're also building a web that includes everyone. In this carousel, I break down the essentials of WCAG 1.1.1 - what it covers, how to write better alt text, and when to skip it entirely. Swipe through 👉 #Accessibility #AltText #InclusiveDesign #WCAG #A11y If you prefer your content as text, read on: 1. Alt text isn't optional. Understanding WCAG 1.1.1. Slide includes an image of two people sitting at a table using laptops. One is using a refreshable braille display, the other is using a screen reader. 2. What is WCAG 1.1.1? Any content that isn't text needs a text alternative. That's what 1.1.1 is all about. 3. Why it matters. Text alternatives make digital content usable by screen reader users, people with slow internet, users with cognitive disabilities, and even search engines. 4. How to write better alt text. Be clear and accurate, but concise. Describe the meaning of the image, not just its appearance. Skip "Image of...". Use empty alt attributes for decorative images. 5. Alt text example. Slide includes an image of a line chart with a good and bad example of alt text. The bad example simply reads "graph". The good example reads "Line graph showing sales increasing from 19 in January to 38 in May" 6. Alt text example. Slide includes a photo of a dog with good and bad example alt text. The bad example is "dog". The good example is "Golden retriever puppy lying in the grass with a ball" 7. What about decorative images? Some images don't add meaning, they're just there for flair. In that case, use an empty alt attribute so screen readers skip them. Slide includes a decorative blue spiral image with empty alt text next to it indicating that's how it should appear in the HTML. 8. Don't forget audio and video! Audio? Provide a transcript. Video? Provide captions or a transcript. 9. Complex visuals need more than alt text. For infographics, diagrams, complex charts and other complex visuals, use brief alt text and a detailed description nearby. 10. An infographic showing the water cycle is shown with the alt text "Infographic describing the water cycle. Full description below". Below, that we can see a heading that reads "The water cycle" and a paragraph of text starts that reads "The water cycle describes how water moves through the environment. Water evaporates from oceans, lakes, and rivers..." 11. Make forms accessible too. Every input needs a label. Make sure it's programmatically connected. 12. Accessible email field. Shows a screenshot of a form field labeled "Email address" followed by the correct HTML for marking up the form field. 13. Alt text = inclusion. Alt text helps real people. Small effort, big impact. 14. Learn more. Want more clear and actionable WCAG breakdowns? WCAG in Plain English is coming soon! Follow me for news and updates.

Every image in your A+ content has 100 characters of alt text space for keyword indexing, and 90% of sellers leave it blank. Most sellers optimize their A+ content for customers and completely ignore the algorithm. That's backwards. Every image in your A+ content has 100 characters of hidden alt text space that Amazon's algorithm reads for keyword indexing. Customers never see it. The algorithm processes every character. Most sellers leave this field blank or throw in two generic keywords and wonder why their SEO velocity plateaus. You can add up to 100 characters per image. Nine images means 900 extra characters of indexable text. Use alt text for misspellings customers actually search: Caffinated instead of caffeinated. Expresso instead of espresso. Add foreign language terms if your market includes Spanish speakers or other language groups searching on the US marketplace. Stack long-tail keywords that didn't fit in your backend search terms or bullet points. Don't use commas. Just separate keywords with spaces so Amazon treats each term individually for indexing. Pull your top competitor's A+ content and check their alt text usage with browser inspect tools. Most of them are leaving this field empty, which means you can outrank them with zero additional creative work. Think of alt text like finding money in a coat pocket you forgot about: It was always there, you just weren't looking for it. Alt text works in your Brand Story images too, not just product-focused A+ modules. If you're relying heavily on PPC to drive traffic because your organic rankings are weak, you're probably missing foundational SEO opportunities like this. Adding optimized alt text takes 10 minutes per listing and can unlock dozens of additional indexed keywords within seven days. Winners dominating organic search results aren't just optimizing the visible parts of their listings. They're maximizing every indexable field Amazon provides, including the ones most sellers don't know exist.

🖼️ Alt Text Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All... Let’s break it down. Did you know that alt text written for SEO and alt text written for accessibility serve different goals? Here's a quick example using a graphic of social media icons: 🔍 SEO-Optimized Alt Text "Network of social media icons including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, WhatsApp, and share buttons interconnected by black lines on a white background, symbolizing digital connectivity." ♿ Accessibility-Focused Alt Text "Social media icons for Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, and WhatsApp connected by lines, representing sharing options." 👀 See the difference? The SEO version uses keywords and a detailed visual description for indexing. The accessible version is clear, concise, and focused on purpose and context for users of screen readers. Checklist for Writing Accessible Alt Text on Social Media ✅ Keep it under 125 characters ✅ Describe the essential content or purpose of the image ✅ Skip decorative details (colors, or meaningless shapes, etc) ✅ Avoid starting with “Image of…” or “Picture of…” ✅ Be accurate, concise, and context-aware Let’s make content more inclusive — one image at a time. #DigitalAccessibility #AltText #InclusiveDesign #SEO #SocialMediaTips #AccessibilityMatters #LinkedInTips

I’ll be honest: I knew it mattered, but I wasn’t doing it. I had many excuses—“I don’t have time,” “I’ll add it later,” or “It’s not that important right now.” But the truth? I just wasn’t paying enough attention. What am I talking about? Alt text. Alt text is a short description read by screen readers that translates images into words. It’s how people who are blind or have low vision can experience visuals, like your graphics and images here on LinkedIn. What finally made me more consistent? 🤖 ChatGPT Now I use a prompt: “Please generate alt text for this image” almost every day. In about 5 seconds, you get a clear description of any graphic you upload. It’s one of the simplest ways to increase inclusion instantly. Because inclusion is when we feel expected, respected and reflected*. Alt text does all three: 👉🏼It shows that you expect people of all abilities to engage with your content 👉🏼It respects everyone’s right to fully access what you share 👉🏼It reflects everyone’s place in the audience by ensuring no one is excluded I'm not perfect at it, but I make an effort to hold myself accountable. What about you? Did you know what alt text is? Do you use alt text in your posts? What’s been your experiences, challenges or good practices? And for those of you who haven't been using it yet, here is how to add alt text to your LinkedIn posts: 🖼️ JPG/Images: Upload the image. Click "Add alt text" below the image. Add a brief description of the image and click "Save" 📄 PDFs/Documents: LinkedIn doesn't support alt text for PDFs directly. Add a short descriptive text in your post explaining the document's content. Just like this one below 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼 ______ Alt text: Dora - a woman with glasses, wearing a striped shirt and a scarf, sits at a desk working on a rose-gold laptop. Behind her, shelves with books and decor show a modern office setting. A search bar overlay at the top reads, "Can I become more inclusive in just 5 seconds?" Below, a text box explains: "Yes! In just 5 seconds, ChatGPT can create alt text for your posts. Alt text provides a short description of your visuals, allowing people who are blind or have low vision and use screen readers to engage with your graphics and images on LinkedIn." The Punt Kick logo is in the bottom corner, with the tagline "Shaping DEI Competency." *Source: Netflix Correction: it actually took 3 seconds generate the alt text for this post 😉

It might or might not surprise you to learn that around 21% of the Australian population lives with a disability (Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics). Here's your reminder, inclusive workplaces are about far more than just what happens inside the office walls. As today is International Day of People with a Disability, here's a simple fix to make your social content more accessible: adding alt text to images. Alternative text, or “alt text,” is a short, informative description of an image that screen readers use to describe that image on social media. It is easy to add, yet it remains underused. Other times, it is used incorrectly altogether, it isn't uncommon to see some brands or accounts use alt text to hide unhelpful easter eggs, image credit, or calls to action. "But Ben, I never know what to write, and I don't want to get it wrong". Here's my advice: When writing alt text, ask yourself, ‘What about my image is vital for someone to know?’ Think about what you’re trying to achieve with your social media content. Make sure that your alt text is descriptive enough to make your image accessible in a way that helps you meet those objectives and properly informs anyone who access it. Here are some best practices to follow: - Keep it succinct, yet informative. 125 characters is a common guideline, but do not be afraid to write longer to paint a clearer picture for graphics or images alike. - Skip writing “image of” or “picture of.” These are a given. - Include keywords. Alt text plays into SEO—include keywords, as long as they are relevant. - Include context, too. The alt text for the post below is “Screenshot of the LinkedIn photo upload page with the "Alternative Text" button circled in red,” which clearly explains that it is a screenshot, which is relevant to the post, and which part is being highlighted. PRO TIP: Add video descriptions too. Videos may not have an alt text option, so remember to add descriptions to your captions or threads to describe your video content. Finally, just remember: you don't have to overthink it. Alt text is subjective. As the content author, you have the power to decide what details are important in not only your image, but your entire post as well. There are so many things we can do online to make our content more accessible. Let me know if you would like me to cover more, or better yet, follow Dr Georgie Carroll and Holly Tuke, two amazing people who have taught me so much through their content. #LinkedInNewsAustralia

When people think about alt text, they usually think about photos or hero images. Icons often get missed. But they're still images! And many of them are also buttons or links. When an icon has no alt text, it means the control (the button or link) often ends up with no accessible name, either. That turns a small oversight into a bigger accessibility issue. For someone using a screen reader, they'll just hear: “button” or “link” with no indication of what it does. Likewise, a button/link with no name means voice activation users can't call the control directly, and have to use slower workarounds to trigger it. When you write alt text for icons, focus on the purpose of the control, not the visual: A magnifying glass is not “magnifying glass”, it's “Search”. How do you know what the alt text should be? When you see an icon, ask “What would I call this button or link out loud?” That answer is usually the accessible name. (Of course, alt text isn't the only way to give a button/link an accessible name. But depending on how things are implemented, it may be the easiest!) Want to be an accessibility superstar? Consider showing the label visually. Visible labels reduce guesswork and make interfaces easier to understand for everyone, especially people with cognitive disabilities or low computer literacy.

Alt Text is not Image Description. If you’re writing long, flowery descriptions as alt text, let’s clear a few things up. Alt Text and Image Description cater to various users in unique ways and at different times. Here’s how to distinguish the two: 1. Alt Text ∙ Who it’s for: Screen reader users. ∙ Where it lives: In the code (not visible). ∙ Purpose: Convey the essential meaning of an image. ∙ Visibility: Hidden from most users. ∙ Length: ~100–125 characters. ∙ Ask: “If someone couldn’t see this, what would they need to know?” ✅ Example: Image: A diverse team around a table, laughing during a meeting. Alt text: Team members collaborating during a meeting with laptops. 2. Image Description ∙ Who it’s for: Everyone. ∙ Where it lives: Visible content (caption, body copy, or expandable detail) ∙ Purpose: Add depth, context, or storytelling. ∙ Length: Flexible (100–500+ characters) ∙ Ask: “What helps someone fully understand what’s happening here?” ✅ Example: Image: A diverse team around a table, laughing during a meeting. Image description: Five coworkers sit around a conference table with open laptops and notebooks. Two are laughing. The setting feels informal and collaborative, suggesting a relaxed team culture. If you design or write content, getting this right is baseline accessibility. 👇🏽 Drop your hot take in the comments. ♻️ Share with your team if they still write long alt texts. --- ✉️ Subscribe to my newsletter for accessibility and design insights here: https://lnkd.in/gZpAzWSu