Search engine optimizers have included their essential keyword phrases in ALT text for images

ALT Tags in Search Engine Optimization

None of the Major Engines Considers ALT Text When Determining Relevancy

According to research by expert SEO researcher Jerry West of WebMarketing Now and Search Engine Academy, currently, none of the “Big Three” search engines (Google, Yahoo!, or MSN) considers ALT text when determining relevance.

West explains, “Over the last six months, we have seen a trend on our testing servers that shows that using ALT text for SEO purposes has not only diminished, but also adversely affects the rankings in the SERPs. Search engines continue to catch up to “SEO tricks” that aim to improve search engine rankings while harming the visitor experience. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has strict guidelines on what your site needs to contain to be ADA compliant. I guarantee you, they do not look favorably on ALT text that has been keyword-stuffed.

Have you ever witnessed a visually impaired individual use the Web?

With a device that reads aloud the contents of a Web page, the impaired individual will be inundated with what I refer to as alt text spam. Sometimes the reader is stuck on one graphic for more than 40 seconds, reading all the keywords that have been crammed in.

According to a Google engineer, you should create an ALT tag that is relevant to the picture.

It provides a good experience, including for those who are visually impaired. The ALT text is indexed, but it is downgraded in the algorithm. The reason?

We see ALT text as relevant as the Keyword Meta tag,’ said the engineer. That should say it all, as Google has never used the Keyword Meta tag due to its high spam rate.

How do we test? I have outlined our testing methodology below,” continues West.

Our Testing Setup:

We have four servers (Two Apache servers, one Windows, one Sun Solaris);

Each server is located in a different part of the United States.

Each test server has 16 test domains.

Domains are matched in pairs for A/B testing.

All domains use the “.com” extension; no testing is done with other extensions for these algorithms.

The eight pairs are configured as follows: 3 pages, eight pages, 25 pages, 50 pages, 100 pages, 150 pages
pages, 300 pages, 500 pages;

When performing testing, one domain in the pair is tested while the other remains constant.

Due to varying issues with the algorithms, it takes approximately six weeks to see consistent numbers, allowing for accurate conclusions to be formulated.

What Does This Mean to SEOs?

Search engine optimizers no longer need to use keyword phrases in the ALT text of images on their Web pages.

However, let’s look at a more innovative approach.

I’ve been recommending to my online and offline SEO students for a long time that they use ALT text as designed by the W3C to describe the image. Then, they can include the keyword phrase in one or two photos on the page, if appropriate.

Continuing with that strategy is still a viable option. The major engines don’t consider the contents of ALT text nöw, but that doesn’t mean they won’t in six months from nöw. Always remembering the “basics” is one of the best strategies to follow.

Other ALT Text Tips . . .

1. Remember that the purpose of ALT text is to describe the image for the benefit of those who surf the Web with images turned off and for those who have the contents of Web pages read out loud to them. WC3 highly recommends that website owners use alt text to describe images.

2. Use your keyword phrase in one or two instances of ALT text on the page, ­no more. Use moderation in everything you do in search engine optimization.

3. Don’t use text that is non-relevant to the image. Don’t keyword stuff. Jerry West adds, “Give the visitor information that is worthwhile, especially for those who are visually impaired.”

4. “Consider using a description below the graphic. Based on recent test results, this is read often,” states West.

West continues, “Basically, remember to be compliant, not just with the W3C but also with the ADA. It all comes down to intent. If you intend to fool the search engine into giving you a higher ranking, you are performing ‘grey or black hat’ strategies. Stay on the right side of the path, and the engines will bless you.”:)

Remember… ALT Text is Just One “Piece of the Pie”

Over 100 different factors determine relevancy and ranking. ALT text was just one piece of that pie, a sliver at that.

Don’t ever focus on just one piece of the pie. Always remember the basics ­- the SEO foundation ­- and make sure it’s solid.

If you know you’re weak in one or two areas, you know you have to beef up on other pieces of the SEO pie.

We’ll talk more about the “SEO pie” in future articles. Or, attend our on-location workshops, where the SEO pie is always a topic of conversation.

# ALT Tags in Search Engine Optimization

Post by Robin Nobles