Generate SEO-Friendly Alt Text with AI tools for any image and boost your overall SEO

Did you know that by skipping one simple SEO tactic, you might be losing out on a significant amount of website traffic?

Many people overlook alt text, but it plays a crucial role in enhancing your visibility.

In fact, over 22% of all web searches are image searches.

Shockingly, a significant portion of online businesses – around 55% of e-commerce sites – fail to utilize alt text correctly.

If you're concerned about your website potentially being among those missing out on valuable traffic and rankings, you've come to the right place.

Because This isn't just another article covering the basics. We will show you how to use AI tools to write alt text faster and more effectively.

By the end of this guide, you will:

• Master AI-driven alt text creation, enhancing your SEO strategy.
• Gain a significant competitive edge in search rankings.
• Make sure your images help improve your SEO, rather than hurt it.

What Is Alt Text and Why It’s Essential for SEO Success ?

Before we explore how AI can assist in writing alt text, let’s first understand what alt text is and why it’s important for SEO.

What is Alt Text?

Alt text, or "alternative text," is a short description added to an image on your website. While it may not always be visible on the front page, some informational articles display it below images.

🔹 How can users see it?

• Some websites show it directly under images
• It can be viewed using the “inspect element” feature in a browser

This visibility makes alt text crucial—not just for user accessibility but also for SEO. Search engines rely on it to understand the content of an image and improve rankings.

Why is Alt Text Important for SEO?

• Search Engine Understanding: Search engines use alt text to determine the content of your images and their relevance to search queries.
• Improved Rankings: Well-crafted alt text can help your website rank higher in search results, leading to increased visibility and traffic.
• Enhanced User Experience: Optimizing alt text provides accurate descriptions, making your content more accessible and relevant to user searches, especially for image-based queries.

Creating Effective Alt Text

Creating effective alt text isn't about keyword stuffing; it's about crafting clear and relevant descriptions. With the assistance of AI tools, writing SEO-friendly alt text is quicker and easier than ever.

• Efficiency of AI: AI can generate precise alt text in just seconds, saving you time and improving your images’ SEO performance.
• Accessibility Improvement: AI-generated descriptions enhance the accessibility of your website, ensuring that all users can understand your visual content.
  • If you're looking to apply these practices on a real project, consider using AI to build and deploy a portfolio website. It’s a great way to see how automation can streamline not just content creation, but the entire web development process.

Why Alt Text is Important in SEO

• Enhances Search Engine Understanding: Alt text helps search engines better understand your images. This makes it easier for them to rank your photos in image-based search results. Google often shows image packs when users search for visuals, which is common for people looking for inspiration. When you optimize your alt text, search engines can match your images to the right queries. This boosts your visibility in both regular and image search.
• Boosts Organic Traffic: Visual search is growing fast, and optimizing your alt text can greatly improve your site's visibility. Did you know 19% of Google’s search results now feature images? On mobile devices, images appear 12.5 times more often. By making sure your alt text is optimized, you increase your chances of appearing in these results. This drives more clicks and traffic to your site.
• Improves Accessibility for All Users: Alt text isn’t just for SEO. It also makes your content more accessible to everyone. Around 285 million people worldwide use screen readers, including 12 million with visual impairments. Properly written alt text helps these users navigate your content by describing the images to them. This makes your site inclusive and user-friendly for all.
• Reduces Bounce Rate: Clear and relevant alt text keeps users engaged. When visitors find images that match their expectations, they are more likely to stay longer on your site. This can reduce your bounce rate and improve overall site performance.
• Acts as a Fallback: If your image doesn’t load, the alt text will still show up. This ensures that your message remains clear to both users and search engines, even when there’s an issue with the image. Optimizing your alt text guarantees your content remains useful.
• Gives a Competitive Advantage: With tools like Google Lens processing 12 billion searches every month, optimizing alt text can give you a leg up on the competition. It helps your images stand out in the increasingly crowded digital space.

Best SEO Practices for Writing Alt Text That Boosts Visibility

How to Write Effective Alt Text

Now that you understand the importance of alt text, let’s look at how to write it effectively. When done right, alt text benefits both your SEO and accessibility efforts. Here’s how to craft alt text that works for your website, search engines, and users alike.

• Keep It Descriptive Yet Concise
  Alt text should describe the image clearly without being overly detailed. Think of it as explaining the image to someone who can’t see it. Instead of saying “A beautiful, sunny day with a dog playing on the green grass in a large park,” keep it simple: “A dog playing in a park.” This gets the message across without overwhelming users or search engines.
  • Remember, clarity isn't only important for alt text; your entire website content should be easy to digest! Let AI tools also help you enhance readability and ensure your message is clear and accessible
• Avoid Keyword Stuffing
  While using relevant keywords is important, overloading your alt text with them can hurt your SEO. Focus on natural language that flows smoothly. For example, if you’re optimizing for “dog toys,” avoid repetition like “dog toys” multiple times. Instead, say something like, “A dog playing with a red toy in the park.”
• Focus on the Image’s Function
  If an image has a functional purpose, such as a clickable button or link, your alt text should describe its function, not just its appearance. For instance, for a newsletter sign-up button, you’d say, “Sign up for newsletter button,” instead of simply describing the button itself.
• Acknowledge Image Sources
  If you’re using someone else’s image, give credit where it’s due. You can add something like, “Photo by [Photographer’s Name]” in the alt text. For example, “Photo of a mountain range by [Photographer’s Name]” acknowledges the creator while adding context.
• Put Important Details First
  Start your alt text with the most relevant information. Search engines and screen readers focus on the beginning, so leading with essential details is key. For example, instead of just “Dog playing,” say “Durable outdoor dog toy,” if your image highlights a product feature.
• Make It Contextual
  Alt text should match the page’s content. If the image is part of a blog about “best dog toys,” make sure the alt text aligns with the topic. For instance, “Dog chewing a rubber toy” fits perfectly when discussing durable dog toys.
• Use Natural Language
  Describe the image in plain, everyday language. Avoid complex terms or technical jargon. Instead of saying “A canine engaging with a plaything,” go with “A dog playing with a ball.” This is easier for both users and search engines to understand.
• Leverage AI Tools
  AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini can help you generate effective alt text. These tools provide relevant, concise descriptions for your images, making sure they meet both SEO and accessibility standards. We’ll dive deeper into this later in the article.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Alt Text

While writing alt text may seem simple, some common mistakes can reduce its effectiveness for both SEO and accessibility. Here’s a guide to avoiding these mistakes and ensuring your alt text adds real value.

• Keyword Stuffing
  Filling alt text with too many keywords may seem like a good strategy, but it often backfires. Search engines favor natural, readable descriptions, so aim for flow and relevance over keyword density
  • If you're unsure how to strike that balance, mastering keyword research with AI tools like ChatGPT can help you better understand what terms truly matter—and how to use them naturally across your content.
• Writing Alt Text That’s Too Vague
  Alt text should provide enough detail to be useful. Describing an image as “image of a dog” is too vague. Instead, include details that give the image context. For instance, a better alt text for a dog fetching a ball could be “Dog catching a ball at the park.” Specificity helps users and search engines grasp the image’s relevance.
• Leaving Alt Text Blank
  Always add alt text to your images. If an image is purely decorative and doesn’t add any meaningful content, use a blank alt attribute (alt=""). This tells screen readers to skip the image, ensuring a smoother experience for users with visual impairments. However, for meaningful images, providing descriptive alt text is essential. This not only ensures accessibility for screen readers but also boosts your search engine rankings.
• Over-Describing the Image
  Overloading the alt text with too much detail can confuse users and clutter your SEO. Keep it concise, aiming for under 125 characters. For example, “Dog catching a red ball in the park” is much clearer and easier to process than “Dog playing fetch in the park with a red ball, surrounded by trees and green grass.” Stick to the main idea without going overboard.
• Ignoring Context
  Always consider the context in which the image appears. Instead of just describing the image itself, think about how it fits into the content on the page. If the image is on a blog post about outdoor dog toys, your alt text should reflect that, such as “Dog playing with an outdoor toy in the park.” This helps search engines connect the image with the page’s content, improving its relevance.
• Avoiding Promotional Language
  Your alt text shouldn’t sound like an ad. It’s meant to describe the image, not sell a product. Phrases like “Buy now” or “Best price” should be avoided. Stick to a neutral, informative tone, such as “Dog playing with a red ball” rather than “Best-selling dog toy in action.” This keeps your alt text genuine and useful.
• Using “Image of” or “Picture of”
  Alt text should get right to the point. Google already knows it's an image, so there’s no need to start with phrases like “image of” or “picture of.” Instead, jump straight into the description. However, there are some exceptions where you might want to specify the media type. For example, if the image is a screenshot of a technical dashboard, a video still, or a capture of a social media post, specifying this detail can add helpful context. In that case, you might write something like, “Screenshot of a website analytics dashboard.”
• Missing Out on AI Tools
  While this isn’t a mistake, it’s crucial to recognize that if you’re not using AI to optimize and write your alt text, you’re missing a valuable opportunity. In today’s AI era, leveraging AI tools can help you create SEO-friendly alt text that saves time and improves accuracy. These tools can generate concise, relevant descriptions tailored to your images, ensuring you meet both SEO and accessibility standards.

Why You Should Use AI for Better SEO and Alt Text

Now that we’ve explored common mistakes to avoid when writing alt text, you might be wondering why you should use AI for SEO, especially for creating alt text.
Rather than just listing the benefits, let's look at practical statistics that illustrate the real impact of AI on SEO.

Impact of AI on SEO:

• Revenue Growth: 40% of marketers report a 6-10% increase in revenue after incorporating AI into their SEO practices. This demonstrates how AI can directly influence your bottom line.
• User Trust in AI: An impressive 86% of users believe that AI-driven SEO leads to productive results. This growing trust indicates that you’re participating in a transformative shift in digital marketing.
• Widespread Adoption: About 75.7% of marketers regularly use AI tools. This showcases that leveraging AI for writing alt text is becoming a common strategy for enhancing content effectiveness.
• Future of SEO: 18.7% of SEO specialists believe that AI and machine learning will bring dynamic shifts to the industry. By harnessing these technologies, you position yourself to stay ahead of the curve and adapt to evolving trends.
• Accessibility for Small Businesses: It's not just large corporations benefiting from AI. 67% of small businesses are already utilizing AI to enhance their content and SEO strategies. This trend proves that AI is accessible for everyone, making it a crucial element of your digital strategy.

These numbers highlight not just the benefits of AI, but the larger evolution from traditional to AI-driven SEO approaches, making it clear that adapting to this shift is no longer optional—it’s essential.

Practical Examples of Writing Best Alt Text Using AI

Now that we've covered the benefits of using AI to optimize alt text, let's look at a practical example.

This example will show how AI can help you write the best alt text. We'll use a simple fruit image to demonstrate the difference between bad, good, and best alt text.

From Bad to Best: The Journey of Effective Alt Text

Look at the Above Fruit Picture

What should the alt text be for it? Let’s explore bad, good, and best alt-text examples generated by AI.

Bad Alt Text Example:

“image of Fruit”

This alt text is too vague. It doesn’t provide enough detail about what’s in the image, which is a missed opportunity for SEO and accessibility.

Good Alt Text Example:

“An assortment of fruits, including oranges, bananas, and watermelon, displayed neatly on a white surface.”

This description is better because it names specific fruits. However, it can still be improved by adding more details about the fruits, like their colors or how they are placed. Adding this information can help both search engines and users get a clearer picture of the image.

Best Alt Text Example:

“Ripe watermelon, pineapple with leafy crown, yellow bananas, and oranges arranged on a white surface against a dark background.”

This example was generated by Gemini. This alt text provides clear details about each fruit and how they are arranged. It paints a vivid picture for both users and search engines.

Another Example of Best Alt Text for This Image

“An assortment of fruits displayed against a green background. From left to right, there’s a watermelon, two seedless oranges in front, a pineapple in the center, and a bunch of yellow bananas arranged neatly in a line.”

This alt text is generated by a specialized AI tool, which I’ll reveal later.

Step-by-Step Guide to Using Gemini or ChatGPT for SEO-Optimized Alt Text

Instead of spending time manually crafting alt text for your images, why not simplify the process?

You can quickly generate perfect alt text by uploading your image to ChatGPT! This tool helps capture all the important details efficiently.

For creating SEO-friendly alt text, both Gemini and ChatGPT can assist.

However, keep in mind that the free version of ChatGPT doesn’t support image uploads, making Gemini a great alternative for this task.

Another handy option is the Merlin AI Chrome Extension, which not only supports image uploads but also works directly in your browser—making it a convenient tool for streamlining your alt text workflow.

Key Benefit of Using AI for alt text:

• SEO-Friendly Alt Text: Generate alt text that increases your chances of ranking high in Google Image Search.

To effectively tailor your alt text with audience-specific details, it's crucial to first understand who your ideal audience is – a process that ChatGPT can also help you with.

• Customization: Tailor the output with audience-specific details and strategic keywords.
• Enhanced Efficiency and Speed: AI tools can generate alt text in a fraction of the time it takes to write it manually, freeing up valuable time for other SEO tasks.
• Improved Accuracy and Relevance: AI models are trained on vast datasets of images and text, enabling them to generate more accurate and contextually relevant descriptions compared to rushed manual efforts.
• Scalability for Large Image Libraries: For websites with numerous images, AI can provide a scalable solution to ensure all visuals have descriptive alt text, which might be impractical to achieve manually.
• Accessibility Compliance: By generating descriptive alt text, AI helps ensure your website is more accessible to visually impaired users who rely on screen readers. This contributes to better user experience and can also be a factor in search engine rankings.
• Uncovering Hidden Keyword Opportunities: Some AI tools can analyze the image content and suggest relevant keywords you might not have considered, potentially boosting your image search visibility.

Note: Don’t rely solely on the first output that Gemini generates.

AI tools like Gemini require well-crafted, detailed prompts for optimal results. Refine your input multiple times for better accuracy.

How to Get the Best Alt Text from AI:

• Be specific mention if oranges are “seedless” or highlight benefits like “vitamins A, B6, and C for healthier skin.”
• Use relevant keywords—this helps search engines understand the image.
• Customize based on your audience—unique descriptions improve engagement.

But here’s the exciting part—there’s an AI tool even faster than Gemini! 🚀

Stay tuned as I introduce a next-level AI tool that revolutionizes alt text writing—making it quicker and easier than ever!

Second Example of Alt Text: Comparing Bad, Good, and Best Practices

Now, let’s take a look at another example of alt text to further illustrate the difference between bad, good, and best practices.

• Bad Alt Text: "Image of a robot and man shaking hands."
  • Why it’s bad: This alt text is too vague. It doesn’t describe the presentation, the setting, or any other details that provide context for the image.
• Good Alt Text: "A humanoid robot shaking hands with a young man in a casual setting."
  • Why it’s good: While this description is better, it could benefit from specific details about the characters and the setting to enhance clarity.
• Best Alt Text: "Smiling young man, shaking hands with a sleek, white humanoid AI robot in a modern software development office with computers and blurred figures working in the background, highlighting human-artificial intelligence interaction in the tech industry."
  • Why it’s best: This version offers a vivid description, detailing the characters' expressions and the setting, which enhances both user understanding and search engine optimization.

To make it even more optimized, consider adding relevant keywords or additional details.

Crafting Alt Text for Complex Images

Now, let’s dive into writing alt text for complex images. This category includes infographics, charts, posters, screenshots, and other information-heavy visuals.

When creating alt text for these images, it is vital to be detailed and comprehensive. You need to capture all the key elements.

Although there’s no strict character limit for complex images, it’s crucial to keep the alt text concise and relevant.

This will help ensure that users are not overwhelmed with unnecessary information.

Note: If you’re working with infographics, remember AI tools like ChatGPT can also assist you in the entire creation of infographics, from planning the content to structuring the visuals. This can save you time and help ensure your visuals are both informative and engaging.

Tips for Writing Alt Text for Complex Images:

1. Identify the Image Type: Clearly state whether the image is an infographic, chart, or screenshot.
2. Include Critical Details: Ensure you incorporate every essential detail needed for users to fully understand the image content.

By following these guidelines, you can create effective alt text that enhances accessibility and user experience.

Using Links for Long Descriptions

In some cases, you can use a URI to link to a separate page for a long description of the image or reference an element on the same page using a fragment identifier.

This approach provides more in-depth details and context for the viewer.

Ensuring Accuracy with AI Tools

When using AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini for complex images, such as infographics or charts, remember that these tools might not accurately interpret or read any written text within the image.

It’s crucial to double-check the alt text for accuracy, especially if the image contains important written information. Manually adding any missing or relevant details will help ensure the alt text is complete and correct.

Effective Strategies for Using Gemini

Based on my experience with Gemini, it typically generates excellent alt text right from the start. This is especially true for complex images such as screenshots and infographics. Most of the time, Gemini can produce strong alt text without needing additional details or context.

Optimizing Results with Context

To further optimize the results, I provide Gemini with content related to the infographic. By asking it to analyze the specific content that the infographic is designed to convey, I can ensure that the alt text aligns closely with the main message.

Benefits of This Approach:

• SEO-Friendly Descriptions: This method helps generate alt text that is optimized for search engines.
• Enhanced Context Understanding: Allowing Gemini to grasp the context and intent behind the image leads to better text generation.
• Meaningful Connections: As a result, the alt text descriptions become not only accurate but also relevant and meaningful. This enhances the connection between the image and the accompanying content.

By applying these strategies, you can make the most out of Gemini's capabilities and generate effective alt text for your images.

Example: Best SEO Practices for Writing Alt Text for complex image (infographic)

For example, let’s take a look at the infographic poster in the “Best SEO Practices for Writing Effective Alt Text” section below.

To generate the best SEO-friendly alt text for this infographic, I provided Gemini with the content I had written for it. This way, the AI could analyze the key points and align the alt text with the overall message.

Here are some examples:

• Bad Alt Text: "SEO infographic showing some tips for alt text."
  Why it’s bad: This description is too vague and lacks specific details.
• Good Alt Text: "An infographic about SEO practices with six tips for writing effective alt text, including using keywords and being concise."
  Why it’s good: This provides some context but could still be more detailed.
• Best Alt Text: "A colorful infographic by doitwithai.tools outlining '6 Best SEO Practices for Writing Effective Alt Text' with six recommendations: Be Descriptive and Concise, Avoid Keyword Stuffing, Focus on Functionality, Lead with Key Details, Credit Sources and Keep It Relevant, and Use AI Tools."
  Why it’s best: This detailed description includes specific elements and aligns with the infographic's content.

Example: Writing Alt Text for a Complex Image (screenshot)

Let’s take a look at another example of writing alt text for a complex image like a screenshot of the SEMrush Keywords Magic Tool searching for "alt text."

• Bad Alt Text:
  "Screenshot of SEMrush tool."
  • Why it’s bad: This lacks detail and doesn’t provide any useful context for search engines or users.
• Good Alt Text:
  "SEMrush Keywords Magic Tool search results for ‘alt text’ with various keyword suggestions."
  • Why it’s good: This gives a general idea but misses specific details that can improve SEO.
• Best Alt Text:
  "SEMrush Keyword Magic Tool displaying suggested keywords for "alt text," including volume, KD%, intent, CPC, and search frequency. Options to filter results by keyword type and language."
  • Why it’s best: This detailed alt text captures not only what’s on the screen but also includes the context and functionality of the tool. It helps the image rank better and provides more value to users.
    • If you're exploring similar tools to streamline your own keyword strategy, AI-powered keyword research tools can offer even more insights with less manual effort.

Writing Alt Text for Complex Image (Pricing Plans)

Now, let’s examine another example of writing alt text for an image displaying pricing plans.

• Bad Alt Text:
  "Pricing plans for alttext.ai."
  Why it’s bad: This is too vague and lacks essential details.
• Good Alt Text:
  "Pricing plans for alttext.ai showing Bronze, Silver, and Gold options."
  Why it’s good: While better, it still misses the key details of what each plan offers.
• Best Alt Text:
  "Image displaying the pricing plans for alttext.ai. There are three options: Bronze (Free), Silver ($19/month for 500 credits), and Gold ($49/month for 2,000 credits). The Silver and Gold plans offer additional features such as integration tools, alt text optimization services, and workflow automation. Each plan includes varying levels of support and customization options for users."
  Why it’s best: This version gives a complete overview, helping users and search engines understand what the image represents, including important features and pricing details.

Crafting the Perfect Prompt for Generating SEO-Friendly Alt Text

When generating alt text with AI tools like Gemini or ChatGPT, a well-crafted prompt can make all the difference in creating descriptive, SEO-optimized, and accessible alt text.

Below is a comprehensive prompt that will help you generate high-quality alt text for any image, with a focus on SEO, accessibility, and relevance.

Example Prompt:

"Generate an SEO-friendly alt text for the given image. Make the description concise, aiming for a maximum of 125 characters, while being descriptive enough to clearly convey the image’s content. Include related and seed keywords naturally without overstuffing, focusing on improving search engine visibility. Highlight any specific features, benefits, or unique elements of the image, such as product details, colors, functions, or branding. Keep in mind accessibility needs by making the alt text useful for visually impaired users, and avoid redundancy if the image is already explained in the surrounding content. Ensure the alt text is relevant to the context of the page and avoid including unnecessary information that doesn’t enhance understanding."

Discover the Best Free AI Tool for SEO-Friendly Alt Text

Let me introduce you to the best free AI tool I promised to share: alttext.ai. This powerful tool simplifies the process of generating SEO-friendly alt text.

How It Works:

• All you need to do is upload your image.
• Alttext.ai will automatically create the best alt text for you—no prompts or instructions required!

Key Features:

• Advanced Technology: Using advanced deep learning, computer vision, and AI models, alttext.ai generates accurate and reliable alt text.
• Versatility: It works for any type of image, from simple photos to complex infographics.

Streamlined Process: Alttext.ai significantly speeds up the creation of alt text. It improves efficiency compared to manual typing or using AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini. With alttext.ai, you have an even more effective solution at your fingertips.

I’ve found this tool to be incredibly accurate, fast, and reliable. And it doesn’t stop there—it offers three amazing options to further enhance your alt text:

• E-commerce Data: Easily add specific product details to your alt text. You can include the product name (required), brand name (optional), and color (optional). This ensures that your alt text is not only descriptive but also tailored to your products, helping boost your visibility in search results.
• SEO Keywords: Take your SEO game to the next level by incorporating targeted keywords directly into the generated alt text. You can specify up to six keywords and even exclude negative keywords to ensure your alt text aligns perfectly with your SEO strategy.

Want to customize your alt text further?

• ChatGPT Modification: With this feature, you can use your own ChatGPT prompt. Just enter your prompt, ensuring to include the {{AltText}} macro enclosed in two curly braces. This will allow alttext.ai to generate initial text, which ChatGPT will refine based on your specifications. The final result is saved as your new alt text.

This tool is not just about generating text; it's about creating a tailored experience that can help elevate your content's SEO potential.

Conclusion

As we’ve explored, the journey of creating alt text has changed significantly over the years.

1. Traditional Methods: We started with manual typing for alt text.
2. The Rise of AI Chatbots: Then, we moved on to using AI chatbots like ChatGPT, Merlin AI and Gemini. These tools have made the process easier and quicker.
3. Simplifying the Process Further: Now, tools like alttext.ai offer an even simpler way to create SEO-friendly alt text. With just a few clicks, you can generate effective alt text for your images.

This rapid advancement in AI tools is transforming the SEO landscape.

Innovations like these help us optimize our content more efficiently.

By embracing these changes, we save time and enhance our visibility in search results. This shift is a game-changer for anyone looking to improve their online presence.

If you're interested in exploring how AI can further streamline your content creation process, the next article on creating video scripts with AI will guide you through using AI for writing video scripts that are both engaging and audience optimized.

Use the power of AI to enhance your alt text, boost your SEO, and increase your online visibility today!