Images play a key role in digital storytelling, but not every user can see them. This is where image alt text becomes essential.
What Is Image Alt Text?
Alt text (short for alternative text) is a brief description added to an image. It explains what the image represents, helping users and search engines understand the content of the image - especially when the image cannot be displayed or accessed.
Why Alt Text Matters
1. Accessibility: Alt text allows screen readers to describe images to visually impaired users, making content more inclusive and accessible.
2. SEO Benefits: Search engines rely on alt text to understand image content. Well-written alt text can improve image search visibility and overall page SEO.
3. Better User Experience: If an image fails to load due to network issues, alt text provides context so users still understand what the image represents.
Using Alt Text in Quintype
Quintype provides multiple ways to manage and improve image alt text across platforms:
- Alt Text for Images - Alt text can be added to both hero images and in-line images within the story editor. The system also supports searching and retrieving alt text via APIs.
- Alt-Text Toggle - Publishers can enable an alt-text toggle to make alt text mandatory before publishing a story, ensuring accessibility standards are met consistently.
- Alt Text in RSS Feeds - Image alt text can be included in RSS feeds, helping maintain accessibility and context when content is syndicated.
- SEO-Friendly Image Filenames - Quintype also allows updating image filenames to create SEO-friendly image URLs, improving discoverability across search engines.
Best Practices for Writing Alt Text
- Keep it short and descriptive
- Clearly explain what’s important in the image
- Include relevant keywords naturally
- Avoid generic phrases like “image” or “photo”
Final Tip
Alt text is not just a compliance requirement - it improves accessibility, enhances SEO, and creates a better experience for all users. With Quintype’s built-in support for alt text, toggles, RSS inclusion, and SEO-friendly filenames, publishers can ensure their visual content is both inclusive and discoverable.