The short answer: alt text is a short description of an image. Screen readers read it out, and Google uses it to understand the image and the page around it. Describe what’s in the photo in one honest sentence. Don’t list keywords.
This is episode 5 of SEO in 60 seconds, our series of one fix per episode for small business websites. The full series sits in our on page SEO basics overview.
What should alt text say?
- Weak: dublin wedding photographer best wedding photos
- Better: Bride and groom laughing under umbrellas outside Dublin Castle
Google warns that filling alt text with keywords gives a poor experience and can make your site look like spam.
How do you add alt text in WordPress?
- Go to Media, then Library.
- Click the image.
- Fill in the Alternative Text field with one honest sentence.
- Images placed with Elementor use the same text from the Media Library.
What else helps Google understand your images?
- Name the file before you upload. Google’s own example: my-new-black-kitten.jpg is better than IMG00023.JPG.
- Place images near the text they relate to. Google reads the text around an image, captions included.
What about decorative images?
Dividers, background shapes and icons that add no information should have empty alt text. The W3C says this lets screen readers skip them instead of reading out clutter.
What are the common mistakes?
- Keyword lists instead of a description.
- The same alt text on every image.
- Empty alt text on photos that matter, like your work, your team or your products.
- Uploading IMG_4123.jpg and never renaming it.
Read the transcript
“Alt text: describe the photo, not your keywords. It helps people using screen readers, and it helps Google understand the image. Weak: best Dublin wedding photographer photos. Better: bride and groom laughing under umbrellas outside Dublin Castle. In WordPress, add it in the Media Library. Purely decorative images can be left empty. More SEO tips every week. Follow for episode 6, internal links.”
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Want us to check your images? Our maintenance plans include alt text and file name fixes.
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Sources
- Image SEO best practices, Google Search Central. Checked 27 October 2026.
- Decorative images, W3C Web Accessibility Initiative. Checked 27 October 2026.
Previous episode: meta descriptions. Next episode: internal links. Back to the series overview.