Google Confirms Alt Text Is Not Primarily An SEO Decision via @sejournal, @martinibuster

Google’s John Mueller shared Jeffrey Zeldman’s Bluesky station reminding publishers and SEOs of due alt substance usage, including a nexus to the W3C determination histrion for guidance. The astir important takeaway is that the determination process for alt substance is not chiefly an SEO decision.

The W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) is an planetary standards making assemblage for the Internet. A batch of the guidance that Google provides astir however Googlebot crawls HTML and treats server effect codes are based connected the web standards developed by the W3C, truthful it’s ever a bully thought to spell consecutive to the root to recognize precisely however to deploy HTML (like alt text) due to the fact that doing it the close mode volition precise apt align with the aforesaid standards that Google is using.

A determination histrion is fundamentally a determination making instrumentality oregon diagram that asks a yes oregon nary question. If the reply is “no” past the histrion leads to different branch. Answering “yes” leads to a node that advises connected what to do. The intent of the W3C Alt Text determination histrion is to usher publishers and SEOs connected the due usage of alt text, which is for accessibility.

The determination histrion that Zeldman linked to has 5 questions:

1. Does the representation incorporate text?
2. Is the representation utilized successful a nexus oregon a button, and would it beryllium hard oregon intolerable to recognize what the nexus oregon the fastener does, if the representation wasn’t there?
3. Does the representation lend meaning to the existent leafage oregon context?
4. Is the representation purely decorative oregon not intended for users?
5. Is the image’s usage not listed supra oregon it’s unclear what alt substance to provide?

Google’s John Mueller Affirms Proper Use Of Alt Text

John Mueller did a repost connected Bluesky with the further penetration that the determination making process for alt substance is not “primarily” an SEO decision, meaning that accessibility should beryllium the archetypal information erstwhile deciding however to usage alt text.

This is what John Mueller said astir alt text:

“The prime of ALT substance is not chiefly an SEO decision.

If you similar moving with structured processes, cheque out, bookmark, share, and usage this determination histrion of erstwhile & what to usage arsenic ALT text, erstwhile it comes to accessibility.”

Zeldman’s post praised the simplicity of the determination tree:

“So straightforward, truthful good. An ALT substance determination tree. “

Someone other posted a nexus to an interactive mentation of the determination histrion called the “Alt substance decide-o-matic” which is simply a antithetic mode to interact with the determination tree.

Check retired the W3C Alt substance determination histrion here oregon effort the decide-o-matic to go amended acquainted with alt substance champion practices and go a amended SEO and steadfast successful the process.

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SEJ STAFF Roger Montti Owner - Martinibuster.com astatine Martinibuster.com

I person 25 years hands-on acquisition successful SEO, evolving on with the hunt engines by keeping up with the latest ...