Using IMG ALT For Your Graphics

I've already discussed how images can enhance the appearance of your Web site and help project a business image, which is why you should use images judicially. But sometimes the images themselves don’t matter a whole lot.

Users can program their browsers to turn off images for faster browsing. Other users might have special software that reads for them because they can’t see. And when it comes to leading users to you site, images themselves don’t play a very big part. That’s because search engines don’t really pay attention to the images on your site.

So how do you accommodate these unique users and search engine preferences?You can use the “IMG ALT” tag.

The IMG ALT tag allows words to show up when your images do not. So, if you place your logo on your Web site, your IMG ALT tag for that image might read, “XYZ Company Logo.” You may notice these tags on some Web pages where the graphics load slower than the text. The IMG ATL tag appears as a placeholder until the image itself downloads.

In code, the IMG ALT looks like this:

img src="logo.gif" alt="XYZ Company Logo"

While alternative descriptions may not be able to accurately or effectively describe photographs or complex drawings, they are especially useful for navigation graphics. For example if your Link Bar is made up of individual images, you will want to include the name of that link in the IMG ALT tag. Your image for your home page might look like:

img src="home.gif" alt="Home Page"

This will ensure that any user, whether they see your graphics or not, can navigate through your site and find the information they need. While these users may be in the minority, creating your Web site to assist them will keep them on your site longer and may give you an edge over your competition!