eMedia Daily

Using ALT Tags for Search Engine Optimization

Alternative text, commonly known as ALT tags or ALT attributes are used to present to the viewer when graphics are turned off, or the browser is not graphics capable. This can happen with hand held browsers, where the viewer has low bandwidth capabilities and so elects not to use graphics, or where there is assistive technology such as screen readers or Braille displays.

ALT attributes are particularly helpful in search engine optimization because the search engine spiders rely on the ALT attributes to determine the attributes of the graphics or of the object referenced. The ALT attributes were widely used in the early days of Internet growth, since many people did not have graphics capability. Even though we take graphics as a matter of course today, the ALT attributes are extremely helpful to those with accessibility requirements. ALT attributes are also commonly used when web page designers are looking for ways in which the bandwidth use on their network can be best exercised.

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