Alt Tag Descriptions On Images With Keywords

**Steve** · October 23rd, 2009

I was looking through my analytics and noticed I am getting traffic from google images search. I attribute this to putting a description on my site images incorporating my target keywords. My images show up in google/images under the search term.

You know thinking about it.. I do a lot of searches where I will just look at images and click on things that match visually what I am searching.

Just thought I would pass this along..

Steve

**jkgourmet** · October 23rd, 2009

A good reminder of something that I regularly forget to do. Thanks!

**FrankDickinson** · October 23rd, 2009

I'm with you Jeanette - I often forget the alt tags and this is a good reminder.

Thanks Steve!

**Sheakay** · October 23rd, 2009

Steve, Great point. I also get traffic from google images, to the point that now I make sure I have my keyword in my alt tags and captions whenever it makes sense. Another benefit of using images on our sites - not only are they make the text more appealing and usable to the reader, but with good alt tags, they help drive traffic.

However, I also feel its necessary to remember that alt tags are there for those who don't have images turned on and as an accessibility tool for those who can't see images. so making sure our alt-tags make sense for those who must rely on them is important (in my opinion).

**FrankDickinson** · October 23rd, 2009

Originally Posted by Sheakay

However, I also feel its necessary to remember that alt tags are there for those who don't have images turned on and as an accessibility tool for those who can't see images. so making sure our alt-tags make sense for those who must rely on them is important (in my opinion).

Hey Shannon - you lost me on this point -would you expand for the alt tag challenged?

**Sheakay** · October 23rd, 2009

Sorry Frank, I should have finished the thought. Alt-tags are the text that appears when an image won't display (an error), or when images are turned off in the browser, and for accessbility software for the visually impaired. Because alt-tags are also indexed and help with SEO it sometimes is easy to tempting to "keyword stuff" or put something in the alt-tag that is just for the search engine, rather than for the reader.

Sorry if I'm over explaining, it's just that as useful as alt-tags are for driving traffic, particuarly through Google Images, I also believe it is best to write for humans and make our sites as useful for our human readers (or listeners for those using accessibility software), as possible.

**FrankDickinson** · October 23rd, 2009

Thanks Shannon - perfect explanation - very helpful!

I agree wholeheartedly. As much as I want to have good SEO going on my sites, it really is about the reader and their usability of the information you provide.

Humans first - Spiders second.

Thanks for the great insight!

**wade_watson** · October 23rd, 2009

It's nice to see traffic numbers, Steve, but from what I can tell, Google Image Search is about the least desirable type of traffic. I've got one site that seems to get more image searches than anything else-- but nobody seems to read (or buy) anything. I read an interesting thread over at Warrior Forum on this awhile back. A guy set up a test site for the purpose of drawing Image Search traffic to see if it was possible to get decent conversions. In the end, he concluded that you could get some-- by using a background image bundle as an opt-in draw. But for regular sites, I think Image Search traffic is more of a bandwidth draw than anything else. Quality "targeted traffic" it isn't.

Wade Watson

**Steve** · October 23rd, 2009

Originally Posted by wade_watson

It's nice to see traffic numbers, Steve, but from what I can tell, Google Image Search is about the least desirable type of traffic. I've got one site that seems to get more image searches than anything else-- but nobody seems to read (or buy) anything.

That's a good point Wade. I have not done any testing or tracking on my sites.

Steve