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Keywords - Alt image tags

by angelah
9 replies
  • SEO
    • |
For onpage SEO - if you have multiple images on one webpage, would you use your one keyword on all the images on one webpage or would you only use your keyword on a specific number of images? If so, how many images would you use your keywords?
#alt #image #keywords #tags
  • Profile picture of the author werner77
    each image should have a unique description, they will not all be the same image right?
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    • Profile picture of the author angelah
      I'm talking about using the keywords in the <alt> image tags.
      If a person is optimizing one webpage with one keyword, should I use that one keyword on all the <alt> image tags on that one webpage?

      Thanks
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      • Profile picture of the author paulgl
        You need to create your site for a visitor, not a search engine.

        Alt atribute should be used wisely.

        Don't mistake alt for they are not.

        They are not for keyword stuffing. If you keyword stuff your
        alt atributes, google will recognize it as keyword stuffing.

        Alt is not a tag. Is is used in conjunction with the img tag.

        So, if you have multiple images on your page that are not
        really anything, like bars, spacers, etc., and you alt keyword
        stuff, you should refrain from it. Those things should be
        left alone.

        If you use buttons instead of text for links, use the alt. But
        use what the button is for, not keyword stuff.

        Many, many people create their sites by only thinking
        of search engines. Then complain about google slapping
        them around for no reason.

        There really is no reason to use the alt for normal website
        icons. If you have real photos, that's another story.

        These img attributes are more for photos.

        Don't keyword stuff.

        If more people reply, you may get a whole host of answers.
        But the bottom line is, use the alt sparingly. Especially
        with linked images. The alt (I think) will be seen as anchor text.

        If you use an image instead of a word for NAVIGATION, then alt="navigation" would be
        the correct way to use the alt.

        Right from google:
        Filling alt attributes with keywords ("keyword stuffing") results in a negative user experience, and may cause your site to be perceived as spam. Instead, focus on creating useful, information-rich content that uses keywords appropriately and in context.
        Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author pexon
    You probably shouldn't do that, as it will cause errors on W3C validation website.
    If you care about valid html then go like this in alt tags: keyword 01 , keyword 02 and so on... or something similar
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    • Profile picture of the author ninal
      Originally Posted by pexon View Post

      You probably shouldn't do that, as it will cause errors on W3C validation website.
      If you care about valid html then go like this in alt tags: keyword 01 , keyword 02 and so on... or something similar
      Using the same keywords within alt tags will not cause validation errors. Lack of alt tags though will trigger an error.
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      • Profile picture of the author paulgl
        You can leave them blank alt=" "
        Which is what you should do for most,
        if you worry about validation. (not me)
        (alt is an attribute, not a tag, but we know validation?!)
        You should alt your linked images.

        *sigh* Go ahead. Keyword stuff.

        Paul
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        • Profile picture of the author ninal
          Originally Posted by paulgl View Post

          You can leave them blank alt=" "
          Which is what you should do for most,
          if you worry about validation. (not me)
          (alt is an attribute, not a tag, but we know validation?!)
          You should alt your linked images.

          *sigh* Go ahead. Keyword stuff.

          Paul
          oh you're right, sorry my mistake! i carried over the term tag from the previous poster.

          paul is correct it's an attribute, the img is the tag. And I do leave them blank for most of my pages. Not sure how much weight it carries in terms of seo.
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          • Profile picture of the author paulgl
            Originally Posted by ninal View Post

            And I do leave them blank for most of my pages. Not sure how much weight it carries in terms of seo.
            Now that's good advice. I don't think it carries much, if any,
            except for SEO'ing your photos. Not much for webpage
            content and that's what people should really concentrate on
            instead of alt stuff.

            Ninal, my face is red, as I am embarrassed by my conduct above.
            My apologies.

            Paul
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  • Profile picture of the author ninal
    Paul, think nothing of it. I prefer being corrected than seeing wrong advices posted on forums.

    And angelah, do take Paul's advice. Use alt to enhance usability and not as an additional way to stuff keywords to your page. I believe whatever value you put in for alt will show in case the image doesn't load completely or if the user has turned off image loading. It is meant to describe your photo, not your whole page.

    Maybe you should divert your efforts toward <h1> - </h6> tags and producing good readable content for people. You could also us strong and em tags to highlight keywords (don't overdo it though).
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