Most websites contain at least one graphical element. Even the almighty king of clean interfaces, Google, uses an image on it's search engine homepage. Images liven up a site, give it a professional appearance, and often leave an impression on the user. Everyone recognizes the Google logo. If Google launched a site with the words "GOOGLE" in bold text in place of the image, the Google logo would not be as recognizable to users. With any image in your website, there is a special attribute that should be set to a meaningful and descriptive text word, phrase, or sentence. The alt attribute (also known as alternate text) is a description added to an image that is displayed when a user places the mouse cursor over the image.

At first glance, the alt attribute may not seem all that important, but there are several reasons you should always include alt text on images. If a browser has images turned off, the alt text is displayed in place of the image. They are also displayed for users of mobile devices that are capable of displaying text-only. Also, users with disabilities who require use of assertive technology for screen reading benefit from the alt attribute. Finally, on topic with our guide, the alt text attribute is important because search engines interpret the meaning of objects and images by analyzing the value contained in the alt attribute. Alt attribute text allows for more relevant keyword rich text on your webpage in a meaningful way that benefits both users and search engines alike.

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