SEO Truth Engine
U

IT'S NUANCED

Image alt text is critical for SEO

CONTENT
MEDIUM Impact
BEGINNER

The Myth

"Alt text is one of the most important on-page ranking factors."

The Truth

Alt text helps Google understand images and improves accessibility, but it's not a primary ranking factor for web search. It IS important for Google Image Search rankings. For web rankings, alt text is a minor signal at best. The bigger value is accessibility compliance and user experience for screen readers.

OFFICIAL

Google Search Central

Alt text helps us understand images. It's important for Image Search.

OFFICIAL

Google

Alt text is primarily for accessibility and image search.

D
Insight from @dejanseo

"Alt text matters for accessibility—that alone is reason enough to do it right. For SEO, it's minor unless you're targeting image search. Write for blind users, not algorithms."