When it comes to SEO, most website owners focus on keywords, backlinks, and page speed. But there’s one critical element often overlooked — image optimization. More specifically, alt text.
If your images don’t have proper alt text, they’re virtually invisible to search engines like Google. That’s bad news for your rankings, your traffic, and your users.
In this post, we’ll show you:
- Why alt text matters
- How bad alt text hurts your SEO
- How to fix it (manually or automatically with AI)
What Is Alt Text and Why It Matters
Alt text (alternative text) is a written description of an image on your website. It serves two main purposes:
- Accessibility – Screen readers use alt text to describe images to visually impaired users.
- SEO – Search engines use alt text to understand what an image is about.
No alt text = no context = no ranking for your images.
Google wants you to use descriptive alt text — and rewards websites that do.
Common Alt Text Mistakes That Hurt Your SEO
Leaving the alt field blank
Stuffing alt text with keywords
Using file names instead of real descriptions
Writing vague phrases like “image1” or “photo”
Bad alt text doesn’t just fail to help you — it can actively hurt your site’s SEO and accessibility compliance.
The Fix: Write Smart, Descriptive Alt Text (Or Automate It)
Ideally, your alt text should:
- Describe the image clearly (what’s happening, who/what is shown)
- Be relevant to the page content
- Avoid keyword stuffing
- Be short and human-readable
But manually doing this for hundreds of images? A nightmare.
That’s where AI Alt Writer comes in.
Save Hours with AI Alt Writer
Our plugin uses advanced AI to automatically:
Analyze your images
Generate relevant alt text
Suggest smart image titles
Bulk process existing media in seconds
All within your WordPress dashboard.
No more tedious manual edits.
Final Thoughts
Ignoring image alt text is like having billboards in the desert — no one will ever see them.
Whether you care about SEO, accessibility, or performance — writing great alt text is non-negotiable.
And now, it’s effortless.
Try AI Alt Writer Today
