Search engine's extract keywords from your text as they read and then use them to determine the ranking of your website in their list. Are you missing a vital trick by not using your 'image' tags for Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)?
The image tag is the code that loads all your website images and tells the browser where they live on the page. An important part of it is the 'alt' attribute that lets you insert a description of the image. It's intended for speech readers to announce but search engine spiders can't 'see' images either, so they, too, rely on the description to tell them what the image is about. If the image contains some of your keywords then this will reinforce that word's importance to your considerable advantage.
This is particularly so if the image is towards the top of the page for search engine's give greater importance to content higher up the page and thus allocate more weight to it.
Thus, text contained in the 'alt ' attribute of the image gives you the chance to get your keyword across in a big way and so help improve your ranking.
Inserting the Description
If you hand code web pages all you have to do is add the text to the 'alt' part of the tag and make sure the text is contained within quotation marks.
If you use a visual editor, select the image and find a properties box that will let you complete the words for the attribute. This might be called the 'alt' text, or 'alternative' text or might even be shown as the 'description'. If you are given a 'title' text area to complete as well then do so but also see below.
What You Should Write
You will have a list of keywords for your page, so take the main one and be sure to include it. You can, of course, include some of the others but write a normal, everyday description of the image, don't try to be clever.
Remember that this is important so take your time and get it right.
What You Shouldn't Write
The temptation is to add as many keywords as you can (it's called 'keyword stuffing') in the hope of boosting your ranking. Search engines are pretty smart and if they think you're overdoing this they'll penalise you, so be smart yourself and include just one or two keywords in a standard description.
However, you don't have to use just a few words, you can get away with ten or a dozen to give you more inventive scope.
The 'Title' Attribute
As well as the 'Alt' text there is now a 'Title' attribute which is supposed to show up as a 'tooltip' when the image is moused - although support for this is rather patchy.
So far as I know, search engines take no notice of this but the situation could change so add a title attribute if you want and a description that uses the same keywords.
Which Images to Use
All images should have a description but small, inconsequential images like navigation images should just have a one or two word text description and should not be used for keyword use.
All other images, however, should have a full description and remember that images towards the top of the page work better than those lower down.
The Image Name
Can you add keywords here, too? Yes, but be careful to use just a few words and don't overdo it. Try to use a logical name that uses one keyword once and hyphenate it to isolate the keyword.
Images are an important part of a webpage but they can serve other and more hidden uses too, so make the most of them and use them to improve your search engine ranking.
