I’m curious about alt tags. People say they’re a big part of on-page SEO, but is that still true today? Going into 2025 with all the SEO changes, do alt tags still matter? For context, I’m a real estate agent, and every property I list has photos. Should I add alt tags to every single image? What should they say? Should they be detailed or just a short description? Are there limits? Do keywords make a difference? Help me figure this out.
Alt tags should describe the image in a way that a blind person could understand. Every detail helps with SEO, even if it’s small.
Chris1 said:
Alt tags should describe the image in a way that a blind person could understand. Every detail helps with SEO, even if it’s small.
It’s the idea that everything has a purpose, even in tech. We try to make sense of things like alt tags as if they’re all vital steps in a larger plan.
@NicheNomad3
Did you mean ‘Computational’ instead of ‘coputational’?
Dolph said:
@NicheNomad3
Did you mean ‘Computational’ instead of ‘computational’?
Yes, that’s what I meant. Thanks for catching that typo.
There’s a lot of info out there on best practices. Are alt tags still important? Honestly, they don’t boost rankings much, but sometimes small things make a difference. I worked with a real estate client, and good alt tags helped us get traffic from Google Images. It’s not always converting traffic, but it’s exposure. Since your photos are key to your listings, I’d go for detailed alt tags.
If you’re aiming to show up in image searches, then alt tags are a must.
Alt tags help your images rank and bring in more users through Google’s image section. Definitely worth doing.
For local SEO, make sure to include location details in each alt tag.
Examples:
“4-bedroom, 3.5-bath home for sale in Springfield”
“Back deck of a house for sale in west Springfield”
“Home in the Springfield school district with new kitchen cabinets”
Alt tags aren’t as critical as people think. SEO has become more of a ritual—people believe certain actions guarantee results, just like ancient rituals. Google isn’t obsessively tracking your every move or keyword. If your page is about a house in Texas and has an image of it, Google will consider that image. But adding an image or alt text won’t magically boost your ranking. Focus on creating valuable content instead of relying on myths.
Alt tags never made much sense to me either.
If we told you everything about alt tags, we’d be spoiling the mystery. Sometimes it’s better not to overthink it.
Alt tags matter, but they’re just one piece of the puzzle. Context around the image and proper links carry more weight than alt text alone.
Alt tags are a core part of on-page SEO. They might even be second in importance after headings.
Alt tags are just one part of SEO, but they all add up.
Low priority, in my opinion.
They help Google figure out what the image is about.
Alt tags are just another way to sneak in related keywords onto a page. Simple as that.
Alt tags are a quick way to grab attention in Google’s image results if done well. Here are some basics:
- Add an alt tag to every image in content blocks.
- Make the description natural so Google understands it.
- Include your main keyword at least once.
After that, opinions vary on what works best.
@Blog
Thanks for this! Can you explain what you mean by ‘content blocks’? For a real estate site, would that mean every property image needs an alt tag?