Hey yall! Happy Thursday!
I was sitting at work chatting it up with my fellow Digital Media mavens about instagram’s new alt-text feature and it struck me that this would be very beneficial for new influencers bloggers
So here is a quick and dirty summary of why the alt text feature is great for bloggers:
First and foremost, what is alt text?
Alt-text is series of words to describe the image for those who are visually impaired. Basically, you want to describe to someone who cannot see or has trouble seeing, exactly what is in the image. In digital marketing it has an extra benefit as it helps search engines find your content. Before you even ask– yes, you WANT search engines to find your images or content because it strengthens your brand presence and visibility. Bloggers at the end of the day all post about nearly the exact same thing. We may have our own voice but the topics are pretty similar so adding alt-text can help distinguish you from others depending on what you add in. And who doesn’t want to end up on the first or second page on Google?!?!?!
Sample Alt Text
Top Washington DC curvy fashion blogger showing how to wear a high slit maxi skirt with a black and grey sequin blazer at iconic Washington dc location the Perry Belmont House.
If you are a travel blogger and have an amazing photo in Paris then you would describe your photo and add keywords like travel blogger in paris or if you are a fashion blogger then maybe your text would be: Top fashion and travel blogger wearing fall 2019 latest trend, a black leather pencil skirt while sipping coffee outside of a Parisian cafe with the eiffel tower in the background.
Why is Instagram's ALT TEXT feature important?
Let’s be real–
As much as it should not be, Instagram is most of our end all be all. Our sponsored posts, our daily content, our awesome images are pretty much all housed and shared on Instagram. While Instagram automatically adds alt-text to images, who really knows if it is accurate. With this new feature, content creators and marketers now have the ability to describe the photo AND add they keywords they would hope the search engines crawl for.
ALT TEXT KEY TIPS
- Identify who is in the photo: Being that my blog and brand are eponynous, it is imperative that I write my name. So a great alt-text for me would be: Top Washington DC fashion blogger, Jen Jean Pierre drinking cocktails at Dupont Hotel wearing a floor length red dress.
2. Be descriptive but do not just add in a bunch of keywords in hopes this will rank higher on Google. Google can tell when you are “keyword stuffing” and will lower your ranking. Keep this from happening by using a few key words but staying true to DESCRIBING what is seen in the photo. Also if the Instagram content is cross promoting something on your blog, make sure to use similar keywords.
3. Since Instagram only has a 125 maximum character limit for alt- text, don’t waste your precious count with writing this like: “this is a picture of or image of or picture is of. Just describe what is IN the photo. If you have trouble with it, pretend like you have to quickly describe something you just saw to your friend. Be their eyes!
OUTFIT DEtails
On another note, I recognize that these photos have absolutely nothing to do with this blog post’s content but I liked them and wanted them to live on the blog as well as instagram. Remember Instagram should not be your end all be all and this is why.
Loved it! Exactly what we needed! Thanks for sharing!
Awesome tip Jen! I’ve seen a couple people use this feature, but didn’t know much about it. Thanks for sharing.
This was really helpful! I’ve been confused about how to approach alt-text. Also, this look is everything! The blazer is the perfect addition to that dress!
Author
Thank you so much! Yeah alt text can be tricky. I am going to chat with my SEO girl at work to find out more
Grateful for the tip! I love that I can constantly learn from fellow bloggers! Thanks, girl!