When adding images to your LinkedIn profile or posts, alt text can seem like an afterthought. However, alt text serves some important purposes, especially when it comes to SEO and accessibility. In this article, we’ll explore what exactly alt text is, why it’s important on LinkedIn specifically, and tips for optimizing it.
What is alt text?
Alt text, also known as “alternative text,” refers to a written description added to images on the web. This text serves as an alternative for the image if it fails to load properly or if a user is unable to see it.
Here are some key facts about alt text:
- Alt text is defined in the HTML code using the alt attribute within the img tag.
- Screen readers used by visually impaired users will read aloud the alt text to describe an image.
- Search engines are unable to “see” images, so they rely on alt text to understand what an image contains.
- If no alt text is set, screen readers will simply skip over the image, while search engines may interpret the image as irrelevant.
In summary, alt text provides a textual alternative that enables images to be accessible and useful for those that cannot directly see them.
Why is alt text important on LinkedIn?
There are two main reasons why alt text deserves special attention on your LinkedIn presence:
Accessibility
LinkedIn is striving to make their platform accessible to all users, including those with visual impairments. Adding alt text ensures your images are accessible for screen reader users.
As a professional platform, LinkedIn aims to allow all users to connect, network, and access opportunities regardless of ability. Making your profile and posts accessible through proper alt text aligns with LinkedIn’s mission of inclusion.
SEO
Alt text boosts your LinkedIn SEO since search engines rely heavily on text content. Images on your profile and posts will get indexed by search engines if descriptive alt text is added.
This allows your images to appear in Google Image searches and makes them discoverable by LinkedIn members searching keywords relevant to your industry.
In other words, alt text makes your images work harder for your SEO. LinkedIn alt text is especially impactful since LinkedIn profiles rank highly in Google search results.
Tips for optimizing alt text
To maximize the impact of your LinkedIn alt text, keep these tips in mind:
Avoid generic descriptions
Don’t use “image” or “picture” as your descriptions. These provide no context. Instead, summarize what the image adds visually.
Use keywords strategically
Keywords related to your niche can raise your visibility when added to alt text. But avoid over-optimization by stuffing too many keywords.
Describe photos of people
For photos of people, identify them by name and position/relation to you. Don’t use vague terms like “group photo.”
Add context
Supplementary details can help screen readers and search engines better grasp the image content.
Keep it concise
Alt text works best when kept short and to the point. Shoot for 125 characters or less.
Don’t repeat caption text
If your image already has a descriptive caption, avoid duplicating the caption word-for-word in the alt text.
Examples of good LinkedIn alt text
Here are a few examples of properly optimized alt text for different types of LinkedIn images:
Image Type | Good Alt Text Example |
---|---|
Headshot of yourself | Jane Smith, Founder & CEO of ABC Company |
Company logo | ABC Company logo |
Photo of a product | Image of our flagship product, the ABC123 portable scanner used for digitizing documents |
Infographic | 5 tips for social media marketing, infographic highlighting best practices |
Stock photo | People collaborating in an office during a conference call |
Should you go back and add alt text to existing images?
If you have lots of images already on your profile or past posts, adding alt text now can seem like a daunting task.
While alt text should ideally be added right away when uploading new images, it is still worth going back through previous images to optimize them. This helps boost accessibility and SEO moving forward.
Focus first on profile images visible to all visitors, since these have the most impact. Then work your way through posts, starting with more recent ones.
For efficiency, add brief but descriptive alt text, even just a few words. Some text is better than none. Lengthy paragraphs are not necessary.
Tools to streamline adding alt text
Manually adding alt text descriptions to all your LinkedIn images may sound tedious. Fortunately, various browser extensions and AI tools can automate parts of the process.
Here are a couple options to explore:
- WebAIM WAVE Tool: This free Chrome extension inserts default alt text to images lacking descriptions. It also identifies other accessibility issues to address.
- Descript Alt Text: This paid software uses AI to generate alt text descriptions simply by entering a URL. The algorithm analyzes the image and creates appropriate text.
While auto-generated alt text lacks the specificity of human-written text, these tools can accelerate the process. You can go back and refine the computer-created descriptions later.
Conclusion
Alt text often goes overlooked on LinkedIn, but it offers valuable benefits. By providing textual alternatives for your images, you boost accessibility for visually impaired users and SEO reach.
Crafting descriptive, keyword-rich alt text descriptions should be standard practice when adding visuals to your LinkedIn profile and posts. Even if you have lots of existing images, it’s worth investing time to optimize them with alt text.