Pictures are an indispensable visual element of a web page, and Alt text (alternative text) is related to the user experience, and more directly affects the search engine's understanding of the picture content and inclusion. With the help of Yoast SEO PluginWe can systematically optimize the Alt text of images to improve the overall SEO performance of the page. This article will focus on the purpose of optimization, Yoast detection mechanism, operation steps and writing suggestions.
![Image[1]-Yoast SEO Practical Guide: How to Optimize Image Alt Text to Boost Rankings](http://gqxi.cn/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250806094612106-image.png)
Why is Alt text important for SEO?
Although the picture is intuitive, but the search engine can not be like people "see" the picture content, only through the Alt text to understand the meaning of the picture. Alt text on the importance of SEO is mainly reflected in these aspects:
- Enhanced page semantics. Every image that replaces text is an addition to the content and helps search engines better determine how well the page matches the search intent.
- Alt text can be an additional source of traffic to a website. With Google Image Search, a properly set upimageryIt can be involved in ranking separately to attract clicks.
- In terms of accessibility, Alt Text also provides descriptions for visually impaired users and is one of the most important criteria for improving the usability of a website.
![Images[2]-Yoast SEO Practical Guide: How to Optimize Image Alt Text to Boost Rankings](http://gqxi.cn/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250806094718397-image.png)
Second, how does Yoast SEO recognize Alt text settings?
The Yoast SEO plugin does not automatically add Alt text, but it will detect if images have alternative text in the article analysis and provide optimization suggestions, such as "Image does not contain the focus keyword" or "Image does not have alternative text". These tips are mainly to encourage the setting up of the page with alternative text. These tips are mainly to encourage the setting of the page'sFocus KeywordsReasonable integration into image descriptions enhances the consistency of content and keywords.
![Image[3]-Yoast SEO Practical Guide: How to Optimize Image Alt Text to Boost Rankings](http://gqxi.cn/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250806100137782-image.png)
Note that Yoast does not determine the quality of Alt text, but focuses more on whether it contains the focus keyword. So we can't pile up keywords for the sake of scoring when we optimize, we have to take the user experience as the premise.
Third, how to set Alt text in WordPress and with Yoast optimization?
make superior Alt TextThe first step is to fill in the alternative text when you upload the image. In the WordPress Media Library, click on any image and you'll see the "Alternative Text" input box on the right. What you fill in here will be carried over into the post by default.
![Images[4]-Yoast SEO Practical Guide: How to Optimize Image Alt Text to Boost Rankings](http://gqxi.cn/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250806100527448-image.png)
After inserting the image into the article, it is recommended to check again if Alt is in effect. In theGutenberg EditorIn the Classic Editor, you can click the Edit Image button to view the settings.
![Image[5]-Yoast SEO Practical Guide: How to Optimize Image Alt Text to Boost Rankings](http://gqxi.cn/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250806102026622-image.png)
After setting the focus keyword, scroll down to the Yoast SEO Analysis area and the system will automatically detect if the Alt text contains the keyword. If there is room for optimization, Yoast will mark it in orange or red and provide suggestions for improvement.
![Image[6]-Yoast SEO Practical Guide: How to Optimize Image Alt Text to Boost Rankings](http://gqxi.cn/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250806095127704-image.png)
At this time, you can choose one or two main picture, the keywords into the natural. For example, the focus of the keyword is "picture Alt optimization", Alt text can be written as "WordPress set the picture Alt text interface screenshot", both concise, but also highly relevant to the content.
IV. Basic Principles of Alt Text Writing
Writing Alt text may seem simple, but there are some clear rules and recommendations, and the following are common writing points:
- Accurate description of image content
Try to be as physical as possible and not overly embellished, e.g. "Screenshot of Analytics Tips for Yoast SEO Plugin in Article" is more specific than "Useful Plugin Diagram". - Natural incorporation of keywords
If the image is highly relevant to the core content of the page, you can incorporate the focus word in the description, but it must be linguistically appropriate to avoid incoherent splicing. - Avoid keyword stacking
Duplicating keywords or squeezing multiple keywords into a single sentence of Alt text will beInternet search engineSeen as low-quality content, affecting score.
![Image[7]-Yoast SEO Practical Guide: How to Optimize Image Alt Text to Boost Rankings](http://gqxi.cn/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250806102656507-image.png)
- Avoid Blanks Alt
Regardless of whether the image is important or not, a description should be set. If it is a decorative image, it is recommended to set an empty [Alt=""] to clearly tell the search engine that the image does not need to be parsed.
![Images[8]-Yoast SEO Practical Guide: How to Optimize Image Alt Text to Boost Rankings](http://gqxi.cn/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20250806102343534-image.png)
- Consistent with page content
Alt text should not be completely disconnected from the body of the text, but should be part of the content and serve the reader.
V. Summary
leverage Yoast SEO You can identify problems with image Alt text settings during the content creation process, avoid omissions, and improve the relevance of the image to the page's topic. Proper use of focus keywords and concise, natural Alt descriptions can improve image SEO performance, as well as enhance the accessibility and professionalism of the entire page. If you want to improve your rankings, start optimizing every image, Yoast SEO is a reliable helper.
Link to this article:http://gqxi.cn/en/73104The article is copyrighted and must be reproduced with attribution.
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