Why is alt important for SEO and accessibility?

The alt attribute on images matters for both SEO and accessibility, because it provides meaning where there is no visual perception - for a bot, a blind user, or when loading fails.

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#For accessibility (a11y):

1. Read by a screen reader People with visual impairments use programs that read the page content aloud. If an image has alt, the screen reader will say: "image: company logo" instead of "image: empty".
2. Conveys meaning, not just "something is here" This is especially critical when the image is part of navigation, a button, a chart, or infographics.
3. Respects the user Without alt, an interface becomes inaccessible. Which means unethical, non-functional, and formally non-compliant (for example, with the WCAG standard).

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#For SEO:

1. The search engine does not "see" the picture, it reads alt A bot analyzes the text in alt to understand what is depicted: a product, a diagram, an object. This affects indexing and appearance in Google Images.
2. Helps associate the image with keywords For example, a product with alt="blue men's winter jacket" has a higher chance of ranking for the query "blue men's jacket".
3. Works as part of the text content alt can add weight to a page's key topics, especially when the image is contextual and complements the article.

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Conclusion: The alt attribute is eyes for those who cannot see, and language for those who cannot understand pictures. Its absence is like a file with no name: it exists, but no one knows why.