Alternative text (or alt text for short) is an important accessibility and search engine optimization (SEO) tool. Alt text is simply a descriptive piece of text that’s associated with an image on a website or in a social media post, and it enhances accessibility for users with visual impairments, improves the SEO value of images and ensures that users understand what an image is meant to be even if it can’t be displayed.

This article is going to walk you step-by-step through how to add alt text to an image in a UCCE WordPress site, as well as give pointers on how to write effective alt text.

Step 1: Click on “All Media” on the menu on the left. It should automatically take you to your media library where all your images and files are displayed.

Step 2: Click on the image you want to add alt text to. A menu called “Attachment details” will open which displays the image along with a space to the right to add “Alternative Text.”

Step 3: Write your alt text. After you write it, it will save automatically, but you will need to wait a few seconds before exiting out of the “Attachment details” menu to be safe.

Tips for Writing Alt Text

Whether writing alt text for your UCCE website, a different website or a social media post, follow these rules:

Be Descriptive: Remember that users with visual impairments can’t always see the image and rely on alt text for their readers to describe it. Instead of just saying “A church,” describe the greater setting to give users a more complete picture of what’s being shown.

Keep It Short: Alt text only needs to be one or two sentences and under 125 characters.

Punctuate: Your alt text is still a complete sentence and should be punctuated like one.

Include Image Text: If there is text in your image, it should be reflected in the alt text.

Consider the Context: What’s important about a photo is sometimes dictated by other content on a webpage. Keep that context in mind when writing alt text.

The UCC Everywhere (UCCE) program is a state-of-the-art website builder for church leaders within the UCC. For a monthly or annual subscription fee, churches, Associations and Conferences get their own site along with other digital marketing tools and support to make sure their message is reaching faith-seekers in their community via the appropriate virtual channels.