How to write image ALT text for SEO without keyword stuffing

Open the image settings on many small business websites and you will find ALT attributes like "best saree shop Surat cheap sarees online Surat saree". Someone was told images help SEO and did what seemed logical. The trouble is that search engines read this as spam, and people using screen readers hear nonsense. Writing ALT text for SEO works the other way round: describe the image accurately for a person who cannot see it, and let relevant words appear only where they are true.

What ALT text is used for

The alt attribute on an image holds a text alternative. It serves several audiences at once:

• Screen reader users hear it in place of the image
• Everyone sees it if the image fails to load on a slow connection
• Search engines use it, along with surrounding text, to understand what the image shows and how it relates to the page

Google’s image guidance recommends useful, information-rich ALT text that uses keywords appropriately and in context, and warns specifically against filling the attribute with keywords. So the search engine is asking for exactly what a good description already provides.

Description first: a simple writing method

Try this three-step approach for any image that carries meaning:

1. Ask what the image shows. Name the main subject in plain words: "a woman wearing a green silk saree".
2. Ask why it is on this page. Add the detail that matters in context: on a product page, the fabric and border; on a blog about draping styles, the draping style.
3. Trim. Remove "image of", "picture of" and anything obvious. Most good ALT text is one short sentence, often under about 125 characters.

The result might be: "Woman wearing a green Kanjivaram silk saree with a gold temple border". That is accurate, specific, and naturally contains the words a shopper would search.

Where keywords fit naturally

Keywords belong in ALT text when they describe what is visible. A useful test is to imagine reading the ALT aloud to a customer on the phone. If it sounds like a normal description, it is fine. If it sounds like a list of search terms, it is stuffing.

• Natural: "Modular kitchen with white gloss cabinets and a quartz countertop"
• Stuffed: "modular kitchen, modular kitchen Delhi, best modular kitchen designs, kitchen interior"
• Natural: "Technician checking the gas pressure of a split AC outdoor unit"
• Stuffed: "AC repair AC service AC gas filling near me"

Location words deserve care. Adding "Delhi" to a photo of a kitchen tells nobody anything about the image unless the location is visible or genuinely relevant, such as a photo of your showroom’s signboard.

Product images: detail that helps shoppers and search

For an online store, product photos are where ALT text has the most search value, because people search images for specific products. Useful details include:

• Product type and brand, if it is a branded item you are authorised to sell
• Distinguishing attributes: colour, material, size, pattern, model
• The view shown, when several photos exist: front, back, close-up of stitching, worn by a model

So a gallery might carry "Brown leather laptop bag, front view with buckle straps", "Brown leather laptop bag, interior with padded laptop sleeve" and "Brown leather laptop bag worn over the shoulder". Each is different because each photo shows something different. Copying the product name into every ALT would waste that opportunity.

If your store generates ALT text automatically from the product name, add an attribute field such as colour or view to make each one distinct.

Blog and article images: support the content

In articles, images often illustrate a step or concept. The ALT text should reflect the point the image is making in that spot.

• Screenshot of a setting: "Google Search Console sidebar with the Sitemaps report selected"
• Chart: summarise the takeaway, such as "Bar chart showing mobile visits rising from March to June", and explain the details in the surrounding text
• Photo illustrating a tip: "Shopkeeper scanning a UPI QR code at a billing counter"
• Image containing text, such as a quote graphic: include the words in the ALT, or better, put the text in the page itself

Generic stock photos add less value. If a photo of people shaking hands exists only to break up text, a brief honest ALT or an empty one is better than inventing a keyword-heavy description.

Decorative images: when to leave ALT empty

Background patterns, divider graphics, and icons placed next to a text label that already says the same thing do not need descriptions. For these, use an empty attribute, written as alt="". Screen readers skip them, and search engines are not being fed meaningless text.

Leaving the attribute out entirely is different and worse: some screen readers then read the file name aloud. From an SEO angle, decorative images simply are not ranking opportunities, so there is nothing to gain by describing them.

Linked images and logos

When an image is the only content inside a link, its ALT text acts like the link’s anchor text. Describe where the link goes rather than the picture. A logo linking to the homepage should say something like "Kapoor Interiors home", and a banner linking to a sale page should name that page, for example "Monsoon sale on rain jackets".

An ALT text review for your site

Run a quick check on your most visited pages:

1. Use Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools to flag images missing an alt attribute.
2. Scan your media library or product export for ALT text that repeats across many images.
3. Look for comma-separated keyword lists and rewrite them as sentences.
4. Confirm decorative images have empty ALT values rather than none.
5. Check that linked images describe their destination.

Prioritise product and category images on stores, and key service photos on business sites. If you are launching a catalogue, building ALT fields into product uploads from the start saves a lot of cleanup; our online store development setups include that as standard.

Frequently asked questions

How long should ALT text be for SEO?

There is no official limit. Keep it as long as needed to describe the image usefully, which is usually one short sentence. Very long descriptions belong in the page text or a caption.

Does ALT text help a page rank, or just the image?

It mainly helps Google understand and rank the image in image search, and adds some context to the page. It is a supporting signal, not a main ranking factor for the page.

Should ALT text be in Hindi on a Hindi page?

Yes, ALT text should match the language of the page, so both users and search engines get a consistent picture.

Is AI-generated ALT text good enough?

Automatic descriptions can be a starting point, but they often miss context such as product attributes or why the image is on the page. Review and edit them, especially for important images.