Image Tags and Search Engines

[Powered]

Im having a bit of brain blur* I have added image alt tags to a website I am launching in the near future, I understand this helps with Search Engines but is there anyother method for labelling images that helps. Im sure I've heard of something but cant remember it.

Thanks.

[vinyl-junkie]

I don't believe that using alt tags for images does that much for you in terms of search engines. That's more about website accessibility than anything else.

[zoobie]

a similar method is used with the 'a' tag with title tag
<a href="page3.html" title="Red Cars">Red Cars</a>
every little bit helps

[croatiankid]

you can use a title attribute on IMG too. IDK if it helps, but it can't hurt (unless you have a ton of images and it would increase your document size too much)

[Pennimus]

You're probably referring to the longdesc attribute of images.

[croatiankid]

no, I'm referring to the title attribute (http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/struct/global.html#h-7.4.3)

[Pennimus]

I wasn't talking to you, I was addressing the original poster.

[oracleguy]

you can use a title attribute on IMG too. IDK if it helps, but it can't hurt (unless you have a ton of images and it would increase your document size too much)

Though keep in mind, semantically the alt and title attributes have different purposes.

[Majoracle]

The alt (alternative) text is just what the browser will show in case the image is broken or can't be found. I don't think it has any effects on search engines what-so-ever.

[Pennimus]

Well to a certain extent you're wrong. The alt text isn't displayed just if the image is broken or can't be found - it's also displayed if images can't be displayed due to limitations imposed by the user agent. What you've got to remember is that search engines are basically very limited user agents, and part of that limitation does indeed include not displaying images. So they read alt text instead.