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Alt Text Guide: Write Effective, SEO-Friendly Descriptions

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Alt Text Guide Write Effective, SEO-Friendly Descriptions

Ever wondered what those little text descriptions are that appear when an image fails to load on a website? That is alt text, or alternate text, a critical aspect in web content that is frequently disregarded. Let’s look at what alt text is, why it’s important, and how to create it properly to improve your website’s accessibility and SEO.

What is alt text?

Definition and purpose

Alt text, or alternative text, is a brief description of a picture contained in HTML code. It replaces a picture if it fails to load and helps search engines comprehend what the image is about. More crucially, alt text makes content accessible to visually challenged users who use screen readers.

History of Alt Text

The concept of alt text emerged with the emergence of the web and HTML. Initially, it was intended to increase web accessibility and assist with sluggish internet rates by displaying written descriptions when images failed to load.

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Why is Alt Text important?

Accessibility

Alt text is essential for making web information accessible to all users, including those with visual impairments. Screen readers use alt text to describe visuals, allowing visually impaired people to fully grasp and interact with the material.

SEO Benefits:

Because search engines cannot directly comprehend images, they must rely on alt language to analyze and index visual material. This improves your site’s search engine ranks and visibility, particularly in image search results.

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User Experience

Good alt text improves the user experience by offering context and information, especially when images fail to load due to technical reasons.

How Alt Text Improves Accessibility

Screen Readers and Visually Impaired Users

Screen readers transform digital text into spoken words and employ alt text to describe visuals. This ensures that visually impaired users may understand the content as well as sighted people.

Legal requirements

Many nations have legislative requirements for web accessibility, such as the usage of alternative text. For example, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States requires accessible web content.

  • Alt text has SEO benefits, including improved search engine crawlability.
  • Search engines employ alt text to crawl and index photos.
  • Properly captioned photos can improve your site’s SEO by making your material easier to find and understand for search engines.

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Image Search Visibility.

Alt text improves the visibility of your photographs in search engine results. Well-written alt text can increase traffic to your website via picture searches.

Impact on Page Ranking

Images with good alt text contribute to a higher SEO score, which can boost your overall page ranking in search engine results pages (SERPS).

Best Practices for Writing Alternative Text

Be descriptive yet concise.

Describe the image in enough detail to provide context while keeping it succinct. Strive for a balance between being informed and concise.

Avoid keyword stuffing.

Include important keywords naturally, but avoid stuffing your alt text with keywords. Keyword stuffing might do more harm than good to your SEO.

Relevance to Images and Context

Ensure that your alt text appropriately represents the image content and its context on the page. Misleading alt text can confuse both users and search engines.

Avoid these common mistakes: – Using vague descriptions.

Avoid ambiguous descriptions that do not convey relevant information. For example, “flower” is too ambiguous, whereas “red rose in a vase” is more specific.

  • Redundant use of phrases such as “image of”
  • There is no need to begin with “image of” or “picture of.” Screen readers instantly recognize items as images.

Ignoring Context.

Ensure that your alt text is consistent with the surrounding material. An out-of-context description can perplex users and disrupt the flow of information.

Alt text examples are descriptive.

  • “Golden retriever playing fetch in a park.”
  • “Aerial view of downtown Chicago skyline at sunset.”

Contextual Examples:

  • “New iPhone 13 Pro Max in silver color on a wooden table.”
  • “Delicious vegan lasagna with fresh basil on top.”
  • Bad alt text examples include those that are overly simple.

“Dog” “City”

  • Keyword Stuffed Examples
  • “Cheap golden retriever puppies for sale park fetch” “Chicago best sunset skyline downtown skyscrapers”
  • Alt text for many types of images.
  • Decorative images.
  • To avoid overwhelming screen readers with unnecessary information, use an empty alt attribute (alt=””).

Informative Images

Describe the contents and purpose. Examples include: “Bar chart showing quarterly sales growth from 2019 to 2021.”

Functional Images

Describe the role of images used as links or buttons. For example, “Submit button” and “Home page link.”

Tools for creating and evaluating alt text, including automated tools.

Tools such as Google’s Lighthouse and WAVE can assess your website’s accessibility and make recommendations for improving alt text.

Manual Checks

Manually evaluate your alt text on a regular basis to verify that it is still accurate and relevant when your content changes.

Alt text can be added in various platforms, including WordPress.

When you upload images to WordPress’s media library, you can add alt text directly.

Shopify

Shopify allows you to provide alt text for photos in the product media area.

  • Social Media (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter)
  • When posting photographs to most social networking platforms, you can choose to include alt text. Use these features to enhance accessibility and SEO.

Advanced Alt Text Strategies.

Alt Text for E-Commerce

Use alt text to explain product photos in detail, emphasizing key features and benefits to improve searchability.

Alternative text for blogs and articles.

To improve SEO without sacrificing readability, use relevant keywords in the alt text of blog photographs.

Alternative Text for Social Media Marketing

Engage a larger audience by ensuring that all social media photographs include detailed and relevant alt text.

AI developments enable automated alt text generation. However, manual review remains necessary to guarantee correctness and context.

Evolving Standards

Web accessibility standards are always developing. To ensure compliance and best practices, stay up to speed on guidelines from organizations such as W3C.

Conclusion

Alt text is more than simply a technical detail; it serves as a bridge to accessibility, an SEO tool, and a method of improving user experience. By adhering to standard practices and avoiding common blunders, you can create excellent alt text that benefits both your audience and your website.

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Appeals Court Delays Order For Google To Open Its App Store In Antitrust Case

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(VOR News) – On Friday, a federal judge postponed an order that would have required Google to allow more competition into its Android app store until an appeals court could decide whether to reverse the decision.

This decision was made in response to legal concerns that were raised by a jury’s verdict that classified as an illegal monopolist.

The stay was granted during a court hearing in San Francisco, less than two weeks after U.S. District Judge James Donato’s ruling, which would have necessitated Google to make substantial modifications to its Play Store for Android handsets beginning Nov. 1.

Competitors gained access to Google’s Android app inventory.

Furthermore, Google would have been required to distribute the alternative options through its own Play Store.

Google requested that Donato’s decision be suspended in order to allow the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to evaluate the trial’s conduct. The trial, which lasted for one month, concluded in December 2023 with a verdict that characterized the Play Store as an illegitimate monopoly that impedes innovation and increases consumer costs.

During the session on Friday, Donato ridiculed the notion that Google could succeed in overturning the trial judgment. The judicial officer stated, “A mountain of evidence about Google’s anti-competitive conduct amply supported the verdict in this case.”

Nevertheless, he determined that the Ninth Circuit should be afforded the opportunity to consider a postponement until a panel of justices can determine whether to review appeal of the 2023 trial, which was concentrated around antitrust allegations made by video game developer Epic Games.

Donato said, “However, that is a matter for another individual to determine.” He also expressed that he would not be surprised if the Ninth Circuit imposed additional restrictions on his decision.

Google expressed its satisfaction in a statement that he was able to suspend the process as it attempted to extend the delay even further.

Google expressed, “We are enthusiastic about persistently championing the safeguarding of 100 million U.S. Android users, over 500,000 U.S. developers, and numerous partners who have benefited from our platforms.” The efficacy of Google Play in providing a secure and protected experience is compromised by these solutions.

Donato’s criticism led to a stay on Google’s appeal grounds.

It is uncertain when the Ninth Circuit will make a decision on Google’s request for a permanent stay of Donato’s ruling, as it may take over a year to do so while its appeals are being processed.

In 2021, the Ninth Circuit delayed a segment of a federal judge’s ruling that required Apple to offer links to alternative payment methods within apps developed for the iPhone, as part of an antitrust complaint initiated by Epic.

Apple narrowly evaded being labeled an illegal monopolist during a trial of the iPhone app store. However, it was unsuccessful in its attempt to convince the business to allow alternative payment options within its programs.

Nevertheless, Apple was able to maintain exclusive control over a payment system that has generated commissions of 15%–30% on certain e-commerce transactions that occur within applications by postponing that necessity. Apple was unable to appeal to the United States Supreme Court earlier this year.

Google’s Play Store for Android phones also generates billions of dollars annually through an analogous commission structure; this arrangement is permitted to endure as long is able to prevent Donato’s decision from becoming effective.

Google argued that it was not allotted sufficient time to execute the substantial modifications it deemed “a Herculean task creating an unacceptable risk of safety and security failures within the Android ecosystem” in order to justify its decision to postpone Donato’s ruling. In a statement issued on Friday, Epic characterized Google’s strategies as “fearmongering.”

Furthermore, Google asserted that the restructuring would result in unjustifiable expenses, a claim that Donato refuted during the Friday hearing.

“I don’t want to come across as glib, but the potential expense that Google faces seems like a small amount in comparison to the yearly profits it makes from the Play Store,” Donato pointed out.

SOUREC: USN

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Reddit Will Expand Its AI Collaborations And Test Search Summaries Created By AI.

 

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Reddit Will Expand Its AI Collaborations And Test Search Summaries Created By AI.

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Reddit

(VOR News) – REDDIT has made an announcement that it plans to incorporate AI-generated summaries for its search results in its search engine.

A statement was made in response to the news. This is a component of the effort that is being made to simplify the way in which users interact with the vast amount of content that is available on the network. The effort is currently being made.

Steve Huffman, the Chief Executive Officer of the company, informed investors about the idea during the results call that was held for the second quarter of the company’s fiscal year.

The expansion of the platform, which currently has more than 342.3 million weekly active users and more than one billion monthly searches, was another aspect that he paid attention to.

In Reddit, he also highlighted the platform’s growth.

Reddit users will be able to acquire relevant information in a timely manner as a result of the artificial intelligence summaries that are provided by the platform.

In order to make it simpler for visitors to locate the information they are looking for, these summaries will provide succinct and insightful overviews of the topics that are displayed at the top of search pages. Users will be able to have access to material that is relevant to the questions that they have asked as a result of this.

The statement that Huffman made underlined that this decision is in line with the work that Reddit is doing to improve the quality of the search experience that it provides.

In the event that you are interested in acquiring additional knowledge regarding such projects, you can get additional information regarding them here. He told the reporters who were present at the time, “This is yet another step toward improving searches for everyone,” and they were able to hear him.

The firm claimed to have witnessed a 57% rise in the quantity of user engagement over the course of the previous year, which is indicative of the increased need for efficient methods of getting access to content. This is evident from the fact that the corporation claims to have seen this increase.

Reddit has entered into partnerships with a number of well-known companies, like Google and OpenAI, in order to make it easier for the company to make use of artificial intelligence technologies.

Google and the corporation have come to an arrangement that will result in the company receiving an annual investment of sixty million dollars after the deal is implemented. Because of this relationship, the internet giant will be able to obtain access to the content of Reddit in order to train its artificial intelligence models.

This will enable Reddit to better protect its users’ privacy.

Additionally, OpenAI is able to source real-time content for products such as ChatGPT since it has access to the Data API that is made available to the public by Reddit.

Huffman took a similar action, announcing that the free data scraping service that was provided on Reddit would be withdrawn. This action was made in a similar manner.

Considering that companies like Microsoft will now be compelled to pay for access to client data, it is possible that they will find themselves in a precarious position as a result of this incident.

The need of maintaining control over the data that is stored on Reddit and regulating the manner in which it is employed in a responsible manner was brought to light by Huffman during the course of the conversation.

His explanation to the reporters was as follows: “If we do not have such agreements, we are unable to manage how our data is presented or prevent misuse.” He explained this to the reporters.

Given that Reddit is making these efforts, it is evident that the company is dedicated to employing artificial intelligence to improve the user experience while simultaneously preserving its data assets through strategic partnerships. This commitment is evident from the fact that Reddit is making these efforts.

SOURCE: TET

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Intel Products May Be Subject To Security Evaluation In China.

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Intel

(VOR News) – The Cybersecurity Association of China (CSAC) has alluded to the possibility that American chipmaker Intel may be subject to a security inspection in China.

The CSAC’s official website was the source of this information, which was gathered from there.

Concerns have been raised by the group regarding the possibility that the items that Intel creates could put China’s national security and interests in jeopardy. This is a concern that a significant number of people in the group have.

A major ally of the Chinese government, the China State Security Council (CSAC), has made their accusations public on WeChat by means of an official post. This was done in order to draw attention to the allegations.

In reaction to this action, it is likely that the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), which is the most important internet regulator in the nation, will initiate a formal security evaluation. This is a possibility.

Intel and the CAC have not responded to the story.

“In order to effectively safeguard China’s national security as well as the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese consumers, it is recommended that a network security review be initiated on the products Intel sells in China,” according to the report that was released by the CSAC.

A situation that is analogous to the one that is currently taking place occurred during the time that the CAC prohibited local key infrastructure providers from obtaining products from the American memory chipmaker Micron Technology. This situation is currently going place.

The occurrence of this occurred place after the conclusion of a network security examination that was not carried out in the acceptable manner.

Given that China was responsible for more than 25 percent of Intel’s sales in the previous year, the revenue of the corporation may be significantly impacted in the event that it were to be subjected to constraints and an inspection of a similar type. This is because China was responsible for more than 25 percent of Intel’s sales.

Within the context of the bigger backdrop, this new development takes place within the context of the larger framework of the United States’ restriction of China’s access to essential components and equipment for chipmaking.

When viewed from the perspective of the government of the United States of America, these limits are legitimate because they are a means of preventing China’s military capabilities from developing further through additional development.

According to CSAC, Intel CPUs have several vulnerabilities.

The Xeon processors, which are utilized for applications that are related to artificial intelligence (AI), are particularly susceptible to these flaws.

Intel “has major defects when it comes to product quality, security management, indicating that it is extremely irresponsible attitude towards customers,” according to the association’s website.

In addition, the Cyber Security and Counterintelligence Center (CSAC) is of the opinion that backdoors connected to the National Security Agency (NSA) of the United States can be discovered in the operating systems of all central processing units (CPUs) manufactured by Intel.

It is probable that China’s supply of artificial intelligence processors would become even more risky if Intel goods were to be restricted, even for a short period of time. This would be the case even if the restrictions were only for a short length of time.

As a result of the cutting-edge technologies that NVIDIA has created, the market is having a tough time identifying legitimate alternatives to these technologies. These products are now not allowed to be sold to China, despite the fact that NVIDIA is the market leader in this particular sector of the business.

The story that was previously published by an independent media outlet and titled “Intel products face potential security review in China” was initially written by Verdict, a brand that is owned by GlobalData. With regard to the aforementioned content, Verdict was the original author

SOURCE: YFN

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Positive Outlook for TSMC Could Inspire A Trillion-Dollar Cap Reversal.

 

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