What is the Difference Between Image Alt Text and Image Title in WordPress in 2023

Almost all of the websites on the internet use images that play an important part from entertaining the viewers to demonstrating a product or service. When it comes to optimizing your site, the “Alt text” and “Title” portions of your image are used by browsers and search engines.

Alt Text and Image Title play a crucial role in search engine optimization and user engagement. But the question here arises is, “What is the actual difference between Image Alt text and Image Title in WordPress?”

In this article, we will let you know how image Alt Text and Image Title are differentiated from each other and how both are better used for optimization purposes.

Image Alt Text vs Image Title:

Alt text and image title are two different attributes that can be added to an image tag in HTML.

Alt text (short for “alternative text”) is a required attribute that provides a description of an image for people who are visually impaired or who have turned off images in their web browser. It’s also used by search engines to understand the content of an image. Alt text should be concise and descriptive, and should accurately convey the content and purpose of the image.

Image titles, on the other hand, are optional attributes that provide additional information about an image. They are typically displayed as a tooltip when the user hovers their mouse over the image. Image titles are often used to provide additional context or a brief description of the image, but they are not used by search engines to understand the content of an image.

In summary, alt text is a required attribute that provides a description of an image for accessibility and search engine purposes, while image titles are optional attributes that provide additional context or description for the image, typically displayed as a tooltip.

Adding Alt Text to an Image in WordPress:

WordPress allows using the block editor, the classic editor, or the Media Library to easily add alt text to your images.

1. Through Block Editor:

You can add alt text to an image in WordPress from the block editor using the following steps:

• Insert an image block in your post or page by clicking on the “+” icon and selecting “Image” from the list of available blocks.
• Upload or select the image you want to add alt text to.
• Once the image is inserted, click on the image to select it.
• In the block settings panel on the right-hand side of the screen, scroll down to the “Image Settings”
• Under the “Image Settings” section, you will see an input field labeled “Alternative Text”. Enter a concise and descriptive description of the image in this field.
• Save your changes by clicking on the “Update” or “Publish”

Congratulations, you have successfully added alt text to your image in the WordPress block editor.

2. Through Classic Editor:

You can add alt text to an image in WordPress from the classic editor using the following steps:

• Open the post or page where you want to add an image in the classic editor.
• Click on the “Add Media” button located above the post editor.
• Upload or select the image you want to add alt text to.
• Once the image is inserted, click on the “Edit” button located below the image.
• In the “Attachment Details” panel that appears on the right-hand side of the screen, scroll down to the “Alternative Text”
• Enter a concise and descriptive description of the image in this field.
• Click on the “Update” button to save your changes.

Congratulations, you have successfully added alt text to your image in the WordPress classic editor.

3. In the Media Library:

You can add alt text to an image in the WordPress media library using the following steps:

• Log in to your WordPress site and navigate to the Media Library by clicking on “Media” in the left-hand menu.
• Find the image for which you want to add alt text and click on the “Edit” button located below the image.
• In the “Attachment Details” panel that appears on the right-hand side of the screen, you will see an input field labeled “Alternative Text”.
• Enter a concise and descriptive description of the image in this field.
• Click on the “Update” button to save your changes.

Congratulations, you have successfully added alt text to your image in the WordPress media library. This alt text will now be automatically used whenever the image is inserted into a post or page.

Adding Image Titles in WordPress:

Basically, there are two types of titles that can be added to the images in WordPress:

1. Default Image Title (WordPress uses it internally to identify media files in the Media Library and attachments pages)
2. HTML Image Title Attribute (Added to images in your posts and pages)

Let’s see how to add both types of titles.

Adding the WordPress Image Title in the Media Library:

You can add the title of an image in the WordPress media library using the following steps:

• Log in to your WordPress site and navigate to the Media Library by clicking on “Media” in the left-hand menu.
• Find the image for which you want to add a title and click on the “Edit” button located below the image.
• In the “Attachment Details” panel that appears on the right-hand side of the screen, you will see an input field labeled “Title”.
• Enter the title of the image in this field. The title can be a brief description of the image, and it can be different from the alt text.
• Click on the “Update” button to save your changes.

Congratulations, you have successfully added the title of your image to the WordPress media library. The image title will be displayed as a tooltip when the user hovers over the image, and it can also be used by some WordPress themes and plugins to enhance the display of your website.

Adding an HTML Image Title Attribute in the Block Editor:

You can add an HTML image title attribute in the WordPress block editor using the following steps:

• Insert an image block in your post or page by clicking on the “+” icon and selecting “Image” from the list of available blocks.
• Upload or select the image you want to add an image title to.
• Once the image is inserted, click on the image to select it.
• In the block settings panel on the right-hand side of the screen, scroll down to the “Advanced”
• Under the “Advanced” section, you will see an input field labeled “HTML Anchor Title”. Enter the title text you want to use for the image in this field.
• Save your changes by clicking on the “Update” or “Publish”

Adding an HTML Image Title Attribute in the Classic Editor:

You can add an HTML image title attribute in the WordPress classic editor using the following steps:

• Open the post or page where you want to add an image in the classic editor.
• Click on the “Add Media” button located above the post editor.
• Upload or select the image you want to add an image title to.
• Once the image is inserted, click on the “Advanced Options” link located in the “Attachment Details” panel on the right-hand side of the screen.
• In the “Image Details” panel that appears, you will see an input field labeled “Title”. Enter the title text you want to use for the image in this field.
• Click on the “Insert into post” button to insert the image into your post or page.

Setting Image Titles and Alt Text using a Plugin:

Yoast SEO is a comprehensive SEO plugin that includes a feature called “Image SEO” which automatically adds alt text and title tags to images based on the post’s content.

Automatically Setting iImage Titles Using Yoast SEO

You can automatically set image titles using Yoast SEO in the following way:

• Install and activate the Yoast SEO plugin from the WordPress repository.
• Once installed and activated, navigate to the Yoast SEO settings on your WordPress dashboard.
• Click on the “Search Appearance”
• Click on the “Media”
• Enable the “Add image SEO data to media”
• Click on the “Save Changes”
• Now, whenever you upload an image to your WordPress site, Yoast SEO will automatically generate an image title based on the image file name.
• To ensure that your image titles are optimized for SEO, make sure that your image file names are descriptive and include relevant keywords.

By enabling this setting, Yoast SEO will automatically add image titles to all images you upload, which can help improve the SEO of your site. However, it’s still important to add alt text manually for each image to ensure that search engines can understand the content of your images.

Setting Alt Text Using Yoast SEO:

You can automatically set alt text using Yoast SEO in the following way:

• Install and activate the Yoast SEO plugin from the WordPress repository.
• Once installed and activated, navigate to the Yoast SEO settings on your WordPress dashboard.
• Click on the “Search Appearance”
• Click on the “Media”
• Enable the “Add image SEO data to media”
• Click on the “Save Changes”
• Now, whenever you upload an image to your WordPress site, Yoast SEO will automatically generate alt text based on the image file name and surrounding text on the page.
• To ensure that your alt text is optimized for SEO, make sure that your image file names are descriptive and include relevant keywords. Also, make sure that the surrounding text on the page is relevant to the image.

Role of Alt Text and Image Titles Features in WordPress:

Using alt text and image titles in WordPress is important for several reasons:

Accessibility:

Alt text provides a textual description of an image, which is important for users who are visually impaired and use screen readers to navigate the web. Screen readers can read aloud the alt text to these users, providing a description of the content of the image.

SEO:

Alt text and image titles can help improve the SEO of your website by providing search engines with additional context about the content of your pages. When search engines can understand the content of your images, they may display them in image search results, which can drive more traffic to your site.

Usability:

Image titles can provide users with additional information about an image when they hover over it with their cursor. This can help users understand the content of the image and decide whether they want to click on it.

In summary, using alt text and image titles in WordPress is important for improving the accessibility, SEO, and usability of your website. By providing descriptive and relevant alt text and image titles, you can make your site more inclusive and easier to use for all visitors.

FAQs:

Q: Can I use the Same text for the alt Text and Image Title?

A: While you can use the same text for alt text and image title, it’s generally recommended to use unique and descriptive text for each. Alt text should describe the content of the image for accessibility purposes, while image titles can provide additional context or information about the image.

Q: Do I Need to Add Both alt text and image Title to my Images?

A: It’s recommended to add both alt text and image titles to your images. Alt text is necessary for accessibility, while image titles can provide additional context and information for both users and search engines.

Q: Should I add alt text and image titles to Decorative Images?

A: Decorative images, such as background images or design elements, may not require alt text or image titles. However, if the decorative image serves a functional purpose, such as a button with a unique design, then it’s important to include alt text and image titles to provide context for users and search engines.

Q: Can I add alt Text and Image titles to Previously Uploaded images?

A: Yes, you can add alt text and image titles to previously uploaded images in the WordPress media library. Simply edit the image and add the alt text and image title in the appropriate fields.

Q: Do all WordPress themes Support image titles and alt text?

A: Yes, all WordPress themes support image titles and alt text. However, the way these fields are displayed on your site may vary depending on your theme’s design and functionality.

Final Thoughts:

In conclusion, both image alt text and image title serve different purposes in WordPress. Alt text is used for accessibility purposes, providing a textual description of the image for visually impaired users, while image titles provide additional context or information about the image. While it’s recommended to use both for optimal website performance, it’s important to use unique and descriptive text for each. By understanding the differences between image alt text and image titles in WordPress, website owners can improve their website’s accessibility, SEO, and usability for all users.

We hope that this article helped you understand the difference between image alt text and image title in WordPress. If still there is any query in your mind regarding this topic, feel free to contact us.