In my last tip, I wrote about the importance of making your website readable to the visually impaired.
As I mentioned in that article, one of the most important things to do on your website is to write the alternative text a.k.a. alt tags for your images. Alt tags describe your image in text.
Alt tags are not just for websites. They can and should be used on social media posts.
This is something I, myself, neglected until my recent meeting with folks from Valley Center for the Blind.
I don’t remember exactly how the subject came up; perhaps I was watching my blind friend look at a Facebook post.
“You can write alt tags for Facebook posts?” I asked.
“Yes, you can,” was the reply.
Sure enough, the next time I was in my Facebook editor, I uploaded an image, clicked the edit pencil, and there was the alt tag tool plain as could be.
Ditto with LinkedIn, Instagram, and Constant Contact. I’m confident the other social platforms all have the feature available.
Interestingly, Google Business Posts uses AI to generate alt text for images; you cannot customize the text.
Most likely, I had seen the options before, but always being in a hurry, I ignored them.
It is a little more work, but if you’re selling online, it’s worth it not to leave any customers behind.
Easy Web Tip 377: Write your alt tags on social meda and describe your image.
P.S. As mentioned in my last post, Valley Center for the Blind can assist with website accessibility testing even if you are not in California.
