Alternative text a.k.a alt text is NOT a new term and is often used in websites.  It is written text that takes the place of an image if it doesn’t load.  It also describes your image to people who have visual impairments.  Search engines use crawlers that scan your alt text if it is written correctly.  This can potentially lead to more followers and a higher engagement rate because your image has shown up in SERPS (Search Engine Result Pages).

How to use alt tags

On Instagram, choose the image you want to upload and hit “next.” Scroll to the bottom and tap Advanced Settings. Choose the option “write alt text.”

Upload picture and tap “Next”

Scroll down and tap “Advanced Settings”

Scroll down and tap “Write alt text”

Write your Alt text in the text box and remember to tap “Done”

Good alt text:

“A black iPhone being held with the screen showing an instagram feed.”

Bad alt text:

“An image of a person holding a black smartphone with lots of smaller images in squares.”

What helps me write alt text is looking at the picture I am uploading, then closing my eyes and using descriptive words that paint that same picture in my mind.

Here are some more tips for writing alt text:

-Do not put the words “picture of” or “this is an image of.” Screen reading tools can pick up that it is an image.

-Keep your alt text fewer than 125 characters so you are sure to use descriptive words and get to the point of what the picture is about.

-Use your keywords in the alt text. If your photo is about a banana split on instagram, then make sure you have “banana split” written.

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