Source: https://divicake.com/blog/what-is-alt-text-and-why-does-it-matter/ [Blog](https://divicake.com/blog/)/[SEO](https://divicake.com/category/seo/) # What is Alt Text and Why Does it Matter (for SEO and Accessibility)? By Divi Cake·13 October 2026·Updated 5 September 2026·3 min read What is alt text and why does it matter for SEO and accessibility We may earn a commission from affiliate links in this post. [Disclosure policy](https://divicake.com/affiliate-disclosure-policy/) On this page - [What is Alt Text?](https://divicake.com#what-is-alt-text) - [Why Does it Matter?](https://divicake.com#why-does-it-matter) - [Why is Alt Text essential for SEO?](https://divicake.com#why-is-alt-text-essential-for-seo) - [Why is Alt Text Important for Accessibility?](https://divicake.com#why-is-alt-text-important-for-accessibility) - [How does Divi handle alt text?](https://divicake.com#how-does-divi-handle-alt-text) - [Problem with How Divi Handles the Alt Text](https://divicake.com#problem-with-how-divi-handles-the-alt-text) ## What is Alt Text? [Alt text](https://moz.com/learn/seo/alt-text) is the hidden alternative text displayed when an image cannot be loaded. It provides a visual representation of an image for the reader and helps search engines understand the content of the website. What alt text does for SEO and accessibility Divi 5 note: the Divi behaviour described below is Divi 4. On Divi 5 the Image module takes its alt text from the WordPress media library, and it still neither requires nor prompts for one — if the library field is empty, the image renders with an empty alt attribute or none at all. Alt text should be used when images are not accompanied by any other text, such as in multimedia content. It should also be used with interactive images to provide a better user experience. ## Why Does it Matter? Alt text is important because it provides context to the user in case they cannot view the image. It can also provide additional information about the image, such as its location, what it is depicting, and who created it. Alt text is essential for SEO as it helps Google understand what a page is about. It also helps with accessibility, search engine optimization, and website usability. ## Why is Alt Text essential for SEO? The alt text is a key part of the HTML code used to provide a textual alternative for images. Search engines cannot read images, so they use the text provided in the alt attribute. Alt-text is one of the most important aspects of SEO. It’s a brief description of the image on your webpage, and both humans and search engines can see it. Alt text should be concise, unique, and relevant to the page content. The keyword should be in the first sentence of your alt text, and it should not exceed 150 characters. ## Why is Alt Text Important for Accessibility? Alt text is essential for accessibility because, without it, people with disabilities who rely on screen readers or other assistive technologies will not be able to understand what an image contains. Alt text should always provide information about what can be seen in the photo and what the photo depicts. It should also include information about where and when the photo was taken and any other relevant details necessary to understand its context. Alt text should be written in plain language so that users without disabilities can understand what they are looking at. For example, instead of writing “a cat” one could write “a black and white cat.” ## How does Divi handle alt text? Before the release of Divi 4.4, it was not possible to autoload the Alt text for images in Divi from the WordPress Gallery, but as of Divi 4.4, when you add an image, the alt text will automatically be generated for you based on what’s in the image file name or what’s in the image caption if you don’t have a file name. You can also manually add or change the alt text from the advanced tab in module settings. ## Problem with How Divi Handles the Alt Text There are two issues with how [Divi](https://divicake.com/go/divi) handles the Alt Text - If you have an existing website developed before the launch of Divi 4.4, then it’s most likely you haven’t alt text added for images unless you did it manually. - If you need to change the Alt Text in the WordPress gallery after adding the image to a page via image-specific modules, then Divi will not update the alt text automatically. You’ll need to check all the occurrences for the image and update the alt text manually. ## Written by Divi Cake Divi 5 tutorials, layouts and fixes from the team that builds Divi sites every week. - [About Divi Cake](https://divicake.com/about/) ## Get the Divi Cake newsletter New Divi tutorials and Divi Cake product news, by email. First name (optional)Email Company website SubscribeSubscribeSubscribe Unsubscribe any time. 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