Browse Definitions :
Definition

alt text (alternative text)

Alt text (alternative text) is a word or phrase that can be inserted as an attribute in an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) document to tell Web site viewers the nature or contents of an image. The alt text appears in a blank box that would normally contain the image. Alt text is useful when an image link is not available because of a broken or changed URL or some other issue.

An alt attribute starts out with the character sequence alt= and then contains the alt text within quotation marks. For example, the attribute alt="Storm Surge" might appear in the HTML image tag for a photograph of high water during a hurricane. In most browsers, hovering the pointer over an image containing an alt attribute will cause the alt text to appear within a small box beneath the pointer.

When choosing alt text, it's important to ensure that it tells viewers as much as possible about the image, using as few words as possible. This consideration becomes increasingly important as images get physically smaller. If the alt text is too long, it might take up too much space to fit inside the image rectangle (which is the same size as the image would be if it were visible). With bullet links that have external text labels, for example, alt text would only cause clutter. In cases of that sort, the alt text can comprise a single space between the quotes (alt=" ") or the two quotes can be placed right up against each other (alt="").

Alt attributes should always go inside image tags, even if no alt boxes are wanted. If the Web page author does not want an alt box to appear in conjunction with an image, a blank alt attribute should be inserted in the image tag to ensure that a default character sequence showing the image's Web address will not appear when the viewer hovers the pointer over the image.

Alt text is a good place to place relevant keywords to improve your website’s search engine optimization (SEO). As with text elsewhere, however, keyword stuffing -- the practice of inserting a large number of keywords into Web content -- is discouraged. According to Google, the practice is not only unethical but also ineffective.

This was last updated in October 2012
Networking
  • unshielded twisted pair (UTP)

    Unshielded twisted pair (UTP) is a ubiquitous type of copper cabling used in telephone wiring and local area networks (LANs).

  • Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)

    Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) is a switching mechanism used in wide area networks (WANs).

  • computer network

    A computer network is a group of interconnected nodes or computing devices that exchange data and resources with each other.

Security
  • three-factor authentication (3FA)

    Three-factor authentication (3FA) is the use of identity-confirming credentials from three separate categories of authentication ...

  • cyber espionage

    Cyber espionage (cyberespionage) is a type of cyber attack that malicious hackers carry out against a business or government ...

  • role-based access control (RBAC)

    Role-based access control (RBAC) is a method of restricting network access based on the roles of individual users within an ...

CIO
  • knowledge-based systems (KBSes)

    Knowledge-based systems (KBSes) are computer programs that use a centralized repository of data known as a knowledge base to ...

  • Sarbanes-Oxley Act

    The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 is a federal law that established sweeping auditing and financial regulations for public companies.

  • project charter

    A project charter is a formal short document that states a project exists and provides project managers with written authority to...

HRSoftware
  • employee engagement

    Employee engagement is the emotional and professional connection an employee feels toward their organization, colleagues and work.

  • talent pool

    A talent pool is a database of job candidates who have the potential to meet an organization's immediate and long-term needs.

  • diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)

    Diversity, equity and inclusion is a term used to describe policies and programs that promote the representation and ...

Customer Experience
  • sales development representative (SDR)

    A sales development representative (SDR) is an individual who focuses on prospecting, moving and qualifying leads through the ...

  • service level indicator

    A service level indicator (SLI) is a metric that indicates what measure of performance a customer is receiving at a given time.

  • customer data platform (CDP)

    A customer data platform (CDP) is a type of software application that provides a unified platform of customer information that ...

Close