Question: What is the difference between image caption and alt text in SEO?

In terms of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), both image captions and alt text play crucial roles, albeit in different ways.

Alt Text

Alt text, short for alternative text, is an attribute you can add to HTML image tags. It's used to describe the content of an image to search engines and people who can't see the image (for instance, visually impaired users or if the image fails to load).

<img src="image.jpg" alt="Description of the image">

From an SEO perspective, alt text helps search engines understand what an image is about, which could enhance your website's visibility in image search results. It's considered a best practice in web development to always include alt text for images.

Image Caption

An image caption is the text that appears below an image, providing context or additional information. Unlike alt text, it is visible to all users.

Here's an example of how to use it:

<figure>
  <img src="image.jpg" alt="Description of the image">
  <figcaption>This is an image caption</figcaption>
</figure>

Captions can also improve SEO as they increase the readability of your content, keeping users engaged for longer periods. Search engines like Google also scan these captions to get more information about your webpage content.

In summary, while alt text primarily aids search engines and accessibility, image captions mainly help human readers by adding context to the image. However, both contribute to enhancing your site's SEO, making it more accessible and understandable to users and search engines alike.