Answered by
Oliver Hall
Image title and alt text both serve important purposes for web accessibility and search engine optimization (SEO), but they differ in their usage and significance.
The title attribute of an image is typically displayed as a tooltip when a user hovers over the image. It provides additional information about the image and can enhance user experience, but it doesn't have significant impact on SEO. The image title might not be read by screen readers (which assist visually impaired users in navigating the internet) depending on their settings.
Here's how you would add a title to an image in HTML:
<img src='image.jpg' title='This is the image title'>
The alt attribute, or alt text, describes the content of the image, providing a textual alternative for those who cannot view the image. This includes search engines and users with visual impairments using screen readers. Alt text is very important for SEO, as it helps search engines understand the content of images, which they wouldn't be able to do otherwise.
Here's how you would add alt text to an image in HTML:
<img src='image.jpg' alt='This is the alt text'>
While both image title and alt text provide descriptive information about an image, the primary differences lie in their usage and SEO impact. Alt text directly influences how well search engines can understand your site's content, affecting its search ranking. Conversely, while title text can improve user experience, it carries less weight in terms of SEO.
You should aim to include meaningful alt text for all images, describing the image content accurately for both SEO purposes and accessibility. Image titles can be used as supplemental information or left out if not necessary.