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Why IMG ALT Tags are important (for Users)

The web was designed as a medium in which the free flow of information could occur. Not everyone using a computer has vision or hands.

Some people have their images turned off, while others go the extra step and have the page read to them. The img alt tag is designed to allow these individuals to visually picture what they are missing. If an image does not load, the image alt tag loads in its place.

IMG ALT Tag Syntax

<img src="../../images/picture.gif" alt="."> would be how to define a blank image or placeholder. To define an image the you should use
<img src="../../bla.gif" alt="bla.">
Using the period after the word will allow a person with their text read to them to know when one image has ended and the next has began.

IMG ALT Tags & Search Engines

The img alt tag is no golden nugget though. Many people stuff amazingly long strings of crap in their img alt tags. The search engines have responded by giving less weighting to the content of img alt tags. In all actuality, many top search engines do not weigh the tag into their algorithm for the given page.

Img alt tags that are placed on image links are weighted into the relevancy algorithms for the page the image is linking to in some major search engines.

Placing Text in Images

Typically it is not good to use text in images as far as usability goes. If the user has bad vision the text will not resize if it is stuck in an image.

A good time to use text in images is when the image is large and for branding use. A good example might be an image on every page that links back to the home page (such as the logo).