how-to guide
How to Add Alt Text to Images in WordPress
Give every image a short text description so search engines and screen readers can understand it.
Alt text is a short description attached to an image so search engines and screen readers know what it shows. Missing alt text is one of the most common small fixes on older WordPress sites.
Steps
- Open the post or page in the WordPress editor and click the image block.
- In the block settings panel on the right, find the "Alt text (alternative text)" field.
- Write a plain, specific description of what the image actually shows — not a keyword list.
- Repeat for every image in the media library that's missing one, starting with images on your highest-traffic pages.
- Update the post to save the change.
ask datanephew
Can datanephew find which images are missing alt text?
Yes — ask it to check a page or your whole site for images without alt text, and it will point you to the ones worth fixing first.
Does alt text actually help my rankings?
It helps indirectly — it makes your images eligible to appear in image search and improves accessibility, both of which search engines factor into overall page quality. It's not a major direct ranking signal on its own.