undefined
Skip to content
Moz logo Menu open Menu close
  • Products
    • Moz Pro
    • Moz Pro Home
    • Moz Local
    • Moz Local Home
    • STAT
    • Moz API
    • Moz API Home
    • Compare SEO Products
    • Moz Data
  • Free SEO Tools
    • Domain Analysis
    • Keyword Explorer
    • Link Explorer
    • Competitive Research
    • MozBar
    • More Free SEO Tools
  • Learn SEO
    • Beginner's Guide to SEO
    • SEO Learning Center
    • Moz Academy
    • SEO Q&A
    • Webinars, Whitepapers, & Guides
  • Blog
  • Why Moz
    • Agency Solutions
    • Enterprise Solutions
    • Small Business Solutions
    • Case Studies
    • The Moz Story
    • New Releases
  • Log in
  • Log out
  • Products
    • Moz Pro

      Your all-in-one suite of SEO essentials.

    • Moz Local

      Raise your local SEO visibility with complete local SEO management.

    • STAT

      SERP tracking and analytics for enterprise SEO experts.

    • Moz API

      Power your SEO with our index of over 44 trillion links.

    • Compare SEO Products

      See which Moz SEO solution best meets your business needs.

    • Moz Data

      Power your SEO strategy & AI models with custom data solutions.

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
    Moz Pro

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

    Learn more
  • Free SEO Tools
    • Domain Analysis

      Get top competitive SEO metrics like DA, top pages and more.

    • Keyword Explorer

      Find traffic-driving keywords with our 1.25 billion+ keyword index.

    • Link Explorer

      Explore over 40 trillion links for powerful backlink data.

    • Competitive Research

      Uncover valuable insights on your organic search competitors.

    • MozBar

      See top SEO metrics for free as you browse the web.

    • More Free SEO Tools

      Explore all the free SEO tools Moz has to offer.

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
    Moz Pro

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

    Learn more
  • Learn SEO
    • Beginner's Guide to SEO

      The #1 most popular introduction to SEO, trusted by millions.

    • SEO Learning Center

      Broaden your knowledge with SEO resources for all skill levels.

    • On-Demand Webinars

      Learn modern SEO best practices from industry experts.

    • How-To Guides

      Step-by-step guides to search success from the authority on SEO.

    • Moz Academy

      Upskill and get certified with on-demand courses & certifications.

    • MozCon

      Save on Early Bird tickets and join us in London or New York City

    Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints
    Moz API

    Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints

    Find your plan
  • Blog
  • Why Moz
    • Small Business Solutions

      Uncover insights to make smarter marketing decisions in less time.

    • Agency Solutions

      Earn & keep valuable clients with unparalleled data & insights.

    • Enterprise Solutions

      Gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing world of search.

    • The Moz Story

      Moz was the first & remains the most trusted SEO company.

    • Case Studies

      Explore how Moz drives ROI with a proven track record of success.

    • New Releases

      Get the scoop on the latest and greatest from Moz.

    Surface actionable competitive intel
    New Feature

    Surface actionable competitive intel

    Learn More
  • Log in
    • Moz Pro
    • Moz Local
    • Moz Local Dashboard
    • Moz API
    • Moz API Dashboard
    • Moz Academy
  • Avatar
    • Moz Home
    • Notifications
    • Account & Billing
    • Manage Users
    • Community Profile
    • My Q&A
    • My Videos
    • Log Out

The Moz Q&A Forum

  • Forum
  • Questions
  • Users
  • Ask the Community

Welcome to the Q&A Forum

Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

  1. Home
  2. SEO Tactics
  3. On-Page Optimization
  4. [HELP!] File Name and ALT Tags

Moz Q&A is closed.

After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

[HELP!] File Name and ALT Tags

On-Page Optimization
5
14
5.4k
Loading More Posts
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as question
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with question management privileges can see it.
  • bubblymaiko
    bubblymaiko last edited by Jan 6, 2015, 12:13 PM

    Hi, please answer my questions:

    1. Is it okay to use the same keyword on both file name and alt tags when inserting an image?

    Example:

    File Name: buy-lego-online.jpg

    ALT tag: buy-lego-online

    Will it trigger Google Panda? Will I be penalized for that? Or the file name and alt tags should be different from each other? Because when inserting an image on Wordpress, the alt tags are always the same as the file name by default.

    2. For example, I have 2 images in a page (same topic/niche) and I will put "cheap-lego-for-kids" and "best-lego-for-sale" as alt tags. Considering that I repeat the word "lego", is it considered keyword stuffing? Will I be penalized for that?

    Thanks in advance!

    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
    • Shawn_Huber
      Shawn_Huber last edited by Jan 8, 2015, 1:28 PM Jan 8, 2015, 1:28 PM

      I know this is like beating a dead horse, but thought I would link to Search Metric's 2014 ranking factors study. What is missing in what they see as factors that increase rank is ALT tags on images.

      You can see the infographic below, you can also download the 80+ page report which I would highly recommend

      http://www.searchmetrics.com/wp-content/uploads/infographic-seo-ranking-factors-2014.jpg

      ~Cheers

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • CommT
        CommT @Leonie-Kramer last edited by Jan 7, 2015, 1:40 PM Jan 7, 2015, 1:40 PM

        Using a word twice on a page is indeed, not keyword stuffing - where did I say that it was??? I don't believe I have EVER said that in all the years I've worked in digital marketing!

        I said that using the same alt tag would be spammy - the reason I think that is that it either implies that you don't have unique images on the page (so what's the point of them?) or that you have been lazy with your alt tags by repeating the same one over again. Both bad user experiences for folk that need them.

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • Leonie-Kramer
          Leonie-Kramer @CommT last edited by Jan 7, 2015, 5:50 AM Jan 7, 2015, 5:50 AM

          Hi Amelia, you're right about that alt tags are for people who use screenreaders. Though search engines like google also use the alt tag  to recognize there is an image file.

          The alt tag is an onpage factor that influence ranking  (http://moz.com/learn/seo/on-page-factors)

          Although the alt tag may looks like as not important, it's worth using it.

          About the spammy thing, using a word twice on a page has nothing to do with keywordstuffing 😉

          Grtz, Leonie

          CommT 1 Reply Last reply Jan 7, 2015, 1:40 PM Reply Quote -1
          • isaac663
            isaac663 Subscriber last edited by Jan 6, 2015, 7:19 PM Jan 6, 2015, 7:19 PM

            Hey Amelia.

            Yes you are absolutely correct, alt tags are for people, and should be used to that end. When I said it 'tells' Google what the images is about I was responding directly to Shawn's comment that ALT tags are for accessibility, not SEO...

            Technically yes, but Google does use the alt text as a relevancy signal (at least as far as we know).  And ranks your image (in Google images) based primarily on that information.  It’s a part of SEO for better or worse.  Besides, you can both improve your on-page AND give relevant and meaningful info to the user, i've never had to choose.   If it came down to it I’d always prioritize the user.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote -1
            • Shawn_Huber
              Shawn_Huber @CommT last edited by Jan 6, 2015, 4:07 PM Jan 6, 2015, 4:07 PM

              Amen Amelia. I said the same, but not nearly as thorough as you did.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • CommT
                CommT last edited by Jan 7, 2015, 1:57 PM Jan 6, 2015, 4:03 PM

                Hi,

                I just wanted to dispel a few myths going on here...

                1. ALT tags are NOT to 'Tell Google' what the image is about, they are there for people who use screen readers to enrich their use of the internet.
                2. Screen readers can be set up to read out alt tags, file names or title attributes - depending on the user's preference and presumably on the site they are looking at
                3. Google can and does read image file names: http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/32567/A-Marketer-s-Guide-to-Optimizing-Images-for-Google-Search.aspx

                If you pick relevant images for your pages then you probably will be able to get keywords into both the alt tag and the file name. I don't think this is spammy! It's accurate.

                What would be spammy, and this has already been covered by Issac, is if you repeat the same alt text on the same page - vary it! - 'Blue lego bricks' etc. I personally would avoid saying stuff like 'cheap', 'buy' etc UNLESS the image has that text within it (say a picture of lego with a headline within the image saying 'cheap lego') in which case you are doing exactly what the alt tag is there for - enabling screen reader users to experience as similar experience to us sighted folk as possible.

                Sorry for the rant, but it annoys me that something that is meant to help people who are (to my mind) at a disadvantage is abused for SEO purposes!

                Best wishes,

                Amelia

                **EDIT: I am well aware that Google and other search engines use alt tags for rankings. What I wanted the OP to be mindful of is that alt tags were not invented 'to tell google what an image is about'. And to point out their value and use for people using screen readers. Most people do not fully understand how blind users navigate the inter-webs, me included. I just think if I can do something to make it easier for them then I will. If you'd prefer to write alt tags purely for the search engines, that is entirely your prerogative! **

                Shawn_Huber Leonie-Kramer 2 Replies Last reply Jan 7, 2015, 5:50 AM Reply Quote 3
                • isaac663
                  isaac663 Subscriber @bubblymaiko last edited by Jan 6, 2015, 2:02 PM Jan 6, 2015, 2:02 PM

                  No you won't be penalised for that.

                  But do check out my initial response below for a more detailed answer.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                  • bubblymaiko
                    bubblymaiko @isaac663 last edited by Jan 6, 2015, 1:13 PM Jan 6, 2015, 1:13 PM

                    Thanks so much, Isaac! Sorry for the newbie question. For you, is it okay to use the same file name and alt tags in an image?

                    For example:

                    File name: cheap-lego-for-kids.jpg

                    Alt tag: Cheap Lego for Kids

                    Will I be penalized for this?

                    isaac663 1 Reply Last reply Jan 6, 2015, 2:02 PM Reply Quote 0
                    • isaac663
                      isaac663 Subscriber @bubblymaiko last edited by Jan 6, 2015, 1:03 PM Jan 6, 2015, 1:03 PM

                      A space between each word 🙂

                      Think of the user. Some poeple don't have their images active when useing the web.  What would they want to see?

                      Isaac.

                      bubblymaiko 1 Reply Last reply Jan 6, 2015, 1:13 PM Reply Quote 2
                      • isaac663
                        isaac663 Subscriber last edited by Jan 6, 2015, 1:01 PM Jan 6, 2015, 1:00 PM

                        Hi Mai.

                        You should be fine with the example you give.   So long as you don't just repeat 'lego for kids’ over and over on the page! 🙂  Just add your keywords into natural writing style that your users will find usefull and infomative.

                        Alt tags are useful for SEO. They 'tell' Google what the image is all about.  The images and the alt text should be relevant to what's on your page. So I hope your page is about lego products 😉

                        Alt tags also makes your images more likely to rank in Google images for relevent keyword searches.  This is becoming more popular with people who like to scan through products visually.

                        Hope that helps.

                        Isaac.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • bubblymaiko
                          bubblymaiko last edited by Jan 6, 2015, 12:53 PM Jan 6, 2015, 12:53 PM

                          Thank you very much! Last question, which one is better to use on alt tags?

                          SPACE or HYPHEN? Cheap Lego for Kids or cheap-lego-for-kids?

                          Thanks again!

                          isaac663 1 Reply Last reply Jan 6, 2015, 1:03 PM Reply Quote 0
                          • Shawn_Huber
                            Shawn_Huber last edited by Jan 6, 2015, 12:21 PM Jan 6, 2015, 12:21 PM

                            ALT tags are for accessibility, not SEO. Screen readers will look at those tags and read to those that have trouble with seeing the page what the image is.

                            As long as the ALT tags are accurate representations of what the image is, you should be okay. If you are attempting to stuff keywords into ALT tags and they do not accurately describe what the image is, then you may not receive any benefit and could potentially get some kind of penalty.

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
                            • Leonie-Kramer
                              Leonie-Kramer last edited by Jan 6, 2015, 12:19 PM Jan 6, 2015, 12:19 PM

                              Hi, Google can't read (yet) image filenames, that's why we use the alt tag, to tell google what's the image is about. So you can use the image file name as alt tag, no problem. If you use the word "lego" twice it's not keyword stuffing.

                              here's something to read about keyword stuffing: http://moz.com/community/q/what-constitutes-keyword-stuffing

                              Grtz, Leonie

                              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                              • 1 / 1
                              1 out of 14
                              • First post
                                1/14
                                Last post

                              Got a burning SEO question?

                              Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.


                              Start my free trial


                              Browse Questions

                              Explore more categories

                              • Moz Tools

                                Chat with the community about the Moz tools.

                              • SEO Tactics

                                Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers

                              • Community

                                Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!

                              • Digital Marketing

                                Chat about tactics outside of SEO

                              • Research & Trends

                                Dive into research and trends in the search industry.

                              • Support

                                Connect on product support and feature requests.

                              • See all categories

                              Related Questions

                              • vikasnwu

                                Logo Image H1 Tag SquareSpace

                                We have a site hosted on SquareSpace:  Roomhance.com Going through the on-page optimizaton tool, we noticed that the H1 tags weren't fully optimized. If you click on view source on the page, it shows 2 H1 tags on the home page: id="logoImage"><a <span="" class="html-attribute-name">href</a><a <span="" class="html-attribute-name">="</a>/">src="//static1.squarespace.com/static/5bcca055ab1a62465f5b9ee7/t/5c18feb270a6adf771765799/1588613682225/?format=1500w" alt="Virtual Staging For Real Estate | Roomhance" /> style="text-align:center;white-space:pre-wrap;">Virtual Staging The 2nd one shown above it the H1 tag we want.  I'm wondering if the H1 tag in the logo image is hurting us for SEO?  Can't figure out how to modify it in SquareSpace.

                                On-Page Optimization | May 5, 2020, 1:23 AM | vikasnwu
                                0
                              • CostumeD

                                H1 tag- on home page - what is it best to include

                                is it best to have in the H1 tag 1. just our website address 2. combination of website address followed by short keywords about our website

                                On-Page Optimization | Oct 20, 2015, 5:02 AM | CostumeD
                                0
                              • mrdavidingram

                                SVG image files causing multiple title tags on page - SEO issue?

                                Does anyone have any experience with SVG image files and on-page SEO? A client is using them and it seems they use the title tag in the same way a regular image (JPG/PNG) would use an image ALT tag. I'm concerned that search engines will see the multiple title tags on the page and that this will cause SEO issues. Regular crawlers like Moz flag it as a second title tag, however it's outside the header and in a SVG wrap so the crawlers really should understand that this is a SVG title rather than a second page title. But is this the case? If anyone has experience with this, I'd love to hear about it.

                                On-Page Optimization | Sep 8, 2016, 11:56 AM | mrdavidingram
                                2
                              • crazymikesapps

                                Navigation Links Causing Too Many Links Help?

                                Hello, I have read some SEOMOZ search results for this, but am still concerned that Google may see 4,500 Too Many Link warnings as a problem. This is caused primarily due to our header navigation, which is not intended to be keyword stuffing, but to provide all avenues for our breadth of content. site: crazymikesapps.com. Most answers seem to advise if there is no keyword stuffing at hand don't worry about it. Any help appreciated. thank you Mike

                                On-Page Optimization | May 3, 2013, 1:49 PM | crazymikesapps
                                0
                              • SarahCollins

                                SEO Location Pages - ALT Image Tag Question

                                Hello Guru's, I have a Hire Website whereby you can rent products online. I have created different Location pages for these which are in essence the same pages  page but with different location specific urls, title tags  , on page content etc etc. This helps me to rank for local search. These location pages also display 20 products per page. My question is  Should I make the ALT IMAGE TEXT location specific for each of the 20 products  . Example -  Steam Cleaner Rental in "location" or should I only amend a few of the Atl Image Texts to be location specific. I don't want to come accross as spammy in google eyes but I also don't want to be seen as having duplicate content , images etc etc What do you think ? thanks Sarah.

                                On-Page Optimization | Feb 22, 2013, 3:27 PM | SarahCollins
                                0
                              • activitysuper

                                Rel canonical tag back to the same page the tag is on?

                                Very simple, Why would a website (and I have seen tons doing this) link the rel canonical tag back to the same page the tag is on? Example: somepage.htm has a canonical tag linking to somepage.htm I thought the idea of this tag was to tell google if 2 pages are similar, this page is the original, and it's this page which should be indexed and the page with the tag on should pass all PR to the original. Maybe im wrong and someone can help me out to understand this.

                                On-Page Optimization | Jan 3, 2013, 6:31 PM | activitysuper
                                0
                              • TBSEO

                                Image titles and alt tags for multiple images

                                I'm hoping some of you may be able to help me understand the best way to optimize my image titles and alt tags for a specific situation. I'm working on an interior design website and they have hundreds of pictures. each of their projects has about 10 pictures. Is it best for me to us the key phrase in each title and tag? or is that to repetitive? here is what I mean: A project called "urban interior design" all images are of urban interior design, just different angles and features, so my initial idea is to just have each image title like this: Title: "urban interior design dinning area" Alt: "urban interior design dinning area view" Title: "urban interior design living room" Alt:"urban interior design living room couch view" Is this the best way or will it actually hurt my ranking with too much exact keyword use? Thanks for your help!

                                On-Page Optimization | Jan 2, 2013, 6:44 PM | TBSEO
                                0
                              • TRICORSystems

                                Same H1 tag in header across entire site

                                Should I have the same H1 tag in my header through out my entire site? Or is this considered to be  self canalization for my main keywords. For example right now I have an H1 tag with my main targeted keywords on every page on my site, even if the pages content doesn't necessarily match the keywords in the H1 tag.

                                On-Page Optimization | Nov 22, 2011, 2:26 PM | TRICORSystems
                                0

                              Get started with Moz Pro!

                              Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                              Start my free trial
                              Products
                              • Moz Pro
                              • Moz Local
                              • Moz API
                              • Moz Data
                              • STAT
                              • Product Updates
                              Moz Solutions
                              • SMB Solutions
                              • Agency Solutions
                              • Enterprise Solutions
                              Free SEO Tools
                              • Domain Authority Checker
                              • Link Explorer
                              • Keyword Explorer
                              • Competitive Research
                              • Brand Authority Checker
                              • Local Citation Checker
                              • MozBar Extension
                              • MozCast
                              Resources
                              • Blog
                              • SEO Learning Center
                              • Help Hub
                              • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                              • How-to Guides
                              • Moz Academy
                              • API Docs
                              About Moz
                              • About
                              • Team
                              • Careers
                              • Contact
                              Why Moz
                              • Case Studies
                              • Testimonials
                              Get Involved
                              • Become an Affiliate
                              • MozCon
                              • Webinars
                              • Practical Marketer Series
                              • MozPod
                              Connect with us

                              Contact the Help team

                              Join our newsletter
                              Moz logo
                              © 2021 - 2025 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                              • Accessibility
                              • Terms of Use
                              • Privacy

                              Looks like your connection to Moz was lost, please wait while we try to reconnect.