[intro]Before you begin this Guide, it would be a good idea to work through this Guide first. Adding Alt Text to the Design Images is one of the tasks you can do to optimise your EKM online shop for search engines.[/intro]
[summary]
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[caution]This Guide is intended for use on EKM online shops in Custom Mode or using a Legacy Theme. If you are using the Aerial Theme, please click here to see the correct Guide. [/caution]
In this Guide, you’re going to learn where to add Alt Text to different kinds of images on your EKM online shop. Adding Alt Text to images means assigning keywords to an image to identify its content to search engines, which can help you with SEO and any visitors to your shop who are visually impaired. Also, if an image cannot be loaded for whatever reason, the Alt Text will be displayed instead.
Bad and Good Alt Text
Take a look at this image:
You may be tempted to simply add ‘puppies’ as the Alt Text to this image, but this is not as descriptive as it needs to be. A good way of ascertaining if Alt Text is good or not is to close your eyes and read the text aloud, which should give you a reasonably good idea of what is in that image without being able to see it.
Therefore for the image above, better Alt Text would be something like ‘Labrador puppies playing tug of war with a stick’.
[tips]
- Your Alt Text should describe the image as in-depth as possible. Remember, your visually impaired visitors are relying on the words here to be able to digest the content on your EKM online shop.
- That said, you need to keep the Alt Text concise - don’t be tempted to add in fifty words when four will do just fine.
- If the Image is referring to a specific Product, be sure to include the relevant keywords for that Product, and a brand name too if it’s relevant.
- Don’t be tempted to fill the Image Description field with just keywords that either don’t relate to or are only tenuously related to the image. This can see you ‘marked down’ by search engines.
- Don’t use images as text. Search engines cannot ‘read’ images, so you need to ensure that your text remains as text, and your images are pictures.
- You don't need to include ‘a picture of…’ or ‘an image of..’ in the Image Description field. The search engines already know that this field refers to an image.
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[remember]You don’t need to add Alt Text to Product or Category Images as the platform already does this for you, using words from the Product or Category Name. [/remember]
Design Images
Typically, Design Images are static images on the Homepage of your EKM online shop that are used to promote specific offers, Products and Categories, aiding navigation and highlighting popular items for your visitors.
1. Click an Edit Element button on your Theme - and then Edit from the drop-down menu - for a Design Image that you would like to add your Alt Text onto:
2. In the Edit Element window, click the Content tab:
3. You need to add your Alt Text in the Image Description Field, before clicking Save & Close:
Carousel
Carousels are usually located on the Homepage of your EKM online shop, which cycle through a series of different images. You’ll need to add Alt Text for each of the images within your Carousel.
4. Click the Edit Element button - and then Edit from the drop-down menu - for the element containing your Carousel:
5. In the Edit Element window, click the Content tab:
6. Click the Edit button on the right-hand side of your first slide:
7. You then need to add your Alt Text into the Image Description field, before clicking the green Save button on the bottom right-hand side of the window:
8. You then need to repeat this process for the rest of the slides within your Carousel, clicking Edit next to each and adding your Alt Text accordingly:
9. When each slide has had some Alt Text added onto it, you then need to click Save & Close on the bottom right-hand corner of the Edit Element window:
Logo
10. Click the Edit Element button next to your Logo and select Edit from the drop-down menu to open the Edit Element window:
11. Click the Content tab:
12. Double-click your Logo to open the Image Properties window:
13. You then need to add your Alt Text into the Alternative Text field before clicking the green OK button on the bottom right-hand side of the Image Properties window:
14. When you return to the Edit Element window, you then need to click the Save & Close button in the bottom right-hand corner:
Other Images
You may have other Design Images on your EKM online shop - such as on Webpages or within Product Descriptions. You will need to add Alt Text to these images as well.
15. To do this, you will need to locate the image first. When you have done this (either within an Edit Product window or an Edit Webpage window), you need to double-click the image to open the Image Properties window:
16. Within the Image Properties window that appears, you will need to add your Alt Text into the Alternative Text field before clicking the green OK button on the bottom right-hand side of the Image Properties window:
17. When you return to the main Edit window, you then need to click the Save & Close button in the bottom right-hand corner:
[more]
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[contact] If you need our help with your EKM online shop, contact your Account Manager or Customer Support, who will be able to point you in the right direction. We're open from 8am-6pm weekdays and 9am-5.30pm on the weekends. If you'd like to suggest a feature or an upgrade on any of the EKM platforms, please let us know on the EKM Suggestions board. If you have a non-account specific question ask the EKM Team, join us in EKM Community. [/contact]