Re: Alttext and Decorative Images

I have had the same experience as Marc. I have had multiple that have been properly optimized for accessibility get high rankings in Google.

Search engine bots are using headings, alt text and table headers for the same reasons a screen reader user would - a search engine bot doesn't have a usable visual system. Therefore it relies on image alt text, headings, link text and table headers to get summary information about content.

Google has a vested interest in listing high quality, usable sites first - and it happens that usability and accessibility guidelines are keys to good overall design. They emphasize good writing, visual impact, usability and streamlined design with multiple modes of operation. As long as you treat accessibility as a list of "annoying checkboxes", you're missing the point and the benefits of accessible design.

Elizabeth


On Feb 15, 2024, at 5:36 AM, Marc Haunschild <haunschild@mhis.onmicrosoft.de> wrote:

I have websites that I haven’t touched for literally a decade that rank in the top ten of google search results for the keywords that matter.

Better invest in real accessibility to make the 10 to 20 percent of disabled people plus their social community visit your page.

That’s a one time investment.

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Mit freundlichen Grüßen

Marc Haunschild
https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Faccessibility.consulting%2F&data=05%7C02%7Cejp10%40psu.edu%7Cb9d0b0a98a654eb4740f08dc2e122714%7C7cf48d453ddb4389a9c1c115526eb52e%7C0%7C0%7C638435902711650044%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=DSADF9gHsvnd%2Fr4JS5kLqhJMrUes%2FOFcdruBuNlUJv8%3D&reserved=0<https://accessibility.consulting/>

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Elizabeth J. Pyatt, Ph.D.
Accessibility IT Consultant
IT Accessibility
Penn State University
ejp10@psu.edu, (814) 865-0805 or
accessibility@psu.edu (main office)