There’s an element of web design that is absolutely essential for any accessible, searchable website.

. . . and there’s a chance you might be missing it entirely. 

We’re doing a deep dive into alt text, the behind-the-scenes superhero that makes it easier for everyone to use your website.

And the best part? Alt text is also essential for SEO, so alt text helps more people find your church’s website. 

What Is Alt Text? 

Alt text is a text description of images or graphics hidden in a website’s HTML. 

Most of your website visitors will not see alt text unless they go out of their way to view it. However, visitors who use screenreaders and other accessibility aids need alt text in order to interpret the images on your website. 

Not sure if the images on your website have alt text or not? It’s easy to check. 

1. Right click an image.
2. Click “inspect.” A new panel should appear with an HTML view of your website. 
3. Look for the highlighted text that describes the image you clicked. If it has alt text, it will appear in quotation marks after “alt=”, along with other pieces of data about the image. 

Alt Text Makes Your Church’s Website More Accessible

The primary function of alt text is as a text substitution for images online. Some people with limited or no vision use accessibility devices called screen readers, which rely on alt text to describe images in text form. 

Alt text isn’t just for people who use screen readers. If someone is visiting your website with a very poor internet connection, the images may not load, and the alt text will be displayed instead. 

And anyone, regardless of their ability, may choose to look to alt text for additional information about an image. Much like the way captions on a movie benefit plenty of hearing audiences, alt text is a tool that can be used by anyone. 

If your church has a significant elderly population, or members with visual impairments, it’s especially important that you use alt text diligently to keep your online presence accessible to your congregation. 

A website without accessibility features tells people with disabilities that they don’t belong in that church. By taking the time to include alt text on your website, you’re showing visitors with visual impairments that you have space for them in your congregation. 

Alt Text Can Boost Your Ministry’s SEO

Alt text has a secondary function on your website—it contributes to your SEO (search engine optimization). 

When Google looks for websites relevant to a search query, it uses bots that “crawl” the internet, indexing which websites are about which topics. These bots do not interpret the images on your website and instead rely on alt text. 

Your website can have dozens of images of your church building, of a denominational logo, or of religious iconography; if you don’t also use alt text on those images, Google will not know that your website is relevant when people in your community search “church near me.” 

Best Practices for Using Alt Text on Your Church Website

Ready to optimize your church’s website with alt text? Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind, per Harvard University’s best practices for digital accessibility: 

• Stick to 1–2 sentences per description. 
• Don’t feel the need to describe every detail of an image. Focus on important elements. 
• Don’t start every description with “image of.” 
• Do clarify if an image is a logo or illustration. 
• End your alt text with a period. 
• Be mindful of the context of the image. The same image could have different alt text depending on where it appears on your website. 

For example, here are some images from the GraceLed homepage and the accompanying alt text. 

[image of a pastor talking to a man inside their church building]

Alt text: One of the pastors we serve at GraceLed Communications smiling as he has a conversation with a first time guest

[graphic of the church with open doors]

Alt text: An illustration of a church building with its doors open with the blue and green branding colors of GraceLed Communications 

Jesus called us to reach out to the marginalized, and that means prioritizing accessibility in your church’s online presence. By keeping your website more accessible and more easily found on search engines, you’re making it easier for everyone to connect with your church. 

Overwhelmed by the talk of HTML? Not sure where to begin on church web design, let alone accessibility features? GraceLed would love to help. Schedule a discovery call today to learn how we can take your church’s online presence from functional to extraordinary, helping expand your ministry's reach for Christ.