---
title: "Alt-tag descriptions for images"
date: 2020-04-26
description: "An alt tag is text you use to describe an image. Google uses this metadata to assess what the page is about"
author: "Jeroen Moolenschot"
---

# Alt-tag descriptions for images

An **alt tag (or Alternate Text)** is a piece of text, invisible to the visitor, that you use to describe an image. Search engines are smart but they cannot yet see exactly what is in an image, which is why you can help Google by adding a description to the image.

 
## What are the benefits of filling in an alt tag?

 As mentioned, search engines have a hard time seeing what is in an image. If you have not renamed the image and it comes directly from your photo camera or phone, then the image often has the file name such as dsc_4949.jpg, Again, of course, this says nothing about what is in the image.

 When you help the search engine, it can better understand what the page is about and you can rank higher as a page, but also Google can use the image in Google Images.

 For people with visual impairments, there are screen readers and other special software where pages are read out loud. With image, these often also use meta descriptions given to an image. So be sure to use the right descriptions in Joomla.

 
## Adding an alt tag to images via TinyMCE

 If you use the tinyMCE editor installed by default with Joomla, you can add an alt tag in 2 ways.

 1) Click on the image button.

 Select the image you want to add an alt tag to.

 Fill in the "Image description (ALT Text)" at the bottom of the popup.

 ![alt tag Joomla mediamanager tinyMCE](https://www.joomill.com/images/kennisbank/alt-text-tinyMCE1-mediamanager.png)

 2) Select the photo in the text.

 Click on the image icon.

 Fill in the "Alternative description" field.

 ![alt text tinyMCE2](https://www.joomill.com/images/kennisbank/alt-text-tinyMCE.png)

 
## Adding an alt tag to images via JCE Editor

 At the bottom of the popup, select the image you want to add to your text.

 Then fill in the "Alternate text" field.

 ![alt text jce](https://www.joomill.com/images/kennisbank/alt-text-jce.png)

 
## Adding an alt tag to images in Hikashop

 Add an image by dragging an image to the "Images and other files" box.

 Then click on the image.

 ![alt text hikashop1](https://www.joomill.com/images/kennisbank/alt-text-hikashop1.png)

 In the popup you see next, enter the "Name (ALT)".

 ![alt text hikashop2](https://www.joomill.com/images/kennisbank/alt-text-hikashop2.png)


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