Want to make your Instagram posts accessible to a wider audience? Did you know that you can add additional text to your posts on Instagram to help the visually impaired consume your content? In addition, such posts are good for SEO!
In this article, you will learn how to write and add alternate text to your Instagram posts.
What is Alt text tags?
Alternative text is a short phrase that is used to identify images, usually on web pages. But as social networks expand, alternative text is often added to images uploaded to social platforms.
If the image does not load, the text description that appears in place of the image is alternative text that has been added to this image. When you hover the cursor over a web image, the description obtained from the alternative text in this image is also often displayed.
You can add alternative text to the image when it is uploaded to the site or add it later. Some sites (including some social networking sites) may offer automatic alternative text for images based on artificial intelligence (AI) tools that scan the image for distinctive features.
Traditionally, alternative text serves two main purposes.
The first one is designed for image recognition by screen readers. These software applications allow the visually impaired to hear alternative text.
The second reason why alternative text is commonly used is better ranking in search engine queries. Most websites will focus on their SEO for text and page content. Photos and visual components are also often important search criteria, and adding alt text tags to images will help in ranking these search results.
Currently, most Instagram posts are not displayed in search results, even if alternate text is included. This may be due to a number of factors; However, since more effective posts with alternate text are sent to Instagram, we can see search results that fill most of this content in queries.
In addition to these traditional reasons, alternative text can play a large role in the future ranking of posts in Instagram search and posting in feeds. Instagram works with AI tools to determine what content is in the post. This algorithm and technology help determine what content is displayed on the Instagram Explore pages.
It is possible that well-composed alt-text descriptions in your posts may better serve your positions in the search results on the page for the topics that your audience is most searching for.
How to add Alt Text to Instagram posts
Now that Instagram has the option to add alternative text, you can add it directly to new posts as they are downloaded or edit any previous posts in your profile.
Alternative text is added at the stage of signing the post and sharing it in other social networks. Click on “Advanced Settings” on this download screen.
Then tap “Write alternate text” to go to the screen to add text.
On the next screen, you will see the image you are marking, and a text field in which you can write an alternative text description.
To add alternative text to old posts on Instagram, you need to select each message and edit it manually. To edit a message, click on the three-point button in the upper right corner of the message.
On the pop-up screen, click "Edit" to open the editing screen for your Instagram post.
As soon as you enter the editing mode for your message, you will see the Aa icon and Edit Alt Text in the lower right corner of the image. Click this button to access an alternate text screen.
As with the addition of alternative text to a new post on Instagram, a text box will appear on the next screen in which you can enter your descriptive alternative text. Click “Save” or check the box to save the changes and return to the previous editing screen.
Returning to the main message editing screen, tap the checkbox in the upper right corner to save the changes and the new alternate text for this message.
Futureinapps company is engaged in business promotion in social networks and SEO promotion.
