{"id":32563,"date":"2024-02-27T06:24:46","date_gmt":"2024-02-27T13:24:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/?p=32563"},"modified":"2024-05-24T06:06:54","modified_gmt":"2024-05-24T12:06:54","slug":"what-is-alt-text-on-instagram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/what-is-alt-text-on-instagram","title":{"rendered":"What is Instagram Alt Text &#038; Why Does it Matter?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Instagram alt text is something creators are overlooking because they don\u2019t know what it is or how to add it to their posts<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Alt text is just a <strong>simple technique that allows you to describe a photo<\/strong> with greater ease.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Meta uses advanced object recognition technology to help you with Instagram alt text, but from my own experience, it\u2019s often wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And if you don\u2019t think it\u2019s a big deal, just consider your audience as a whole. Some people may have perfect eyesight and others <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">do not<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Instagram\u2019s alt text can make it easier for the latter group to know more about your posts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>We&#8217;re going to share a lot of inside information on Instagram alt text, including:<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-list\" style=\"margin-left:0px\">\n<ul>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-chevron-right\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> What it is<\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-chevron-right\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Why it matters<\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-chevron-right\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> How to add alt text<\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-chevron-right\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> So much more<\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want to take advantage of every Instagram feature that\u2019s available, you can\u2019t ignore the power of alt text.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">What is<\/span> Instagram Alt Text?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><b>Instagram\u2019s own help section <a href=\"https:\/\/help.instagram.com\/503708446705527\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">defines alt text<\/a> <\/b><b>for posts perfectly<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: visual descriptions of your posts (photos) for people who are visually impaired. You won\u2019t see the alt text yourself when you\u2019re scrolling through your app because you can only see them on your own post.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have an accessibility device, then it\u2019s <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">completely different<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Why Does<\/span> Alt Text Matter?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Visually impaired people still browse the web and will go on Instagram. You have to remember:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-list\" style=\"margin-left:0px\">\n<ul>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-chevron-right\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.iapb.org\/learn\/vision-atlas\/magnitude-and-projections\/global\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">43 million<\/a> people worldwide are blind<div class=\"su-spacer\" style=\"height:10px\"><\/div><\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-chevron-right\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> 295 million people have moderate or severe vision loss<\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Someone can still \u201csee,\u201d but they may have significantly poor vision that impacts their ability to see your posts properly. Screen readers can be used to \u201cread\u201d your posts and explain to the person what\u2019s happening.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Imagine that you posted a photo of yourself standing on a diving board, ready to jump into a pool.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have the alt text <strong>\u201cwomen standing on a diving board preparing to jump in the pool,\u201d<\/strong> a person&#8217;s accessibility device can read this text back to the person. And as a follower, it\u2019s a way to stay connected on social media even if you have vision issues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No one else can see the Instagram alt text, but if someone does access Instagram with a screen reader, they will be able to use this attribute to understand the actions in your photo posts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But all around the Internet, there is \u201calt\u201d text on websites because it\u2019s one of the leading ways to add accessibility to an app or website.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">How to Add<\/span> Alt Text to Your Instagram Posts?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-36902\" src=\"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Add-Alt-Text-in-Instagram-Post-900x344.webp\" alt=\"Add Alt Text in Instagram Post\" width=\"800\" height=\"306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Add-Alt-Text-in-Instagram-Post-900x344.webp 900w, https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Add-Alt-Text-in-Instagram-Post-600x229.webp 600w, https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Add-Alt-Text-in-Instagram-Post-768x293.webp 768w, https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Add-Alt-Text-in-Instagram-Post-1536x587.webp 1536w, https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Add-Alt-Text-in-Instagram-Post-2048x782.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/instagram-algorithm\">Instagram\u2019s algorithm<\/a> automatically adds an alt tag to posts using object recognition<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Object recognition is a technology that\u2019s been around for quite some time and analyzes a photo to understand what\u2019s happening in it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>For one of my photos with two dogs, it simply said:<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-list\" style=\"margin-left:0px\">\n<ul>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-chevron-right\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Photo of my name in the town I live in<div class=\"su-spacer\" style=\"height:10px\"><\/div><\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-chevron-right\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> No mention of dogs<\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, while the technology has advanced, it\u2019s <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> descriptive at all. <strong>Using the example above,<\/strong> a person with a screen reader still wouldn\u2019t know what my post was about based on this description.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With all of this in mind, you can edit your Instagram alt text before sharing your photo by following the steps below:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"su-list\" style=\"margin-left:0px\">\n<ul>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-chevron-right\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> <strong>Upload<\/strong> an existing photo to Instagram<\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-chevron-right\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Choose your <strong>filter and edit<\/strong> your image<\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-chevron-right\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Tap <strong>Accessibility<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-chevron-right\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> Add the <strong>description<\/strong> to the alt text box<\/li>\n<li><i class=\"sui sui-chevron-right\" style=\"color:#5339D3\"><\/i> <strong>Share<\/strong><\/div><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And now you have a descriptive alt text that increases your posts\u2019 reach and allows them to be enjoyed by more people.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Can You Add<\/span> Alt Text to Stories?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>No.<\/strong> You do not have an option to add alt text to your Instagram Story. If you want to help your followers who have visual impairments, add captions to your Stories.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">How to Edit<\/span> Alt Texts on Posts You Shared Already?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019ve already shared a post, you may want to go back and begin editing the alt text to make it accessible to more users. You can do this on both photos and videos, and it\u2019s simple:<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"sue-panel\" data-url=\"\" data-target=\"self\" style=\"background-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:0px;-moz-border-radius:0px;-webkit-border-radius:0px;box-shadow:0px 1px 2px #eeeeee;-moz-box-shadow:0px 1px 2px #eeeeee;-webkit-box-shadow:0px 1px 2px #eeeeee;border:1px solid #cccccc\"><div class=\"sue-panel-content su-u-trim\" style=\"padding:15px;text-align:left\">\n<p><strong>Step #1: <\/strong>Go to your <strong>post and <\/strong>Tap the <strong>\u201c&#8230;\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-36907\" src=\"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Three-Dot-600x434.webp\" alt=\"Three Dot\" width=\"600\" height=\"434\" srcset=\"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Three-Dot-600x434.webp 600w, https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Three-Dot-768x556.webp 768w, https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Three-Dot.webp 828w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"sue-panel\" data-url=\"\" data-target=\"self\" style=\"background-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:0px;-moz-border-radius:0px;-webkit-border-radius:0px;box-shadow:0px 1px 2px #eeeeee;-moz-box-shadow:0px 1px 2px #eeeeee;-webkit-box-shadow:0px 1px 2px #eeeeee;border:1px solid #cccccc\"><div class=\"sue-panel-content su-u-trim\" style=\"padding:15px;text-align:left\">\n<p><strong>Step #2: <\/strong>Then click the &#8220;<strong>Edit<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-36905\" src=\"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Edit-600x386.webp\" alt=\"Edit\" width=\"600\" height=\"386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Edit-600x386.webp 600w, https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Edit-768x493.webp 768w, https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Edit.webp 828w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"sue-panel\" data-url=\"\" data-target=\"self\" style=\"background-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:0px;-moz-border-radius:0px;-webkit-border-radius:0px;box-shadow:0px 1px 2px #eeeeee;-moz-box-shadow:0px 1px 2px #eeeeee;-webkit-box-shadow:0px 1px 2px #eeeeee;border:1px solid #cccccc\"><div class=\"sue-panel-content su-u-trim\" style=\"padding:15px;text-align:left\">\n<p><strong>Step #3: <\/strong>Go to <strong>Edit Alt text<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-36904\" src=\"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Edit-Alt-text-600x625.webp\" alt=\"Edit Alt text\" width=\"600\" height=\"625\" srcset=\"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Edit-Alt-text-600x625.webp 600w, https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Edit-Alt-text-768x800.webp 768w, https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Edit-Alt-text.webp 828w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><div class=\"sue-panel\" data-url=\"\" data-target=\"self\" style=\"background-color:#ffffff;color:#333333;border-radius:0px;-moz-border-radius:0px;-webkit-border-radius:0px;box-shadow:0px 1px 2px #eeeeee;-moz-box-shadow:0px 1px 2px #eeeeee;-webkit-box-shadow:0px 1px 2px #eeeeee;border:1px solid #cccccc\"><div class=\"sue-panel-content su-u-trim\" style=\"padding:15px;text-align:left\">\n<p><strong>Step #4: <\/strong>Edit the alt text and then <strong>tap Done<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-36906 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Tap-Done-e1716552407522-600x326.webp\" alt=\"Tap Done\" width=\"600\" height=\"326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Tap-Done-e1716552407522-600x326.webp 600w, https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Tap-Done-e1716552407522-768x417.webp 768w, https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Tap-Done-e1716552407522.webp 826w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And that\u2019s it. You&#8217;ve made your post accessible to a wider audience, and your followers who are visually impaired will surely appreciate the extra attention that you\u2019ve given to your posts.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong><span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">8 Tips<\/span> for Writing Awesome Alt Texts<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Alt text makes your Instagram content more accessible and may even help with SEO. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But how do you write them and maximize their benefits? Here are some tips.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>1. Be <span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Descriptive<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, make sure that your text is descriptive. The purpose of alt text is to accurately describe the images you post. Provide some detail, so users can understand what\u2019s going on in your photo.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Let\u2019s say that you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/C2wKecorr0A\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posted this photo<\/a> to Instagram.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An alt text that says \u201c<strong>photo of a puppy<\/strong>\u201d isn\u2019t too descriptive. An alt text that says \u201c<strong>a yellow labrador puppy with a green collar hopping and playing outside<\/strong>\u201d would be a better choice because it\u2019s more descriptive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When writing your alt text, try to put yourself in the user\u2019s shoes. If they can\u2019t see your image, would your alt text paint an accurate picture?<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>2. Keep it <span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Concise<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Being descriptive is important, but it\u2019s also important not to go overboard. Provide just enough detail to let people know what\u2019s going on. Don\u2019t write a novel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Instagram only allows up to 100 characters for alt text<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll need to get a little creative to make your alt text as descriptive as possible without being too wordy. Focus on the most important elements of the photo to get your message across.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you feel like you need to add more details, consider adding a photo ID in the caption.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>3. Add a <span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Photo ID<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Want to add more detail and context for users who can\u2019t see your content? Add a photo ID to the end of your caption.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Photo IDs are <strong>shorter descriptions that add more detail in addition to the image\u2019s alt text<\/strong>. Screen-reading devices can use them to identify posts on Instagram.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With photo IDs, you can include information that alt text can\u2019t accommodate. You can take a storytelling approach or just provide more context, so people really know what\u2019s happening in your photo.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re posting a carousel, make sure that you include an ID for each individual post, so users get the complete picture.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure that your photo ID is unique from your alt text. Don&#8217;t just copy and paste them.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>4. Keep it <span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Relevant<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It may seem like an obvious thing, but many Instagrammers overlook the importance of keeping their alt text <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">relevant<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Don\u2019t use random hashtags or information that isn\u2019t useful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More importantly, don\u2019t use the alt text field as an opportunity to spam.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>5. Avoid <span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Filler Words<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Remember \u2013 you want to be descriptive and concise with your alt text. That means avoiding filler words like \u201c<strong>photo of\u201d or \u201cpicture of.<\/strong>\u201d It\u2019s already implied that you\u2019re posting an image, so there\u2019s no need to mention it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Focus on describing what\u2019s happening in the photo.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>6. <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Don\u2019t Forget<\/span> to <span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Describe Text<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What if you post a screenshot of a meme or a tweet? If your image includes text, make sure that you add it to your alt text.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Screen readers and other assistive technologies cannot read text in images, so including them in your alt text will make your content more accessible.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>7. <span style=\"color: #000000;\">Don\u2019t Repeat<\/span> Information in <span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Your Caption<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you mention something in your caption, there\u2019s no need to repeat it in your alt text. Captions are read by screen readers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get creative and make sure that your alt text is completely unique from your caption and photo ID.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong>8. Use <span style=\"color: #5339d3;\">Keywords<\/span> Sparingly<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You&#8217;ve probably heard that alt text is a great place to add keywords and make your content more SEO-friendly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, that\u2019s true \u2013 but don\u2019t overdo it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Excessive use of keywords in your alt text can do more harm than good. Only use keywords when it\u2019s relevant and natural to add them.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Instagram alt text makes your content more accessible to those who cannot see your photos and videos. <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While Instagram can generate alt text automatically, you can make your content more appealing by creating your own. Use the tips in our guide to write awesome alt text and follow the best practices.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you using Instagram alt text the RIGHT way? Find out why alt text matters and how to maximize the benefits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":32700,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32563","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-instagram"],"acf":[],"modified_by":"John","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32563","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32563"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32563\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32735,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32563\/revisions\/32735"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32700"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32563"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32563"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/viralyft.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32563"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}