How To Add The Alternative Text Attribute To WordPress Images In Under 1 Minute

Understanding the contents of an image is a walk in the park for humans. However, even the most advanced algorithms struggle with this. This is why adding alt tags to images is essential. By following this practice in WordPress in 2026, you can rank higher and get more visitors from Google – including through visual search, which now plays a bigger role in image rankings due to AI image recognition.

Good alt text also improves accessibility. The WCAG 2.2 guidelines recommend keeping descriptions concise and useful for users.

The method shown here is the simplest and fastest way to insert alt tags in WordPress. Adding (or changing) image alt tags in WordPress can be done in 5 steps:

1. Open your article or page and find the image.
2. Click the image block to select it.
3. In the right sidebar, open the “Block” settings panel and find the “Alt text” field.
4. Enter your description in the “Alt text” field.
5. Click “Update” to save your new content.

This method also allows you to add relevant alt texts since you can see exactly where the image appears in the content.

Since March 2026, WordPress also includes an AI-powered alt text tool directly in the block editor. Select an image block and look for the option to generate a description automatically. It creates a draft in one click, which you can then review and edit – useful when working with many images at once.

We also showcase the method from above in this video:

Alternative Ways For Adding Alt Tags To Images

WordPress is usually easy to work with for beginners. It comes with straightforward functionality. But changes to your site can sometimes affect how things work. If you have problems with the method listed above, here are two alternative ways to achieve the same result.

Alternative Method #1: In WordPress’ Media Library

Here is a simple alternative way of adding the text. WordPress allows you to add the attribute directly in the Media Library. This sets a “global” alt text that WordPress uses every time you use that image.

It saves time by doing the work just once. It is a good choice if you do not want to edit the code on specific pages.

Here is the first alternative method:

1. Log in to your WordPress admin panel.
2. Go to Media -> Library.
3. Click an image or upload a new one.
4. Fill out the “Alternative Text” field.
5. Click away from the field to let WordPress save changes.

The only downside is that you cannot see the context of the image. This can sometimes make your alt tags less relevant. For bulk updates across many images, plugins like Media Library Helper let you edit multiple alt texts at once.

Alternative Method #2: Directly In The Page Code

If the first two methods fail, you can add or overwrite the alt tag in the HTML code.

Here is the second alternative method:

1. Open your post and find the image.
2. Select the image with your mouse.
3. Open the Code editor. Click the three-dot Options menu (top right) and select “Code editor.”
4. Find the line starting with “<img” and edit the text in alt=”TEXT HERE.”
5. Click “Update” to apply the changes.

This is useful if an image has a global alt tag but needs a specific one for one page. It avoids uploading the same image twice, which is better for caching and performance.

However, keep in mind that this takes more time and requires a bit of manual work.

My Simple Process For Adding Alt Tags To Images Effectively

Here is my exact process for writing tags. It works for both pages and articles regardless of the topic. This strategy also helps your overall Image SEO.

Morningscore has provided practical SEO tools from Denmark since 2018. This process comes from helping many users improve their image optimisation.

When creating posts, add your images last. Add the alt tag at the moment you upload the file. I will show you the steps for this article.

First, map out the images and mark their spots in the text.

This helps you name the images following the context of the paragraph.

For example, if you use a comparison table, call the file “best-dog-foods-comparison-table.png.”

Once you upload it, simply:

1. Copy the image Title.
2. Paste it into the Alt Text field.
3. Remove the hyphens.

This process works because it forces you to use concise names, improves SEO with better filenames, and makes it easier to keep your tags descriptive and under the 125-character limit suggested by modern standards.

I mark spots using square brackets [like this] while writing. This makes it easy to find where images belong once the text is finished. It also helps to ensure no image is missed.

Finally, batching your work makes it easier to compress all images at once using a tool like TinyPng before uploading.

How To Check If You Finished Adding Alt Tags To Images Successfully

There are two ways to verify your work. You can inspect the code or use an SEO tool.

To inspect the code:

1. Right-click on the live page.
2. Select “View page source.”
3. Press CTRL+F (Win) or CMD+F (Mac).
4. Search for alt=”.

This highlights all alt text instances. It is a quick way to troubleshoot multiple images at once.

To check with a tool:

1. Log in to your tool (like Morningscore).
2. Go to the Site Audit tool.
3. Scan the specific page.
4. Check if the audit confirms the tags are present.

If your tags do not appear after adding them, you can read our guide on fixing WordPress alt tags that are not showing.

Closing Words

Adding alt tags to images will not fix everything on your site, but it is a necessary piece of the puzzle for higher rankings. Using this simple process ensures you get the SEO benefits with very little effort.

A travel blog increased its page views by 20% after adding descriptive alt text to images (source).

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is adding alt tags to images important for SEO?

Search engines cannot “see” images, so they rely on text to understand visual content. Descriptive alt attributes help your photos rank in Google Image Search and improve your page’s overall relevance. It also makes your site accessible to users with screen readers (Moz).

What are the best practices for writing effective alt text?

Effective alt text should be descriptive yet concise, ideally under 125 characters. You must accurately describe the image content without keyword stuffing or including unnecessary details (Make WordPress Accessible).

How do I handle decorative images?

If an image is purely decorative and adds no informational value, use an empty alt attribute like alt=””. This tells screen readers to skip the element entirely, which keeps the user experience smooth (Section508.gov).

Why are my alt tags not showing in WordPress?

This usually happens due to theme coding errors or conflicts with specific plugins. You can troubleshoot the issue by checking the code editor or following our guide on fixing WordPress alt tags that are not showing.

How can I verify my alt tags are correct?

You can view the page source to check the code manually or use an SEO audit tool to automate the process. For a broader approach to optimization, you can follow our comprehensive SEO checklist.