If you run a Ghost blog, you already know images make posts pop. But here’s the quiet SEO killer many Ghost blogs miss: images without an alt attribute.

In this guide, you’ll learn what alt text is, why missing it hurts rankings and accessibility, and a simple workflow to find and fix issues—using Ghostboard’s SEO report as your action list. Short steps. Clear wins. Let’s ship better posts. 🚀

What is alt text?

Alt text (alternative text) is the short description inside your image’s HTML that tells search engines and assistive tech what’s in the image. It’s essential for accessibility and helps Google understand and rank your images (and sometimes your pages). Keep it concise and relevant to the page content. Don’t stuff keywords.

Why missing alt text hurts your blog

• Accessibility. Screen readers rely on alt text to describe images to visually-impaired readers. No alt? That part of your content becomes invisible.
• Image SEO & discovery. Alt text helps your images appear in Google Images, sending qualified traffic to your site. It also helps search engines understand the page context.
• Anchor text for image links. When an image is a link, alt text can act like anchor text, giving search engines context for the destination.
• Fallback when images fail. If an image can’t load, alt text is a helpful substitute that preserves meaning.

Bottom line: missing alt text costs you accessibility, relevance, and reach.

What “good” alt text looks like (and what to avoid)

Good:

alt="bar chart showing monthly Ghost blog visits rising 32% in 2025"

Weak:

alt="chart"

Don’t do this:

alt="ghost ghost ghost ghost ghost seo blog analytics traffic growth" (keyword stuffing = bad UX and spammy signals).

When to leave it empty:
If the image is purely decorative, use alt="" so screen readers skip it.

How to add alt text in Ghost (2 quick ways)

1. Image card UI

• Click the image in the Ghost editor.
• Click Alt and write a short, descriptive phrase.
• Save.

This is the simplest path for most posts.

2. Markdown image syntax (useful for power users):

![Ghostboard dashboard showing clicks report](/content/images/2025/09/ghostboard-clicks.png)

Ghost supports Markdown in the editor; the text in ![ ... ] becomes the alt.

💡 Pro tips:

• Describe the purpose of the image in context of the post.
• Use your primary keyword only if it fits naturally.
• Keep it short. Think 5–10 words for most images.

How to find images missing alt text (fast) with Ghostboard

Alt issues hide inside posts. The trick is to create a repeatable fix list. Ghostboard helps here:

1. Open the SEO report in Ghostboard.
2. Use it as your content quality dashboard to spot common on-page gaps and jump straight to posts that need edits.
3. Click into a post, review images, and add alt text in Ghost.
4. Re-publish or update when you’re done.

Ghostboard’s SEO report is part of the Growth plan and above; it centralizes SEO checks so you don’t have to chase issues across tools. Use it as your weekly “SEO chores” board.

How to prioritize fixes (so you get impact fast) 🔥

1. High-traffic evergreen posts first. A small alt improvement can produce measurable gains from image search.
2. Posts ranking page 2–3 for image queries. Give them a nudge with stronger alt and captions.
3. Posts you promote often (newsletters, social). Users share images. Make every share contextual.
4. New posts in your pipeline. Ship them right the first time with a pre-publish check.

Use Ghostboard metrics (views, scroll depth, clicks) to decide where effort pays off.

Common mistakes to avoid ✨

• Stuffing keywords. If it sounds odd read aloud, it’s wrong.
• Describing the obvious UI. “Image of image” adds nothing.
• Copying the file name. ghostboard-2025-final-v3.png is not alt text.
• Forgetting context. Describe why the image is there, not just what pixels show.
• Adding alt to decorative images. Use alt="" so screen readers don’t read noise.

FAQ

Does every image need alt text?
No. Decorative images should have empty alt: alt="". Informational images should have descriptive alt that matches page context.

How long should alt text be?
Short. Aim for a clear phrase, not a sentence unless needed. The goal is meaning, not keywords.

Will fixing alt text move rankings?
Alt text supports accessibility and helps search engines understand your content. It can improve image search visibility and relevance signals, especially on posts with strong intent and internal links.

Where do I fix this in Ghost?
Open the post → click the image → Alt → write a short description → save. Or use Markdown ![alt](url).

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