Using your ALT text...

If you're new to this business, and aren't sure what 'ALT text is', it's dead simple. Any image that you put on a webpage is allowed to have what's called ALT text attached to it. This has nothing to do with the image file, and you don't have to do anything weird with a graphics package to add this text in. This is something that you add to the webpage itself (in the place where the image will go). Alt text (alternative text) was designed to show some text as an image was loading.

That's a DUMB invention!!!

Well, ALT text originally began as an important part of the web. People did (and still do in some cases) surf with the graphics turned off. (EXCITING or what???) Yup - they surf around and just look at the text. This is pretty rare, but one of the arguments for using ALT text on images would be if someone came to your site and your navigation system involved graphic buttons. If there wasn't any alt text 'under' these images - that surfer would be LOST. But like I said, this is RARE and perhaps more importantly - we're in the Internet PORN business. 99.99999999% of our surfers are gonna have the graphics ON!

So what can ALT text do for YOU?

Adding ALT text to images IS an extra chore. I guarantee you that after building a few websites, you'll be muttering under your breath, "if I have to fill out ONE MORE ALT text tag..." but honestly - there's some very important uses for this ALT text. It will help you sell better, AND get you more search engine traffic. Very few sites really USE ALT text - as many as 78% of all sites ignore this important tool! Let's look at the THREE main areas that image ALT text can be used realistically to HELP a busy adult webmaster make more $$ and traffic.

1) Alt text for search engine ranking!

Some search engines such as Google and Altavista are believed to consider the text in the image ALT tags. Like everything, there's no cut and fast answer to how much this well help you. But with the search engines, you've really got to do EVERYTHING that you can in order to give your page a fighting chance out there. I'd advise anyone looking to get into the SE's to work closely with their image ALT tags.

Think about what your page's main and most important keyphrases are. Then you can add in some of these to each ALT tag (pictures AND thumbs). Use descriptive words and don't be tempted to squash in as many keywords as you can. 3 - 4 is an ideal number. Remember that each page should only be about a limited number of words and phrases - don't try to get each page listed under a million and one different keyphrases - it's not gonna happen. Use your ALT tags sparingly and carefully to boost your SE ranking.

2) Rollover text - the 'secret' selling tool...

I want to show you a couple of examples here. These are just regular banners. First up, just check out this banner. (It doesn't DO that much

http://www.topniche.com/newbie-booster/resources/rollover-alt/example-1.html

And now check out this one, which is slightly different...

http://www.topniche.com/newbie-booster/resources/rollover-alt/example-2.html

Hold your mouse over the second banner for a second - and you'll see a message pop up over the banner. This isn't anything special, it isn't using a fancy JAVA script - this is just whatever was in the ALT text of that image. Here's the image tag for that page:

<IMG SRC="general-worship.jpg" WIDTH="400" HEIGHT="84" BORDER="0" ALT="FOOTASTIC.COM - the greatest foot fetish site in the WORLD!">

Simple, huh? And it looks totally neat! Asides from that, this can help you describe your sponsor's site, your AVS site, or ANY money making link in even greater depth.

3) Ad graphics can sell even before they're loaded...

Our surfers are on slow connections. A rough figure is that only 10% of the people out there have broadband / fast connections, so ALT text is important for our surfers. ALT text is what they'll see while the images are loading, it's kind of a place holder. So don't have "banner 1" as your ALT text on banners. Think about the second point I made above and think about what you could have as your ALT text which could possibly make that surfer leave your site even before the banner is loaded. Use your marketing here to get them off to a sponsor ASAP. ALT text could be your FIRST attack on a surfer.

Here's 3 quick points to remember too:

TOURS - use ALT text on your tours - especially if they're pretty graphically intensive. They can hold the surfer's attention, give them something to read and a reason to WAIT for it. Sell with your ALT text on the tours too.

NAV LINKS - Don't put ALT text on your navigation links. If you have an index page, you don't WANT the surfer to find their way in too easily. A good trick is to use a graphic as you enter link, but using ALT text here could defeat the object of doing this.

Don't overdo it - Whether you're using ALT text to sell, on a tour, or as an aid to get a better ranking, don't go crazy. Like anything else on the web, it's a tool that can be used at certain times and should not be abused and used EVERYWHERE. That would dilute it's effectiveness in all cases.

How to add it...

Here's some miscellaneous links on getting ALT text to work on your pages:

More on ALT text:
http://oc.nci.nih.gov/web508/tut-a.html

Use of ALT texts in IMGs
http://ppewww.ph.gla.ac.uk/~flavell/alt/alt-text.html

Hope this helps some folks and GOOD LUCK!

TOM ^"^

ICQ 12616560
Email tom@tomsnewbiebooster.com

Enter TOM'S NEWBIE BOOSTER

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