- Element Code: CQ
- Issue: See below
- Impact: Quality / trust / clarity
- Fix: See steps
- Detection: Crawler, manual review
What this issue means
Image alt attributes that run long — well past ~100–125 characters. Long alt text is usually a sign of keyword stuffing or describing the image in unnecessary detail.
Why it matters
Alt text serves screen-reader users and gives search engines image context. Overly long alt text degrades the screen-reader experience (it is read aloud in full) and dilutes the relevance signal. Concise and descriptive beats long and padded.
How to fix it
- Describe the image's content and function in a short phrase.
- Keep it under ~125 characters.
- Cut keyword stuffing — one natural mention at most.
- Move detail to a caption if the image genuinely needs a longer explanation.
Related: Image & Video SEO FAQ
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Claude Vincent is a technical SEO consultant focused on crawlability, rendering, and AI-search visibility. He writes the field guides and case studies at SEO ProCheck, with a bias toward the durable, unglamorous work that decides whether search engines and AI answer engines can actually read and cite a site.
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Technical SEO consulting and GEO strategy with 20 years of enterprise experience. Case studies, resources, and tools for search and AI visibility.
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