the alt=" after the header.gif - what to say

[amythepoet]

Hi,

Here's my question.

I take it the alt=" after the header.gif is important to SE's.

Let's say, I sell oil paintings and watercolors and black and white photographs

Could I put in the alt=" oil paintings, watercolors, black and white photographs, custom-made?

Also, should I put this alt=" on every single page of my site?

[Span]

Yes, every image that is not a spacer should have alt text to describe the content of the image. Your example is fine.

[Added: and yes, on every single page..]

[RonPK]

I doubt that any SE considers the value of the alt-attribute to be important, as it can easily be used for keyword stuffing purposes. So IMHO you'd better use it as intended: to describe the contents of the image. Nicer for visitors who use screen readers, too.

But if your header.gif reads 'oil paintings, watercolors, black and white photographs, custom-made', you're cool!

[amythepoet]

Oh well then, let's say that the image is the title of the site and then there is a tag line, what do I do then?

[Span]

If that image has something like "PaintingsByMe - Creating portraits and landscapes in acryl and oilpaint."
Well hey that is great for alt text.