Pulling description from ALT tags?

[blaize]

Some of my sites descriptions are showing up as repetitions of my alt tags: i.e.,

blue widgets blue widgets blue widgets blue widgets

I've never seen this before with any of my older sites. Is this something new, or just a normal update quirk?

[heini]

Is there any other indexable text on the site? And, sorry for asking, you are sure this is really the alt txts?

[HuhuFruFru]

this once happened to me also, i had on that page no text (only in the title and meta tags), only images with alt tags

[ciml]

Is the image with that alt text in a link? That's normally the reason.

[blaize]

Thanks for your feedback! It will help me avoid this problem in the future.

I have all the images linked (via a javaScript onMouseOver image change effect), using the same alt text for each. Thus, I imagine ciml is correct in stating that this linking of images is the culprit.

I did not use the term that Google pulled from the alt tags in my body text or links. There is one heading and one text link on the page, and I assumed google would use these (incidentally, these were unfinished pages google indexed without my knowledge or intention).

I wasn't aware that alt tags play such an important role. I am going to use them more wisely in the future.

[Legin]

Google has been showing alt and title tags on many of my sites for a good year or so now. I have found that well written alt and title tags can have a big effect on ranking.

[AthlonInside]

Legin,

Do you mean title tag for the page title <title> ... </title> or title tag inside a link tag <a href=... title=...>?

[RFranzen]

images.google.com probably depends heavily on text in the ALT and TITLE attributes. It does not surprise me that there is a crossover effect within the normal Google search.

{soapbox}
image ALT attribute contains information you want users to know who won't see the images themselves (text browsers, blind users, and analog modem users who would rather browse quickly than see every image).

image TITLE attribute contains an image title, both for those who can see the image and those who will not. It displays as hover text, and I believe current "web speaker" software will say it in addition to the ALT text.

IE has adopted philosophy of backwards behavior. If both attributes are present, it treats them according to standards. That is, if images are enabled, ALT text does not auto-display. TITLE shows instead. If only the ALT attribute is present, it treats it as if it is both an ALT and a TITLE attribute.

Mozilla/Netscape7 have for the most part thrown away non-standard carry-overs from Netscape4. Only TITLE attributes will display as hover text. Text in ALT attributes is only viewable if image display is shut off, or via the "View Page Info" window.

For once, I almost prefer IE's decision. Philosophically I admire Mozilla's attitude -- "if past behavior differs from current standards, stop doing it". As web author, it is a pain to update pre-existing pages which expected the non-standard behavior.
{/soapbox}

Golly, this is first time I ever got on a soapbox to proclaim my ambivalence. :) The point is, if you specifically want hover text, it belongs in TITLE attributes, not ALT attributes. Yes, that may mean having the same text in both -- until, that is, you get a feel for what the current standards are designed to accomplish.

For example, yesterday's Google logo (Michelangelo) had an ALT attribute but not a TITLE attribute. The text was something like "Happy Birthday Michelangelo". They could have used both attributes and treated both imaged and non-imaged visitors. Perhaps something like:

- - - - - - - - - -
ALT
Google logo in sculpted marble; statue of David is the letter L.
- - - - - - - - - -
TITLE
Happy Birthday Michelangelo
- - - - - - - - - -

-- Rich

[edited by: RFranzen at 7:12 pm (utc) on Mar. 7, 2003]

[Legin]

AthlonInside... I ment title tages in links... <a href=... title=...>

I didn't think that it may be confusing... Silly Me.