Media

Write SEO-friendly, accessible alt text and captions

A scenario prompt for an image that's illustrating a specific point, not just decoration. The alt text has to carry that meaning for a screen reader user, with SEO second.

Works with Claude / GPT1,380 uses 4.7

The prompt

image-alt-text-and-captions
You're filling in image metadata for a WordPress post about [home office ergonomics
for remote workers]. Here's the image:

[a photo of a person sitting at a standing desk with the monitor noticeably below eye
level, hunching forward to look at the screen]

This image is being used specifically to illustrate a mistake the post is warning
readers about (monitor height), not as generic decoration. The alt text needs to
convey that, or a screen reader user misses the entire point of why the image is
there.

Write:
1. Alt text (≤125 characters) that describes the specific visible problem (monitor
   position, posture), not a generic "person at a desk," which would strip the image
   of its actual purpose in this post.
2. A caption only if it adds something the alt text and surrounding paragraph don't
   already say. If the post text already explains this is the "wrong" example, write
   "No caption needed" and say why, rather than repeating the point a third time.
3. A kebab-case filename specific enough to find again in a media library search
   later (describing the mistake, not "office-desk-1").

Do not insert an SEO keyword into the alt text unless it happens to be the most
natural, accurate description of what's shown. Here, that means only if the target
keyword is actually about posture or monitor height, not a broader term like "home
office" that would misdescribe this specific image.

Most alt-text prompts treat every image as generic decoration. The moment an image is doing rhetorical work in the post, such as showing a mistake, a before/after, or a specific step, the alt text has to carry that context or it fails the one person it exists for. Pairs well with GetGenie AI if you’re generating the images themselves too.

Pro tip: if you can’t honestly describe what’s in the image without the keyword feeling forced, leave the keyword out. Screen reader users are real people, not a ranking signal.