If you’re using alternative tags for graphic links, you can differentiate each one by using the web-
site address that you’re linking to in the alt tag. However, don’t use web addresses that string on for
three or four lines. Instead, use a basic web address (www.basicaddress.com). For example,
Figure 6-6 shows what graphic links look like without alt text, and what both graphic links and
graphics look like with alt text.You should avoid using overly long alt tags, no matter what type of graphic you’re using them with.
A good rule is that your alt tag should be no more than one line long, and if you can create effective,
shorter tags, it’s that much better.If an image on your site is strictly text — for example, a company logo that is stylized text — one
way to handle it would be to create stylized text using a style sheet to suggest some particular
properties through type face, size, or color. For example, using the CSS rule strongthe code for
your text might look like this:{ background: #ffc none; color: #060; font-weight: normal; font-
family: “Comic Sans MS”, Western, fantasy; }The problem with creating stylized text in place of a text-only graphic is that sometimes it just doesn’t
work as well. The company logo that was mentioned earlier might be acceptable in a text-only format,
but only if the logo was designed that way to start with. If the logo has any graphic element to it at all,
even though it is text, changing the display to a non-graphic style would cause you to lose the brand
recognition that comes with the logo.FIGURE 6-6
Alt text helps visitors who don’t have or don’t allow graphics displays, and also those with screen readers.Graphic files without alt text All text for both a graphic and a link111
Maximizing Pay-per-Click Strategies 6
75002c06.qxd:Layout 1 11/7/07 9:37 AM Page 111