ARIA Labels, Alt Text, and Headings: Accessibility Elements That Google Loves

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In today’s digital world, accessibility and SEO go hand in hand. You can read here about Why Website Accessibility Matters For SEO. 

If your site isn’t accessible, it’s not just your users who suffer, your rankings will, too. Search engines like Google reward content that’s well-structured, inclusive, and easy to navigate. That’s where three key elements come in:

• ARIA labels

• Alt text

• Headings (H1–H6)

These aren’t just buzzwords. They’re signals, both to your users and to Google, that your content is trustworthy, structured, and worth surfacing.

1. ARIA Labels: Helping Assistive Tech Understand Your UI

ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) labels are like signposts for screen readers. They describe elements that aren’t naturally semantic (think buttons with icons only or dynamic modals).

Why Google cares:

While Google doesn’t directly rank based on ARIA, well-structured code improves crawlability and user experience, both critical to SEO.

Pro tips:

• Use aria-label to describe buttons or links with no text.

• Don’t overuse ARIA where native HTML does the job.

• Pair ARIA with actual keyboard accessibility.

Helpful resource:
ARIA Authoring Practices Guide (WAI)

2. Alt Text: Image Context That Matters

Alt text describes images to users who can’t see them. But it also gives Google valuable content about what’s visually on your page.

Why it matters:

• Alt text boosts image SEO, helping you appear in Google Images.

• It improves site relevance, especially for product pages, blogs, and service listings.

• Helps screen readers provide complete content access.

Do this:

• Be descriptive but concise.

• Avoid stuffing keywords—write like you’re describing it to a person.

• Skip “image of…” and jump right into what it is.

Try tools like:

• Wave Accessibility Tool

• axe DevTools

3. Headings: Hierarchy for Humans and Bots

Think of headings like a table of contents for your page. They guide readers and help Google understand your content’s structure.

Why Google loves them:

• They signal content hierarchy and relevance.

• H1s define the topic. H2s break down sections. H3s go deeper.

• Properly used headings help you qualify for featured snippets and voice search queries.

Tips of the trade:

• Use one H1 per page—your main topic.

• Never skip heading levels (e.g., don’t go from H2 to H4).

• Use keywords naturally within headings to boost SEO.

Dive deeper:
Google’s SEO Starter Guide

Final Thoughts

When your site is more accessible, it becomes more usable for everyone. And that usability leads to better engagement, conversions, and rankings. Accessibility isn’t a checklist, it’s part of your brand’s credibility and reach.

Build with empathy. Optimize with clarity. Win on both fronts.

FAQ: Accessibility and SEO

1. Does using ARIA improve SEO rankings directly?
Not directly, but it enhances user experience and site structure, both of which Google values.

2. What’s the difference between alt text and image captions?
Alt text is for screen readers and search engines. Captions are visible on the page and more for user context.

3. Can I use multiple H1 tags on a page?
Best practice is to use one H1 per page to clearly signal the main topic to search engines.

4. What’s the easiest way to audit my site’s accessibility?
Use free tools like Wave, axe, or Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools to run an accessibility audit instantly.