Welcome back to Leads Not Liabilities. Last time, I introduced the huge, untapped market of over 1.1 million potential BC customers your competition is ignoring, and the $250,000 fine you need to avoid.
Before we dive into complex code, I want to give you the fastest, easiest fix you can do right now that addresses both problems at once.
It’s called Alt-Text (Alternative Text), and it’s the perfect example of how fixing a technical barrier for an accessible user also becomes a powerful tool that makes Google send you more business.
What the Heck is Alt-Text?
Think of Alt-Text as the spoken label for every picture on your website.
When you, a tradesperson, look at a photo of a clean, new furnace you installed, you see the quality of the job. But a visually impaired customer using a screen reader (software that reads the web page out loud) just hears: “Image 459.jpg.”
That’s a useless, frustrating experience for them—a major WCAG violation—and a missed opportunity for you.
Alt-Text is a short sentence you add to the image settings that describes the picture.
🛠️ Why You Need to Fix It (The Two-Part Win)
| 🎯 The Leads Side (SEO & Google) | 🛡️ The Liabilities Side (Accessibility & Law) |
| Google Can’t See: Google’s search engine bots can’t look at your photos. They rely entirely on your Alt-Text to figure out what the picture is about and how it relates to your services. | The Screen Reader Solution: This text is read aloud to customers who can’t see the image, ensuring they get the same information as everyone else. |
| Ranking for Services: If your Alt-Text is missing, Google won’t rank that image or page for the work it shows. | Easy WCAG Compliance: Missing Alt-Text is one of the most common and easiest-to-fix WCAG 2.1 Level AA failures, instantly reducing your legal risk. |
| Image Search Traffic: Customers often search Google Images for “boiler repair.” If your Alt-Text is good, your picture shows up, and you get the click. | 1.1 Million Customer Access: You remove a technical barrier, making your site fully usable for the millions of Canadians using screen readers. |
The Bottom Line: If you don’t use Alt-Text, you’re only communicating 50% of the value of your work, and you’re failing to communicate with Google and 27% of the population.
📝 The Tradesperson’s 3-Step Alt-Text Blueprint
This isn’t hard, and it takes seconds per image. You can do this yourself right now inside your website platform (like WordPress) where you manage your media.
Step 1: Prioritize the User (WCAG First)
The golden rule for Alt-Text is to describe the image accurately and naturally. Don’t try to stuff a huge list of keywords into it. That’s called “keyword stuffing,” and it frustrates users and can actually earn you a penalty from Google.
Focus on what is happening and what the object is.
- Bad Alt-Text (Spammy):
plumber Vancouver Richmond emergency service best rate - Good Alt-Text (User-Focused):
Plumber installing a high-efficiency tankless hot water heater.
Step 2: Use Keywords Naturally (The SEO Spritz)
Once you have a good description, check if your primary service keywords (like “boiler repair” or “panel upgrade”) fit into the sentence naturally.
- Service Area (The Location Trick): You don’t need to repeat your service area (Vancouver, Burnaby, etc.) in every Alt-Text tag. Google knows where you are based on your address and other page headings. Only include location if the photo is specific to a landmark or a particular neighbourhood you want to target heavily, and if so, do so sparingly.
| Image Description | Correct, Ethical Alt-Text |
| Photo of a new electrical panel replacement | Newly installed 200 amp electrical service panel upgrade. |
| Photo of a furnace being worked on | HVAC technician performing maintenance on a residential forced-air furnace. |
| Photo of a sewer clean-out | Plumber snaking a blocked main sewer line clean-out in New Westminster. |
Step 3: Give Your Developer the Blueprint
You don’t need to waste time clicking on every image yourself, but you also don’t want your developer spending hours troubleshooting a simple issue. I don’t write the code, but I provide the instructions.
Use the expertise you gain here to send a precise, professional request:
SUBJECT: Urgent: Alt-Text Audit for WCAG and SEO
[Developer Name],
Please perform a full Alt-Text audit on all images on the site. This is a critical WCAG 2.1 failure and is hindering my SEO and therefore losing leads to my competition.
Action: Every service image must have Alt-Text that accurately describes the photo and includes the core service keyword (e.g., ‘furnace repair’ or ‘panel upgrade’). Do not spam keywords or location names.
This is a priority fix based on compliance requirements.
Thanks, [Your Name]
This is how you use a consultant’s knowledge to manage your developer’s time efficiently. You’ve identified the problem, explained the why (WCAG/SEO), and provided the exact solution.
Leads Not Liabilities: Action Item
Your immediate task is to audit the five most important project images on your website. Write accurate, user-first Alt-Text for those five images and send them to your developer.
This is the fastest, cheapest fix that immediately plugs a liability leak and opens the door to new leads.
Next week, I’m digging into the second easiest fix: Heading Structure (The $100,000 organizational trick that makes Google think your site is an authority).