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Posted by Gιrard Talbot on 10/27/06 15:44
entrepreneur wrote :
> When you're trying to create effective page content that will appeal to
> both human visitors and search engine spiders, you need to get the most
> out of every page element. One way to do this is to use ALT and TITLE
> attributes wherever you can. They increase your site's usability level
> and promotion possibilities if you clearly understand where to put
> them, when to use them, and why.
>
> Understand Their Purpose
>
> The ALT attribute is designed to be an alternative text description for
> images. ALT text displays before the image is loaded (if it's loaded at
> all) in the major browsers and instead of the image in text-based
> browsers like Lynx. ALT is a required element for images and can only
> be used for image tags because its specific purpose is to describe
> images.
>
> In contrast, you can use the TITLE attribute for just about any page
> element,
I personally do not recommend the use of title attribute for table and
for <img>. WCAG also does not recommend use of title for table.
> but it isn't required for any page element. Use it to describe
> links, tables, individual table rows, and other structural HTML
> elements.
Using title to describe the nature and target of links is good: in fact,
it's even a recommendation in WAI and by Jakob Nielsen.
http://www.gtalbot.org/BugzillaSection/Bug195867GDR_WindowOpen.html#UsabilityIssues
http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/DOM:window.open#Usability_issues
"Always identify links which will create (or will re-use) a new,
secondary window in a way that helps navigation for users (...)"
"Use link titles to provide users with a preview of where each link will
take them, before they have clicked on it."
quote from Ten Good Deeds in Web Design, Jakob Nielsen, October 1999
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/991003.html
Using Link Titles to Help Users Predict Where They Are Going,
Jakob Nielsen, January 1998
http://www.useit.com/alertbox/980111.html
To use title attribute to describe structural HTML element is over-doing
things for no obvious benefit. I don't see what a web author could be
accomplishing with
<h3 title="Secondary section"> ... </h3>
They're more versatile than the ALT attribute and many search
> engine ranking algorithms read the text in TITLE attributes as regular
> page content.
>
> Consider the benefits of good ALT and TITLE text:
>
> Enhance the browsing experience of visitors with disabilities.
> Increase your page's keyword density score and relevancy for your
> targeted keywords. (Calculate your page's keyword density with Page
> Primer and find out if you've used your keywords too little - or too
> often.)
> Provide valuable information to all your visitors with descriptive link
> titles and descriptive text about other page elements.
>
>
> Multiple Benefits From One Addition
>
> ALT and TITLE attributes are simple to add to your code. And remember
> that ALT is required for images: HTML Toolbox will alert you if your
> images don't have ALT text descriptions.
>
> Not sure how to add an ALT or TITLE to your HTML tags? Try these
> examples:
>
> <img src="cafeteria.jpg" height="200" width="200" alt="UAHC campers
> enjoy a meal in the camp cafeteria">
>
That cafetaria example is good and correct. You may want to read what I
wrote to David Massy on alt versus title implementation in IE (search
for Browser Behavior, Alt attributes) on this page:
Internet Explorer Programming Bugs
Browser Behavior, Alt attributes
"(...) MSIE 5+ handles wrongly the alt attribute for image(...)"
http://channel9.msdn.com/wiki/default.aspx/Channel9.InternetExplorerProgrammingBugs
>
> <table width="100" border="2" title="Henry Jacobs Camp summer 2003
> schedule">
>
This is not best; summary should be used instead of title. See my post
in this thread to dorayme.
>
>
> <a href="page1.html" title="HS Jacobs - a UAHC camp in Utica, MS">Henry
> S. Jacobs Camp</a>>
>
No,.. I would do rather:
<a href="page1.html">Henry S. Jacobs Camp - a UAHC camp in Utica, MS -</a>
Title in links should be only to indicate the nature of the target or
the link (WAI).
>
>
> <form name="application" title="Henry Jacobs camper application"
> method=" " action=" ">
>
> Note that in each example, we used either the ALT or TITLE attribute to
> provide more information about the page element. ALT describes the
> image (a photo of the camp cafeteria) and the TITLE information in the
> table, link, and form describe the purpose of the element while using
> targeted keywords like UAHC camp and Henry Jacobs Camp.
>
> Used this way, ALT and TITLE do double-duty and boost both your
> promotion efforts and your site's accessibility.
This is debatable. One could do also
<form name="CamperApplication" method=" " action=" ">
<fieldset><legend>Henry Jacobs camper subscription</legend>
....
<fieldset>
</form>
and no one would have to hover the mouse over the form to know what this
application is about. There is such a thing as over-tooltipping a
webpage, visual polluting or clogging the visual rendering with tooltips
popping up all the time whenever or wherever the mouse is.
Search engine spiders
> love the keywords. Visitors with images turned off or who use text
> browsers, screen readers and other assistive technologies will
> appreciate your effort to orient them on your Web page and explain the
> purpose of elements like tables, forms, and links.
>
> How Browsers Display Them
>
> In the past, some webmasters have used the ALT text description as a
> sort of pop-up tooltip on images, to add funny captions to family
> photos, or advertise a sale on certain products. That was because the
> TITLE attribute wasn't widely supported. It is now and Netscape 6.x
> browsers interpret the W3C specifications rather strictly - ALT text no
> longer "pops up" when you run your mouse over an image. You have to use
> a TITLE attribute for that.
The problem is, and it's a major problem, that MSIE 5+ will not comply
with your explanation in the above paragraph. They are aware of their
own spec violation on how IE handles tooltip and alt attribute. See
Internet Explorer Programming Bugs
Browser Behavior, Alt attributes
"(...) MSIE 5+ handles wrongly the alt attribute for image(...)"
http://channel9.msdn.com/wiki/default.aspx/Channel9.InternetExplorerProgrammingBugs
GΓ©rard
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