Alt text is displayed if the image cannot be shown, for example, if there is an error loading or if a visually impaired user is using a screen reader.

Google cares about alt text, so you should too!

You should write short, concise but descriptive alt text that describes your image.

Avoid image-based links if possible, and stick to text links.

Put yourself in the shoes of a visually impaired reader.

You should only use photos that can each be described using unique alt text in your post.

Include the focus keyword of your post in your alt text. At least for one photo in your blog post, if you can.

Think of your alt text as your anchor text if an image is used as a link.

Just don’t make your alt text the same as your keywords. Use the key phrase in a natural way.

Yes. You always need the alt text attribute if the image is relevant to the post or content.

Theme or third party plugin images don’t necessarily require alt text.

For those situations, you can serve a blank or null alt text.

For purely decorative images, like aesthetic elements of your theme.

If the image is not important to the content itself.

If the photo is just a visual guide to a link and the text itself already describes what you’re linking to.

Pinterest used to tell people to use the alt text for pin descriptions, but it’s not a good idea.

Use a sharing plugin like Grow for this instead!

If you have missing alt text, fix as much as you can when you edit old posts

Lighthouse is a variety of tools created by Google to measure the time it takes to load a page while providing meaningful user experience.

With the new version, Lighthouse metrics will place a greater emphasis on user experience than solely speed.

Google has not yet announced when Lighthouse 6 will be integrated into PageSpeed Analytics, but it will likely be before the end of May.

Don’t panic, and remember that the quickest way to improve pagespeed is to remove plugins that aren’t in use or don’t contribute to your site in a valuable way.

Version 6 introduces the metrics Largest Contentful Paint, Total Blocking Time, and Cumulative Layout Shift.

Guided Recipes are recipes marked for Schema.org for smart home devices such as Google Assistant.

Guided Recipes are ONLY FOR those devices. Not regular web traffic.

If you want to take action, realize that it’s only going to be for traffic you’re likely not monetizing.

Recipe Schema is unchanged in Google Search Console.

The main difference between Guided Recipes and Recipe schema is that they’re recommending some new fields under the Instructions: “Name,” “URL,” and “Video or Image.”

These are recommended and not required (they only trigger warnings and not errors.)

There is no need to worry, but Google may eventually start using these fields for regular Recipe Schema in the future, so it’s good to have this on your radar.

Create supports this for "How To" Schema already, and our team is working to bring this to Create Recipes in the coming weeks.

Google is doing this because home speakers and screens are becoming increasingly popular.

Can be created manually or you can use a paid service.

Are a must-have.

Help impress your brand partners and double as a case study to get hired again.

Can help you calculate your prices/value.

All of the content you’ve created with links and screenshots (blog posts, tweets, newsletters).

Impressive numbers - the results of your efforts. (Impressions, reach, page views and unique visitors, calculated engagement rate. Add your numbers up into a big juicy total.)

Stunning imagery with photographs that showcase the brand’s product.

Audience feedback - DMs, blog comments, and emails to show engagement.

Anything else that makes you look good!

Hire a VA BEFORE you are overwhelmed/underwater.

Virtual assistants can help with a variety of tasks, simple things such as email management, calendar management, all the way to difficult tasks such as event planning.

Allows you to focus on revenue-generating tasks (new products such as YouTube or podcasts, and improving old content through auditing), while they take on tasks that have less revenue impact and may not need YOU personally to tackle.

Have a plan and get organized BEFORE you hire for the best results on both sides of things.

VAs should cost $20-50 per hour, depending on the kinds of skills and experience.

Start with a trial period or a specific project to test out potential VAs. Look for relatable examples from applicants.

To be a good VA, you need to be a problem solver, demonstrate good time management, have stellar organizational skills, good communication, and just genuinely have a heart and passion for the business.