The internet is a treasure trove of visuals, overflowing with inspiration and information. Images are what draw us in, keep us engaged, and help us learn, and create. But imagine the internet without those visual cues—navigating it would be a real challenge.  

Luckily, for people with visual impairments, those dealing with slower internet connections, and even the robots powering search engines, there’s a simple yet powerful solution: alt text (short for alternative text). This unsung hero of the digital world ensures that everyone can access and benefit from the images we often take for granted.

What is alt text?

Alt text is exactly what it sounds like—a description of an image that appears on the page. Simple, right? But there’s more to it than that. To write truly effective alt text, it’s important to understand why it matters, when an image needs an alt attribute (spoiler alert: not every image does!), and the best tools to help you make sure your images are covered. Let’s dive in and make your alt text work smarter, not harder!

Why alt text is important

Alt text isn’t just a box to check—it’s a powerful attribute that serves two important purposes: making your content inclusive and helping search engines understand your images.

Accessibility

Alt text provides a written description of an image for those who rely on screen readers or encounter issues loading images. It’s there to ensure that no matter the barrier—be it visual impairments or low-bandwidth connections—your content remains accessible and meaningful to all users.

Without proper alt text, you risk not only making your site inaccessible to visitors but also potentially violating accessibility laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which could result in fines or other legal consequences. Similar laws are found throughout the European Union, Canada, the Republic of Korea, and Australia—just to name a few. If you’re trying to make the case for an equitable online experience for your team, this is a great place to start.  

Want to learn more about building an inclusive online community? Here are a few resources to get you started: 

• WordPress Accessibility Day
• WordPress Accessibility Standards
• WordPress Accessibility Forum

Search engine optimization (SEO)

Search engine crawlers pull several key details from an image, including its file name, captions, title, and alt text. Among these, alt text is the most important for helping search engines understand the image’s subject within the page’s overall content. This information works alongside the other content on the page to enhance search engine algorithms, boost your rankings, and drive more traffic to your site.

When writing alt text, aim for clear, meaningful descriptions that fit naturally with the page’s content. Incorporate keywords thoughtfully, and most definitely resist the urge to overdo it—keyword stuffing not only disrupts the user experience but can also result in search engines penalizing your site as spam. 

Not familiar with keyword stuffing? Keyword stuffing is all about cramming in as many keywords as possible in an attempt to boost rankings on search engine results pages. This doesn’t work and often backfires. Here’s an example:

Keyword stuffed alt text: 

alt=”Cute kitten playing with a ball of yarn, adorable kitten, fluffy kitten, playful kitten, cute kitten image, kitten for sale, kitten pictures.”

Well-written alt text can both enhances accessibility and support your SEO strategy. Use your commonsense and keep your (human) site visitors top of mind. 

How to know which images need alt text and how to write it

After all that, you may be surprised to learn that not all images require alt text. In fact, it becomes an exhausting experience for some users with screenreaders to endure fluffy alt text applied to images that don’t provide any value. Luckily for us, the W3 has categorized web images and offered some tips about how to treat images within each category.  

Here’s how to write the right kind of alt text depending on what your image is for:  

Informative images: These are the most common images found on sites and include pictures, photos, or illustrations that represent concepts or information. Your alt text should give a short description that conveys the essential meaning of the image. 

For example, this image illustrates all of the integrations available with Automattic’s P2, but those integrations are not named in the accompanying content. It’s important here that the alt text provides that information for visitors that may not be able to see or load the image. It should look something like this: 

alt="Logos for available P2 integrations: Crowdsignal, Figma, Twitter, GitHub, YouTube, Vimeo, Google Calendar, and Loom"

Decorative images: If an image is just there to look nice and doesn’t add any important info, use a null alt attribute (alt=””). This tells assistive technologies to skip it.  

Functional images: If an image works as a button or link, the alt text should explain what it does—not what it looks like. 

For example, the alt text for a video icon might say “Watch this video about hibernating bees on Vimeo.”  

Images of text: If the image contains readable text (like a graphic with a quote or a logo), the alt text should include the same words.

Complex images: Charts, graphs, or diagrams need more detailed alt text to describe the data or information they present. You might even link to a longer description.  

Groups of images: If multiple images work together to convey one idea, the alt text for one of the images should cover the whole message. A good example of this would be process shots for a recipe or other how-to tutorial that includes steps. 

Image maps: For images with clickable areas, provide alt text that explains the overall purpose of the image, and include alt text for each clickable section describing where it leads. 

Not sure how to categorize an image? Check out the W3 Images Tutorial for help. 

While there are no official length guidelines, it’s generally recommended to keep alt text under 140 characters. Longer descriptions can become tedious when read by screen readers. Be descriptive, but stay concise—this is not the place for creative flourishes.

Tools to ensure your images include alt text

Chrome Accessbility Report

The Chrome accessibility report is an easy-to-use resource built right into your browser, when you want to quickly test a single page on your site. 

Alt Text Tools

The Alt Text Tools from the NerdPress team is a free, light-weight plugin that generates a CSV file of the images used in your content, along with their alt attributes.

Once the scan is complete (it’s very fast!), you can open the CSV file in the spreadsheet application of your choice. There you can quickly identify images that have missing alt attributes and scan for any that may need some improvement. The file also includes links to edit the posts where the images appear, making it quick and easy to update their alt attributes.

Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker

This freemium WordPress plugin from Equalize Digital goes beyond alt text to ensure your site is accessible to a wide range of visitors. If you and your team are committed to making your content accessible, this is a great resource. 

Equalize Digital also runs a Facebook Group and hosts a monthly virtual meet up for WordPress  developers, designers, and users interested in learning more about creating accessible websites that can be used by people of all abilities.

Alt text may seem like a small detail, but it plays a big role in making the internet more inclusive and user-friendly. By writing thoughtful, descriptive alt text, you’re not just improving accessibility—you’re also optimizing your content for search engines and enhancing the overall user experience. With the right approach and tools, adding alt text can be an easy step toward a more accessible and SEO-friendly site.

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The end of the year is here, and with it comes a season of excitement and celebration! Whether you’re bundling up in cozy sweaters and snow boots or soaking up the sun in swimsuits, this time of year has something special for everyone. No matter where you are in the world, the final quarter brings festive holidays and celebrations to look forward to.

If you’re looking to capture the magic of the season on your website, try a pop of festive, holiday-inspired color or a cozy new theme. It’s the perfect way to welcome the season for you and your site visitors—whether they’re browsing for a holiday recipe, shopping for gifts, or exploring a guide to the best cross-country ski destinations.

Today we will show you how you can bring those festive feelings to your site with a few of our favorite color palettes and themes, along with where to find free illustrations and images to bring a refreshing seasonal touch to your site.

Festive color palettes

Here are four festive color palettes––ranging from bright and bold to chill and subtle––that will give your site some holiday spirit:

Joyful winter

This winter-inspired color palette features warm, inviting hues of soft coral and deep red, balanced by a neutral blush and grounded by cool teal and navy. Incorporating these colors into your WordPress site creates a cozy and joyful vibe.

Blush Ember #E37C77

Crimson Hearth #B84138

Rose Mist #DFC5C6

Teal Drift #3D8391

Midnight Fjord #1C4864

Winter frost

This winter color palette offers a harmonious blend of soft neutrals and cool blues, creating a warm and calm earthiness on your website. Perfect for a more sophisticated Hanukkah palette or a serene winter feel. 

Frosted Silver #DDDFDE

Cozy Taupe #C1B4A8

Chestnut Glow #A48E7F

Winter Night #365A72

Icy Horizon #6A91A9

Classic gingerbread

This palette captures the essence of a cozy, rustic holiday with its warm earthy tones and timeless charm—perfect for creating a welcoming, homey Christmas atmosphere. It’s so inviting, that you can almost smell the gingerbread baking!

Deep Forest Green #2E4D34

Warm Burlap #A67B5B

Cranberry Red #B22222

Creamy Beige #F5F5DC

Burnt Orange #D2691E

Jewel box winter

This palette is the jewel box of winter—perfect for those who prefer bold, vibrant colors in their branding and design. Its rich, saturated tones add a pop of color that stand out beautifully against classic autumn and winter hues. Best of all, it’s incredibly versatile, making it easy to expand and adapt throughout the year.

Golden Spice #E99739

Plum Wine #693551

Harvest Olive #686610

Forest Ember #273223

Creamy Chai #F8E1C8

Updating your site colors

Use any of these palettes as a starting point for your site’s color refresh. To begin, take a look at your existing site and see if one of these palettes align well with your existing site branding. You can do this by swapping in just a color or two—you likely won’t use every color in the palette. 

After choosing a palette, consider updating product or lifestyle images to echo these colors. If you need help sourcing stock photos, we’ll dive into that below.

If you’re new to customizing your site’s look, don’t worry—the WordPress.com Editor makes it easy. You can set a custom palette, add custom colors, and apply updates across your site, covering all the consistent elements like text, headings, links, backgrounds, buttons, and more.

When you’re ready to start implementing your new color palette, this tutorial is the perfect guide to get you going: Custom Colors on WordPress.com.

Winter-inspired themes

If you’re looking for a bigger site refresh, changing not just your colors but your theme can instantly elevate the look and feel of your website in a more impactful way. Here are a few of our favorite themes that instantly bring the cozy-cottage charm to life: 

Cottage

Cottage is a beautifully-crafted theme that brings the charm of the countryside to your online space. Featuring a warm palette of earthy tones, subtle textured backgrounds, and timeless serif fonts, Cottage is all about rustic simplicity and warm natural elements. 

Nook

Nook is a classic two-column blog theme with a sidebar. Its versatile, timeless design creates a warm, familiar feel, providing the perfect space for sharing your DIY projects, tasty recipes, and creative inspirations.

Dorna

Dorna is a clean, product-focused theme, and its warm, inviting design and simple layout make it ideal for online shops featuring cozy, modern homewares and furniture.

Resources for seasonal photography and illustrations

Photography and illustrations are fantastic ways to bring your new color palette and/or theme to life. If you’re not capturing photos yourself or just want a fresh look, Pexels, Unsplash, and Pixabay all offer a wide selection of free, high-quality photos and illustrations. Even better, Pexels is fully integrated into your WordPress.com media library, allowing you to easily add copyright-free images directly to your site.

When searching for images to add to your site, here are a few seasonal keywords to get you started: warm ambiance, hygge, fall leaves, snug nook, warm lighting, autumnal vibes, natural tones, fireside, rustic charm, homey feel, earthy tones, woolen textures, and cozy fall.

You can also incorporate seasonal pops of color by adding custom graphics to your site. Canva is an excellent tool for creating custom visuals, with easy-to-use templates for everything from banners to sidebar graphics. It’s a simple, freemium way to add that extra festive touch to your WordPress site.

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As we start looking at the new year ahead, it’s the perfect time to refresh your website with a look and feel that captures the spirit of the season—whether it’s fall and winter in the northern hemisphere or spring and summer in the southern hemisphere.

So go ahead—dive into the season with a new look! Try out one of our free or premium themes, and let your creativity run wild.

You’ll likely need the help of several WordPress plugins to build a successful food blog, but none are as important as the mighty recipe plugin. To put it in perspective, if I were thinking of a recipe blog as a pie, the recipe plugin would be the biggest piece of that pie and the ice cream à la mode. It’s that big of a deal. 

A recipe plugin is basically a tiny little translator that meticulously parses and organizes the details of a recipe into robot-ready pieces of data that search engines need to display your content accurately and beautifully in search results. But that’s not all it does.

Recipe plugins serve three main purposes:

• They supply search engines with the structured data needed to display your recipes accurately in search results with rich snippets. If this sounds like gobbledygook, don’t worry—we’ll explain it more below.
• They provide an easy-to-use recipe template for you, making it simple to add a recipe to your WordPress post without hassle.
• They give readers a visually consistent, well-organized recipe format, often including useful features like ingredient checkboxes, unit converters, and serving size adjustments.

Search Engine Optimization

Recipe plugins work behind the scenes (as the tiny translators) to add structured data to every recipe you publish. This structured data (specifically JSON-LD) makes it easy for search engines to understand and showcase your recipes in search results with extra details like images, videos, ingredients, cook times, ratings, and more.

When these enhanced details appear in search, they’re known as rich snippets, and they’re what makes your recipe stand out. This can increase your click-through rate (CTR) and boost your search rankings because of the extra information shown for your content within the search itself. 

Luckily, you don’t need to worry too much about structured data. Just know that a good recipe plugin adds this data to display rich results, like Google’s rich snippets or Pinterest’s Rich Pins.

Here’s a fun fact: Pinterest, essentially a visual search engine, is a major traffic driver for food bloggers. With constant algorithm changes in search, diversifying your traffic sources is always a smart strategy.

Here are a few examples of how rich snippets are displayed in Google and Pinterest search results:

Templates for adding a recipe to a post

Let’s not forget that recipes are really just instructions. Using a clear, organized template helps you include all of the important details that your recipe plugin needs to create the structured data.

Here’s an example of a recipe card template from the WP Recipe Maker plugin. You’ll find a similar template with each of the plugins we recommend.

Improved reader experience

Recipe cards come jam-packed with reader-friendly features designed to make cooking easier—like the popular “jump to recipe” button at the top of recipe posts.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the options. Try to focus on a handful of features that truly add value for your readers. For instance, if your site is focused on baking, a unit converter is a must-have. 

Some of the most useful reader-facing features include:

• Accurate unit conversions – Test these out, as not all converters are created equally! 
• Recipe scaling options – Adjust servings by 1/2x, 2x, or 3x.
• User ratings display – Helps readers feel confident in the recipe they’re about to make.
• ‘Jump to recipe’ button – A shortcut to “jump” the reader from the top of the post to the recipe.
• Hands-free cook mode – Keeps the screen awake for readers while cooking.
• Customizable templates – Allows you to easily style the recipe card to match your brand without the help of a developer.

Here’s an example of hands-free cook mode in Mediavine Create:

How to choose a recipe plugin

Starting a food blog often comes with a bit of a learning curve, but being a great recipe writer doesn’t mean you also need to be a tech expert. When deciding on a recipe plugin, choose one that aligns with your current comfort level and can support your needs as you grow. 

When evaluating plugins these are a few of the most important things we recommend looking for:

Actively maintained plugins

“Actively maintained” means the plugin receives regular updates, ideally every few months. Recipe publishing evolves quickly, and it’s essential that the team behind this vital part of your site stays on top of the latest changes in search, ad placements, and performance optimization.

Community feedback

The next thing you want to consider is reviews. If it’s free in the WordPress.com plugin repository and the WordPress.org plugin repository, then you can find reviews there. If it’s a premium plugin that’s not in the repository, you can look on the website for testimonials or reviews. 

It’s also helpful to ask for recommendations from other food bloggers; Facebook groups and Reddit forums for food bloggers are excellent resources.

Evaluate support

Free plugins on WordPress offer a support forum—take a peek to see if questions are promptly answered. Premium plugins may handle support through a dedicated support channel or email. Try reaching out with pre-sales questions, and if you get a helpful response, that’s a great sign. If support seems lacking, you might want to keep looking.

The technical parts

JSON-LD is the preferred schema markup for search engines like Google and Pinterest, so verify that your recipe plugin includes it. 

For search engines to interpret your recipe accurately, your plugin needs to support all required and recommended structured data fields. Google provides a list of these fields, so double-check that your plugin covers them all. 

Once installed, test the plugin by completing the fields in the template and running the recipe post through Google’s Rich Results Test to catch any errors or warnings.

Popular recipe plugins

Investing in a paid recipe plugin may seem intimidating at first, but it’s one of the best (bite-sized) investments you can make as a food blogger because it offers you so many benefits that are important to get right from the start. Many plugins offer a lighter free version or a trial period, so I strongly encourage you to test out a few options before making a decision.

WP Recipe Maker

WP Recipe Maker (WPRM) is a powerful recipe plugin, with over 50,000 active installations. They offer a free version, along with premium upgrades that are definitely worth considering. This plugin is the most feature-rich of all of the options. 

The main drawback is that WPRM can be somewhat complex to set up with so many features to enable, disable, and customize. It will require some effort, and if you have an eye for design, you may need to customize the templates to achieve a polished look.

Tasty Recipes

Tasty Recipes is part of the WP Tasty plugin suite of plugins, all built for bloggers. While they don’t offer a free version, they do have a 14-day free trial. It’s the easiest of the bunch to set up, and the cards are beautiful right out of the box. It has everything you need and nothing you don’t!

Create

Create is a popular free option developed by Mediavine, a full-service ad management company. With a selection of well-designed card templates and a responsive support team, it’s a solid choice for food bloggers. Create also offers built-in functionality for list and how-to cards if you publish more than recipes. 

The only downside of Create is that it doesn’t receive updates as frequently as some other plugins. 

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If most food bloggers had their way, a recipe blog post would likely be simpler—a few images, a short introduction with helpful tips, and the recipe itself. Sadly that’s not the reality of the internet today with flashing ads taking over your screen while you’re up to your elbows in focaccia dough. But it hasn’t always been that way.

In the beginning, think early aughts, food blogging was entirely disconnected from ad revenue and Google’s algorithmic whims. Most food bloggers then were in fact food writers, using an online audience to develop their voice and share a much-loved recipe. 

There were so few recipe publishers, we hung onto their every word and looked forward to each new post—100% ad-free. A few would get cookbook deals or become contributors to our favorite food magazines. We giddily followed them off the screen and into print. It was the golden age of food writing. 

Modern recipe publishing

Then came the flood. Aspiring food bloggers popped up in droves, eager to replicate the success of what those early pioneers had made look so effortless. Along the way, the terrain had shifted dramatically. 

You need to be more than just a great recipe developer and writer now—you need to be a professional photographer, videographer, food stylist, marketer, and SEO expert. If you could do it all, and do it well, you could make a very comfortable living from your home kitchen.

All of this expertise from one person requires a lot of time and financial investment. Beyond the basic costs of running a website—like hosting, recipe plugins, and software—there’s the need for high-end camera equipment, online courses, and endless food styling props. For new bloggers, these expenses add up fast.

Today, crafting a single recipe optimized for both Google (more on that below) and social media can easily take over 20 hours. And that’s before you’ve even nailed down a version of the recipe that’s consistently reliable and simple to follow.

As the saying goes, time is money. Enter ad placements—the lifeline that generates the revenue food bloggers rely on to keep the lights on.

How food bloggers earn money

This is where RPMs come in, aka the soft, gooey center of why food blogs can seem so tediously long. 

For food bloggers, ad revenue is based on RPMs (Revenue Per Mille), which is the amount earned per 1,000 sessions. This amount can fluctuate based on a number of factors, including time of year, device, traffic source, time on page, and ad density. Ad density is one of the few factors a blogger can control and plays a big role in boosting RPM—more ads mean higher earnings and longer posts create more opportunities for ad placements. More content, more ads, more revenue!

But it’s not as simple as it sounds. There are millions of food blogs, and only a small percentage are highly profitable. Early-stage food bloggers are often fueled by sweat equity, working hard in hopes of eventually breaking into the top tier of high-earning bloggers.

To qualify for some of the larger ad networks, food bloggers need at least 100,000 monthly pageviews. With that level of traffic, a food blogger might earn between $2,000 and $3,000 per month, or around $24,000 to $36,000 annually. Longer posts can drive up those RPMs.

The ad networks were primarily responsible for this initial push to longer posts, even if you were just waxing poetic about your weekly trip to Costco while losing sight of that blueberry muffin recipe your readers are after. 

Then Google said enough. We’ll reward the sites that demonstrate expertise, through a combination of high-quality, relevant content and author credibility—aka the helpful content update. 

Nowadays, personal stories have largely given way to detailed instructions and practical tips, such as where to buy the author’s go-to Thai curry paste online (which, of course, will be an affiliate link—because yes, food blogging is a real job, and bloggers need to earn a living too).

This added information above the recipe serves two main purposes: 

• First and foremost, to ensure even the most inexperienced home cook feels confident following the recipe.
• To provide Google with plenty of tasty SEO tidbits to boost the recipe’s ranking in search results. 

Better rankings lead to more traffic—and more revenue.

Another important consideration for authors is the extent to which their articles are eligible for copyright protection. Basic lists of ingredients are generally not considered copyrightable under US law—whereas more substantial expressions or accompanying media will be. The more creative you are in your explanations, the better for your reader, and the more likely you are to enjoy protection over the results.

Advice for food bloggers

If you’re a food blogger trying to maintain the delicate balance between performing well in search and keeping your readers happy, do your best to ensure that the content above the recipe card offers value to your readers. 

Here are some suggestions for relevant content to include:

• Ingredient substitutions
• Dietary considerations (can this recipe be made vegan or gluten free?) 
• Where to find uncommon ingredients
• Preparation tips, along with process shots 
• Storage, freezer, and meal prep tips 
• Alternative methods, like Instant Pot or slow cooker variations 
• Recipe FAQs

With literally millions of food sites to choose from, think of personality as the sprinkles that set you apart, but relevant content is what establishes your expertise and keeps readers coming back for more. 

Even John Mueller, who coordinates Google Search Relations efforts, recommends making content for your readers first. What makes you, your recipe, and your corner of the internet unique, helpful, and relevant?

How to support online publishers

Food is a highly personal topic, filled with memories and experiences food bloggers are generous enough to share. Whether they’re helping us recreate a beloved restaurant dish at home or offering a comforting family recipe, they’re here to guide us every step of the way. 

Now that you’ve gotten a glimpse behind the scenes, here are a few ways you can support the recipe publishing community:

• Leave a review after trying the recipe—it helps others and gives valuable feedback to the creator.
• Share any tips or questions that might help fellow home cooks.
• Remember your dinner party manners when commenting—be kind and respectful, even if the recipe didn’t turn out as expected. 
• Spread the word by sharing a recipe you love with friends and family.
• Make the recipe and post about it on social media—bonus points if you tag the author!
• Let those video ads play while you gather ingredients. You can close them afterward, knowing you contributed to the creator’s RPM. 
• Be patient with ads, especially during Q4 (the last three months of the year). This is when bloggers earn the most—RPMs spike, traffic increases, and ad placements get more aggressive. 

If you find ads and anecdotes distracting, simply use the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of most recipe posts. It’ll take you straight to the recipe. While you may still encounter a few ads within the recipe card, it’s a small trade-off for a well-written, free-to-you recipe.

For a completely ad-free experience, consider buying a cookbook, a paid recipe subscription service, or better yet—give your grandma a call. She probably has a recipe and a story you’ll love, and let’s face it, you’re probably overdue for a chat.

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