Image Links
Image links are backlinks where an image is the clickable element instead of text. Search engines read the image’s alt text in place of anchor text, so keep it descriptive.
Interpretation of Image Links
An image link wraps an image in a link tag, so clicking the picture takes the visitor to another page. In HTML, it looks like a normal link with an image inside it instead of words. Logos, banners, badges, product photos, buttons and embedded infographics are all common examples.
Search engines treat image links as real links. Google can follow them to discover pages, and they can pass ranking value just like text links. A dofollow image link from a relevant, trusted page counts as a genuine backlink.
What changes is the signal about the destination. A text link carries anchor text, which tells search engines what the linked page is about. An image has no visible words to read, so search engines rely on other clues. The most important is the image’s alt text. Google has said that when you use an image as a link, its alt text is treated much like the anchor text of a text link.
Other clues help too. The file name, the caption, the text around the image and the content of the linking page all add context. An image link inside a relevant article, with a caption describing the destination, sends a much clearer signal than a logo with no alt text sitting alone in a sidebar.
Image links show up in backlink tools alongside text links. Most tools label them as image links and display the alt text in the anchor column, or show the anchor as empty when no alt text exists.
Role of Alt Text
Alt text, short for alternative text, is a short description added to an image’s HTML through the alt attribute. It was created for accessibility. Screen readers read alt text aloud to people who cannot see the image, and browsers display it when an image fails to load.
For image links, alt text does a second job: it acts as the anchor text. If a partner site links to you with your logo and the alt text says “Northwind Analytics,” the link works like a branded anchor. If the alt text is empty, the link has no anchor at all, and search engines know far less about why it exists.
Good alt text for an image link is short, accurate and descriptive. It should describe the image or the destination in plain words, such as “Northwind Analytics logo” or “Chart of average email open rates by industry.” A few words are usually enough.
Alt text can be abused, just like anchor text. Stuffing it with keywords, such as “best cheap SEO agency London top SEO company,” looks as manipulative in an image link as it would in a text link. It also makes the page worse for screen reader users. Overoptimized alt text across many image links is a pattern search engines can recognize.
When other sites link to you with images, you rarely control the alt text. When you provide images or embed codes, you do. Supply sensible alt text with every asset you give partners, and the resulting links will carry a clear, natural signal.
Visual Link Building
Visual content is one of the most reliable ways to earn image links.
Infographics are the classic example. A well-designed infographic turns data or a process into a visual that other sites want to share. When they publish it, the embed code or credit line usually links back to the original page. Infographic link building grew popular in the early 2010s and still works when the visual is based on solid data and promoted to relevant sites.
Charts and data visualizations work in the same way on a smaller scale. A single clear chart from your original research can be embedded in dozens of articles, each with a credit link. Journalists and bloggers often prefer a ready-made chart to building their own.
Logos and badges create image links through relationships. Partner pages, client lists, sponsor sections, award winners and certification bodies often display logos that link to each company. Testimonials can do the same, since many vendors publish customer quotes with the customer’s logo and a link.
Original photos and illustrations can earn links too. Sites that use your images under a license that requires attribution will often link to the source. When sites use your images without credit, a polite request to add a link is an easy form of link reclamation.
Creating strong visuals takes planning. A guide on how to create an infographic for link building covers the research, design and format choices that make visuals worth sharing.
Best Practices
Write descriptive alt text for every image you provide. Use your brand name or a plain description of the image. Avoid keyword stuffing.
Pair image links with text where possible. A caption, credit line or text link near the image adds context. Many embed codes include both an image link and a text credit, which gives search engines two signals instead of one.
Make embedding easy. Offer a simple embed code under each visual asset, with the credit link and alt text already in place. Sites are more likely to share visuals when they do not have to work out attribution themselves.
Host images on the page you want linked. When an infographic lives on a dedicated page with supporting text, links and embeds point to a page that can rank on its own.
Promote visuals actively. Great images rarely spread without help. Reach out to sites that cover the topic, offer a short custom introduction to go with the graphic, and follow up politely. A clear infographic outreach strategy makes this process repeatable.
Track your image links. Use a backlink tool to filter links by type, check which visuals earn the most links and review alt text on links you received. Where alt text is missing or awkward, a quick note to the site owner can fix it.
Keep image links natural in your overall profile. A healthy profile includes some image links from logos, badges and visuals alongside text links. Large numbers of image links with keyword-stuffed alt text from unrelated sites look engineered.
Image links work like text links, with alt text standing in for anchor text. Supply clear alt text with every image you share, earn links through useful visuals and relationships, and pair images with text credits so every link carries a clear signal.