To what extent, if any, do the alt tags and file names for your images affect your search engine rankings?

I can't give you an exact extent but it is a part of optimization that should be done. Think of your image alt tags the way they were intended and use descriptive text that may include some keywords but don't overdo it.

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Rich
Real Estate Websites
Search Engine Optimization

Alt tags and file names for images don't have any weight anymore in the search engines. It is good practice to have them added to your images though. Braille printers and the disabled (on page readers) use the alt image tag as they were intended...a description of the image.

A) I agree with the first post, it doesn't carry a lot of weight but is a good practice

B) I disagree with the second post. It may not carry weight with Google but would be helpful with some of the smaller Meta driven search engines.

Personally I can't afford to thumb my nose at any search engine traffic. If I can achieve a high ranking in some smaller SE, I'll take it!

Ridgefield CT Real Estate

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Rick Bucich
www.bucich.net
Ridgefield CT

I believe as well that it is a good idea to do what you can to make a difference in any way. Although the content is the number one criteria of a good web page as far as the search engines are concerned, things like alt tags, descriptive names for images and page names as well as the title tag on the page are going to be signs of what the page is about and will help you that little bit in the rankings that can make the difference of a spot or tow compared to the competition.