SEO Value of Alt Text of a Image Link Within a H1 Header

Comment on WordPress Theme Development by SEO Dave.

If you put your code between code tags CODE —- /CODE it should render it correctly without having to edit the code (can be a bit temperamental). I edited your code.

If you look at the Talian 5 code I used you’ll see a lot of if statements that I’m not clear if your code has removed them.

Original Talian 5 header code.

<?php if (is_page("archives") || is_year() || is_month() || is_day() || is_home() || is_404() || is_author()) { ?><h1><a href="<?php echo get_settings('home'); ?>"><?php bloginfo('name'); ?></a></h1><?php } ?>
<?php if (is_category() || is_single() || is_page() || is_search()) { ?><span><a href="<?php echo get_settings('home'); ?>"><?php bloginfo('name'); ?></a></span><?php } ?>
<?php if ( function_exists('is_tag')){ ?><?php if (is_tag()) { ?><span><a href="<?php echo get_settings('home'); ?>"><?php bloginfo('name'); ?></a></span><?php } ?><?php } ?>

Try something like this

<?php if (is_page("archives") || is_year() || is_month() || is_day() || is_home() || is_404() || is_author()) { ?><h1><a href="<?php echo get_settings('home'); ?>"><img alt="<?php bloginfo('name'); ?>" src="/images/logo.png" /></a></h1><?php } ?>
<?php if (is_category() || is_single() || is_page() || is_search()) { ?><span><a href="<?php echo get_settings('home'); ?>"><img alt="<?php bloginfo('name'); ?>" src="/images/logo.png" /></a></span><?php } ?>
<?php if ( function_exists('is_tag')){ ?><?php if (is_tag()) { ?><span><a href="<?php echo get_settings('home'); ?>"><img alt="<?php bloginfo('name'); ?>" src="/images/logo.png" /></a></span><?php } ?><?php } ?>

The above basically replaces the anchor text with an image.

You will also have to edit your CSS to take into account the above isn’t just a H1 tag, it’s span tags as well. The H1 code is used on the home page and monthly archives basically, the span code for posts,pages and categories and tags which have a H1 tag using the name of the post or cat/tag and we don’t want the site name asa H1 on those pages. Didn’t check your CSS in detail, but as is I think it would work on the home page and archives, but not posts and pages etc…

Possible SEO issue with this is it’s not clear how Google treats image links with keyword rich alt text surrounded by a H1 header in place of a text link with keyword rich anchor text surrounded by a H1 header.

Anchor text is visible, alt text is semi-hidden, if I had to hazard a guess I’d say it’s given less SEO value than anchor text and the H1 might even be ignored – I don’t know which is why I stick with either body text or anchor text within the H1, you can be reasonably confident Google counts it as a H1.

David