Are your images not displaying a tool tip featuring your carefully SEO optimized image title? Are you having problems with your favorite lightbox plugin? Blame it on the WordPress 3.5 update. While the updated media manager has answered requests for an easy to manage image system; many WordPress users feel the way image title is handled may not be a plus.
The confusing thing is while some things have changed, the form we use to fill out the image information still features the same fields. The Title field is still there; but now its purpose is to create an easy to search for title in the media library.
Filling out this Title field no longer automatically adds the title to your image when you insert it in your post. Here is how to get back the image title and a quick overview of the missing title issue.
How to Get Back the Missing Image Title
Watch the video or follow the instructions below:
- Insert your photo into your post
- Click on the photo.
- Click the photo icon to open the Image Editor.
- Type your title into the title field.
- Click the Update button to save your title.
This solution is a great work around for a few images, but what if you need to title many images? This is where the simple but effective Restore Image Title Plugin comes in. Install this plugin and each time you insert an image, the title is inserted too. Your tooltips are back and your lightbox plugins are happy! You can get the plugin from the WordPress Plugin Directory. Click to Download Plugin.
Les Bessant created the plugin when the photo titles disappeared from his favorite lightbox after the update. To read more about his solution and see some advanced coding solutions visit this WordPress Forum discussion: Restoring titles to inserted images in WordPress 3.5.
Why the Title Attribute was Removed
A lively discussion on the removal of the title attribute has been going on in the WordPress community since the update. Ticket #18984 of the 3.5 build explains that the title attribute was not to be added to the generated image markup as it was not necessary for accessibility.
In fact, the documentation stated that it is known to cause issues with assistive software. Its removal is in support of the universal accepted use of ALT (Alternative Text) tags to title images for accessibility.
Although; there are differing views on the importance of the image title tag, this comment from Noupe’s article WordPress 3.5 First Look: Yay or Nay? is a very interesting insight to what Google thinks about its importance for SEO:
If you’ve in Google News, you’ll suddenly notice that your articles won’t have your images next to them without a title. Big G likes Titles, alts and descriptions…
Many of us may never miss the image title, but for those who do it is reassuring to have some great solutions available to bring back those missing titles. What do you think about this latest WordPress change? Will you be adding back the title tag to your images?
Unfortunately Restore Image Title plugin does not work for galleries.