Does <figure> and <figcaption> help SEO?

[Intrepid]

Because I can still stack images together, and just add text to the next line (as opposed to using captions) and it will have the same effect without using these elements, are there another purpose for using these two elements?

 

thanks

 

p.s im aware that alt text can be used for SEO

Edited December 6, 2014 by Intrepid

[Ingolme]

The caption associates the text with the image, without the figure and figcaption elements search engines can only try to make guesses as to what text belongs to the image and which doesn't. It's not just SEO, accessibility tools can also use the figure and figcaption elements to let visually impaired users know that the image and text are related.

[valenciajoshua]

good point on the accessibility benefits of adding the title/alt attributes. sometimes we forget that we make sites for people not crawlers. people first then the rest will come as in rankings and all