How to write alt text for your Shopify product images

What alt text is, and who it is for

Alt text (short for alternative text) is a short written description attached to an image. Visitors don’t see it on the page, but it is there for the people and tools that can’t see the photo.

Accessibility comes first. Screen readers read alt text aloud to shoppers who are blind or have low vision. On a product page, photos often carry information that isn’t written anywhere else: the exact shade, how a dress falls, the shape of a clasp. Without alt text, that information is simply missing for these shoppers.

Search engines come second. A search engine doesn’t look at a photo the way a person does. Alt text, together with the file name and the rest of the page, helps it understand what an image shows, which matters for image search.

Alt text is also displayed in place of the image when it fails to load, for example on a weak mobile connection.

What to describe in a product photo

Describe what is actually visible, in the order a shopper would notice it. For most fashion, jewelry and accessories photos, four elements are enough:

• The product: what it is, in the words your customers use (“hoop earrings”, not “ear ornaments”).

• Colour and material: “gold-plated”, “washed linen”, “tan leather”, when they are visible or known for certain.

• The angle or view: front, back, side, close-up of the clasp, detail of the stitching.

• The context: worn by a model, flat lay, on a white background, styled with other pieces.

Only state what the photo shows or what you know to be true. If a ring looks silver but is white gold, write “white gold”: alt text should be accurate, not a guess. If a detail can’t be seen in this particular photo, leave it for the product description.

Length, tone and keywords

Keep it short. A practical guideline is about 125 characters: many screen reader users move quickly through a page, and a long paragraph on every image slows them down. One clear sentence, or even a phrase, is usually right.

• Don’t start with “image of” or “photo of”. Screen readers already announce that it’s an image.

• Don’t stuff keywords. A list like “earrings gold earrings women earrings gift” is useless to someone listening, and search engines are designed to discount that kind of repetition.

• Write naturally. If you read it aloud to someone on the phone, would they picture the photo?

• Use your store’s language. English alt text on a French-language store helps nobody.

The product name can appear in the alt text when it helps, but it doesn’t have to be in every image, and it should never replace the description of what the photo shows.

Good and bad examples

The same photos, described badly and then usefully.

Earrings on a white background

• Bad: IMG_4821 (a camera name says nothing)

• Bad: earrings gold earrings hoop earrings gift for her (a keyword list)

• Good: Small gold-plated hoop earrings on a white background

The same earrings, worn

• Bad: Image of a model wearing our earrings

• Good: Gold hoop earring worn by a model with tied-back hair, side view

A tote bag, detail shot

• Bad: Tote bag (identical to every other photo of the product)

• Good: Close-up of the leather handles on a woven straw tote

The good versions aren’t longer for the sake of it. Each one tells a listener something they would otherwise miss.

One product, several photos

A product page usually has several photos. Giving them all the same alt text, typically the product title, is a common shortcut, and it defeats the purpose: a screen reader user hears the same sentence again and again and learns nothing new.

Instead, let each alt text say what makes that photo different:

• Photo 1: Navy linen shirt dress, front view on a white background

• Photo 2: Navy linen shirt dress, back view with the tie belt

• Photo 3: Model wearing the navy linen shirt dress with a straw bag

• Photo 4: Close-up of the linen texture and coconut buttons

The first photo can carry the most complete description. The others can be shorter and focus on the angle or the detail they add.

Adding alt text in the Shopify admin

For a single product, you can write alt text directly in the Shopify admin. Screens change from time to time, but the steps are generally:

1. Go to Products and open the product.

2. In the Media section, click the image you want to describe.

3. Add or edit its alt text.

4. Save.

Repeat for each image. It’s quick for one product, but it adds up: 200 products with five photos each means a thousand descriptions. Many brands start with their best sellers and newest products, then work backwards through the catalogue.

If several people write alt text, keep a short note of your conventions: which words you use for materials, whether you mention the model, how you name each view. Consistency makes the whole catalogue easier to navigate.

Common mistakes

• Leaving it empty. The most frequent case, especially on photos added in a hurry.

• Using the file name. “DSC_0093” or “final-v2-edit” is read aloud as-is.

• Copying the product title onto every image. See the section above.

• Describing what isn’t there. Mentioning a colour or material the photo doesn’t show misleads shoppers.

• Marketing copy instead of a description. “Our stunning must-have piece” says nothing about the photo.

• Mixing languages. Alt text should match the language of the page.

• Forgetting new photos. Alt text is often written once, then forgotten when the next collection goes online.

Doing it for many photos at once

Writing alt text by hand works for a few products. With a new collection, a restock or a large batch of new photos, covering dozens of products and several angles each, it becomes a job of its own.

Dropmatch, a Shopify app published by Aryios, is built for that moment. It writes alt text for every photo from what is in the image, in your store’s language. You can set brand rules, such as materials to always mention or words to avoid, and they are applied to every description.

Nothing is sent to your store until you approve it. You can review each alt text, edit it, or ask for a new one first. Once you’re happy, the photos are added to your products with their alt text.

Frequently asked questions