Image SEO Guide

Shopify Alt Text Best Practices

Alt text is one of the most overlooked SEO opportunities on Shopify stores. Learn how to write image alt text that improves your search rankings, drives image search traffic, and makes your store accessible to everyone.

By Aman Bedi, Founder, Obsess AIPublished Updated 8 min read
  • 22%Of Google searches are image searches
  • 125Characters ideal alt text length
  • WCAG2.1 AA compliance requires alt text

Why Alt Text Matters for Your Shopify Store

Alt text serves multiple critical purposes. Neglecting it means missing out on traffic, accessibility, and search rankings.

  • Google Image Search Rankings

    Alt text is the primary way Google understands what an image contains. Well-optimized alt text helps your product images rank in Google Image search, which drives a significant amount of ecommerce traffic.

  • Accessibility Compliance

    Screen readers rely on alt text to describe images to visually impaired users. Adding alt text is required for WCAG 2.1 compliance and makes your store accessible to all shoppers.

  • Fallback When Images Fail

    When images fail to load due to slow connections or browser issues, alt text displays in place of the image. This ensures shoppers still understand what was supposed to be shown.

  • Overall SEO Signal

    Alt text contributes to the overall keyword relevance of your page. It helps search engines understand the context between your images and surrounding text content.

How to Add and Edit Alt Text in Shopify

Shopify makes it straightforward to add alt text to all your images. Here's how to do it for each type.

Single Product Image

  1. 1Go to Products in your Shopify admin
  2. 2Click on the product you want to edit
  3. 3Click on the product image to open the image editor
  4. 4Find the "Alt text" field on the right side
  5. 5Enter your descriptive alt text
  6. 6Click "Save" to apply changes

Collection Image

  1. 1Go to Products > Collections
  2. 2Click on the collection to edit
  3. 3Click on the collection image
  4. 4Enter alt text in the provided field
  5. 5Save the collection

Blog Post Image

  1. 1Go to Online Store > Blog posts
  2. 2Edit the blog post
  3. 3Click on the image in the content editor
  4. 4Select "Edit alt text" from the image toolbar
  5. 5Enter your descriptive alt text
  6. 6Save the blog post

Alt Text Formulas for Every Image Type

Use these proven formulas to write effective alt text quickly and consistently across your store. If you would rather not apply them by hand on every image, our free alt text generator writes the description for you and keeps it inside the 125 characters screen readers cut off at — no signup.

  • Product Images

    [Brand] + [Product Name] + [Key Feature] + [Color/Variant]

    • Good

      "Nike Air Max 90 running shoes in white and black colorway"

      Bad

      "shoes"

    • Good

      "Organic cotton crew neck t-shirt in navy blue - front view"

      Bad

      "IMG_4523.jpg"

    • Good

      "Rose gold stainless steel water bottle 32oz with bamboo lid"

      Bad

      "product photo"

  • Collection Images

    [Collection Name] + [Context/Description]

    • Good

      "Women's summer dress collection featuring floral prints"

      Bad

      "collection"

    • Good

      "Premium skincare products for dry skin arranged on marble surface"

      Bad

      "banner"

    • Good

      "Men's leather accessories collection including wallets and belts"

      Bad

      "image1"

  • Blog Post Images

    [Description of image content] + [Context within article]

    • Good

      "Step-by-step guide showing how to layer skincare products correctly"

      Bad

      "blog image"

    • Good

      "Before and after comparison of kitchen organized with storage containers"

      Bad

      "photo"

    • Good

      "Infographic showing the best running shoe types for different foot arches"

      Bad

      "infographic"

  • Lifestyle/Banner Images

    [Subject/Action] + [Product if visible] + [Setting/Context]

    • Good

      "Woman jogging on beach trail wearing TrailMaster running shoes"

      Bad

      "hero banner"

    • Good

      "Couple enjoying coffee in modern kitchen with GrindMaster espresso machine"

      Bad

      "lifestyle"

    • Good

      "Spring sale promotional banner - up to 50% off women's fashion"

      Bad

      "sale"

Alt Text Best Practices Checklist

Follow these rules to write alt text that serves both SEO and accessibility goals.

  • Be descriptive and specific

    Describe what the image actually shows. Instead of "shirt," write "men's slim-fit oxford button-down shirt in light blue." Give users and search engines enough detail to understand the image without seeing it.

  • Include keywords naturally

    Incorporate your target keywords where they make sense, but never force them. If the image shows running shoes, "lightweight running shoes for marathon training" is natural. "Running shoes buy cheap running shoes best running shoes" is stuffing.

  • Keep it under 125 characters

    Screen readers typically cut off alt text at around 125 characters. Keep your descriptions concise while still being descriptive enough to convey the image content.

  • Don't start with "Image of" or "Photo of"

    Screen readers already announce that something is an image. Starting alt text with these phrases is redundant. Jump straight into describing the content.

  • Include color and material when relevant

    For product images, color and material are often what shoppers search for. "Black leather crossbody bag with gold hardware" is much more useful than "crossbody bag."

  • Describe the variant shown

    If you have multiple product images for different variants, make each alt text unique to that variant. The blue version should have different alt text than the red version.

Common Alt Text Mistakes to Avoid

  • Leaving alt text completely blank

    High

    The most common error on Shopify stores. Blank alt text means search engines cannot index your images, and screen reader users get no information about the image.

  • Using the same alt text for all product images

    High

    Many merchants copy-paste the product name for every image. Each image should describe its unique content - front view, back view, detail shot, etc.

  • Keyword stuffing in alt text

    High

    Cramming keywords like "buy cheap best quality shoes free shipping" is spammy and can result in search penalties. Write for humans, not algorithms.

  • Using file names as alt text

    Medium

    Leaving alt text as "IMG_4523.jpg" or "DSC_0001" provides zero value for SEO or accessibility. Always write proper descriptive text.

  • Making alt text too long

    Medium

    Writing paragraph-length descriptions is counterproductive. Screen readers will read the entire text, frustrating users. Keep it concise and useful.

  • Adding alt text to decorative images

    Low

    Purely decorative images (borders, spacers, design elements) should have empty alt attributes (alt="") so screen readers skip them entirely.

Bulk Editing Alt Text on Shopify

If you have hundreds or thousands of products, editing alt text one by one is not practical. Use these methods to speed things up.

  • Use Shopify CSV export/import

    Export your product catalog as CSV, add alt text in the Image Alt Text column for all products at once, then re-import. This is the fastest free method for stores with hundreds of products.

  • Use Shopify bulk editor

    Select multiple products in the Products section, click "Edit products," and add the Image Alt Text column to bulk edit alt text without leaving the admin.

  • Create a naming convention template

    Establish a formula like "[Brand] [Product Name] [Color] [View]" and train your team to follow it consistently. This saves time and ensures quality across all products.

  • Prioritize highest-traffic products first

    Check your analytics to identify your top-selling and most-viewed products. Optimize their alt text first for the biggest SEO impact in the shortest time.

How Obsess AI Generates Optimized Alt Text

Stop spending hours writing alt text manually. Obsess AI automatically creates SEO-friendly, descriptive alt text for your blog content.

  • AI-Powered Alt Text Generation

    When Obsess AI creates blog content, it automatically generates descriptive, keyword-optimized alt text for every image included in the post.

  • SEO-Aligned Descriptions

    Alt text is crafted to align with the blog post's target keywords and the products being recommended, maximizing image search visibility.

  • Accessibility-First Approach

    Generated alt text follows WCAG guidelines and describes images in a way that is useful for screen reader users, not just search engines.

  • Product-Aware Descriptions

    For product images embedded in blog posts, Obsess AI pulls in product details like name, color, material, and category for complete alt text.

More on this topic

Go deeper on the topics in this article with related guides, free tools, industry playbooks, and competitor comparisons.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about Shopify alt text.

What is alt text for Shopify images?

Alt text (alternative text) is a short written description of an image, stored in the `<img alt="...">` HTML attribute. Screen readers read it aloud for visually impaired users; search engines use it to understand image content and rank images in Google Image Search. On Shopify, you set alt text per image in the product, collection, blog, or page editor.

How long should Shopify alt text be?

Aim for under 125 characters. Most screen readers truncate alt text around that length, and longer descriptions become a poor user experience for assistive tech users. One short, descriptive sentence is the sweet spot.

How do I add alt text to a Shopify product image?

In Shopify admin, open the product, click the image you want to edit, then click "Edit alt text" or "Add alt text". Type a short description of what the image shows and save. Repeat for every image on the product. For bulk editing across many products, use a Shopify SEO app like Obsess AI that supports AI-generated alt text in bulk.

What should I put in Shopify alt text?

Describe what is in the image, briefly and naturally. Mention the product or scene, key visible features (color, material, context), and the brand if it is part of the visual. Avoid keyword stuffing — "Blue running shoe with white sole on grey background" is good; "buy blue running shoes online cheap shoes shoe sale" is bad and can be flagged as spam.

Should every Shopify image have alt text?

Every meaningful image should have alt text. Decorative images that add no information (background patterns, separator graphics) should have empty alt text (`alt=""`) so screen readers skip them. Most Shopify product, collection, and blog images carry meaning and should have descriptive alt text.

Does alt text help Shopify SEO?

Yes. Alt text is the primary signal Google uses to understand image content, which affects ranking in Google Image Search and contributes context to the surrounding page. It also improves accessibility, which Google treats as a quality signal indirectly through user behavior metrics. Image SEO can drive 5-15% of total organic traffic for visual product categories.

Can I auto-generate Shopify alt text with AI?

Yes. AI tools (including Obsess AI) can analyze product images and generate descriptive alt text in bulk. Quality varies — well-tuned models produce alt text comparable to a careful human; cheaper models can be generic or wrong. Always spot-check AI-generated alt text on a sample of products before approving the full batch.

Sources & references

Primary documentation referenced for the technical claims on this page. We do not link out to competitor products or affiliate content; these are the standards bodies and platform docs the guidance is built against.

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