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Key takeaways
- Write alt text for the shopper who can't see the photo first. A clear description of the product is also what Google reads.
- Name the product and what this shot shows, in a short phrase. Shopify recommends 125 characters or fewer.
- Skip keyword lists and words like "image of". Google warns that stuffing alt text with keywords can make a site look like spam.
- Edit alt text one photo at a time from the product page, or for many products at once with a product CSV file.
What alt text is and who reads it
Alt text (short for alternative text) is a written description saved with an image. Shopify's help center says it describes a media item and is "an important part of a product description." If a photo can't load, the alt text shows instead. Assistive technology also uses it to describe the image to a shopper who is visually impaired.
So the first reader is a person. Shopify's theme guide says customers who use screen readers rely on alt text to learn what your images show. A screen reader is software that reads a page out loud. For a shopper using one, a product photo with no alt text tells them nothing about what they are about to buy.
The second reader is software. Google says it uses alt text along with computer vision and the rest of the page to understand what an image is about. Shopify points the same way for AI shopping tools. Its guide to optimizing your store for AI tells merchants to "Use high-quality images with descriptive alt text." Its separate list of fields that AI platforms and shopping sites consider includes images.
Does image alt text help SEO?
Yes, as one signal among many. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the work of helping search engines find and show your pages. Google's guide to image SEO best practices calls alt text the most important attribute for giving it more information about an image. Shopify's help center says alt text can boost your site's SEO. Neither promises a ranking.
Google adds two details worth knowing. If an image is a link, its alt text works as the link's anchor text, the words that tell Google what the linked page is about. And the image's file name gives Google "very light clues" about its subject, so a name like olive-waxed-canvas-weekender.jpg says more than IMG00023.JPG.
Google is just as clear about what to avoid. It warns against filling alt text with keywords, because it gives people a bad experience and may cause your site to be seen as spam. Good alt text for a shopper and good alt text for Google turn out to be the same thing: an accurate description of the photo.
Alt text describes one photo. Structured data, the code behind the page that labels details like price for search engines, describes the product as a whole. Our guide to product schema on Shopify explains what your theme sends.
How to write alt text for a product photo
Describe what the photo shows, briefly, in words a shopper would use. The W3C, the group that writes web standards, says an informative photo should get a brief description of the image that conveys its meaning. On a product page, that meaning is the product and what this particular shot shows about it.
Three rules cover most cases:
- Keep it short. Shopify allows 512 characters but recommends 125 or fewer, and Google's technical writing course suggests a short phrase or one or two sentences.
- Leave out "Image of" and "Photo of". Google's course says to leave out those extra words.
- Make each photo's text different. Say what the shot adds, such as a color or a detail.
Google's own example moves from no alt text, to "puppy", to "Dalmatian puppy playing fetch". The same steps work for a product. Picture a shop that sells waxed canvas bags, writing alt text for the third photo of its olive weekender:
| Alt text | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| (empty) | Bad | A screen reader user learns nothing about the photo. |
| bag weekender bag travel bag canvas bag duffel | Bad | A keyword list. Google warns this can look like spam. |
| Weekender bag | Better | Accurate, but it repeats the title and says nothing about this shot. |
| Olive waxed canvas weekender, open to show the inside zip pocket | Best | Names the product and what this photo adds, in 64 characters. |
Only describe what is true of the product. If the photo shows a leather handle, say leather only if the product really has one. The facts in your alt text should match your product description and the details in fields like the product category and barcode.
When to leave alt text empty
Not every image needs a description. The W3C's decision tree gives a short set of answers:
- Purely decorative images, such as a background texture, get an empty alt attribute.
- Images whose content is already in real text nearby also get an empty alt attribute.
- Images that contain text not found elsewhere on the page, such as a banner announcing a sale, should put that text in the alt attribute.
- Images used as a link or button should say where the link goes or what the button does.
A product photo adds meaning to the page, so under the W3C's tree it gets a brief description. The other answers matter most for theme images, such as a homepage banner.
How to edit alt text in Shopify
Product photos and theme images each have their own editor. Start with the photos on your best sellers. To see which products have photos without their own description, run our free product data checker on up to 20 products first.
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Open the product photo
From your Shopify admin, go to Products and click the product. On the product details page, click a photo to open the Preview media page.
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Add or change the alt text
Click Add alt text, type your description, then click Save alt text. Click the X to leave the preview. In the Shopify mobile app, tap the photo, then Information, to do the same.
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Check any suggested alt text
Shopify says its media editor might suggest alt text for images that have none, and accepting a suggestion saves it. Read it first and rewrite it if it doesn't name your product.
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Fix theme images
For banners and other theme images, go to Online Store and click Edit theme. Click the section with the image, then click Edit on the image. Enter the alt text and click Save in the dialog, then click Save again.
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Do many products at once with a CSV file
Export your products to a CSV file, fill in the Image alt text column, and import the file again. Shopify's product CSV guide lists that column next to Product image URL and Image position.
Take care with that last step. When you import with the option Overwrite products with matching handles, Shopify says a blank non-required column overwrites the matching value as blank. Start from a fresh export so the file already holds the alt text you have. Images stored on the Files page can be edited by clicking their thumbnail, and Shopify lists adding a brief description among the edits there.
When you are done, check the result the way shoppers and AI tools see it. Our guide to checking your store's AI visibility for free shows what to look at next.
How Mr. AEO helps
Mr. AEO checks your products the way Google and AI tools read them, then writes the missing pieces, including image descriptions (alt text). You approve each change, and you can undo any of them.
Before anything goes live, it checks the facts in new copy against your own store data. On the Growth plan you can turn on autopilot for meta descriptions and alt text only, and every change can still be undone. To see which of your products have photos without their own description, run the free product data checker on up to 20 products.
Sources
- Image SEO best practices, Google Search Central (March 2, 2026).
- Write helpful alt text, Google for Developers, Technical Writing (April 17, 2025).
- An alt Decision Tree, W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (May 13, 2024).
- Adding alt text to media, Shopify Help Center (accessed November 4, 2026).
- Adding alternative text to your theme images, Shopify Help Center (accessed November 4, 2026).
- Using CSV files to import and export products, Shopify Help Center (accessed November 4, 2026).
- Uploading files, Shopify Help Center (accessed November 4, 2026).
- Optimizing your store for AI, Shopify Help Center (accessed November 4, 2026).
- Optimizing your products for AI platforms, Shopify Help Center (accessed November 4, 2026).
- Image ALT text can now be translated, Shopify changelog (July 17, 2025).
Frequently asked questions
How long should alt text be?
Keep it short. Shopify allows up to 512 characters but recommends 125 or fewer. Google's writing course suggests a short phrase or one or two sentences, because long descriptions interrupt the reading flow for people using screen readers. For most product photos, one phrase that names the product and the view is enough.
Should alt text include keywords?
Only the words that describe the photo. Google asks for useful, information-rich alt text that uses keywords appropriately and in context. It warns that filling alt text with keywords gives a bad experience and may make your site look like spam. If the photo shows a waxed canvas weekender, those words belong there naturally.
Can Shopify write alt text for me?
Sometimes. Shopify says its media editor might suggest alt text for images that don't have any yet, and accepting a suggestion saves it to the file. Read each suggestion before you accept it. Check that it names your actual product and the detail the photo shows, not just a general object.
Do I need alt text on every image?
No. The W3C's decision tree says a purely decorative image, or one whose content is already in real text nearby, should get an empty alt attribute. A product photo shows the item a shopper is deciding to buy, so it carries meaning and needs a real description.
Can I translate alt text in Shopify?
Yes. Shopify's changelog announced in July 2025 that image alt text can be translated, so stores that sell in more than one language can describe each photo in each language. The translations are imported with CSV files, and the post points to the Shopify Help Center for the steps.
