Reviewed by Misha Gavura, founder of Inclusely. Last reviewed . Written by the Inclusely team at EVDEV, Toronto.
The short answer
Alt text is a short written description of an image. Screen readers read it aloud for people who cannot see the picture, and browsers show it when the image fails to load. For a product photo, describe what a shopper needs to know from that picture: the item, its colour, its shape and what this photo shows that the others do not.
Want to see what your store has now? The free alt text checker lists every image on a page with its alt text.
Alt text in brief
Alt text (alternative text) lives in the alt attribute of an image. Screen readers read it aloud, and if it is missing, many read the file name instead, such as “IMG underscore 4 5 2 1 dot jpg”. In WebAIM's 2026 scan of one million home pages, 53.1% had images with no alt text (WebAIM Million, February 2026). The rule behind it is WCAG success criterion 1.1.1, level A.
New to the term? Read what alt text is and how it differs from a caption or title.
How to write alt text for a product photo
A simple pattern works for most product photos: what it is, then the detail that matters in this photo. The product title is usually right next to the main photo, so you do not need to repeat the full name in every image.
Look at the photo as a shopper would
Ask what this picture tells a buyer that the product title and description do not: the colour, the fit, the size, the texture, what is in the box.Start with what it is, then the detail that matters
Write one plain sentence. Lead with the item, then the one or two details a shopper would look for in this photo. Skip words like image of or photo of.Make each photo in a gallery different
Six product photos should not all say the product name. Say what each one shows: the front, the back, the label, the item in use.Read it out loud
If it sounds like a list of search keywords, rewrite it. If someone who cannot see the photo would still not know what it shows, add the missing detail.
Alt text examples for product photos
Each example shows alt text we often see on store pages, then a better version. The store and products are made up. The patterns are real.
A linen shirt, front view on a model
The product title is already on the page: Oversized linen shirt.
- Weak
- IMG_4521.jpg
- Better
- Woman wearing the oversized linen shirt in sage green, sleeves rolled to the elbow, tucked into jeans.
- Why
- Colour and fit are what a shopper decides on. A file name tells them nothing, and screen readers read it out letter by letter.
The same shirt, back view
- Weak
- Oversized linen shirt
- Better
- Back of the linen shirt, showing a box pleat below the collar and a curved hem.
- Why
- When every photo in a gallery has the same alt text, a screen reader user hears the product name six times and learns nothing new.
A fabric close-up
- Weak
- Close-up
- Better
- Close-up of the loose linen weave and brown coconut shell buttons.
A model photo with size information
The model's height and size are not written anywhere else on the page.
- Weak
- Model wearing shirt
- Better
- Model is 5 ft 9 in and wears size M. The shirt falls just below the hip.
- Why
- Sighted shoppers use this photo to judge the fit. If the size note only exists in the picture, put it in the alt text, or better, in the product description.
Gold hoop earrings on a white background
- Weak
- gold hoop earrings gold earrings hoops women jewellery best gift for her
- Better
- Pair of thin 14k gold hoop earrings, about 2 cm across.
- Why
- Keyword stuffing is bad for screen reader users and Google warns that it can make a site look like spam.
A ring worn on a hand
- Weak
- Ring
- Better
- Silver ring with a small oval moonstone, worn on an index finger to show its size.
A bag of coffee
- Weak
- Coffee
- Better
- 250 g bag of whole bean coffee with a yellow label and a resealable zip top.
A plated recipe photo for a sauce
- Weak
- Delicious noodles
- Better
- Bowl of noodles topped with the chili crisp, sesame seeds and sliced green onion.
- Why
- Describe what is in the photo, not how you want the shopper to feel about it.
A lipstick shade on three skin tones
- Weak
- Swatch
- Better
- Swatches of the shade Fig on light, medium and deep skin tones.
A sofa in a room
- Weak
- Living room
- Better
- Three-seat sofa in rust velvet, shown beside a coffee table for scale.
Running shoe, sole view
- Weak
- Shoe bottom
- Better
- Sole of the trail runner, with deep zigzag tread across the whole foot.
What is in the box
- Weak
- Box contents
- Better
- What is in the box: the speaker, a USB-C cable and a fabric carry strap.
A before and after photo
- Weak
- Before and after
- Better
- Stovetop before and after cleaning. The grease stains on the left are gone on the right.
- Why
- The comparison is the whole point of the photo, so say what changed.
A lifestyle photo on the home page
- Weak
- Lifestyle image
- Better
- Two friends sharing lunch on a beach blanket, with the insulated tote open between them.
Icons, logos and colour swatches
When an image is a link or a button, the alt text is the name of that link or button. Describe what it does or where it goes. The W3C alt decision tree puts this question second, right after images that contain text.
The cart icon in your header
- Weak
- Shopping bag icon
- Better
- Cart, 2 items
- Why
- When an image is a link or button, its text should say what it does or where it goes, not what it looks like.
Your logo, linked to the home page
- Weak
- Logo
- Better
- Your store name, then the word home. For example: Northwind Supply home
Social media icons in the footer
- Weak
- Instagram logo icon
- Better
A colour swatch button on a product page
- Weak
- Green circle
- Better
- Forest green
- Why
- Use the colour name the shopper will see on the order. Most themes use the variant option name for this, so name your variants well.
When to leave alt text empty
Some images should have empty alt text, written as alt="". Empty is not the same as missing: empty tells the screen reader to skip the image, while missing makes it guess, often by reading the file name. Use empty alt text when the image:
- is only decoration, such as a background texture, a divider or a pattern
- repeats text that is right next to it, such as a truck icon beside the words Free shipping
- sits behind a heading and button that are already real text
In the Shopify admin, leaving the alt text field blank does not always give you empty alt text. Some themes fill a blank field with the product or page title. The only way to know what shoppers get is to check the live page.
How long should alt text be?
Usually one sentence. WCAG does not set a limit. Shopify allows up to 512 characters on product media and recommends 125 or less. Long alt text is hard to listen to, and a screen reader user cannot skim it or go back a few words the way a sighted reader can.
If a photo needs more than that, the information probably belongs in the product description, where everyone can read it. Size notes, materials and care instructions are good examples.
Skip the words “image of” or “photo of”. Screen readers already announce that it is an image. Say the type only when it matters, such as “Illustration of” or “Screenshot of”.
Alt text and SEO: what it does and does not do
Google says alt text is the most important attribute for giving it information about an image, and it uses that text, with the words around the image, to understand what the image shows. That matters for Google Images and for product searches.
Google also says to avoid filling alt attributes with keywords, because it gives people a bad experience and may make your site look like spam. Its own example shows the difference: “puppy” is better than nothing, and “Dalmatian puppy playing fetch” is best.
In practice, alt text written for people already contains the words shoppers search for: the colour, the material, the type of product. You do not need to add more.
Where alt text lives in Shopify
Shopify's media editor can suggest alt text for images that have none. Read every suggestion before you accept it. A tool can see that a photo shows a shirt, but it does not know which detail your shoppers care about.
For bulk edits by CSV, the Files page and theme code fixes, see how to add and bulk edit alt text in Shopify.
How to check the alt text on your store
- Paste a page address into the free alt text checker. It lists every image with its alt text and flags missing, vague and overlong descriptions.
- Start with your best-selling product pages, then the home page and your main collections.
- Listen to one product page with a screen reader. VoiceOver is built into every Mac and iPhone, and NVDA is free for Windows. Ten minutes of listening shows you what a blind shopper hears. Our screen reader testing guide has the steps.
- Alt text is one check among many. Run the free accessibility checker for the rest, and see the ADA website checklist for what needs a person.
How Inclusely handles alt text
Questions about alt text
What is the alt text of a product image?
A short written description of the photo, stored in the image's alt attribute. Screen readers read it aloud, so for a product photo it should name the item and the detail a shopper needs, such as colour or fit. Our guide to what alt text is covers the basics.
What is the purpose of alt text?
To give people who cannot see an image the same information or function the image gives everyone else. WCAG success criterion 1.1.1 (level A) asks for a text alternative for all non-text content, and purely decorative images should be hidden from screen readers.
How do you write alt text for an image?
Say what the image shows that matters in this context, in one plain sentence. For a product photo, start with the item and add the detail a shopper would look for, such as the colour, fit or size. Do not start with image of, do not stuff keywords, and do not repeat text that is already next to the image.
What is good alt text for images?
Good alt text is short, specific and written for the person who cannot see the image. Weak: shirt. Better: Woman wearing the oversized linen shirt in sage green, sleeves rolled to the elbow. It answers what a sighted shopper would learn from the photo.
Should icons have alt text?
Yes, if the icon is a link or button or carries meaning. Describe what it does, such as Cart, Search or Close, not what it looks like. Icons that only decorate text next to them, such as a truck beside the words Free shipping, should have empty alt text.
How long should alt text be?
Usually one sentence. WCAG sets no character limit. Shopify allows up to 512 characters for product media and recommends 125 or less. If an image needs more than a sentence or two, such as a chart, put the details in the page text instead.
Does alt text help SEO?
It helps Google understand an image, which matters for Google Images. Google calls alt text the most important attribute for image metadata, and warns against filling it with keywords. Write it for people first. Useful alt text tends to contain the words people search for anyway.
Is alt text required by law?
No US, Canadian or EU law names alt text directly, but the standards they use do. WCAG 1.1.1 is a level A criterion, so it is part of WCAG 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2 AA. The US Justice Department's web guidance lists missing alt text as a common barrier. This is not legal advice.