In one sentence
Alt text is a short written description of an image that screen readers read aloud, and that search engines and AI tools use to understand what your product photos show.
How to write alt text for product images
Describe what a shopper would need to know if they couldn't see the photo. Name the product, then the detail the image is there to show.
- Weak: IMG_4471.jpg · Better: Navy canvas weekender bag with brown leather handles, front view
- Weak: Bag · Better: Weekender bag unzipped, showing padded laptop sleeve and two inside pockets
- Weak: best weekender bag travel bag carry on bag · Better: Weekender bag under an airplane seat, fitting as a personal item
Keep it to a sentence. Skip "image of." Don't stuff keywords. Leave decorative images, like background textures, empty.
Why alt text matters for accessibility, SEO and AI search
Screen reader users hear your alt text instead of seeing the photo. Without it, they hear a file name or nothing.
Search engines can't see pixels the way shoppers do. Alt text tells them what the image shows, which helps your product photos appear in image search. AI tools that read your page's HTML get the same signal: a detail you only show in a photo, like what fits inside a bag, can reach them through the alt text.
Where to add alt text in your store
Most store platforms have an alt text field on every product image. In Shopify, open a product, click an image, and edit its alt text. In BigCommerce, it's in the image settings on the product's Images and Videos tab. Theme images, banners and blog images have their own fields in the theme editor or post editor.
About the author
Jenn Starr, Co-founder, Selix
Jenn has spent 20+ years helping SaaS startups build their marketing and implementation playbooks. She has bootstrapped three marketing agencies and is a 500 Startups alum. At Selix, she leads the work of getting ecommerce brands named in AI answers.
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