Every product photo on your store should carry a short text description called alt text. Screen readers read it aloud to shoppers who cannot see the image, browsers show it when an image fails to load, and Google uses it to understand what the picture shows. On a product with variants, you might have 15 or 20 images, and most stores leave them all blank or stuffed with the product title.
That is an easy fix. Below is the template we give merchants, how to set it up in the admin and in bulk, and what good and bad alt text look like side by side.
Alt text template
For variant images, use this pattern:
{Color} {material} {product type}, {view angle}
Example: "Red cotton t-shirt, front view". Then the next image becomes "Red cotton t-shirt, back view with neck label", and the blue variant becomes "Navy cotton t-shirt, front view". Each image describes what is actually in that photo, so no two images on the product share the same text.
Add a detail only when it helps a buyer decide. For a personalized product, that might be "White ceramic mug with the name Olivia in script font, handle on the right". It tells a screen reader user exactly what the finished product looks like.
Good vs bad alt text
| Image | Weak alt text | Better alt text |
|---|---|---|
| Green hoodie, front | hoodie | Forest green fleece hoodie, front view |
| Same hoodie, detail | hoodie hoodie custom hoodie | Close-up of embroidered initials on the hoodie chest |
| Gold necklace | IMG_4821.jpg | Gold-plated name necklace reading "Maya", on a white background |
| Lifestyle photo | best personalized gift 2026 | Woman holding a personalized cutting board in a kitchen |
Setup
To add alt text one image at a time:
- Open Products and click into the product.
- In the Media section, click an image to open the preview.
- Click Add alt text (or edit the existing text), type your description and save.
- Repeat for each image, starting with the ones assigned to variants.
For whole catalogs, use the product CSV. Each image row has an Image Alt Text column. Export, fill that column in a spreadsheet, and import with overwrite turned on. Our CSV import guide for variants covers the column rules so the import does not touch anything else. Developers can also set alt text through the Admin API when product media is created.
Assign the right image to each variant before you write alt text, so the descriptions match what shoppers see when they pick a color. If your gallery filters by variant, check how it behaves in our guide to variant images in the product gallery.
For accessibility
Describe the image as if you were telling someone on the phone what the photo shows. Focus on what matters for the purchase: color, material, angle and anything that sets this variant apart. Skip phrases like "image of" or "picture of", because screen readers already announce it as an image.
Accessibility goes beyond images too. If you sell personalized products, text fields, swatches and upload buttons also need labels that a screen reader can read. We cover that in our look at personalizer accessibility and WCAG.
For Google Image Search
Write for people first. Include the product type and the variant descriptor in plain words, since that is how shoppers search ("navy linen apron"). Do not repeat keywords or paste the product title on every image. Google's own guidance warns against keyword stuffing in alt attributes, and it makes the experience worse for screen reader users.
Alt text is one part of product page SEO. Variant URLs, canonical tags and option names matter as well, and our guide to product options SEO walks through the rest.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the file name. "IMG_4821" tells nobody anything. Some themes fall back to the product title, which repeats on every image.
- Same text on every image. Twelve images all called "Custom mug" give no extra information.
- Too long. A paragraph of alt text is tiring to listen to. One sentence is enough.
- Writing it for decorative graphics. Background patterns and divider icons should have empty alt text so screen readers skip them.
Frequently asked questions
What is alt text on Shopify variant images?
It is a short text description attached to each product image. Screen readers read it aloud, browsers show it when the image cannot load, and search engines use it to understand the picture.
Best alt text template for variants?
Use {Color} {material} {product type}, {view angle}. For example: "Red cotton t-shirt, front view". Change the color and angle for each image so every description is unique.
How to bulk set alt text on Shopify?
Export your product CSV, fill in the Image Alt Text column for each image row, and import it with overwrite turned on. Developers can also set alt text through the Shopify Admin API.
Does alt text affect SEO?
Yes, mainly for Google Image Search, where it helps your product photos show up for relevant searches. It also improves accessibility, which makes the page better for every visitor.
Alt text character limit?
There is no strict rule for length. A common guideline is to stay under about 125 characters, because longer descriptions become tiring for screen reader users.
Alt text for decorative images?
Leave it empty with alt="" so screen readers skip the image. Only do this for pure decoration, never for product photos.
Should alt text include brand name?
Include it when the brand helps describe the product, such as a branded label visible in the photo. For most variant images the brand is already in the page title, so you can leave it out.
Duplicate alt text across variants: problem?
It is not an error, but it wastes the field. Describe what is different in each image, such as color or angle, so each one adds information.
Related reading
Sources & further reading
Primary sources referenced in this article. We link to official platform documentation and standards bodies rather than secondary summaries so you can verify claims directly.
- Shopify Help Center: Product variants
- Shopify.dev: Product variant limits
- Shopify Help Center: Line item properties (customization)
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