Alt text is often overlooked when optimising an online store, but it plays an important role in both accessibility and SEO. Alt text is a brief description of an image that helps search engines understand the content and ensures your store is accessible to users with visual impairments. According to the World Health Organization, over 2.2 billion people worldwide experience some form of visual impairment, making alt text a necessary tool for accessibility.
Does alt text on Shopify help SEO?
Yes, it does. Alt text adds extra content to your page that search engines like Google can crawl and index. It can also help your images appear in Google Image Search, potentially driving additional traffic to your store. However, to truly get the most out of alt text, it should be descriptive and tailored to each image. Using the same alt text for every image on a product page could limit how many images Google recognizes, and you may lose out on opportunities to rank better in image search results.
Do you need different Alt Text for every image?
Ideally, yes. Each image should have alt text that accurately describes what’s shown, especially if the images are different angles or parts of the same product.
For instance, instead of using the same phrase like “PRODUCT NAME,” you could use variations such as:
“Front view of PRODUCT NAME”
“PRODUCT NAME being held by adult.”
“PRODUCT NAME sitting on table in garden.”
This way, every image has a unique alt description, helping search engines index them individually.
Optimising Alt Text doesn’t have to be a chore
If writing unique alt text for every image sounds time-consuming, don’t worry—there are apps in the Shopify App Store that can help automate this process. We’re not recommending any specific app here, but with a quick search, you’ll find plenty of options to make alt text updates quicker and easier.
Alt Text is only part of the SEO puzzle
While alt text is beneficial for SEO, in my experience as a web developer, optimising your images themselves—such as compressing file sizes and using next-gen formats—along with fine-tuning your theme code for efficient loading, has a more significant impact on your site’s overall performance. Sitewide improvements, like faster load times and a solid content marketing strategy, are what truly make the difference in driving traffic and conversions. Alt text is helpful, but it’s just one small part of a bigger picture for SEO success.
