How to Write Alt Text for Product Photos

By Syed M. Tahir · Published · Fees checked October 22, 2026 · 4 min read

Alt text, short for "alternative text", is a written description attached to an image. Screen readers read it aloud to people who are blind or have low vision. It also appears when an image fails to load, and search engines use it to understand what an image shows. Most marketplaces and store builders, including Etsy and Shopify, let you add alt text to product photos. This guide explains how to write it well, with examples you can adapt.

Why alt text matters for sellers

  • Accessibility. Millions of people use screen readers to shop online. Without alt text, a product photo might be read out as "image" or as a file name, and the shopper misses the information the photo was meant to give.
  • Clarity. A good description can answer questions a shopper would otherwise have to ask, about color, size, texture or how the item is worn.
  • Image search. Search engines cannot see pictures the way people do. Alt text helps them understand an image, which can help it appear in image search results. It is one small signal among many, not a shortcut to ranking.

What good alt text includes

Describe what the photo shows that matters to a buyer. A useful order is:

  1. What the item is, such as "brown leather crossbody bag"
  2. Key visible details, such as color, material, pattern, size cues and closures
  3. What this particular photo shows: the front view, the inside, being worn or the scale

Keep it concise. One or two clear sentences is usually right. On Etsy, alt text is limited to 250 characters. Don't start with "image of" or "photo of", because screen readers already announce that it is an image.

Examples by photo type

Main product photo

Weak: "bag"
Weak: "best leather bag gift for her women purse tote handmade cheap sale"
Good: "Tan full-grain leather tote bag with two shoulder straps and brass rivets, shown from the front on a white background."

Detail photo

Good: "Close-up of the tote's inner zip pocket and cotton lining in dark green."

Scale or size photo

Good: "The tote held by a person at hip height, showing it is wide enough to fit a 13-inch laptop."

Only state measurements and capacity you have actually checked.

Lifestyle photo

Good: "Woman in a denim jacket wearing the leather tote on her shoulder on a city street."

Variation photo

Good: "The same tote shown in three colors side by side: black, tan and burgundy."

Jewelry

Good: "Pair of small sterling silver hoop earrings with a hammered texture, shown on an ear for scale."

Printable or digital product

Good: "Preview of a printable weekly planner page with sections for goals, tasks and notes in soft pastel colors."

Using keywords sensibly

It is fine, and usually natural, for alt text to include words a shopper might search for, such as "leather tote bag". The rule is to describe the image honestly first. Lists of keywords make alt text useless for screen-reader users, and they do not help your search results. If a word does not describe something visible in the photo, leave it out.

Common mistakes

  • The same alt text on every photo. Each image shows something different, so describe what is different about it.
  • Describing things that are not shown, such as shipping times, discounts or "perfect gift". That belongs in your description.
  • Claims you cannot support. Do not write "waterproof" or "genuine gold" unless it is true and verified. Alt text is part of your listing, and accuracy rules still apply.
  • Being too vague. "Necklace" tells a screen-reader user almost nothing about which necklace it is.
  • Being too long. A full paragraph is tiring to listen to. Keep to the essentials.

Adding alt text on common platforms

Etsy: when editing a listing, open a photo and look for the option to add alt text. Each photo has its own field, limited to 250 characters.

Shopify: in the product editor, select an image and choose to add or edit its alt text. Themes use it automatically on your store pages.

Your own website: add an alt attribute to each <img> tag. Purely decorative images, such as background patterns, should have an empty alt attribute (alt="") so screen readers skip them.

A simple workflow for a whole shop

  1. Start with your best-selling or most-viewed listings.
  2. For each listing, write the alt text for the main photo first, then one line for each extra photo that describes how it is different.
  3. Keep a short template for each product type, such as "[color] [material] [item] with [feature], shown [view]", and fill it in, adjusting for each photo.
  4. Read it aloud. If it sounds like a natural description of the picture, it is probably good.
  5. Include alt text whenever you add new photos, so the job never builds up again.

Summary

Good alt text is short and accurate, and specific to each photo. It makes your shop usable for more people, answers buyer questions and helps search engines understand your images. Describe what is visible, put the item first, use the words a buyer would use, and give every photo its own description.

This guide is general information for sellers and is not financial, tax or legal advice. Marketplace rules and fees change, so always confirm in your own seller account. DailyToolLab is not affiliated with Etsy Inc., Shopify Inc. or eBay Inc.