Image alt texts: SEO and mandatory accessibility

A tiny attribute with a big impact — from Google rankings to customer accessibility (EAA)

An alt text is a short image description in the page code. A customer with a regular browser never sees it — and yet it decides three important things: whether Google understands your photos, whether your product shows up in image search, and whether a blind customer using a screen reader can browse your site. And since June 28, 2025, e-shop accessibility is required by European law (the EAA).

Why alt texts matter

SEO. Google doesn't "see" photos — it reads their descriptions. A product photo with the alt text "white wooden high chair" can show up in Google Images and bring in free traffic.
Accessibility (EAA). On an image with no description, a screen reader gives a blind customer only the file name — "IMG_20240513.jpg". Since June 2025, accessibility is mandatory for most e-shops.
Failed images. When a photo doesn't load, the browser at least shows the alt text — the customer knows what was supposed to be there.

How to write good alt texts

Describe what's in the image, factually and specifically. "Men's brown leather wallet, opened" beats both "wallet" and "best cheap wallet deal sale".
For product photos, use the product name + a distinguishing detail. Color, material, camera angle — especially in a gallery with several photos of one product.
Don't stuff keywords. Google can spot a comma-separated list of phrases, and it's useless to a blind customer. One natural sentence is enough.
Decorative graphics = empty alt. Ornamental stripes and icons should have alt="" — the screen reader skips them instead of slowing the user down with clutter.
Don't write "image of…" or "photo of…". The screen reader already announces it's an image; start straight with the content.

Platform tip: most e-shop platforms let you fill in alt texts on the product's photos in the product detail (the pencil icon next to the photo). Template images often take the alt from the file name — so name your files meaningfully before uploading ("cream-hoodie-detail.jpg", not "DSC0041.jpg").

Where to start when hundreds are missing

Don't fix them alphabetically. Start with the pages people visit most: homepage, top categories, bestsellers. Then work through category by category. The EshopMedic check-up shows you how many images lack descriptions and on which pages — including per-page counts, so you know where the most work is.

How many images without descriptions do you have?

The free mini check-up counts them and shows which pages they're missing on. No sign-up, results right away.

Start your free check-up

Frequently asked questions

Will alt texts improve my search rankings?

On their own they won't make you number one, but they're part of a healthy SEO foundation — and in image search they matter directly. For e-shops with nice photos, Google Images tends to be an underrated source of free traffic.

Does the EAA apply to a small e-shop too?

The obligation since June 28, 2025 covers most e-shops; microenterprises (under 10 employees and €2 million turnover) are exempt. But even for them, an accessible site sells better — descriptions, contrast, and readable forms help every customer.

Can I generate alt texts automatically?

Partly — for product photos, the product name is a sensible baseline, and most platforms can do that. Then fine-tune your bestsellers and the images where automation makes no sense by hand. A decent automatic description beats none.

Is the alt text the same as the image title?

No. The title shows as a tooltip on hover, and screen readers don't reliably read it. For both SEO and accessibility, the alt attribute is what counts.

The tool that watches this for you

First place on GooglePAID

From your own Search Console data: which queries keep you off page one and what to change. After you deploy, we measure whether it worked.

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