Alt Text

What is Alt Text?

Alt text, short for alternative text, is an HTML attribute applied to images on web pages to provide a textual description of the image content. Originating in the early days of the web, alt text was primarily introduced to improve web accessibility for visually impaired users who rely on screen readers. Over time, search engines began utilizing alt text to better understand the context and content of images, making it a critical component for SEO strategies. Technically, alt text is embedded within the <img> tag as alt="description", ensuring that if an image fails to load or is disabled, the description is still available to users and crawlers alike. For e-commerce brands, alt text serves multiple purposes. Beyond accessibility compliance (such as WCAG guidelines), it directly impacts organic search visibility by helping search engines index product images accurately. For example, a fashion retailer on Shopify describing a product image with alt text like "red leather ankle boots with block heel" improves the likelihood that their images appear in relevant image search results. Moreover, attribution platforms like Causality Engine leverage engagement data tied to images with well-crafted alt text to apply causal inference methods, helping brands understand how visual content influences conversion rates and customer journeys. This dual role in accessibility and analytics makes alt text an essential, yet often underappreciated, element in e-commerce marketing ecosystems.

Why Alt Text Matters for E-commerce

For e-commerce marketers, alt text is a powerful lever to increase both accessibility and discoverability of product images, which directly correlates with higher customer engagement and conversion rates. According to a study by SEMrush, images can drive up to 27% of organic search traffic to e-commerce sites when optimized correctly. Properly implemented alt text enables search engines to index images with precision, increasing the chances of appearing in Google Images and other visual search platforms, which are critical touchpoints in the modern shopping journey. This visibility not only drives incremental traffic but also enhances brand recall and trust. From an ROI perspective, alt text optimization is a low-cost tactic with measurable returns. By improving image SEO, brands reduce dependency on paid ads and increase organic traffic quality. Furthermore, Causality Engine’s causal inference analytics can attribute lift in sales or engagement to specific images, guiding marketers to tailor alt text and visual content for maximum impact. Competitive advantage arises as brands that master alt text optimization rank higher in search results, improve site accessibility (reducing legal risks), and gain deeper insights into visual content performance, making alt text an indispensable tool in the e-commerce marketer’s toolkit.

How to Use Alt Text

1. Identify all product images on your e-commerce site, focusing on high-impact visuals such as hero banners, product shots, and lifestyle images. 2. Craft descriptive alt text that accurately portrays the image content using relevant keywords without keyword stuffing. For example, a beauty brand might use "organic lavender facial serum in glass dropper bottle" instead of generic terms like "product image." 3. Use content management systems (CMS) like Shopify or Magento, which often provide fields for alt text input during product image upload. Ensure these fields are completed before publishing. 4. Utilize SEO auditing tools such as Screaming Frog or SEMrush to scan your website for missing or poorly written alt text and prioritize fixes based on traffic-driving pages. 5. Integrate image engagement data from platforms like Causality Engine to monitor how images with optimized alt text perform in terms of clicks, conversions, and attribution. Use these insights to iterate on alt text and image selection. 6. Regularly update alt text to reflect any product changes or seasonality, maintaining relevance and SEO freshness. By following these steps, e-commerce brands ensure their images are accessible, discoverable, and measurable, maximizing the impact of their visual assets.

Industry Benchmarks

Industry data from Moz and SEMrush indicates that e-commerce websites with fully optimized alt text see up to a 15-25% increase in image-driven organic traffic year-over-year. Additionally, sites adhering to WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards, including proper alt text usage, report a 30% decrease in bounce rates among users relying on assistive technologies (Source: WebAIM Screen Reader User Survey, 2023). According to Causality Engine's aggregated e-commerce attribution data, products with well-optimized alt text contribute to a 10-12% lift in attributed conversions through organic visual search channels. These benchmarks highlight the tangible benefits of alt text optimization in competitive e-commerce environments.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Using generic or non-descriptive alt text such as "image1" or "product photo," which provides no SEO or accessibility value. Avoid this by writing specific, keyword-rich descriptions. 2. Keyword stuffing alt text in an attempt to manipulate search rankings, which can lead to penalties from search engines. Instead, focus on natural, user-centric descriptions. 3. Omitting alt text altogether, which harms accessibility compliance and misses out on SEO benefits. Always include alt attributes, even for decorative images (use empty alt="" for purely decorative visuals). 4. Copying product titles verbatim without additional context; this limits the descriptive power of alt text. Enhance alt text with details like color, size, and unique features. 5. Ignoring the performance data of images in attribution models; neglecting to link alt text quality with engagement metrics misses opportunities for optimization. Utilize causal attribution insights from Causality Engine to refine alt text based on image effectiveness.