Confused about ALT text for your Shopify store?
Let's help you out!
Okay, firstly, what is ALT text?
ALT TEXT or alternative text is a written description of an image displayed on your website. ALT TEXT lets you tell Google what the image shows so search engines can correctly index it.
ALT TEXT is read aloud to users by screen reader and accessibility software. It will also display on the page if the image fails to load.
Why do you need ALT text?
It's a legal requirement! To comply with ADA & WCAG regulations, ALL websites must include ALT TEXT when adding images.
ALT text helps visually impaired users who use screen readers to understand the context of the image. Search engines use ALT text to understand what the image is about, which can improve your website's visibility in search results.
To add ALT text to images in Shopify, follow these steps:
1. Go to your Shopify admin panel and click on "Products".
2. Click on the product that contains the image you want to add ALT text to.
3. Scroll down to the "Images" section and click on the image you want to edit.
4. In the "Alt text" field, enter a description of the image. This should be a concise and accurate description of what is shown in the image.
5. Click "Save" to save your changes.
For your website images (banners etc), you'll want to navigate "Content" and then "Files". Open the image, and under the URL Handle, you'll find place to add your ALT text.
The Hot Mess ALT TEXT Golden Standards:
- Install an ALT TEXT viewer extension to your browser to view ALT TEXT on your website pages. We like Image Alt Text Viewer from the Microsoft Store, but there are loads of options for both Mac and PC. Just a note here - it might take a day or two for your changes to reflect on the app.
- Keep your ALT TEXT under 125 characters.
- Don't start with "picture of..." or "Image of..." Just jump straight in! Screen-reading tools will identify it as an image.
- Check for spelling errors! Misspelled words will confuse search engines crawling your site.
Hope this helps clear up some of the confusion surrounding ALT text. Again, because it is a legal requirement, I strongly advise adding ALT text to your website images if you haven't done so yet!!!
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