How to fix images missing alt on Shopify

Steps for Shopify

1. Product images: Go to Admin → Products → [select product] → scroll to the Media section → click the image thumbnail → in the panel that slides in, type your description in the 'Alt text' field → click Save.
2. Collection/banner images: Admin → Products → Collections → [select collection] → click the collection image → add alt text in the pop-up field → Save.
3. Theme section images (hero banners, etc.): Admin → Online Store → Themes → Customize → click the section containing the image → look for an 'Image alt text' or 'Alt text' input field in the left panel → fill in the description → Save.
4. Blog post / page images: In the rich-text editor, click the image → click the image icon or 'Edit image' → fill in the Alt text field.
5. Bulk update for many products: Use the Shopify bulk editor (Admin → Products → select multiple → Edit) or export your product CSV, fill the 'Image Alt Text' column for every row, then re-import via Admin → Products → Import.

What is images missing alt?

Every `<img>` tag in HTML has an `alt` attribute — a short written description of what the image shows. When an image is missing its alt text (the `alt` attribute is absent or empty), search engines like Google cannot "see" what the image depicts, and screen-reader software used by visually impaired shoppers reads nothing aloud. Writing good alt text means filling in that attribute with a clear, specific description: for a product photo you might write `alt="Red leather crossbody bag with gold buckle clasp"`.

Google explicitly uses alt text to understand images and rank them in Google Images — a significant free-traffic channel for ecommerce stores. Missing alt text means your product photos are invisible to Google's crawler and cannot appear in image search results, cutting off a stream of high-intent shoppers. On the conversion side, assistive-technology users (screen readers) rely on alt text to understand your product imagery; missing it creates a poor shopping experience and in many jurisdictions exposes you to accessibility-law liability (ADA in the US, EN 301 549 in the EU, AODA in Canada). Even a handful of untagged images on key product or landing pages is enough to suppress rankings and fail an accessibility audit.

See the complete Images missing alt guide for every platform and the full background.