How to fix seo product image alt filename on BigCommerce

Steps for BigCommerce

1. Go to Products → View in the control panel and open a product.
2. Click the 'Images & Videos' tab.
3. Hover over an image thumbnail and click the pencil (Edit) icon.
4. In the 'Image Description (Alt Text)' field, enter your descriptive text.
5. Click 'Confirm' to save, then click 'Save' on the product page.
6. Repeat for all product images. For bulk updates, use the BigCommerce V2 Products Images API or a third-party app such as 'SEO Image Optimizer' from the BigCommerce App Marketplace.

<img src="red-merino-wool-hoodie.jpg" alt="Red merino wool zip-up hoodie, front view">

What is seo product image alt filename?

Every image on a webpage has an "alt" attribute — a short text description that lives in the HTML code. When a product image is uploaded without a custom alt text, most platforms automatically fill it in with the image's filename (e.g., `IMG_4821.jpg` or `product-blue-v2_FINAL.png`). This filename tells search engines and visually-impaired shoppers absolutely nothing useful about what's actually in the photo. Descriptive alt text, by contrast, reads like a caption: "Blue cotton crew-neck sweater, front view."

Google explicitly uses alt text to understand and rank images in Google Images search, which drives meaningful, purchase-ready traffic to product pages. Filename-based alt text wastes this ranking signal entirely — a competitor with a well-written alt text will outrank you for visual searches on the same product. Beyond SEO, alt text is a legal accessibility requirement in many jurisdictions (ADA, EN 301 549, WCAG 2.1): missing or meaningless alt text can expose your store to accessibility complaints and lawsuits. Fixing it is one of the highest-ROI, lowest-effort on-page SEO tasks available to a store owner.

See the complete Seo product image alt filename guide for every platform and the full background.