You’ve spent hours picking the perfect products, crafting your brand identity, and syncing your catalog to platforms like Instagram. Your store looks professional, and your products are high-quality. But there is a silent hero on your website that is likely being underutilized: your product images.
At Mbial Business, we specialize in helping store owners transition from basic setups to high-performing e-commerce machines. One of the most common “quick wins” we suggest to our clients—especially those we’ve helped sync to social media—is optimizing Alt Text.
What is Image SEO?
When Google crawls your website, it cannot “see” an image the way a human does. It relies on a snippet of code called Alt Text (Alternative Text) to understand the context and content of a photo.
If your image file is simply named DCIM_001.jpg and has no Alt Text, Google has no way of knowing it is a “Handmade Leather Weekend Bag.” By adding descriptive Alt Text, you are providing a roadmap for search engines to index your products correctly.
The Power of Google Image Search:
If Mbial Business has already helped you sync your products to Instagram, your images are already doing heavy lifting on social media. However, by optimizing those same images for SEO on your website, you open the door to Google Image Search.
For many e-commerce niches, Image Search is a massive, untapped source of “high-intent” customers. People often browse images when they are in the “inspiration” phase of shopping. If your product appears there, you are capturing a lead that might have never found your store through a standard text search.
How to Write Effective Alt Text?
You don’t need to be a developer to master this. Here is the mbial business strategy for perfect image optimization:
Be Specific and Descriptive:
Instead of using “shoes,” try “Women’s Red Leather Running Shoes with Arch Support.”
Avoid Keyword Stuffing:
Google can tell if you are just listing words. Write naturally, as if you were describing the photo to a friend who couldn’t see it.
Keep it Under 125 Characters:
Most screen readers and search engines prefer concise descriptions.
Include Your Brand:
For your primary product shots, include your brand name to help with brand-specific searches.
The Bottom Line:
Image SEO is one of the most cost-effective ways to increase your store’s visibility. It requires no changes to your public-facing descriptions or website design, making it a “behind-the-scenes” win that pays dividends in free, organic traffic.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
1. Does the filename of the image matter as much as the Alt Text?
Yes, the filename is the first thing Google looks at. Before you upload a photo to Shopify or your website, you should rename the file from something generic like IMG_1234.jpg to something descriptive like blue-denim-jacket.jpg. Using hyphens between words helps search engines distinguish individual words, creating a secondary layer of SEO that works alongside your Alt Text.
2. Will adding Alt Text to my images slow down my website loading speed?
Not at all. Alt Text is a lightweight attribute within the HTML code of your site and does not affect the file size or the loading time of your images. In fact, Alt Text improves the user experience; if an image fails to load due to a slow connection, the Alt Text will appear in its place, ensuring the visitor still understands what was supposed to be there.
3. Should I add Alt Text to every single decorative icon on my shop?
Generally, you should only focus on images that provide value or information, such as product photos, lifestyle shots, and your logo. Purely decorative elements, like background patterns or divider lines, should ideally have “empty” Alt Text (alt=””) so that screen readers for the visually impaired know to skip them, allowing the user to focus on the important content of your store.
4. How long does it take for Google to show my images in search results after I update them?
SEO is a long-game strategy, and changes are rarely instantaneous. Once you update your Alt Text, you have to wait for Google to “re-crawl” your website to see the changes. Depending on your site’s authority and traffic, this can take anywhere from a few days to several weeks, but you can speed up the process by submitting your updated sitemap via Google Search Console.
5. Does Alt Text help with my shop's ranking on social media platforms like Instagram?
While Alt Text is primarily a web SEO tool, Instagram does have its own Alt Text settings that help its algorithm understand what is in your post. When mbial business helps you sync your products, ensuring your website Alt Text is optimized creates a consistent data flow, helping the platform’s AI show your products to users who have shown interest in similar visual content.
