Etsy Alt Text Generator
Free toolWrite alt text for a listing photo
You get 3 alt text options of up to 250 characters, Etsy's limit. Your photo goes to our server and an AI model for this one run, and we don't save it. 3 free runs a day.
What is alt text on Etsy?
Alt text is a short written description of a listing photo. Etsy describes it as an image description for buyers who can't see what you're showing, which makes your listing accessible to blind and low-vision shoppers. Screen readers read it aloud, and it stands in for the photo when the image doesn't load.
Each photo in a listing has its own alt text, up to 250 characters. If you leave it empty, Etsy may add AI-written alt text for you (Etsy says this applies to US sellers). Etsy doesn't change alt text you've already written, and you can edit what Etsy added at any time.
How to add alt text to Etsy images
On Etsy.com
- Open Shop Manager and select Listings.
- Select the listing you want to update.
- Select the photo that needs alt text.
- Under Alt text, describe the photo in detail.
- Select Apply.
In the Etsy Seller app
- Tap Listings and open a listing.
- On the Listing tab, tap the pencil icon next to Photo and video.
- Tap the Alt text icon and select the photo.
- Write the description and tap Save.
Repeat for every photo in the listing. The generator above writes options for one photo at a time, so run it once per photo and paste each result into the matching photo.
What to write in Etsy alt text
Write what a shopper would miss if they couldn't see the photo. Etsy suggests describing the item's details, such as how it looks, its texture and its size compared with other things in the photo.
- Start with the item. "Speckled oatmeal mug with a curved handle", not "Image of a mug". A screen reader already says it's an image.
- Add what the photo shows that others don't. Etsy recommends describing different views, details or variations, so every photo gets its own alt text: the close-up of the clasp, the ring worn on a hand, the size next to a coin.
- Keep it to a sentence or two. Etsy's limit is 250 characters. Shorter is easier to listen to.
- Only say what's true. If the photo shows silver-colored metal, say so. Name the material only if you know it.
- Skip your shop name, title, tags and SKUs. Etsy says adding them to alt text gives no extra SEO benefit, because they're already part of your listing.
Does alt text help Etsy SEO?
Etsy's own answer is careful: search engines outside Etsy can read alt text, so it might help your listings in places like Google. Etsy doesn't say alt text affects ranking in Etsy search, and it says repeating your shop name, title, description or tags in alt text gives no extra benefit.
So write alt text for people, not for search. The places that move Etsy search are your title, tags, attributes and description: the Etsy Tag Generator and Etsy Description Generator help with those.
Examples of good Etsy alt text
Each example below is for an invented listing photo. The weak versions are the most common mistakes: too vague, a keyword list, or the listing title pasted in.
| Photo | Weak | Better |
|---|---|---|
| Mug on a table | Mug | Speckled oatmeal ceramic mug with a curved handle, on a wooden table next to a folded linen napkin. |
| Ring on a hand | ring, gold ring, name ring, gift for her | Thin gold-colored ring with two stacked cursive names, worn on a hand against a mustard knit sleeve. |
| Art print in a frame | Lemon Branch Art Print Watercolor Kitchen Wall Decor | Watercolor print of a lemon branch with three yellow lemons and green leaves, in a thin black frame on a white wall. |
| Planner page on a tablet | Image of planner | Weekly meal planner page shown on a tablet, with seven rows for meals and a grocery list column on the right. |
| Vintage vase detail | Vase close up | Close-up of the base of a moss green drip-glazed vase, showing a small glaze skip near the bottom edge. |
Get your listing photos right first
Alt text describes a photo, so start with photos worth describing. If a photo is too small or blurry when buyers zoom in, the Etsy Image Upscaler doubles its resolution. To resize or crop a photo before you upload it, use the Etsy Image Resizer.
Alura's listing optimizer writes alt text for the photos across your Etsy listings, along with titles, tags and descriptions, and you review every change before it goes live. Start for free or see pricing.
In Shop Manager, open Listings, select the listing, then select the photo. Under Alt text, describe the photo and select Apply. In the Etsy Seller app, open the listing, tap the pencil icon next to Photo and video, tap the Alt text icon, select the photo, write the description and tap Save.
Up to 250 characters per photo. Every option this generator returns is checked on our server to fit that limit, and the editor stops at 250 when you change it.
What a shopper would miss if they couldn't see the photo: the item, its color, texture and size compared with other things in the shot, and the view, such as a close-up or the item being worn. Give each photo its own description instead of repeating one.
Etsy says it might help with search engines outside Etsy, because they can read it. Etsy also says adding your shop name, title, description or tags to alt text gives no extra benefit. Write it for shoppers, and put your keywords in your title, tags and description.
Etsy says it may add AI-written alt text to listing photos that don't have any, for US sellers. It doesn't change alt text you've written, and you can edit what it added at any time. Writing your own lets you say what matters about your item.
Not by Alura. Your browser shrinks the photo to 1,024 pixels on its long side before upload. Our server checks it and sends it to an AI model for this one run, and we don't save it.
Yes, with no account. Each visitor gets 3 runs a day, because every run costs an AI call. A run that fails on our side doesn't count, up to 3 failed runs a day.
