Bad Alt Text Wastes More Than You Think

Alt Text Isn’t Altruism—It’s Survival

The Two Audiences You’re Excluding

1. Google Images: Your PDP disappears from 35% of searches without descriptive alt text.
2. Screen Readers: "IMG_4293.jpg" tells visually impaired buyers nothing.

This isn’t "nice-to-have." It’s lost revenue and legal risk in one silent failure.

What Silence Costs (With Receipts)

5–10% Fewer Image Search Clicks
Google skips generic alt text entirely.
(Google SEO Guidelines, 2024)

5% Lower Meta Visibility
Facebook’s algorithm downgrades products with missing image metadata.
(Shopify, 2024)

The ADA Lawsuit You Don’t See Coming
26% of web accessibility suits target missing alt text.
(UsableNet, 2023)

Case in Point: A skincare brand’s PDPs were invisible in Google Images. Added intent-driven alt text—8% more organic traffic in 30 days. No content changes. Just finally being seen.
(SEMrush, 2024)

The Alt Text Rules You’re Breaking

What’s Broken → Why It Matters
"Summer_Dress_01.jpg" → Google Images can’t index "floral sundress with pockets"
"Product shot" → Screen readers can’t describe "organic cotton towel set on bamboo shelf"
Over 125 chars → Google truncates, destroying context

Reality: Even perfect alt text decays. Last quarter’s "wireless headphones" are this quarter’s "noise-canceling earbuds." Buyer language evolves.

How We Fix It (At Scale)

EKOM automates:
✔ Quarterly rewrites matching search trend shifts
✔ Platform-specific rules (Google vs. TikTok vs. ADA)
✔ PIM-synced accuracy (no more "blue shirt" when it’s teal)

Not an SEO play. Damage control.

See The Gaps Yourself

We’ll audit one PDP and show you:

1. Which images are ghosting buyers
2. How much traffic you’re missing
3. How to lock in 10% more visibility

Run an Alt Text Audit →