The E-commerce Guide to Automating Shopify Product Descriptions and Alt Tags at Scale

If you run a Shopify store, you know the specific kind of dread that comes with a "New Inventory" day.

You have 50 new product photos. They are stunning, high-resolution, and ready to sell. But before you can launch, you have to sit down and write 50 unique descriptions and manually tag 50 images with SEO-friendly Alt Text.

Most store owners cut corners here. They leave the Alt Text blank, or worse, they leave the filename as DSC_0045.jpg.

This is a mistake that is costing you traffic.

Google Images and Google Shopping are massive drivers of e-commerce sales, but their algorithms are "blind." They rely entirely on text to understand what you are selling. If your images don't have text data, your products are invisible.

In this guide, I’m going to show you how to stop manually typing descriptions and start using AI Vision technology (like the free tool right here on Lens Go) to automate this workflow.

The "Blind Spot" in Your Shopify SEO Strategy

Before we get into the automation, let’s clarify why this matters.

When a potential customer searches for "vintage leather messenger bag" on Google:

1. Google crawls your site.
2. It looks for the alt tag on your images.
3. It reads your product description for context.

If your Alt tag is empty, Google ignores the image. If your description is generic ("Good quality bag"), you won't rank for specific keywords like "vintage" or "leather."

Furthermore, Web Accessibility (ADA Compliance) is becoming a legal requirement for e-commerce stores in the US and Europe. Screen readers used by visually impaired customers read Alt Text aloud. If you don't have it, you aren't just losing SEO ranking; you're excluding potential customers and risking legal issues.

How AI Vision Changes the Game

In the past, writing these descriptions took hours. Today, Computer Vision AI (the technology behind Lens Go) can "look" at a photo and understand it instantly.

It detects:

• Objects: (e.g., Sneaker, laces, rubber sole)
• Attributes: (e.g., Red, canvas, high-top)
• Context: (e.g., Running on a track, casual streetwear)

By using this technology, we can turn a visual asset into a text asset in seconds.

Step-by-Step: Automating Your Workflow

Here is the exact workflow you can use to process a batch of new products without the headache.

Step 1: Isolate Your Product Images

Gather your high-res product photos. Ensure they are clean and clearly show the product. The AI is powerful, but it works best when the product is the main focus of the frame.

Step 2: Analyze with Lens Go

Instead of staring at the screen trying to think of adjectives, let the AI do the heavy lifting.

1. Scroll up to the Lens Go tool on our homepage.
2. Upload your product image.
3. Wait a few seconds. The neural network will break down the image.

Pro Tip: Look at the "Semantic Interpretation" or "Description" output. You will likely see a sentence like:

"A close-up studio shot of a burgundy leather handbag with gold hardware and a detachable strap."

Step 3: Optimization for Shopify

Now, take that AI-generated text and use it in two places:

1. The Alt Text: Copy the generated description directly into the Alt Text field in Shopify.

• Bad Alt Text: bag.jpg
• Better Alt Text: Red handbag
• Lens Go AI Alt Text: Burgundy leather handbag with gold hardware side view

2. The Product Description: Use the AI output as your "Seed Sentence." You can expand on it to add your brand voice.

• AI Output: "Black running shoes with breathable mesh and foam sole."
• Final Shopify Description: "Hit the track with our new Black running shoes. Featuring breathable mesh for comfort and a high-performance foam sole..."

Step 4: Bulk Export (For Advanced Users)

If you have hundreds of products, doing this one by one is still faster than writing from scratch, but we can go faster.

If you are comfortable with CSV files, you can:

1. Process your images through Lens Go.
2. Paste the results into a spreadsheet column named Image Alt Text.
3. Upload the CSV to Shopify to update hundreds of products at once.

Best Practices for AI-Generated Alt Text

While AI is amazing, it's important to follow Google's guidelines. Here is a checklist to ensure your AI-generated descriptions are compliant:

• Keep it under 125 characters: For Alt Text, brevity is key. If the AI gives you a long paragraph, trim it down to the most essential visual details.
• Don't keyword stuff: Don't add "buy cheap sale" into the Alt Text. Describe the image, don't spam it.
• Include Model Details: If the AI notices a model, ensure the description mentions it (e.g., "Man wearing blue denim jacket"). This helps customers visualize the fit.

Conclusion: Work Smarter, Not Harder

E-commerce is a game of efficiency. Every minute you spend manually describing the color of a t-shirt is a minute you aren't spending on marketing or customer service.

By integrating AI visual analysis into your upload routine, you ensure that every single product on your store is SEO-optimized and accessible from Day 1.

Ready to try it? Scroll to the top of this page, drop in your latest product photo, and watch Lens Go write your SEO text for you—for free.