Are your Shopify product images accessible?

Mostly not, in our experience scanning stores. The common failures on product pages are empty or keyword-stuffed alt text, promotional text baked into the image itself, and variant images that screen readers announce in confusing ways. All three are fixable without redesigning the page.

Alt text that actually helps

Alt text should describe what the image shows for someone who cannot see it, in the context of the page. On a product page, that means the meaningful visual details a shopper uses to decide: color, pattern, cut, visible features. It does not mean repeating the product title or stuffing keywords. A red midi dress with a smocked bodice needs alt text like that, not "dress" and not a paragraph. Purely decorative images, like background textures and divider graphics, should have empty alt text so screen readers skip them instead of announcing "image" repeatedly.

Text baked into images

Sale banners, size charts saved as JPEGs, and infographics about materials or shipping are everywhere on Shopify product pages, and screen readers cannot read any of them. If the image contains words a sighted shopper relies on, that information has to exist as real text somewhere: in the product description, in a collapsible tab, or in a long description linked from the image. This is also a zoom problem. Text in images pixelates when enlarged, while real text stays crisp, which matters for low-vision shoppers who magnify the page.

Variant and gallery behavior

Variant image swatches are buttons, and screen readers announce them by their accessible name. Swatches named "image 1" or announced only by filename tell a keyboard user nothing. Each swatch needs a name that identifies the variant, like the color or pattern it selects. Galleries need the same attention: when a shopper moves through product photos with arrow buttons, the buttons need names, and the currently shown image should be identified. Test the whole gallery with a keyboard and a screen reader before you assume it works.