Can the tool see or analyze my image?

No. There's no image upload, and the AI doesn't look at pictures. You describe the image in the brief, and it drafts alt text from your description. The result can only be as accurate as what you write, so check it against the image.

Do I need an account or credits?

Yes. Generating text requires a signed-in Social media studio account, and each generation uses AI caption credits from your plan or trial.

What's the ideal length for alt text?

Usually a short phrase or one or two sentences. WCAG sets no character limit, but many teams aim for about 125 characters so screen reader users get the point quickly. Complex images such as charts need a fuller description in the surrounding text.

Does this work for Instagram alt text?

Yes. Describe the photo in your brief, copy the suggestion you like and paste it into Instagram's alt text field before you share the post, or add it to a published post by editing it.

What's the difference between alt text and an image title?

Alt text is read by screen readers and used by search engines, and every meaningful image needs it. The title attribute shows as a tooltip in some browsers and is optional, so don't rely on it for accessibility.

Will good alt text help my SEO?

It can. Google says it uses alt text, along with computer vision and page content, to understand images, which matters for image search. Descriptive alt text that uses keywords only where they fit works best, while keyword stuffing can be treated as spam.

AI Alt Text Generator | Social media studio

Alt text serves two audiences: people who use screen readers, and search engines working out what an image shows. This page opens Social media studio's AI Writer with the alt text task selected. It does not look at images. Instead, you describe the picture in your own words in the brief, add the page or post it belongs to, and the AI drafts concise alt text from your description, up to three suggestions at a time. Generating requires a signed-in Social media studio account and uses AI caption credits from your plan or trial.

How this alt text tool works

There's no image upload on this page, and the AI never sees your picture. You do the looking, and it does the wording. In the brief, describe what's in the image: the subject, what's happening, the setting and any text that appears in it. Then add why the image is there, such as "product page for a waterproof hiking boot" or "blog post about our team offsite".

The AI turns that into short alt text and gives you up to three suggestions to compare. Because it writes only from your words, accuracy depends on your description. Read each suggestion against the actual image and fix anything it got wrong or added. Describe one image per generation, and leave Tone on Concise, the default, since playful tones don't suit alt text.

What good alt text says

Good alt text describes what's in the image and why it matters on the page. "A dog" is too vague, and "IMG_1234.jpg" is useless. "Golden retriever leaping to catch a frisbee on a beach at sunset" gives a listener the picture.

A useful test: if the image disappeared, what sentence would a visitor need to understand the page? That sentence is your alt text. Lead with the most important detail, since screen readers read from the start, and skip "image of" or "picture of", because screen readers already announce an image. Aim for a short phrase or one or two sentences. WCAG sets no character limit, but many teams aim for about 125 characters so the description stays easy to listen to.

Alt text and accessibility (WCAG)

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) ask for a text alternative for any image that carries information. Images that are purely decorative, such as dividers or background flourishes, should have an empty alt attribute (alt="") so screen readers skip them. Leaving the attribute out entirely is different: some screen readers then read the file name aloud.

If an image contains text, such as a quote card or an infographic headline, the alt text should include that text. For complex images like charts, give the key takeaway in the alt text and put the full data in nearby text or a caption.

This page doesn't decide whether an image is decorative. That's your call, and when the answer is yes, you don't need alt text at all, just the empty attribute.

Alt text for SEO

Google's image SEO guidance says it uses alt text, together with computer vision and the content of the page, to understand what an image shows. Descriptive alt text can help your images appear in image search and gives context to the page around them.

Three habits help. Use the page's main keyword only where it truly describes the image: "red trail running shoes on a rocky path" is better than "best red running shoes cheap women". Keep the alt text true to what the image shows. And give each image its own description instead of repeating the same text. Google warns that filling alt attributes with keywords makes for a poor experience and can cause a site to be seen as spam.

To steer the wording, include the page topic or keyword in your brief alongside your description.

Alt text on social posts

Most social networks let you add your own alt text, including Instagram, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Bluesky and Mastodon. Instagram can also generate automatic alt text, but it tends to be generic, so writing your own is worth the extra step. On Instagram, look for the alt text option in the post's advanced or accessibility settings before you share, or edit a published post to add it later.

For branded graphics with text overlays, custom alt text matters most, because the words in the image carry the message. Describe both the image and its overlay text in your brief, copy the suggestion you like and paste it into the platform's alt text field.

AI Alt Text Generator