A

Images

LOW

Alt text on at least 80% of PDP images

At least 80% of <img> tags on each sampled PDP carry non-empty alt text. Alt text is the only text description AI agents and screen readers have for your product imagery.

What this check looks for

Every <img> conveying meaningful content must carry a non-empty `alt` attribute describing the image, per WCAG 2.x SC 1.1.1. Purely decorative images may use an empty `alt=""` as an explicit skip; we count those as 'missing' for our coverage ratio (so a PDP whose <img>s are all decorative-flagged will sit at 0% coverage). AI agents and screen readers consume the same alt-text channel, so this is an accessibility AND agent-discoverability concern.

Which AI surfaces it affects

  • Google AI Mode (UCP)50
  • ChatGPT (ACP)40
  • Perplexity30
  • Microsoft Copilot30
  • Meta AI30

Weighted against the live specs — ACP 2026-04-17, UCP 2026-04-08.

How to fix it

Add descriptive alt text to product images (WCAG 2.x SC 1.1.1)

Shopify

A few minutes
  1. Shopify admin → Products → select a product → Image alt text.
  2. Add a description for each image (e.g., 'Red leather running shoe, side view').
  3. Theme: ensure {{ image.alt }} is rendered in your product templates.

Platform docs ↗

BigCommerce

A few minutes
  1. Product edit → Image → Alt text field.
  2. Add a description per image.

WooCommerce

A few minutes
  1. WP Admin → Media → edit each product image → fill the Alternative Text field.
  2. Block editor: select the image block → Block panel → Alt text.

Custom / headless

Developer
  1. Render every product `<img>` with a non-empty `alt` attribute sourced from the product's accessibility description field.
  2. If your CMS exposes an `imageAlt` or `accessibilityDescription` field, bind it to alt; never fall back to the filename.
  3. Decorative images (icons, dividers) should explicitly set `alt=""` so screen readers skip them — this counts as 'set' for our coverage check.
<img src="/img/product.webp" alt="${product.imageAlt}" width="800" height="600" loading="lazy" />

The spec it's pinned to

  • WCAG 2.x SC 1.1.1 — Non-text Content

    WCAG 2.x Success Criterion 1.1.1 requires non-text content (including images) to have a text alternative serving the equivalent purpose.

WCAG 2.x — Non-text Content (SC 1.1.1) ↗

Does your store pass this check?

Run the full audit — 82 checks across five AI shopping surfaces. Most tools only check whether you get mentioned; we check whether an agent can buy from you.

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