How to Automatically Generate Image Alt Text in WordPress Using AI

Alt text (alternative text) is an important part of image SEO and accessibility. But adding alt text to every image on your WordPress site can be time-consuming, especially if you have hundreds of photos in your media library.

The good news is that you can now automatically generate alt text for your images using AI tools. These tools analyze each photo and add descriptive text that improves both accessibility and SEO.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to automatically generate image alt text in WordPress using AI, step by step.

Automatically Generate Image Alt Text Using AI

TL;DR: The best way to automatically generate image alt text in WordPress is by using a dedicated plugin. For the highest quality and most features, a premium tool like AltText.ai is the top choice. For a free option with basic functionality, a plugin like AI for SEO is a great starting point.

The Benefits of Using AI for Generating Image Alt Text

Adding alt text to every image on your website can feel like a never-ending task. Even if you’re using tools like ChatGPT to write the alt text for you, you’ll still need to manually copy and paste the content.

According to the WebAIM Screen Reader User Survey, over 67% of users find alt text “very” or “somewhat” useful. Automating this process with AI ensures you’re providing this value without the manual effort.

Here’s why using AI for alt text generation can be helpful:

Saves Time – No more writing alt text for every single image. AI can generate descriptions in seconds, freeing up your time for more important tasks.
Boosts SEO – AI helps you create descriptive alt text with relevant keywords, which search engines love. This can help your images rank higher in search results.
Improves Accessibility – AI-generated alt text makes your site more inclusive by providing meaningful descriptions for visually impaired users.
Handles Large Image Libraries – If you have hundreds (or thousands) of images, AI can process them in bulk, making optimization much easier.
Maintains Consistency – AI follows a structured approach, ensuring that all images have clear, uniform descriptions across your website.

By using AI tools for alt text generation, you can improve your website’s accessibility, SEO, and overall efficiency, all without the extra manual work.

Still, it’s a good practice to briefly review the AI-generated text to ensure it’s accurate and relevant. A quick human check is a valuable final step in the process.

Now, let’s take a look at how to easily generate alt text for images with AI:

💡 Expert Tip: Looking for more ways to speed up your workflows with AI? Check out our guide on how to use AI to boost your marketing.

Method 1: Use AltText.AI to Generate Alt Text for Images (Premium Plugin + Free Trial)

This method is best if you want high-quality alt text and can invest in a premium plugin. AltText.ai is a powerful generator that works in over 130 languages and offers a free trial for up to 25 images.

After the trial, plans start at $5 for 100 image credits, making it an affordable choice for media-rich sites. Here’s how to set it up.

Step 1: Create a Free AltText.ai Account

First, go to the AltText.ai website and click the ‘Start Free Trial’ button.

You will need to enter your email, name, and password to create your account.

Step 2: Generate and Copy Your API Key

Once you sign up, you’ll land on your dashboard.

From here, navigate to the ‘Account’ page and select the ‘API Keys’ tab. Click the ‘+ New API Key’ button.

Give your key a name for your own reference and click ‘Create’.

The tool will then generate your API key. Click the ‘Copy’ button and save it somewhere safe for the next step.

Step 3: Install the Plugin and Configure Settings

Next, you need to install and activate the free Alt Text AI connector plugin. If you need help, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

After activation, go to AltText.ai » Settings in your WordPress dashboard. Paste your API key into the ‘API Key’ field.

Here, you can also select your preferred language and writing style.

You can enable options to automatically generate alt text for new uploads, and also generate titles, captions, and descriptions.

For SEO, you can check the boxes to include focus keyphrases from your SEO plugin in the alt text.

When you are done, just click ‘Save Changes’.

Step 4: Generate Alt Text for New and Existing Images

To generate alt text for an image that is already in your Media Library, navigate to Media » Library.

Click on an image, and in the ‘Attachment details’ window, click the ‘Update Alt Text’ button to generate the text.

If you have enabled automatic generation, any new image you upload will have its alt text created automatically. You can review and edit it in the block editor’s right-hand settings panel by clicking on the image block.

Step 5: Bulk Generate Alt Text for Your Media Library

To save time, go to AltText.ai » Bulk Generate.

Here, you can choose to generate alt text for all images missing it.

You can also tell the plugin to overwrite existing alt text if you want to replace everything with AI-generated descriptions.

Click ‘Generate Alt Text’ to begin.

The process can take anywhere from a few moments to several minutes, depending on how many images you have. Once it’s finished, you’ll see a success message.

Click the Done button to complete the process

Method 2: Use a Free AI Plugin to Generate Alt Text, Title, and Caption for Images

If you’re looking for a free solution, the AI for SEO plugin is a good choice. It can generate alt text, titles, and captions directly inside WordPress.

Important: The free version provides 5 AI credits daily. Generating one attribute, like an alt text or a caption, for a single image typically consumes one credit. If you need more, you will have to upgrade to a paid plan.

Step 1: Install the AI for SEO Plugin

First, install and activate the AI for SEO plugin.

For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Step 2: Configure Media Attribute Settings

Upon activation, go to the AI for SEO page from your WordPress dashboard and click the ‘Settings’ tab. Scroll down to the ‘Media attributes’ section.

Here, you can check the boxes for the attributes you want the AI to generate, such as alt text, titles, and captions. You can also select the language for the output. Once you’re done, click ‘Save Changes’.

Step 3: Generate Text from the Media Library

Navigate to Media » Library and click on any image.

On the ‘Attachment Details’ screen, you will see a ‘Generate With AI’ button next to each field you enabled in the settings.

Click the button, and the plugin will generate the text for that field. If you don’t like the first result, you can click it again for a new suggestion.

You can repeat this process for all your images.

Preview of alt text, caption, title, and description generated with AI

Bonus: Optimize Your Image Alt Text with AIOSEO

Automatically generating alt text is a great first step. We also recommend using a complete SEO plugin to further optimize your images.

For example, All in One SEO for WordPress (AIOSEO), a comprehensive SEO plugin that helps optimize your entire site, has a powerful Image SEO feature. At WPBeginner, we use AIOSEO for our sitemaps, schema markup, and other key SEO settings.

The Image SEO feature automatically generates alt text for images that are missing it. It serves as a fallback, using a format you define with variables (like the post title or category) to ensure no image is left without alt text.

This is a great way to improve SEO and accessibility across your site.

Another great feature is AIOSEO’s image sitemap generation, which is included in its XML sitemaps.

This helps search engines find and index your images correctly, increasing their chances of appearing in image search results.

To get started, just see WPBeginner’s ultimate guide to WordPress image SEO.

Frequently Asked Questions About AI Alt Text Generation

Is AI-generated alt text accurate?
For most images, modern AI tools are quite accurate at describing the main subject. However, for complex or very specific images, they can sometimes miss details. It’s always a good idea to quickly review the generated text for accuracy.

Can I edit the alt text generated by AI?
Yes. All the plugins mentioned in this guide allow you to easily edit the generated alt text. You can find the alt text field in the Media Library or in the block editor’s settings for any image block.

Does Google penalize AI-generated alt text?
No, Google does not penalize the use of AI for generating helpful content, including alt text. As long as the alt text accurately describes the image and is useful for accessibility and search engines, its origin does not matter.

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