Alt Text Generator for Social Media Images
Create descriptive, accessible alt text for your social media images in seconds. Improve accessibility, boost SEO, and reach more people across all platforms.
Alt Text Best Practices:
- Be specific and concise
- Don't start with "image of" or "picture of"
- Avoid keyword stuffing or hashtags
- Keep it under 100 characters for Instagram
Your alt text will appear here
Fill in the subject field (required) and any optional details, then hit Generate Alt Text to see 5 variations.
What is Alt Text?
Alt text (alternative text) is a written description of an image that serves three critical purposes: accessibility for visually impaired users who rely on screen readers, SEO for search engines and platform algorithms that can't "see" images, and fallback content when images fail to load.
Every major social platform now supports alt text, including Instagram, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Facebook, and Pinterest. Adding descriptive alt text to your images helps you reach a wider audience and improves your content's discoverability in search results and platform recommendations.
Our free alt text generator creates five variations for each image description, from concise to detailed, so you can choose the style that best fits your platform and content strategy. Pair it with our AI image generator and social media scheduler to streamline your entire content workflow.
Why Alt Text Matters
- Accessibility: 15% of the global population has some form of disability. Alt text ensures your content is accessible to screen reader users, making your brand more inclusive.
- SEO & Discoverability: Search engines and social algorithms index alt text. Well-written descriptions help your images appear in search results and platform recommendations.
- User Experience: When images fail to load (slow connections, broken links), alt text displays in place of the image so users still understand the content.
- Legal Compliance: In some jurisdictions, websites and apps must provide accessible content. Alt text is a key component of WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) compliance.
- Brand Reputation: Brands that prioritize accessibility build trust and loyalty with a broader audience, demonstrating social responsibility and inclusivity.
Platform-Specific Alt Text Guidelines
Instagram allows up to 100 words (approximately 500 characters) but recommends brevity. Focus on describing the visual elements that matter most. To add alt text, tap "Advanced Settings" before posting, then "Write Alt Text." Alt text improves content discovery in Explore and Search. Schedule Instagram posts with alt text using PostEverywhere.
LinkedIn supports up to 300 characters of alt text and actively encourages its use for accessibility. LinkedIn's algorithm uses alt text to categorize and recommend posts. To add it, upload your image, click the pencil icon, then add your description. Professional photos benefit from detailed alt text mentioning context, industry, and setting. Use a LinkedIn scheduler to batch-add alt text.
X (Twitter) supports up to 1,000 characters of alt text, though best practice is to keep it under 200 characters. To add alt text, upload your image, click "Add description," and enter your text. X's search and recommendation algorithms index alt text. Use concise, keyword-rich descriptions for better discoverability. Manage your content with an X scheduler.
Facebook recommends keeping alt text under 200 characters for optimal screen reader experience. To add it, click "Edit Photo" after uploading, then "Alternative Text." Facebook auto-generates alt text using AI, but custom descriptions are more accurate and boost engagement. Avoid keyword stuffing, which Facebook flags as spam.
Pinterest allows up to 500 characters of alt text and heavily relies on it for search and recommendations. Pinterest is a visual search engine, so detailed, keyword-rich alt text significantly improves Pin performance. To add alt text, edit your Pin and scroll to the "Alt text" field. Focus on describing the image's content, context, and purpose.
Alt Text Best Practices
Do This
- •Be specific and concise: "Woman in blue dress speaking at conference"
- •Describe the image objectively, focusing on relevant details
- •Include important context: setting, people, objects, text in image
- •Front-load key information (subject, action) in the first few words
- •Use natural language that flows like a sentence
- •Keep it under the platform's character limit
Avoid This
- •Starting with "image of" or "picture of" (redundant for screen readers)
- •Being vague: "nice photo" or "beautiful scene" adds no value
- •Keyword stuffing for SEO: ruins accessibility and looks spammy
- •Including hashtags, emojis, or promotional copy in alt text
- •Writing subjective opinions: "stunning sunset" vs. "sunset over ocean"
- •Describing decorative images (mark those as decorative instead)
Alt Text Examples: Bad vs. Good
"Image of a nice photo"
Too vague, adds no information for screen reader users.
"coffee shop latte barista espresso cafe morning coffee beans #coffee #latte #morningvibes"
Keyword stuffing with hashtags ruins accessibility.
"Barista pouring latte art into white ceramic mug at coffee shop counter"
Specific, descriptive, and includes relevant details.
"Woman in yellow blazer presenting to audience of 20 people in modern conference room"
Objective, concise, and provides context for the scene.
How to Use the Alt Text Generator
Select your platform
Choose Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Facebook, or Pinterest to see the recommended character limit and best practices for that platform.
Describe your image
Enter the subject (required), plus optional details like action, setting, and style/mood to create a complete description.
Generate & copy
Get 5 alt text variations from concise to detailed. Pick the one that best fits your image and copy it to your clipboard in one click.
Alt Text Generator FAQ
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