Etsy allows sellers to add alt text descriptions to images

Etsy announced a new feature to help with accessibility for buyers that could also help sellers get exposure in external search engines.

Etsy will allow sellers to add a description to images that is not visible to the normal buyer. Alt text, as it is called, provides information on a graph to blind and visually impaired buyers who use “screen readers”.

Etsy will continue to use an ad title to serve as alt text for images for sellers who don’t add alt text to their ads.

While Alt Text can help with search engine optimization (SEO), Etsy has advised sellers not to fill in the keywords field – “make sure it’s something that would make sense for a company. blind or visually impaired person who hears him read aloud, “he recommended, adding two examples of Alt Text that sellers could use for a list of a chair – the first as” to do “, the second as “not to do”:

“For example, you want to strive for this:” An elegant wooden chair with a high back, covered in a white and teal fishbone pattern. Legs tapered at the base. The armrests open on the sides.

“Compared to this:” Mid century modern chair mcm 1950 1960 1970 Danish design Swedish modern design Mid century design Hans Wegner Frits Henningsen Børge Mogensen. “”

Sellers will be limited to 250 characters – “Keep it short but punchy,” Etsy advised.

You can find instructions on how to alter text to list images in Shop Manager on the Etsy ad board.

Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is the co-founder and editor of EcommerceBytes and has worked in e-commerce since 1999. She is a widely cited authority on market selling and is the author of “Turn eBay Data Into Dollars” (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book “Blogging Heroes” (Wiley 2008). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send topical tips to [email protected] See the disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.