I Built a WordPress Tool That Fixes Missing Alt Text Automatically

#ai #productivity #wordpress #a11y

If you manage a WordPress site, your Media Library is likely a "black hole" of missing metadata.

The Tool I Ended Up Using

After testing scripts and manual workflows, I built Altaudit — a WordPress-focused tool that:

Audits your Media Library for missing alt text
Bulk-generates descriptive alt text using AI
Works at scale (hundreds or thousands of images)

It’s designed specifically for WordPress site owners who don’t want to spend days fixing accessibility and SEO issues.

👉 Try Altaudit: https://altaudit.com

We all know the drill: You upload a dozen images for a post, promise yourself you’ll add the alt text later for SEO and accessibility, and then... you never do. Fast forward a year, and you have thousands of images with filenames like IMG_5839.jpg and zero descriptive text.

The Problem: Manual Doesn't Scale

Writing high-quality alt text manually takes about 30–45 seconds per image.

100 images = ~1 hour of mind-numbing work.
1,000 images = A full workday lost.

I decided to stop ignoring the problem and automate it. Here is how I processed 160 images in under 5 minutes.

Why Alt Text Actually Matters

Alt text isn’t just an "accessibility checkbox." It serves three critical functions:

Search Engine Context: Google uses alt text to understand the subject matter of an image. No text = lost rankings in Image Search.
User Experience: If an image fails to load, the alt text maintains the page's layout and context.
Accessibility (WCAG): For the 15% of users who rely on screen readers, alt text is the only way they can "see" your content.

The Solution: Alt Audit WordPress Plugin

After solving this for several clients, I built Alt Audit. It’s an all-in-one accessibility and SEO tool designed specifically for WordPress.

Key Features:

Site-Wide Audit: Instantly find every image missing alt text.
Bulk Generation: Fix hundreds of images at once using AI or rule-based patterns.
Set and Forget: Automatically generate alt text for new uploads.

My Strategy: The Two-Layer Approach

I don’t use AI for everything. To save credits and maintain consistency, I use a hybrid system within the plugin:

1. Rule-Based Generation (Fast & Free)

For structured pages like WooCommerce products, patterns work best.

Pattern: {Page Title} – {Image Name} | {Brand}
Result: "Summer Collection 2024 – Blue Linen Dress | Fashion Store"

2. AI-Powered Generation (Contextual)

For blog posts and complex visuals, the plugin uses the Google Gemini AI engine to "see" the image.

Before: man-on-laptop.jpg (No alt text)
After: "A developer wearing headphones working on a React project in a modern coffee shop."

Pricing & Free Credits

I wanted to make this accessible for developers and small site owners:

🎉 Free Forever Plan: You get 25 AI credits every single month for free. No credit card required.
Unlimited Rule-Based Generation: Use patterns for free on as many images as you want.
Affordable Scaling: For massive legacy libraries, plans start at for 5$ you get 800 credits/month, for 19$ you get 3,000 credits/month, for 39$ you get 8,000 credits/month

Want to Fix This on Your Own Site?

If your WordPress Media Library looks like this:

❌ Missing alt text
❌ Filenames like IMG_2049.jpg
❌ No scalable workflow

Altaudit can audit and generate alt text for your images in minutes.

👉 https://altaudit.com
(Built specifically for WordPress — not a generic AI tool)

Final Thoughts

Accessibility shouldn't be a chore that we "get to eventually." With the current state of AI, there is no longer a technical or time-based excuse to have an inaccessible website.

How are you handling image SEO right now? Are you still writing them one by one, or have you tried automation?