Shopify Bulk Alt Text Generation — Complete Guide

This guide walks you through Shopify bulk alt text generation using Syncor Alt — including all configuration options, best practices, and when to use each setting.

If you haven’t scanned your store yet, start with the Quickstart guide first.

Overview: Bulk Alt Text Generation

In Syncor Alt, all bulk alt text generation happens through Tasks. Each task is queued in our system and processed on the background.

A Task:

• Has its own configuration (scope, filters, autosave behavior)
• Runs in the background
• Uses credits (1 alt text = 1 credit)
• Can be reviewed before applying (if Autosave is disabled)

Creating the right task configuration ensures:

• You don’t overwrite important existing alt texts unintentionally
• You don’t waste credits
• You automate exactly what you need

Step 1 — Go to Bulk Generation page

You can create a new task by:

• Clicking Generate Alt Texts from the dashboard

  or

• Clicking Bulk Generation from the sidebar menu

This opens the Bulk Generation page.

This is the page where you can create bulk alt text generation tasks in Syncor Alt.

There are helpful widgets on the right sidebar to give you quick information:

• Credits: How many credits you have
• Scan Report: A quick overview of your store’s alt text status
• Tips: Helpful insights on creating a task
• Help Center - Quicklinks to get additional information or ask for support

Step 2 — Task Details (Required)

Under Task Details, give your task a name.

This will help you quickly identify your tasks in the future.

You have two options:

• Enter a custom descriptive name
• Click Auto-Generate Name

Why naming matters

Good task names help you:

• Identify which scope was used
• Track experiments
• Understand credit usage later
• Compare different configurations

Example names:

• “Missing Alt Texts – Summer Collection”
• “Overwrite All – Active Products”
• “Draft Products SEO Optimization”

This field is required before saving.

Step 3 — Preferences & Scope

This is where you control what images will be processed.

Alt Text Generation Scope

You’ll see two options:

Only images with missing alt text

• Generates alt text only if an image has no alt text
• Skips images that already have one
• Does NOT overwrite existing alt texts

Best for:

• First-time optimization
• Preserving manually written alt texts
• Conservative credit usage

All images (overwrite if image already has alt text)

• Generates alt text for every image
• Overwrites existing alt texts

Best for:

• Re-optimizing outdated alt texts
• Standardizing your store’s alt text style
• Full SEO refresh

⚠️ Use carefully — this replaces existing alt texts.

Step 4 — Autosave (Automation Level)

Autosave determines whether alt texts are applied automatically.

Autosave Enabled

• Alt texts are saved to your Shopify store immediately after generation
• Fully automated workflow
• No manual review required

Best for:

• Trusted configurations
• Large-scale automation
• Ongoing maintenance

Autosave Disabled

• Generated alt texts are NOT applied automatically
• You must review them first
• You’ll click Apply all alt texts manually

Best for:

• Testing configurations
• First-time usage
• Brand-sensitive products
• Quality control

If you’re new to Syncor Alt, we recommend disabling Autosave for your first task.

Step 5 — Product Scope

This determines which products are included in the task.

You have three levels of scope:

All Products

• Scans your entire catalog
• Includes all product images

Best for:

• Store-wide optimization
• Full SEO upgrade

⚠️ Can consume many credits if you have many images.

Selected Collections

• Only processes products inside chosen collections
• Narrower than All Products

Best for:

• Seasonal collections
• Specific categories (e.g., “Shoes”, “Accessories”)
• Incremental optimization

Selected Products

• You manually choose specific products
• Only their images are processed

Best for:

• Testing
• High-priority products
• Small credit usage
• Fine-tuned optimization

Pro tip: Use Selected Products when testing new configurations to minimize credit usage.

Step 6 — Product Status Filter (Required)

This is the final filter before task creation.

You’ll see three checkbox options:

• ✅ Active
• ✅ Draft
• ✅ Archived

You must select at least one.

How it works

This filter narrows down products within your selected scope.

Examples:

• ✔ Active only → skips Draft and Archived
• ✔ Active + Draft → skips Archived
• ✔ Draft only → processes only Draft products
• ✔ All three → includes everything

Why this matters

This is useful when:

• You want to optimize only live products (Active)
• You’re preparing upcoming products (Draft)
• You’re cleaning up old archived listings

Step 7 — Save the Task

After configuring:

• Click Save
• You’ll be redirected to the Task page
• The task enters the queue

What Happens Next?

Background Processing

• Task status will show: Pending → Running → Finished
• You can leave the app while it runs
• You’ll receive an email notification when completed

Reviewing Generated Alt Texts

Once finished, the Task page will show:

• Total images processed
• Credits used
• Image-by-image comparison:
  • Original alt text
  • Generated alt text

You can:

• Regenerate individual alt texts
• Review by clicking on each image
• Apply all alt texts (if Autosave was disabled)

Credit Usage Explained

• 1 generated alt text = 1 credit
• Overwriting counts as generation
• Skipped images do NOT consume credits
• New installs receive 50 free credits
• Credits are purchased as one-time packs (no subscriptions)

Recommended Workflows

First-Time Users

• Scope: Only missing alt texts
• Product Scope: Selected Products (1–3 items)
• Autosave: Disabled
• Status: Active only

Full Store Optimization

• Scope: Only missing alt texts (safer)
• Product Scope: All Products
• Autosave: Enabled (after testing)

SEO Refresh

• Scope: All images (overwrite)
• Product Scope: Selected Collections
• Autosave: Disabled first, then Enabled after review

Common Mistakes to Avoid

❌ Running All Products with overwrite on a large catalog without testing

❌ Forgetting to filter by Product Status

❌ Enabling Autosave on first-ever task without reviewing quality

❌ Not naming tasks clearly

Final Thoughts

Creating tasks in Syncor Alt gives you:

• Full control over automation
• Granular filtering
• Predictable credit usage
• Safe bulk updates

Once you understand scopes, filters, and autosave behavior, you can confidently automate alt text generation at scale.

Next Step

Try Syncor Alt to boost your SEO. Test Syncor Alt in 50 products and check your SEO results. Syncor Alt doesn’t have subscriptions, so you don’t have to worry about adding another monthly bill. If you get positive SEO results, you can purchase credit packs to generate alt texts for the rest of your products. No need to subscribe to any plan. Just pay for what you use.