A Pinterest alt text generator writes the short description of your pin’s image that screen readers read aloud, and that Pinterest reads too. The most useful free one is SiteToSocial’s Alt Text Generator: paste a blog post or product page and it writes alt text for every image on it, or describe one pin image and get three versions. Free for 3 uses a day.
What is Pinterest alt text?
Pinterest alt text is a plain-text description of a pin’s image, up to 500 characters, stored separately from the title and description. Someone using a screen reader hears it instead of seeing the picture. Pinterest also uses it as one more clue about what the pin shows.
Alt text and the description do different jobs, and mixing them up is the most common mistake. The description sells the click: “Easy 20-minute pasta with five ingredients.” The alt text describes the image: “A bowl of spaghetti with tomato sauce and fresh basil on a wooden table.” One is for searchers. The other is for someone who can’t see the photo.
The best free Pinterest alt text generators
| Generator | Works from | Bulk | Languages | Free use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. SiteToSocial | A page URL (every image on it), or a description of one image | Whole page at once | 30 | 3 a day, no signup |
| 2. AltText.ai | Pins on your connected Pinterest boards | Whole boards | 130+ | 25 free images, then paid |
| 3. Tailwind | An uploaded image | One image | Not stated | Free |
| 4. Limey | A description you type | One at a time | Not stated | Free |
1. SiteToSocial: alt text for a whole page
Paste a blog post or product URL and SiteToSocial finds every image on it, shows the alt text each one has now (often none) and suggests a better one tied to the page’s topic. No guessing at pixels: it uses what the page says about the image. Or describe a single pin image and get three versions to choose from. For a small living room post, one suggestion it published read: “Floating shelves reaching up to the ceiling in a small living room, an example of vertical storage that adds space without clutter.” Clear, accurate, and it carries the topic without forcing a keyword.
2. AltText.ai: for big back catalogs
AltText.ai connects to Pinterest through the official OAuth flow and lets you pick boards, then writes alt text for all the pins on them. It supports more than 130 languages. The first 25 images are free; after that it’s a paid service, which makes sense only if you have hundreds of old pins to fix.
3. Tailwind and 4. Limey
Tailwind’s free generator works from an uploaded image, and it’s tidy and quick. Limey’s is part of a bundle of free creator tools: type what the image shows and copy the result. Both are fine for one pin. Neither knows the page your pin links to.
Does alt text help Pinterest SEO?
Alt text helps Pinterest SEO a little, by confirming what the image shows. It won’t rescue a pin with a vague title. Think of it as backup for your keywords, not a place to put them. The title and description do the heavy lifting; see the title formulas and the description guide. Alt text earns its place mainly by making your pins usable for people with visual impairments, which is reason enough.
How to write good Pinterest alt text
- Start with the subject. “A flat lay of a linen tablecloth with brass candlesticks”, not “Image of table decor”.
- Copy the overlay text. A screen reader can’t read words baked into the image. If the pin says “5 Fall Table Ideas”, the alt text should too.
- Skip “image of” and “picture of”. Screen readers already announce that it’s an image.
- Use a keyword only if it’s true. If the photo shows an easy weeknight dinner, say so. If not, don’t.
- No hashtags, no links. Plain text only.
- One to three sentences. The limit is 500 characters; you’ll rarely need 200.
Pinterest alt text examples by pin type
| Pin | Weak | Better |
|---|---|---|
| Recipe | Chicken dinner | Golden lemon garlic chicken thighs with green beans in a cast iron skillet, with the text “One Pan Lemon Garlic Chicken, 30 Minutes”. |
| Product | Dress | Woman wearing a sage green linen wrap midi dress on a sunny street. |
| Home decor | Living room pic | Bright small living room with a light gray sofa and a large round mirror that reflects the window. |
| Nails | Nails #fallnails | Hands with glossy burgundy almond-shaped nails holding a coffee cup. |
| Infographic | Infographic | Checklist titled “Carry-On Packing List” with 12 items, including a rain jacket, travel adapter and two pairs of shoes. |
| Carousel | Slides | Five slides showing a macrame plant hanger being knotted step by step, from cut cords to the finished hanger. |
The product, home decor and nails examples are taken from the sample output SiteToSocial published for its generator. The rest are ours.
How to add alt text to a Pinterest pin
There are two ways, depending on how you publish:
- In Pinterest’s pin builder. When you create a pin, look for the alt text option among the extra fields (it has lived under “More options” in past versions, and Pinterest moves things around). Paste your text before you publish.
- Through a scheduling or automation tool. Tools that post through Pinterest’s API send alt text in the pin’s
alt_textfield, limit 500 characters. SiteToSocial, for example, writes and sends alt text with every pin it posts.
A pin carries one alt text, even when it has several images. On a carousel, describe the set or the first card. On a video pin, describe what the viewer sees.
Fix the alt text on your website too
Your pins often start life as images on your own site, so the alt text there matters as well, for accessibility and for Google Images. Run a post through SiteToSocial’s page mode to see which images have no alt text at all. Then check the rest of the page’s Pinterest setup with the Rich Pins validator, and preview the finished pin in the pin preview and SEO checker.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pinterest alt text?
Pinterest alt text is a short written description of a pin's image. Screen readers read it aloud for people who can't see the picture, and Pinterest uses it to understand what the image shows. It is a separate field from the pin description.
What is the Pinterest alt text character limit?
Pinterest alt text can be up to 500 characters, the limit set on the alt_text field in Pinterest's API. One or two clear sentences, roughly 100 to 200 characters, describe almost any pin.
Does alt text help Pinterest SEO?
A little. Alt text helps Pinterest understand the image, which supports the keywords in your title and description. Its main job is accessibility, so describe the picture honestly instead of stuffing keywords into it.
What is the difference between alt text and a pin description?
The description is written for people browsing and for search: what the pin offers and why to click. Alt text describes what the image looks like. "Easy 20-minute pasta" is a description; "A bowl of spaghetti with tomato sauce and basil on a wooden table" is alt text.
Should I put keywords or hashtags in Pinterest alt text?
Use a keyword only if it honestly describes the image. Never add hashtags or links: the field is plain text, and the title and description already carry your search terms.
Can carousel and video pins have alt text?
Yes, but a pin carries one alt text in total. On a carousel, describe the set or the first card; on a video pin, describe what the video shows.
What is the best Pinterest alt text generator?
For most people, SiteToSocial's free Alt Text Generator: paste a page and it writes alt text for every image on it, or describe one image and get three versions, in 30 languages. AltText.ai is the stronger choice if you need to process whole Pinterest boards in bulk and don't mind paying.
