Alternative text helps people understand an image when they cannot see it. AI can draft a description, but what the image needs depends on the page where it appears. In SEOPress Pro, the action you choose also matters: different actions change different fields.
First decide which images need ALT text
Select a few informative images and check how they are used. ALT should communicate what matters in that context, without keyword stuffing or automatically repeating a caption. A purely decorative image may need an empty ALT attribute.
For an image used as a link or button, its function matters. Complex information may require a longer explanation on the page. The W3C decision tree helps distinguish these cases.
Save current wording before generating. Do not include an image with good ALT text simply because it appears on the same library page.
Library actions have different effects
In the Media list view, SEOPress Pro offers several AI actions:
| Action | Effect to consider |
|---|---|
| Generate missing image metadata | Can fill missing ALT, caption and description. Keeping existing ALT does not mean only ALT changes. |
| Generate ALT text only | Limits changes to ALT, but can replace ALT that already exists. |
| Generate all image metadata | Can replace several fields. Avoid it when you only need ALT. |
To work on ALT while keeping the caption empty, manually select images whose ALT you want to fill or revise and choose Generate alt text with AI. Check your selection before applying it.
1. Connect a provider that can analyse images
You need SEOPress and SEOPress Pro, plus a provider supporting image analysis. In SEO → PRO → AI, configure your API account, choose a compatible model and save. A model's existence in another tool does not establish its availability in the plugin.
The provider receives the image and instructions needed to analyse it. Start with an image you own that contains no private information. Keep keys out of screenshots and check API charges, which are separate from the plugin licence.
2. Generate only for selected images
Switch the library to list view. Select two or three informative images with unfinished ALT and run the ALT-only action. Open each file afterwards and inspect ALT, caption and description.
An empty caption should remain empty when you request only ALT. If other fields change, stop and check which action you selected.
The administrator's profile language alone does not determine the result. SEOPress uses the site language or, with a supported multilingual integration, the attachment's language. Check an example in every language you use.
3. Review the image on its page
A mug image might need “Blue ceramic mug with a handle” in a catalogue but different wording in a handle-repair tutorial. The AI analysing the file does not necessarily know the purpose of each occurrence.
Open the page containing the image and inspect its HTML ALT attribute. Updating the media library does not guarantee that existing blocks, builders or previous uses update their own attribute. Correct the individual use when needed.
The test used La Colmena's own logo. AI described the logo and bee, but when that image is the only content of a home-page link, “La Colmena Tecnológica — Home” conveys its function more clearly. Treat the generated text as a suggestion to adapt.
The aim is understanding, not filling every empty field. Keep decorative images decorative.
4. To generate ALT on new uploads
In SEO → PRO → AI, enable automatic image metadata generation on upload. Check the individual fields rather than accepting all defaults. Leave Alt text enabled and disable Caption and Description if you do not want them generated. Save.
Upload a test image you own. Verify the ALT, language, empty caption and unchanged description before extending its use.
What it can cost
Usage depends on the provider, model, image dimensions and processing, instructions and output. Do not use a text-title estimate as the cost of a photograph.
The real upload of the 600 × 94 pixel demonstration logo used 127 input tokens and 150 billed output tokens. With GPT-5.6 Luna, the calculated cost was USD 0.0002054. ALT was generated, the caption stayed empty and the manual description was retained.
This uses API-returned usage and the standard rate checked on 14 October 2026—USD 0.20 per million input tokens and USD 1.20 per million output tokens—before taxes or other billing adjustments. It measures that small logo, not a price per photograph or a settled invoice. An initial credit deposit is not the price of one image either.
Expected result: selected images have useful ALT in context, wording you intended to preserve remains intact, and requesting only ALT leaves captions and descriptions unchanged.
Sources: SEOPress image metadata, W3C ALT decision tree and official GPT-5.6 Luna pricing.