Missing or generic image alt text is one of the most common and easily fixable SEO oversights on business websites. Alt text helps search engines understand image content, improves accessibility for visually impaired visitors, and can contribute to image search rankings. A virtual assistant for image alt text writing audits your existing images, writes descriptive, keyword-aware alt text for every image on your site, and maintains standards as new images are added. It is a focused technical SEO task with a meaningful impact on both rankings and compliance.
What This VA Does
| Task | Description |
|---|---|
| Site image audit | Crawls your site to identify all images missing or with inadequate alt text |
| Alt text writing | Writes descriptive, SEO-friendly alt text for each image |
| Keyword integration | Incorporates target keywords naturally into alt text where contextually appropriate |
| CMS updating | Adds alt text directly in WordPress, Webflow, Shopify, or your CMS |
| New image processing | Applies alt text to all new images as they are uploaded |
| E-commerce product images | Writes alt text for product images optimized for both search and accessibility |
| Accessibility compliance | Ensures alt text meets WCAG guidelines for web accessibility |
| Progress reporting | Tracks completion by page or section and reports coverage percentage |
Skills and Tools Required
An image alt text VA needs SEO knowledge, strong descriptive writing skills, and CMS proficiency. Look for:
- SEO fundamentals: Understanding how alt text factors into on-page optimization and image search
- Descriptive writing: Writing concise, accurate descriptions that convey image content
- CMS proficiency: WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, or Squarespace image management
- Accessibility awareness: Understanding WCAG guidelines and decorative vs. informational image distinctions
- Crawling tools: Screaming Frog or Ahrefs Site Audit for identifying missing alt text
Common tools include Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, Semrush, WordPress, Shopify, and Google Sheets for tracking.
What to Pay
| Level | Rate |
|---|---|
| Entry | $7–$12/hr |
| Mid | $12–$20/hr |
| Specialist | $20–$28/hr |
Entry-level VAs write alt text from a provided image list. Mid-level VAs conduct the audit, write alt text, and update images in the CMS. Specialists manage keyword strategy for alt text, handle large e-commerce catalogs, and ensure full accessibility compliance.
How to Hire
Run a quick crawl of your site with Screaming Frog to generate an image report showing alt text coverage. Share this report with candidates to give them an accurate picture of the scope. Also share your target keyword list and any brand naming conventions.
Questions to ask candidates:
- How do you write alt text for a decorative image vs. an informational one?
- How do you incorporate keywords into alt text without keyword stuffing?
- What tool do you use to audit a site for missing alt text?
"We had 2,400 images on our e-commerce site with no alt text. Our VA completed the full audit and update in two weeks. Our image search traffic increased 34% in the two months after." — E-commerce SEO manager
Give candidates five images (including one decorative, one product, one infographic) and ask them to write alt text for each. Evaluate accuracy, SEO awareness, and whether they correctly identify the decorative image.
For related SEO support, see our guides on virtual assistant for internal linking optimization and virtual assistant for blog post formatting and publishing.
Ready to Hire?
Ready to hire a virtual assistant? Virtual Assistant VA connects you with trained VAs who specialize in this task.