Alt text disappearing

[DriftingSpirits]

Hello all,

I hope that people are well and coping. I have a question please: has anyone else noticed alt text disappearing? I have added it to the first photo of every listing (and clicked Save and seen that it says that my alt text has been saved), but sometimes / often if I go to check, the alt text is gone. It seems random: sometimes it happens after a while, and other times it happens straightaway, i.e., I click save, it says the text is saved, I click on the alt text field again and it's blank. I suppose this could've been happening all along, but I've only recently started checking.

It's a bit like the thumbnail issue ("your thumbnail has been saved" when actually it hasn't), but potentially even more frustrating as the alt text seems to disappear randomly over time. Possibly. There doesn't seem to be any pattern (that I can see) to which listings it sticks on and from which is disappears.

I know about not using apostrophes, etc., so it's not that; I'm just wondering if anyone has any ideas? I spent ages going through and adding it to all my listings, but if it's just going to vanish, I'm not really sure of the point!

Thank you. Take care everyone. Stay safe and sane.

[TinTeddy]

When adding the alt text, you have to be very careful not to move the cursor out of the box before hitting save.  The moment the mouse cursor leaves the box... the text vanishes.

I don't always have as good a control of my mouse as I would like, so find this endlessly annoying.  Normally, text in pop boxes like this just stays put, so I have no idea why this particular one doesn't behave nicely.

I am not sure if this is what you are describing, but thought I would mention it, in case it was.

[DriftingSpirits]

Thank you for your reply.
I don't think that's it, because Etsy tells me that the text has been saved and sometimes it does work. And sometimes it works at the time and seems to save — when I go back straightaway to check, the text is there — and then disappears at some point later. But thank you for the heads up! I will keep an eye out for that just in case it actually is the issue or is compounding it.

As an aside, I have seen that the text box disappears if I click outside of it ...

Thank you again.

[ManInTheMoonHerbs]

I've been having the same problem since the beginning of the alt text function. After creating the text and publishing, I always go back and make sure it really was saved, but that doesn't mean it's still going to be there when I revisit the listing at another time. It's discouraging. You think you've got them all done and Poof! they started disappearing.

[DriftingSpirits]

It's super frustrating. I went round them all once and re-added it again, but then it went again randomly from some. Really I'm not sure what the benefit is anyway if it disappears again almost straightaway! But then I have that "it will improve results" hanging over my head, so I don't know what to do. I don't really have the time (or inclination) to check them all every day or whatever.

I do them all for new listings (and re-check them after a bit), but I listed something two days ago that I checked at the time but that now has no alt text, so even there: I'm getting a bit discouraged.

Good luck anyway and thank you for replying. Good to know it's not just me, but sorry you're in the same boat!

[EmbracingRainbows]

Hi all,

I've had the same issue and there seems to be a bit of a pattern to my experience. If I add the ALT text and save it, and then update the thumbnail for the image before saving the changes to the listing overall, the ALT text has disappeared on the next occasion that I open the listing. If I don't touch the thumbnail before saving and exiting the listing, the ALT text is intact when I next open the listing.

Hope that might be of some help!

[SmudgePlant]

@DriftingSpirits  I think you are right about that.

I checked a recent listing I made where I had to later adjust the thumbnail, and, like you said, the ALT text was gone.

Thanks for the info.

And thanks @DriftingSpirits for bringing this up.

[DriftingSpirits]

Thank you @EmbracingRainbows , I'll try that! I can't remember if I always do things in the same order, but I'll make a point to do thumbnail then alt text from now on and see what happens.

Like riddles we're being forced to solve, all of these silly things!

Thanks so much again for sharing your experience.

[SmudgePlant]

Oops, I tagged wrong in the first sentence, meant to tag @EmbracingRainbows .

[ManInTheMoonHerbs]

I have read about adjusting the thumbnails making it disappear, so I've been careful not to that without saving the alt text that is already there first. No doubt that could be a factor but it shouldn't disappear when you look at a listing and make no changes.

[GoodNiteGracie]

Forgive me for asking; but what is “Alt text”? And yes, I am old….

[KanimaCo]

ALT Text = Alternative Text

It’s an accessibility feature that provides:

• information about the image if it fails to load
• those using screen reader software to have this text read aloud
• indexing by search engines
• additional information of why an image relates to where it is posted (in a document or webpage)

[ChillwolfArt]

@GoodNiteGracie 

It's for the blind.  So they can speak into the device and say the search terms they are looking for.

[GoodNiteGracie]

Thank you for the reply. Is it important to be using this on every listing? I will research it more now. Thank you again.

[DriftingSpirits]

It helps blind or partially-sighted people or others using screen readers to "see" your items, as it's basically a description of your photo(s) or more specifically, your item(s). It's very helpful in that sense. It should also show up as text for all internet users if, for some reason, the photo couldn't load.

It also can help search engines to find you, but it's important not to make your alt text just keywords given it will be encountered by real people too!

I've just been adding it to the first photo of each listing unless one of the other photos is significantly different from the first and needs its own description.

[BagmakerSupply]

Etsy seems to automatically include the listing title as the alt text if there is none.

[Adorabilities]

Yes, if your listing title is accurate enough, this doesn't need to be done.

[AcrossLeather]

I'd  love to know how you know that? Larry at Across Leather

[DriftingSpirits]

Just an update for anyone who's interested: I've been trying the "thumbnails before alt text" method, and it's not working consistently, at least not for me. So my search for a solution continues.

I'm still adding alt text to new listings in case it sticks (sometimes it does), and I'm going to carry on doing thumbnails first for now because hey, you never know, but yes: it would nice if Etsy could fix this please!

Good luck everyone. With everything.

[FarmhouseNV]

Okay so I am not going crazy! I've had the same issue of the alt text disappearing figured it was just me having this issue. I wonder if this is contributing to my slower sales this month and listings not being seen. 

[DriftingSpirits]

Ha no you're not crazy. It's been happening to me for a while, and it's getting extremely frustrating. I've listed 10 items just now and the alt text hasn't stuck on even one of them. I've just redone them, but I can't bear to go check again, so who knows!

As for slower sales, I suspect it's a combination of factors. Lots of people are really struggling at the moment given the economy and general uncertainly about everything everywhere, so I'm sure has a lot to do with it. Certainly it does in our house. But also, there are often algorithm changes at Etsy that affect search results, plus yes of course this thing with the alt text disappearing probably won't help. So really a mix of difficulties all heaped into one.

I hope things pick up for everyone soon.

[SmudgePlant]

@DriftingSpirits  I add Alt text to all of my photos. (My items have relatively the same photo "scenes")

I have only had the issue of it not sticking, to my knowledge, when I went back and adjusted the thumbnail. (Adjustments to the thumbnails themselves in the past don't always stick.)

I wonder if you could try doing more than one photo in a listing and seeing if that helps.

I also keep an Alt text file on my computer, of descriptions I most use, then I cut and paste into the Alt text box.

[DriftingSpirits]

Ah yes @SmudgePlant I also have a file with common core alt text snippets; I just copy/paste and edit accordingly. At least that doesn't disappear!

I'll try putting the alt text on more than one image for a few listings to see if it makes a difference, thank you. At this point though, I'm fairly sure it isn't thumbnail-related. At least not for me! It's entirely possible that the issue is slightly different for everyone.

[AcrossLeather]

Drifting spirits,

    Hello! Now the alt tex section is non existent in the new "listing experience". I've been incorporating alt tex for eons now and it's not included in the app. For the record, by utilizing the alt tex the google bots come through our data base at etsy and include our listings to google shopping for free when we include alt tex for the handicapped. What it is originally designed for. I'll be back with answers!

[DaysofYoreTreasures]

@AcrossLeather Thank you for posting! I will look forward to the answers.