Installation

The AltTextAPI plugin is distributed directly from our website — not yet on the WordPress.org directory.

  1. Download the plugin ZIP
  2. Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin
  3. Choose the ZIP file and click Install Now
  4. Click Activate

Configuration

  1. Go to Settings → AltTextAPI
  2. Privacy consent — tick the checkbox to allow the plugin to send image URLs to api.altextapi.com. Required before any alt text generation.
  3. Paste your API key from altextapi.com/dashboard
  4. Configure options:

| Setting | Description | |---------|-------------| | Privacy Consent | Required. Opt-in to send image URLs to our API for generation. | | API Key | Your AltTextAPI key (starts with alt_). Free: 50 images/month. | | Language | Two-letter code (en, de, fr, es, ar, etc.). Pro plan required for non-English. | | Overwrite existing | If checked, replaces existing alt text. Default: only fills empty alt text. |

Features

Auto-Generate on Upload

Every image you upload to the Media Library gets alt text automatically — no clicks needed. The plugin uses your post title and categories as context, so a product image on a "Winter Boots" page gets alt text about winter boots.

Context-Aware Generation

Unlike other plugins that just describe the image, AltTextAPI reads your page context:

  • Post title — used as a keyword for generation
  • Post categories — top 3 categories added as context
  • Post tags — relevant tags included

This means your product images get product-relevant alt text, not generic descriptions.

Bulk Process Existing Images

Go to Settings → AltTextAPI and click Start Bulk Processing. The plugin processes your entire media library in batches of 5, with a progress bar. Only images missing alt text are processed (unless you enable overwrite). Errors are shown inline so you know exactly what failed and why.

WCAG Validation

Every generated alt text is validated against WCAG 2.1 criteria. In your Media Library, each image column shows:

  • WCAG AA ✓ — passed all checks
  • Needs review ⚠ — too long, redundant, or looks like a filename
  • Missing — no alt text at all

Site Health Integration

Go to Tools → Site Health to see your alt text coverage score. WordPress flags missing alt text as a critical accessibility issue with a direct link to the bulk fix.

Dashboard Widget

Your WordPress dashboard shows an alt text coverage bar. At a glance: how many images have alt text, how many were generated by AltTextAPI, and a one-click link to bulk process.

Troubleshooting

"Could not connect to API"

Check that:

  • Your server allows outbound HTTPS connections
  • You've enabled Privacy Consent in Settings → AltTextAPI
  • Your API key is valid — verify at altextapi.com/dashboard
  • wp_remote_post is not blocked by a security plugin or firewall

"Image URL is not publicly accessible"

This happens on local development environments (localhost, 127.0.0.1). The API cannot download images from private networks. Deploy to a live server with a public domain, or use a publicly accessible image URL for testing.

"No credits remaining"

  • Free tier: 50 images/month. Upgrade to Pro for more.
  • Credits reset on the 1st of each month.
  • Check your usage at altextapi.com/dashboard.