Individual Product Optimisation Guide
1. Overview
SmartDescribe Lite helps you generate descriptive, SEO-conscious alternative text (alt text) for your WooCommerce product featured images using Google Gemini AI.
Alt text describes an image for people who use assistive technologies and helps search engines understand the image’s subject.
With SmartDescribe Lite, you can optimise products individually, allowing you to review the results as you work through your catalogue.
Important: SmartDescribe Lite updates the alt text associated with the product’s featured image. It does not optimise every image in the product gallery.
2. Before You Begin
Before optimising a product, make sure that:
- WooCommerce is installed and activated.
- SmartDescribe Lite is activated.
- Your Google Gemini API key has been entered and saved.
- The API connection test has succeeded.
- The product you want to optimise has a featured image.
If you have not configured your API key, follow the SmartDescribe Lite — AI Provider Setup and API Configuration guide first.
3. Open the Products Screen
- Sign in to your WordPress administration dashboard.
- Find SmartDescribe Lite in the left-hand menu.
- Select Products.
The SmartDescribe Lite screen displays a table of published WooCommerce products.
The table includes the following information:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Product | The WooCommerce product name. |
| Current Alt Text | The existing alt text associated with the product’s featured image, if available. |
| Status | Displays the result of an optimisation attempt. |
| Actions | Provides the individual Optimise button. |
The screen also includes controls for selecting products and running bulk optimisation, which are covered in the separate bulk optimisation guide.
4. Find the Product You Want to Optimise
Locate the product in the table.
SmartDescribe Lite displays up to 50 published products on this screen. If the product you need is not listed, check that it is published and available in WooCommerce.
Before continuing, confirm that the product has the correct featured image.
The featured image is important because SmartDescribe Lite updates the alt text attached to that image.
5. Review the Existing Alt Text
Look at the Current Alt Text column.
You may see:
- An existing description.
- A short or incomplete description.
- A blank entry represented by a dash.
This information helps you understand what is currently stored for the product’s featured image.
If alt text already exists, SmartDescribe Lite supplies it to Gemini as reference information when generating a replacement.
Important: Optimisation replaces the existing alt text. If you want to retain the original wording, copy it somewhere safe before proceeding.
6. Optimise the Product
Once you have confirmed the product and its featured image:
- Find the product’s row in the table.
- Click Optimise in the Actions column.
- Allow the plugin to send the generation request to Google Gemini.
- Wait for the operation to finish.
- Review the status displayed for the product.
SmartDescribe Lite uses information including the product name, product category and existing alt text, where available, to help generate a new description.
Your selected writing tone and character limit settings also influence the generated text.
The plugin then saves the generated alt text to the featured image’s WordPress attachment metadata.
You do not need to edit the product description or change the featured image to perform this operation.
7. Understand the Result
After the operation completes, check the status displayed in the product row.
A successful operation indicates that the new alt text has been generated and saved.
If the operation fails, the status will indicate an error. Check your API configuration, featured image and any error message before trying again.
If the result does not appear as expected, refresh the page and check the product’s featured image in WordPress.
8. Review the Generated Alt Text
AI-generated text should always be checked for accuracy.
To review the saved result:
- Open the product in WooCommerce.
- Locate its featured image in the product editing screen.
- Open the image’s attachment details, where the alternative text field is available.
- Review the saved alt text.
Check that the description:
- Accurately represents the image.
- Uses appropriate wording for the product.
- Includes useful visual details where relevant.
- Reads naturally.
- Avoids unsupported claims or invented features.
- Does not repeat keywords unnecessarily.
For example, a description of a handmade ceramic mug might mention its colour, shape and distinctive decoration if those details are visible and accurate.
Do not add details simply because they sound appealing. The description must represent the actual image.
9. Adjust Your Settings if Necessary
If the generated text is consistently too long, too short or unsuitable for your store, revisit your settings.
Go to SmartDescribe Lite → Settings.
You can adjust:
Writing Tone
- Professional
- Friendly
- Descriptive
- Concise
Character Limit
Adjust the character limit to suit your product catalogue and the amount of useful detail needed.
After changing your preferences, save the settings before running further optimisations.
Remember that the character limit is a target for generated text, not a substitute for checking its accuracy and usefulness.
10. What Happens to Existing Alt Text?
SmartDescribe Lite writes the newly generated text to the featured image’s alt text field.
This means that existing alt text can be replaced during optimisation.
The Lite version does not include the Pro version’s dedicated optimisation history and undo features. If you need to preserve the original wording, record it before running the operation.
For important products, consider testing the process on one product first and reviewing the result before optimising more products.
11. Common Problems
The Optimise Button Is Disabled
Possible cause: The Google Gemini API key has not been configured.
Solution:
- Open SmartDescribe Lite → Settings.
- Enter your API key.
- Save the settings.
- Run Test Connection.
The Product Has No Featured Image
Possible cause: The product does not have a featured image assigned.
Solution:
- Open the product in WooCommerce.
- Assign the correct product image as its featured image.
- Save the product.
- Return to SmartDescribe Lite and try again.
Optimisation Fails
Possible causes include:
- An invalid or unavailable API key.
- Google Gemini usage limits or access restrictions.
- A temporary network or provider issue.
- A server-side error.
Solution: Check the API connection, review any error message and retry after resolving the underlying issue.
The Alt Text Does Not Appear to Change
Possible cause: The generated wording may be similar to the previous text, or the displayed information may not have refreshed.
Solution:
- Refresh the SmartDescribe Lite Products screen.
- Check the featured image’s alt text in the WooCommerce product editor.
- Confirm that you are inspecting the correct image.
The Product Gallery Images Are Unchanged
This is expected behaviour. SmartDescribe Lite’s individual optimisation targets the product’s featured image, not every image in the product gallery.
12. Recommended Workflow
For the best results, use the following process:
- Choose a product with a clear, accurate featured image.
- Review its current alt text.
- Optimise the product.
- Check the generated result.
- Correct any inaccurate or unnecessary wording.
- Repeat with other products.
- Use bulk optimisation when you are ready to process selected products more efficiently.
This approach helps you maintain control over the quality of your product image descriptions.
13. Summary
SmartDescribe Lite makes it straightforward to generate new alt text for individual WooCommerce product featured images.
The workflow is simple: select a product, click Optimise, wait for the result and review the saved description.
For best results, keep your product images accurate, configure your writing preferences carefully and review AI-generated descriptions before relying on them.
Next guide: SmartDescribe Lite — Bulk Product Optimisation.