1.10 Dashboard, Notifications and Monitoring
Overview
SmartDescribe Pro provides tools to help WooCommerce store owners manage image alt text optimisation and monitor activity across their product catalogue.
Depending on the features available in your installed version, these tools may include dashboard information, optimisation activity records, notifications, and status information to help you identify work that has been completed or requires attention.
This guide explains how to approach monitoring, review optimisation results, and troubleshoot common issues.
Important: Dashboard widgets, notification options, and monitoring controls may vary by version. Use the features displayed in your installed version rather than assuming every option described here is available in every release.
Why Monitoring Matters
AI-powered optimisation can save time, particularly when working with large product catalogues. However, successful processing does not automatically mean that every generated description is accurate or useful.
Monitoring helps you:
- Review optimisation activity.
- Identify products that may need further attention.
- Investigate failed optimisation attempts.
- Check the results of bulk processing.
- Monitor scheduled optimisation where supported.
- Maintain better control over changes to product image alt text.
Regular monitoring helps you catch problems before they affect a large number of products.
Step 1: Open the SmartDescribe Pro Dashboard
- Log in to your WordPress administration area.
- Locate the SmartDescribe Pro menu.
- Open the dashboard or monitoring screen available in your installed version.
Depending on your installation, monitoring information may appear on a dedicated plugin dashboard, within the WordPress administration dashboard, or on individual plugin screens.
If a dashboard widget is provided, check whether it must be enabled or added through the available WordPress dashboard controls.
Step 2: Review the Available Information
Review the information displayed by your installed version.
Where provided, monitoring information may help you understand:
- Whether optimisation activity has taken place.
- Which products have been processed.
- Whether operations completed successfully.
- Whether errors were reported.
- Whether scheduled tasks require attention.
- Whether additional review is needed.
Do not assume that a dashboard displays every optimisation event or provides a complete inventory of all product images. Check the scope of the information available in your version.
Step 3: Understand Optimisation Status
When reviewing optimisation activity, distinguish between a process being attempted and a product being successfully updated.
For example:
Completed successfully
The operation appears to have finished without a reported error. You should still review the generated alt text for accuracy.
Failed or reported an error
The operation did not complete as expected, or the plugin reported a problem. Review the available error information before retrying.
Pending or scheduled
An operation may be waiting to run or awaiting further processing, where the installed version supports scheduling.
These descriptions explain common monitoring concepts. The actual status labels shown in SmartDescribe Pro may differ.
Step 4: Monitor Individual Optimisation
After optimising an individual product:
- Review the result displayed by SmartDescribe Pro.
- Confirm that the operation completed successfully.
- Check the generated alt text.
- Verify that the text was saved to the intended image.
- Correct any inaccurate or unsuitable wording.
If the result indicates a failure, avoid repeatedly clicking the optimisation control without first investigating the cause.
Check your provider connection and any available error message.
Step 5: Monitor Bulk Optimisation
Bulk optimisation can affect many products in one operation, so it is important to review the results carefully.
After running a batch:
- Check the progress or completion information provided.
- Identify any reported failures.
- Review the generated alt text on a sample of processed products.
- Investigate products that appear not to have been updated.
- Retry failed items only after addressing the underlying problem.
If the process stops unexpectedly, establish which products were processed before starting another batch.
This reduces the risk of duplicate requests and unnecessary API usage.
Step 6: Monitor Scheduled Optimisation
If your installed version supports scheduled optimisation, check the relevant scheduling controls and monitoring information.
Where available, review:
- Whether scheduling is enabled.
- Whether the latest run completed.
- Whether errors were reported.
- Whether the next run is displayed.
- Whether the results are consistent with your expectations.
WordPress scheduled tasks may not execute at precisely the expected time, particularly on sites with little traffic.
If a scheduled run appears to have been missed, check the schedule configuration and relevant WordPress or hosting logs before assuming that the AI provider is responsible.
For more information about scheduled processing, refer to Guide 1.6 — Scheduled Optimisation and Automation.
Step 7: Understand Notifications
Notifications can help draw attention to optimisation activity or issues requiring action.
If your installed version provides notification settings, review the available options and configure them according to your workflow.
Depending on the implementation, notifications may be presented through the WordPress administration interface or another supported notification mechanism.
Before relying on notifications, confirm:
- Which events trigger them.
- Where notifications appear.
- Whether they require additional configuration.
- Whether failed operations are reported.
- Whether notifications indicate a completed operation or confirm that the alt text was saved.
Do not assume that every operation generates a notification or that a notification guarantees the generated description is accurate.
Step 8: Review Optimisation History
Where history is available, use it to investigate previous optimisation activity and identify changes that may need attention.
History can be particularly useful when:
- A product’s alt text appears to have changed unexpectedly.
- A bulk operation produced unsuitable results.
- A scheduled process affected several products.
- You need to investigate a previous optimisation attempt.
If the installed version supports undo, check the relevant record and confirm what will be restored before using the recovery control.
For detailed instructions, refer to Guide 1.7 — Optimisation History and Undo.
Step 9: Check Your AI Provider
If optimisation failures become frequent, check the configured AI provider.
Review the following:
- Is the correct provider selected?
- Is the API key valid?
- Does the provider connection test succeed?
- Have provider usage limits been reached?
- Are there any reported API errors?
- Has the provider changed its service availability or requirements?
A problem affecting several products may indicate a provider or connection issue rather than a problem with each individual product.
Correct the underlying issue before retrying a large batch.
Step 10: Review Product Image Alt Text
Monitoring should include periodic checks of the actual product images, not just the plugin’s status information.
Review a sample of products and check whether the descriptions are:
- Accurate.
- Relevant to the image.
- Concise and readable.
- Free from unnecessary keyword repetition.
- Appropriate for accessibility.
- Consistent with your store’s writing style.
SmartDescribe Pro’s product optimisation workflow targets featured images. Do not assume that monitoring or optimisation covers every gallery image or every image displayed elsewhere on your website.
Troubleshooting
I cannot find the dashboard
Check the SmartDescribe Pro menu and the WordPress administration dashboard. If a widget is supported, review the available dashboard controls. Confirm that your installed version includes the relevant feature.
The dashboard displays no activity
Check whether optimisation has been performed and whether the dashboard has any filters or display settings. If activity should be present, review the relevant product and history screens.
A product appears to have failed optimisation
Review the reported error, confirm that your AI provider is working, and check whether the product can be processed individually. Retry only after addressing the likely cause.
Bulk optimisation appears incomplete
Check which products were processed and identify any failures. Use a smaller batch to test whether the issue persists.
Scheduled optimisation does not appear to run
Verify the schedule configuration and check whether WordPress scheduled tasks are operating correctly. Hosting configuration and low site traffic can affect WP-Cron execution.
Notifications are not appearing
Check whether notification controls are available, whether the relevant events trigger notifications, and whether the notification mechanism requires additional configuration.
The dashboard reports success, but the alt text is unsuitable
A successful operation does not guarantee a high-quality description. Review the actual text, correct it where necessary, and adjust your writing tone or category-specific template before processing more products.
I cannot find a particular monitoring feature
Check the documentation for your installed release. Dashboard widgets, notification options, and monitoring controls should only be relied upon when they are present in your version.
Recommended Monitoring Routine
A simple routine can help keep your product image alt text in good condition.
After individual optimisation
- Review the generated description.
- Confirm that the change was saved.
After bulk optimisation
- Check the completion information.
- Review reported failures.
- Inspect a sample of updated products.
After scheduled optimisation
- Check the latest run where status information is available.
- Investigate missed runs or errors.
- Review a sample of affected products.
Periodically
- Inspect important product images.
- Check provider connectivity.
- Review your writing settings.
- Confirm that your recovery options are understood.
Best Practices
- Treat status messages as operational information, not a guarantee of content quality.
- Review errors before retrying failed operations.
- Check a sample of products after bulk or scheduled processing.
- Monitor API usage and provider limits.
- Use optimisation history where available to investigate unexpected changes.
- Keep your plugin and WordPress installation updated.
- Maintain suitable backups of important product information.
- Review the actual saved alt text rather than relying exclusively on dashboard indicators.
Summary
Dashboard information, notifications, and monitoring tools can help you manage SmartDescribe Pro more effectively.
By checking optimisation activity, investigating errors, reviewing saved alt text, and monitoring scheduled processing where supported, you can maintain better oversight of your WooCommerce product images.
The best monitoring process combines technical checks with human review. A successful optimisation request is only useful when the resulting description is accurate, relevant, and helpful.
Next Guide
1.11 — Frequently Asked Questions and Best Practices
The next guide will bring together common SmartDescribe Pro questions, practical recommendations, and answers to issues that may arise during everyday use.