WordPress: Export and Import Alt Texts with Google Sheets

In this tutorial, we will show you how to export and import WordPress image alt texts with Google Sheets. The best thing is that you don’t need to install any browser extensions, nor run any scripts. You don’t need to be a programmer, since everything will be done from the WordPress admin dashboard.

To be able to import image alt texts from Google Sheets into WordPress, you need to follow these steps:

1- Install the necessary WordPress plugins

First, you need to install and activate the WP Sheet Editor – Media Library Spreadsheet plugin.

It allows you to view all your media library files in a spreadsheet. You can view and manage data for videos, images, PDF files, and any other file format.

Second, you need to sign up to the Google Sheets Sync service, provided by WP Sheet Editor. It allows you to export and import WordPress content with Google Sheets.

This service works with all the WP Sheet Editor spreadsheets, so you can export and import data for posts, pages, products, orders, coupons, media library files, downloads, events, etc.

When you sign up to the Google Sheets Service, you’ll get a helper plugin, which will allow you to connect your WordPress site to your Google account, the Google API, and the WP Sheet Editor API with a few clicks.

To keep in mind

• To protect your privacy, our Google Sheets Sync service doesn’t read files that have not been created with the service itself.
• In other words, the service doesn’t recognize files that were not first exported from WordPress to Google Sheets using the same service.
• This means that we don’t have any access to other files on your Google account; not even to other Google Sheets files.
• To import a Google Sheets file, you’ll need to first export the info. Once you’ve exported it, you can edit existing data or create new data by adding new rows in Google Sheets.

2- Connect your WordPress site to your Google Sheets account

Follow this guide to learn how to do install and set up the helper plugin for the Google Sheets Sync service.

It shows you how to connect your WordPress site to your Google account, the Google API, and the WP Sheet Editor API.

3- Filter the images in the WordPress media library

The WP Sheet Editor – Media Library Spreadsheet plugin displays videos, images, PDFs and any other file format.

Therefore, we need to filter the files with the jpg, jpeg, png, gif formats.

For this, we need to open the Search tool.

Now you need to select these values in the Search tool to find all the media library files with image format:

• Tick the Enable advanced filters.
• Field: Format
• Operator: Any of these values
• Value: Add the values here, and separate them using the semicolon sign (;). In this case, we will add something like this: jpg; jpeg; png; gif.
• Click on Run search.

Once you apply the filters, you’ll see all the media library files that match the search terms displayed in the spreadsheet.

4- Export WordPress images data to Google Sheets

To export your WordPress images data to Google Sheets, start by opening the Export tool.

Now select these values to export the data of your WordPress images:

• What columns do you want to export: You can type specific column names, select all the active columns, or select all the columns to export them to Google Sheets.
  • Note. In this example, it would be enough to export the ID and the Alt text columns. However, we will export all the active columns.
• Which rows do you want to export: Select the rows you’ll export: All the rows from my current search
• What app will you use to edit this file: Select the Google Sheets app.
• Enter a name for this export.
• Click on Start new export.

Once the export process is completed, you’ll see the View Google Sheet link. If you click on it, you’ll be able to open the Google Sheet that was generated with this export.

This is what our WordPress images data looks like on Google Sheets:

5- Add or edit image alt texts in Google Sheets

Now we need to add or edit the image alt texts in Google Sheets, using the Alt text column.

6- Import image alt texts from Google Sheets to WordPress

After adding and/or editing our image alt texts in Google Sheets, we can proceed to import the alt texts into WordPress.

Let’s start by opening the Import tool.

Next, you need to select the Google Sheets file you want to import:

• Source: Google Sheets
• Google Sheet File: Select the file you’ll import. If you don’t find it, you can click on the Refresh list button.
• Click on Next.

Now you need to select the columns you will import. You can Import all the columns or Select individual columns to import.

Now you need to match the rows in the Google Sheets file with the information on WordPress.

For this, you need to use a specific field as an identifier.

In this case, it’s best to use the ID field.

Click on Next.

Now you’ll see a preview of what the info will look like once it’s imported. If everything is OK, you can click on The preview is fine, start import.

This will start the import process and update alt texts from your Google Sheet.

Here you can see that we have added alt text to all our WordPress images from Google Sheets:

Export and import alt texts with Google Sheets

In this tutorial, we have shown you how to use the WP Sheet Editor plugin and the Google Sheets Sync service to.

• Connect your WordPress site to your Google Sheets account
• Export your WordPress images data to Google Sheets
• Edit or add alt texts in Google Sheets
• And import image alt texts from Google Sheets into WordPress.