Matching readiness
Describe images for people first—and give matching better evidence
Accurate alt text serves readers who cannot see the image. It can also help ImgAff look for relevant products in feeds you choose. Accessibility remains the first job.
What ImgAff actually reads
For each image, the matcher reads three things:
- Your alt text — this counts most. The full text is read; you are not limited to a word count.
- Your page title and main heading — they tell the matcher what the article is about, so the same photo can match differently on different posts.
- Visible text near the image — the text of the image's container and up to two levels around it, plus immediate neighbors (a caption right under the photo counts), limited to the first ~500 characters.
It does not read the title attribute, the filename, or the image pixels. From all of that, the matcher works out what a reader looking at this image would shop for, distills it into a few focused product searches, and runs those against the product names (weighted most) and descriptions in your feed.
The rules, in order
Rule 0 — Write for humans first. Always.
Alt text exists for screen-reader users and search engines. Describe what's visible, accurately and naturally. Purely decorative images get
alt="". Never stuff keywords, product codes, or invisible text — Google can treat that as spam, and it makes your site worse for real people. Everything below happens inside an honest description, never instead of one.Rule 1 — Name the product type + 2–4 visible attributes.
Lead with what the product is and what it looks like: type, color, length, material, occasion, in the language of your feed. There is no word limit — a naturally rich description helps — but the product words still matter most, so don't bury them.
Rule 2 — One image, one product intent.
If the photo is about the dress, describe the dress. Mixing hairstyle + dress + shoes in one alt blurs the shopping intent and the matches scatter.
Rule 3 — When natural, prefer the words your feed uses.
Matching is word-by-word (no phrases, no singular/plural merging): if your feed says
dress, "dress" in your alt matches better than "dresses". Accented characters are normalized — é and e compare the same — so write words correctly for your readers, in whatever language your feed uses.Rule 4 — Cut filler; it evicts signal.
Words like "recommended", "product examples", "click here", retailer names ("from Nordstrom") occupy the limited word slots and match nothing in product names.
Rule 5 — Leave product codes out of alt text.
Codes like
97778 have no special lookup today; they match only if the code literally appears in a product name or description. Do not put codes in alt text where they add no meaning for a reader.Examples — before and after
Attributes beat codes
alt="red short skirt casual summer look I love, product code 56799 from Nordstrom"
alt="red short pleated mini skirt with high waist"
Type + attributes fill the word slots; the code and "from Nordstrom" matched nothing and evicted useful words.
One intent per image
alt="bridal updo hairstyle that pairs beautifully with a short dress and neckline, product examples 97778"
alt="short white bridal dress with V-neckline"
One intent (the dress, if that's what you're selling); "pairs beautifully / product examples" was filler; the code did nothing. If the article is about hairstyles and you sell hair products, describe the hairstyle instead — one intent per image.
Almost right — trim the filler
alt="gorgeous summer nails, recommended products: pink nail polish"
alt="manicure with pearly pink nail polish"
"pink nail polish" are exactly the words a feed product name uses; "recommended products" was filler. Note: matched word-by-word, not as a phrase — that's fine, shared words are what count.
No product in the photo? Name the place and the moment
alt="beautiful mountains at sunset"
alt="Tre Cime di Lavaredo peaks at sunrise, Dolomites, Italy"
Travel, food, and lifestyle images often evoke an intent rather than show a product. Precise proper nouns—peak, region, town—can provide relevant context when your feed uses the same places. Put a useful offer in a visible caption when it belongs there. ImgAff does not infer unrelated offers when the image and feed share no meaningful evidence.
Quick reference: what helps what
| ImgAff matching | Google / readers | |
|---|---|---|
| Accurate, natural alt text | ✓ (primary input) | ✓ |
| Caption under the image | ✓ (nearby text) | ✓ |
title attribute | — not read | ~ minor |
| Descriptive filename | — not read | ✓ |
| Product codes in alt | — no lookup | ✗ noise |
| Keyword stuffing | ✗ evicts signal | ✗ spam risk |