Amazon A+ Image Keywords: Write Better Alt Text

Amazon still labels the field “image keywords” in some places, but its current A+ guidance is clear: the field is alt text. It is required, it should be a simple sentence describing the image, and it is used by screen-reader customers. Amazon also says it can help products in search results, but that does not turn the box into a spare keyword bank.

The practical rule is simple: write what a shopper cannot see if the image is unavailable. Use natural product terms only when they accurately describe what is visible. If the sentence would confuse someone listening to the page, it is poor alt text even if it contains attractive search phrases.

What Amazon currently requires

Amazon’s Create A+ Content guidance says alt text, previously called image keywords, is required for A+ images. The guidance asks for a simple sentence describing the image and explains that the text supports visually impaired customers and screen-reader apps.

The A+ Content guidelines add an important enforcement point: alt text that does not describe the image or help a screen-reader customer can cause the content to be rejected.

That makes a list such as “silver necklace gift women jewellery birthday anniversary luxury” a poor submission. It is not a sentence, it does not tell the listener what the image shows, and several terms may describe intended buyers rather than visible content.

A better version would be: “Sterling silver pendant necklace resting on a pale stone surface beside its presentation box.” It identifies the product, material, setting, and packaging without making the listener decode a keyword list.

Write for the job of each A+ module

Start with the image’s purpose, not your keyword spreadsheet. Two photographs of the same product can need different alt text because they answer different customer questions.

For a lifestyle image, describe the product in use and the context that matters. Example: “Woman wearing a small gold hoop earring shown from the side.” Do not guess age, ethnicity, mood, or an occasion unless that information is genuinely relevant and visible.

For a feature close-up, name the detail the crop is meant to reveal. Example: “Close view of the bracelet’s lobster clasp and adjustable chain.” This is more useful than repeating the broad product name used in every other module.

For a dimensions graphic, include the measurement that the image communicates: “Ring-size diagram showing an internal diameter of 17.3 millimetres.” If the same measurement already appears clearly in nearby live text, avoid turning the alt field into a complete transcription of every label.

For a comparison chart, summarise the decision the chart supports rather than listing every decorative element. A concise version might be: “Comparison of three travel bottles showing 500, 750, and 1,000 millilitre capacities.” Put the full comparison data in accessible page text where the A+ layout permits it.

For packaging or gift presentation, say exactly what is included. “Pendant necklace beside a branded gift box and polishing cloth” is useful. “Perfect luxury gift for her” is promotional copy, not a description, and it may imply contents that the customer will not receive.

The W3C alt-text decision tree offers a sound general test: a simple informative image needs a brief description that conveys its meaning, while complex information should also be available elsewhere on the page. That principle is especially useful for A+ charts and specification graphics.

Use AI to draft, then verify every noun

An image-capable AI assistant can speed up a large A+ build, but give it a constrained task. Upload one image at a time with a short, verified product fact sheet. Ask for one literal sentence describing the visible product, relevant setting, and feature being demonstrated. Tell it not to add benefits, audiences, materials, dimensions, or package contents that cannot be confirmed.

Then check the draft against the original product and listing. AI can mistake rose gold for copper, call cubic zirconia a diamond, infer leather from a synthetic texture, or describe a reflected edge as an extra component. Those errors are not harmless wording changes. They can mislead customers and create inconsistency across the listing.

For AI-generated or edited product images, inspect the visual before writing the alt text. A polished sentence must not legitimise a faulty render. Compare clasps, stones, engravings, counts, proportions, and included accessories. A simple difference-overlay check in Photopea can reveal product changes that are easy to miss in an attractive scene.

A five-point review before submission

Read each sentence without looking at the image and ask:

1. Does it identify the specific product or feature shown?

2. Does every material, colour, measurement, and included item match the SKU?

3. Does it describe visible information rather than a customer segment or sales claim?

4. Is it different from the alt text on modules doing a different job?

5. Would it help someone understand the image through a screen reader?

Also preview the complete A+ content on mobile. Amazon’s guidelines prohibit unreadably small text in images. Alt text improves access when an image cannot be seen, but it does not make tiny baked-in labels readable for sighted shoppers. If a graphic carries an essential specification, repeat that information in the module’s live text when possible.

If you are deciding which visual deserves its own module, define the customer question first. The same discipline improves testing: one Amazon image experiment should answer one question. The alt text should state what that image actually contributes, not recycle the same product keywords five times.

The useful SEO approach is accurate description

Amazon says A+ alt text helps products in search results, so relevant product language is reasonable when it belongs in the description. “Rose-gold vermeil stacking ring on a hand” naturally includes useful terms because that is what the image shows. Adding “best affordable jewellery gift” does not improve the description and risks turning an accessibility field into spam.

Treat the field as an editorial check on the image. If you cannot write one clear sentence about what a module shows, the image may be too vague, too decorative, or overloaded with text. Strong A+ alt text starts with a purposeful visual, describes it faithfully, and gives every shopper the same essential information.