Most brands obsess over the written word when it comes to AI visibility. Product titles, bullet points, backend keywords, FAQs. But here's the overlooked truth: AI doesn't just index text. It scans your images too. And just like your copy, your visuals need to be optimised for machines as well as humans.
**From Beautiful to Legible**
Images used to be judged purely on aesthetics: does it look good? Is it on-brand? Now, those questions aren’t enough. AI models like Amazon’s Rufus or Google’s Gemini also ask:
Can I understand what this is?
Can I see the product?
Can I read the text?
Can I describe it to a shopper using just this image?
AI uses computer vision models, like Amazon Rekognition or OpenAI’s CLIP, to parse the contents of an image. That means they’re identifying logos, product shapes, text overlays, labels, and even emotional tone. If your main image is artistic but confusing, or overloaded with text that isn’t legible to machines, you’re leaving discoverability on the table.
**3 Signs Your Images Aren’t AI-Friendly**
Text overlay is too small or blurry
Most AI models struggle to extract meaning from tiny or low-contrast fonts. Keep it bold, legible, and minimal.
**White-background pack shots only**
Yes, these are mandatory for Amazon hero images, but variation images, A+ visuals and Storefront tiles are fair game for lifestyle shots. Make them context-rich and product clear.
**No visual redundancy**
If your key features are only in the bullet points, you’re missing an opportunity. Echo them visually, AI sees this as reinforcement.
**How to Make Your Images Work for AI**
Run them through Amazon Rekognition or Google Vision API, see what machines actually interpret from your visuals.
Add image alt-text and structured metadata wherever possible, especially on DTC sites and blogs.
Use infographics, iconography, and contextual cues to make product benefits clear visually.
Avoid AI confusion traps, complex shadows, busy backgrounds, unclear angles.
**Visual SEO is the Next Competitive Edge**
We talk a lot about semantic search and prompt-optimised copy at Lmo7, but visual search is right behind. The brands that win in AI-driven environments will be the ones that think in multimodal terms. That means making sure your images, copy, and structure all speak the same language.
Your customers are asking AI what to buy. Make sure your images help answer that question.
[Use our image checker tool today](https://www.lmo7.com/ai-image-reader)