additional_image_link: Definition

Use the additional_image_link attribute to provide more images for your product beyond the main image you provide in the image_link attribute. Additional images for your product can appear to potential customers and are commonly used to show a product from different angles or with product staging elements.

When to use

Optional for each product

Format

Follow these formatting guidelines to make sure we understand the data you're submitting.

Type	URL (including `http` or `https`), ASCII characters only, and RFC 3986 compliant
Limits	0–2,000 characters
Supported file formats	JPEG (.jpg/.jpeg), WebP (.webp), PNG (.png), GIF (.gif), BMP (.bmp), and TIFF (.tif/.tiff) The file extensions for these images should correspond to their format.
Repeated field (What's this?)	Include up to 10 additional images

File format Example value

Text feeds

File format	Example value
Text feeds	To submit 1 image, submit the (encoded) URL: `https://www.example.com/image2.jpg` To submit more than 1 image (up to 10), separate each URL with a comma ( `,` ): `https://www.example.com/image2.jpg,https://www.example.com/image3.jpg` Make sure to encode any commas (as %2C) within the URL, but don’t encode the comma that you use to separate each image URL: `https://www.example.com/image2%2C3.jpg,https://www.example.com/image2%2C4.jpg`
XML feeds	`<g:additional_image_link>https://www.example.com/image2.jpg </g:additional_image_link> <g:additional_image_link>https://www.example.com/image3.jpg </g:additional_image_link>`

To submit 1 image, submit the (encoded) URL:

https://www.example.com/image2.jpg

To submit more than 1 image (up to 10), separate each URL with a comma ( , ):

https://www.example.com/image2.jpg,https://www.example.com/image3.jpg

Make sure to encode any commas (as %2C) within the URL, but don’t encode the comma that you use to separate each image URL:

https://www.example.com/image2%2C3.jpg,https://www.example.com/image2%2C4.jpg

XML feeds

<g:additional_image_link>https://www.example.com/image2.jpg </g:additional_image_link> <g:additional_image_link>https://www.example.com/image3.jpg </g:additional_image_link>

To format your data for Content API, see the Content API for Shopping.

Guidelines

Follow these guidelines to make sure you submit high-quality data for your products.

Minimum requirements

These are the requirements you'll need to meet to show your product. If you don't follow these requirements, we'll disapprove your product and let you know in the Diagnostics page in your Merchant Center account.

Meet the requirements for the image_link attribute with a few exceptions. The additional image can:
- Include product staging or show the product in use.
- Highlight parts of the product without showing the entire product.
- Show parts of a bundle instead of showing all products in the bundle. When you submit a custom bundle of products, use the is_bundle attribute.
- Display the entire multipack. When you submit a custom multipack of products, use the multipack attribute.

Best practices

To optimize your product data's performance, follow these best practices:

Follow the best practices for the image_link attribute.
For example, do not submit:
- Brand-only or logo images
- Blurry or misshapen images
- Images with a watermark, or text not relevant to the image such as trademark or store info
Submit images that meet the size requirements. If you include images that are under the minimum size requirements (explained in image_link), your product won’t be disapproved, but your images won’t be shown.
Use additional images to show the product from different angles or the product being used. For example, if the main image shows product packaging, including images of the box contents in the additional images can help users better understand what they are buying.

Examples

Product with one additional image

Product	Couch
`image_link`	https://example.com/image1.jpg (only the couch on a white background)
`additional_image_link`	https://example.com/image2.jpg (the couch with two pillows and a living room setting)

Product with three additional images

Product	Ring
`image_link`	https://example.com/ring1.jpg (only the ring on a white background)
`additional_image_link`	https://example.com/ring2.jpg (only the ring on a white background from a different angle)
`additional_image_link`	https://example.com/ring3.jpg (the ring on a model wearing a matching outfit)
`additional_image_link`	https://example.com/ring4.jpg (the ring inside its gift box packaging)

An example showing how additional images can appear alongside the main image

Product	Pie pan
`image_link`	https://example.com/image1.jpg (only the pie pan on a white background)
`additional_image_link`	https://example.com/image2.jpg (the end product - a slice of pie on a plate)
`additional_image_link`	https://example.com/image3.jpg (the baker holding the finished pie in the pan)
`additional_image_link`	https://example.com/image4.jpg (the pie pan in close up showing the finished pie)

Bundle

Product	Camera body with a bag and lens
`is_bundle`	yes
`image_link`	https://example.com/camerabundle1.jpg (all products in the bundle on a white background)
`additional_image_link`	https://example.com/camerabundle2.jpg (only the camera body on a white background)

Multipack

Product	Bar Soap 3-pack
`multipack`	3
`image_link`	https://example.com/soap1.jpg (only one bar of soap on a white background)
`additional_image_link`	https://example.com/soap2.jpg (three bars of soap on a white background)