Short answer
A featured image is the main picture that represents a blog post on your blog page, in link previews and when people share it. AI Marketing Master can make one for each article written with its AI blog writer, so you review the words and the picture together, approve them, and publish to WordPress, a Shopify blog or GitHub.
What a featured image actually does
Most readers see the featured image before they read a word. It appears on your blog list page, as the preview when someone shares the link on WhatsApp, Facebook or LinkedIn, and sometimes in search features that show images. A fitting picture tells people what the article is about and makes your blog look cared for. A missing or random one makes it look abandoned.
How it works with the AI blog writer
- Plan or pick a topic, then let the AI blog writer draft the article.
- Ask for a featured image. It is generated in the Creative Studio from a brief based on the article. Credits are held for the job and returned if it fails.
- The draft goes through quality checks, then you approve the article and the image together.
- The post is published to WordPress, a Shopify blog, or as a GitHub pull request for developer-run sites.
- The app reads the published post back before it shows it as Verified.
What makes a featured image fit the post
- It shows the subject, not a generic "business" scene. A post about monsoon roof leaks should show a roof and rain, not a handshake.
- It leaves room around the subject, because themes and social previews crop images differently.
- It has little or no text. Titles on images often get cut off and are hard to read in small previews.
- It matches the style of your other posts, so the blog looks like one publication.
- It never shows a fake customer, a fake result or your premises if it is not really them.
Alt text and file details still matter
Alt text is a short description of the image for people using screen readers and for search engines. Describe what is shown in plain words, for example "water dripping through a cracked terrace roof during rain". Do not stuff keywords in. Keep image files light so the page loads quickly on phones.
The website audit flags images without alt text, and on WordPress an approved alt text fix can be applied for you and undone later.
Set a house style once, reuse it for every post
Decide a few rules and write them down: wide format, one main subject, natural light, your accent colour somewhere in the scene, no words on the picture. Paste the same rules into every image brief. After ten or twenty posts your blog page will look planned rather than random, and readers will start to recognise your articles when they are shared.
When a real photo is a better featured image
Use your own photos for case studies, project write-ups, team news, event reports and anything about your actual place of work. Readers expect these to be real, and a generated image would mislead them. Keep AI images for explainers, tips and general topics.
What it does not do
- The app cannot change how your website theme crops or shows featured images. Preview the post on your site.
- Generated images use credits and are made by outside AI providers.
- AI can draw the subject wrongly for very technical topics. Check that the picture makes sense to an expert.
Questions people ask
Does every blog post need a featured image?
It is not required, but posts without one look bare in blog lists and share previews. Most themes and platforms expect one.
Which platforms can I publish to?
WordPress, Shopify blogs, and websites managed through GitHub as a pull request. Wix publishing is not available.
Can I swap the AI image for my own photo?
Yes. Upload your photo to the media library and use it instead. It can be marked as owned so its rights are clear.
Is the image labelled as AI made?
In the media library it is marked as AI generated, so your team can see where it came from.
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