I am now close to my first 1000 images on Alamy, but have used the description area (tab) only for the standard image descriptions I use on the Micro sites (I keep it to about 50 letters). However it seems like a big waste, having that large 2000 letter area available and only use 50 letters.
Do you put anything else in this area? Is it worth spending extra time on giving more info about every image, seeing that I cover most possible search words already in the keywords?

Thank you for the feedback. Did not know about the searchable areas. It is nearly all for me about searchability. Can not really see the use for me then of the description field for more than editorial images.

Thank you for the feedback. Did not know about the searchable areas. It is nearly all for me about searchability. Can not really see the use for me then of the description field for more than editorial images.

Description area is for buyers information. It used to be searchable but people abused it and complained about search, Alamy folded to them. Read the help files they are there for you to learn.

There are three keyword fields carrying different weights � Essential (50 characters), Main (300 characters) Comprehensive (856). The search engine views them in descending significance with the essential keyword field having the greatest relevance.

Note that the search engine does not search the description field.

http://www.alamy.com/contributor/help/alamysearch-explained.asp

Use the weighting to your advantage, important essential keywords first less important in main. I don't ever use comprehensive.

Some data is read you get the Caption field transferred to the Caption, keywords go in one single lump into Comprehensive and have to be tediously farmed and weeded into the Main and Essential fields, copyright, creator are not transferred (pseudonyms for example can't be preset by having the authorship field matching them). Similarly, none of the optional IPTC core features like Location transfer to Alamy. Date is copied or read from the camera data.

Amazing what one can pic up after nearly 1000 submissions! Like which IPTC data gets carried over.
And how informative, I was always looking for the "Learn Files" to Learn from. Now I will know to look under the "Help Files".
Thank you for your informative article Batman.

There's still something about truncating, at least on my stuff, to the point where I just do it all manually. There's also something about CSV files and uploading data, which I also don't have a clue, but others make good use of it.

The way I work it is make a keyword set with the basics for the race series and cars, then when I get one of those, I have the text file open and copy and paste my standard keywords. Second box, I use for more specific data, and third for driver, make, model Etc.

That way my keywords in the Essential are thought out ahead and 50 characters. The rest, I don't even approach the 300 limit.

Basically it's all about the most distinctive and important keywords in the Essential, the next words that may get a buyers interest in Main, and the details which are names and makes and models and words that could also give false hits, into Comprehensive, where they work for me, but don't drive people to see bad matches. In other words, I'm trying to create better matches, beyond the hope that someone might notice my spammed up keywords.

Check out the help file on Alamy Rank. I don't think it's that important, but why not play the game? 

I have very little editorial images. My standard methodology with my IPTC is to make my caption short but with key descriptive words; descriptions max 50 letters, but put as many descriptive words in as possible (sentence form though). Never get truncating problems then.
When doing my keywords I always start with the most descriptive ones and thereafter the more generic and adjectives. This way, when uploading to Alamy, I can just copy my keywords over to the essential keywords area and what does not fit is no major loss. 
Just wondered about the large description area at Alamy and what others do with it.  ShadySue give the short and sweet to the simple question.

I meant truncated when it's reading IPTC data into Comprehensive. Maybe it's fixed now. Whatever it is, I just use text files now. Has nothing to do with Editorial or anything else, except Alamy reading data from files.