It doesn’t matter if you’re a WordPress beginner or expert, there are always things to be learned. On WordPress, one of the most important tasks is to know how to make your images stand out. This includes making sure you are optimising them for the web and that you use different ones for each post.
There are also many other aspects that come into play, such as using the right WordPress featured image size. In this post, we’ll go over these topics so you can make your images look their best on your WordPress blog.
What is a WordPress Featured Image and why should you care?
A featured image, also known as a thumbnail image, is an image that’s used to represent a blog post or page on both the blog’s home page and its post or page. It’s often used in posts and pages as a way of breaking up the text and adding visual interest.
In WordPress, you can add a featured image to a blog post or page by going to the “Featured Image” section in the post or page editor. There are many reasons you should care about your WordPress featured image size.
For one, it can help your posts and pages stand out on archive and search pages. If you use the same image for every post, it can get lost in the shuffle. Also, using the right WordPress featured image size can help your blog load faster. If you use an image, that’s too large, it will take longer for the page to load.
Images are an important part of any blog post or page, and using the right WordPress featured image size is one way to ensure that your images look their best.
How to choose the right WordPress featured image size for your blog post?
When it comes to choosing the right featured image size for your blog post, there are a few things you need to consider.
We’ll go over some tips on how to choose the right size and make your images stand out from the rest of the content on the page.
1. Choosing the WordPress featured image size
The standard WordPress featured image size is 1200x628px. This is a good size to use if you want your images to stand out on archive and search pages.
2. Size for speed
If you’re looking to optimise your blog for speed, you can use an image that’s 1024x512px. Choosing a smaller image size will help your page load faster.
3. Picture perfect
It’s also important to consider the composition of your image. Make sure the subject is in focus and that the background isn’t too busy.
4. Images that pop
Another thing to keep in mind is the colours in your image. Choose colours that complement the rest of your blog’s design.
5. Don’t forget to optimise
Finally, make sure you optimise your images for the web before you upload them to your WordPress website. This will help ensure that they load quickly and look their best. By following these tips, you can choose the right featured image size for your blog post and make sure your images stand out from the rest of the content on the page.
Things to consider when choosing WordPress featured images, such as colour, shape, and composition
When choosing a featured image for your WordPress article, there are a few things you should keep in mind. The first consideration is size.
The recommended WordPress featured image size is 1200x628px, but you can also use an image that’s 1024x512px.
Another thing to consider is the colour and shape of the image. You’ll want to choose an image that is contrasty and easy to see.
The shape of the image should also be considered. A landscape image will work better for a blog post than a portrait image. The composition of the image is also important. You’ll want to choose an image that is well-composed and easy to understand. An image with a lot of negative space will be easier to understand than an image with a lot of clutter.
Optimising featured images is a vital task on just about any WordPress blog. When adding a featured image to your posts, you’ll want to make sure you’re using the right size.
How to optimise your images for the web before you upload them to your WordPress blog?
Adding images to your posts is a great way to break up the text and add visual interest, but if you’re not careful, you can end up slowing down your website or even causing it to crash.
When adding images to your blog posts, you’ll want to make sure you’re using the right size and that your images are optimised for the web. If your image is larger than these dimensions, you’ll need to resize it before uploading it to your blog.
You can do this using an editing program like Photoshop or GIMP, or there are a number of online image re-sizers you can use. Once your image is the right size, you’ll need to optimise it for the web. This means reducing the file size so that it loads quickly when someone visits your blog.
There are several ways to optimise your images for the web. If you’re using Photoshop, you can use the “Save for Web” feature to reduce the file size of your image. There are also many online tools that you can use, such as Kraken.io or TinyPNG.com.
Once your image is the right size and optimised for the web, you can add it to your blog post. WordPress will automatically insert it into the post at the top, but you can move it around by clicking on it and dragging it to where you want it.
You can also add a caption or title to your image by clicking on the “Edit” button.
Featured images for social sharing
Adding a featured image to your posts is a great way to make sure your content looks good on social media. When people share your posts on Facebook, Twitter, or other social networks, your featured image will be the thumbnail.
This means you’ll want to use an image that’s attractive and eye-catching, and that will represent your post well.
Open graph featured images
When you add a featured image to your WordPress post, you can also include additional information that will be used when your post is shared on social media. This information is called Open Graph metadata, and it allows you to control the way your content looks when it’s shared. You can add Open Graph metadata to your images by adding special tags to the code of your post.
To add Open Graph metadata, you will need to add some code to the head of your website either using a plugin or editing the WordPress header PHP file.
Where to find relevant images?
There are many websites where you can find free stock images for your blog.
Some of the best sites for free stock photos include Unsplash, Pixabay, and Gratisography. These websites have a vast selection of high- resolution images that you can use for your WordPress blog posts.
There are other websites such as Fiverr and Upwork where you can hire people to create custom made graphic images. When you’re choosing an image, pick one that represents your post well. For example, if you’re writing a post about travel, a photo of a landscape would be a good choice.
Once you’ve found the relevant image, ensure you pop it in the featured image box. Ensure you don’t download an enormous image, remember a strong post thumbnail is worth a million words.
How to set a featured image on your WordPress post and pages?
Adding a featured image to your WordPress post is a straightforward task. Simply follow these steps:
- Open the post that you want to add a featured image to and scroll down to the bottom.
- Click on the Featured Image box and then select the Upload Files tab.
- Select the file from your computer and then click on the Insert into the post button.
- If you want to crop or edit your image, you can do so now. Once you’re happy with your high-quality image, click on the save changes button.
- Add alt text to your blog post image. The alt text describes an image that can help search engines to find your post.
- Publish or update your post and you’re done!
WordPress Featured Image Size and Best Practices
Here is an example of featured images on a WordPress Homepage using Morden theme.
1. Use the right image dimensions
Your main photograph will be used across social media to represent you. You’ll want to choose an image that looks good both as a thumbnail and when included in your post.
Consider using a higher resolution picture that is scalable while choosing or creating an image.
2. Remember to be consistent
When creating a bespoke image, you can choose to brand it with your logo and provide it with some flair. Maintaining a uniform design style is important for branding and is easy to spot for customers.
3. Optimise for Search Engines
When optimising your featured images for search engine then ensure you pick a relevant file name for your photo, add image alt text and do not forget about the image sizes.
4. Use Relevant Images
The first thing we notice about a post’s title is the images. The photos you select may not only entice people; they also reveal the page’s context. As a result, you should pick an appropriate image that accurately reflects your site. You could end up with a higher bounce rate if you don’t.
5. Make sure you have permission
When you’re using stock photos from sites such as Unsplash, Pixabay, and other copyright-free photo sources, then there are no legal issues with it. If not, be cautious of licensing.
Look for those that are licensed under Creative Commons when getting images from Google. This alternative is only available if you’re not generating your own images.
Conclusion
By following the tips in this article, you can make sure your images are the right size and optimised for web. This will help ensure that your article looks its best and that your images stand out from the rest of the content on the page.
The WordPress featured image size you choose for your post is important, but it’s also crucial that you optimise them for web.
As mentioned, you can resize and optimise images using Photoshop or GIMP, but if you want a faster solution, there are plenty of tools online to help with this task.
To learn more about how we can make WordPress better for you, get in touch with us today!
Frequently Asked Questions About WordPress Featured Image Size
1. What size should featured images be?
1200×628 pixels.
The standard size for WordPress Featured images is 1200×628 pixels. Most WordPress blog templates will fit comfortably in these dimensions.
2. How do I make my WordPress featured image full width?
To make a WordPress featured image full width, you need to
- Go to settings -> media and change thumbnail size as you require
- Unselect the crop thumbnail to exact dimensions and save
3. How to improve image quality?
There are a few ways to improve the quality of your featured images. You can use image editing software such as Photoshop or GIMP, but there are also online tools that can help you with this task.
One such tool is Optimizilla. This online tool allows you to resize and optimise your images quickly and easily.
4. How do I select a featured Image in WordPress?
- Edit the post or page you want to add an image to
- Click on “Set Featured Image”
- Choose an Image from Your Media Library
- Upload your featured image or select one from the media library
- Add a title, and an alt description
- Click on “Set Featured Image” blue button
If you would like us to help you with copywriting for your posts and creating the right images, then contact us today!
