How to Set The WordPress Featured Image Size

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Have you ever wondered how to set the WordPress featured image size? In this article, we teach you how to select and add an optimal image size in WordPress.

How to Set The WordPress Featured Image Size

The featured image is one of the most important photos you can use in your blog posts. When paired with an intriguing title, an excellent featured image captures the visitors’ attention. The WordPress featured image is one of the first things people see when they arrive at your page, and it has the potential to influence their perception of your content before they even start reading. As a result, optimizing the size of the featured picture in WordPress is critical. 

These photographs may also serve another essential purpose, depending on the style you’ve chosen for your website. You can show them in any place on your website that links to an article. Assume you have a sidebar that displays your site’s top five most popular posts.

You’ll be able to display the titles of your posts and the featured photographs that go with them in that sidebar. This can improve the websites’ visual attractiveness and, as a result, increase the click-through rate for specific postings.

All of this suggests that you should reduce the size of your featured image in WordPress. We’ll show you how to adjust the size of your featured photos so that they better fit your blog’s pages and posts.

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What is a WordPress Featured Image?

On WordPress, a featured image is the one image used as the post’s thumbnail by default. It’s essentially the picture that your blog post represents. This featured image appears alongside the link to your post whenever your blog is shared on social media, messaging applications, or any other platform.

While some themes will automatically display your featured image at the top of your blog, you’ll have to manually add it if you want it to appear at the top. Bloggers typically let WordPress choose whatever image to use as the post thumbnail because it is the simplest option. Many thumbnails show the first image in the post, even if it isn’t always the most relevant.  

The importance of a featured image cannot be overstated. It provides the first impression of your blog to potential readers and influences their decision to continue reading or go on to something else. As a result, a practical blogger should manually set the featured picture for each article.

If you use a WordPress featured image in your post, it’s best to put it at the top of the page or within the first three paragraphs.

What is the optimal size for a WordPress featured image?

A featured image’s optimal size should be 1200 x 628 pixels. Most pre-designed WordPress blog themes will function with these dimensions. Each WordPress theme has a featured image that is a set size.

You can customize different image characteristics for your blog by heading to Settings and clicking on Media. You may even change and customize your picture settings to automatically sized the various image types to your liking.

The width and height of specific WordPress featured photos can be determined by the size of each article thumbnail. Your image will be cropped to the optimal proportions and specifications if you size it correctly. You can avoid the hassle of cropped photographs by scaling your featured image in proportion to the size of your post thumbnail.

How to add a WordPress featured image

To set a featured image in WordPress, follow these steps:

  1. In a post, go down the toolbar on the right
  2. You will find the Tags, Categories, and Featured image sections
  3. Click “Set Featured Image” under the Featured image section
  4. Select an image from your WordPress media library or upload your own.
  5. Just as with the other photographs in the post, you may add alternative texts and titles (which is highly recommended).
  6. The selected WordPress featured picture will appear in the Featured Image box in the right-side toolbar.
  7. You can edit, remove, or modify the image at any time.
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How to set the WordPress featured image size screenshot

If you don’t see this option, the WordPress theme that you are using might be preventing it from showing up. Look in the theme options to enable this, or look for other theme-specific options that allow you to set a featured image.

Why Do Blog Posts Need WordPress Featured Images?

Because the text tends to take up all of the emphasis in WordPress, featured photos are easily overlooked. This does not, however, imply that you should dismiss the image. Including a high-quality, perfectly sized featured image in your post can help it stand out. Adding a picture to your blog will instantly improve its look, making it appear more professional, consistent, appealing, and uniform.

Having a featured image on your WordPress site can also make locating you easier for readers, browsers, and businesses. Every time the blog is shared, the photographs will appear on social media. Having a unique look for your blog might help you gain greater exposure and develop a strong brand. 

Users will ultimately learn to recognize your featured photos’ distinct look and recognize them as yours. This method will help your blog gain more clicks from your current readership while attracting new visitors. If you regularly include your blog with a red picture, users will immediately associate any red-image blog with your organization or service, even before clicking the link!

You may also add alternative text to your featured image to help with SEO. The easiest approach for increased search engine visibility is to include your keyword as Alt text when choosing the optimum size for your blog’s main image.

Tips to Choose the Best WordPress Featured Images

Use photos that are high-resolution and scalable

Choose a clear and crisp image for your featured image because it will be the face of your entire content. Look for a photo with somewhat larger icons to keep the image’s quality even when it’s scaled down on social media networks like Twitter or Pinterest.

Consistency is the goal

Consistency in featured photos across all of your blogs increases brand awareness and makes it easier for visitors to recognize your blogs. They don’t have to match precisely but make sure the color, style, font, and logo are all the same across all photos.

Use images that are both relevant and make sense

Images are, without a doubt, the first thing we look at before moving on to the content. Because our brains process pictures faster than text, the featured image on your site should instantly express the core of what visitors may expect within. If you put a cat picture on a food blog, you’ll confuse your visitors, readers, and search engines. As a result, constantly consider the relevancy of each WordPress featured picture you select.

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How to set the WordPress featured image size – Conclusion

Even if you spend hours producing the perfect blog post, if you don’t take the time to choose the correct WordPress featured image, a lot of your hard work will be for naught. Ignoring the value of images might harm your business by lowering your blog’s quality and brand recognition.

Always double-check your measurements and style, no matter which photos you use. This will be an excellent place to start if you want to increase traffic and readership.

Why Clio Websites

Clio Websites is a full-service website design and marketing company in Calgary. We have vast experience in responsive website design, website maintenance, WordPress development and support, and SEO. Clio offers free consultations and free website evaluations and we receive glowing reviews from our clients. We hope that this article has helped you learn how to set the WordPress featured image size and provided you with other useful tips.

If you are looking for help with WordPress, contact us today. We are always available and happy to answer any questions you may have so don’t hesitate to get in touch with us.

About the author

Darko is a talented WordPress developer who loves to build responsive websites using Elementor. He has been with Clio Websites since 2021 and enjoys contributing WordPress articles and other types of content that our visitors love to read and share with their peers.

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