Last updated - September 3, 2024
A good website should be the right mix of text and images. Without images or visual elements, the website can fall short of meeting the traction of its customers and that’s where default WordPress image sizes come in. But, will it be ideal to add pictures without considering how they will favor your website? Absolutely no! Before adding images to your WordPress website, it is necessary to have a good understanding of WordPress image size.
Here we are trying to learn more about why images are important for a WordPress website, the different elements one needs to consider before adding in images, and everything around WordPress Image Size.
Let’s dig in!
Table of Contents
An Overview of WordPress Image SizeSize matters when it comes to WordPress Images, just like how it adds that extra edge to the website; when added in the wrong size can be collateral damage. The wrong size can backfire by making the images blurry, low-quality, and slow to load. These will have a direct effect on the website’s functionality and a strong impact on the site’s SEO.
The importance of optimizing images pretty much rests on the above-mentioned factors. Let’s go point by point:
Overall website performance and user experience: Through optimizing WordPress image size, you can directly contribute to the performance of your site, and along with that you can bring in a much better experience for your audience or customers. When the image size guide is not followed, and large images are uploaded, the execution of the site technically slows down. The images take longer to load which in turn irks the customer to switch over to another website that provides information much faster. Websites that load faster will have lower bounce rates and better conversion rates. SEO: To get that organic ranking of your website, both textual and visual content plays an important role. Even when your site provides the right information text-wise and lacks in visual presentation, there’s a high chance of your SEO going down with it. Google’s algorithm takes the page’s load speed into account when analyzing for SERP and if you add images twice the prescribed WordPress image size, then there’s no chance that you can nail your organic SEO.Smarter Mobile Response: With many devices at hand, every website is made in such a way that its responsiveness matches the screen they’re seen in. By ideally following the WordPress image size, you can ensure that your website images are equipped to adapt to any kind of screen size. Better bandwidth and reduced server load: By adapting WordPress image size, you can ensure that your website does not crash during a peak hour. Optimized images also ensure that there is no overload on the server and help contribute to quicker movement from one page to another.Now, we can go and be more precise in the understanding of the WordPress Image Size guide.
What are the Default WordPress Image Sizes?Four different WordPress image sizes form part and parcel of your website:
Thumbnail: 150px*150px; Used for smaller previews.Medium Size Images: A maximum of 300px, both height and width; used for inline imagesLarge Size Images: A maximum size of 1024px, both height and width; used for full images on posts and pages.Full-Size images: Uploaded in original size; when the image can remain as it is.What size should be a featured image in WordPress?Featured image is a very important part of a website and thus the major one when it comes to optimizing WordPress Image Sizes. The featured image becomes a critical aspect of a post or a page because they are an immediate reference to what the content of the page or post pertains to.
The default size for the featured image is 1200*630 pixels. This is an ideal featured image size that usually works with most WordPress themes but being said some themes may not align with the said dimensions. To get your featured image dimensions right, you can read the respective theme documentation and decide on the optimal size that fits the layout.
Compressing the WordPress image size to optimal can ensure that there are no chances of slow uploads and thus not affect the overall SEO orientation of the page or post of the website.
You can also learn more ways to improve your WordPress images in the best way possible.
How to Change Default Image Sizes in WordPress?Media LibraryYou can find all of your images under “Media Library“.
WordPress Dashboard > Media > Library
Navigating to Media SettingsTo check the default WordPress Image Sizes and to make changes if any, you will have to go to Media Settings
WordPress Dashboard > Settings > Media
Under Media Settings, you can see the different default WordPress image sizes that we discussed above:
You can change the dimensions by moving the up and down arrows against the existing dimensions and then clicking on “Save Changes”.
When you change the default WordPress image size, it doesn’t change the dimensions of the existing images in the media library. If you want the current change to apply to older images, you can make use of certain plugins available in the market.
Best Image Sizes for WordPressThe best dimensions for images that work irrespective of the screen size are:
Blog Post Image size: 1200×630 pixelsHeader Image Banner size: 1048×250 pixelsFeatured Image (landscape) size: 1200×900 pixelsFeatured Image (portrait) size: 900×1200 pixelsLogo Image size: 200×100 pixelsWordPress Background Image size: 1920×1080 pixelsThumbnail Image size: 150×150 pixelsHow to Add Custom Images to WordPress?Most of the WordPress themes are designed in such a way that the uploaded images take in the dimensions pre-determined. But, say you are a photographer and you want the images to align to a certain proportion, then the default WordPress image size may not work for you. In such cases, you can either take the help of some popularly used plugins or manually change the same under the functions.php file of the website.
Let’s understand how to do that:
How to Add Custom Images to WordPress using a Plugin?
The most popularly used plugin is “Image Regenerate & Select Crop“. This plugin helps you to easily optimize your WordPress image sizes and allows you to load your webpage faster without compromising on quality. You can set up a global configuration or specific configuration for your images.
This a general overview of the settings that the plugin has to offer.
Some of the other specific features that the plugin offers:
Ability to regenerate images into the new theme requirements as and when there is a switch from the current WordPress theme to a new one.You can override the default crop settings under WordPress.Placing placeholders and selective regeneration to improve the site’s performance.How to Add Custom Images to WordPress Manually?
When you are out and about creating a custom WordPress Image size for a featured image, the first step is to go to “Appearance” and then click on “functions.php”.
Now, to make that custom WordPress Image size, you need to add this code string to your functions.php file:
add_theme_support('post-thumbnails');But check once before, sometimes your WordPress theme might already have this.
Now, you can add in the additional image sizes with this function in place; add_image_size() function.
A full-length function code will look like this:
add_image_size( 'name-of-size', width, height, crop mode );
There are three different crop modes to deal with hard crop, soft crop, and unlimited height.
Hard Crop Mode
Hard Crop Mode helps to crop the image to the exact size as mentioned by us. To set that, you will need to add “true” after you enter the dimensions of the image.
add_image_size( 'my-custom-image-size', 320, 320, true ); // Hard Crop ModeSoft Crop Mode
Soft Crop Mode will let cropping be done by default and to do that you should not set “true” after the dimensions are set.
add_image_size( 'my-custom-image-size', 320, 320); // Soft Crop ModeUnlimited Height
When you have long infographics at hand and you don’t want to compromise on their size and how it looks, then the unlimited height will help you with just that.
add_image_size( 'my-custom-image-size', 320, 1200); // Unlimited Height ModeWhat are the Best Practices for WordPress Image Size?Now, to make sure that you follow the best steps while incorporating images into your WordPress site, let’s have a quick look at those reminders:
Make sure to follow the WordPress Default Image sizes. It is not quite necessary to have to follow the default images at all times, you can custom images as and how your WordPress theme requires.Choosing the right image format has everything to do with the quality you give to your audience as well as the page speed. You usually have images in PNG, JPEG, JPG, and WebP formats. Choose what’s best for your post or page and also the load speed.Compress images before uploading. If the image files are large, then it might take way too much time to load. As the attention span of the audience is less, they might bounce off to another website, leaving a lasting impact on your page’s SEO.You can choose some image optimization tools to get the job done. Will be mentioning some of them in the next section.Always choose to upload an image that meets the need. Do not go overboard with uploading larger files.What are the different Image Optimization Tools?Why waste so much time in getting those dimensions right, if you can just get these tools to help? Here are some of them:
Kraken.io: A major lifesaver to all those developers and WordPress enthusiasts. Kraken helps optimize images to accelerate the website.Let’s Enhance: An automatic AI editor that helps improve image resolution without compromising on quality. You get 10 credits right off the bat.ShortPixel: A powerful optimization tool with affordability at hand. Their yearly price comes to $99. And even the free version gives you a whopping 100 credits. Image Optimizer by Elementor: Ease of setup and use makes this tool a standout. Any image that you upload will optimize automatically and convert itself into WebP format.Final WrapImage optimization can be quite a task and an important one for what matters. If you don’t optimize effectively, the visual element can do more harm than good. Considering the discussion from start to end, we hope we addressed your queries in the right direction.
FAQsWhat is the best image size for WordPress?The use determines the best WordPress image size. Featured images, which are usually for Social Media, go by 1200*680 pixels. If you are talking about thumbnails, they are right on the spot with 150*150 pixels.
How do I reduce image size in WordPress?You can use any of the online compression tools to get the job done. Additionally, there are many image optimization tools that can help with the need. The blog already lists them.
How can I change the default image sizes in WordPress?To change the default image sizes in WordPress, you have to go to Settings > Media. There you can change the dimensions of WordPress images.
Where can you manually customize the WordPress image size?You can change it under the functions.php file.
What is the code string that needs to be entered before you start customizing images on functions.php?add_theme_support(‘post-thumbnails’);
Further ReadingHow To Generate AI Images With Elementor AI For Your WordPress Site?WordPress vs Webflow: Which One is Better for Your Website?