Knowing how to upload and resize a photo or image on WordPress can be confusing, especially when figuring out which default image size should be used.
We, at WP Hub, have reviewed several guides and tutorials on WordPress images and found the best way to handle images on the WordPress platform. When learning how to upload and resize images on WordPress correctly, it can be surprising how easy the process can be.
Below, this guide will highlight what users need to know about WordPress image sizes, from how to upload and resize images to what is the best image size for WordPress and SEO.
WordPress Default Image Sizes
When uploading a new photo or image to a website, WordPress will have different default size options for you. These options will typically be the following:
- Thumbnail: 150px square
- Medium: Max width and height of 300px
- Large: Max width and height of 1024px
- Full Size: The original size of the image
Users can view their photo in each size when they upload it into a post. This can be done with the following steps:
- Choose the image or photo
- Find the “Image size” button in the settings panel.
- Then click on the drop-down menu.
There might be a few extra size options in the drop-down menu, but this will depend on the WordPress theme that you’ve chosen for the website. However, to keep things simple for this guide, they will focus on the four default options mentioned above.
Thumbnails
A thumbnail is a small photo or picture that can be seen in the blog feed. A good way to think about it would be when choosing a picture as the featured image.
It will appear as a thumbnail above or next to the post’s title in the blog feed. Users can also use the thumbnail version of the picture in the actual post. For example, displaying a few small photos in a row.
Medium size
The medium-size option is excellent for showcasing smaller photos in the actual post. It’s also a great option if users don’t want to weigh down their site with “heavy” files.
Large and full-size options
Next, for including images in posts, larger photos or images will be the best choice. Larger images in posts can make them more attractive and break up big walls of text. If websites are planning on displaying their own pictures, like for a photography portfolio, bigger images will get viewers to pay attention to the details in the photos.
The larger or full-size options will make photos or images stand out. The full-size option will keep the image in its original size and ensure its quality is preserved. Actually, it’s a fact that when images are kept at their original size, they will be sharper than images that are resized with the “Large size” option.
The large image size and full-size options are also excellent choices for the banners and headers in the posts.
When looking at the different size options, it might seem like there aren’t many choices. But website owners do have the option of cropping or resizing the photos to the exact size they want.
What’s the best image size for a WordPress Site?
The best image size for a regular WordPress blog is 1920 x 1080 because it works well on both blogs and social media channels.
There are plenty of people who might be wondering, “What’s the best image size for a WordPress site?” Sadly, there is no definitive answer to this question.
This is because each website will use a different WordPress theme, and each theme will have different layout widths. This means that each theme will have its own size requirements that will work best with its layout.
Also, the “best image size” will depend on which service that’s being used to share posts on social media. Also, these services sometimes won’t scale or resize these images properly. The main reason for this is that social media platforms and WordPress themes will have their own preferences for the “best image size.”
However, we do have some recommendations for featured image sizes website owners can try. These include the following:
- 1021 x 512: This size can be used to share posts on Twitter.
- 1200 x 630: This size is excellent for sharing posts on Facebook and for website owners that are using one of the classic themes
- 1920 x 1080: This is the size that works well with most themes and social media platforms. This is the largest of the three options, but website owners should be aware that the image could be cropped in some areas.
When choosing the size of the image, it’s best to keep the focus on the middle of the image with plenty of space surrounding the center whenever possible. In most cases, the sharing services will crop the edges of the images and display the middle.
How to upload images to WordPress
There are a few ways that website owners can do this, for example, by using the WordPress Block Editor. But the best and easiest way to upload a picture is to upload it to the Media Library. This is done with the following simple steps:
- Open and log into the WordPress Dashboard.
- Find the “Media” option (typically on the left of the dashboard)
- Choose the “Add New” option in the Media Library
- Click the “Select Files” option
- Choose a photo or image that needs to be uploaded
- Finally, click “Open.”
How to resize images on WordPress?
Website owners have the option of resizing their new images and photos if they don’t like the WordPress default options. This is a fairly straightforward process that includes the following steps:
Resize Images on WordPress:
- Find and click on settings in the dashboard
- Choose the “Media” option
- Change the max width and height to resize the image
- Click on “Save Changes.”
When it comes to resizing an image on WordPress, the quality of the original image is essential. Website owners can find high-quality images from royalty-free third-party websites that include the following:
- Pixabay
- Canva
- Unsplash
- Adobe Stock Images
What’s the best image size for SEO?
Your images should not be larger than 300KB for best SEO practices. Many might also wonder, “What is the best image size for SEO?” Again, there is no one specific size that will magically get those high rankings. However, Google does recommend in its Advanced SEO Source using large images to be found on Discover.
“Include compelling, high-quality images in your content, especially large images that are more likely to generate visits from Discover.”
Google also recommends that large images should be at least 1200 px wide and should be enabled by the max-image-preview.large setting or use AMP. Website owners also shouldn’t use their logo as their image for Discover.
Because page speed is one of the main ranking factors for SEO, the photos and images need to be small or compressed and no bigger than 1MB. For an image with graphics, it should be no bigger than 300KB.
Conclusion
Including photos and images in posts will make them more eye-catching and easier for users to read. WordPress does provide some default size options for website managers to choose from. These include thumbnail size to large and full-size options.
Website owners will also have the option to keep their images in their original size (full-size) or resize it to suit their needs. The images can be resized by adjusting the width and height.
An important factor to keep in mind when resizing images is where they’ll be shared. Will it be shared on social media platforms such as Twitter or Facebook? In this situation, the edges of the image will be cropped, and the center will be displayed. You also want to crop your images evenly if you are planning to create an aesthetic picture gallery on your website too.
After reading this article, website owners should know everything they need to know about using images on WordPress. However, if they want to improve the website’s performance, it’s recommended that any unused images should be deleted.
