At the beginning of using WordPress, I felt like a lost puppy when trying to add a featured image to my WordPress post. I was a bit confused and, as a result, a little bit frustrated as the images on my website seemed to live their own life., not seeming to want to do as I wanted.
The option to set a featured image in WordPress blog posts didn´t make it any better
A featured image is the primary image your readers see when they come across your post or page, making it a crucial element of your content creation process, and can be broken down into the following sequence;
- Open the editor for the post or page
- Click the gear icon in the top right corner to open the settings panel
- In the settings panel under the Post tab, select Featured image > Set featured image
- Upload your featured image or select one from your media library
Disclaimers
Affiliate Disclaimer: The post contains links to merchants and services. These links are affiliate links. When you click on these links and make a purchase, I may receive a commission from the purchase. The purchase will be of no extra cost to you.
Third-party Disclaimer: We are not legally responsible for what happens when you click on third-party links because we have no control over third-party websites, content, functionality, or security and cannot be held responsible for any technical or other damage to your device, such as a computer, mobile or tablet used when clicking a link to connect to other platforms, download material, install, modify or distribute any material, software or other.
Opinion Disclaimer: All views and opinions expressed in this post, article, or review are my own and not the merchant(s) or provider(s) views or opinions. Projections in this post, article, or review are not endorsements.
What Is a Featured Image in WordPress and Why Add It?
As explained in the introduction, A featured image visually represents the content of a post or page on your WordPress website. It is typically displayed prominently at the top of the page, either as a header image or thumbnail.
By adding a featured image your post will be more appealing and entice your readers to engage with your content.
It can also be used to promote the post or page on social media, as the featured image image in WordPress will be displayed alongside the title and description.
A good featured image should be high-quality, relevant to the content, and visually appealing.
Additionally, featured images can help with search engine optimization (SEO) by providing search engines with additional information about the content of your post.
Adding a Featured Image from Your Media Library
Adding a featured image is done by going to the right-hand sidebar in your WordPress editor, where you can adjust the settings of the posts and the individual blocks of your posts.
Click on the “Set Featured Image” button and select the image you want to use from the Media Library.
In the menu that has opened for the image you have selected, you can edit the image’s size, alt text, title, caption, description, and other settings to ensure it looks right on your website.
You can also access the Media Library directly from within the editor by typing a / to select an image block.
And finally, you can access the media library by clicking the “Media” tab in the left menu bar. Then choose “library” to select an existing file or “add new” to upload a new image.
How To Upload a New File as the Featured Image
To upload a new file as the featured image, go to the post or page where you want to add the image using one of the three methods described in the previous paragraph. But the following method would be the usual one;
Click the “Set Featured Image” button to open the media library.
From there, upload a new image by clicking the “Upload Files” tab. Once the image is uploaded, select it and click OK.
Adjust the image size to the preferred size if needed, and click OK.
The image will now be the featured image for that post or page. Remember to choose a high-quality and relevant image that will grab your audience’s attention. If possible, use images and graphics you have taken/created yourself.
By using your own images and graphics, you will build your authority quicker than if using royalty-free images and graphics.
Selecting an Existing Image as the Featured Image
To select an existing image, click the “Set featured image” button in the WP editor’s right-hand “settings” sidebar to open your media library and choose the image you want.
As written in the previous paragraph, using your own images and graphics is a great way to add credibility and authority to your niche.
You will easily stand out as a serious marketer.
How Do I Save the Featured Image Selection
You have probably lost the perfect draft of easy or similar work in Word because you didn´t make sure to save the document you created before closing the window.
The same thing goes for working on your blog content. Think about it…. You have created the perfect draft of your next article with great graphics and images to accompany the blog, only to lose them because you didn´t click “save as draft” in the WordPress block editor.
To protect your featured image selection and blog post draft, click the “Set featured image” button and select your desired image.
Then, save your post or page before navigating away or closing the window. This will ensure that your featured image selection is kept and will appear when your content is published.
Summary
Adding a featured image in WordPress is crucial for improving your website’s visual appearance and user experience.
When adding featured images to your WordPress blog, selecting an image that is high-quality and relevant to the content is essential.
This will help to improve user engagement and capture their attention with the visual appeal of your post or page.
Following these steps, you can easily add featured images in WordPress and create a better overall user experience.
