When you are putting together a blog post or building a landing page for your website, one of the most important aspects of this task is going to be what you do with the images. In this post, we will go over the featured images that you should be using each time you create new content for your site. The featured image gives the reader the theme and feel of the content posted.

What Are Featured Images?

The featured image for a page in your website (a blog post or landing page) is the main image for that piece of content. In most cases, this image will appear at the top of the page and usually before your content. It is also part of the structure of your page. It will appear as a thumbnail image next to your page title and is the picture that should appear with your link when it is shared on social media.

You can choose how your blog post or landing page will appear when it is shared on social media by using the Yoast SEO plugin. This plugin will give you the option to customize the title, description, and upload the correct image size.

Why Use A Featured Image?

The featured image of your content is important because it will be what represents your content. This image will also appear in places like archives and post lists. In many cases, it will be the first thing a person will see. Will it draw their eye and get them to stay on the page? Or will they move on to something else? An attractive image can bring people to your page and drive traffic throughout the rest of your site with your additional links and featured images.

How To Optimize A Featured Image

When you install your featured image, there are a few things to consider. One of these is the size of the image. We know that when a page doesn’t load quickly, most people will not wait around for it and will move on to something else. One of the big problems with a slow loading page is usually image size. A good size for featured images is 1200 by 600 pixels, but you can also have one that is in the 900-1,000 pixels wide range. Your website should have settings that allow for different image types to be sized properly.

What Kinds Of Images Should Be Used?

You are trying to build a relationship of trust with the user so be sure that the images you use are going to be something relatable — something they can connect with. There are times when a stock image is probably going to be all you can get for the image you want to show, but you’ll be much better off if you can use real images of real people that are your employees, customers, etc.

• Make sure the image is clear — that means good, high-quality images.
• Use images that match and enhance the topic of the content on that page. If it does not add some value to the page, don’t use it. Find something else that does.
• Use pictures of people. People like people, right? Give the people what they want — other people.
• Other types of images that can be great to use in a blog are infographics and screenshots. 
• Don’t use an image without permission. This may seem obvious, but there are plenty of people that have run into legal trouble over this. The safest way to do this is by creating your own images. Otherwise, you may have to purchase images, or at the very least, give credit to where you got the image.

How To Add A Featured Image

Adding a featured image to a blog post or landing page is simple. In the toolbar that is located down the right-hand side of the page, there should be a box that says “featured image”. From there, you just click on “set featured image”. This will bring up your media library where you can select the image that you want to use. This is also the place where you will add your ALT text and other relevant information to the image. Once you hit save, the image should show up in the featured image box. You can always go back and change or edit the photo.

What About A Hero Image?

A hero image is an oversized banner image that is at the top of a website. It may very well be the first impression someone has of your business or website. This is a great opportunity for you to immediately show the user a high-quality photo that will tell them what you are all about. People will naturally notice images before the text that is with them. If you don’t have a hero image or use a poor one, the user may not even stay on your page long enough to make it to the content that you have worked so hard on. You can even use the hero image to drive the user to a link or call-to-action.

Make The Most Of Your Featured Images

If your goal for your blog post or landing page is to provide a great user experience and get eyeballs on the content, the featured image is something you’ve got to take advantage of. If you have additional questions about the use of featured images or anything else related to bringing more traffic to your blog post or landing page, don’t hesitate to give us a call!