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There is no single featured-image size that fits every website. Use the dimensions your WordPress theme or template actually displays, then create a sufficiently large source image for the surfaces you care about. If Google Discover is important, Google’s current guidance is a relevant 16:9 image at least 1,200 pixels wide and larger than 300,000 total pixels; 1,280×720 is an example that meets that threshold.
Start with your theme’s displayed shape
A WordPress featured image is the image assigned to represent a post, page, or custom post type. Depending on the theme, it can appear above the article, in an archive card, on a category page, in search results, or in a page header. The theme may also generate several crops from the same upload.
Because the template controls the visible frame, its recommendation is the first specification to follow. Check the theme documentation or inspect a representative post and archive card. Record the rendered width, height, and aspect ratio at desktop and mobile breakpoints. A theme that displays a 1,200×675 (16:9) card needs a different source composition from one that uses a 1,200×800 (3:2) crop.
Why a large original does not guarantee a good result
WordPress can crop or resize an upload for each registered image size. Important text or a face near an edge may disappear in a square thumbnail even when the original file looks perfect. Keep the subject inside a central safe area, and preview the image in every template that uses it.
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Google Discover has a separate target
Discover optimization is not a universal website rule. It is a destination-specific target. Google recommends:
- A relevant, representative landscape image.
- At least 1,200 pixels in width.
- More than 300,000 total pixels (width multiplied by height).
- A 16:9 composition as a practical format; 1,280×720 satisfies both the ratio and pixel threshold.
Google may crop the image automatically. If you create your own crop, keep the headline subject and other essential details inside the landscape frame. Enable max-image-preview:large or use AMP when appropriate. Meeting these conditions makes an image eligible for the larger preview; it does not guarantee that Discover will distribute the article or select that particular image.
What to avoid
- Generic site logos used as the article image.
- Images dominated by small text that becomes unreadable in a feed.
- Extremely wide or extremely tall compositions that lose context when cropped.
- Decorative images unrelated to the article’s subject.
WordPress image sizes: useful defaults, not recommendations
WordPress documents these default generated sizes. They describe how the platform prepares derivatives, not what every theme or audience requires.
| WordPress size | Documented default | Typical role |
|---|---|---|
| Thumbnail | 150×150 maximum | Square lists, widgets, and compact cards |
| Medium | 300×300 maximum | Small content previews |
| Medium_large | 768 pixels wide; no height limit | Responsive intermediate image |
| Large | 1,024×1,024 maximum | Larger in-content or archive display |
| Full | The uploaded original | Fallback or source for further processing |
“Maximum” means WordPress constrains the relevant dimension while preserving the source ratio; it does not force every file to those exact dimensions. Themes and plugins can register additional sizes and crops, and administrators can change the defaults.
A practical size decision for a blog
- Measure the largest rendered slot. Include the article header, archive card, homepage module, and social preview if those matter.
- Choose the composition. Use the theme’s ratio. If Discover is a priority, make the master 16:9 and protect the center from aggressive crops.
- Export a source larger than the largest slot. A 1,280×720 master is a useful Discover baseline, but a theme with a wider high-density header may require more pixels.
- Check mobile and desktop crops. Verify that the focal subject, logos, and any necessary wording remain visible.
- Upload the original through WordPress. Let WordPress create derivatives instead of repeatedly exporting compressed copies.
- Inspect the published HTML. Confirm that the intended featured image is exposed in the page markup and that the browser receives an appropriately sized file.
Responsive delivery with srcset
The source image, the theme’s crop, and the file delivered to a visitor are three different decisions. WordPress normally emits srcset and sizes attributes so a browser can select an available file for the current viewport and pixel density. WordPress documents a default maximum srcset image width of 2,048 pixels.
Responsive markup reduces unnecessary downloads, but it cannot restore detail that was absent from the original or removed by a crop. Make sure the generated largest variant is wide enough for your largest real display, and test with browser developer tools on a narrow phone, a standard desktop, and a high-density screen.
When to change the limit
If your theme displays a featured image wider than 2,048 pixels or serves a high-density version at that size, review the max_srcset_image_width setting with your developer. Increasing it creates larger files and storage costs; lowering it can soften large displays. Change it only after measuring the actual template and performance impact.
Tell search and social systems which image represents the post
Google can use schema.org image markup or the og:image meta tag as signals when selecting a representative preview. Set the preferred image consistently in your SEO or theme settings, and ensure the URL is crawlable. Metadata is a signal, not a command: Google’s selection remains automated.
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Use a real article image rather than a logo, keep the subject relevant, and avoid putting essential information only in tiny overlay text. Test the final canonical URL after publishing so the metadata points to the same image visitors see.
File-format and design checks
- Format: Use JPEG, WebP, or PNG according to your CMS and image content. Photographs generally compress more efficiently than transparent graphics.
- Color and detail: Export in sRGB, check gradients for banding, and inspect hairline text at the smallest intended preview.
- Focal point: Leave breathing room around the subject because archive cards may crop more tightly than the article header.
- Accessibility: Write useful alternative text for the image’s purpose; do not repeat a headline word-for-word when the image adds different information.
- Performance: Compress without destroying legibility, serve responsive variants, and avoid uploading a needlessly huge original.
Common problems and fixes
The image is blurry in the header
Cause: the theme is requesting a derivative smaller than the rendered slot, or the original is too small. Fix: inspect the requested URL and dimensions, then provide a larger source or register an appropriate theme size.
The subject is cut off in cards
Cause: a hard crop uses a different ratio from the original. Fix: reposition the focal subject toward the safe center, create a composition that tolerates the crop, or change the registered crop if you control the theme.
Discover shows a logo or an unexpected image
Cause: multiple images or weak representative-image signals are available. Fix: use a relevant landscape featured image, set consistent schema.org and og:image values, and remove generic alternatives where your SEO setup permits. Selection is still automated.
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Mobile pages download oversized files
Cause: missing or incorrect srcset/sizes markup, or a theme serving the full original. Fix: inspect the HTML, regenerate missing derivatives, and correct the theme’s responsive image functions.
The image meets Discover dimensions but receives no traffic
Discover eligibility is not distribution. Relevance, quality, user interest, and Google’s automated systems also affect whether an item appears.
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FAQ
Is 1200×628 the required featured-image size?
No. That ratio may suit some social cards, but Google Discover’s stated target is a relevant 16:9 image at least 1,200 pixels wide and above 300,000 total pixels. Your theme may require another ratio.
Should every featured image be 1280×720?
No. It is an example that satisfies Google Discover’s pixel guidance, not a universal WordPress or social-platform requirement.
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Yes, if your theme is designed for square cards and Discover is not your target surface. A square source may be cropped poorly by a landscape template.
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