There is no single required size for every website post image. For a general blog header, 1200 × 800 pixels (3:2) is a useful starting point; for a wide hero, start with 1280 × 720 pixels (16:9). If you want an image to be eligible for Google Discover’s large-image recommendations, Google calls for at least 1200 pixels of width, more than 300,000 total pixels, and a 16:9 aspect ratio. The right choice still depends on where the image appears and how your theme crops it.
Recommended image sizes by placement
Choose dimensions for the image’s job—not just because a content platform has a familiar default. A post header, homepage card, banner, and image inside an article may each use a different shape. These dimensions are starting recommendations, not universal requirements.
| Placement | Starting dimensions | Aspect ratio | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| General blog header | 1200 × 800 px | 3:2 | Shopify’s 2026 guide recommends this for blog images; check your theme’s crop. |
| Wide hero | 1280 × 720 px | 16:9 | Shopify’s 2026 guide recommendation; the layout may need another crop. |
| Website banner | 1200 × 400 px desktop; 360 × 120 px mobile | 3:1 | Shopify’s general 2026 guidance; responsive layouts may call for adjustment. |
| Small thumbnail or card | 300 × 300 px desktop; 90 × 90 px mobile | 1:1 | Shopify’s broad website recommendation, not a rule for every CMS. |
| Google Discover candidate image | At least 1200 px wide and more than 300,000 total pixels | 16:9 recommended | Google’s Discover recommendation; it does not guarantee selection or traffic. |
| WordPress featured image | Theme-specific | Theme-specific | WordPress themes can register custom sizes and crop behavior. |
For a new blog, 1200 × 800 is a reasonable header-image starting point. If Discover matters and the header crop is not 16:9, supply a separate 16:9 image as the preferred Discover image rather than forcing one crop to serve every placement.
What size should a blog post or featured image be?
For a general blog post header, start at 1200 × 800 pixels (3:2), the blog-image recommendation in Shopify’s 2026 guide. It offers enough dimensions for many typical header placements, but the number is not a platform-wide standard. Your content theme may display the uploaded image at a different width, crop its edges, or use a separate image for archive cards.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors“Featured image” describes a role in a publishing system, not a guaranteed set of pixel dimensions. In WordPress, for example, the theme controls how a featured image is requested and displayed. The same upload may feed a post header and an archive thumbnail with different crops. Inspect both rather than assuming the post view tells the whole story.
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What image size works for Google Discover?
Google’s Discover guidance, last updated March 9, 2026, recommends a relevant image at least 1200 pixels wide, with more than 300,000 total pixels and a 16:9 aspect ratio. Its example, 1280 × 720 pixels, has 921,600 total pixels. That example exceeds the stated pixel-area recommendation, but satisfying the dimensions does not guarantee that Google will select the image or show the page in Discover.
Make the preferred image clear
Google says to identify a relevant, representative image using og:image or schema.org markup, and to enable large image previews with max-image-preview:large or use AMP. Avoid relying on a generic logo or a text-heavy graphic as the page’s representative image. If you crop the image yourself, keep important details within the landscape crop so they remain visible when displayed in a wide preview.
Google Search image selection is automated too. Specifying a preferred image can help indicate which image represents the page, but it does not mean that Google will show that image in every search surface.
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How WordPress image sizes and crops work
WordPress’s Theme Handbook documents these default generated image sizes, while noting that they are configurable:
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- Thumbnail: 150 × 150 px maximum.
- Medium: 300 × 300 px maximum.
- Medium-large: 768 px wide, with no height limit.
- Large: 1024 × 1024 px maximum.
- Full: the original uploaded image.
These are generated-size defaults, not a universal featured-image prescription. A theme can register its own sizes and choose whether to crop to exact proportions or resize proportionally. Check the active theme’s image settings and preview the result on an actual post and an archive or category page. If the theme has no clearly documented setting, inspect the rendered page at desktop and mobile widths before standardizing your uploads.
How to choose and check a size for your site
- List the placements. Note whether the image appears in the article header, a card, a banner, or the article body. Record which placements use a distinct crop.
- Find the display shape. Look at the real page or the active theme’s settings. A wide hero, square card, and 3:2 header need different compositions even when they originate from the same photo.
- Choose a source image and crop. Use the placement recommendations above as a starting point. Keep the subject and any important detail away from edges likely to be removed by responsive cropping.
- Preview actual layouts. Inspect the published post, the relevant archive or card, and a mobile viewport. Check that the focal point remains visible and that the image does not look unexpectedly stretched or cropped.
- Adjust and deliver responsively. If one image cannot serve both a wide hero and a square card well, provide separate crops where your theme allows it. Use responsive image delivery and reasonable compression rather than sending a larger file than the display needs.
The uploaded dimensions and the rendered dimensions do not have to match. Shopify’s guidance notes that rendered images are generally smaller than their uploads and that responsive design can require adjustments. Judge the result in the layout, not by comparing the file dimensions to the browser width alone.
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Dimensions, file weight, and page speed
A wider or taller source image can preserve detail when a layout needs it, but unnecessary pixel data also increases what a visitor may have to download. Google recommends responsive image techniques and optimization; Shopify also cautions that large images can slow pages. Deliver an appropriately sized, optimized image while retaining enough resolution for its actual display. The cited guidance does not establish one file-size target that suits every image, layout, and connection.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchDo not solve a slow page by shrinking every source image blindly: first identify which version is delivered at each viewport and whether the page is using the intended crop and dimensions. Conversely, a large upload is not automatically useful if the theme renders it as a small card.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Preview the published crop with ScreenshotNeo
When you need to inspect a live post at a particular viewport, ScreenshotNeo can capture the rendered page so you can check whether the subject survives the theme’s crop. This checks the displayed result; it does not choose the correct source dimensions for you.
For example, capture your published post with one GET request (replace the URL with your page):
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com/blog/post -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo API documentation for request options. ScreenshotNeo removes cookie-consent banners, newsletter popups, and chat widgets before capture; each step can be turned off. Bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are not billed, and response headers identify the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server offers screenshot tools for AI agents. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 screenshots. Sign up for free ScreenshotNeo screenshots.
Common image-sizing problems and fixes
- The subject is cut off on mobile: the responsive layout may crop a wide source image more tightly at a narrow breakpoint. Preview the mobile view and reposition the focal point or provide a separate crop.
- The post header looks right but the archive card does not: the theme may use a separate generated size or crop for cards. Check the archive layout and theme image-size settings rather than changing the header image alone.
- A WordPress image appears at unexpected dimensions: a theme-registered size or crop rule may be controlling the output. Check the active theme’s settings and inspect both post and archive views.
- A Discover candidate does not meet Google’s recommendation: check that the preferred image is at least 1200 pixels wide, exceeds 300,000 total pixels, and uses a 16:9 ratio. Then verify that the page identifies it as representative and permits a large preview. These steps still do not ensure Discover inclusion.
- The page feels slow after adding large images: check which image version is delivered at each screen size and optimize delivery. Do not assume a single maximum file size applies to every page.
Which size should you use?
For an ordinary blog header, begin with 1200 × 800 pixels and verify the theme’s crop on desktop and mobile. Choose a 1280 × 720 pixel crop for a wide hero, and use Google’s 16:9, 1200-pixel-wide, more-than-300,000-pixel-area recommendation when preparing an image for Discover. Treat WordPress featured-image dimensions as theme-dependent, and use a separate crop when one source image cannot serve both a header and a card cleanly.
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