What is The Best Image Size For an Article
Choosing the right image size for articles can make a huge difference in how your content looks, loads, and performs online.
The wrong dimensions can lead to slow loading times, blurry visuals, or poor social media sharing previews.
In this guide, we’ll break down the best image sizes for blog posts, how to optimize them for speed, and the top mistakes to avoid. Whether you’re looking for the ideal size for featured images or general in-content visuals, this article has you covered.
Why image size matters for articles: The key to better engagement
Choosing the right article image size is crucial for engagement, readability, and website performance. Images that are too small may appear pixelated, while oversized images can slow down page load times. Properly sized and optimized images enhance the visual appeal of your content and improve user experience.
A well-sized image can also impact search engine rankings. Optimized images reduce bounce rates and encourage users to spend more time on your site, indirectly boosting your SEO. Using the best image size for articles ensures clarity and professionalism, helping your content stand out.
In essence, choosing the right image size for your articles is important for several reasons:
✅ Visual clarity and professionalism: Images that are too small can appear pixelated or blurry, while oversized images can take up too much space. Properly sized images ensure clarity and professionalism, making your content visually appealing.
✅ Page load speed: Large, unoptimized images can significantly slow down your website’s loading time. According to a study by Google, 53% of mobile users abandon a site if it takes longer than three seconds to load. Optimized images help maintain fast load times, reducing bounce rates and keeping readers engaged.
✅ SEO benefits: Search engines like Google consider page speed and user experience as ranking factors. Optimized images contribute to improved image SEO, and faster loading times, which can improve your search engine rankings.
✅ Social media sharing: When your article is shared on social media platforms, the featured image often serves as the preview. If the image size is incorrect, it may appear cropped or distorted, reducing its effectiveness in attracting clicks.
Best dimensions for article images
The ideal image size for blog posts depends on the layout of your website.
However, here are some general recommendations:
- Featured images: 1200 x 630 pixels (good for social sharing and blog post previews)
- In-content images: 1000 x 600 pixels or 1200 x 800 pixels
- Full-width images: 1920 x 1080 pixels (for high-resolution displays)
These article image dimensions strike a balance between clarity and load speed while ensuring compatibility across different screen sizes.
As shown in the screenshot above, our blog has a maximum width of 1000 pixels, making 1000px the ideal width for featured images. For a balanced horizontal ratio, the height should be around 550-600px. This aspect ratio ensures that smaller thumbnails display well on the main blog page.
Image resolutions and formats: What you need to know
The best image resolution for articles should be 72 PPI (pixels per inch) for web use.
Unlike print images, which require 300 PPI, web images can maintain good quality at lower resolutions while keeping file sizes small.
As for formats, consider these options:
- JPEG: Best for general blog images due to its balance between quality and compression.
- PNG: Ideal for images with transparency but can be larger in file size.
- WebP: Recommended for modern web performance, offering high quality with better compression.
Using the right format ensures your images load quickly and appear crisp on all devices.
How to optimize image sizes for faster loading
Image optimization for articles is essential to prevent slow-loading pages, which can frustrate readers and harm SEO.
Here’s how you can compress article images without sacrificing quality:
- Use online compression tools like ShortPixel.
- Choose the right format (JPEG for most cases). Serve next-gen formats like WebP and AVIF when supported for better compression and quality.
- Resize pictures before uploading to avoid serving unnecessarily large files.
- Enable lazy loading to load images only when they are needed.
- Use a content delivery network (CDN) to distribute images efficiently.
For WordPress users, you can use ShortPixel Image Optimizer to compress the images, resize them, create WebP/AVIF, and serve them from a CDN.
Following these steps will ensure your image size for faster loading and enhance performance while keeping visuals sharp.
Customizing image sizes for different platforms
Different platforms have different requirements when it comes to recommended image size for websites.
Here’s a breakdown of the ideal image sizes for different platforms:
- X (Twitter) – 1200 x 675 pixels
- LinkedIn – 1200 x 628 pixels
- Facebook – 1200 x 630 pixels
- Instagram – 1080 x 1080 pixels
- Pinterest – 1000 x 1500 pixels
Optimizing your article image size guide for these platforms ensures your images display properly when shared.
Mobile optimization for article images
With most users accessing content on mobile devices, optimizing image dimensions for blog posts for mobile is really important. Here’s what to consider:
- Use responsive images (that adapt sizes for different screens). WordPress users can achieve this using a solution like ShortPixel Adaptive Images.
- Keep image widths at 100% to fit different devices.
- Use next-gen formats like AVIF and WebP for efficient compression and fast loading.
- Test images on multiple devices to ensure they appear correctly.
Mobile optimization ensures that users have a smooth browsing experience without unnecessary delays caused by oversized images.
Top mistakes when choosing image sizes for articles
Here are some common mistakes to avoid when selecting the optimal size for article images:
❌ Uploading full-resolution images
When you upload large, high-resolution images directly to your website, it increases page load time significantly.
This not only affects user experience but can also hurt your SEO rankings.
To avoid this, always resize your images according to the size they will be displayed on your page.
❌ Using the wrong format
While PNGs are excellent for images with transparency or simple graphics, they aren’t ideal for high-resolution photos.
JPEGs or WebP formats tend to offer smaller file sizes without sacrificing quality for photos.
❌ Ignoring mobile responsiveness
Images that look great on desktop may not scale well on mobile devices.
It’s important to use responsive images that adjust to the size of the user’s screen.
❌ Over-compressing images
While it’s tempting to compress images as much as possible to save space, over-compression can degrade image quality, leading to poor visuals.
Use tools like ShortPixel to find the right balance between file size and image quality.
❌ Not naming files properly
Descriptive file names help search engines understand your content better, boosting your SEO.
Instead of generic names like “IMG_12345.jpg,” use a file name that describes the image, such as “perfect-image-size-for-article-optimization.jpg.” To learn more about how image names affect SEO, visit our post on image SEO best practices.
By avoiding these pitfalls, you ensure that your best size for featured images enhances both user experience and website performance.
Conclusion
Selecting the best image size for articles involves finding the right balance between clarity, load speed, and compatibility.
Following the article image size guide provided above will help improve engagement, SEO rankings, and overall site performance.
Whether you’re optimizing for desktop or mobile, proper image sizing is a key factor in delivering high-quality content to your audience.
FAQs
What is the best size for a featured image in an article?
The best size for a featured image in an article is 1200 x 630 pixels, as it works well for most websites and social media previews.
What resolution should article images have?
Article images should have a resolution of 72 PPI for web use, ensuring clear visuals without unnecessary file size bloat.
What is the difference between image size and file size?
Image size refers to the dimensions (width and height in pixels), while file size is the amount of storage space the image takes up (measured in KB or MB).
Should I use PNG or JPEG for article images?
JPEG is usually better for article images since it offers good quality with smaller file sizes, while PNG is best for images requiring transparency.
How can I compress article images without losing quality?
You can compress article images without losing quality using tools like ShortPixel, which reduces file size while preserving clarity.
How do I know if my image is too large?
An image is too large if it slows down page loading, takes up excessive storage (over 1MB in most cases), or doesn’t fit properly within your website’s layout.
