Would you like to make a featured image the default in WordPress?
Featured photos (also known as post thumbnails) are used by many themes to make your content more interesting and attention-grabbing. However, choosing the proper featured image for each article might take time, and if you neglect to do so, your postings will appear incomplete.
We’ll show you how to fix this in this article by using a default featured image in WordPress.
Why Use a Featured Image as the Default in WordPress?
The featured image, often known as a thumbnail image, is the main image in your WordPress posts and pages.
Featured photos are supported by all major WordPress themes by default.
However, you can forget to include a featured image in your postings from time to time. If you have other authors contributing to your site, they might not appreciate the significance and forget to include a featured image.
Featured photos are commonly used across several locations in WordPress themes. If you omit to include a featured image, your website’s design will be riddled with holes, including in key areas like your blog archive and homepage.
In the image below, you can see how OptinMonster displays featured photographs on their blog index.
Images are also more interesting than simple text. Posts without a featured image may receive fewer traffic and convert at a lesser rate.
Setting a default featured picture in WordPress is a smart idea with that mind. When no featured image is available, this provides your site with something to show.
How to Make a Featured Image Default in WordPress
The Default Featured Image plugin is the simplest way to set a default featured image. The WordPress Media page now has a new setting where you may post a fallback featured image.
The Default Featured Image plugin must first be installed and activated. Please review our step-by-step instruction on how to install a WordPress plugin if you need assistance.
Go to Settings » Media after activation. After that, simply select the ‘Select default featured image’ button.
You can now upload a new file or choose a picture from the WordPress media library.
Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click ‘Save Changes’ after selecting your backup.
If you don’t submit a featured picture for any posts or pages, WordPress will use the image you choose as your default thumbnail.
You can change the default image at any time by following the steps outlined above.
Simply go to Settings » Media if you no longer want to utilize the default featured image. Then select ‘Don’t use a default featured image’ from the drop-down menu.
When you’re finished, remember to click ‘Save Changes.’
How to Make a Featured Image Default on Social Media
Social networking networks are an excellent way to reach out to new readers, establish a following, and increase site traffic. You’ll need to post interesting and engaging content to your social media profiles to do this.
Your post’s featured image can also attract more people to visit your site.
When you publish your material on social media sites, however, your featured image is not automatically shown. They may even display the incorrect thumbnail.
With that in mind, you might wish to create a standard featured image for each social networking platform. If a post is shared without a unique featured image, these platforms will fall back to this fallback.
We propose using the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin for this.
AIOSEO is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market, with over 3 million websites using it, including WPBeginner. It comes with the most user-friendly and comprehensive SEO toolbox to assist you in optimizing your WordPress blog or website for search engines.
We’ll be using AIOSEO’s free version for this post.
The AIOSEO plugin must first be installed and activated in WordPress. Please visit our tutorial on how to install a WordPress plugin for more information.
The plugin will launch the setup wizard after activation. Simply click the ‘Let’s Get Started’ button and follow the onscreen instructions to configure the plugin. If you need assistance, see our guide on how to set up All in One SEO in WordPress effectively.
After that, navigate to All in One SEO » Social Networks.
Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest have their own tabs now. These tabs allow you to specify a different default image for each platform.
Let’s take a look at how you may make Facebook’s default featured image. Click the ‘Facebook’ tab to get started.
Open the ‘Default Post Image Source’ dropdown after that.
After that, select ‘Default Image (Set Below).’
Then go for the area titled “Default Post Facebook Image.”
Here are some pointers for making sure your photograph appears fantastic when it’s shared on Facebook.
Click the ‘Upload or Select Image’ button to set your default featured image.
The WordPress media library is now online. You can now upload a new file or select an image from your media library.
Finally, press the ‘Save Changes’ key. If no featured image is available after this step, Facebook will use this image instead.
Simply select the ‘Twitter’ or ‘Pinterest’ tab to set a default image for Twitter or Pinterest. After that, you can choose a fallback image using the same procedure as before.
We hope this post taught you how to use a plugin to set a default featured picture in WordPress.
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