Images are a major part of the look and feel of your site. But how do you add images to your WordPress pages and posts? Let us be your guide.
There are couple ways to get an image into your WordPress website. You can upload an image from your computer to your Media Library or you can paste in a URL from somewhere else on the Internet to your Media Library.
However, we do not recommend that you ever just paste in a URL from somewhere else on the Internet. What if the site where that image is from goes down? What if they reorganize their images? You’ll be left with a sad little broken image link box.
We always recommend uploading your images from your computer. If you’ve found an image on the web that you’re going to use (legally, I hope!), then save it to your computer and upload it from there.
Uploading Images
So let’s say you’ve written a post for your WordPress blog. This particular post features some great content about home candle making. You run a local artisan home goods boutique, and are always trying to share great DIY ideas with your audience. There is simply no way for this to be an effective or interesting post without visuals. Thankfully it’s easy to add images!
Option One: Drag it Into Your Text Editor
The easiest way to add a photo is to drag it into your text editor. Note: The photo will appear where your cursor is stationed, not the specific point where it’s been dropped.
Option Two: Click the “Add Media” Button
You can also add the image using the “Add Media” button. If you look to the top of your text editor there is a button towards the left that says “Add Media.” Clicking on this will pull up the Media Library, which is the library of all the files you’ve uploaded since you started your WordPress site.
If you’ve already uploaded the image you’d like to add to your post or page, find it by searching for the title or by looking through the images available. Once you have it, select it by clicking on it.
If you haven’t already uploaded the image, go to the tab on the left that reads “Upload Files.” From there you may either drag and drop images from your computer to the window or choose “Select Files.” You will then be able to choose which image you’d like in your post from a pop-up window showing all the files on your computer.
On this screen, you can bulk-add multiple images, which is handy if you’re creating an image gallery.
Once you’ve uploaded your image, select the one you would like to insert in this post. When an image is selected, you will see some options to the right of the library.
Here, you…
- Specify a Title for Your Image
We recommend using a descriptive title that includes keywords. - Add a Caption
Have fun with your captions! - Specify Alt Text
Alt text is essential for search engines and visually impaired visitors. It should describe the content of the photo. If the photo contains text, it is absolutely essential that the text be included in the alt text. - Add a Description
Also good for search engines, the description can be the same as the alt text or the caption. It’s a great place to stick some additional keywords!
Attachment Display Options
These last options are where you specify the alignment, link and size.
Alignment
You have four different options for how your image is aligned:
- Left
Your image will be on the left and any text content will wrap around it to the right - Centered
Your image will be centered without content on either side - Right
Your image will be on the right and any text content will will wrap around it to the left - None
Your image will be on the left and there will be no content on the right side (this is our least favorite option)
Link
This option specifies what happens when a visitor clicks on your image.
- Media File
If you choose media file, then the image will open its own tab, or in a lightbox if you have a lightbox set up like we do in our demo image gallery. - Attachment Page
Choosing Attachment Page will open the image on its own page of your site complete with its title and description. If you have comments and sharing buttons enabled on media files, visitors can comment and/or share your image. - Custom URL
This option lets you specify where the image will link to. You could, for instance, link your image to your portfolio if you were a photographer. - None
Choose None if you don’t want your image to be clickable at all.
Size
The final option is the size, where you choose whether to insert your photo at full-size, medium, large or as a thumbnail.
Note that if you uploaded an image straight from your phone or camera, it might be very big. If that’s the case, definitely do not insert it at full-size or you will slow your site’s load time substantially.
Last Step: Choose “Insert into Post” or “Insert into Page”
Voila! Your image is inserted. Note that your image is inserted where your cursor was when you first hit the “Add Media” button. Want to move it? No problem. Just drag it to where you want it, or remove it and add it again. The title, alt text, caption and description will be saved but you will need to respecify the Attachment Display Options.
Once you have uploaded something to the Media Library, it will remain there. You will be able to reuse everything you’ve uploaded, unless you delete it at a later time.
How easy was that? So easy, right?
If you have any questions on how to add images to your WordPress pages and posts, let us know in the comments!
