Open a current archive or homepage listing and note its image shape and text length. A featured image may appear in the post template, a Query Loop or neither, depending on the design. Social-sharing previews can use separate metadata from an SEO plugin, so do not assume every platform displays exactly the same result.

1. Edit the post and open its document settings sidebar.
2. Choose the featured-image control and select a suitable Media Library image. Use an image you can legally publish and review its alternative text where relevant.
3. Write a concise excerpt describing what readers will learn or achieve. Avoid repeating a vague sales phrase across every post.
4. Save or update the post, then inspect it in the actual archive or listing.

Check the image at both desktop and phone widths. Keep important subjects away from edges likely to be cropped. If the theme generates a particular thumbnail size, an older upload may need the relevant size regenerated after a design change.

Read the excerpt outside the full article's context. It should make sense on its own and avoid misleading promises. If a listing ignores the manual excerpt, inspect the template or plugin controlling that listing; it may display full content or generate its own shortened text.

If the template already displays the featured image above the content, adding the same image as the first content block may produce an unwanted duplicate. Decide whether both are intentional before deleting either one.

When replacing a featured image, check caches and any separate social metadata. A cached external preview can remain old even when WordPress is correct. Keep the post URL stable and correct the relevant image or metadata source rather than republishing the article as a second page just to force a different preview.

• Choosing image sizes and preventing blurry displays
• Customising the single-post template
• Using the Query Loop block for a curated post list
• Adding buttons and checking their destinations

• WordPress: Page Post Settings Sidebar
• WordPress: What Is An Excerpt Block Editor
• WordPress: Post Featured Image Block