Are you one of the many who have signed up for WordPress and is in the process of sprucing up your custom website? Thanks to the easy to use software interface, building a site with no coding knowledge is possible. While WP can help users to set up shop in a matter of minutes with the free themes, it is up to the site owner to come up with engaging and riveting content for the site’s visitors. A common practice amongst the community these days is to include an image-rich blog section within the website.
Blogs are an excellent way not only to provide additional information that is still in keeping with the site’s main objective or service being rendered, but it also creates better connections with readers. Just by looking at other blogs, it is plain to see how images impact reader interest. Thus, it is essential to include photos in posts. Furthermore, it is equally vital to have the right balance of pictures and verbiage. Selecting a featured image is one of the best tricks to attract readers and also sum up what the post is all about.
By assigning a primary or featured image from each post, it functions as a header or thumbnail visible in search pages and archives. Adding featured images is simple enough with the option available and in plain view on the post’s sidebar. Now, what if you prefer the featured image not to show up in the actual content? What if you prefer to have it hidden for the most part? Here are a handful of things you can do to achieve that.
Pick A Theme
Themes on WordPress come in different shapes, sizes, colors, and formats. Some themes are free to use, and some are available for a fee. Themes, for the most part, are customizable. Simple tweaks can be done just by ticking a box or installing an extension.
When it comes to removing featured images, hands down the quickest way to ensure that your primary photos do not show up is to opt for a theme that does not display it. Granted, this solution best fits users who are not invested in a particular theme or have only recently signed up for a WP account. Otherwise, it can mess up the content of your site if you suddenly decide to switch themes. In general, it is a quick fix that anyone can implement on their site.
Input Some CSS
If, for example, you or the site’s owner has no intention of changing a perfectly functioning theme just for the quick fix of finding featured images, then tinker with the codes a little. Individuals with some CSS knowledge best execute this method, but if you are relatively patient, it can be done with a bit of trial and error. Just copy-paste your unedited code first onto a notepad document. Use this as a backup, which you can paste back onto your WordPress should your initial attempt go awry.
- First, create a post and include a primary image.
- Now open the post, hover over the featured photo, and right-click on it.
- Select “Inspect” option
- Look for the CSS element that is related to this image.
- Open the CSS file that corresponds to it.
- Add an attribute to this element — display: none;
- Save the CSS file.
- Refresh the page.
- You should no longer see any of the featured photos on any of the posts on the site.
Use A Plugin
Plugins exist for allowing the automatic display of featured images on posts. It, therefore, makes perfect sense that there are also plugins that exist to help hide these same pictures. One such example is the Hide Featured Image plugin. This tool is perfect for everybody, yes, including those with only necessary computer skills under their belt. Here is how to get started.
Search for the plugin under the WP section dedicated to it. Several similar tools will show up, make sure you select Hide Featured Image, or you can try the other alternatives as well. Just check the user comments to see if you are getting the right tool and also to read other user feedback on the plugin you are looking to install. Once you have found a plugin to your liking follow these steps
- Look for the “install” button and click on it. The plugin should begin installing without any further prodding.
- Once installed, click the “activate” plugin.
- Look for the Post section on your dashboard and open the post you want to edit.
- The Show/Hide Featured Image option should be visible at the bottom of the page
- Now, pick the option “hide the featured image.”
- Save your changes, and you are done!
This method works best on single post-editing. There are, however, plugins that work to hide all featured photos. All it takes is to do a bit of searching until you find one that best works for your overall needs.
In Conclusion
There is no one size fits all approach to content creation or site-building. Most of it is a process of trial and error to find a balance that you are happy with and the site visitors are appreciative of. With that in mind, some users prefer having their featured images hidden away from the actual content of a post; this is to avoid a cluttered and disorganize appearance.
Of course, others like prefer having them displayed along with the rest of the photos in a particular content post. Again, there is no specific format; rather, it boils down to personal preference as well as the type of visitors a site attracts.
Regardless, the solutions provided above are the simplest and so far the most effective means to do away with primary images appearing anywhere else besides in the thumbnail. Even if you prefer to keep your featured pictures within the post, knowing how to hide them may come in handy one day.
