If you run into a problem not dealt with in this article, go online and search for WordPress forums. The more you work with it, the easier it becomes. There’s a good chance you’ll find what you need.Ĭreating and placing a header image can be a challenging process in WordPress, especially if you don’t have much experience with the software. If you have a particular vision in mind, and can’t seem to achieve it through the included settings, search the plugin database. For example, you can choose how fast or slow the images change, as well as different effects that transition from one image to the next. Most slider plugins offer a dizzying array of control. The problem is that the native function offers absolutely zero choices other than on or off. At first glance, it might seem redundant with the “randomize headers” button already natively included in WordPress. Header Image Slider PluginsĪ header image slider is a particular kind of plugin that rotates different headers on your website. This might make it appear that the old header is showing but you just happened to look at the page at a particular point in the rotation when the old image was featured. If you have more than one header image uploaded, you might have forgotten to unclick the “randomize headers” button. This tells the host to serve the latest version.ģ. Go to the home page of your website and reload the page. Sometimes the server doesn’t reload the newest version of the web page. You forget to click “save and publish” after uploading a new image.Ģ. Here are the most common troubleshooting issues:ġ. The good news is that there are only a few things that can go wrong with the process that is under your control. This can happen to a newbie or salty old WordPress dog alike. One of the most frustrating issues with header images is when one doesn’t show up as anticipated. You can narrow the list by adding other limiters to your search. Enter the word “header” in the “search plugins” box, and you’ll get a list of approximately 3,000 choices. Click on “Plugins” and “add new.” This gets you to a searchable database of all the plugins available. If that turns out to be the case as you’re designing your website, head to the left side of the dashboard. The truth is that as awesome of a content management system as WordPress is, sometimes the header options feel pretty limited. As a quick glance in the plugin section of the dashboard reveals, there are plenty of header plugins that expand and sometimes improve upon the out-of-the-box WordPress header choices. Plugins are small programs written to perform a particular function. If it’s smaller, WordPress will stretch it out to fit the prescribed header area, usually creating a pixelated effect in the process. If you’re going to err in one direction, it’s probably better to use an image larger than the suggestion rather than smaller. It’s a good idea to use the recommended size to ensure your image is clear, not hazy and chopped off. The good news is you can open up the header customization area as described in the previous section and find a size recommendation. The optimal dimensions depend on upon which theme you use and, drilling down even more, which width is setting you to implement for that particular theme. Once inside the WordPress dashboard area, navigate the left sidebar down to where you click on “Appearance,” then “header.”įrom there it’s a simple matter to hide or delete the current header and choose to upload a new one either from your WordPress media library or computer. Step 1 – On your WordPress dashboard -> Under Appearance -> Header The most basic change you can make to a header image and probably one of the first things you’ll want to do is swap out the default image that comes bundled with WordPress and insert your own.
If you are looking to change your logo that appears in the header area, there’s another guide that helps you add a logo to your WordPress Header How to Change a WordPress Header Image Right here, right now, we offer all you ever wanted to know about the WordPress header image. You may have had issues when working with header images in the past, but those days are long gone. Though it seems that creating and uploading a header image should be a simple process (and it is), there are several decisions to make along the way. As a website owner, it’s your chance to fly high or die. As the first thing you see on a WordPress website, the header image forms a visitor’s initial impression of the level of content quality he or she is about to consume.