Understanding Image Display Issues in Google Discover: A Guide for Content Publishers
In recent times, content creators and website owners have observed fluctuations in their Google Discover traffic – notably, a decline in large image previews that previously enhanced visibility and Engagement. This article delves into the intricacies of how Google Discover selects images for preview, explores common pitfalls, and offers best practices to ensure your images qualify for prominent display.
What Is Google Discover’s Image Requirement?
Google’s guidelines specify that images intended for large preview in Discover should ideally be at least 1200 pixels wide. This ensures clarity and visual impact when displayed as large thumbnails. However, fulfilling this minimum does not always guarantee large previews; understanding how Google interprets your image markup is essential.
Analyzing Common Image Markup Structures
Consider the following example from a website that previously performed well in Discover:
HTML
<img data-lazyloaded="1" data-placeholder-resp="640x360" src="..." fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-352309" data-src="https://web.archive.org/.../alobal-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="360" data-srcset="https://web.archive.org/.../alobal-1024x576.jpg 1024w, ... " data-sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />
In this case, despite referencing a 1024px-wide image in data-srcset, the width attribute is set to 640px, and sizes limits display to a maximum of 640px. Historically, Google recognized these as large images because the actual source image exceeded 1200px in at least some srcset entries.
Contrast this with a current example where the markup looks like:
HTML
<img src="https://web.archive.org/.../vytvorte-si-kamenne-ostruvky-1024x549.jpg" width="640" height="343" srcset="https://web.archive.org/.../vytvorte-si-kamenne-ostruvky-1024x549.jpg 1024w, ..." sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" />
Here, even though srcset includes images up to 1844px, the width and sizes attributes restrict the displayed