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Why Yoast SEO Images Aren't Showing Correctly in Search and Social Media

28 threads Sep 7, 2025 Plugin → Yoast seo

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If you're troubleshooting why your images aren't appearing as expected in Google search results or on social media platforms like Facebook and X (Twitter), you're not alone. This is a common issue reported by many users of the Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress. The problem can manifest in several ways: the wrong image showing up, no image at all, or images from your media library being indexed when you don't want them to be.

This guide will walk you through the most common reasons for these image-related issues and provide step-by-step solutions to get your visuals displaying correctly.

Understanding How Yoast SEO Chooses Images

Before diving into fixes, it's crucial to understand the hierarchy the Yoast SEO plugin uses to select an image for a page. It will choose the first available image in this order:

  1. A user-defined social image (Facebook or Twitter/X) in the social tab of the Yoast SEO meta box on the post edit screen.
  2. The post's or page's Featured Image.
  3. Images found within the post's main content area.
  4. The default site-wide image set in WordPress > Yoast SEO > Settings > General > Site Basics.

This hierarchy means a social image you set will always override the featured image, which itself overrides any images in the content.

Common Image Issues and Their Solutions

1. The Wrong Image is Showing in Previews

Why it happens: The most frequent cause is having multiple conflicting Open Graph (og:image) tags in your page's source code. This can happen if another plugin or your theme is also generating social meta tags, confusing platforms like Facebook when they try to choose an image.

How to fix it:

  • Check the page source: Right-click on your page and select "View Page Source." Search (Ctrl+F) for og:image. You should only see one tag generated by Yoast SEO. If you see multiple, you have a conflict.
  • Perform a conflict check: Deactivate all plugins except Yoast SEO and switch to a default WordPress theme (like Twenty Twenty-Four). If the issue is resolved, reactivate your plugins and theme one by one to identify the culprit. Once found, configure the conflicting software to stop outputting Open Graph tags, as Yoast SEO is already handling this.

2. No Image Appears After Changing a Featured Image

Why it happens: Social media platforms and search engines cache (save) the preview information for a URL. If you change the image but the old one still appears, it's almost always due to this caching.

How to fix it:

  • Facebook/X Debugger: Use the Facebook Sharing Debugger or the X Card Validator. Enter your URL and click "Scrape Again" or "Preview" to force the platform to clear its cache and fetch new data.
  • Google Search Console: If it's a Google Search issue, use the URL Inspection Tool to request a re-index of the specific page.
  • Reset Yoast's Indexables: In some cases, Yoast's internal data might need a reset. You can do this safely by installing the "Yoast Test Helper" plugin, going to Tools > Yoast Test, and clicking "Reset indexables tables & migrations."

3. Media/Attachment Pages are Being Indexed by Google

Why it happens: By default, WordPress creates a dedicated page (an attachment URL) for every image you upload. If these pages are not disabled, search engines can index them, creating thin, low-value content in search results.

How to fix it:

  • Ensure the setting is disabled in WordPress > Yoast SEO > Settings > Advanced > Media Pages. The option "Redirect attachment URLs to the attachment itself?" should be set to "Yes." This is the default behavior of the plugin and prevents media pages from being indexed.
  • For other file types like PDFs, this redirect method does not work as they are not served through WordPress. To prevent them from being indexed, you need to add an X-Robots-Tag header to your server configuration (e.g., in your .htaccess file for Apache servers).

4. Favicon/Site Icon Not Showing in Google Search Results

Why it happens: Contrary to what some themes might suggest, the Yoast SEO plugin does not control the favicon (the small icon in browser tabs and search results). This is managed entirely by your WordPress theme or through the WordPress customizer.

How to fix it:

  • Upload your favicon in Appearance > Customize > Site Identity (the path may vary slightly by theme).
  • Google determines when and how to display this icon in search results. There is no setting in Yoast SEO to influence this. You must ensure it is set correctly in WordPress and then wait for Google to update its cache.

5. Yoast Says My Images Are Missing Alt Text (When They Aren't)

Why it happens: This specific Yoast SEO analysis warning is often misunderstood. The message "images on this page do not have alt attributes with at least half of the words from your keyphrase" does not mean there is no alt text. It means the alt text that is present does not contain your focus keyphrase, which the plugin suggests could improve SEO.

How to fix it: You can safely ignore this warning if you have descriptive alt text for accessibility purposes and do not wish to stuff your keyphrase into every image description. It is a suggestion, not an error.

When the Issue Is Beyond Yoast SEO

It's important to remember that Yoast SEO outputs the correct schema and meta tags to suggest images to search engines and social platforms. However, it cannot force them to use a specific image. Platforms like Google have their own algorithms for最终 choosing what to display.

If you have confirmed that:

  • The correct image is specified in the og:image or primaryImageofPage schema tag.
  • There are no conflicts generating multiple tags.
  • You have cleared the relevant platform caches.

...and the issue persists, the problem likely lies with the platform itself. In these cases, your best course of action is to seek help from their official support channels, such as the Google Search Central Help Community.

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