How I Name WordPress Media Files for Fast Searching and Filtering
Ever had to dig through a messy WordPress media library trying to find the right image? Yeah, me too.
Sometimes, when building a new page, clients or developers reuse existing images, especially for sections like hero images, CTAs, or icons.
This makes sense. It’s a smart way to maximize the ROI of purchased stock images and avoid unnecessary costs.
But here’s the problem: Most media libraries are a disaster.
The Common Problem with WordPress Media
By default, WordPress doesn’t make it easy to find images.
And to make things worse, most designers and developers upload images with names like DSC_0001.JPG or image-3.jpg. That makes searching for the right image next to impossible.
And if you’re working with a dev team, handing off a WordPress site with a disorganized media library just makes life harder for everyone.
My Simple Naming Convention
To fix this, I use a simple, structured naming convention when creating images:
pagetitle-sectiontitle-number
Explained as follows:
? Page title
? Section title (where the image is used in the page layout)
? A number (starting with 01 for multiple images in the same section)
Example filenames:
? home-hero-01.jpg
? home-aboutus-01.jpg
? home-cta-01.jpg
? home-cta-icon-01.jpg
Now, when I need to find images, I can:
?? Search for all images on a specific page
?? Search for all hero images across the site
?? Search for all CTA images
?? Search for all icons
Why This Works So Well
This method makes it easy to quickly spin up new pages using properly sized, already approved images, without digging through an endless list of generic filenames.
It also makes life easier for front-end developers. Instead of guessing where an image belongs, they can search by page and section, instantly knowing what goes where.
If you work with WordPress a lot, I highly recommend adopting a naming system like this.
And if you really want to take media management to the next level, check out the Replace Media Plugin. It lets you update images without breaking existing links, another huge time-saver.
Have a better way to name media files? I’d love to hear it! Let’s swap strategies in the comments. ??
Guiding small business owners to build and scale strong dynamic businesses. My small and medium-sized business owner clients become outstanding leaders of outstanding small businesses.
9 å°æ—¶å‰Very helpful Bill thanks for the suggestions.
Web Design and SEO To Get More Leads From Your Small Business Website
5 天å‰I name media files with appropriate search terms. Sometimes this corelates with the topic of the article or page content.
President's Club | Working with business owners to boost growth through better Online Visibility and Lead Generation | Sr. AE @ Hibu
5 天å‰You are not helping Google help you when the photos are not properly named