Discover traffic stopped after I changed featured image size and theme

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ImpactLinkSEO

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I run a small blog and for about four months it was getting steady traffic from Google Discover almost every day. Then the traffic stopped almost overnight and it has stayed quiet since then. Around the same time I changed the featured image size from 1200 by 675 to a taller 1200 by 800 size and I also changed the theme. The posts still rank in normal Google search and they still get clicks there, so it is only Discover that went quiet. I am trying to work out which change caused it. I want to know if anyone here has seen Discover traffic drop after changing image sizes. I also want to know if going back to the old image size brought Discover traffic back, or if the theme change was the more likely cause. I would like to hear what happened in your case and what you would check first.
 
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could be either one but both changes happened around the same time its hard to tell.try switching back old image size on a few posts first and see if anything changes.also check if the new theme changed how featured images appear on mobile.no need to roll everything back at once.
 
Before rolling anything back, I'd check what the new theme outputs, because 1200x800 on its own shouldn't matter: Discover wants images at least 1200px wide, and yours still are.

Three things a theme change often breaks:
1. The robots meta. View the source of a post and look for max-image-preview:large. Without it, Discover can only show a small thumbnail, and the clicks mostly stop.
2. The image Google reads. Check that og:image and the Article schema image still point to the full-size file, not a cropped thumbnail size the new theme registered.
3. Rendering. Run URL Inspection on a post and look at the screenshot: lazy loading or a script slider can hide the featured image from Google.

Then compare impressions and CTR in the Discover report. Impressions near zero points to eligibility, the checks above. Impressions holding with CTR falling points to how the image is shown.
 
I'd first check Google Search Console to see if Discover impressions dropped suddenly. Also, compare the old and new theme's image metadata and layout. If everything else stayed the same, I'd consider testing the previous featured image size first.
 
ImpactLinkSEO said:
I run a small blog and for about four months it was getting steady traffic from Google Discover almost every day. Then the traffic stopped almost overnight and it has stayed quiet since then. Around the same time I changed the featured image size from 1200 by 675 to a taller 1200 by 800 size and I also changed the theme. The posts still rank in normal Google search and they still get clicks there, so it is only Discover that went quiet. I am trying to work out which change caused it. I want to know if anyone here has seen Discover traffic drop after changing image sizes. I also want to know if going back to the old image size brought Discover traffic back, or if the theme change was the more likely cause. I would like to hear what happened in your case and what you would check first.
Click to expand...
I would definitely test the theme image output prior to re-sizing the image especially max-image-preview:large og image nd schema image URLs. The size of 1200x800 should not matter on its own, as far as I know. you should try using the old settings for a few sample blog posts nd see the difference in Discover impressions & CTR in GSC.
 
I would first check Google Search Console to see whether impressions also dropped or only clicks. Changing the theme can affect page speed, mobile layout, and image metadata. I would also verify that the featured images still meet Google's requirements.
 
ImpactLinkSEO said:
I run a small blog and for about four months it was getting steady traffic from Google Discover almost every day. Then the traffic stopped almost overnight and it has stayed quiet since then. Around the same time I changed the featured image size from 1200 by 675 to a taller 1200 by 800 size and I also changed the theme. The posts still rank in normal Google search and they still get clicks there, so it is only Discover that went quiet. I am trying to work out which change caused it. I want to know if anyone here has seen Discover traffic drop after changing image sizes. I also want to know if going back to the old image size brought Discover traffic back, or if the theme change was the more likely cause. I would like to hear what happened in your case and what you would check first.
Click to expand...
as both these occurred simultaneously,i will refrain from concluding that the reason behind the dip in discover traffic was merely the size of the image.i will most likely revert to using the previous dimenssions of the image nd see what happens.i will also verify if the new theme had any effect on the speed or mobile display of the page.
 
There is a good chance its theme issue, sometimes it cause ranking drops too. You need to properly put the site in maintenance mode and change theme and check the navigation and broken links before making it live.
 
I'd check the theme change first, especially page speed, mobile layout and image loading. Discover traffic can fluctuate independently of normal search rankings. I'd also check image quality and whether the 1200px images are still being served correctly before reverting everything at once.
 
May be checking the new theme first makes sense. Sometimes even small changes can affect how images appear on mobile. I would probably test a few posts with the old image size before changing everything back. That way you may narrow down what actually caused the drop.
 
ImpactLinkSEO said:
I run a small blog and for about four months it was getting steady traffic from Google Discover almost every day. Then the traffic stopped almost overnight and it has stayed quiet since then. Around the same time I changed the featured image size from 1200 by 675 to a taller 1200 by 800 size and I also changed the theme. The posts still rank in normal Google search and they still get clicks there, so it is only Discover that went quiet. I am trying to work out which change caused it. I want to know if anyone here has seen Discover traffic drop after changing image sizes. I also want to know if going back to the old image size brought Discover traffic back, or if the theme change was the more likely cause. I would like to hear what happened in your case and what you would check first.
Click to expand...
I would take a look at how the image coding works for the new theme, page speed and mobile optimization before pointing fingers to the size factor alone. The discover tab is very sensitive to how head lines and large images appear.
 
I’ve seen similar Discover drops, but I wouldn’t blame the image size alone. I’d first check Google Discover performance in Search Console, then test the old 1200×675 image size and review the theme changes. Since regular search traffic is still stable, comparing Discover eligibility and image settings would be my first step.
 
theme changes can tank discover for a bit lol, i'd check the image sizes in search console and give it a week to settle tbh
 
I wouldn’t blame the image size, since 1200x800 is still a large image and shouldn’t hurt eligibility on its own. Discover traffic is also pretty unpredictable, and it’s common for a site to lose it for a while with no obvious change on your side. I’d check Search Console’s Discover report and the Manual Actions and Security Issues tabs first, then compare the new theme against the old one for anything that changed the page itself, like layout, speed or ads.
 
I'd first check whether the new theme changed image loading, structured data, or page layout. Since normal search traffic is still there, I'd investigate Discover-specific issues before reverting everything.
 
That split between search holding up and Discover going quiet is what makes the theme the more likely culprit to me. The 1200x800 size still clears the large-image bar, so I'd be looking at what else the new theme changed around the image. Did the Discover impressions in Search Console drop to near zero straight away, or did they fade over a few days?
 
ImpactLinkSEO said:
I run a small blog and for about four months it was getting steady traffic from Google Discover almost every day. Then the traffic stopped almost overnight and it has stayed quiet since then. Around the same time I changed the featured image size from 1200 by 675 to a taller 1200 by 800 size and I also changed the theme. The posts still rank in normal Google search and they still get clicks there, so it is only Discover that went quiet. I am trying to work out which change caused it. I want to know if anyone here has seen Discover traffic drop after changing image sizes. I also want to know if going back to the old image size brought Discover traffic back, or if the theme change was the more likely cause. I would like to hear what happened in your case and what you would check first.
Click to expand...
first of all, you need to analyze the changes made to the theme, giving special focus on how it deals with featured images, og image meta nd max-image-preview large. generally speaking a picture size of 1200×800 px is sufficient for google discover nd so you do not have to worry about this factor when considering why this decreas in traffic may occur. It would be much more beneficial for you to analyze discover impressions nd CTR in GSC.
 
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