After you have shipped your first tile, here is how to make every image tile after that earn its slot in the grid. Image tiles render small. The image carries 80 percent of the click decision. The title carries the rest.
Best practice is not opinion; it follows from how visitors scan a grid. Square thumbnails compete for attention. The clearest, simplest tile wins.
Image
- Square crop. The grid is square and tall or wide images get cropped.
- One subject. A single object, face, or composition. No collages.
- High contrast. The thumbnail is small. Subtle gradients vanish.
- Centred subject so the modal crop on phones still reads.
Title
- Six words or fewer.
- Verb first when you can: Watch, Listen, Read, Try, Buy, Subscribe.
- Sentence case. Looks calmer than Title Case in a small thumbnail.
Description
Add one specific that justifies the tap. A duration (12 minutes), a quantity (50 photos), a deadline (open until Friday). Avoid vague adjectives like best, ultimate, or new.
What to avoid
- Stock photography. Visitors recognise it instantly and trust falls.
- Heavy text overlays. Words shrink to noise on a small thumbnail.
- Watermarks. They look like clutter on a curated grid.
Iterate from analytics
Open Analytics weekly. Sort tiles by clicks. The top performing tile is the template for your next tile. Copy the visual approach and the title pattern. Drop the lowest performing one or refresh it.
When to break the rules
If your craft demands maximalism (collage artists, archival photographers), let your tiles do that. The rules above are a default. Override them with intent, and confirm the result with analytics.
Refresh your tile shelf
Pick the lowest performing tile in the grid and apply this guide to it.