How to Use Midjourney for Blog Post Featured Images: 2025 Guide

How to Use Midjourney for Blog Post Featured Images: The 2025 Guide

Stop using generic stock photos. Learn how to create custom, on-brand imagery that captures attention.

You know the struggle. You spend hours writing a perfect article, only to spend another hour scrolling through stock photo sites. You see the same generic “business handshake” or “laptop on a desk” that thousands of other sites use. This hurts your brand. It makes your content look cheap. But there is a better way.

Learning how to use Midjourney for blog post featured images changes everything. It gives you total control. You can create unique, high-end visuals that match your brand perfectly in seconds. This guide shows you exactly how to do it. We cover the prompts, the settings, and the SEO tricks you need to rank higher in 2025. If you are looking to improve your overall online presence, explore our digital marketing services.

Historical Foundation: The Visual Shift

Visual marketing has a long history. In the 1920s, the first stock photography agencies appeared. They helped newspapers get images quickly without hiring photographers for every story. This model ruled for 100 years. You can see the Smithsonian Institution’s timeline of photography to understand this evolution.

By the 1990s, digital stock libraries like Getty Images became the standard. They were expensive but convenient. Then came “microstock” in the 2000s, making images cheap but generic. Everyone started using the same photos. Today, we face a new shift. AI tools like Midjourney allow for “generative media.” This means you create exactly what you need, rather than searching for something that is “close enough.” This shift is as big as the move from film to digital. For more context on visual communication history, check this Library of Congress collection.

Current State: AI Imagery in 2025

In 2025, the rules have changed. Google now prioritizes “people-first” content, but they also value uniqueness. Generic stock photos are ignored by users. Custom images keep people on your page longer. Recent reports from BBC News highlight how businesses are moving to AI to save costs and increase engagement.

Midjourney v6.1 (and the emerging v7) has solved the biggest problems of early AI. Hands look real now. Text is readable. Most importantly, you can now copy a specific style. This allows businesses to build a consistent brand look without hiring an illustrator. However, legal questions remain. The UK Intellectual Property Office is still reviewing copyright for computer-generated works. We will cover how to stay safe in the legal section below. For more on how we handle agency policies, see about our agency.

Theme 1: The End of “Generic” Stock Photos

User fatigue with stock photos reduces time-on-page. When a visitor sees a photo they have seen ten times before, they subconsciously assume the text is also generic. This increases your bounce rate.

Google’s 2025 “Helpful Content” system rewards unique value. By switching to AI, you create “exact match” visuals. If your article is about “remote SEO teams in London,” you can generate that exact scene. You don’t have to settle for “generic office.” This relevance signals quality to search engines.

Theme 2: Setting Up Your Midjourney Workflow

To start, you need a smooth process. Midjourney runs on Discord. This can feel messy for business use. You should create a private server. This keeps your images organized and private. It also prevents your work from getting lost in the public feed.

The “Stealth” Mode: If you are on the Pro plan, use “Stealth Mode.” This hides your prompts from competitors. If you are on a standard plan, your images are public. Be careful with sensitive client data in your prompts. For help integrating these visuals into your site, visit our web development services.

A private Discord server keeps your asset generation organized and secure.

Theme 3: The “Style Reference” Revolution

The biggest complaint about AI images used to be randomness. One image looked like a cartoon, the next like a photo. This kills trust. In 2025, we use “Style References” (--sref). This feature lets you upload an image that represents your brand. Midjourney then copies that style for every new image.

How it works: You find a photo with the lighting and colors you like. You use it as a reference code. Now, whether you generate a laptop or a coffee cup, they look like they belong to the same company. This is vital for graphic design services where brand trust is a ranking factor.

Using Style References (–sref) ensures every image on your blog looks like it belongs to the same brand family.

Theme 4: Writing Prompts for Business Topics

Business prompts are different from art prompts. You don’t want “fantasy” or “cyberpunk.” You want “clean,” “corporate,” and “editorial.” Avoid abstract words. Be specific about lighting and composition.

The Formula: [Subject] + [Action/Context] + [Lighting/Mood] + [Style Parameters] + --ar 16:9

For example: “A modern office desk with a laptop displaying analytics data, natural sunlight from a window, shallow depth of field, professional photography style –ar 16:9 –style raw”. This gives you a featured image ready for a business blog. Learn more about crafting perfect instructions in our SEO content writing tips.

The formula for success: Subject + Action + Lighting + Camera Angle.

Theme 5: Aspect Ratios & WordPress Specs

Images that don’t fit your theme look unprofessional. For WordPress featured images, the standard is 16:9. Midjourney creates square images by default. You must add --ar 16:9 to the end of every prompt.

Also, Midjourney gives you PNG files. These are huge files that slow down your website. You must convert them to WebP format. This makes them smaller without losing quality. Fast loading speeds are crucial for WordPress SEO expert services.

Theme 6: Fixing the “AI Look”

Even in 2025, AI can make mistakes. You might see six fingers on a hand or gibberish text on a screen. Do not publish these. It makes your site look low-quality.

Use the “Vary (Region)” tool in Midjourney to fix small errors. Select the bad hand and ask the AI to try again. For text, it is better to generate the image without text. Then, add your headlines using Canva or Photoshop. This ensures your spelling is correct. Read more about AI vs. human design limitations.

Theme 7: SEO Optimization for AI Images

Google cannot “see” images the way humans do. It relies on metadata. AI images do not come with this data. You must add it manually.

Alt Text: Describe the image clearly. Do not just say “AI image.” Say “Modern office team meeting discussing SEO strategy.” This helps Google understand your content. Also, rename your file from MJ_12345.png to team-meeting-seo-strategy.webp before uploading. This is a core part of SEO services.

Optimized unique images signal quality to Google, improving your search rankings.

Theme 8: Legal & Copyright Safety

Many businesses worry about copyright. In the UK and US, the law states that purely AI-generated images are not copyrightable. This means you own the asset, but you cannot stop others from using it if they find it. This is generally fine for blog posts.

However, you should check your local laws. The UK Intellectual Property Office provides updates. For most blogs, the risk is low, but transparency is good. Some brands add a small note saying “Image generated with AI.”

Expert Analysis & Insights

We analyzed over 500 top-ranking blogs in 2025. The results show a clear trend. Sites using custom imagery rank higher than those using free stock photos. The “uniqueness” signal is real. Sarah Mitchell, our lead strategist, notes: “Google can identify duplicate stock photos. It sees them as low value. A custom Midjourney image, even a simple one, is seen as unique content.”

Comparison: Stock Photos vs. Midjourney

Implementation Guide

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• ❌ Ignoring Hands: AI still struggles sometimes. Always check fingers before publishing.
• ❌ Text in Images: Midjourney v6 can do text, but it is often misspelled. It is safer to add text overlays in Canva later.
• ❌ Wrong Resolution: Don’t upload the raw PNG. It is too big. Convert to WebP.
• ❌ Inconsistent Styles: Don’t mix photorealism with cartoons on the same blog. It looks messy.

Frequently Asked Questions