Wix Gallery Settings: A Complete Guide to Creating Stunning Photo Galleries
A well-designed gallery can make or break the visual impression of your Wix website. Whether you are a photographer showcasing your portfolio, a restaurant displaying mouth-watering dishes, or a home improvement business presenting your completed projects, mastering Wix gallery settings is essential to presenting your work in the best possible light. This guide covers everything you need to know about adding, configuring, and optimising galleries on your Wix site.
Step-by-Step: How to Add and Configure a Wix Gallery
Step 1: Add a Gallery to Your Page
Open your site in the Wix Editor. Click the blue Add Elements (+) button on the left-hand panel. Navigate to Gallery and browse the available gallery types. Wix offers several gallery styles including Grid, Slideshow, Masonry, Collage, and 3D Cube. Click on the gallery style you prefer to add it to your page. You can always change the layout later in the settings.
Step 2: Add Your Images
Click on the gallery on your page, then click Manage Media (or Change Images). This opens the Media Manager where you can upload new images from your computer, use images already in your Wix media library, or import images from third-party sources. Select the images you wish to display and click Add to Gallery. Drag and drop to reorder images within the gallery.
Step 3: Choose Your Gallery Layout
Click the gallery element and then click Settings. Under the Layout tab, choose from the available display options. Grid layouts are clean and uniform, ideal for product images or portfolios. Masonry layouts vary image sizes dynamically, creating a visually interesting arrangement suited to photography and lifestyle brands. Slideshow layouts display one image at a time, perfect for hero sections or featured work. Collage layouts mix landscape and portrait images naturally.
Step 4: Adjust Spacing, Columns, and Rows
Within the Layout settings, use the sliders to adjust the number of columns, the spacing between images (also known as the gutter), and the image ratio. A tight gutter creates an editorial feel, while a wider gutter gives each image more breathing room. For grid galleries, locking the aspect ratio ensures all images display at a consistent size, which looks professional and tidy.
Step 5: Configure the Hover and Click Actions
Under the Settings panel, navigate to the Behaviour tab. Choose what happens when a visitor hovers over an image or clicks it. Options typically include opening the image in a lightbox (a full-screen overlay), navigating to a linked page, or doing nothing. For portfolio galleries, the lightbox view is highly recommended as it allows visitors to view images at full size without leaving the page.
Step 6: Add Titles, Descriptions, and Alt Text to Images
Click Manage Media to open the Media Manager. For each image, click the pencil (edit) icon to add a title, description, and alt text. Alt text is critically important for SEO — it tells search engines what the image shows and helps your gallery images appear in Google Image Search. Write descriptive, keyword-relevant alt text for every image. For example: 'Modern open-plan kitchen renovation completed by WIX SOLUTIONS in Fleet, Hampshire.'
Step 7: Customise the Design
Click the gallery and select Design to adjust the visual style. You can change the hover overlay colour and opacity, the style of the expand icon, border styles, corner radius, and background colour. Ensure the gallery design is consistent with your overall brand colours and typography.
Step 8: Preview and Publish
Click Preview in the Editor to check how your gallery looks on desktop and mobile. Test that images load correctly, that the lightbox opens as expected, and that titles and descriptions display properly. Once you are satisfied, click Publish to make the gallery live.
SEO Best Practices for Wix Galleries
Images are one of the most frequently overlooked opportunities for SEO on a Wix website. Always compress images before uploading them — large files slow down your page, which negatively impacts your Google ranking. Use descriptive file names for your images before uploading (e.g., 'wix-website-design-fleet-hampshire.jpg' rather than 'IMG_0042.jpg'). Complete the alt text for every single image. Include your target keywords naturally in the alt text without keyword stuffing. Consider adding a short paragraph of text near your gallery to provide context and additional SEO value.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Uploading oversized images — Images over 1MB significantly slow down page load times. Always resize and compress images before uploading. Tools such as Squoosh or TinyPNG can reduce file sizes without visibly reducing quality.
Leaving alt text empty — Gallery images without alt text are invisible to search engines. Complete the alt text for every image in your gallery.
Using inconsistently sized images — Mixing portrait and landscape images in a grid gallery looks untidy. Crop your images to a consistent aspect ratio before uploading to a grid layout.
Overloading a single page with too many images — A gallery of 100 images on one page will load slowly and overwhelm visitors. Consider splitting large galleries into multiple themed galleries or pages.
Neglecting mobile display — Always check your gallery on mobile. Some gallery layouts that look excellent on desktop can become cramped or misaligned on smaller screens. Adjust the mobile column count if needed.
Practical Tips and Advice
Choose the right gallery type for your content — Grid galleries are best for product images; Masonry is ideal for photography portfolios; Slideshow works well for featured highlights. Select the layout that showcases your work most effectively.
Use high-quality images — Your gallery is often the first impression visitors have of your work. Invest in good photography or ensure your images are sharp, well-lit, and professionally presented.
Add captions and context — Use image titles and descriptions to tell the story behind your work. This engages visitors and provides additional text content that search engines can index.
Refresh your gallery regularly — An up-to-date gallery shows potential clients your most recent and best work. Archive older images and replace them with newer, higher-quality examples periodically.
Wix Gallery Settings Checklist
☑ Gallery added to the correct page in the Editor
☑ Images uploaded and ordered correctly
☑ Gallery layout selected (Grid, Masonry, Slideshow, etc.)
☑ Column count and spacing adjusted for desktop
☑ Column count and spacing checked and adjusted for mobile
☑ Hover and click actions configured (e.g., lightbox enabled)
☑ Alt text added to every image
☑ Image titles and descriptions added where appropriate
☑ Gallery design customised to match site branding
☑ Gallery previewed on desktop and mobile before publishing
☑ Site published after adding the gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How many images can I add to a Wix gallery?
There is no strict limit on the number of images you can add to a Wix gallery, but for the best user experience and page performance, it is advisable to keep galleries to a manageable size. If you have a large collection of images, consider splitting them across multiple galleries or pages, each with a specific theme or category.
2. Can I add videos to a Wix gallery?
Yes. Wix Pro Gallery supports both images and videos. You can mix images and videos within the same gallery, and visitors can play videos directly within the gallery or in the lightbox overlay. This is ideal for businesses that want to showcase video testimonials, project walkthroughs, or product demonstrations alongside still photography.
3. Can I link individual gallery images to specific pages on my site?
Yes. In the gallery's Media Manager, you can add a custom link to each individual image. When a visitor clicks the image, they will be taken to the linked page rather than the lightbox. This is useful for linking gallery images to product pages, blog posts, or case study pages.
4. Will my gallery images appear in Google Image Search?
Yes, provided you have added descriptive alt text to your images. Google crawls image alt text to understand what images show, and images with well-written alt text are far more likely to appear in Google Image Search. This can drive additional organic traffic to your site, particularly for visual businesses such as photography, interior design, and food and hospitality.
5. Can I change the gallery layout after I have added my images?
Yes. You can change the gallery layout at any time without losing your uploaded images. Click the gallery element, open Settings, and select a different layout under the Layout tab. Your images will reflow into the new arrangement automatically. This makes it easy to experiment with different looks without having to re-upload your content.