Images can make your WordPress website easier to understand, whether you’re showcasing a product, explaining a process or illustrating a complicated idea.
But sometimes a single image isn’t enough.
You might want visitors to explore individual product features, click different rooms on a floor plan or discover additional information within a diagram.
That’s where interactive images can help.
By adding clickable areas, known as hotspots, you can give visitors more information without filling the page with lengthy explanations.
And you don’t necessarily need custom development to create them.
In this guide, we’ll explain how interactive images work, show you how to create one directly in WordPress and compare other tools worth considering.
We’ll also cover accessibility, mobile usability and performance so your interactive content remains useful for everyone.
What Are Interactive Images?
An interactive image is a picture that responds when someone interacts with a particular area.
Instead of simply looking at a photograph or illustration, visitors can click, tap or otherwise activate different parts of it.
These interactive areas are usually called hotspots.
Depending on the tool you’re using, a hotspot might:
- Display a short description of a product feature.
- Reveal an additional photograph or diagram.
- Open a video or another piece of content.
- Link to a product, page or external resource.
- Highlight a particular location or section of an image.
For example, imagine you’re looking at a photograph of a home office.
Clicking the desk could reveal information about its dimensions. Selecting the chair might display its materials, while clicking the monitor could take you to a product page.
The photograph remains the same, but visitors can explore different elements at their own pace.
How do interactive images actually work?
An important distinction is that an ordinary JPG or PNG doesn’t automatically become interactive.
The image itself is generally still a standard image file.
The interactive behaviour is provided by additional technology, such as HTML, SVG, JavaScript or a hosted content platform.
These elements tell the website where the clickable areas are and what should happen when someone activates them.
Some tools manage everything through a WordPress plugin. Others let you create the experience on another website and embed it into WordPress.
Both approaches can work well. The best choice depends on what you’re trying to create.
Examples of Interactive Images for Websites
Interactive images aren’t limited to elaborate animations or complicated visual presentations.
Some of their most useful applications are surprisingly simple.
Product photographs with clickable hotspots
If you’re selling products online, you can use hotspots to highlight individual features.
For example, a photograph of a bicycle could include clickable areas explaining the frame, brakes, gears and wheels.
Each hotspot might reveal a short description or link to more detailed information.
This can be particularly useful for products with features that are easier to identify visually than describe in a long list.
For a WooCommerce website, hotspots could also link to relevant products or accessories.
However, make sure important product information remains available elsewhere on the page. Visitors shouldn’t have to interact with an image to discover essential specifications.
Interactive floor plans and property layouts
Floor plans are another natural fit.
Imagine a property website displaying the layout of a house.
Visitors could select individual rooms to view photographs, dimensions or descriptions.
The same approach could work for hotels, exhibition spaces, offices, schools and event venues.
An interactive floor plan helps visitors understand how different spaces relate to one another.
For larger buildings, you might also use hotspots to link to separate pages containing further information.
Educational diagrams
Interactive images can be useful when explaining subjects with several connected parts.
For example, a diagram of a computer could allow students to select individual components and learn what each one does.
A science website might use an annotated illustration to explain a biological process.
A technical support article could highlight different controls within a software interface.
Rather than placing every explanation directly on the image, visitors can explore the information in smaller sections.
For educational content, it’s particularly important to provide an accessible text alternative so that nobody misses essential information.
Virtual tours and location guides
Some interactive image tools support panoramic photographs and 360-degree experiences.
These can be useful for showcasing visitor attractions, properties, museums and training environments.
A virtual tour might include hotspots that explain particular objects, introduce different areas or link to additional media.
This is more involved than creating a basic clickable photograph, so you’ll need a tool that supports the relevant image and interaction formats.
Interactive infographics and storytelling
Infographics often contain a lot of information.
Adding interactive elements can help you organise that information without making the initial image overwhelming.
For example, a timeline could reveal additional details when someone selects a particular event.
An illustrated process might let visitors explore individual stages.
You could also combine images, text and video to tell a story.
The important thing is to make each interaction genuinely useful.
An image doesn’t need animation or dozens of hotspots simply because the technology allows it.
How to Create Interactive Images in WordPress with Draw Attention
For a straightforward WordPress implementation, Draw Attention is a good place to start.
It’s a plugin that lets you upload an image and draw clickable areas over different parts of it.
You can attach descriptions, additional information or links to those areas, then display the finished image on a WordPress page or post.
It works with the standard WordPress editor, and you don’t need to write code to create the hotspots.
For this walkthrough, we’ll create a simple product photograph with three interactive areas.
Step 1: Prepare your image and hotspot content
Before installing anything, decide what information you want visitors to explore.
Let’s imagine you’re creating an interactive photograph of a desk setup.
You could add three hotspots:
- Desk: Show its dimensions and available finishes.
- Chair: Explain the adjustable features and materials.
- Monitor: Link to a page containing technical specifications.
This gives each hotspot a clear purpose.
Choose a good-quality image where the different items are easy to identify.
Avoid starting with an unnecessarily large file. Compress and resize the image appropriately for its intended display size.
You’ll also want to prepare a short description for the image and the text that will appear when each hotspot is selected.
Keeping the information concise will make the experience easier to use, especially on mobile devices.
Step 2: Install Draw Attention
Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
Navigate to Plugins > Add New Plugin.
Search for Draw Attention.
Find the official plugin, titled Interactive Image Map Plugin – Draw Attention, and click Install Now.
Once the installation finishes, click Activate.
If you haven’t installed a WordPress plugin before, follow our guide on how to install WordPress plugins.
After activation, you’ll see a Draw Attention menu in the WordPress dashboard.
The free version lets you create one interactive image map with multiple hotspots.
If you need multiple interactive image maps on the same website, you’ll need the Pro version or another suitable solution.
For this example, the free version is sufficient.
Step 3: Upload your image
In the WordPress dashboard, go to Draw Attention > Edit Image.
This is the editing screen for the free version.
If you’re using Draw Attention Pro, the interface also provides an option to add new interactive images.
Enter a descriptive title for your image.
For our example, you could use Interactive Desk Setup.
Next, locate the image upload section and select the photograph you prepared earlier.
Draw Attention uses the uploaded image as the background for your interactive areas.
Review the general settings, then save or publish the interactive image.
You need to save the image before you can start adding hotspots.
Once it’s saved, the hotspot editing options will become available.
Step 4: Draw your clickable hotspots
Scroll to the Hotspot Areas section.
Open the first clickable area or select Add Another Area.
Draw Attention provides tools for creating different hotspot shapes, including:
- Circle: Useful for highlighting small objects or individual points.
- Rectangle: Suitable for screens, boxes and other regularly shaped items.
- Polygon: Lets you outline more complicated objects using several points.
For our desk photograph, you might draw a rectangle around the desk, a polygon around the chair and a rectangle around the monitor.
Choose the drawing tool you need, then use your mouse to position the area over the relevant part of the image.
For rectangles and circles, you can click and drag to adjust the shape.
For polygons, you can place multiple points to follow the outline of an object.
Don’t worry if the first attempt isn’t perfect.
You can edit the hotspot’s position and shape using the drawing controls.
Repeat the process until you’ve created the areas you need.
Try to keep hotspots distinct rather than overlapping several of them in the same location.
Step 5: Add information or links to each hotspot
Next, decide what happens when someone interacts with each area.
Draw Attention supports actions such as displaying additional information or opening a URL.
For the desk hotspot, you could enter:
Title: Desk
Description: A height-adjustable desk available in three finishes, with integrated cable management.
For the chair hotspot, you might add a short explanation of its adjustable back support.
For the monitor, you could choose an action that links to a separate product page.
Each hotspot has its own settings, so they don’t all need to perform the same action.
The description editor also supports richer content, including formatted text and additional media.
However, I’d keep your first implementation simple.
A clear title, a short description and an optional link will be sufficient for many business websites.
Make sure the title identifies the hotspot properly. Descriptions such as "Click here" or "More information" aren’t particularly useful without context.
Step 6: Adjust the appearance
Once your hotspots are in place, review the image’s appearance settings.
Draw Attention provides options for adjusting colours and the way areas are highlighted.
Choose colours that fit your website while remaining visible against the photograph or illustration.
Avoid using a highlight that’s almost identical to the background.
Also consider how visitors will discover that the image is interactive.
You could introduce it with a short instruction such as:
"Select an item in the photograph to learn more about it."
Some appearance options are exclusive to Draw Attention Pro.
For example, Pro includes additional layouts for displaying hotspot information, more colour options and the ability to keep hotspot areas highlighted permanently.
You don’t need these features to create a useful basic interactive image.
Save your changes when you’re satisfied.
Step 7: Add the interactive image to a WordPress page
Now you’re ready to display the image.
Open the WordPress page or post where you want it to appear.
In the block editor, click the + button and search for Draw Attention.
Add the Draw Attention Image block to your content.
In the free version, the block displays the interactive image you’ve created.
If you’re using Pro, you’ll be able to select from your available interactive images.
Alternatively, you can use a shortcode.
The free version provides this shortcode:
[drawattention]
Copy it from the image editing screen, or enter it into a WordPress Shortcode block.
Don’t paste it into a Custom HTML block, as the shortcode may not be processed there.
Preview the page to check how the image displays.
Make sure it’s large enough for visitors to recognise the individual hotspots without dominating the entire page.
Once everything looks correct, save or publish the page.
Step 8: Test every interaction
Your interactive image is technically ready, but don’t stop at checking how it looks on your computer.
Open the published page and test every hotspot.
Make sure each one displays the correct information or opens the intended link.
Then check the same page on a phone or tablet.
You should be able to activate hotspots by tapping, without relying on a mouse hover.
Also test the image using a keyboard.
Use the Tab key to move through the interactive controls and check whether each hotspot can be activated.
Draw Attention is designed to support keyboard navigation and screen readers, but it’s still important to test your own content and configuration.
Finally, check whether your hotspot descriptions remain readable when the page is displayed at smaller sizes.
If you discover any problems, return to the Draw Attention editing screen and adjust the hotspots or settings.
For more detailed instructions, see the developer’s Draw Attention getting started guide.
Other Tools for Creating Interactive Images
Draw Attention is useful for creating clickable images directly inside WordPress, but it won’t be the right tool for every project.
If you need animations, immersive tours or more elaborate visual presentations, a hosted interactive content platform may be a better fit.
Here are four alternatives worth considering.
1. Genially
Genially is an online platform for creating interactive visual content.
It supports interactive images alongside presentations, educational resources, animations and other visual experiences.
You can start with an image or template, then add clickable areas that reveal additional content.
Depending on what you’re creating, these interactions can include text, links, images and multimedia.
What makes Genially useful?
Genially is particularly well suited to educational content, interactive infographics and visual presentations.
It provides more design and animation options than a basic image hotspot plugin.
You can create the content using Genially’s online editor and publish it for sharing or embedding.
What are the limitations?
Your interactive content is created and managed through Genially rather than directly through WordPress.
That means you’ll need to manage the hosted content and its availability separately.
Some publishing, privacy and branding options also depend on your plan.
Best suited to: Interactive infographics, educational resources and animated visual presentations.
2. ThingLink
ThingLink is designed for creating interactive media experiences.
It supports conventional images as well as 360-degree content and other immersive formats.
You can add interactive tags that display text, media and links.
What makes ThingLink useful?
ThingLink is particularly useful for virtual tours, training environments and educational experiences.
For example, a museum could use a panoramic photograph with hotspots explaining different exhibits.
A business might create a virtual tour of its premises.
ThingLink also provides tools for more involved interactive learning experiences.
What are the limitations?
The content is hosted through ThingLink, and available features depend on your subscription.
Embedding requires you to configure the content’s sharing settings correctly.
If you use WordPress.com rather than a self-hosted WordPress installation, your plan may also restrict custom embeds.
Best suited to: Virtual tours, 360-degree experiences and interactive learning.
3. Drawpoint
Drawpoint is an online tool for creating interactive images and maps.
You can upload an image and add markers, shapes and lines.
These interactive elements can display information or link visitors to other resources.
What makes Drawpoint useful?
Drawpoint is useful when you want visitors to explore a visual layout or location.
Examples include property plans, exhibition layouts, product diagrams and custom maps.
Its editor provides controls for creating and styling the interactive areas without needing to write the underlying code yourself.
You can then embed the finished result into your WordPress website.
What are the limitations?
Like other hosted platforms, Drawpoint introduces a separate service for creating and managing the content.
You’ll need to check the available publishing options, any usage limits and the subscription costs associated with your requirements.
Best suited to: Interactive maps, floor plans and diagrams with clickable markers or areas.
4. Interactive-Img
Interactive-Img offers a simpler way to add clickable hotspots to an existing photograph or illustration.
You upload an image, place markers and add the information you want visitors to see.
You can then publish the interactive image and embed it into your website.
What makes Interactive-Img useful?
It’s a straightforward option if you only need a few clickable points on an image.
You might use it for a product photograph, a simple floor plan or an annotated diagram.
The platform provides an embeddable version, so you don’t need to install a dedicated WordPress plugin.
What are the limitations?
Its free plan is restricted to one published image with up to three hotspots and includes a small attribution badge.
More extensive use requires a paid plan.
As with other hosted tools, you’ll also depend on the external service to deliver the interactive content.
Best suited to: Simple clickable photographs, product annotations and small interactive diagrams.
How to Embed a Hosted Interactive Image in WordPress
If you choose a service such as Genially, ThingLink or Drawpoint, the process differs from using Draw Attention.
Instead of creating the hotspots inside WordPress, you build the interactive image on the external platform.
You then place the published version on your website.
Let’s use ThingLink as an example.
Step 1: Create and publish your interactive content
Log in to ThingLink and create your interactive image or scene.
Upload your chosen visual and add the information you want visitors to explore.
Once the content is ready, check its sharing and privacy settings.
It must be accessible to the intended audience if you want visitors to view it on your website.
Step 2: Copy the embed code
Open the ThingLink scene you want to display.
Select Share, then Embed on Website.
Copy the embed code provided.
This contains the information WordPress needs to display the hosted content.
Step 3: Add a Custom HTML block
Open the WordPress page or post where the interactive image should appear.
Click the + button and search for Custom HTML.
Add the block to your page.
Paste the embed code into it.
Unlike a WordPress plugin shortcode, this is the appropriate place for the HTML embed code supplied by the external service.
Step 4: Preview and test the page
Save your changes and preview the page in a new browser tab.
Check that the interactive image loads and that every hotspot works.
Make sure the embedded content fits the page layout and responds correctly on mobile devices.
If the embed appears blank or reports that the content is private, review the sharing settings in ThingLink.
You should also check whether your WordPress hosting environment permits the supplied embed code.
ThingLink no longer requires its old dedicated WordPress plugin.
You can follow its WordPress embedding instructions if you encounter problems.
Other hosted platforms follow a broadly similar process, although the exact publishing and embedding controls differ.
How to Choose the Right Interactive Image Tool
The best tool depends on the type of experience you’re trying to create and how you want to manage it.
| Tool | Where you create content | Best for | Main consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draw Attention | WordPress | Clickable images and hotspot maps | Free version supports one image map |
| Genially | External platform | Interactive infographics and presentations | Hosted content and plan-dependent features |
| ThingLink | External platform | Virtual tours and 360-degree experiences | Hosting, sharing and embedding permissions |
| Drawpoint | External platform | Maps, plans and visual layouts | Separate hosted service |
| Interactive-Img | External platform | Simple image annotations | Limited free publishing allowance |
For most WordPress websites that simply need clickable hotspots on one image, I’d start with Draw Attention.
It keeps the editing process inside WordPress and provides a straightforward way to add descriptions and links.
If your project involves several animated scenes or a more elaborate educational presentation, Genially may be more appropriate.
For panoramic tours or immersive environments, ThingLink is worth exploring.
The important thing is to choose based on the functionality you actually need, rather than the number of features advertised.
Accessibility, Mobile Usability and Performance
An interactive image should make information easier to access, not create another obstacle for visitors.
Before publishing, consider how it works for people using different devices and assistive technologies.
Make hotspots accessible without a mouse
Some interactive images reveal information when someone hovers over a particular area.
That can work on desktop computers, but smartphones and tablets don’t have the same hover interaction.
Make sure visitors can activate hotspots by tapping.
Keyboard users should also be able to move between hotspots, understand which one is selected and activate the controls.
Visible focus indicators and meaningful hotspot names are important.
Don’t assume a platform’s accessibility claims guarantee that every image you create will be accessible.
Test the finished experience.
Provide text alternatives
An interactive diagram may contain important information that isn’t obvious from the image alone.
A short image description can explain what the picture shows, but complex diagrams may need additional text.
For example, if an interactive floor plan explains how rooms connect, provide a written description of the layout where that information is important.
If hotspots contain essential product details, make those details available elsewhere on the page too.
This benefits visitors using screen readers, people who cannot operate the interactive controls and anyone who prefers reading the information directly.
The W3C guidance on complex images explains why important visual information sometimes needs more than a short alt description.
Check hotspot sizes on mobile devices
An interactive image that looks spacious on a desktop monitor can become difficult to use on a phone.
Small hotspots may be hard to tap accurately.
This is particularly noticeable when several clickable areas are positioned close together.
Test the image at different screen widths.
If visitors repeatedly select the wrong hotspot, consider increasing the clickable area, simplifying the image or providing an alternative list of links.
Also check that information panels aren’t cut off by the edge of the screen.
Optimise the image and any embedded media
Interactive content can still affect website performance.
Start with an appropriately sized, compressed image.
Avoid uploading an enormous photograph if it’s only going to appear in a relatively small section of the page.
If you’re embedding a hosted interactive image, remember that it may load additional scripts, stylesheets, images or videos.
These resources can increase loading time and affect responsiveness.
Test the page before and after adding the interactive content.
If the page becomes noticeably slower, investigate the added resources and the loading options supported by your chosen tool.
Avoid unnecessary autoplaying animations or videos.
Review external services and privacy
A hosted interactive image may involve sending visitor requests to a third-party platform.
Depending on the service, it might also use analytics, cookies or other tracking technologies.
Review the provider’s privacy information and the resources loaded by the embed.
Make sure your website’s privacy information and consent arrangements reflect the technologies you’re using.
Keep the WordPress plugin or external integration maintained, and remove unused services when they’re no longer needed.
Common Interactive Image Problems
Even a relatively simple image map can develop problems if its layout, embedding settings or surrounding website changes.
Here are some common issues to check.
Hotspots don’t line up with the image
If a hotspot appears in the wrong position, start by checking whether the image has been replaced or resized.
Some implementations rely on coordinates or dimensions that need to stay aligned with the original image.
Review the hotspot editor and check the result at several screen sizes.
If your page builder applies unusual scaling or cropping, you may need to adjust the image container or display settings.
Hotspots work on desktop but not on mobile
This often happens when interactions depend on hovering or when the clickable areas are too small.
Check whether the tool supports tap interactions.
Then test the image on a real mobile device rather than relying entirely on a desktop browser preview.
You may need to simplify the hotspot arrangement or change how descriptions are displayed.
The embedded image doesn’t appear
If you’re using a hosted tool, check that the content is published and its sharing permissions allow embedding.
Make sure you’ve copied the correct embed code and placed it inside the appropriate WordPress block.
For services that provide an HTML embed, use a Custom HTML block.
For WordPress plugin shortcodes, use a Shortcode block or another supported location.
Also check whether a security plugin, content security policy or website builder is preventing the external content from loading.
The interactive image slows down the page
Review the original image size and any additional media loaded by the experience.
A large photograph combined with multiple videos or third-party scripts may add substantial weight to a page.
Use your browser’s developer tools or a performance testing service to identify which resources are responsible.
Compress oversized images and remove unnecessary embedded content.
If an external platform is causing persistent performance problems, consider whether a simpler WordPress-native implementation would meet your needs.
Visitors can’t find or operate the hotspots
If people don’t realise an image is interactive, they may never discover the information behind the hotspots.
Add a short instruction explaining what they can select.
Make interactive areas visually distinguishable where possible.
Then check keyboard navigation, focus visibility and screen reader labels.
For essential information, provide a text alternative or an accompanying list of links.
Interactive content should improve the experience without making basic information harder to obtain.
Final Thoughts: Make Your WordPress Images More Useful
Interactive images offer a practical way to explain visual information.
Whether you’re highlighting product features, creating an annotated diagram or building a virtual tour, clickable hotspots can help visitors explore details that would otherwise require several separate images or long explanations.
For a straightforward WordPress implementation, Draw Attention is a useful starting point.
You can create clickable areas, add descriptions and display the finished image without custom coding.
If you need more elaborate presentations, animations or immersive content, Genially, ThingLink, Drawpoint and Interactive-Img provide different approaches worth considering.
Whichever tool you choose, keep the interactions purposeful.
Start with a clear image, add only the information visitors need and make sure the finished result works on mobile devices and with assistive technologies.
An interactive image is most successful when it makes your content easier to understand, not simply more complicated.
Need help adding interactive elements to WordPress?
Newt Labs can help with WordPress website changes, including implementing or troubleshooting interactive content on an existing website.
If your project requires a more involved integration or custom functionality, we can review your requirements and advise on the work involved.
