diff --git a/packages/plugin-seo/src/fields/MetaImage/MetaImageComponent.tsx b/packages/plugin-seo/src/fields/MetaImage/MetaImageComponent.tsx
index 4001a1942..86cdcaccc 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-seo/src/fields/MetaImage/MetaImageComponent.tsx
+++ b/packages/plugin-seo/src/fields/MetaImage/MetaImageComponent.tsx
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ export const MetaImageComponent: React.FC<MetaImageProps> = (props) => {
     setValue,
     showError,
     value,
-  }: FieldType<string> = useField()
+  }: FieldType<number | string> = useField()
 
   const { t } = useTranslation<PluginSEOTranslations, PluginSEOTranslationKeys>()
 
@@ -92,7 +92,15 @@ export const MetaImageComponent: React.FC<MetaImageProps> = (props) => {
 
     const { result: generatedImage } = await genImageResponse.json()
 
-    setValue(generatedImage || '')
+    // string ids, number ids or nullish values
+    let newValue: null | number | string | undefined = generatedImage
+    // non-nullish resolved relations
+    if (typeof generatedImage === 'object' && generatedImage && 'id' in generatedImage) {
+      newValue = generatedImage.id
+    }
+
+    // coerce to an empty string for falsy (=empty) values
+    setValue(newValue || '')
   }, [
     hasGenerateImageFn,
     serverURL,
diff --git a/packages/plugin-seo/src/types.ts b/packages/plugin-seo/src/types.ts
index 1b3c1ef8c..02dc4e0e3 100644
--- a/packages/plugin-seo/src/types.ts
+++ b/packages/plugin-seo/src/types.ts
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ export type GenerateImage<T = any> = (
     locale?: string
     req: PayloadRequest
   } & PartialDocumentInfoContext,
-) => Promise<string> | string
+) => { id: number | string } | number | Promise<{ id: number | string } | number | string> | string
 
 export type GenerateURL<T = any> = (
   args: {