Social media profile photos, whether personal or business, represent you in the online world. It is important to chose these social media profile photos carefully as they are the key to a good first impression. Optimizing your avatars and cover photos on social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Google+ are essential in marketing yourself or your business. Below are some tips and sizing parameters for your profile photos:
The picture you chose for your profile photo on Facebook will be the image that is seen the most throughout the site, aside from posts, comments, etc. Using a small image that stands alone will optimize your exposure.
The profile photos on Facebook are cropped square so chose one that is already in this ratio. This way, you save time by not having to crop it after you upload it. Facebook profile pictures are uploaded with a minimum measurement of 180 x 180 pixels, but your social media profile picture will actually be displayed at 160 x 160 pixels.
The larger cover photo on Facebook requires a minimum of 399 x 150 pixels and will be uploaded to 851 x 351 pixels. Be careful to note that images that are smaller than the above dimensions will get stretched and distorted.
If you feel like getting creative with your social media photos on Facebook and decide to make your profile and cover pictures work together, be sure that your profile image displays 23 pixels from the left side and 210 pixels from the top of your cover photo. For faster loading times, Facebook recommends your cover photo be an sRGB JPG file that measures 851 pixels wide, 315 pixels tall and no more than 100KB. A PNG file works best if you are using a logo or text base image.
LinkedIn has some guidelines when it comes to your social media profile picture. The default size for your photo on LinkedIn is 200 x 200 pixels and can be no bigger than 4MB. You are able to upload a square JPG, GIF or PNG and the good news is you can enlarge your image up to 450 x 450 pixels.
If you have a company page on LinkedIn, the social media profile picture parameters are a little different. Standard logos on LinkedIn pages are 100 x 60 pixels, while a square logo is 50 x 50 pixels. Another option is to upload a homepage cover photo-style picture to a company page on LinkedIn. We recommend a minimum size of 646 x 220 pixels for this type of social media photo.
If you use Twitter, you know that the social media profile pictures on this site are extremely small. Choosing an image that looks good when it is tiny is key. Be sure to scale your social media profile picture appropriately before uploading. Take note that although the maximum file size for a Twitter avatar is 2MB, it will only display as 73 x 73 pixels on your profile page. Your profile picture will be even smaller in tweets at 48 x 48 pixels. When someone clicks on your avatar, it will show up as bigger, so be sure and use an image that will display larger than the small default size.
The header photos on Twitter can be as big as 5MB, with dimensions of 1252 x 626 pixels. Keep in mind that a lot of stuff has to fit inside the header photo (account name, bio, handle, location and URL), so using a photo that works well behind text is a good way to ensure your social media profile pictures are clear and concise.
GOOGLE+
Google uses a slightly different format for social media profile photos. Their photos are circles so you’ll need to consider using an image that will work well within a round area. The avatar in Google+ is 120 x 120 pixels but keep in mind that not all of it will show up due to the circle crop. Images can be as small as 48 x 48 pixels in a post and only 28 x 28 pixels in a comment or activity section, so it is important to use a picture that looks good on a small scale.
The measurements for Google+ cover or feature photos are as follows: 480 x 270 pixels is the minimum size, while the recommended size is 960 x 540 pixels. If you want your social media profile or cover photo to look good on a large or retina display, upload a photo that is 2120 x 1192 pixels for optimal quality.
If you found this information helpful, be sure to check out our post on “Elements of On-Page Website Optimization”. The Organik SEO team is passionate about helping businesses grow by tapping into the power of social media and SEO. To discuss how we can help you grow your business, CONTACT US today!
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