Your Facebook cover photo is the first thing that people will see once they land on your Facebook page. And as you may expect, it’s also where they will form their first impression about your business or brand. Hence, you need to ensure that your Facebook cover photo can deliver a great first impression.
Fortunately, creating a great Facebook cover photo that will deliver a great first impression and grab the viewer’s attention is not as hard as it may seem. In this article, we will share tips on how to create a Facebook cover photo that will convince people to like and stay on your page.
Use the Proper Size
Facebook has laid out clear guidelines for cover photo dimensions. For desktop, the cover photo should measure 820 pixels by 312 pixels. And for mobile devices, the cover photo image should be 640 pixels by 360 pixels.
Facebook also states that the photo should be a minimum of 400 pixels by 150 pixels. And it should not be more than 100 kb, to ensure fast loading times, even for users with poor internet connectivity.
If the photo is too small, Facebook will automatically stretch it so that it can fit on the screen, making it appear blurry and unsightly. On the other hand, if the image is bigger than the recommended size, Facebook will crop it, meaning some information will be missing from the cover photo.
So, whether you are designing a cover photo image from scratch or you intend to use one you already have, you need to ensure it falls within these dimensions.
Ensure It’s Readable
If you are planning to add text to your Facebook, you will need to ensure that it’s readable. And, it needs to be readable on both mobile and desktop. To this end, the text shouldn’t be too big or too small.
If the text you’ve used is too small, your visitors will struggle to get the message you are trying to put across. On the other hand, if the text is too large, there’s a high chance it will be cut off when users visit your page on mobile devices.
You can play around with different font sizes and styles when designing your cover photo, and then choose a combination that will display best on all devices. However, avoid using too much text.
Keep it concise and allow the image to speak for itself.
Right Align Elements on the Cover Photo
Chances are, you will want your Facebook page to have both a profile picture and a cover photo. And, whether it’s on desktop or mobile, your profile picture will be displayed on the left of the page. To create some balance to your cover photo, you should consider aligning elements to the right.
By right-aligning the elements on the cover photo, it will look and feel much better, thanks to that balance you’ve achieved. Also, right-aligning the elements on the cover photo will give your brand a professional look. Furthermore, your cover photo will display much better on mobile devices. But again, don’t push the elements too far to the right, as they may end up being cropped out on mobile.
Keep it Simple
When designing your Facebook cover photo, you need to use the same approach as if you were designing a call to action. Simply put, it needs to have a single focal point. If your cover photo has too many elements, they will end up distracting the viewer, or even making it hard for them to understand what your brand is all about.
And, when this happens, there’s a high chance the viewer will end up clicking away your Facebook page. Hence, you should remove all the unnecessary visual elements or text on the photo, which may distract the view.
Avoid Stock Photos
As much as you may be looking to save time and money, you should avoid using stock images. Using stock images will make your brand appear cheap, generic, and bland. And once you come across as a generic or a cheap brand, a potential follower or client will abandon your page.
Furthermore, other businesses in your niche may also be using similar stock images, making it hard to separate your business from the competition. And, with nothing to separate you from the competition, you may end up losing some potential clients.
Therefore, it will be highly advisable to hire a photographer, who will shoot unique images of your brand. You can then use any of these photos as your Facebook cover photo.
Conclusion
Creating a cover photo that will make a great first impression doesn’t have to be such a challenging process. With the tips we’ve shared in this article, you should be able to come up with the perfect Facebook cover photo for your brand.
