Brian Deckard is a Expert WordPress website designer and developer, based in Bradenton, Florida

Brian Deckard

Digital Marketing & Website Design Services

Why Image Size Matters on Social Media

Why Image Size Matters on Social Media
Article written by:

Brian Deckard

Well, I am an internet marketer, which includes website design & development, graphic designer, SEO strategist, social media marketer, and so much more!

Why Image Size Matters on Social Media

When it comes to online marketing, images get people’s attention. Instagram has built an entire platform around how much people like looking at pictures. But that’s not the only social media site where images are vital. Posts on Facebook, Twitter and even LinkedIn can be words-only, so users are continuously scrolling past blocks of text. A fantastic image will make them stop scrolling. A fantastic image is how your company stands out.

Bad Sizing = Bad Impressions

But harnessing people’s propensity for imagery isn’t as easy as just slapping a jpg onto your post. When images are used poorly, you’ll get people’s attention for all the wrong reasons. They’ll stop scrolling just to puzzle at the blurry thing next to the name of our account. Or they’ll wonder why you’ve posted a picture of someone’s suit and tie with no head. Or they won’t be able to see the full phone number on that fancy graphic you created because the image has been cut off.

Bad Things Happen to Bad Images

Simply put, if you use the wrong size photo, the social media platform will adjust it to fit—usually in a way that compromises the image’s quality and effectiveness. If the image is too small (in both size and resolution), depending on the platform, it will either appear very small, surrounded by black; or the platform will attempt to make it bigger, resulting in pixilation and blurriness.

If the image is too big or simply the wrong shape, the platform will attempt to crop it—resulting in headless portraits or missing graphics. If you’ve ever gone to someone’s Facebook page and seen a cover photo that’s half black or indecipherable because it’s obscured by the profile pic, then you know what can happen with bad image sizing.

Sizing is Simple

Using the right image size for the right social media platform is one of those online marketing tips that’s so simple, you have to wonder why more people don’t do it. For instance, Instagram was built around square images, so you’ll make the most impact with 1080 x 1080, while Instagram stories (designed specifically to be viewed in portrait mode on a phone) should be 1080 x 1920. 

Facebook (as it currently operates; things change a lot) will automatically resize your photo to a 1.91:1 aspect ratio—or 1200 x 630 for maximum quality.

And then there are different sizing rules for things like profile pictures, cover photos, ads and more.

Maximize Your Marketing

As easy as it is, social media image sizing should always be on your mind when you’re sourcing images for your marketing. I can tell you from firsthand experience that a LOT of time is wasted going back-and-forth with people over image sizes. It’s so important! So whatever or whoever you’re using to create images and graphics, put social media sizing front and center.

Not sure what sizes you need? Feel free to ask! I’m always happy to point you in the right direction.

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Brian Deckard is a Expert WordPress website designer and developer, based in Bradenton, Florida
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