The Perfect Facebook Header
Updated: May 13
Facebook cover photos are something businesses can use to quickly capture audience.
It should be branded and represent our business but the hard part is making sure it fits. Facebook Mobile has different dimensions than the web page.
Let's take a look at dimensions and how to make Facebook headers work for your business.
Facebook Cover Photo Dimensions
According to Facebook, your cover photo is at 820 pixels wide by 312 pixels tall on computers and 640 pixels wide by 360 pixels tall on smartphones.
It's never that simple because your Facebook cover displays differently on mobile and desktop devices.
You should probably use the dimensions 820px by 360px and to keep all text and graphics in the middle. Here's a template from Snappa.
Cover Photos on Desktop vs. Mobile
Designing with safe zones in mind will get you a Facebook cover photo that will display properly on both devices.
Facebook crops it automatically. On mobile, your Facebook photo will crop out the sides, while showing more of the cover photo’s height.
Facebook displays more of your cover photo’s width while cropping the top and bottom.
We suggest using the Facebook cover photo size of 820 pixels by 360 pixels and designing within the safe zones.
What Should My Facebook Cover Photo Be?
That depends entirely on you, your business, and what you believe your target audience will be most receptive to.
Here are some ideas: [credit: Snappa]
Use your cover photo for sales or lead generation. Social should come before “marketing” in social media marketing. A cover photo designed to drive sales or leads, combined with a relevant CTA Page button, can get you more results without a lot of extra work.
Feature UGC. User generated content is one of the most powerful marketing tools and demonstrates active integration with community.
Advertise upcoming events. Feature any event, webinar, or something like that on there.
Demonstrate product features & benefits. Lay it out in the open.
Show off your store. Use it to show your office or store and let people know where to find you.
Feature team members & employees. Feature real people from your team. That way people can SEE you.
Facebook Cover Photo Mistakes to Avoid
Here's a few ideas of what not to do with Facebook Cover Photos. These will distract and probably make people mad.
Using the same cover photo. Just make sure you have the dimensions right.
Having too much text. Some text is great, especially if it’s being used for branding. Some photos, though, only have text overlay against a solid backdrop. This is typically not a good move, even if you’re focusing on an insanely motivational quote; instead, your cover photo should actually be an image that’s able to speak (mostly) for itself.
Too much clutter. We’ve all seen pictures on social media that have so much going on that looking at them too long might give us a headache. There’s lots of colors and focal points and things to look at. While this might sound appealing at first (it will definitely draw the eye, at least), it’s just difficult to focus on and can even look sloppy.
Not taking the current Page format into consideration. Remember when profile pictures showed up in the bottom corner of the cover photo, and sometimes important parts of the image were cut out? Facebook changes it’s formatting fairly often; every time they do, check your photo on mobile and desktop to make sure nothing is getting cut off.
Not adding branding. When possible, adding subtle branding like your logo to the image can make a big difference with brand recognition.
Where to Find Great Cover Photos
Some amazing cover photos will just be made from graphics, like Buffer’s and Drip’s. Others will utilize actual photographs. Whichever you choose, there are plenty of resources you can pull images from if you don’t have a high-quality image that you’ve taken yourself.
These include:
Free stock photo sites like StockSnap, Pexels and Unsplash, which offer free stock photos available for commercial use.
User generated content, which is free and often available in abundance. Some UGC is extremely high quality, and many users would be honored if you used it as part of your cover photo.
Final Thoughts
Your image look good when displayed on both mobile and desktop, without bizarre cropping or the image showing up off-center. Combining the perfect cover photo size with Facebook cover photo best practices can help you build the social presence and reputation that you want to create for your business.
What do you think? How do you use your cover photo to represent your business? Let us know in the comments below!