Search engine optimization (SEO) is a vital necessity to power your website with superior readability and appease the algorithms and bots commanded by Google. SEO promotes the visibility, identity and credibility of a website, and it is more cloomplicated than it seems.
Most marketers and business owners believe that running a blog and social media platforms is the extent of their digital marketing ambitions. It used to be enough, once upon a time, but today’s digital environment is highly volatile and competitive. Businesses are striving to gain prominence in Google’s search results and enjoy superior credibility to be recognized as an authority site.
When it comes to SEO, all the small and big elements play instrumental roles to create the desired impact. Be it the contents of an article, logo designs, or the header image lends the content an immersive visual appeal; marketers are advised to pay close attention to all the elements that define the website experience.
Header Image: What does it Represent?
Users across the world rely on the header image to learn about what the website has to offer, its quality, content marketing and more. A header image reflects the first impression of a business, and it is used to promote content across multiple platforms.
The header image is among one of the first things that are visible at the top of the website so it is important to follow the image SEO of the header image as well.
The header image is the very first element that catches customer attention on a new website. These images are incorporated across landing pages, marketing campaigns, product specifications and much more. They hold immense significance in SEO marketing, and reveal a great deal about your business and website.
You see, a header https://saungwriter.com/content-marketing/image represents multiple elements, for instance, brand identity, personality, website experience, quality and much more. They present an interactive and immersive appeal that compels the user to visit your website and engage with your content. Creating quality and immersive header images is an absolute necessity to make your content appealing.
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A header image represents the quality your blog or landing page may have to offer. It can serve the purpose of highlighting your products, or displaying your brand messages. It can also offer visual cues and an attractive appeal to compel users to click and land on your website.
When designing a custom header image for WordPress, it is advisable to make sure it is relevant to the color scheme and layout of the overall theme. Work closely with your designer to create a custom header image that adds an oomph factor to your WordPress template.
Additional resource: Website Design
How to Add a Header Image to the Top of Your Twitter Profile?
A header image plays a crucial role on your Twitter page as it will help you command attention and win over new followers and retweets. Keep in mind that the background image of your Twitter page is only visible through a desktop computer or a laptop. You need to focus on how your profile appears when it is seen from a smartphone or an iPad.
Your profile and header image will be visible when seen through all kinds of devices, be it an iPhone, an Android or a laptop. Therefore, it requires close consideration.
Here’s how you can upload a header image to your Twitter profile:
- Open your Twitter profile, and click on the Edit Profile button located at the bottom of the header area.
- Click on the tiny pencil icon located at the top-right corner of the header image area.
- A drop-down menu will open up; click on Upload Photo.
- A dialog box will open up, asking you to Select File.
- It is advisable to use a standard header image recommended by Twitter, which is 1252 x 626 px.
- Select any image that meets the sizing criteria, and click Open.
- Click Apply and then finally, click Save Changes.
- Your selected image is now the header image of your Twitter profile.
Additional resources: Characteristics of the Best, Most Memorable Logos
Sizing & Specifications
Quality and consistency are two very important elements while designing a header image. Designers have to pay close attention to the sizing, as each platform requires a specific size to achieve an excellent fit.
Each platform, be it Facebook, Twitter or YouTube, requires a specific size for each header image.
Here are the size specifications for common platforms:
- Facebook cover photo size: 820 x 360
- Facebook group cover photo: 1640x 856
- LinkedIn banner image: 1584 x 396
- LinkedIn company cover photo: 1536 x 768
- Twitter cover photo size: 1500 x 500
- YouTube banner size: 2560 x 1440
Why is it Important for SEO?
Let’s take a closer look at the significance of a header image for SEO purposes.
- A Solid First Impression
A header image is often the first impression your website makes on users across social media, search engines and more. If the header is fascinating and manages to hook the user, he/she will be inclined to head over to your website and explore its contents.
Peter Schoeman, Founder and CEO of The Dog Adventure says “A header image is the very first thing a visitor notices upon arriving on your website, website blog or landing page. This image sets the tone of the entire page, aesthetically as well as from a marketing perspective. It is a dynamic tool that conveys a great deal about the content that particular page has to offer”
“Businesses and marketers invest a great deal of time, money and effort into designing immersive and compelling header images. There are no hard and fast rules here, as brands seek to carve out uniqueness and originality with their header images and other forms of content”, Peter further added.
Additional resource: Creative automation
- Dynamic Marketing Tool
As mentioned earlier, a header image is a dynamic marketing that holds immense significance. It carries keywords and alt tags, which work wonders at winning the attention of Google algorithms and bots. Naturally, this will help your website enjoy higher rankings in Google search results. It will also make your website more relevant to your users and their search queries.
Sylvia Kang, CEO of Mira says “A header image commands importance from a design perspective. Each brand has its own unique design appeal, which involves the color palettes, fonts, logo, and the tone of the content. While some brands seek to create a formal and professional image, others seek out a more friendly and casual vibe with conversational-style content”
“So, a header image carries your content with a design appeal that best reflects your brand. It creates consistency in the minds of your consumers, and helps them identify and remember your brand and its design elements. Marketers often adopt a strategy of adding images and incorporating texts to make the header image stand out and command attention”, Sylvia further adds.
- Highlighting Call to Action
Every website page, blog or landing page carries a purpose. For some businesses and e-commerce websites, the purpose is to sell products. Service-oriented businesses seek to increase bookings or appointments, and explain their services and what they have to offer.
Websites also carry content to inspire, inform and attract their target audience. They wish to curate content that encourages visitors to arrive at their website and increase SEO rankings and success by incorporating content. So basically, each blog or landing page features a call to action that ultimately requires the user to do something, such as buy a product or make an appointment.
Collin Matthews, from Cookwared says “A header image serves the purpose of highlighting that call to action. For instance, if there’s an ongoing sale, your header image can highlight the discounted rates or percentage to attract users. It can also introduce new products, carry client testimonials or carry immersive slogans and brand taglines.”
Colin further says “The header highlights whatever element or call to action you choose to highlight to engage your audience. Remember, the header image is one of the elements that your visitors and customers are most likely to remember. So, make it worth their while and memorable”
- Attention-Grabbing Element
Dusan Stanar, Founder & CEO of VSS Monitoring says “The key role of a header image is to grab attention, and compel users to arrive on your website. Whether you wish to sell products or engage users with your content, a header image serves as a fascinating prelude that compels the visitor to explore further”
Dusan further adds “A compelling and interactive header image works wonders at reflecting a dynamic personality for your website. It allows your website to stand out from competitors, making it more effective at inviting visitors. It is common for websites to publish similar content as their competitors within the same industry”
In fact, search queries and articles on social media are often quite similar. So, why should a reader choose your content over the blogs by other brands or websites? A user makes his/her decision to visit a website or read a blog under the influence of the header image. When the header image captures their minds and fascinates them, users are more likely to head over to a web page and explore the content.
- An Immersive Website Design
A website’s design is defined by images and graphics, of which the header image holds the greatest importance. You see, images define the user experience and from a branding perspective, they define the personality of a website and brand.
Images encompass various factors, such as fonts, layout and colors, which connect with the components incorporated in other branding efforts, such as the logo or website layout. Together, these components and elements work together to offer an immersive website experience.
James Smith, Marketing Director of Profit Guru in our email interview said “A header image is an integral factor to consider while creating a consistent, cohesive and creative website design. Every element, big or small, plays an instrumental role in defining the website design and the user’s interaction with your website”
Chris further adds “Many marketers and content creators neglect the choice of a header image, and leave it until the very last. This is a mistake for the header image is just as important as the content. In most cases, it is even more important than the content as it brings in social media users to your website”
It is wise to choose a header image with care to ensure that your chosen images align well with the overall website design and brand personality.
- Boosting Responsiveness
Chad Evertson of About Generators says “A header image plays a dynamic role in boosting the responsiveness of your content and target consumer audience. Whether you’re running a marketing campaign, a seasonal discount or informative blogs for your website, a header image can help you enhance the response received by your content”
How so? Its quite simple: a compelling header image attracts the user with various features, such as the background color, the image or the text it carries. It works well at attracting users on social media, and boosts the responsiveness of campaigns across mobile devices. It creates a connect between the content and the brand, and appeals to the user’s tastes and design preferences.
- Social Media Presentation
Header images matter a great deal when designing an interactive and immersive social media profile. Whether it is Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube, aesthetics is a powerful tool to play around with and cast an excellent first impression. Your header image will stretch across your entire profile, and serve as the first element that will impress or displease your audience.
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and even LinkedIn offer the option to create header images or covers, because they grab attention and make the marketers job much easier. Header images, or cover images as they are called in the realm of social media, are incredibly important and offer scores of branding opportunities.
For instance, you can use your Facebook, Twitter or social media ad cover to promote an event or a new collection. It can also be used to market your product, highlight customer reviews, or market your seasonal sales. The possibilities are endless, and you just have to design an immersive header image to seize the opportunities.
In a Nutshell
Aesthetics play a very crucial role in defining the website experience and engagement. Modern-day websites and social media campaigns are powered with images and graphics as they appeal to the consumers. A header image is an indispensable marketing element that is often ignored. Very few marketers and brands manage to leverage the true potential of a header image in their quest to boost SEO rankings and website engagement.
It is vital to choose a header image with consideration to the aesthetic personality of your website, branding colors and fonts, and of course, relevance to the content. When used effectively and with due consideration, it can help enhance your web design and boost your engagement dramatically
And if you really want to amp up the visual engagement for your blog article, add an in-depth infographic (8-10 panels/sections) to keep people glued to your page.
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