Your Facebook cover photo is one of the most noticeable parts of your Page.

What do you think people feel when they see your photo? Does your brand look cool and cutting-edge? Is it serious-minded or fact-driven? Or perhaps it’s friendly and relatable.

A picture says a thousand words, so people coming to your Facebook page will have their minds made up about your brand just by looking at your cover photo.

Knowing how vital your cover photo is to your Facebook presence, it’s crucial that you follow the best practices. You’d hate to lose valuable followers just because of a boring or outdated photo. People have a lot of brands they can follow these days, so they choose their News Feed real estate carefully.

Let’s discuss some do’s and don’ts for your Facebook cover photo.

Things You Want to DO

  • Do familiarize yourself with Facebook’s cover photo guidelines. You can find them here. It’s a lot to read through, so we’ll sum things up.

  • Choose a unique photo that represents your brand.

  • Your cover photo is public so anyone visiting your page will see it.

  • Only select photos that are unique to your brand and aren’t deceptive, misleading or infringing on someone else’s work.

  • You may not ask or encourage others to upload your cover photo to their timelines.

  • Do choose the right size for your photo. If your photo isn’t optimized correctly, it may end up looking weird on various devices. The correct dimensions are 851 pixels wide by 315 pixels tall for desktop, and 640 pixels wide by 360 pixels tall for mobile.

  • Do keep the image simple, direct and easy to take in. Think of it as your above-the-fold content, which essentially, it is. Some of the best cover photos on Facebook are those that include a single subject, some negative space, simple copy and other unique elements such as a CTA.

  • Do right-align the objects in your photo. Since your profile picture is featured on the left, you don’t want to add any other objects there. Balance the photo by right-aligning objects in your image.

  • Do keep mobile users in mind. More than half of Facebook users access the social network from their mobile devices. But, cover photos on mobile devices are formatted differently. A larger portion of the cover photo is omitted because of the profile picture and the page name at the top. When adding your cover photo, do remember what it looks like to mobile users.

  • Do combine your cover photo and profile picture. It looks really amazing when brands are able to pull this off! Rather than having a disjointed profile pic and cover photo, you can make the two appear as if they were one canvas. A few design tweaks will help you accomplish this.

  • Do draw attention to your buttons. Facebook offers a lot of great tools that encourage visitors to engage with you, such as CTA buttons, a Like button and a Message button. Draw attention to them with smart design practices.

Things You DON’T Want to Do

  • Don’t hide content behind your profile picture. There’s a section of your cover photo that won’t show up unless you click on it. This “hidden” space is found on desktop computers and is located 16 pixels from the edge of the cover photo and 176 pixels from the top of the cover photo. You can use the space to your advantage if you choose, but it’s best to keep it clear.

  • Don’t add important content at the bottom of the photo. This space is reserved for CTA buttons and the name of your page, so you want to keep it clear of important info like branded hashtags or text.

  • Don’t be deceptive. Your cover photo should represent your brand and its personality. While there may be photos that you would absolutely love to work with, they can’t contain false, misleading or fraudulent claims. When in doubt, use photos from your business or organization specifically.

  • Don’t request that anyone share your cover photo. You cannot encourage your followers to upload your cover photo to their personal timelines. This is detailed in Facebook’s Guidelines, and you would hate to have your page taken down because of a minor infraction.

Conclusion

You can check out some of the best Facebook cover photos in this post. We’re sure they will inspire you to try something different with your own cover photo while taking advantage of Facebook’s many unique tools. Also, be sure to test your photo across all devices, as there are differences in how cover photos appear on desktops and mobile devices. By taking the time to perfect your cover photo, you’ll make a better impression on visitors and gain valuable followers in the process!