Why should you optimize your images when social media websites are already doing it for you? Well, pre prepared images are losing much less quality than the ones who are not prepared. Because these websites have what's called an algorithm. And the algorithm is basically a piece of code, which is determined in advanced by the engineers behind the website. So for example, Facebook has its own Instagram has its own Pinterest has its own, and so on. That's why they decided in advance about the image sizes because particular image sizes are working well with their desktop version and tablet version and mobile version, as well as the mobile and tablet apps.

So that's why they are coming pre prepared. And that's why when you upload an image, which is the Huge, then they optimize it and reduce it. So in order for it to show better inside of your feet depending of your social media site. So let's take Facebook, for example. If you upload your cover image, it will then stretch and it will crop to the exact dimensions, which are pre determined by the Facebook engineers, because they know that that particular dimension will work well on a mobile site and on the desktop site, and inside of the mobile apps, and so on. That's why you need to come prepared before you upload images to these websites in order for them to show in the best possible way.

So that's why you need to optimize your images for social media sites. So have this in mind. When you take your images when you shoot your images. Make sure that the subject is in advanced determined by the social media site that you upload your images to. So, for example, you should take if you should take this image, you should take it like this Not like this. So in landscape rather than portrait mode.

So if you then want to upload it to several different social media sites, you have the space around your subject matter. So you can then crop it later, and then adjust it to different social media sizes. Perfect example of this is Instagram. So I arranged a quick mock up to show you. So we have a quote in this example. So Instagram works with square images, as you can see right here, nothing is cut off because this is a square image to start with.

And it was very much designed So, but if you take a landscape image, Instagram will cut it and show it like this. So you will have white space around your image. This, in return will then impact on your visitors. Because when your visitors scroll down through Instagram as you do, no matter if you're on a desktop or a mobile device, the more image they can see, the more they will be engaged with your content, the more for longer, they will see that image and for longer, they will scroll on that image. So you have to use pre prepared and pre determined sizes for these social media sites in order for them to have the biggest possible impact on your visitors. That's why you have to follow these rules, because these websites already determined this for two years Years and years of testing.

And they come to the conclusion that these dimensions work well with this particular site. Make sure to have your images of highest possible quality if you're thinking them yourself. But again, make sure that the subject matter that inside of the image is adjusted for the social media site that it will be uploaded to. Also keep this in mind. If your camera is capable of taking an image which is let's say 8000 by 6000 pixels in size, good for you. But no matter which of the social media site you are uploading that image to, it will still be compressed, so it's better for you to compress it in advanced and adapted to the specific social media sizes.

So it will show better, it will retain more quality because you are the one who is doing the research. Not letting some piece of code do it for you. So perfect example of this if you're doing product photography for example, or you have your own shop or you are a photographer for somebody else, and so on, make sure when you are taking your photographs to leave enough of a space around the subject. So if we take this for example, and make it our Facebook cover for a page, for example, it will cut off this top part it will cut up this bottom part and you will still be left with a crisp, crisp and nice image. If you want to just upload it like this in for example 1920 by 1080, which is a full HD, you can do it so it will not lose as much quality and as I explained right here for Instagram, for example, you can have it squared, or you can even have it like this which is an Instagram story format and it will still retain its quality.

You can then Put some text around it, for example, put some frames, decorations, and so on. But that's the most important thing to plan these things in advanced. So you can have the best possible quality in order for you to retain your visitors attention much longer and to keep them scrolling and to keep them engaged with your content. Also, it's important to know if you're creating graphics for example, where are these elements are going to be? So we have these graphics right here for example. So, we know in advance that this text will be on the left subject matter will be on the right and we will have some empty space.

So we can show the scale of this background for example. So you must know all of this in advance. So if you get something like this, you will then have your subject matter still showing. So in this particular example, We know that it's a road, quote is still showing we have this image right here. So main point across is still here, but we don't have the same real estate as we have right here in this original image. So keep all this in mind and plan in advance.

It will save you a lot of time and a lot of trouble. And what's most important of all, it will retain the best possible impact on your visitors and it will keep them engaged longer with your content and it will keep them stay for longer on these social media sites.