LinkedIn is the largest professional social media network in the world, with 830 million users across 200 countries. As a business and employment service platform, it offers a great opportunity to connect with other professionals, companies, customers, and employers. An optimized LinkedIn profile brings new job opportunities, connections, leads, and sales to you and your company. And Banner for LinkedIn is one of the most important elements of LinkedIn profile optimization next to profile image, summary, and headline. In this article, we will guide you on how to create the perfect LinkedIn Banner to attract new opportunities in your industry.
How to create the perfect LinkedIn Banner?
Here are three options to create a LinkedIn Banner for your profile:
- Canva – Canva is an online tool that allows you to create multiple designs, including LinkedIn Banners. It comes with thousands of online templates that are free, innovative, and customizable. Canva’s intuitive interface makes the profile banner creation process quick and straightforward.
- Upwork – Upwork is the largest freelancing marketplace with experts available to help you in any niche. You can easily find graphic designers on Upwork who specialize in creating LinkedIn background images. This is one of the best options, as freelancers on this online marketplace offer highly-quality original designs that stand out. Prices may vary from $10 and $100 for a background banner, depending on the experience level of the freelancer.
- Fiverr – Much like Upwork, Fiverr is another freelance service marketplace to hire talents for different gigs. It is an excellent marketplace for outsourcing a small job without breaking the bank. Rates on this platform vary depending upon the requirement and the freelancer’s experience. But most freelancers charge $5 and $50 per LinkedIn banner design.
Why do you need a LinkedIn Banner?
With your LinkedIn profile picture, the background is the first thing people see when they visit your profile. Unlike the profile picture, which is usually kept professional, the banner image lets you showcase more of your personality. The fact that most people don’t change their default background image will work to your advantage. You will be able to grab people’s attention to your profile just by having something different as a header image.
LinkedIn Banner ideas to make your profile stand out
Choosing the right LinkedIn background photo that tells your profile visitors about your brand while keeping it professional can prove quite challenging. To make things easier for you, we have come up with a few ideas that you can draw inspiration from.
Use a photo of your workspace
For a simple yet professional banner, you can use the picture of your desk, home office set up, or office space at work. If you are not comfortable sharing a picture of your actual workspace, you can use a stock photo showing what your ideal workspace would look like.
Use an image that represents your company
If you feel that you truly belong in your company and would gladly advocate for its brand, products, and culture, then you can use the image of the company logo, its products, or the benefits these products bring to your customers. The idea works even better when you have started your own company and are looking to promote it online.
Use an image of an award or accomplishment
If you have received any recognition from your company in the form of an award or mention as a top influencer, make sure others know about it by featuring it in your LinkedIn Banner image. This will increase your credibility in your industry and help you get more connections and followers. Similarly, your published books, articles, or reports can also boost your credibility.
Use text in your LinkedIn background cover
Things you can mention in your LinkedIn banner image are:
- Your job titles
- What you can do for your clients
- Your other social media handles
- Your email address
- A quote you like
- Companies that you have worked with in the past
Note: – Remember to keep it short, as too much text on a cover image can become overwhelming and hard to read, especially on mobile. Also, to ensure the text is visible and not covered by your profile picture, keep it on the right or upper-left corner.
LinkedIn Banner Size & Dimensions
- The recommended LinkedIn banner size is 1584 x 396 pixels for personal profiles and 1536 x 768 pixels for company profiles.
- It should always maintain a 129:8 aspect ratio.
- The maximum file size of the banner should be 8MB.
- LinkedIn accepts PNG and JPG files for cover photos.
How do I change my LinkedIn banner?
Step 1 – Login to your LinkedIn account
Step 2 – You will see a LinkedIn cover photo just above your profile picture (in the left corner)
Step 3 – Click the pencil icon in the top right-hand corner. It will open a window with cropping, filters, and photo adjustment options.
Step 4 – Click ‘Change photo.’ Here you can upload a photo of your choice or select one from the LinkedIn custom images.
Step 5 – After you make your selection, click ‘Save.’ Be sure to edit and adjust the photo accordingly.
How to create a free LinkedIn banner?
- Define your target audience and your message.
- Use the right tools to add an image, such as Pixabay, Canva, etc.
- Make sure the image is 1584 x 396 pixels.
- Make sure the image resolution is top-notch.
Key Takeaways
A LinkedIn background banner is meant to enhance your visibility and get you more connection requests, followers, leads and interviews. We have given you some ideas about what features to add to your background. Hopefully, you have learned about LinkedIn banners, their importance, the ideal banner size, where to get your photos from, and how to create one for yourself, either free or paid, by hiring some freelancer from various platforms. This will help you create a perfect LinkedIn banner based on your business or personal needs.
