Over the past week, Facebook has increased the size of images when you share a link to a blog post. This is great news because this means your images now appear larger. This isn’t so great if you have older blog posts that contain images that are not optimized for Facebook because they will get squished or cutoff. We’re going to teach you about Facebook image optimization and how you can use the Facebook debugger tool to fix images on your older blog posts to make them look their best in the news feed.
Facebook images in the news feed
I’m really excited about the larger image sizes in the news feed because it now makes the news feed more visual. Unfortunately though, if your images are not optimized properly for Facebook, they won’t look so good.
Here is an example of what the new images look like when you share a link on Facebook.
Example of a Facebook image that is not optimized
Example of a Facebook image that is optimized
As you can see, while the images have gotten larger, depending on the size of images on your blog or website, they may not resize properly, resulting in images that are cut off or in some cases, stretched.
So what are the correct image sizes that you need to be using? According to the Facebook Developer blog, the recommended size is 1200 x 628 px and the minimum size you should use is 600 x 314 px.
If you have the original, follow the instructions below.
If you don’t, there are plenty of tools for creating images for social media to help you re-create them quickly.
Facebook image optimization tips to fix images in the Facebook news feed
To fix your images for the Facebook news feed, here’s what you need to do.
1. Resize your image to 1200 x 628 px or 600 x 314 px
2. Upload your new image to your blog post. If you’re using WordPress, you’ll want to add this image to the “featured image” section.
3. Copy your URL from your blog post
4. Go to the Facebook debugger, enter your URL, and then hit debug
Now when you go to share a link on Facebook, your new image should show up.
It’s also worth noting that you can still upload your own Facebook link thumbnail images. Just be sure you use the sizes listed above.
In just a few simple steps, you’ve now learned about Facebook image optimization so that when anyone shares your blog post, the image thumbnails look their best in the news feed.
Wrap-up on Facebook image optimization
While it sounds like a lot of work, by taking the time to fix your images, you’ll improve how your content looks in the news feed. If you have blog posts that include strong visual images, this can help boost engagement with fans who see your posts in their news feed.
If you have additional questions about Facebook image optimization, please leave a comment below with your questions.