Having an eye-catching LinkedIn banner is crucial for making a strong first impression on your profile visitors. As one of the first things people will see when visiting your profile, your LinkedIn banner presents an opportunity to convey your personal brand, industry, skills, and professional goals.
When designing your LinkedIn banner, there are several key factors to consider in order to create an effective and professional banner that aligns with your personal brand and resonates with your target audience.
Showcase Your Profession
First and foremost, your LinkedIn banner should communicate your profession, industry, or area of expertise. This gives viewers immediate insight into your background and specializations. Include imagery, text, logos, or icons that are associated with your field to clearly convey your niche. For example:
- A marketer could include stock images of people collaborating around a computer or charts/graphs
- An accountant may showcase a calculator, spreadsheets, or other accounting imagery
- A designer might display color palettes, logos, or images of apps/websites they’ve designed
The banner space gives you an opportunity to get creative in displaying your profession uniquely. Just make sure it’s clear what industry or job role you are in.
Display Your Branding
In addition to showcasing your profession, your banner should align with your personal branding. Maintain visual consistency with your brand colors, fonts, and other branding elements. This strengthens your brand identity and recognition. For instance:
- A brand color palette – Feature your brand’s signature colors
- A branded font or typography – Use a branded font for your name/title
- A logo – If you have a personal logo, add it to the banner
Using the banner as a branding billboard helps reinforce your professional image throughout your LinkedIn presence. Every visual element should work cohesively to portray your brand.
Highlight Your Goals or Mission
The LinkedIn banner also provides space to feature your professional objectives or mission. This gives viewers insight into what motivates you and what you aim to achieve in your career. For example, you could display:
- An inspiring mission statement or slogan
- Your professional goals and interests
- Values or causes important to you
This creates a more personal connection with your profile visitors by conveying your passion and aspirations. Just make sure the messaging aligns with your industry and professional focus.
Include Relevant Skills or Accomplishments
Strategically highlighting specific skills, achievements, credentials, or thought leadership can make your profile stand out while showcasing your capabilities. For example, you could display:
- Technical skills or software proficiency relevant to your field
- Certifications or credentials earned
- Stats on customers served, revenue generated, or projects completed
- Awards won or professional recognition received
- Books or publications authored
Choose details that best reflect your professional capability and expertise. This provides credibility and gives visitors insight into how you can add value.
Optimize with SEO Keywords
When designing your banner, also consider relevant keywords and phrases that align with your target audience’s searches. Incorporating SEO keywords into your banner text and image file names helps increase your discoverability on LinkedIn.
Conduct keyword research to identify terms and phrases professionals in your industry are searching for. Then strategically work these into banner text and image alt text. This on-page SEO boosts your visibility when people search those terms.
Craft an Eye-Catching Header
Your name and headline appear prominently next to your profile photo. This header area is prime real estate for an attention-grabbing first impression. Consider the following for an impactful header:
- Prominently display your full name
- Use a concise, descriptive professional headline
- Incorporate strong branding elements like logo, color, and typography
- Use ample white space around text for an uncluttered look
Craft your name and headline carefully to communicate your value proposition and grab viewers’ interest.
Pick High-Quality Photos
Imagery is a key part of making a banner engaging and polished. Use high-quality photos relevant to your profession that align with your brand. Consider these tips for selecting banner photos:
- Profile photo: Use a professional headshot of yourself
- Background photo: Select a stock image representing your industry, or branded imagery
- Image style: Maintain visual cohesion through color scheme, filters, etc.
- Image quality: Use high-resolution photos that won’t look blurry or pixelated
- Variety: Use a mix of portrait and landscape orientation photos
Investing in professional, on-brand photos can take your banner to the next level visually.
Size Images and Text Appropriately
Properly sizing and balancing images and text creates a polished, intentional look. Follow LinkedIn’s recommended dimensions when structuring your banner:
- Banner size: 1,584 x 396 px (minimum 400 x 200 px)
- Profile picture: 110 x 110 px
- Background photo: 1,128 x 191 px
Use image editing tools to cut photos to the exact dimensions. Size name/headline text to make it legible but not overwhelming. Optimize text wrapping to avoid covered or awkwardly positioned visuals.
Follow LinkedIn Guidelines
When designing your banner, adhere to LinkedIn’s guidelines to ensure your banner gets approved and avoid removal. Key rules include:
- Don’t use unprofessional images or text
- Don’t use false or misleading information
- Don’t include offers to buy or sell products/services
- Don’t display third-party advertising or promotions
Check LinkedIn’s full banner guidelines for specifics. Following the rules helps maintain a professional brand presence.
Drive Viewers to Take Action
To turn your banner into a call-to-action, include links or prompts for desired user actions. For example:
- Contact link: Include your email or a “Contact Me” button
- Portfolio link: Drive visitors to view your work samples or portfolio
- Offer link: Send people to a free download, webinar registration, etc.
Strategically placed CTAs can boost engagement from your banner.
Test Different Options
Experiment with different layouts, photos, colors, and text to determine what resonates most with your audience. Consider A/B testing a few variations over time. Analyze performance data and user feedback to guide refinements. Iterating based on insights can help optimize engagement.
Update Your Banner Regularly
Revisit your banner on a regular basis to keep it fresh and current. Update imagery that no longer fits your brand or is outdated. Stay on top of trends and best practices in your industry. Add new accomplishments and skills as your career evolves. An outdated banner can give a stale impression.
Conclusion
Your LinkedIn banner is valuable online real estate to make a strong first impression and convey your personal brand. By showcasing your profession, skills, mission, and visual identity effectively, you can create an engaging banner that resonates with your target audience.
With these tips in mind for optimizing imagery, text, visuals, CTAs, and more, you can design a high-quality LinkedIn banner that elevates your profile.
| LinkedIn Banner Best Practice | Example |
|---|---|
| Showcase your profession | Stock images of people collaborating around a computer for a marketer’s banner |
| Display your branding | Personal logo, brand colors, and typography |
| Highlight your goals or mission | “Empower entrepreneurs to start successful businesses” |
| Include relevant skills or accomplishments | Highlight of specific technical skills or certifications obtained |
| Optimize with SEO keywords | Incorporate “digital marketing consultant” in banner text |
| Craft an eye-catching header | Prominent name and concise professional headline with ample white space |
| Pick high-quality photos | Professional headshot, on-brand background image in recommended dimensions |
| Size images and text appropriately | Images cut to exact banner dimensions, sized name/headline text |
| Follow LinkedIn guidelines | No false information, offensive content, or third-party ads |
| Drive viewers to take action | Adding “Contact Me” button or link to portfolio |
| Test different options | A/B testing different background images or text |
| Update your banner regularly | Refreshing imagery and adding new skills/accomplishments periodically |
By implementing these banner best practices, you can create a compelling LinkedIn presence that engages your professional network and tells your brand story.
Here are a few examples of strong LinkedIn banners showcasing many of these principles:
Marketer Banner Example
This LinkedIn banner example for a digital marketer uses vibrant brand colors and images related to online marketing. The headline clearly conveys her profession and expertise. Key skills are highlighted with strong visuals. Her profile photo and images use the recommended banner dimensions. This creates a cohesive, polished look:
Designer Banner Example
This LinkedIn banner example features a designer’s brand logo prominently. The dark background and color pops make her profile photo stand out. Imagery of design work reinforce her profession. The bold, branded typography grabs attention. The “Get in touch” CTA encourages engagement:
Entrepreneur Banner Example
For this entrepreneur’s banner, the large text overlay communicating her mission makes a strong statement. Her brand logo and color scheme create cohesion. The cityscape background reinforces that she runs a place-based business. Prominent CTAs encourage contacting her or visiting her website:
Each example aligns well with the individual’s brand and goals while following banner best practices. This results in professional, high-quality banners that engage visitors.
Key Takeaways
Here are some key tips to remember when creating your LinkedIn banner:
- Showcase your profession with relevant imagery
- Maintain visual consistency with your branding
- Feature your mission statement or professional objectives
- Highlight key skills, credentials, and accomplishments
- Optimize with SEO keywords for discoverability
- Craft an eye-catching name/headline
- Use high-quality, properly sized photos
- Size visuals and text appropriately for the banner space
- Follow LinkedIn guidelines to avoid issues
- Include strong calls-to-action to drive engagement
- Iterate and test different options
- Update the banner regularly as your career evolves
With a well-designed, optimized banner that reflects your personal brand, you can make a powerful impression and stand out on LinkedIn.