Adjusting for the new Google Plus cover photo size

Last week, Google Plus made a pretty striking change to the layout of profile pages for both individuals and company pages.

The dimensions of the cover photo used to take up a pretty small amount of real estate on profile pages, at a long and narrow 940×180 pixels.

The new cover photos? They’re huge. At 960×540 pixels, they are the largest cover photos on any of the major social networks – Facebook’s comes in at 851×315.

In addition to the cover photo size, there are some other formatting changes that you should take a look at if your business is on Google Plus.

• The profile photo is now displayed as a smaller, circular avatar. In status updates and interactions around Google Plus, the profile photo still appears as a square.
• Page title, page +1s, and additional company/brand information (including the website and location/hours of operation if your page represents a local business) are transposed over the cover photo, as well.
• The lower third of the cover photo has a dark gradient applied to make it easier to see the information that is now displayed over the lower part of the cover photo.
• The map is no longer visible on the main “Posts” profile page – users must navigate to the “About” page to find it.
• For local businesses, it is much easier for customers to figure out how to leave your business a review – the “Write a Review” button is visible on all navigation tabs within a profile.
• Options to get directions, “star” the business, add photos or share the page are also available to users on all navigation tabs within a profile (if the page is a verified local business).

Though Google Plus recommends uploading photos that are 960×540 pixels, you are allowed to upload images that are at least 480×270 pixels. Also worth noting is that even if you upload an image that is at the recommended dimensions – 960×540 pixels or smaller at 72 ppi – these images can end up looking blurry or pixelated. We recommend uploading images that are 2120×1192 pixels if you have images or graphics large enough to work within those dimensions. The larger size will ensure that your new cover photo will look sharp and crisp, even on retina displays.

We’ve created some Photoshop templates that you can use to create your new Google Plus cover photo, both in standard and high-res versions. Feel free to download them!

Google Plus Cover Photo Template – Standard
Google Plus Cover Photo Template – High-Resolution

Have questions about profile setup, branding or imagery on Google Plus or other networks? Give Fruition a call – we have great social media and graphic design teams that can help your business make the most of social media marketing!