How to Add a GIF to Your WordPress Website

GIFs (Graphics Interchange Format) are a series of graphics files based on the common specification developed by CompuServe in 1989. GIFs can be used for a variety of purposes including wallpapers, mobile phone screensavers, and icons. They are ideal for small business websites and blogs as they can be easily incorporated into posts.

This tutorial will teach you how to add a GIF to your WordPress website. We will cover everything from the basics of adding a GIF to your post to making the most of the various options when it comes to applying a GIF to your site.

The Basics Of Adding A GIF To Your WordPress Website

To begin with, you will need to determine precisely what you will use the GIF for. Bear in mind that the file size of a GIF is proportionally smaller than that of a standard web image such as a JPG or PNG, which means that GIFs are often faster to download and less likely to be blocked by web browsers.

Once you have decided on the purpose of the GIF, you then need to consider various other aspects including the file size, the dimensions, and the aspect ratio of the image. Bear in mind that too large a GIF will reduce the effectiveness of any text that you use in conjunction with the image.

The Best Way To Add A GIF To Your WordPress Site

If you are looking to add a GIF to your website, the best practice is to minimize the amount of unnecessary text that is near your GIF as much as possible. Try and leverage the image in a way that includes the most pertinent information while excluding as much of the surrounding text as possible. This way, your readers will be able to enjoy your GIF immediately upon landing on your page.

A good rule of thumb is to keep the total file size under 2 megabytes. Anything above that and you may start to see some quirks in the way that your site functions.

Where Do I Put The GIF?

The first step is to determine where you will place the GIF in relation to the other content on your site. Positioning a GIF in the perfect spot on your site can increase its visual impact and minimize the amount of text that is near to it. When choosing a spot for your GIF, you need to keep in mind the purpose and role that it will serve on your site. The perfect spot for a GIF will usually be close to the top or bottom of a page as these are the places where a viewer will look first and last.

How Do I Name The GIF?

The next step is to give the GIF a suitable name. The ideal name for a GIF is short and descriptive enough to be memorable yet detailed enough to accurately represent its content. Choosing a proper name for your GIF can be a time-consuming process; therefore, take your time and be as descriptive as possible.

For example, if you are adding a GIF depicting a sunrise, you may want to name it “Sunrise Over The Pacific.” While this is a perfect description of the image, it can be difficult to remember. If you are having trouble coming up with a unique and catchy name for your GIF, you may want to consider using an abbreviation or a word-play on the name of an existing product. For example, if you are adding a GIF of a dog, you may want to name it “Fido.”

How Many Pics Should I Use?

The number of photos that you use in your post determines the format of the post. When adding a GIF to your site, you will usually end up with a square image that is either 200 pixels by 200 pixels or 400 pixels by 400 pixels. Although the size of the image will not increase the size of your blog post, it will decrease the effectiveness of any text that you use in conjunction with the image. To maintain the integrity of your blog post, you should not use more than three images (front, side, and back). It is best to keep the number of images to a minimum to keep your blog post the perfect length without having it bloated by unnecessary content.

Do I Need To Watermark The GIF?

If you are asking this question, you are probably wanting to add a GIF to your website for promotional purposes. Promotional use of a GIF requires that you watermark it with the name of the business or brand that you are representing. You do not need to watermark a GIF for commercial use as it will already have the name of the business or brand stamped on it.

Adding A GIF To My Post

Once you have answered all of the above questions, it’s time to add your GIF to your post. To do this, click on the “Add Media” button beneath your blog header.

The Add Media button will take you to your WordPress dashboard. From there, you will click on the Add Media button again to bring you to the Add Media page.

On this page, you will see all of the images that you have ever uploaded to your site. To add a GIF to your post, click on the “GIF” file icon and you will be brought to the upload page.

On this page, you will see various options relating to the GIF itself. For the purposes of this tutorial, we will be using the “Traditional Animation” setting as it is the most common and will ensure that your GIF is displayed correctly. Ensure that the GIF you are adding is in the correct format (see above) and then click on the “Add Media” button.

Your GIF will then be added to the post and you can either preview or publish your post.

Making The Most Of The Various Options When Adding A GIF To My Post

The options that we just discussed above are all that you will get when you click on the “Add Media” button. Once you have added your GIF to a post, you can still go back and edit it as much as you like. However, when choosing a spot for your GIF or naming it, you will not be able to go back to change anything relating to the photo itself. For example, you may want to add text to your image or change the colors or contrast but you cannot do this if you have already added the image to your post.

To make the most of the various options when adding a GIF to your post, it is a good idea to go back to the original post and re-read it. This will help you understand what you are adding and how it will fit in with the post overall. It is also a good idea to look at how other bloggers have used similar images in the past to find the best way to integrate yours into a post.

There are various ways to integrate a GIF into a post. The above steps will teach you how to add a GIF to your WordPress site. However, you may want to look at some of the pre-made templates available on the website. This will save you the time and effort of having to go through the process of figuring out where to put the image and how to name it.