How to Create Your Own Thumbnail for Optimal SEO and Website Engagement

To create your own thumbnail, you can utilize a variety of graphic design tools, such as Canva, Adobe Photoshop, or online thumbnail makers. These tools offer templates, graphics, and customization options to design a thumbnail that best represents your content. With a great thumbnail, you can enhance both the user experience and your SEO strategy.

1. Using MS Paint on Windows

If you're using a Windows computer, MS Paint is a simple tool you can use to create thumbnails. Follow these steps:

Open MS Paint. The icon resembles a painter's palette.

Open the image you want to make a thumbnail for.

Click in the upper-left corner. Click Open. Select an image. Click Open again to confirm.

Create a copy of the image. You don’t want to edit the size of the original image.

Click Image in the menu bar at the top. Click Duplicate in the dropdown menu.

Click Resize in the menu bar.

Tick the box for New Image Size.

Type the percentage you want to reduce the image size next to %. A 10% reduction is a good starting point for thumbnails, as larger photos may need to be reduced more.

Click OK. This will reduce the size of the photo.

Save the photo. Make sure to name the thumbnail.

Click File in the menu bar. Click Save a Copy. Type a name for the image next to Where to save. Click Save.

2. Using Preview on Mac

For Mac users, Preview is the default image viewer. Follow these steps to create a thumbnail:

Open an image in Preview. You can double-click an image on your Mac to open it in Preview.

Duplicate the image. Make sure you won’t edit the original.

Click in the upper-right corner in the menu bar. Click Duplicate.

Click Tools in the menu bar.

Click Adjust Size in the menu below Tools.

Select Percentage from the drop-down menu.

Type the percent you want to reduce the image size. A 10% reduction is a good starting point.

Click OK. This will reduce the size of the image.

Save the image. Make sure to add a name for the thumbnail.

Click File in the menu bar. Click Save As. Type a name for the image next to Where to save. Click Save.

3. Using Photoshop or GIMP

For more advanced customization, you can use Photoshop or GIMP, which are powerful graphic design tools. Follow these steps:

Open Photoshop or GIMP. Photoshop is a subscription-based service, while GIMP is free and has similar functionalities.

Open an image you want to reduce the size of.

Click in the upper-left corner. Click File. Select an image. Click Open to confirm.

Save a copy of the image.

Click File in the menu bar. Click Save a Copy. Type a name for the image next to Where to save. Click Save.

Crop the image if necessary (optional).

Click the crop tool in the toolbar to the left. Click and drag over the section of the image you want to keep. Double-click inside the image to apply the crop.

Click Image in the menu bar.

Click Image Size or Scale Image to resize the image.

Select Percentage from the drop-down menu.

Type the percent you want to reduce the image size. A 10% reduction is a good starting point.

Click OK or Scale. This will scale the image size down.

Apply saturation to the thumbnail image if needed. You can do this by adding a saturation adjustment layer in the Adjustment panel.

In Photoshop, click Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Saturation. In GIMP, click the Alpha to Selection tool, then click the Color Threshold tool, and finally add an Curves adjustment layer.

Apply a sharp filter if needed. In Photoshop, click the Filter menu > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen. In GIMP, click the Filters menu > Enhance > Sharpen/Unsharp Mask.

Save the image as a JPEG file for web optimization.

Click File in the menu bar. Click Save As. Select JPEG as the image format in the dropdown menu next to Where to save. Click Save.

Conclusion

A well-designed thumbnail can dramatically improve your website's user engagement and SEO performance. By using the right tools and techniques, you can createthumbnails that not only look great but also effectively represent your content. Whether you're using MS Paint, Preview, Photoshop, GIMP, or any other tool, the key is to keep the design simple, eye-catching, and aligned with your brand. Happy thumbnailing!