Spice Up Your WordPress Content with Animated GIFs

Grab Your Visitors’ Attention with Animated GIFs

Animated GIFs can add a touch of excitement to your WordPress blog posts, captivating your readers and increasing engagement. However, you might have noticed that sometimes when you add an animated GIF in WordPress, it loses its animation and appears as a static image. In this article, we will guide you on how to add animated GIFs in WordPress, ensuring that they retain their animated nature and enhance your content.

The Problem with Animated GIFs in WordPress

When you upload an image using the media uploader in WordPress, the platform automatically generates different sizes of the image. However, with animated GIFs, WordPress only saves the first frame of the animation while generating these different image sizes. Consequently, when you add any of these image sizes to your post or page, the GIF becomes a static image, losing its animation.

To overcome this problem, follow the steps below to add animated GIFs in WordPress while preserving their animation:

Step-by-step Instructions for Adding Animated GIFs in WordPress

1. Start by editing an existing post or creating a new one in WordPress.
2. In the WordPress content editor, click the ‘+’ button and select the Image block.
3. You have different options for uploading your animated GIF in the Image block. Either click the ‘Upload’ button and select the GIF from your computer or choose a GIF from your media library by clicking on the ‘Media Library’ button.
4. We recommend avoiding the ‘Insert from URL’ option as it doesn’t upload the image to your website.
5. Once you have uploaded the GIF, WordPress will insert it into your content.
6. To maintain the animation, choose the ‘Full Size’ option under the ‘Image size’ menu on the right. This ensures that the original animated GIF is displayed on your WordPress post or page.
7. Preview your animated GIF in the content editor and make any necessary adjustments.
8. When you are satisfied, publish or update your blog post to make the animated GIF visible on your website.

Optimizing Your Website’s Performance

Keep in mind that animated GIFs generally have larger file sizes compared to other image formats due to multiple compressed images used as frames for the animation. Using large GIFs or adding too many of them to a single WordPress page can slow down your website. To ensure optimal performance, consult our comprehensive guide on how to improve WordPress speed and performance.

Simplifying the Process with WordPress Plugins

If you frequently use platforms like Giphy to find animated GIFs, consider using the GIF Master plugin. This handy plugin allows you to search the Giphy database directly from your WordPress admin area and effortlessly add GIFs to your content without leaving your site.

Additionally, you can simplify the process by utilizing the EmbedPress plugin to embed animated GIFs from Gfycat. Simply input the URL of your GIF from Gfycat, and the plugin will take care of the rest, embedding the GIF into your content seamlessly.

In Conclusion

By following the steps outlined in this article, you can easily incorporate animated GIFs into your WordPress blog posts, captivating your readers and boosting engagement. Remember to optimize your website’s performance by managing file sizes effectively.