GIFs are an excellent way to add an engaging piece of content to your website. There are plenty of sites that offer GIFs that you can add to your websites and the content medium is perfect for websites.

Shopify allows for GIFs, and most themes will accommodate them. Adding a GIF it is fairly quick and easy to do on a product page. However, for most other pages, it isn’t a great idea, as explained below.

First:

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Key Takeaways
1
To add GIFs, create one using an app, then go to the product page and insert it directly into the product.
2
GIFs can significantly increase customer engagement and time spent on your Shopify store.
3
GIFs can provide customers with a realistic 360-degree view when used on product pages.

Adding An Animated GIF On Your Product Pages

This is a fairly simple process. All you really need to do is to add the animated .gif file directly to the product images. It should work without any need for additional coding or apps. To do this follow these steps.

Step 1 - Login

Login to your website using your usual login credentials.

Step 2 - Products

Go to the product by clicking on the ‘Products’ and then finding the product and clicking on it.

Step 3 - Add GIF

In the images section, upload your GIF file. Your GIF would need to have been created before this step. For image settings, you can also crop the image, change the image orientation, and adjust the contrast, brightness, and white balance of the image before uploading it.

The same process can be done on blog posts.

Creating GIFs For Your Products

If you want to create a GIF on your Shopify store, you can do so with the help of an App. You need to follow these steps.

Step 1 - Login

Login to your Shopify store. Make sure your store is properly set up before proceeding.

Step 2 - Shopify Apps

Using this link, or on the Shopify app store, look for the app, PicAmaze. It is a free app that allows you to create a GIF and insert it on your product pages.

Step 3 - Add App

Click on the ‘Add App’ button. And then you can create the GIF following the app’s instructions. You can also add a video to your product page using a similar process.

Why Add A GIF?

GIFs can be used to create engaging points during a blog post. This can make the blog post feel more entertaining and keep its stickiness high (the length of time someone stays on a webpage). When adding GIFs to your blog posts, consider your font choices and font sizes to ensure readability.

At the same time, you can use GIFs to display more about the products on product pages. This can help with conversions and show more off to the customer. For instance, GIFs can give your customers a 360 view of your product, something that allows you to make your product more real.

When Not To Add A GIF

GIFs are great, but they have their drawbacks. On homepages and other key pages they can slow down load times. This lowers your search rank and your traffic levels. Plus, they can be very distracting to visitors and this might mean they don’t take the action you want them to. There are many other Shopify customization and design options you can explore to improve your store’s look and performance.

They’re great in blogs, when used sparingly, but it isn’t recommended to use outside of this area or the product pages.