What is Gravatar and Why You Should Be Using It: The Comprehensive Guide

Have you ever noticed those cool little avatar images that appear next to people‘s names in blog comments? Or maybe beside a user profile on GitHub?

Those are called Gravatar images. As a veteran webmaster, I highly recommend you add one to build recognition and stand out across the web.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll explain everything about Gravatar and help you get set up with your own personalized avatar:

A Quick History of Online Avatars

Let‘s start with a little background. The idea of avatars originally comes from the gaming and virtual world communities of the 1990s.

Before social networks, users interacted on forums and chat platforms like ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, and MMORPGs like World of Warcraft.

To represent themselves visually, users would create virtual characters known as avatars. This trend later carried over to early social networks.

As online discussion grew on blogs and forums, sites faced a problem – how could they differentiate users that were only identified by screen names?

Many communities allowed users to upload small images or "avatars" to represent themselves. But these were isolated to each individual platform.

That‘s where Gravatar comes in…

What Exactly is Gravatar?

Gravatar stands for Globally Recognized Avatar.

It is a universal avatar system that launched in 2007, later acquired by Automattic in 2014.

Gravatar allows users to upload profile images that follow them across any site integrating the platform. Sites request the user‘s gravatar from Gravatar‘s servers and display it next to their name, keeping their visual identity consistent.

According to BuiltWith, Gravatar is used on over 7 million websites, including 30% of the top 10,000 sites.

This reach makes Gravatar the most ubiquitous avatar platform on the web.

Benefits of Connecting Your Visual Identity

As a webmaster since 2007, I‘ve seen the immense value that Gravatar provides in connecting a visual identity to your online presence.

Here are some of the key benefits I‘ve observed:

Recognition Across the Web

Your Gravatar transforms you from an anonymous stranger into a familiar face. Seeing the same image again and again on different sites subconsciously builds trust and authority.

Personality and Approachability

An avatar makes your voice feel more human. Readers develop a stronger connection with a real face than an abstract default icon.

Professional Reputation

A quality headshot or logo reinforces your reputation as an expert. According to research, including a photo makes people more likely to trust you.

Consistent Branding

Maintaining the same profile image strengthens your personal or company brand. Gravatar is like a visual "signature" that you stamp across the web.

Easy Implementation

Once your Gravatar is set up, you never have to think about it again. The avatar automatically displays in supported platforms and apps.

Flexible Integration

Gravatar is built into most major sites and platforms, with simple integration if needed. More on this later.

Let‘s get into how to register for this powerful service.

Step-by-Step: Setting Up Your Own Gravatar

Ready to establish your own consistent identity? Here is a simple walkthrough to get your Gravatar set up:

1. Go to Gravatar.com

First head over to the official Gravatar website and click "Get Your Gravatar."

2. Sign Up for a Free WordPress.com Account

Because Gravatar is owned by Automattic, you register using a WordPress.com account. Click "Create Account" to get started.

Don‘t worry, this only takes a minute and you can use your main email. Or log in if you already have a WordPress.com account.

3. Add the Email for Your Gravatar

Next, you will be prompted to enter the primary email address you want associated with your Gravatar profile.

This is the email that Gravatar will use to match your profile image to your online comments and accounts across different sites.

4. Confirm Your Email to Activate Your Account

Check your inbox for a confirmation email from WordPress.com. Click the verification link to complete registration and activate your Gravatar account.

5. Upload an Avatar Photo

Now you‘re ready to personalize! Click "Add an Image" on your Gravatar dashboard to upload your avatar photo.

For best results, upload a close cropped headshot or professional logo at least 128×128 pixels.

6. Adjust and Crop the Image

Use Gravatar‘s handy image editing tools to crop your avatar, rotate, zoom, and optimize the framing.

Once it looks perfect, click "Crop Image" to finish up.

7. Set a Rating for Your Photo

Gravatar allows you to assign a rating to your image, like G, PG, R, or X. This determines what sites display it.

I recommend sticking with G if you want maximum reach. Some sites block adult images.

8. Save Your Website Profiles

Add your own sites under "Your Websites" so you can easily manage Gravatar permissions later on.

At a minimum, be sure to add your main website.

And that‘s all it takes! Just a few minutes to get your consistent avatar set up.

Now let‘s go over how to customize it further.

Customizing Your Gravatar Appearance

One of the great features of Gravatar is the ability to customize your avatar at any time after it‘s set up.

You have full control to change these aspects of your Gravatar:

Profile image – Upload a new photo or swap in a different image.
Size – Set the preferred display size of your Gravatar, from 80px up to 512px.
Default image – If your image is missing, choose a backup default Gravatar.
Rating – Update if you need to change the rating on a new image.
Multimedia images – Program swappable multimedia Gravatar images.
Profile visibility – Control how your Gravatar profile appears in search engines.

Having this control makes it easy to regularly update your Gravatar as your brand evolves.

Managing Your Gravatar Account

Maintaining your Gravatar only takes a few moments here and there. Follow these tips:

Confirm email addresses – Each new email must be verified before its Gravatar activates.
Log in through WordPress – If you forget your password, reset via WordPress.com.
Save website profiles – Add any new sites you interact on for easy permissions.
Update image ratings – Remember to assign ratings, especially if uploading any mature images.
Delete old images – Remove unused avatars to declutter your account.
Disable your account – If you no longer want your Gravatar active, you can delete it.

Properly managing your account ensures your avatar keeps working smoothly.

Integrating Gravatar into WordPress

One of the most popular uses of Gravatar is to show avatars on your WordPress site.

Integrating Gravatar into your WordPress comments, profiles, and author bios is a breeze:

Go to Settings → Discussion in your WP dashboard.
Under "Avatars", check the box for "Show Avatars".
Specify a maximum avatar rating you‘re comfortable displaying.
Customize the default avatar if needed.

And that‘s all it takes! Now registered commenters with Gravatar accounts will automatically display their images.

You can also show Gravatar avatars in author profile cards using the get_avatar() template tag.

Some plugins like Simple Author Box also offer expanded Gravatar integration options.

Gravatar on Other Platforms

One of the great strengths of Gravatar is its wide compatibility across platforms.

In addition to WordPress, here are some of the major sites and services that support Gravatar integration out of the box:

GitHub
Stack Overflow
WordPress (of course!)
bbPress
BuddyPress
Disqus
Steam
MailChimp
Ustream
Slack
Jetpack

And dozens more…

This ubiquity means anytime you interact on a major site, your Gravatar can accompany your profile.

Troubleshooting: Common Gravatar Issues

In over 15 years working on sites, I‘ve seen a few common Gravatar display issues come up.

Here are some troubleshooting tips:

Verify the email used to register Gravatar matches what‘s on the site. This is the most common culprit!
Confirm your account from the activation email after registering.
Check image ratings to ensure your Gravatar meets site policies.
Use secure HTTPS image URLs on HTTPS websites to avoid mixed content warnings.
Adjust image size in your Gravatar profile if avatars appear too large or small.
Clear your browser cache in case an outdated avatar is cached.
Bypass caching plugins that may be overriding Gravatar images with stale copies.
Disable/re-enable the feature on sites to reset any possible conflicts.

With billions of avatars served, rest assured any potential display issues are solvable.

Final Thoughts

There you have it – everything you need to know to get up and running with Gravatar.

As you can see, it‘s a quick and easy way to build recognition and give your identity a visual "voice" across the platforms you use.

As an experienced webmaster, I highly recommend taking a few minutes to set up your Globally Recognized Avatar.

It‘s one of those set-it-and-forget-it solutions that pays dividends for years down the road as your expert reputation grows.

So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get your own Gravatar now! Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.