Adding Instagram feed on your WordPress website gives great visual appeal, increases engagement, and posts dynamic content.
Whichever it is, the product or the service or maybe just a little piece of behind the scenes look at events, there’s always room for adding an Instagram feed to add some fresh, constantly updating content.
Thankfully, integrating an Instagram feed into WordPress is fast and easy, and it offers various ways to do so without complicated coding.
Some feel torn between Facebook and Instagram for thier business? The choice depends on the business type. Facebook excels in targeting a broader audience with ads and fostering community engagement.
Meanwhile, Instagram shines for visually-driven content and its shoppable features. If your business heavily relies on images and videos, Instagram is the way to go.
Did you know you can showcase your Instagram feed on your website? It’s a savvy move to enhance your site’s visual appeal and connect with your audience across platforms.
Want to learn how and why? Let’s dive in.
A. Importance of Displaying Social Feeds on WordPress Site
Integrating social media feeds into your WordPress site can increase your content’s visibility and reach by leveraging the networks of your social media followers.
When visitors see that your content is being shared and engaged by others on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, they’re more likely to view it as valuable and worthy of their attention.
Moreover, displaying social selling signals such as likes, shares, and comments can improve the credibility of your content. When people see that others are actively engaging with and endorsing your content, it builds trust and authority.
This social proof can reassure visitors that your site is a reliable source of information or entertainment, encouraging them to spend more time on your site and explore further.
Additionally, integrating social media feeds into your WordPress site can instill a sense of community and encourage interaction among your audience.
By making it easy for your web users to share your content or join the conversation on social media platforms, you’re inviting them to become part of your online community.
You can even showcase your social media campaigns through the feed section. This can give boost to engagement, brand loyalty, and even user-generated content as your audience becomes more invested in your site and its content.
B. Steps to Add Instagram Feed on Your WordPress Website
Here’s a simplified guide on how to seamlessly integrate an Instagram feed into your WordPress website using a free plugin, Smash Balloon:
Step 1: Install Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed
- Navigate to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
- Search for “WP Social Ninja” and install the plugin.
- Activate the plugin after installation.
Step 2: Configure the plugin setup
- As soon as you activate the plugin, a plugin setup section window pops on its own.
- Click on the icon labeled Launch the Setup Wizard and choose the type of account you wish to connect: personal, business (requires Facebook connection), or manual (requires access token).
- Follow the instructions to authenticate your Instagram account.
Step 3: Embed the Instagram Feed
- Click on Add New to create your feed.
- Tick the option of your Instagram account
- An option for embedding will be shown on the right corner of the page. Click on it.
- Click on Next, and your feed will be displayed on your screen.
Step 4: Layout Selection
– Go to Customize >> Feed Layout. Create a new layout or select the existing layout type (Grid is available in the free version).
Step 5: Setting up Customization
- Adjust the number of posts to display and define the post order.
- Increase/decrease the number of columns and column gaps according to your preference.
- Select the type of posts you want to display (videos only, images only, or all posts) in the post section.
- Go back to Customize to access the Header section and choose the header image, size, and style.
- Next, go back to Customize >> Follow Buttons to change the color or text of your follow buttons.
- Click on ‘Save’ to save the changes.
Step 6: Add Filters
Go to Settings >> Filters and Moderation and select which type of posts you want to display on the Instagram feed.
Step 7: Shoppable Instagram Feed (pro feature)
- Enable the shoppable Instagram feed feature in Settings to facilitate purchasing through your feed.
Step 8: Embed Instagram Feed to the Website
- Go to your WordPress Dashboard and access the plugin section.
- Select the ‘All Feeds option’ and copy the shortcode.
- Click on the Instagram account name to go to the settings of the feed.
- Click on the Embed button on the right corner of the page.
- Add a new post or add it to the existing WordPress page, like the Services page.
- Clicking on the ‘Add’ button will direct you to the page.
- At the end of the page or wherever you want to add the feed section, click on the ‘+’ type “Instagram Feed” block.
- Go to the block settings on the right panel and paste the copied shortcode. Click on Apply Changes.
- Save or publish the page/post.
That’s it! You’ve successfully embedded your Instagram feed onto your WordPress website. Preview your site to see the Instagram feed in action.
C. Advantages of Integrating Instagram Feed into Your Website
Let’s explore the advantages of integrating Instagram into your website:
1. Increased Visibility: Displaying your Instagram feed on your website ensures that visitors are aware of your presence on the platform. Unlike a simple icon in the footer, showcasing your feed captivates visitors and encourages them to engage with your content.
2. Targeting the Youthful Audience: If your business caters to a younger demographic, prioritizing Instagram is key. Statistics reveal that the 18-24 age group (31.6%) constitutes the largest user base on Instagram, followed closely by the 25-34 age group (29.5%).
3. Dynamic Live Gallery: Create a dynamic gallery by syncing your Instagram feed with your website. By simply uploading photos to Instagram, you effortlessly update your website’s visual content.
4. Enhanced Engagement and Social Proof: Visitors can seamlessly navigate to your Instagram profile from the embedded feed, boosting both your Instagram engagement and providing social proof of your brand’s authenticity and popularity.
5. Shoppable Features: Utilize the Shoppable Feed functionality to facilitate direct purchasing from your website, streamlining the customer journey and increasing conversions.
D. Summarizing How to Quickly Add Instagram Feed on your WordPress Site?
Incorporating an Instagram feed not only amplifies your online presence but also attracts new followers to your Instagram account.
Adding an Instagram feed to your WordPress website gives an advantage to visitors. They can highly engage with a website, bringing new visual content and giving websites a more vivid look.
Users can include Instagram feeds using their favorite methods: using a plugin or embedding feed directly through Instagram’s embed options.
The process is easy in any way, and adding some captivating Instagram updates to enrich any WordPress site won’t be hard, even for non-developers.
Conversely, you can channel traffic from your Instagram account to your WordPress website, fostering cross-platform engagement and expanding your online reach.
Suggested read: Ecommerce Influencer Marketing: Everything You Need to Know
E. Common FAQs on How to Quickly Add Instagram Feed on your WordPress Site?
Will adding an Instagram feed slow down my WordPress site?
Generally, no. Most plugins are optimized for performance and load Instagram content asynchronously to ensure minimal impact on site speed.
Is it possible to display multiple Instagram feeds on different pages of my WordPress site?
Yes, many plugins offer the flexibility to display multiple Instagram feeds on various pages or sections of your WordPress site.
Will adding an Instagram feed affect my site’s SEO?
No, adding an Instagram feed should not negatively impact your site’s SEO. However, it can potentially improve user engagement, which indirectly benefits SEO.
