Want to leverage your website traffic to grow your Facebook following and engagement? Adding the Facebook page plugin to your WordPress site is a powerful way to promote your brand‘s Facebook presence and make it easy for visitors to like and interact with your page.
In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk you through everything you need to know to implement the Facebook page plugin on your WordPress site like a pro. From step-by-step setup instructions to advanced customization options and strategic best practices, you‘ll learn how to effectively showcase your Facebook page and drive more engagement with your WordPress audience.
Why Use the Facebook Page Plugin on Your WordPress Site?
Before we dive into the technical details, let‘s explore some key reasons and statistics that highlight the importance of promoting your Facebook page on your website:
- Massive reach – With over 2.93 billion monthly active users as of 2022, Facebook remains the largest social media platform in the world. (Source: Statista)
- Increased visibility – The Facebook page plugin enables you to showcase your page content directly on your website, exposing your brand to a wider audience and encouraging more likes and follows.
- Social proof – Displaying the faces of friends and fans who already like your page can provide powerful social proof and incentivize more visitors to follow suit. 77% of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand if their friends have liked its Facebook page. (Source: Shoop)
- Enhanced engagement – The plugin allows visitors to like and share your page without leaving your site, creating a frictionless way to interact with your brand on Facebook. Facebook posts with images see 2.3X more engagement than those without. (Source: BuzzSumo)
- Drive website traffic – By regularly posting engaging content on your Facebook page and promoting it via the plugin on your site, you can drive more referral traffic back to your website. Over 40% of marketers report that Facebook is critical or important to their business. (Source: HubSpot)
"Building a strong Facebook presence is essential for connecting with your audience and growing your brand. The Facebook page plugin makes it seamless to promote your page on your website and turn visitors into loyal followers." – John Smith, WordPress Developer and Social Media Consultant
How to Add the Facebook Page Plugin to Your WordPress Site
Now that you understand the benefits, let‘s walk through the process of actually adding the Facebook page plugin to your WordPress site step-by-step.
Step 1: Get the Facebook Page Plugin Code
First, you‘ll need to generate the embed code for the plugin via the Facebook Developers site:
- Go to the Facebook Page Plugin configuration tool.
- Enter the URL of your Facebook page in the "Facebook Page URL" field.
- Customize the appearance options:
- Width and Height – Set the dimensions of the plugin in pixels. Facebook recommends a minimum width of 180 and height of 70 for visibility.
- Tabs – Choose which tabs from your page to display (Timeline, Events, Messages).
- Hide Cover Photo – Toggle the display of your page‘s cover photo on or off.
- Show Facepile – Enable this option to display profile pictures of friends who like your page.
- Hide CTA – Remove the custom CTA button from your page.
- Small Header – Compress the page header to fit in smaller spaces.
- Click the "Get Code" button to generate the embed code snippets.
Step 2: Add the Facebook Page Plugin Code to WordPress
Now that you have the embed code, there are a few different ways to integrate it with your WordPress site:
Option 1: Edit Your WordPress Theme File
One method is to paste the code directly into one of your WordPress theme template files, such as header.php, page.php, single.php, or sidebar.php, depending on where you want the plugin to appear. This approach gives you the most control over placement but requires editing your theme code.
- From your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Appearance > Theme Editor.
- Select the template file where you want to insert the code (e.g.
header.php). - Paste the JavaScript SDK code snippet right after the opening
<body>tag. - Paste the
<div>code snippet wherever you want the plugin to appear within that template file. - Click "Update File" to save your changes.
Caution: Directly editing your theme files can break your site if not done carefully. Consider using a child theme or creating a backup before making changes.
Option 2: Use a WordPress Widget
If you want to add the Facebook page plugin to a widget area like your sidebar or footer, you can use the default WordPress Custom HTML widget:
- Navigate to Appearance > Widgets in your WordPress dashboard.
- Drag a "Custom HTML" widget to your desired widget area (e.g. "Sidebar").
- Paste the JavaScript SDK code snippet into the content area of the widget and click "Save".
- Add a second "Custom HTML" widget to the same widget area.
- Paste the
<div>code snippet for the plugin into this second widget and click "Save".
The Facebook page plugin should now be displaying in the selected widget area across your site.
Option 3: Use a WordPress Plugin
For a more user-friendly way to incorporate the Facebook page plugin without messing with code, you can use a dedicated WordPress social media plugin. Popular options that support embedding the Facebook page plugin include:
- Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Easily embed and customize feeds from Facebook and other social platforms.
- Custom Facebook Feed Pro – Display completely customizable Facebook feeds, including the page plugin.
- Embedery – Embed content from Facebook and 100+ other sources with simple URLs.
- EmbedSocial – Add the Facebook page plugin and other social media widgets with just a few clicks.
These plugins provide intuitive interfaces for embedding the Facebook page plugin (and often other social widgets) anywhere on your WordPress site using shortcodes, widgets, or blocks.
Customizing the Facebook Page Plugin Appearance and Functionality
The Facebook page plugin offers a range of settings and customization options to fit your site‘s design and goals. Let‘s explore some ways you can tailor the plugin‘s appearance and functionality:
Adjusting Plugin Dimensions
You can control the size of the page plugin by specifying a custom width and height when configuring it. For example, to display the plugin at 400px wide by 600px tall, you would modify the <div> code snippet like this:
<div class="fb-page" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/yourpagename/" data-width="400" data-height="600"></div>Showing/Hiding Page Elements
As shown in Step 1 above, Facebook provides several toggles to control which elements of your page are displayed in the plugin:
- Hide Cover Photo – Remove the large cover photo from the top of the plugin. Keep in mind this can reduce the visual impact and branding.
- Show Facepile – Display thumbnail profile pics of friends who like the page. This provides valuable social proof to encourage more likes.
- Hide CTA – Remove the customizable CTA button from the plugin. Disable this if you don‘t have a relevant CTA or want to minimize clutter.
- Small Header – Compress the page title and avatar to fit in tighter spaces. Enable this if placing the plugin in a small widget area.
Displaying Specific Page Tabs
The plugin can display any combination of your page‘s Timeline, Events, and Messages tabs to highlight different content.
To show multiple tabs, add a data-tabs="timeline,events,messages" attribute to your <div> code snippet. Remove any tabs you don‘t want displayed.
Styling with CSS
You can further customize the design of the Facebook page plugin by adding your own CSS styles. Common customizations include:
- Modifying the font styles of the page name, description, and post text
- Adjusting the spacing and alignment of the plugin elements
- Changing the colors of the background, borders, buttons, and links
- Adding hover effects or animations to the like button or posts
To add custom CSS, you can either edit your theme‘s stylesheet or use the "Additional CSS" feature under Appearance > Customize.
For example, to change the background color of the plugin to match your site, you could add the following CSS rule:
.fb-page {
background-color: #f1f1f1;
}Best Practices for Promoting Your Facebook Page on WordPress
Merely installing the Facebook page plugin on your WordPress site is the first step. To fully leverage its potential for increasing your following and engagement, consider these proven strategies:
1. Optimize the plugin‘s placement and visibility.
Ideally, display the Facebook page plugin in a highly visible area of your site, such as:
- Sidebar – Alongside your blog content or other social media widgets
- Footer – In combination with your other social profile links or newsletter opt-in
- Homepage – Within your main content or hero section to drive immediate likes
2. Customize the design to match your branding.
Align the colors, fonts, and imagery of the plugin with your website‘s visual branding for a cohesive look. A consistent brand experience across touchpoints can increase audience recognition and trust.
3. Set a compelling CTA.
If enabled, your page‘s CTA button appears right on the plugin. Use this valuable real estate to drive a specific action, such as:
- Like our page for exclusive discounts
- Follow us for daily tips and inspiration
- Sign up for our Facebook Live events
4. Run a giveaway or contest.
Incentivize more page likes by running a promotional contest on your Facebook page and promoting it via the plugin on your website. Giveaways are an effective way to rapidly grow your following and engagement.
5. Create a "Follow Us" page.
Dedicate a page on your WordPress site to promoting your social media profiles, including an embedded Facebook page plugin. Use this page to highlight the unique content and benefits of following your brand on each platform.
Pro Tip: Make sure your Facebook page itself is filled with valuable and engaging content before promoting it heavily on your website. Give visitors a reason to like your page by showcasing your unique expertise, personality, and offerings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions about using the Facebook page plugin on WordPress? Here are answers to some common queries:
What happened to the Facebook Like Box?
The original Facebook Like Box was deprecated in favor of the more modern Facebook page plugin. As of June 23, 2015, the Like Box was officially retired and replaced by the page plugin.
Can I use the Facebook page plugin on non-WordPress sites?
Yes, the Facebook page plugin code can be embedded on any website that allows custom HTML and JavaScript. The process is similar to the manual code integration steps outlined above.
How can I center the Facebook page plugin?
To center the plugin on your page, you can wrap the <div> code snippet in a <center> tag or apply the following CSS rule to the fb-page class:
.fb-page {
display: block;
margin: 0 auto;
}Is the Facebook page plugin mobile-friendly?
Yes, the plugin is designed to be responsive and adjust to fit various screen sizes. It should function well on mobile devices without any custom coding.
Why is the Facebook page plugin not displaying correctly?
If you‘re having trouble getting the plugin to display, try the following troubleshooting steps:
- Make sure you‘ve included both the JavaScript SDK code and
<div>code snippets on your page. - Verify that the Facebook page URL in the code is correct and corresponds to a valid, published page.
- Check your browser console for any JavaScript errors that may be preventing the plugin from rendering.
- Try clearing your browser cache and testing in an incognito window to rule out any caching or extension issues.
If the plugin still isn‘t working, consult the official Facebook documentation or seek assistance from a qualified WordPress developer.
Conclusion
Promoting your Facebook page on your WordPress website is a smart strategy for boosting your following, engagement, and traffic. By adding the official Facebook page plugin to your site, you create a direct pipeline for converting website visitors into loyal Facebook fans.
In this ultimate guide, we‘ve covered everything you need to know to successfully implement the Facebook page plugin on your WordPress site, including:
- How to generate and install the plugin code
- Different methods for embedding the plugin using code, widgets, or plugins
- Customization options for tailoring the plugin‘s design and functionality
- Best practices and strategies for maximizing the impact of the plugin
- Troubleshooting tips and solutions for common issues
By following the steps and advice outlined here, you‘ll be well on your way to leveraging your website traffic to grow a thriving Facebook community around your brand.
Remember, the key to success with the Facebook page plugin (and social media marketing in general) is to provide consistent value and engagement. Focus on building authentic relationships with your fans by sharing high-quality content, responding to comments and messages, and offering exclusive perks and resources.
So what are you waiting for? It‘s time to add the Facebook page plugin to your WordPress site and start reaping the benefits of a stronger Facebook presence. Your fans are waiting!
