Integrating Your Website with Social Media – 9 Life Saving Tips
Do you want to start your social media adventure? And maybe your company already has business profiles on various social media platforms and now you’re wondering how to integrate them with your website? In today’s article, we’ll discuss 9 useful tips that may be a real lifesaver. Keep reading!
According to Statista reports from July 2018, over 2 billion people around the globe are active social media users. Moreover, the number is expected to increase proportionally to the growing popularity of mobile devices and social media. Consequently, social media platforms are a great channel for expanding your brand, improving its recognition, and attracting new customers or followers. Achieving the above-mentioned objectives with the help of social media has also a positive impact on the website’s positions on Google. Increasing website visibility and popularity encourages users to create natural links to the page. And this, in turn, is an important Google ranking factor. Today we’ll focus on discussing website integration with social media.
Integrating a website with social media is one of the challenges faced by web developers. Combining these two elements will certainly have a positive impact on the UX, therefore, it shouldn’t be surprising that company owners want to take advantage of this opportunity. So what should a proper integration look like? Below you can find 9 useful tips:
1. Select key social media platforms – don’t provide links to all your profiles
There are many social media channels where companies set up accounts. The list includes both popular platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Pinterest and less obvious ones such as Tumblr, About.me, or Flickr. You probably don’t post regularly on all of your social media profiles and this may have a negative impact on the reception of your company. Decide which platforms are the most active and crucial for your business profile and provide links to them on your website. Besides, paradoxically speaking, spoiling users for choice increases the probability that they won’t benefit from any of the provided options. Keep that in mind.
2. Create SM redirects or use ready-made modules
Links to your social media profiles may have a form of interactive elements that redirect users straight to the company profile and allow them to share content. To implement these elements, you can either benefit from ready-made solutions or create and personalize your own module from scratch. This process shouldn’t be complicated or troublesome. After all, there are no creativity limits when it comes to possible redirect ideas.
3. Remember about assigning the nofollow attribute to all social media links except Google+
Links to social media platforms (except Google+) should have nofollow attributes in order to protect the power and value of the website. How to apply this attribute? Just insert similar information to the one found below into your page code:
4. Be moderate
Don’t overuse social media redirects. Providing links in the sidebar, menu, and footer simultaneously is a way too much. The links should be visible, however, they shouldn’t annoy website visitors. Although these elements are also important, they aren’t supposed to distract users or discourage them from accessing more relevant pieces of information on the website.
5. Think about implementing social login
Social login is simply the possibility to quickly create an account on a given site with the use of data provided on Facebook or any other social media platform. The integration of your website with social media platforms may also be related to this functionality. This solution has both supporters and opponents, to be honest, it all depends on your target group. Some users appreciate the possibility to facilitate the tedious process of registering on various portals and prefer to log in via Facebook, while others want to decide personally what information to provide. Think about the possible attitude of your target group and choose an option that will meet their expectations.
6. Run a company blog
Integrating your website with social media profiles is extremely important, especially if you regularly run a company blog (which we highly recommend). If you don’t have your blog yet and are wondering whether it’s a good idea to create one, read our previous entry: 9 reasons proving it is worth running a company blog. There is a huge chance that website visitors who appreciate your content will want to share it with others. You can make it easier for them by providing special “share” buttons on your blog.
7. Display captivating social media posts on your website
If you have an Instagram or Facebook account you’re proud of, integrate it with your website. To do it, simply implement a widget responsible for displaying photos directly on the page. It’s a great way to attract users’ attention and inspire trust. If you run a company, show the real people standing behind the business. If you sell clothes, present them to average buyers, not on models. And if you run a service company, show how your projects are implemented.
8. Monitor data
If you want to find out whether the performed activities bring the intended results, analyze available data. When it comes to integrating a website with social media, it’s the most beneficial to monitor clickability. Take a closer look at the statistics from individual portals – they’ll suggest to you whether the adopted solutions serve their purpose.
9. Remember that social media platforms should only complement your website
Keep in mind that providing too many redirects to your social media profiles may encourage users to leave your website and browse these platforms instead. Obviously, this isn’t your dream objective. If you implement the above-mentioned tips, your social media profiles will simply complement the website, they certainly won’t do any harm.
Social media is a crucial element of online marketing. Various platforms are used by numerous people all over the world to communicate with others and share some meaningful life events. Running a company profile on the most popular social media platforms brings many benefits. Thanks to it, every website visitor can immediately see that it’s possible to follow your company on social media and remain up to date with the news. A huge advantage of a properly integrated and configured website is the possibility to share content.
It’s also worth mentioning that probably very few people visit websites on a daily basis. On the other hand, most of us scroll social media at least once a day. Therefore, social media is a perfect channel to communicate with potential customers and share information concerning notable industry events or special offers. If you’re just starting your social media adventure, set up company accounts on platforms such as Facebook, Google+, Twitter, or Instagram. They’ll surely correspond to the expectations and needs of your target group. And if you already have your company profiles, take advantage of the above-mentioned tips and implement appropriate redirects and links on your website
