Adding social media share buttons to your website is a great way to increase traffic and engagement. Social sharing allows visitors to easily share your content on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. This exposes your content to new audiences and helps drive more people back to your site.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about adding social media share buttons to your website, including:
Benefits of social sharing buttons
Here are some of the main benefits of adding social media share buttons to your website:
Increased website traffic
When people share your content on social media, it exposes your website to new audiences. Friends and followers of the person who shared your content are likely to click on it, bringing new visitors to your site. This inbound traffic from social media platforms is free and can help boost your website traffic numbers.
Improved SEO
Social shares also have SEO value. When content gets shared frequently, search engines take notice and may rank that content higher in results pages. So adding share buttons can potentially improve your content’s search engine rankings and visibility.
Brand awareness
Getting your content shared organically on social media increases brand awareness. When people see friends engaging with your brand, they become more familiar with it. This increases overall awareness and recognition of your brand.
More engagement
Adding share buttons also encourages visitors to engage more with your content. They might leave comments on the social post, click through to read more content, or share it again with their own networks. This provides multiple opportunities for increased engagement.
Types of social share buttons
There are a few main types of social media share buttons that you can add to your website:
Individual share buttons
These display as individual standalone icons for sharing to specific social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc. You can choose to display icons for just one or two networks, or add buttons for many platforms.
Social media share bar
A share bar displays share icons for multiple networks together in a single bar or row. This saves space and provides visitors convenient one-click access to all their favorite social platforms.
Floating social share buttons
These share buttons “float” in a fixed position on the page as visitors scroll through your content. Typically displayed along the left or right edge of the screen. Floating buttons make it easy for visitors to share at any point.
Pop-up social share buttons
These share icons appear in a pop-up window after a certain time delay or user action. For example, a pop-up could display after a visitor scrolls down the page or moves their mouse away from the buttons.
Ideal placement for social share buttons
Where you place your social share buttons on webpages can impact how often they get used. Here are some optimal placements to maximize sharing:
Above and below content
Adding share buttons both above and below your content makes it easy for visitors to share before and after they read. Displaying buttons near the title and again at the end near your author bio or related posts works well.
Floating side buttons
Floating social buttons on the left or right edge of pages are highly visible no matter how far down visitors scroll. This placement sees high sharing rates.
On images
Overlaying share buttons on top of images allows visitors to easily share your visual content. Just be sure the buttons stand out against the underlying image.
On excerpts
Adding share buttons to post excerpts, listings, and archives makes it easy to share your snippet content. Visitors may share your excerpt before even reading the full post.
How to add social share buttons with HTML
If you want full control and customization, you can manually add social share buttons using HTML code. Here are the general steps:
Step 1: Get the share button code
Each social network provides HTML code to generate share buttons for your website. Here’s where to find code for some top platforms:
| Social Platform | Share Button Code |
|---|---|
| https://developers.facebook.com/docs/sharing/webmasters/ | |
| https://developer.twitter.com/en/docs/twitter-for-websites/tweet-button/guides/web-intent | |
| https://developers.pinterest.com/docs/pin-it/ | |
| https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/42204 |
Copy and paste the HTML code snippet into your website code to generate a live social media share button.
Step 2: Customize the button appearance
Most social platforms allow you to customize button colors, shapes and sizes. Adjust the HTML to match your brand colors and desired visual style.
Step 3: Place share buttons on your pages
Insert the share button HTML code where you want the icons to display. Typically this would be above/below content, in sidebars, on images, etc. Position them in highly visible locations.
Step 4: Test share functionality
Preview your page and test clicking the social buttons to ensure they open up share windows properly. Double check that shared posts display the correct title, description, and image.
How to add social share buttons with WordPress
If you have a WordPress site, you can easily add social media share buttons without touching any code. Here are two options:
Free plugin
The most popular free plugin for WordPress share buttons is AddToAny. After installing, you can generate buttons through the AddToAny settings page. Position buttons by adding the sharing widget in sidebars or using the AddToAny shortcode.
Premium plugin
Premium plugins like Easy Social Share Buttons allow even greater customization options. You can choose from dozens of button designs, set custom sharing text, adjust placement, and more. There are many premium plugins to explore.
Design tips for great looking share buttons
Follow these tips to make your social media share buttons eye-catching and effective:
Use recognizable official icons
Social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest have iconic, universally recognized logos. Using the official branded icons will be more familiar to visitors.
Style buttons to match your website
Choose colors that coordinate with your overall website design. Custom styling makes buttons appear natural on your pages.
Make them large and clickable
Larger tap targets are easier for visitors to see and click on mobile devices. Minimum 24×24 pixel button size is recommended.
Limit to the most relevant networks
Display only the 3-5 most important platforms for your audience and content. Too many options creates clutter.
Test visibility on mobile
Preview how your buttons will look on phones and tablets. Optimize for mobile users who may share more frequently.
Drive more social shares with smart content
While social share buttons make it easier for visitors to spread your content, compelling content gives them a reason to share in the first place. Use these tips to create share-worthy content:
Write interesting headlines
Catchy, emotional headlines pique curiosity and get more social clicks. Use power words and be specific versus generic.
Inject personality
Let your brand’s voice shine through in a conversational style. This connects more authentically with readers.
Use visual content
Posts with images and videos tend to be more viral. Embed visuals to make content more engaging and memorable.
Optimize for scannability
Break up long blocks of text with section headers, lists, images, and quoted snippets for easy social media skimming.
Plan relevant topics
Research what your audience cares about and create content that aligns with their interests and passions.
Track social sharing analytics
Once your share buttons are in place, you can monitor metrics to see how visitors are engaging and sharing your content:
Shares per network
See which social platforms drive the most referral traffic and shares. This can help inform where to focus social marketing.
Most shared pages
Find your top shared blog posts, landing pages, and content. Replicate the themes and formats going viral.
Social share locations
Determine if certain button placements like images or sidebars perform better. Position buttons where they will be seen and used most.
Traffic sources
Compare how much website traffic comes directly through social media channels versus other sources.
Share trends over time
Track how social shares trend on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Watch for seasonal and topical trends.
Conclusion
Implementing social media share buttons is an easy and effective way to unlock the power of social sharing. Strategically placed buttons encourage visitors to spread your content to new audiences across their networks and social feeds.
Combined with compelling, share-worthy content, adding Facebook, Twitter, and other social media buttons to your website can help amplify reach, increase traffic, and spark meaningful engagement with your brand.