Adding an Instagram feed in WordPress can help to increase the visibility of your Instagram account and attract new followers. It can help to establish your brand as active and engaged on social media.
This task becomes easy to accomplish with the help of the WPZOOM Social Feed Widget & Block plugin, which I will present below.
1. Benefits of adding an Instagram feed to Your website
Before we dive into the tutorial, let’s take a look at some of the benefits of adding an Instagram feed to your website:
- Adding an Instagram feed to your website can help to increase the visibility of your Instagram account and attract new followers.
- It can provide a more interactive and visually appealing experience for visitors to your website.
- It can help to drive traffic to your website and increase engagement.
- It can help to establish your brand as active and engaged on social media.
- It can provide an easy way for visitors to access and view your Instagram content without leaving your website.
2. Tools and Resources Needed
This is what you will need to add an Instagram feed in WordPress:
- A WordPress website: To add an Instagram feed to your website, you’ll need to have a WordPress website set up and running.
- An Instagram account: To display your Instagram feed on your website, you’ll need to have an active Instagram account. If you don’t already have an Instagram account, you can create one for free using the Instagram app on your phone or by visiting the Instagram website.
- A plugin to display the Instagram feed: There are several options for displaying an Instagram feed on a WordPress website, including plugins, widgets, and code snippets.
3. WordPress Plugin for Instagram – WPZOOM Social Feed
Plugins make it easy to add an Instagram feed to your website without having to write any code. Simply install and activate the plugin, and you’ll be able to display your Instagram feed with just a few clicks.
If you want to display an Instagram feed on your WordPress website, you can easily do that with the free WPZOOM Social Feed plugin. Like many other plugins, a paid version with more features is available.
Go to your WordPress dashboard and install the WPZOOM Social Feed plugin from the official repository. This plugin was previously known as Instagram Widget by WPZOOM.
After you activate the plugin, a new Instagram Widget section will become available in the Dashboard.
Start by opening the Feeds page.
If you’re trying to connect to an account that you have access to, then you can quickly do so using the first option. A pop-up will ask you to grant access to the current domain.
The plugin will not have access to your password or other sensitive information. Even so, I recommend that you make it a habit to carefully review all the information when you’re granting permissions to any app or service.
After clicking on the Allow button, the access token will be generated and you should see this message: “You’ve successfully connected your account!”. Click on OK.
Now it’s time to select what your feed will look like on the website.
On the left side select an account. If you’re using the free version of the plugin, then you can connect only one account per website.
After selecting your account, you will see some options on the left and a preview of your feed on the right.
I rarely post anything to Instagram, so I set this to every 2 weeks. It’s also a good idea to enable the request timeout feature. Clicking on the Save button will take us to the next step.
In the Design tab, you can select a Grid or List layout, the number of items, the number of columns in the grid layout, and the padding around items.
You can display the account name, username, image, details, and a View on Instagram button below the images. The account name, image, and user details can be added to the Users page, which I will get to later.
Multiple other customization options are available, so feel free to experiment to find out what works best for your website.
Save your settings and switch to the Embed tab. This plugin works best using a shortcode or a custom Block.
Because my WordPress theme has a full-width widgetized area in the footer of the website, I will embed it using a shortcode.
On the Widgets page, I will open the Full Width widgetized area and will add a standard Text widget containing my shortcode.
This is what the result looks like.
You can also add the feed as a Block. Edit the post or page where you want it, select the appropriate location, and add the Instagram Feed by WPZOOM block. Once you select your feed, you will see what it looks like.
Making changes to your feed will update the look of your widgets and blocks.
On the Feeds page in the Accounts tab, you can edit the name, bio, and profile picture that will be displayed with your feeds.
If you want to set a profile picture, I recommend that you select a small, square image. This version of the plugin displays the original image of your choice. So if you select a very large image, it will be resized in the browser, but it will load the large image nonetheless.
Another thing to note is that you can have multiple feeds from the same account. For example, you may want to display a row of 10 small thumbnails in the footer of the website, but a large grid of images on some pages. Simply create two separate feeds with different design settings.
Everything I showed you so far is available in the free version of the plugin. For many users, this is more than enough.
The PRO version includes features like the ability to connect multiple accounts, two more feed layouts, and a Load More button for infinite loading.
4. Setting up an Instagram account
To set up an Instagram account and obtain an Instagram Access Token, you will need to follow these steps:
- Download the Instagram app from the App Store (for iOS) or Google Play Store (for Android) on your smartphone or tablet.
- Open the app and tap “Sign Up” to create a new account. You will need to enter your email address, create a username and password, and provide some basic information about yourself.
- Once you have completed the sign-up process, you can start using the app to post pictures and videos, interact with other users, and discover new content.
To obtain an Instagram Access Token, you will need to do the following:
- Go to the Instagram Developer Documentation website (https://developers.facebook.com/docs/instagram-basic-display-api/getting-started).
- Click on the “Get Started” button and log in with your Instagram account.
- Click on the “Create New App” button and fill out the form to create a new app. You will need to provide a name and email address for the app, as well as select a platform (e.g., Web).
- Once you have created your app, click on the “Security” tab and then click on the “Generate Token” button. This will generate an Instagram Access Token that you can use to authenticate your app and access Instagram data.
- Copy the Access Token and store it in a safe place, as you will need it to authenticate your app and access Instagram data.
It’s important to keep your Access Token secure, as it allows your app to access sensitive data from your Instagram account. You should never share your Access Token with anyone, and you should be cautious about storing it in a public place where it could be accessed by others.
5. Tips on How to Optimize Your Instagram Profile and Content for Maximum Engagement
1. Use a Clear, High-Quality Profile Picture: Your profile picture should represent your brand or business effectively. It’s often the first thing people notice, so ensure it’s recognizable and professional.
2. Write a Compelling Bio: Your bio should accurately describe who you are and what you do. Make it interesting and to the point, and include relevant hashtags and links to your website or other social media profiles to drive traffic.
3. Maintain a Consistent Visual Style: Consistency in your visual style—whether through filters, colors, or themes—helps create a cohesive brand identity. This makes your profile visually appealing and instantly recognizable to your followers.
4. Post High-Quality Content: Always share high-resolution, visually appealing content that is relevant to your audience. Whether it’s photos, videos, or graphics, the quality of your content reflects your brand’s professionalism.
5. Use Relevant Hashtags: Hashtags are crucial for discovery on Instagram. Use a mix of popular and niche hashtags relevant to your content and audience to increase your reach and visibility.
6. Engage with Your Followers: Interaction is key on Instagram. Respond to comments, like, and comment on your followers’ posts, and create opportunities for them to engage with your content through polls, questions, or challenges.
7. Post at Optimal Times: Analyze your Instagram insights to determine when your audience is most active and schedule your posts during those times to maximize engagement.
8. Leverage Instagram Stories and Reels: These features are great for sharing more casual, behind-the-scenes content and engaging with your audience in a fun, interactive way. Stories also keep your profile at the top of your followers’ feeds.
9. Collaborate with Influencers and Brands: Partnering with influencers or brands in your niche can help expose your profile to a broader audience, increasing your followers and engagement.
10. Analyze and Adapt: Regularly check your Instagram insights to see what type of content performs best. Use this data to refine your content strategy and improve engagement over time.
