15 November 2011
Facebook offers a range of widgets - or social plug-ins - for blog and website owners, providing various types of interaction between the Facebook platform and your website. Current plug-ins include the Like button, a Recommendations widget, an Activity Stream widget, a Live Stream plug-in and a Comments widget.
The Facebook Like button is the most widely used plug-in and has taken over from the Share button which has now been retired from service.
What does it do?
The Like button lets users share pages from your site back to their Facebook profile with a single click. It provides users with a way to give positive feedback about content they have enjoyed and share this with their friends. Different types of content can be liked including photos and videos as well as web pages.
When a website visitor clicks the Like button on one of your pages a link to your web page gets added to their activity stream - showing up on their Wall and in their newsfeed. Depending on which options you configure, the user may also be able to post a comment as part of the liking process.
Why are Likes good?
When someone likes your page, all their friends will be able to see the link they have posted including any comments. The chances are good that at least some users will click through to your website as a result, and a proportion of them may also click the Like button on your page. With the many different connections that people have on Facebook, your page could be seen by a large number of people, and the more people who like your pages, the further your message is likely to spread.
In a nutshell, Facebook Likes can dramatically increase visitors to your website, and for business owners everywhere this is an opportunity which cannot be ignored.
Adding a Like button to your website
Adding a Like button to your website is easy to do with just some basic knowledge of HTML. The details can be found on the Like Button page for Facebook Developers.
NOTES:
Add the address of your web page in the URL to Like box.
A Send button can be included if you use the Javascript SDK.
Various layout styles are available including Standard, Button Count and Box Count.
You can customise the width of you Like button so it fits neatly within your website. The width should be specified in pixels.
Tick this option to display the profile pictures of the people who have liked your page.
You can choose to display either Like or Recommend on your button.
A choice of Light or Dark colour schemes are available for your button to accommodate different design preferences.
A range of fonts are available including arial, lucida grande, segoa ui, tahoma, trebuchet ms, and verdana.
Click the Get Code button to get the HTML code for your website.
Depending on your choices, the HTML code may be available in a number of different formats including HTML5, XFBML and iFrame. The instructions for adding the code to your web page are included in a pop up box together with the code itself.
Next steps
This article has looked at the mechanics of the Facebook Like button including what it does, it's benefits, and how to add it to your website. But the question that many people ask is how to get people to actually click the button and Like you. In our next article we look at this question in more detail and provide you with some hot tips to help you kick start your Facebook marketing strategy.
Related:
Do you need help with your Facebook pages? Do you need social media plug-ins for your website? For more information call: 024 7655 1111 or email: info@currant.it
