How to Display Your Facebook Timeline in WordPress: An Expert‘s Guide

Looking for the best way to showcase your Facebook posts on your WordPress website? Displaying your Facebook timeline in WordPress is an excellent strategy to engage visitors and boost followers.

With over 15 years of experience as a WordPress developer, I‘ve found the easiest way is using Smash Balloon‘s Custom Facebook Feed plugin. In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll walk you through the entire process from start to finish.

Why You Should Display Your Facebook Timeline on Your Website

Before we dig into the how-to, let‘s look at some compelling reasons why displaying your Facebook timeline on your WordPress site is a good idea:

Benefit	Explanation
Expand your reach	Currently, Facebook has 2.96 billion monthly active users. Displaying your Facebook timeline exposes your content to a much larger audience beyond just your existing followers. This gives you the opportunity to gain new followers from your website traffic. It‘s like opening a door to a room full of potential new followers!
Fresh content	Pulling your latest Facebook posts directly into your WordPress site automatically populates it with new content on a consistent basis. This keeps your content fresh and engaging for repeat visitors. It shows you‘re actively posting, rather than having stale, outdated info.
Increased engagement	When website visitors see your Facebook content directly embedded on your site, it‘s convenient for them to interact and engage with you. They can easily like, comment, and share without having to switch platforms. Many may follow you after discovering you first on your website.
Encourage sharing	People who land on your website from other sources like search engines can now easily share your Facebook posts with their own networks. This expands your reach beyond just your current followers as their friends see it.
Strengthen brand connection	Showcasing your Facebook updates seamlessly alongside your website content strengthens the connection between your brand and your audience. It provides a familiar, consistent experience across both platforms.

As you can see, displaying your Facebook timeline on your WordPress site has multiple benefits for expanding your reach, keeping content fresh, increasing engagement, encouraging sharing, and connecting your brand.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Embedding Your Timeline

Now that we‘ve covered the benefits, let‘s look at how to actually display your Facebook timeline in WordPress.

While there are different plugins available, I recommend Smash Balloon‘s Custom Facebook Feed for its simplicity, customization options, and reliability. Here are the steps to set it up:

1. Install the Custom Facebook Feed Plugin

First, install the plugin from your WordPress dashboard:

1. Go to Plugins > Add New
2. Search for "Custom Facebook Feed"
3. Install and activate the plugin

2. Connect Your Facebook Account

Once activated, you‘ll need to securely connect your Facebook account:

1. Go to Facebook Feed > Add New
2. Choose your Facebook Page
3. Follow the prompts to connect your account

Think of this as putting the key in the ignition so the plugin can access and pull in your timeline posts.

3. Configure Your Timeline Feed

Now you can configure the actual timeline feed:

1. Select the "Timeline" feed option to display posts chronologically
2. Choose a layout like list view or columns
3. Pick one of the templates designed by pros

This is like choosing the right tires and accessories to build the timeline display you want.

4. Customize the Design

Make the timeline match your brand‘s look and feel:

• Change colors of text, background, links
• Adjust size and style of text
• Choose boxed or plain post styles
• Set image sizes and shapes

It‘s like a new paint job and interior detailing for your timeline posts.

5. Embed the Timeline

Finally, embed the configured timeline feed on your pages:

• Copy the shortcode from the plugin‘s settings
• Use the shortcode block on any post or page
• Or add the Facebook Feed widget to sidebars, footers, etc.

Now your timeline is fueled up and ready to drive onto the pages of your site!

And that‘s it! With just those few steps, you can seamlessly embed your Facebook timeline on your WordPress site using the Custom Facebook Feed plugin.

Comparing the Display Options for Your Timeline

Once you have the plugin installed and connected, you have a few options for displaying your shiny new Facebook timeline on your WordPress site:

Display Method	Pros	Cons	Use Case
Shortcode	– Can embed anywhere text is accepted – Easy to reuse	– Requires copying/pasting code	– Quickly embed timeline on individual pages
Timeline block	– Visual editor makes embedding easy – Drag and drop into place	– Only works with block editor	– Great for embedding on new posts/pages
Widget	– Quickly add to sidebars, footers, etc.	– Limited customization	– Sidebar placement site-wide
Full site editor	– Embed anywhere visually	– Theme must support it	– For all-page placement with block themes

My recommendation is to start with the shortcode method since it‘s the most straightforward and flexible. You can paste the generated shortcode anywhere text is accepted, like pages, posts, and text widgets.

The block editor, widgets, and full site editor are also great options depending on where you want your timeline to display.

Customizing Your Timeline‘s Design

One of the best parts of the Custom Facebook Feed plugin is the ability to customize the look and feel of your displayed timeline.

Here are some of the design options you can tweak:

Timeline Layout

• Number of columns
• Number of posts visible
• Masonry or list post layout
• Stacked or single column mobile layout

Choose the right layout to match the screen size and orientation. Test different combinations to optimize readability.

Colors

• Post background
• Text and icon colors
• Link colors
• Header background

Pick colors that complement your existing website palette. Consistent branding is key.

Typography

• Font face
• Font size
• Font color
• Line height

Make sure post text is readable. Equally size headings and body text appropriately.

Images

• Image size
• Aspect ratio
• Rounded corners
• Border

Dial in images that look great and load fast. Consistent image sizes and shapes look best.

Post Styles

• Boxed, colored posts
• Borders
• Shadows
• Padding

Make posts stand out. Play with backgrounds and borders until you find the perfect frame.

Take time to thoroughly explore each setting and don‘t be afraid to experiment. The live preview lets you quickly see your changes, so you can iterate until it‘s just right.

Pro Tips for Displaying Your Timeline Like a Pro

Here are some pro tips I‘ve learned over the years for getting the most out of displaying your Facebook timeline:

• Curate what‘s shown – Filter to specific post types, categories, dates, etc. to showcase your best content.

• Match post images – Use matching featured images for any posts shared on both Facebook and your website.

• Make posts pop – The boxed post style with colored backgrounds makes posts stand out.

• Promote your page – Add a Facebook Like box alongside your timeline to gain more followers.

• Drive engagement – Link post images to the Facebook post so people can comment and interact.

• Match branding – Use the same colors, fonts, and styles from your website for design cohesion.

• Be consistent – Use the same shortcode/block in all locations to maintain the same look.

• Review settings – Regularly check the customization settings as new options are added.

Put these tips into practice and your timeline will look like it was designed by a pro!

Why Smash Balloon‘s Plugin Is the Best Choice

If you‘re wondering why I recommend Smash Balloon‘s Custom Facebook Feed as the best solution, here are the key reasons:

• Easy to set up – Step-by-step guide walks you through connecting accounts and creating feeds.

• Total customization – Tons of settings to tailor the design and layout exactly how you want.

• Beautiful templates – Professionally designed templates provide a perfect starting point.

• Lightning fast – Optimized code and efficient queries keep your timeline lighting fast.

• Rock solid reliability – Industrial strength infrastructure and rigorous testing ensure uptime.

• Intuitive filters – Easily filter timeline posts by keyword, date, type, etc.

• Regularly updated – New features, improvements, and bug fixes added all the time.

• Fanatical support – Get help directly from their top-notch U.S.-based support team.

• Trusted brand – Used by over 200,000 websites worldwide. Their reputation speaks for itself.

After testing all of the major Facebook plugins, Smash Balloon is hands-down the fastest, most well-supported and full-featured plugin available. There‘s a reason it has become the favorite of designers, developers, and businesses alike.

Display Your Facebook Timeline Today

I hope this guide provided you with everything you need to know to confidently display your Facebook timeline on your WordPress site.

With the right plugin, it‘s easy and flexible to embed your latest posts on any page with just a few clicks.

Smash Balloon‘s Custom Facebook Feed plugin makes it a breeze while giving you extensive customization options. I highly recommend giving it a try on your website today to start increasing engagement with your Facebook content.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m happy to help you get your timeline looking great on your site.