As a web developer with over 15 years of experience building websites, I can tell you that embedding social media content is a must for driving engagement these days.
And as one of the most popular social platforms, Facebook photos offer a goldmine of shareable visual content. Embedding albums is a great way to tap into that treasure trove right on your own site!
In this post, I‘ll show you step-by-step how to quickly and easily embed Facebook albums in WordPress. I‘ll also share insider tips to help you customize your photo feeds to match your brand.
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Why You Should Definitely Embed Facebook Albums
Let‘s look at some of the most compelling reasons to display Facebook albums on your WordPress site:
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83% of Instagram users follow brands on social media – embedding albums helps drive followers to your Facebook page from your website.
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Posts with images generate 2x more engagement than non-visual posts according to TrackMaven. Showcasing albums boosts interaction.
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Visitors spend 39% more time on pages with relevant images [HubSpot]. Albums add value.
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Adding new photos to Facebook automatically updates them on your site. It‘s an effortless way to keep your content fresh.
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Viewers can enlarge images in a lightbox without leaving your page. Albums equal sticky engagement.
It‘s clear that integrating album content provides major benefits for your audience and business. Now let‘s look at how to make it happen with WordPress.
How to Embed a Complete Facebook Album Feed
The easiest way to showcase your full Facebook photo album feed on a WordPress site is by using the Smash Balloon Custom Facebook Feed plugin.
After testing many social media plugins, I‘ve found Smash Balloon to be the most polished and full-featured option for WordPress.
Here are the simple steps to install and configure it:
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Install the Smash Balloon plugin from your WordPress dashboard and activate it.
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Access the settings by going to Facebook Feed > Settings and enter your license key to enable custom feeds.
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Next, click on Facebook Feed > Add New and select your Facebook page under "Connect to Facebook". This links your account.
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For the feed type, choose "Albums" and pick a template style that matches your brand.
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Customize the number of columns, images sizes, styles, and other options to your liking. The preview makes it easy.
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Grab the shortcode for the feed and add it into any page, post or widget!
And that‘s really all there is to it. Smash Balloon makes the process incredibly straightforward.
You‘ll now have your gorgeous Facebook album feed displaying seamlessly on your site, automatically showcasing new photos you add.
Embed Only a Specific Album
If you want to hone in on a particular album to embed, Smash Balloon‘s Album Extension lets you do exactly that.
Simply install the extension, create a new Single Album feed, and paste in the ID from the album‘s Facebook URL.
You can find detailed steps on how to find the album ID in this Smash Balloon support article.
This focused approach lets you hand pick albums relevant to each page. For example, embedding your "Customer Showcase" album on a testimonials page makes perfect sense!
Customize Your Album Feeds Like a Pro
Now that your albums are embedded, you‘ll want them to blend in seamlessly while still standing out.
Here are my top customization tips for album feeds based on years of WordPress experience:
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Match your color scheme by changing the text, background, and button colors. White text on a dark background can look slick.
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Only show 1 column on mobile to prevent cramming photos into a tiny screen. The mobile breakpoint setting makes this easy.
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Increase the image resolution for crystal clear shots. The plugin compresses JPGs, so upload high-res source files to Facebook.
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Pick a sans-serif font like Arial or Helvetica for a clean modern look that matches Facebook‘s branding.
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Hide album titles and descriptions to purely focus on the visuals if they seem unnecessary.
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Always preview your changes across desktop and mobile to ensure versatility.
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Avoid clutter around images by disabling unnecessary meta data and Like box counts. White space is your friend!
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Try a masonry layout for artsy album collages or a carousel for slideshows.
Finding the right balance through trial and error will let you feature your amazing albums in the best possible light.
Additional Tips for Social Media Feeds
To take your social integration to the next level, here are a few more tips from my webmaster bag of tricks:
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Embed YouTube videos using WP YouTube Lyte for seamless performance.
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Add Instagram snaps with the official Instagram block.
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Create Twitter feeds with Custom Twitter Feeds by Smash Balloon.
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Use SnapWidget to showcase content from all your profiles in one bar.
The key is choosing purpose-driven content that provides value for visitors rather than cluttering your site. Curate your albums and feeds wisely!
I hope this guide helps you quickly enhance your WordPress site with the visual power of Facebook albums. Let me know if you have any other questions!