Why Social Icons Are a Must in WordPress Sidebars
Recent surveys indicate an ever-growing shift towards social media for news, entertainment and even shopping. As per GlobalWebIndex, the average internet user now spends around 2 hours 17 minutes on social media daily.
What‘s more – over 53% consumers say social media posts from brands have an impact on their purchases.
Simply put, having a social media presence is imperative for pretty much all websites today. And this is where adding social icons on your WordPress sidebar comes in handy.
As a WordPress site owner, placing visible social media icons tells your visitors:
- You are responsive on leading platforms
- They can easily stay updated and engage
- Builds credibility and trust
According to content marketing firm Mention, websites that add Twitter and Facebook icons see 26% more return visitors compared to those without. Plus, they can boost social media followers rapidly with minimal effort.
| % Increase in Return Visitors |
|---|
| 26% |
So whether you are a blogger, ecommerce storeowner or run a SaaS business – make sure your WordPress site displays social icons prominently.
And the best place for this is unarguably your sidebar. Both desktop and mobile visitors can see sidebar icons clearly regardless of the page they are on.
Now let‘s see how you can actually add appealing social media icons with ease using WordPress itself.
Method #1: Using the Social Icons Block (WordPress 6.1+)
Without doubt, the easiest way to add sidebar social icons is by using WordPress‘s built-in Social Icons block. This handy option eliminates the need for any additional plugins.
Introduced in recent versions of WordPress, here is how you can add it:
Step 1) Navigate to the sidebar section in your block editor that you wish to add social icons to. This may require you to create a new sidebar template if your theme does not have one.
Step 2) Click on the Add Block button (+) and search for Social Icons.
Step 3) The default block would already contain icons for popular social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. But you can easily add or remove any networks with a click.
For example, if you wish to add Pinterest:
- Click the Add Social Icon button
- Select Pinterest icon
- Enter your Pinterest URL when prompted
Step 4) Once done adding all your social profiles, customize how they appear as needed.
Let‘s take a look the various customization and styling options at your disposal:
Customization Options
- Justification – Left, center or right align
- Icon size
- Open links in new tab toggle
- Labels toggle
- Target device desktop/mobile
Styling Options
- Icon colors
- Background colors
- Padding
- Typography settings
- Spacing between icons
- Image filters
- Border radius
- Box shadow
The amount of control allows seamless integration with your overall site design. Visitors may not even realize these perfectly matching social icons are added via WordPress itself!
Yet another way to customize icons is by editing icon images manually. This lets you upload custom brand images instead of plain social media logos if needed.
And should your social profiles change in future, updating links is a breeze. Simply edit the block to add or remove any networks.
In summary, the Social Icons block offers unparalleled convenience along with stellar presentation quality. No wonder it is gaining rapid adoption among WordPress publishers.
Method #2: Using a Dedicated Social Icons Plugin
The Social Icons block is clearly the best solution for newer WordPress versions. However plenty of sites still run legacy themes with classic widget sidebars.
In such cases, the easiest way is by installing a dedicated social media icons plugin.
The most popular choice for this is Simple Social Icons with over 200,000+ active installs. And for good reason too!
It contains vectors for 150+ top social networks – both international and niche. So chances are high they already support the platforms you need.
To set things up:
Step 1) Install and activate the Simple Social Icons plugin
Step 2) Navigate to Appearance » Widgets
Step 3) Locate the sidebar widget area you wish to add social icons to
Step 4) Drag the "Simple Social Icons" widget over here.
You can now easily add your social profile URLs along with relevant images. Customization settings exist for size, colors, padding, alignment – ensuring seamless integration.
And should you need any additional social media platforms, the PRO version contains over 300 vector icons!
In conclusion, Simple Social Icons help stylishly display sidebar social icons while retaining full design control. It enjoys tremendous popularity owing to an intuitive interface and light-weight code.
So that sums up the two best methods to add appealing social media follow icons on your WordPress sidebar. With WordPress 6.1‘s Social Icons block or the Simple Social Icons plugin, you have all bases covered!
Be sure to keep your sidebar social links updated at all times. This encourages visitors to follow your brand online and stay up-to-date with latest updates.
