How to Add the Facebook Like Box in a WordPress Text Widget

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Social media plugins can be effective marketing tools to demonstrate approval. This sort of “social proof” can help influence customers.

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There’s a lot of talk lately about social proof (or social influence). According to Wikipedia, social proof is “a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others reflect the correct behavior for a given situation…”. Many influential bloggers prominently display numbers such as their Alexa rank, their Klout score, the number of followers they have on Twitter and how many Facebook fans they have (and much more).

Think about it. Have you ever “liked” a Facebook page because someone you know recently liked it? Have you ever connected with someone on LinkedIn because someone you respect recommended them? Have you ever debated whether or not to follow someone on a social media site and then based your decision because you recognize mutual connections?

Is the Facebook Social Plugin Social Proof?

I personally do not spend a lot of time on Facebook. I have a page for KeepUpWeb where I publish my posts and share articles. (I also share techie posts and business related tips and ideas on my personal FB page.) I maintain a presence there but my blog is where I have conversations. I prefer to spend my time here and on LinkedIn.

Having said that, I still believe there’s value to maintaining a presence on Facebook. I also believe that there’s value in having the Facebook social plugin in the sidebar of my blog. (That’s the little widget to the right that says “Find us on Facebook” with the smiling faces of people you may recognize.) I don’t have thousands of FB followers but I am sure many of you have liked my FB page because I have that widget there.

I know I’ve liked Facebook pages because I’ve seen the same plugin, recognized people who I respect and wanted to join the party. Now, I know there are people reading this post saying why bother at all. Does a Facebook page convert to clients? I admit that Facebook is not a priority for me but since it takes so little time to add that widget why not? It’s a little piece of social proof isn’t it?  It also is part of my overall social media strategy. People who I connect with online are there and that’s reason enough for me to be there too.

So, here are some simple step-by step instructions to use one of Facebook’s developer plugins to generate the HTML code that you need to add your own Facebook widget for people to like your page:

 5 Steps to Add the FB Social Proof Plugin to Your WP Sidebar:

 #1 – Go to the Facebook page that you want people to “like” and copy the URL (Ctrl+ C on PCs).

#2 – Go to the Facebook Like Box plugin page.

#3 – Paste (Ctrl+ V on PCs) the URL (from step #1) into the box under “Facebook Page URL (?). You can also specify the width and height of the box and tweak things like showing faces, your stream and the header. (As you change your selections, you’ll see the different options in the sample to the right.) When you’re happy with the options that you’ve selected, click on the “Get Code” button.

 Creating the Facebook social plugin for your

 #4 –When the screen pops up with  “Your Like Box plugin code“, click on the “IFRAME” tab. Then click in the box with the code. With all of the code highlighted, right-click on the code and select “copy“.

The Facebook Social Plugin Automatically Generates HTML Code

#5 –  Go into your WordPress Admin panel under Appearance, Widgets and drag a text widget into the sidebar where you want the like box to appear. You can either enter a title or leave it blank. Then, simply paste the code that you copied (in step #4 ) into the box (under the title box). Click on the save button and you should be done.

For more information about using text widgets (including a tip on which plugin will let you control which pages you want the widget to show up on), check out my post: The Powerful WordPress Text Widget.

Over to you: What Marketing Tools Do You Recommend?

What are your thoughts? Do you have widgets in the sidebar of your website that you consider social proof? If not, is that something that you’re thinking of for the future? Do you use other methods of social proof like testimonials, product reviews and awards? What other marketing tools (like plugins and widgets) do you recommend using?

Note: Even though I’m using WordPress in this example, the HTML code that is generated can easily be incorporated in any website regardless of the software that it’s programmed in.

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Author: Sherryl Perry

Welcome! If you're looking for help building an Internet presence that fits your needs and works for you, you're in the right place. I blog common sense articles about WordPress, social media and SEO. My goal is to help small business owners and entrepreneurs understand their core business. Together, we can develop and implement business strategies that make sense to you.

38 thoughts on “How to Add the Facebook Like Box in a WordPress Text Widget”

  1. Hi Sheryl,

    I was struggling with the complicated plugins I have downloaded and installed to my blog. Most of them were not performing well, either not showing up or too slow to show up. I already knew how to implement what you have shared here, but was setting it aside thinking plugins developed by some experts out there work better, until I struggled with them. Then I reconsidered going back to the basics that are recommended by Facebook. Thanks for your post here, if it weren’t for your post, I would not have reconsidered.

    1. Hi Gomer,
      Thanks so much for letting me know that my post inspired you to not use a plugin and add this code yourself! Plugins are handy but they do add overhead to your blog. Whenever you can find a solution with a simple text widget, I say go for it.

      I just realized that when I wrote this post, (quite a while ago), my example was to use the iFrame code. Hopefully, you were able to use a different choice. IFrames still work but the are not compatible with mobile devices. Actually, I ended up removing my FB like box from blog. It was affecting the load time of my site.

      I’m so glad that you commented here! I’m going to have to either update this post or do a redirect on it. I don’t want to have out dated info on my blog! Thanks.
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..How Safe Are Your Backlinks? #FridayFindsMy Profile

  2. Thanks for this post Sherryl. I have added the FB like box to my site. Your instructions were straight forward and could be easily followed by anyone.

    1. Well, I try to reply to all comments but (obviously) I missed this one (by almost a year). Thanks for letting me know that you found my instructions straight forward and that you were able to successfully add the FB like box to your site. (I do apologize for not replying.

  3. Hello there,
    I have added Like Box to my blog. I wanted to know that from HTML5, XFBML, IFRAME and URL, which method is good for loading like box more faster and minimize the effect of requests for scoring higher in Page Speed.
    Thanks and Regards.

    1. Thanks for letting me know that you added the Like Box to your blog. Facebook gives so many options to include the code that it can appear to be more confusing than it actually is.

      Honestly, I haven’t researched which method loads the box faster. I know that the iFrame method is very popular and it’s what I use.
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..How Many Social Networking Sites Should You Join?My Profile

  4. Thank you so much for this tutorial! You have supplied simple, straight forward instructions for adding the like box to a widget. All I had to do was enter some simple HTML code to center it in my sidebar.Many thanks!Cindi

  5. good article. I have my facebook like box in the middle sidebar, but I wanted to moved it to the right sidebar and make it bigger. I defintely will play around with this idea and see if it suites my website. thanks

  6. Hi Sherryl, Thanks for the great tutorial!
    I found your site by searching for a way to add those Facebook like boxes as one sees on Hubspot on the bottom of the pages…they have little images with other articles you may like as well. They’re so cool!
    Also, on this page http://blog.kissmetrics.com/infographics/ they have a little box that slides up at bottom right that says “Would you like to tweet this?”
    Do you have any idea how these two sites do those things? I’d love to do something like that. Not crazy about the dark background on the Twitter box though. 🙂
    Thanks!
    -Erich

    1. Hi Erucgm
      You’re welcome! I’m glad you found my post helpful. I know that somewhere (on a to-do list), I have a solution for what you’re looking for because I would like to do the same thing. Wouldn’t you know I can’t find it? If/when I do, I’ll try to remember to come back here and reply to you with the solution. (I really should add that. It’s a nice touch!)
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..How to Use SEO to Improve Your Website Ranking in GoogleMy Profile

  7. Hi Sherryl successfully added this widget in my blog with the help of this post, also read your other articles here really got inspired.. Good Job!!

    1. Hi Caroline,Thanks for letting me know that you find my blog helpful! In addition to helping you get more followers on Facebook, having that widget on your blog also adds to your “social proof”. When other bloggers see the faces of people they know in that like box, they’re more likely to like your page too. 🙂

  8. Great share. You’ve made it so simple and easy. Adding a facebook like plugin is great as it creates a liveliness to a blog or website. People who comes to your blog can instantly like it to become a part of the Like plugin.

  9. Sherryl — I’ve considered adding the facebook social plugin. I’d actually prefer a Google+ box because I think more of my targets are on G+. Do you know if there is a similar plugin for G+? As social proof, I use the Website Grader icon from HubSpot that shows my score of 98.
    Jeannette Paladino recently posted..What Makes a CEO a Successful Leader?My Profile

    1. Hi Jeannette,
      Offhand, I’m not aware of a Google+ box but now that you’ve mentioned it, I’ll keep an eye out for one. As you can see, I’m only using a simple Google+ follow badge in my sidebar. Are you thinking of something comparable to the FB like box where you can display profile pics?

      Thanks for the tip about the Website Grader icon. I’ll have to check it out.
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..How to Grow Your Google+ FollowersMy Profile

      1. Sherryl — yes, I was thinking of a similar box to Facebook. To get a Website Grade you have to fill out certain information about your website http://marketing.grader.com. Then the Website Grader applies its mysterious algorithms to calculate a grade for your site. If it’s in the 90s I think it’s worth putting the icon on your site (you don’t have to). However, the service can make changes to your score, based on your activity, that will automatically change the number in the icon. Mine hovered between 94-97 then one day it went to 98 where it’s been for a long time. Hope it stays there! The grade might not mean anything to some people but I find it’s still a good social proof indicator.
        Jeannette Paladino recently posted..What Makes a CEO a Successful Leader?My Profile

  10. Hi Sherryl,

    Yes – I do agree. The Text / HTML widget is great – especially if you don’t own your own domain and want to add icons for people to follow through – this is great for increasing exposure and the widget can be used multiple times.

    1. Rafi,
      I just checked out your site to see your Facebook like box and that’s very cool how you have it slid over to the right. Did you do that with JavaScript? (I used to use JavaScript quite a bit but it’s been a while now since I’ve dabbled in it.)

      While I was on your site, I liked your FB page and followed you on Twitter. It would be good to see what else you’ve done with both JavaScript and CSS. It’s always nice to find ways to make our sites stand out.
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..2 Tips on Using Social Media to Get Found OnlineMy Profile

  12. I dont know but just had a “light bulb”moment while reading your post, do you think it would be a good idea to ask at the end of a post again if they would be happy to say they like your stuff and click the “like button on Facebook, maybe a cheaper option, just a suggestion eh!

    1. Hi May,
      I don’t see the harm in asking but I’m not sure. (I don’t believe I have ever asked.) I do know that I really don’t like automatic direct messages from Twitter when I’ve followed someone. (Especially the ones asking me to like their Facebook pages.) Sometimes, I’m so aggravated that I really feel like going to Twitter and unfollowing them. The way I look at it is that I like to get to know someone first. If I find value in your content, I’ll share it and connect with you online. Then again, if you’re new and just getting started, I wouldn’t be offended if I read a suggestion at the end of your post. (Maybe others can chime in here.)
      Sherryl Perry recently posted..Commenting On Blogs – What Strategy Works for You?My Profile

      1. OMG I’m so with you on the Twitter auto messages! I think asking someone to “like” your page in a single post is quite different from an automated direct message on Twitter.

        With the post, I’m on the blog reading. If I enjoy the content, chances are I’ll like their page too. And if I know from the post they are new to blogging I always check their facebook and twitter too.
        Kathy recently posted..Nature Isle Tropical Gourmet | Spicy Mango Pepper SauceMy Profile

        1. I’m the same way as you are Kathy. I will gladly like the Facebook page of someone who is new to blogging to help them out but it’s best if they get someone to ask for the like rather than to ask for it themselves.

          The Twitter DM messages drive me so nuts that it’s really not a good way to try to contact me at all. I don’t use them as a method of communication. I’m much more apt to just tweet you @WomanMomFriend. That way, you get the mention too! 🙂

          Thanks for dropping by and weighing on on the “social” aspect.
          Sherryl Perry recently posted..How to Grow Your Google+ FollowersMy Profile

  13. I like your phrase ‘social proof’ Sherryl. I’ve been slow off the mark with an ‘A.K.Andrew’ FB page – have started it, but not put it out there yet (focussed on Pinterest first. ook me a while to realise it could be separate from my personal page. But the widget looks really good. I use a number of plug-ins to help my site , and as for widgets I use SheWrites & Triberr as well as Versatile Blogger, merely as you say for ‘social proof’ . People do want to see you are ‘real’
    I, like Susan, also have the various follow me’s at the bottom of my blog, as well as a ‘you might also like’ which throws up 2 or 3 previous posts of mine, with visuals as well as titles as reminders. I think people generally respond to visuals. Though perhaps that’s my own bias.
    As always a really helpful blog Sherryl. BTW I back-linked you in my most recent post (it’s in the first para):-)
    A.K.Andrew recently posted..10 Rules for Writing: Margaret AtwoodMy Profile

  14. As you know, you helped me add the Facebook social plug-in to my blog. It works much better than the other plug-in I used for my Facebook fan page.

    Isn’t it amazing how social proof works online. But that’s the way it is so we have to adapt to it. Like you, I don’t spend much time on Facebook. Have a fan page for my blog and update it on a continous basis. And it works.
    Catarina recently posted..Google – crime buster in the future?My Profile

    1. Hi Catarina,
      I keep a document of random ideas for blog posts and when I answer client questions or help someone out, I often jot it down in that document. I had copied down the instructions that I had sent to you into that doc. So, I have you to thank for the inspiration for this post. 🙂

  15. Social proof, huh? It makes a lot of sense. After all, word of mouth is really what gives a business credibility. A referral from a satisfied customer is as good as gold. Looks like a “like” box should be on my blog!

  16. I am very happy to report that I have a like box on my website… WOO! HOO!. The best news is if I ever need to know how to do it again I have your post to refers to. RE Facebook: One of the things I have learned regarding getting someone to consider liking my FB page is to give them a reminder at the end of each post. That has really helped with that part of the equation. 🙂

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