What is a Social Media Counter?

A social media counter is a plugin that allows you to track how many times your website content has been shared on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others. It is necessary for a WordPress website to have a social media counter because it provides you with valuable insights into how well your website is performing online.

A social media counter plugin lets you track how many times a URL has been shared on social media. This number can be used as social proof to show potential site visitors or customers how popular your product or brand is and to encourage them to follow or subscribe.

Why is a Social Media Counter Necessary for a WordPress Website

If you own a WordPress website, a social media counter is necessary to track how many times a particular post or page has been shared on social media. This helps you determine which content is resonating with your audience the most and which content is generating more traffic. Subsequently, this can help you create more content that your audience will enjoy and help you grow your reach on social media.

In addition, it also helps to track the progress and effectiveness of social media marketing campaigns. This gives you an idea of how well your social media marketing efforts are working and helps you make changes if necessary.

Social Counter Plugin – WP Social

With tons of social counter plugins available, WP Social is a feature-rich social media counter plugin worth trying. This plugin lets you display how many followers you have on various social media platforms right on your website. It’s a great way to show your audience that you’re active on social media and help boost your brand’s online presence.

WP Social basically has three features – Social Share, Social Counter, and Social Login. The social share feature lets you automate your social media sharing to your WordPress website. The social counter feature displays your social shares which provide social proof of your website’s presence. The social login feature lets visitors easily log in, like, and share your social media content.

How to Add a Social Counter in WordPress

Integrating a social media counter plugin into your WordPress website is not as complicated as it might seem. Follow the below-mentioned steps to successfully install and activate a social media counter to your WordPress website. 

Step 1: Install the Plugin

There are two ways to install WP Social on your WordPress website – one is installing directly from your dashboard, and the other way is manually. 

Via Dashboard:

1. From your Dashboard navigate to “Plugins”
2. Click on “Add New”
3. Type “WP Social” in the search box and press enter
4. Then click on “Install Now” (You might have to wait for a while until the plugin is installed).

Manually:

1. Click on the link: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-social/
2. Click on the “Download” button and wait for the download to complete
3. Save the zip file on your system
4. Now From your Dashboard go to – Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugins > Choose File > Install Now (You might have to wait for a while until the plugin is installed).

Step 2: Set-Up & Activate the Plugin

1. After successfully installing the plugin on your website, you will see the “Activate” button to activate the WP Social plugin.
2. Click on the “Activate” button to integrate WP social into your WordPress website.
3. Open your dashboard again. You will find the “WP Social” plugin installed in your dashboard.

Step 3: Connect With Social Media Platforms

In the Social Counter section, you need to enter the URLs of your social media accounts. Once you have entered the URLs, click on “Save Changes” to save your settings. After installing and configuring the social media counter plugin, it’s time to customize it according to your needs. There are a few things you can do to make the plugin work better for your WordPress website.

1. Choose The Social Media Accounts You Want To Display:  By default, the plugin displays social media counters for all the social media platforms you have entered in the plugin settings. If you want, you can choose to display counters for only specific social media platforms. 

2. Change The Order Of Social Media Icons: By default, the social media icons are displayed in alphabetical order. If you want, you can change the order of the icons as per your requirements. You could also change the social media themes according to your preferences.

3. Display Social Media Counters In A Widget Area: The plugin will automatically start tracking your followers on each platform. The social media counters are displayed in the footer or header area of your website. If you want, you can display the icons in a widget area like the sidebar or any other location on your website. 

4. Exclude Specific Posts Or Pages: The social media counters are displayed on all the posts and pages of your website. If you want, you can exclude specific posts or pages from displaying social media icons.

Ask Visitors to Follow You On Social Media Platforms

Once you have installed a social counter plugin, the next step is to ask your visitors to follow you on social media. There are several ways to do this, and the method you choose will depend on the social media platforms you are using.

If you are using Facebook, you can add a “Follow” button to your website. To add a Follow button, go to the Facebook Developer site and create a new app. After you create the app, click on the Settings tab and then select “Add Platform”. Select Website and enter the URL of your website. Then, copy the code from the Facebook Developer site and paste it into your website’s HTML.

Likewise, if you are using Twitter, you can add a “Follow” button to your website by adding a few lines of code to your website’s HTML. To find the code for the Follow button, go to the Twitter Developers site and sign in with your Twitter account. After you sign in, click on the “Create New App” button and enter the name of your app and its description. Click on the “Permissions” tab and select “Read and Write”. Then, copy the code from the Twitter Developers site and paste it into your website’s HTML.

Wrapping Up

That’s it! You have successfully added a social media counter in WordPress. Now when you visit your website, you should see the social media share buttons and counters displaying how many shares your website has. If you want to take things a step further, you can also use the WP Social plugin to add social login and social sharing to your WordPress website. Unquestionably, this will make it even easier for visitors to like and share your content on social media.