Considering the role that social media plays nowadays, it is simply not possible for anyone on the internet to ignore it. Irrespective of the nature of website you are running, be it a blog, a portfolio site or an eCommerce business, you simply cannot ignore social networking websites. Thankfully, there is no shortage of options when you are looking for a great WordPress social plugin. Be it for social sharing, or gathering more followers, these free and amazing WordPress plugins have got you covered.
However, there are millions of social sharing WordPress plugins out there. How do you pick the best one? Also, which ones do you really need and which plugins are below par? This article shall answer all the questions.
Finding The Perfect WordPress Social Plugin
Social Sharing WordPress Plugins
If you are using Jetpack, it already has a social sharing module built in so you can rely on that. Jetpack lets you add sharing buttons for all the major networks, and also for mobile applications such as Telegram and WhatsApp.
However, Jetpack is rather limited as a WordPress social plugin. It does not add floating share buttons, nor does it let you customize the appearance of your sharing buttons. Furthermore, you cannot fully change the location of the sharing buttons either.
As a result, you might wish to install a standalone WordPress social plugin for this purpose. However, since there are just so many plugins out there and virtually every website needs a social sharing solution, it is not uncommon for such plugins to have 20,000+ installs easily. Thus, we will consider only those WP social plugins that have at least 70,000+ active users.
Social Share Buttons is a simple and straightforward WordPress social plugin that does what it’s supposed to do. It can add social sharing buttons and lets you customize each and every aspect of the same.
Shareaholic is another popular solution. In fact, it is a full fledged social sharing platform that lets you show related content, add social sharing and follow buttons, as well as monetize your site by means of recommended ads. It is a rather bloated plugin and may not be ideal for beginner-level users, but for advanced users, it is very powerful and rich in features.
MashShare is also a worthy name in this list. It supports almost all the major networks and is under steady development.
Social “Follow” WP Plugins
What if you want to add buttons and links to your social media profiles so that your users can click and follow you instantly? Is there a WordPress social plugin that lets you do that?
Simple Social Icons can handle it easily. It lets you add icons that point to your social profiles across different networks. You can customize the appearance of such icons by modifying color, size, height, etc.
Easy Social Icons is another common WordPress social plugin that can accomplish this task for you. You can either rely on the widget to add social icons to your sidebar or footer or make use of the shortcode to embed your social profiles’ icons within the content.
Social Icons Widget is a lesser known but rather simple WordPress social plugin. It does not boats of a wide range of features. Instead, it offers simple widgets that let you add links to your social profiles. You can then place those widgets in your sidebar or footer. It comes with four different icon sets.
Jetpack too has a widget with “follow” social icons but it is severely limited and offers very little customization options.
Other Social WordPress Plugins
If you are looking for an auto-posting WordPress social plugin, NextScripts can be of use for you. It can automatically update your Facebook pages, Twitter profiles, and various other social networking profiles each time you update your blog. Furthermore, you can customize the appearance and timing of your social media posts.
Jetpack also has a Publicize feature that hits out an update to your social media profiles as soon as your blog is updated.
On the other hand, if you want to allow your users to register via their social profiles — login via their Facebook or Google+ account as compared to non-social accounts — try WordPress Social Login. This WordPress social plugin eliminates the need for separate account registrations; users can authenticate themselves by means of their social media profiles.
OnePress Social Locker is a WordPress social plugin that can “lock” your content. Thereafter, the users must either share or tweet about your content to unlock it. You can also use it to earn more followers on various social networks. A good use for this plugin would be to have your freebies, such as eBooks and other digital downloads, concealed and revealed only when the users tweet or share the post.
Hustle (formerly WordPress PopUp) is a social marketing WP plugin that lets you create email opt-in forms, popups and slide-ins to boost your website’s conversion rate. It is a rather feature-heavy plugin and while it does not fully fit within the mould of a WordPress social plugin, it can be combined with other social media plugins to get more visitors and subscribers for your site.
Zotabox is a suite of social media solutions for your WordPress website. It comes with an email sign up form, a contact form, live chat, social sharing and follow buttons, and a lot more. For the most part, Zotabox is a complete marketing and social media automation solution that you can setup on your WP site.
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