If you are looking to add functionalities to your WordPress website without developing them yourself, plugins are the best solution. According to Livewire, WordPress plugins allow content creators to add various functionalities like image galleries and Instagram feeds without complicated programming. You get everything and more just by downloading and installing them and you are ready to go in just a few minutes to deliver more value to your website visitors. WordPress plugins are a wonderful option because you can add varied but routine functionality without investing time, effort, and money in developing them and debugging them. Some of the top WordPress plugins you should consider in 2021:
Instagram Feed Pro
With over 1.3 million websites using it, Instagram Feed Pro is considered by many to be among the top plugins for creating customized Instagram photo feeds for your website. The free version allows you to create and add a custom Instagram feed conveniently. While it has many features, with the Pro version, you can access additional advanced features like multiple layouts such as horizontal layout, masonry grid layout, carousel, and many more. While the free version allows you to create and display a single feed, the Pro version can be used to display multiple feeds from different sources on your website.
It allows users to create hashtag feeds as well as shoppable feeds and includes a convenient popup lightbox option with social media sharing buttons built-in. By using the block editor or a sidebar widget, you can add the feed from your Instagram account to any website page or post. The good thing is that the plug-in also supports the latest Instagram features like Stories so that you can add them to your WordPress site easily. One of the most appreciated things about the Instagram Feed Pro plug-in is its smart feed cache, which allows your site to display the Instagram feed without any impact on the page loading speed. In the beginning, if your engagement is below par, you can buy more likes on Instagram.
RafflePress
Among the best ways of boosting customer engagement and loyalty by online businesses are implementing rewards programs as well as distributing giveaways. However, implementing them on your website can be a pain if you do not know how to do them the right way. By using the RafflePress plug-in for WordPress, you can grow the number of your Instagram followers simply. Using it, you can set up and get a contest running in a matter of minutes. The plug-in allows you to organize a contest that instructs participants to visit your Instagram account to take specific actions like viewing a post or posting content with a specific hashtag. Additionally, you can use RafflePress to run a contest for your Instagram followers where they need to visit a specific page on your WordPress website. A good way of building engagement is by asking them to subscribe to your email newsletter to become eligible to participate in the contest. Easy to use, RafflePress is undoubtedly a plug-in with the maximum number of features for holding contests and distributing giveaways.
Revive Old Posts
Despite its name, you can use Revive Old Posts on your WordPress website to share both old and new content on various social media platforms, including Instagram. Sharing content is simple as you can specify a custom schedule for the posts, and if you want to exclude some content, you can do so by setting a specific date range or even by excluding posts with certain tags or of specific categories. You can use the plug-in to also share your old Instagram posts from your archives or even share the new ones immediately on publishing. A free version is also available; however, its use is limited to Facebook and Twitter.
Envira Gallery
If you want a fast and simple WordPress photo gallery plug-in, Envira Gallery is the plug-in for you. Using it, you can create sophisticate and appealing photo and video galleries on your WordPress website with a host of features and functionalities like albums, pagination, lightbox popups, tagging, and much more. By using the Instagram add-on, you can import photos from your Instagram account into your WordPress website and display them along with your other photo galleries. You can choose to have the images open in a lightbox in your blog or link your Instagram posts to the images.
Soliloquy
If you are a beginner to WordPress, Soliloquy is the perfect slider plug-in you can employ to create responsive sliders for both photos and videos, says an IIgers marketing consultant. You can add Instagram images together with thumbnails of your blog post, and testimonials, etc., with the help of the dynamic add-on slider to bring them all together in one slider. The plug-in allows you to add only the content you want from your Instagram account on the slider. For example, you can include only those photos that have a specific hashtag. Customizing it to match your WordPress website is easy; you can tweak many settings as per your preference, including the speed of the sliders you create. check WordPress meta box
10Web Social Photo Feed
When you want to easily set up your Instagram account feed for display on your WordPress website, the 10Web Social Photo Feed plug-in is just what you want. You can choose to display either a thumbnail image or full-size ones even with the free version of the plug-in, while the paid version offers you more options. You can also use the plug-in to display your Instagram account content in the sidebar of your WordPress website with the help of a built-in widget that makes the process straightforward. While the free version of the plug-in allows you to create one feed from your Instagram account or from a hashtag you specify, the premium version permits the creation of mixed feeds from multiple accounts and hashtags.
Conclusion
Integrating your Instagram account with your WordPress website with the help of plugins allows your audience to have the best of both worlds without having to leave your website. By providing easy access to your Instagram account from your website, not only do you lock in your visitors better and for longer thus increasing your conversions but also gain more followers of your Instagram account.