Having a LinkedIn plugin for WordPress can be beneficial for businesses and organizations looking to integrate their website with LinkedIn. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 660 million members. Integrating WordPress with LinkedIn allows you to showcase LinkedIn content on your website, promote your LinkedIn page, and potentially reach a larger audience.
What does a LinkedIn plugin for WordPress allow you to do?
A LinkedIn plugin for WordPress can provide several useful features, such as:
- Displaying LinkedIn feed on your website
- Embedding LinkedIn posts and content in blog posts and pages
- Sharing blog content to LinkedIn automatically
- Adding LinkedIn follow and share buttons
- Showcasing LinkedIn recommendations
- Displaying LinkedIn profile information
Having your LinkedIn feed directly on your website allows visitors to see your latest LinkedIn activity without leaving your site. Embedding LinkedIn content in your posts gives them more context and media to engage with. The share buttons make it easy for visitors to share your content with their own LinkedIn networks. Displaying recommendations and LinkedIn profile details adds credibility.
Popular LinkedIn plugins for WordPress
Here are some of the most popular and robust LinkedIn plugins for WordPress sites:
LinkedIn for WordPress
The official LinkedIn plugin allows you to easily display your LinkedIn feed, share buttons, and embed posts. Some key features include:
- Customizable feed with options for number of shares, likes, and comments
- Matching feed styling to your website design
- Post sharing to LinkedIn without leaving your site
Easy LinkedIn Feed Insert
This plugin provides an easy way to insert your LinkedIn feed into any post, page, or text widget. You can display posts by category and customize the feed style. Key features:
- Drag and drop placing of LinkedIn feed
- Customizable number of posts and styling
- Embed feed by LinkedIn category
WP LinkedIn
WP LinkedIn allows you to fully integrate your WordPress site with your LinkedIn presence. Some key features include:
- Share blog posts on LinkedIn automatically
- Display LinkedIn follow and share buttons
- Showcase LinkedIn profile details and recommendations
- Insert targeted LinkedIn ads
Benefits of integrating WordPress with LinkedIn
Integrating your WordPress website with LinkedIn can provide a number of benefits:
- Increased relevance for professional audiences – By showcasing LinkedIn content and profiles, you demonstrate expertise and relevance for professional visitors.
- Expanded reach – Your website content shared on LinkedIn can reach new audiences beyond just your site visitors.
- Improved SEO – Quality LinkedIn content can boost your website’s overall SEO value when embedded.
- Lead generation – LinkedIn’s lead generation ads let you collect leads through your WordPress content.
- Credibility – LinkedIn recommendations, profile details, and feed activity add credibility.
Who can benefit from LinkedIn WordPress integration?
Here are some examples of sites that can benefit from LinkedIn WordPress integration:
- Professional services like consultants, agencies, law firms, and more
- B2B companies targeting other businesses
- Executives and business leaders looking to build thought leadership
- Career and HR websites looking to attract talent
- Online course creators targeting professionals for upskilling
Essentially any website catering to a professional audience could gain an advantage by showcasing LinkedIn integration through a WordPress plugin.
Setting up a LinkedIn plugin on your WordPress site
The process for setting up a LinkedIn plugin will depend on the specific plugin you choose. Here is an overview of what’s typically involved:
- Select and install a LinkedIn plugin through your WordPress dashboard. Search “LinkedIn” and pick a plugin with good reviews and active support.
- Activate the LinkedIn plugin after installation.
- Enter your LinkedIn API key and account details in the plugin settings panel. This connects your website and LinkedIn account.
- Choose which LinkedIn content and features to enable, such as sharing buttons, feed display, embed options, etc.
- Configure design and placement settings based on your website layout – widget areas, shortcodes, etc.
- Test that the LinkedIn content is displaying and functioning as expected across your site.
- Customize settings further as needed to achieve your goals.
Be sure to follow the setup instructions provided by the specific plugin for smooth integration. Contact the plugin support team with any issues.
Example uses of LinkedIn plugin integration
Here are some examples of how the LinkedIn WordPress integration can be utilized:
Consulting Website
A consulting website could display the LinkedIn feed of the latest thought leadership content from company experts. Consultant profiles with recommendations could be shown on individual bio pages.
Law Firm Website
A law firm website might showcase lawyer LinkedIn profiles with expertise, awards, recommendations, and publications. Their latest LinkedIn company updates could also post in a news section.
Career Website
A career website could automatically share new job postings from their blog to LinkedIn. Visitors could share job listings in their own networks. Profiles of top company executives could be displayed.
Online Course Site
An online learning platform could integrate their blog with LinkedIn to reach professionals looking to upskill. LinkedIn sharing buttons allow visitors to easily share new courses. Lead generation ads capture student sign-ups.
Best practices for optimal LinkedIn and WordPress integration
Here are some best practices to ensure your LinkedIn WordPress integration is optimized:
- Showcase LinkedIn content prominently in key areas like pages, columns, and post footers so it gets visibility.
- Keep your main LinkedIn company and profile pages updated regularly so content is fresh.
- Use LinkedIn’s API console to properly generate keys and access tokens.
- Embed high-quality LinkedIn posts that align closely with your brand and audience.
- Feature recommendations and content from employees and partners to build trust.
- Test that LinkedIn content displays correctly on mobile devices given different screens sizes.
- Avoid showing too many disjointed LinkedIn components that may distract visitors.
- Review LinkedIn content performance occasionally in your WordPress analytics.
Potential downsides to consider
While integrating LinkedIn into your WordPress site has many benefits, there are a few potential downsides to consider as well:
- It can clutter site design if too much unrelated LinkedIn content is included.
- You lose some control and consistency when displaying third-party plugin content.
- If your LinkedIn account isn’t regularly updated, your content may appear stale.
- Technical issues with either LinkedIn or WordPress could disrupt content.
- LinkedIn API changes could break integration until the plugin is updated.
However, with strategic implementation focused on value for your audience, the substantial benefits typically outweigh the minimal risks.
Conclusion
Integrating your WordPress website with LinkedIn using a dedicated plugin can provide tremendous value through increased relevance, reach, credibility and lead generation. With over 660 million users, showcasing your LinkedIn presence allows you to tap into its vast professional network. Strategically displaying LinkedIn feeds, content, profiles, and more on your site can help attract and engage the right audiences. However, it should be implemented thoughtfully to align with your brand and provide clear value. The wide array of customizable LinkedIn plugins for WordPress makes integration straightforward for many websites to benefit from.
