How to Showcase a Instagram Feed on Your Joomla Website

Instagram's impact in the digital landscape is unparalleled. As of August 2020, this social media behemoth has garnered over a billion users across the globe, with more than half being under the age of 34. Hence, if your business operates online, maintaining an active Instagram business profile is not just a choice it's a necessity. And the equation works both ways. Suppose you've meticulously cultivated an Instagram page, complete with visually appealing content. In that case, it's only logical to consider embedding this feed onto your website.

The Significance of Integrating Instagram with Your Website

Today, digital touchpoints are a dime a dozen. Yet, the resonance of social media in shaping public perception is unparalleled. An Instagram profile, maintained with care and regularity, can provide an immediate, relatable window into your business its activities, campaigns, events, and latest updates. While businesses often channel hefty sums into paid advertising, an Instagram feed, characterized by its sleek, professional ambiance, can organically foster brand engagement and enhance user interaction.

How Instagram Enriches Your Website's Experience

Here's a comprehensive breakdown of how an active Instagram feed can be a game-changer for your website:

• An array of features like highlights, videos, moments, and stories offer an immersive view into your product or service.
• It drives user traffic, enhancing the follower count on your Instagram account.
• Engage directly with your visitors through the comment section, addressing their feedback, inquiries, and thoughts about your offerings.
• Utilize geo-tagging to refine your audience targeting.
• Offer users a streamlined, grid-style browsing experience, enhancing site usability.
• Leverage IGTV to broadcast in-depth videos, further enriching the content mix.

While the advantages of Instagram are manifold, the integration should feel seamless. Your website and Instagram feed should appear as extensions of each other, contributing to a coherent brand narrative. Without further ado, let's delve into a step-by-step guide to embed your Instagram feed into a Joomla website.

Step 1: Transition to an Instagram Business Account

Instagram permits the retrieval of images from your profile only if it's a business account. To make this switch:

1. Log into your Instagram account.
2. Head to Settings > Account > Switch to Professional Account.
3. Provide requisite details like your business email, contact number, and address.
4. Hit next, and your transition is complete!
5. For an in-depth understanding, you can always refer to Instagram’s official documentation.

Step 2: Initiate a Facebook Developer App

To lay the groundwork for integrating your Instagram feed into Joomla, you'll need a Facebook App. Here’s how:

1. Visit Facebook's Developers page.
2. Embark on the app creation journey. While the process is fairly intuitive, you can always consult our detailed guide for a smoother experience.

Step 3: Set Up a Facebook Page Linked to Your Instagram Business Profile

This stage involves either creating a new Facebook Page or syncing an existing one with your Instagram:

1. For a new page, head to Facebook's Page creation link.
2. If you have a pre-existing business page on Facebook, simply link it to your Instagram by navigating to Page Settings > Instagram. Next, select "Connect Account."

Step 4: Setting Up SP Page Builder Backend

With your Facebook App and Page ready, the next step involves configuring the SP Page Builder in your Joomla backend to establish the desired connection with Instagram. This is crucial for seamless integration:

1. First, revisit Facebook Developer's page.
2. Navigate through Settings > Basic. Here, you’ll spot an option labelled “Show”. Click on it to reveal both the App ID and App Secret. Make sure to copy these details.
3. 
4. Now, switch over to the Joomla backend of your site. Proceed to SP Page Builder > Pages > Options > SP Page Builder Configuration.
5. Within the options tab, there will be dedicated fields for the App ID and App Secret. Paste the respective details.
6. 
7. Post pasting, navigate further and you'll notice a button titled “Generate Access Token”. Selecting this will bring up a prompt asking you to choose the specific Instagram Business Account for linkage with the SP Page Builder Addon. Opt for your Instagram account and proceed.
8. Subsequently, choose the Facebook Page crafted previously and finalize by clicking on "Done". This culminates in the generation of an access token. Ensure to click on “Insert & Save Token” to preserve this linkage.

Note: It's common to encounter varying naming conventions within the Facebook ecosystem. Terms like “App ID” might appear as “User ID”, “Instagram ID”, and so forth. The crux is to focus on securing both the ID and Secret. As long as these are in your possession, the integration will be smooth.

Step 5: Incorporating the Instagram Gallery Addon

Having orchestrated the link between your Instagram profile and Facebook Page, the subsequent step is straightforward. The Instagram Gallery Addon acts as a bridge, and its inclusion in the SP Page Builder page mirrors the process for any addon:

1. Access the admin dashboard, then head to SP Page Builder > Create a new page. Title your new page appropriately.
2. For the introduction of a new row or the embedding of the addon in a pre-existing page, the frontend editor serves the purpose. Here, the Instagram Gallery Addon can be simply appended.

Step 6: Fine-Tuning the Instagram Gallery

Once you select the Instagram Gallery from the addon options, a world of customization opens up:

• Item Limit: Define the number of Instagram posts to display.
• Photos per row: Decide how many images appear in a single row.
• Fetching Modes:
  • User ID: Pulls the latest posts from the linked Instagram profile. Ideal for showcasing personal portfolios or business profiles.
  • Hashtag: Procures images associated with a specific hashtag. For instance, entering "cupcakes" populates the gallery with every image captioned with this hashtag.

Post these selections, tailor the grid appearance to resonate with your website's aesthetics. Once satisfied, finalize the process. The result? Your Joomla website dynamically pulling content from your Instagram profile.

Conclusion

Embedding an Instagram feed onto a Joomla website does more than just amplify aesthetics. It bridges two platforms, fostering enhanced engagement, potentially augmenting followers, nurturing leads, and potentially catalyzing conversions. The visual vibrancy an Instagram feed injects is a refreshing addition to any website. Leveraging the SP Page Builder Addon, this integration becomes painless and efficient. If you decide to give it a go, we'd love to hear about your experience!