Can Facebook Like Button Increase the Popularity of Your Website?

Facebook has managed to change the manner in which website owners and marketing experts generate traffic. Numerous popular websites and blogs get significant percentage of their visits from Facebook sharing and promotion.

The Facebook Like button is a popular tool that is designed to facilitate the sharing of pages and interesting web content. The button is on almost every website. It delicately encourages visitors to spread the word and share the page with their Facebook network.

What can the Facebook Like button accomplish? Is it really that good in terms of website popularity and traffic increase? What are the specifics of positioning one on every page and using it?

What Does the Facebook Like Button Do?

The Facebook Like button is usually positioned at the top or towards the end of an article. It differs significantly from the Facebook Share button.

When a reader is particularly fond of a piece of content, the person can click the Like button. The profile of the person changes to show that a specific article, video or image has received approval.

Once the Facebook Like button is clicked, everyone in the person’s network can see that in the News Feed. Other people can follow the link, thus exploring the content, as well. Facebook Like differs from Facebook Share. To share content, a person is redirected to their profile, while ‘liking’ happens automatically.

When several people click the Like Button, all of their contacts are given access to the specific page. Thus, Facebook Like serves as a form of promotion and traffic maximization tool.

When is Facebook Like Effective?

The manner in which the Like button is used will determine how effective it will be and whether the website owner would experience some benefits.

Positioning the button on a website or a blog is relatively easy. Facebook provides detailed explanations so that people having limited web structure knowledge are able to get it appearing on their pages.

The place where the Facebook Like button appears is of key importance. If the button is unobtrusive, people are likely to leave the page without even noticing it.

Many website owners position the Facebook Like button beneath the headline, where other sharing tools are available. Some may decide to place it in the side column. The best way to put a like button on a website is to have it in the end of the article. This way, when people are done reading, they can click and move on to another page.

Facebook Traffic Vs. Search Engine Traffic

Usually, websites get most of their traffic from Google and other search engines. Search engine traffic increase can be achieved through search engine optimization (SEO) practices.

Is Facebook traffic worth the effort? After all, the quality of visits is just as important as their number.

People who find a website through a search engine are likely to explore the specific piece of content that they were seeking and to leave the site after they are done. Google visits result in high bounce rate – the percentage of people who leave a website after exploring a single page.

Facebook Like acts as a form of recommendation. People are very likely to explore websites that their friends approve. This medium features a higher degree of credibility and it can therefore result in targeted traffic and higher visitor loyalty.

Readers Doing the Promotion Instead of You

Using the Facebook Like button has another major advantage over traditional website marketing methods – readers themselves will be doing the promotion instead of you.

People are likely to remain skeptical when a recommendation comes from the owner of a website. Yet, when hundreds of unbiased individuals click the Like button, chances are that their friends will explore out of curiosity or trust.

The visitors of the website will be doing the promotion instead of you. The Facebook Like button is available to anyone having a Facebook profile. Even if this leads in a minor traffic and popularity increase, having the button will be worth it.

Facebook Like button is free to use and easy to install. If positioned properly, it can generate sensible traffic increase. Adding this sharing option to a website or a blog is certainly worth the try. Still, it takes some planning and strategic thinking to get the most out of it.

Source: Author’s own experience.