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    Home » News & Updates

    Why we removed the WP Instagram Widget

    Published: Aug 30, 2019 · Modified: Jan 22, 2020 by Skylar · Leave a Comment

    As of mid August 2019, Instagram shut down outside access to its images.

    Like all social networks, Instagram wants people to interact and view content within its "closed garden", where it can track your actions and show you ads.

    We believe it's time to move on from fighting short-term battles with social networks that aren't looking out for your best interests.

    Goals for food blogs

    The goal of a food blog is to keep your users on your own site, not send them off to a third-party site.

    Your site is where you control the user experience, and can earn ad revenue.

    Your site is where you can prompt them to sign up for your emails.

    Images on your site are click-magnets, and the user typically has no idea where the image leads to. Rather than link to Instagram, why not link images directly to your own internal content? If you believe your instagram images are better than the recipe's actual featured image, maybe you should replace the featured image with the instagram image?

    Displaying the social icons in your header or footer is fine - your readers want to find and engage with you on other platforms. But you shouldn't dedicate screenspace to sending them off your blog.

    Alternatives

    We do not currently have an alternative for this. Other Instagram widgets add unnecessary javascript, which slows down pagespeed.

    Instagram will eventually find these methods, and close them down.

    Instagram is not a good source of traffic.

    It's time to move on from displaying Instagram widgets on blogs, as it has proved to be less than useful.

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    Results not typical or guaranteed. Our themes and plugins are just a small part of the overall effort involved in running a food blog. Nothing on this website shall constitute legal or financial advice, always consult a local lawyer and accountant. Accessing this website and all transactions herein are under the laws and jurisdiction of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.