How to Add an Instagram Feed to Your Website

Adding your Instagram feed to your website is one of the fastest ways to inject fresh, dynamic content and powerful social proof onto your pages. This guide will walk you through exactly why this is a smart move for your brand and show you step-by-step how to do it, whether you're using WordPress, Shopify, or another platform.

Why Bother Adding an Instagram Feed to Your Website?

Before getting into the technical steps, it helps to understand the strategic benefits. Displaying your Instagram content on your site isn't just about making it look pretty, it's a smart marketing move that accomplishes several goals at once.

Keep Your Website Content Fresh, Automatically

Static websites can feel stale. A live Instagram feed acts as a constantly updating stream of new content. Every time you post a Reel, a photo, or a Story, your website gets a little refresh without you ever having to touch your site’s backend. This gives repeat visitors something new to see and signals to search engines that your site is active and relevant.

Boost Social Proof and Build Trust

An active, visually appealing Instagram feed is powerful social proof. It shows visitors that you have an engaged community and a real-brand presence beyond your website. When potential customers see user-generated content (UGC), team photos, or behind-the-scenes videos, it humanizes your brand and builds a level of trust that static product pages just can't match.

Grow Your Follower Count

Your website is full of potential followers who might not know you’re active on Instagram. By embedding your feed directly on your site, you create a direct bridge between the two platforms. Visitors can see your content, get a feel for your brand’s personality, and follow you with a single click, turning passive website traffic into an engaged social media audience.

Showcase User-Generated Content (UGC)

If customers are tagging your brand in photos, your Instagram feed becomes an incredible place to showcase that love. You can display feeds based on a specific hashtag (#YourBrand) to pull in all that amazing user-generated content. Placing a UGC feed on a product page can significantly increase conversion rates by showing real people using and loving your products.

How to Add an Instagram Feed to Your Website: 3 Methods

There are a few different ways to get this done, ranging from super simple to highly technical. We’ll cover the most popular methods that work for almost every business, regardless of your technical skill level.

Method 1: The Quick Embed for a Single Post

If you just want to feature one specific Instagram post - like a major announcement, a customer testimonial, or a viral Reel - Instagram’s native embed feature is the fastest way to do it.

This method is best for: Highlighting a single important post on a blog page or product description.

Here’s how to do it:

1. On a desktop browser, navigate to the specific Instagram post you want to embed.
2. Click the three dots (...) in the top-right corner of the post.
3. From the menu, select Embed.
4. A window will pop up with a block of HTML code. You can choose whether to include the caption. Click Copy Embed Code.

1. Go to your website’s editor and open the page where you want the post to appear. Paste the code into an HTML block or code editor. On WordPress, this is the "Custom HTML" block. On Shopify or Squarespace, you'll use a similar code block or section.
2. Save or publish your page, and the post will appear.

The Catch: This method is fantastic for its simplicity, but it’s limited. You can only embed one post at a time, creating a static element rather than a dynamic, multi-image grid. For a full feed, you’ll need a more robust solution.

Method 2: Using a Third-Party App or Plugin (The Best Option)

For a beautiful, customizable, and automatically updating grid of your latest Instagram posts, a third-party plugin or app is the way to go. These tools handle the difficult parts of connecting to Instagram’s API and give you simple drag-and-drop controls to design the feed you want.

This method is best for: Most businesses that want a dynamic, branded gallery on their homepage, footer, or a dedicated "Community" page.

For WordPress Websites

The WordPress ecosystem is full of incredible plugins designed for this purpose. Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed is one of the most popular and reliable options, known for its deep customization and reliability.

Here’s the typical process:

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins >, Add New.
2. Search for "Instagram Feed" and find a highly-rated plugin like Smash Balloon. Install and activate it.
3. Follow the plugin's setup wizard. You’ll be prompted to connect your Instagram account. You will need an Instagram Business or Creator account for the best results, as Personal accounts have more limitations due to Meta's API policies.
4. Once connected, you can customize everything about your feed:
   • Layout: Choose from a grid, carousel, masonry, or highlight style.
   • Sizing: Set the number of photos, columns, and spacing.
   • Look: Customize colors, fonts, and headers to match your brand.
   • Content: Choose to display only certain types of posts or even pull content from a specific hashtag.
5. When you’re happy with the design, the plugin will give you a shortcode (like [instagram-feed]). Copy this code.
6. Paste the shortcode into any page, post, or widget area. Your beautiful, dynamic feed is now live.

For Shopify Stores

Shopify users can find powerful Instagram feed apps in the Shopify App Store. Apps like Instafeed, Covet.pics, and Taggbox are popular choices. The process is very similar to the WordPress workflow.

1. Go to the Shopify App Store and search for an "Instagram feed" app.
2. Choose an app with good reviews and a free or suitable pricing plan. Install it.
3. Connect your Instagram account through the app's interface.
4. Customize your feed’s layout, design, and content settings. Many Shopify apps specialize in creating "shoppable" feeds, allowing you to tag products in your Instagram photos directly, which is a massive win for e-commerce.
5. Once customized, you can typically add the feed as a new section on your homepage or product pages directly through your Shopify theme editor.

For Squarespace, Wix, & Other Builders

Platforms like Squarespace and Wix have their own built-in solutions for Instagram feeds, making the process even simpler.

• In Squarespace: Edit a page, click to add a new block, and select the Instagram Block. You'll be prompted to connect your account and can choose between different layouts like grid and slideshow.
• In Wix: Open the Wix App Market, search for an app like "Instagram Feed," and add it to your site. You can then connect your account and customize the gallery using Wix's editor.

Method 3: The Manual API Route (For Developers)

If you have development experience or a developer on your team, you can build a completely custom feed using the official Instagram API. The two main options are the Instagram Basic Display API (for personal accounts) and the Instagram Graph API (for Business and Creator accounts).

This method is best for: Tech-savvy brands that need 100% control over the feed's functionality and design, without relying on third-party tools.

This approach involves setting up an app within Meta’s Developer Dashboard, handling authentication with tokens, and writing code to fetch the posts and display them on your website. It offers total freedom but comes with responsibility - you'll need to manage API access tokens, which expire, and maintain the code as the API changes over time. For nearly everyone, a plugin or app is a far more efficient choice.

Best Practices for a Great Website Feed

Simply adding the feed isn’t the final step. To get the most out of it, follow these simple best practices.

Placement Matters

Where you put your feed impacts its effectiveness. A few great places include:

• In the footer: A classic spot that adds visual flair to the bottom of every page.
• On the homepage: Use it to showcase your brand's vibrancy as soon as visitors arrive.
• On a dedicated "Community" or "Gallery" page: Create a space for your best UGC and branded content.
• On product pages: Displaying photos of real customers using your product can be a powerful conversion-booster.

Curate Your Content

Just because you can show everything doesn't mean you should. A strong brand aesthetic is built on consistency. Use your plugin's features to moderate or hide certain posts that don't fit the vibe of your website. If you're pulling from a hashtag, moderation tools are essential to prevent unwanted content from appearing on your site.

Watch Your Page Speed

Image-heavy features can slow down your website if not implemented correctly. Modern feed plugins are built with performance in mind and use techniques like "lazy loading" to ensure images only load as the visitor scrolls down the page. After installing a feed, run your site through Google's PageSpeed Insights to make sure it's not hurting your performance.

Include a Clear Call-to-Action

Don't just show off your feed - encourage action. Add a simple but clear headline like "Follow Our Journey on Instagram" above the feed and include a "Follow Us" button that links directly to your profile. This small addition can significantly increase the number of website visitors who convert into followers.

Final Thoughts

Adding an Instagram feed to your website is a powerful strategy for boosting engagement, building trust, and keeping your site's content dynamic. With user-friendly plugins and apps available for every major platform, it's an accessible update that delivers an immediate impact, connecting your web presence with your social community.

Of course, a beautiful feed on your website is only as good as the content you're creating for Instagram. Keeping up that cadence of high-quality Reels, videos, and photos is the real challenge. At Postbase, we built our tool to solve that exact problem. We streamlined social media management down to what really matters: a visual calendar for planning, reliable multi-platform scheduling for video and photos, a unified inbox to manage all your engagement, and clear analytics, so you always know what’s working. It’s the engine that helps you consistently create the great content your website feed deserves.