This section explains how to use IndieMade's tools to improve your website's search engine visibility, how to link your site to other social sharing sites, and how to make it easy for your readers to tweet, post, and like your content.
Click on website and then on promote to get to the website promotion section.
Social Web
If you have other "homes" on the web -- a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and so on -- you can automatically have links to these services added to your IndieMade site. Fill out the form and the links will be placed on every page of your IndieMade site.
Social Sharing Buttons
An important part of driving traffic to your site is making it easy for people to share links back to your site. By checking the boxes for the social sharing sites you want to support, IndieMade will automatically create sharing buttons next to your blog posts, products, image galleries, and events, by integrating with the popular and powerful ShareThis service.
Check the boxes of those services you want to support -- but think twice before checking them all. A long list of sharing buttons can be intimidating and counter-productive. The More checkbox enables a green ShareThis icon, which can lead your readers to any of the dozens and dozens of services that share this supports.
Finally, if you have a ShareThis publisher key, you can optionally enter it into the box. This will enable you to access any of ShareThis's reports on how people are sharing your content.
Submit to Search Engines
Obviously, the easier it is for people to find your site on search engines like Google or Bing, the better it is for you. Contrary to popular belief, the world's search engines do not instantly know about every page on every website on the internet -- instead, they regularly spider sites to discover what pages are available. Huge sites get spidered throughout the day, but it may take weeks or months for small, new websites to get noticed.
Your IndieMade site can automatically create a sitemap of your site, and submit it nightly to Google and Bing. It's up to the search engines to decide when and how often they spider your site, but you can stack the deck in your favor just by checking the box:
If you have properly set up a custom URL for your IndieMade site, you'll want to use that URL in the sitemap.
Search Engine Optimization
Finally, you may be able to improve your ranking in search engines by providing meta keywords and a meta description for your home page. The description is what most search engines will display when they show your site on the search engine results page.
Meta Tags for Social Sharing
The following will show you how to control what photo and text appears when you share your website link to facebook or other social media.
In dashboard>website>promote, scroll to "Social Store Meta Tags".
Here is where you can add a title, additional description, as well as a photo that will be displayed when you share your website link.
Don't forget to click on Save configuration to save your changes.
Comments
facebook share link
Hi, I have a facebook page but am having trouble getting the link to work. The only user name I found to use takes me to my personal profile rather than my 'page'.
Is there another way to put the link in as I'd really like to link through to FB.
Thanks :)
Create a username for your FaceBook page
There's a page in the handbook that explains how to create a username for your FaceBook page. But any string of letters, numbers, and the period will be accepted.
(By the way, for a faster, personal response next time you can contact support and open a ticket.)
Thanks Axel, I did try that
Thanks Axel, I did try that but I didn't have the 'account' section. I'll keep trying.
personalizing sharing icons
I want to modify the look of my sharing icons to better reflect my site's style. Can I upload my own sharing icon images that I have created?
Sorry -- no
The sharing icons are defined by the theme, and they can't be modified. Each theme does have a different look for it though.
Pinterest Verify Website
Hi there,
There's two ways, which are by uploading file or add meta tag to verify website.
I tried to use both ways, but I can't figure out how to set it up.
I also searched it on Internet to find out, but no luck. Would you explain it?
We use the HTML file method
Yoshiko, you can verify using the HTML file method. I wrote an FAQ entry that explains what to do.
Thank you!
I tried to find it, but I couldn't. I'm sorry.
I'll do it right now. Thank you so much!
Instagram Button
Hello,
I was wondering if there is a social sharing button for Instagram? If so, could you let me know how to add it to my indiemade site?
Thank you,
Jesika
Instagram
I too am really sad to see that there isn't a link to my Instagram-this is where it's at right now!
You can specify your InstaGram page like the others
Just FYI InstaGram now appears in "Social Web" section.
social sharing buttons
Is there any way to have my social web buttons (my facebook, pinterest, etc.) located at the top of my page instead of the bottom?
The theme decides where the social sharing buttons go
Sorry Debra -- each theme decides where the social sharing icons go, and what they look like. So it's not possible to move them without switching themes.
Thank you Axel! That's what
Thank you Axel! That's what I was thinking.....that the placement had something to do with the design theme. No problem!! :)
Promote Buttions - Open in new window
I'm using the Underscoe them and the promote buttons navigate away from my site to the social site (e.g., facebook) rather than opening in a new window. Is this theme dependent or can it be changed so that the user stays on my page and the social site opens in a new window? Thank you.
Sure just ask Customer Care
Ellen, customer care can configure your site to open in a new window. Just open a support ticket asking for it and we'll get that done right away.
pinterest and facbook buttons
I have seen several sites that have the social buttons (pinterest and facebook) show up when you slide your mouse across them. Is this possible to do in Indiemade?
Thanks,
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