How to put an Instagram feed on your website

You put an Instagram feed on your website with a plugin if your site runs on WordPress. On a website that accepts embed code, you paste a feed widget's code instead. Both routes add an Instagram wall to your website: a grid or slider of your latest Instagram posts. The wall picks up your new posts on its own, so you never upload anything twice. If you only want to show one post from a public account, Instagram's own embed code is enough.

Choosing a way to add an Instagram feed to your website

The right route depends on what your website runs on and whether you want a whole feed or a single post.

The last route is for developers. Instafeed.js is a script that adds an Instagram feed to a web page. Its author notes that managing Instagram's access tokens, the keys that let a feed read your account, now needs code on your web server.

Our advice: on WordPress, use a plugin, because it keeps the feed up to date without any code. On our classic Website Builder, use its Instagram gallery if your plan includes it. On any other website, use a feed widget. On an HTTPS site, that means a paid widget. If you only want to feature one post in a blog article, the embed code is a good option and may be all you need.

What you need before you start

• An Instagram account. A personal account can show your posts and profile in a plugin such as Social Feed Gallery.
• A professional account for the extras. In Social Feed Gallery, Stories, hashtag feeds and comments need a business or creator account, and Stories also need its paid Premium version.
• A public account for a single post. Instagram's embed code only works for posts from a public account.
• A website that accepts a plugin or embed code. That can be a WordPress site or a site with a block for custom code.

For a new WordPress website, you need hosting first, such as Hosting for WordPress. Then you can install WordPress and add your feed.

How to embed an Instagram feed on WordPress

To embed an Instagram feed on WordPress, use one of the WordPress plugins made for Instagram feeds. Pasting a post's link into the WordPress editor no longer works. WordPress's Instagram embed block stopped working after 24 October 2020, when Facebook closed the service it used to load posts (the oEmbed endpoint).

These steps use Instagram Feed, a free plugin by Smash Balloon.

1. Install the free Instagram Feed plugin by Smash Balloon on your WordPress website and activate it.
2. Connect your Instagram account to the plugin.
3. Choose a layout in the feed customizer.
4. Add the feed to a page with the Instagram Feed block, a widget or the shortcode.

The plugin's shortcode is [instagram-feed], a short tag that shows the feed wherever you paste it. If you edit your theme's files, you can also put it straight into a page template.

Social Feed Gallery works in a similar way and adds a block for the Gutenberg and Elementor editors.

A plugin like Instagram Feed needs a WordPress site. Every Hosting for WordPress plan includes an SSL certificate, so your site and the feed on it load over a secure connection.

How to embed a single Instagram post

To embed an Instagram post from a public account on your website, use the embed option on the post itself.

1. Open the post on instagram.com.
2. Click the three dots in the upper right corner, then click Embed.
3. Click Copy embed code.
4. Paste the code into your website where you can add custom code.

In WordPress, paste the code into a Custom HTML block. Do this while you're logged in as an administrator or editor, or as a Super Admin on a multisite network. For users without the unfiltered_html permission, such as contributors, WordPress strips out the script and iframe tags that load the post.

How to show your Instagram feed on any website with a widget

If your website isn't on WordPress, use an Instagram widget for your website. A feed widget service builds the feed for you and gives you a piece of code to paste. LightWidget is one of them. Its widget works on websites that support iframes, which show content from another site inside your page.

The free LightWidget widget does not load on a website with an SSL certificate, which is what makes an address start with https. For an HTTPS website you need a paid widget, such as the upgraded one, which is a one-time payment per widget.

1. Create a widget in LightWidget's generator: connect your Instagram account and pick a grid, slider or masonry layout.
2. Set the widget's options, such as captions, padding and how the feed looks on mobile.
3. Copy the widget's embed code and paste it into your website where the feed should appear.

Your site editor decides where the code goes, usually in a block or element for HTML or custom code. LightWidget has step-by-step instructions for installing the widget on popular platforms.

How to add an Instagram feed in our classic Website Builder

On a site built with our classic Website Builder, you show your feed with its Instagram gallery component. Check that your plan includes the Instagram gallery, and use a feed widget if it doesn't. The gallery updates on its own whenever you post new images, as long as your account stays connected. Our Aida AI Website Builder is a different product, so these steps don't apply to it. On an Aida site, you currently add an Instagram feed and gallery only through the chat with Aida.

1. Open our classic Website Builder and go to the page where the feed should appear.
2. Add the Instagram gallery component to the page.
3. Connect your Instagram account.
4. Set the number of columns and rows and the spacing between the images.
5. Save and publish your website to make the feed visible.

You connect your Instagram account by entering your login details.

Why your Instagram feed can stop updating

Your feed stops updating when the connection between the feed tool and your Instagram account expires. New posts stop appearing, or the feed stops loading altogether. Reconnect your Instagram account in the tool, and new posts show again.

How you notice it depends on the tool. In our classic Website Builder, you may need to reconnect your account after 60 days, depending on your privacy settings. With the free and upgraded LightWidget widgets, the photos stop loading when the connection expires, and only the paid widgets email you a warning. If the Instagram Feed plugin shows only a loading symbol, the first reason its makers give is a problem with the access token.

A connected feed brings your new Instagram posts to your website on its own, as long as you reconnect when the connection expires. If you're building a new website and want to add your feed with a plugin, a Hosting for WordPress plan is the place to start.