If you landed into this page to know about social login best practices, I am assuming that you are very well aware of the term social login.
A simple definition of social login would be- “A method to encourage quick signup and save users’ time.”
You would have often witnessed the social login option on several websites. Almost every eCommerce Brand has incorporated this option on its website today.
Businesses do understand the benefits of social login, but one should also know to make the best use of this option. This is what I would be covering today.
In this write-up, I have presented 5 social login best practices to make it more effective. Let’s begin.
1. Use Popular Social Networks
The primary social login best practice would be to implement the widely used social networks.
You would mostly see the Google and Facebook option in the name of social login, and it makes sense too. People can sign-in using their Gmail account, and I do not even need to introduce you to the popularity of Facebook. These are the default options.
But people are now actively using other social networks as well, for example, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. And I feel people are spending more time on Instagram nowadays rather than Facebook.
Consider using these options as well, especially Instagram. This would give visitors enough choices to choose their preferred login option.
2. Choose the Right Format
Another social login best practice would be to use the appropriate size of the social login button.
You can use a large rectangular button that says Login with Facebook, Login with Google or Login with Instagram, or you could use a small circular button with the logo of the social network on it.
It is totally up to you what format you choose. Just make sure it goes well with your sign-up form. If the form is already filled up with too many inputs, avoid using the large button. The small circular buttons would make the perfect fit in this case.
3. Choose the Right Position
The position of the social login block is crucial to bring more clicks and more user signups. Even before that, what’s important is to check where your login and signup button is placed currently.
If it is not visible on the first look, the social login would not make much impact. So the first thing to perform is to make it clearly and easily visible.
Then comes the next part, i.e. positioning the social login buttons perfectly. Make sure each login option has enough space from the other and they catch the visitors’ eyes at once.
The sign-up page should not look cluttered. It should be presented neatly. This gets more user engagement.
4. Place it on Multiple Pages
Adding to the list of social login best practices is putting the social login facility on a number of pages and not just at any particular page.
For best results, place social login on the login page, registration page and checkout page. If it doesn’t appear at the checkout page, it can hamper the checkout experience abruptly. You would surely not like to see that happen.
Related: Top 10 Checkout Page Optimization Practices to Increase Conversions
5. Ask for Permission
Some social login plugins do ask for the netizens’ permission while they try to log in using a social network whereas some collect the information straightaway. The latter is not the best practice.
Though when the user clicks on the social login button, it means he or she wants to use that platform to sign-up, asking for the user’s permission is ideally considered more professional.
6. Avoid Possibilities of Duplicate Accounts
When users pay a visit to your website after a long time, they usually forget how they registered on your website initially. This puts users in confusion and they find it tough to deal with.
Let’s understand this with an example. A Facebook account can be created even without an email. So if a user has registered on your website using his/her Facebook credentials, and the next time he tries to sign-up via Google or any other means, this would create two accounts of the same person.
Inform users that they have been registered already with whichever network they used for the first time. If they preferred Facebook initially, tell them that they already have an account using Facebook login.
Encourage them to continue with the same login option.
It’s time to implement Social Login on your Website
If you want to add the social login options on your website, try our Social Loginizer module. This module provides you with a variety of social network options. Select your preferred ones and get set go.
You can check out the plugins from the Knowband store for your eCommerce platform.
If you found this information on social login best practices useful, do leave a comment below.