The Swift Bar is a great feature on WordPress because it can help with user engagement. If you haven’t added one yet, it’s time to do so because it’s proving to really work. While using the point system and post reactions are common ways to boost engagement, add the swift bar can encourage your users to share your content on their favorite social media pages as well as share their thoughts on what you have to say.
The simple sticky footer at the bottom of your posts is the simplest way to motivate your users to share your work on sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, so why wouldn’t you take advantage of such a simple tactic for increasing user engagement? Here is a look at why it’s working and how to get it.
What is the Swift Bar exactly?
Swifty Bar handy little tool is a favorite on WordPress because it offers a quick shortcut to users for sharing your content on social media. It works like a sticky footer at the bottom of a post showing the post category, the author, and the easy links for sharing the post on your favorite social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.
It will even show you the estimated time it’s going to take to read through the post with a progress bar moving forward as your users is scrolling down a post! It’s a great feature for the user with limited time or that wants to save it to read later today. Plus, the easy share buttons for social media is really increasing user engagement.
Why you need this
One handy feature of this WordPress option is that it will stay visible as your user is scrolling through a post. While your users are used to seeing share buttons hidden while they read only for them to have to search for it after they’ve read the article, there is no need to look around the page for the share buttons any longer. Your user won’t be deterred from sharing your content anymore as it will be easier than ever to engage with your content.
You can get a plugin for a similar feature by adding sticky floating social bar at the top of your WordPress posts, but people find that this Swift bar is a step up from that option. This is because you gain the category and author information when you use the Swift bar. Your mobile users will thank you too because it looks great on their mobile devices and it’s fully responsive.
How to get it
You can set it up in no time by installing and activating the plugin called Swifty Bar, head over to the settings section to configure the plugin settings, and customize it to what you need. You’ll first need to uncheck the “disable bar” option, then you’ll need to check the box that says “show on which post types” to make sure it’s going to show up on your site, and then you can choose the rest of the options to fit your needs.
It will ask you to set the “time to read,” what the author’s name is, the words per minute for the average read time, and the comment box ID. Choose from 7 built-in color schemes to compliment your WordPress site’s colors and then save all of your changes. You can start seeing the Swifty bar in action on any of your posts on the website.
You’ll definitely want to add the Swifty bar to your WordPress because your users will love seeing which of their favorite authors write the piece, how long it will takes them to read, and an easy way for them to share it with their friends on social media.
