Feb
14
10 Types of Widgets for Your Blog or Website
Filed Under Blogging, Networking and Marketing Strategy, Widgets
This article about widgets is brought to you by Small Business Networking, a new social networking website for open business networking and ongoing business education.
How much do you know about website widgets?
Last week, in Website Widgets and Ads Raise Security and Privacy Issues, I shared my concerns about security and privacy issues connected with the use of widgets on a blog or other website.
I concluded, “You are responsible as a blogger or website owner to protect the privacy of your visitors as best you can. Use widgets from reputable sources and banner ads, too.”
Today, I list 10 types of website widgets that can enhance your site:
- Community Building Widgets - I use both Google Friend Connect and Facebook fan page widgets here on Online Social Networking. They work on blogs, as well as other websites, and I like them very much. Make sure you enable and use the Google Friend Connect newsletter feature.
- Subscription Widgets - I use RSS and NetworkedBlogs widgets, which are suitable for blogs, and I also use an email subscription widget that works with any website.
- Tracking Widgets - In addition to embedding Google Analytics internally on every page of this blog, I use Get Clicky, Alexa, Page Rank Checker, Website Grader and Flag Counter widgets to acquire a broad range of additional statistics.
- Social Networking Widgets - Social network widgets encourage visitors to connect with you on Twitter, Facebook, BlogCatalog, MyBlogLog and other key social bookmarking and social networking sites. An Entrecard widget enables me to network and expose my blog to thousands of bloggers.
- Polls and Survey Widgets - I use the interests and comments features of Google Friend Connect to obtain feedback and preferences from my GFC community.
- Content Sharing Widgets - The Add This widget at the end of each article makes it very easy (hint, hint) for you to share content with friends in your networks.
- Advertising Widgets - Ad widgets from Google Adwords, ad networks and retailers such as Amazon help you generate income from your blog or other website.
- Syndication Widgets - Display news, other information, YouTube videos and Flickr pics on your site.
- Widget Bars - Here’s an example of a page with a Digg toolbar widget (hint, hint again). Widget bars are becoming more and more common.
- Widget Gadgets - See Google Gadgets for everything else under the sun.
My favorite website widgets are community building widgets, subscription widgets, tracking widgets and social networking widgets. In a subsequent article, I’ll provide useful tips for using widgets. 
However, one more thing before you leave. What types of widgets do you use? What are examples of each?
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20 Responses to “10 Types of Widgets for Your Blog or Website”
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Nice top 10 Larry. I will be anxious to read the usage article. There are tons of applications out there…always interesting to see how people are using them. Thanks again.
Thanks for the tips Larry, will implement these into my website.
Thank Larry, very useful as usual. Have a great day.
Good set of tolls here. My personal favorite are the Add This -button and the Facebook Fan widget. What makes the Facebook Fan widget handy is that you can have people become your fans straight from the widget without having to visit the page first.
-Kris
@KrisOlin
Hi, I find myself coming back to you site thru your tweets regularly. Great information here. Thanks
Thanks everyone.
@Kris And with one click, if they’re logged in.
Nice collection of tools mentioned. Integrating Twitter and LinkedIn would be really useful if a person were trying to expand his or her professional network.
Polls and surveys will be my next adventure. Thanks for the tips.
This is a great list. There are so many widgets out there you really have to be careful what you put up - lots of scammers out there.
And Google Buzz, Larry? What’s your take?
Hi Peg,
Google Buzz is too new to get my attention, especially after all the hype about Google Wave. I’m happy to wait and see how it shakes out over the next few months.
This is super information. I do have a question. That is something like 10 widgets and my question is which ones do you put on the top of the column? I see you have your Facebook one on top.
Hi Marg,
Each website widget performs it’s own function. You need to decide which ones are the most important for you, and place those widgets near the top.
Please read 7 Tips for Utilizing Blog and Website Widgets.
Great list - found some new things here. I really liked Clicky as it is hard to explain to clients what Google Analytics is reporting. Perhaps just because of the interface. Clicky is more visually understandable to an average user. I also find Google Analytics slows page load time often. What stats does Analytics offer you over Clicky that you find essential?
I like Google Analytics more for custom segmentation and long-term trending.
Great list. I’ll have to add some of these to my blog to spice it up a bit.
Thanks for the list, I need to start adding some widgets to improve my site.
Larry,
Thanks for the great tips…I need to implement some of these. Have a great day.
Anne
[…] – Install Google Friend Connect and other widgets on your blog to increase followers and your perceived authority. Website widgets can help build […]
Thank you Larry ! The list is pretty good. I have just made my blog and I will try to implement every widget for my blog and try to find out the benefits of each widget.