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How to Install and Setup Facebook Comments in WordPress

Do you want to install and set up Facebook comments in WordPress?

Facebook is the largest social network in the world. That’s why many WordPress blogs use Facebook comments on their websites to increase visibility on social media platforms and reach a wider audience.

In this article, we will show you how to easily install and set up Facebook comments in WordPress.

How to install and setup Facebook comments in WordPress

Pros and Cons of Using Facebook Comments in WordPress

Before we get started with the tutorial, let’s cover the pros and cons of using Facebook comments compared to the default WordPress comments.

One of the most obvious benefits of using Facebook comments is that it may increase your website’s visibility on Facebook.

When someone leaves a comment on your WordPress website, they can check the ‘Also post on Facebook’ option to share their comment with their Facebook friends. This has a huge potential for additional traffic to your website.

Facebook comments preview

Another advantage of using Facebook comments is that it removes anonymity. So, users are less likely to leave spam comments because they’re tied to their Facebook profiles.

However, this can also act as a major downside.

Some users may feel uncomfortable leaving a comment using their Facebook profiles because they like being anonymous.

Another disadvantage of using Facebook comments is that they are not stored or synced to WordPress. By contrast, third-party commenting systems like Disqus do sync with WordPress.

Additionally, if you have older posts with default WordPress comments, then those comments may appear before or after the Facebook comments.

This is why we recommend removing the WordPress comment system entirely if you want to use the Facebook comment system on your WordPress blog. Otherwise, spammers and bots can use WordPress comments to spam your website.

Now that you know the pros and cons, let’s take a look at how to install and set up Facebook comments in WordPress.

Method 1: Set Up Facebook Comments in WordPress Using a Free Plugin

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First, you need to install and activate the Lazy Social Comments plugin. For more instructions, please see our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once the plugin is active, you need to visit the Settings » Lazy FB Comments page from the admin sidebar.

Visit the plugin settings for Facebook comments

To use Facebook comments on your website, you will need to create a Facebook app and then add the application ID to the plugin’s settings page.

If you already have a Facebook app, then you can use its ID.

However, if you haven’t created an app yet, then you will first have to visit the Meta for Developers page and make a developer’s account.

Note: Before creating a developer’s account, don’t forget to log in to your Facebook account.

Once you have registered as a Meta developer, just click on the ‘My Apps’ link in the top right corner of the screen.

Click on the My Apps link

This will take you to the Developers dashboard.

From here, simply click on the ‘Create App’ button.

Click on the Create App button

This will take you to the ‘App Creation’ page, where you should choose the ‘Business’ option as the app type.

Then, click the ‘Next’ button at the bottom to continue.

Choose an app type

Next, you must provide an app name and an email address that can be used to contact you. Make sure to use a business email address that you regularly check so that you can get updates about your Facebook App.

After filling in the details, click on the ‘Create app’ button.

Provide an app name and email address

Facebook will now create a new app for you and then redirect you to the app dashboard.

Here, you can see your APP ID displayed in the top left corner of the screen.

App dashboard

Now, you need to tell Facebook how you’d use the App. For this, you need to head to the Settings » Basic link from the left column.

Next, you have to click on the ‘+ Add platform’ button at the bottom of the page.

Click Add platform button

This will open up a new popup window.

From here, you need to choose the ‘Website’ option as your platform and then click on the ‘Next’ button to continue.

Select Website as the platform

This will add a new ‘Website’ section to your app’s settings page.

Here, you need to simply copy and paste your WordPress website’s URL.

After that, click on the ‘Save changes’ button.

Type website URL

Next, you must copy the APP ID from the top and then paste it into the ‘FB Application ID’ box on the plugin settings page.

Once you are done, scroll down and then click on the ‘Save All Changes’ button to store your settings.

Type App ID

Now, a new “Moderate Comments” tab will appear next to the plugin name at the top. We will explain how to moderate Facebook comments in the next section.

This plugin also comes with a comprehensive set of options. You can go through the settings to see if there is something that you would like to change.

For instance, you can change the Load Comments option to ‘On Scroll.’ This setting will load the Facebook comment system only when someone reaches the end of the article. This can help improve page load speed.

Choose the option of loading comments on scroll from the dropdown menu

Other than that, the default settings should work for most websites.

Now, you can visit any post on your WordPress site to see the Facebook comment system in action.

Facebook comments preview

Moderating Facebook Comments on Your Website

As the admin of the Facebook app, you’ll get notifications for new comments when you log in to your Facebook account.

You will also find a link to moderate comments on the plugin’s settings page in your WordPress dashboard.

Click on the Moderate Comments link

Once you click on the link, it will direct you to the ‘Comment Moderation Tool’ page.

From here, you need to click on the ‘Settings’ link to set the comment moderation rules for Facebook.

Click on the Settings link

This will open a popup where you need to click on the “Moderation Rules” tab.

You can decide the maximum character limit that will be allowed in a comment. You can also set the number of days after which the comments will be automatically closed on your posts.

Use the moderation tool

Facebook also allows you to add new comment moderators.

Simply click on the ‘Moderators’ tab and then add a person by typing their name into the textbox and clicking on their profile.

Add comment moderators

Once you are done, click on the ‘Save’ button to apply your settings.

How to Display Facebook Comment Count on WordPress

One of the downsides of using the Lazy Social Comments plugin is that it overtakes the WordPress comment count function. By doing so, it outputs a Facebook-branded version of the comment count.

If your theme displays a comment count, then this would not look good.

If you still want to display the Facebook comment count, then you can do this with the help of a code snippet.

However, keep in mind that making the smallest error while editing your theme files can break your website.

We recommend using the WPCode plugin to add code to your website. It is the best code snippet plugin on the market that allows you to add custom code safely.

First, you need to install and activate the WPCode plugin. For more details, see our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once the plugin has been activated, you need to visit the Code Snippets » + Add Snippet page from the admin sidebar.

From here, just click on the ‘Use snippet’ button under the ‘Add Your Custom Code (New Snippet)’ option.

Add new snippet

Once you’re on the ‘Create Custom Snippet’ page, start by typing a name for your code snippet.

Next, you need to choose ‘HTML Snippet’ as the ‘Code Type’ from the dropdown menu on the right side of the screen.

Choose HTML as the code type for the Facebook Comments count code snippet

After that, simply copy and paste the following code into the ‘Code Preview’ box.

<fb:comments-count href="<?php echo get_permalink($post->ID); ?>"></fb:comments-count> Comments

Next, you need to scroll down to the ‘Insertion’ section.

From here, simply choose ‘Auto Insert’ as the insertion method so that the code will be automatically executed on your website.

Choose an insertion method

After that, you must choose a location for your code snippet.

Simply select ‘Insert After Content’ as the location from the dropdown menu.

Choose a code snippet location

Now, go back to the top of the page and toggle the ‘Inactive’ switch to ‘Active.’

Finally, click on the ‘Save Snippet’ button to store your settings.

Save and activate the Facebook Comment Count snippet

Your Facebook comment count will now be displayed on every post.

Facebook comment count preview

Method 2: Set up Facebook Comments Using SeedProd

If you’re looking for an easier way to set up Facebook comments, then this method is for you.

We’ll be using the SeedProd plugin, which is the best WordPress page builder plugin on the market. It allows you to create themes and landing pages from scratch without using any code.

First, you need to install and activate the SeedProd plugin. For more instructions, please see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Note: SeedProd also offers a free version that you can try. However, we’ll be using the premium version of the plugin for this tutorial.

Once the plugin has been activated, head to the SeedProd » Settings page from the admin sidebar to enter the plugin license key.

You can find this information in your account on the SeedProd website.

Paste license key in the field

Next, you need to head over to the SeedProd » Landing Pages section from the admin sidebar and click on the ‘Add New Landing Page’ button.

For this tutorial, we’ll be adding Facebook comments to a landing page. If you want, you can also customize a whole new theme for your website using SeedProd.

Click the Add New Landing Page button

You will now be taken to the ‘Choose a New Template’ page. Here, you can pick one of the many pre-made templates offered by SeedProd or create your own template.

Once you have selected a template, you’ll be asked to enter a page name and choose a URL.

Next, you need to click on the ‘Save and Start Editing the Page’ button to continue.

Landing page title and URL

This will launch the SeedProd drag-and-drop page builder, where you can start editing the page. For more details, please see our guide on how to create a landing page in WordPress.

From here, you need to search for the ‘Facebook Comments’ block in the search bar.

Upon locating it, you can drag and drop the ‘Facebook Comments’ block to any place on the page that you like.

Choose the Facebook comments block

Next, you need to click on the gear icon in the toolbar above the block to open its ‘Block Settings’ in the left column.

From here, you can decide the number of Facebook comments to display, choose an order, color scheme, target URL, URL format, and more.

You can also lazy load the comments by switching the ‘Lazy Loading’ toggle to ‘Yes.’

Configure the Facebook Comments block Settings

Next, you need to click on the ‘Page Settings’ link in the top left corner of the screen.

Then, you need to scroll down to the ‘Facebook App ID’ option and enter your Facebook App ID.

Enter the Facebook App ID in SeedProd

Once you’re done, simply click on the ‘Save’ button at the top.

The Facebook comments will now be displayed on your WordPress website.

Facebook Comments preview with SeedProd

We hope this article helped you install and set up Facebook comments on your WordPress site. You may also want to check out our guide on how to create a custom Facebook feed in WordPress and our top picks for the best SEO plugins to grow your website.

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Reader Interactions

112 CommentsLeave a Reply

  1. And can the WP Comment section be customized to look like that of Facebook if one needs to redesign it?

    • It would require some work but you could certainly style your comment section to look similar to Facebook’s

      Admin

  2. Hi,

    I set it up according to this article. Comments work, but I can’t see the comments in moderation. Every column including “public” is empty. How can I delete published comments for example?

    Thank you

    David

    • You would want to go into the plugin’s settings for the link to your comment moderation.

      Admin

  3. Thank you for these instructions. I’ve tried to install Facebook comments for a long time and this is the first time it’s worked.

  4. Thanks so much for this! Your site is incredibly helpful! I appreciate what you all do sooooooooo much!!!!!

  5. Thanks. The plugin is very useful indeed.
    It seems that the Plugin has changed its name to “Lazy Social Comments”, and is being supported by other people.

  6. As per my personal experience, Facebook Comment is one of the best ways to increase your visitors to comment on a post or interact with existing comments.

    • If the plugin is having an error, if you reach out to the plugin’s support they should be able to assist :)

      Admin

    • Thank you for letting us know, we will certainly take a look into updating the article.

      Admin

    • Thank you for letting us know, we will certainly take a look into alternatives for Facebook Comments

      Admin

  7. Was able to add the facebook comments plugin successfully. But, the default wordpress comments section is also showing below. How do I remove it?

  8. Which plugin do you use for social sharing, that is below the posts (has the share counter too)

  9. You may want to update this article as the plugin author of Facebook Comments has stopped supporting it & prompting to switch to the Spot.IM Comments plugin instead.

  10. Dear Wpbeginner. Nice article. Installed FB comments. everything working fine. Is there any waty to enable “Also post on Facebook” selecxt box?

  11. You need to review this article! The plugin you’re referring to is no longer being updated and is days away from breaking (when the older FB API will be deactivated). The developer started up spot.im which I guess he’ll have his hands full with.

    Also I don’t really see any other good plugins for this, they all have a small install base, unsolved issues to which they aren’t responding, no proven compatability with latest wp version, …

  12. how to mirror the facebook comment on facebook page with facebook comment on wordpress blogpost and vice versa?

  13. Thanks, this article was very helpful! I followed your instructions, and everything appears to be working on my site.

  14. The facebook comments plug in is working on my site however I still see the wordpress comments. How do I remove the wordpress comments?

    • Hi Patrice,

      You Can Disable Default WordPress Comment By Using This Plugin Disable Comments

      Details:- Requires: 4.0 or higher
      Compatible up to: 4.6.1
      Last Updated: 2 months ago
      Active Installs: 900,000+

      If you have another Question Feel Free To Reply To This Email
      Or You Can Read This WP Beginner Article https://www.wpbeginner.com/plugins/how-to-turn-off-or-disable-comments-in-wordpress-pages/

      I Hope I Help Some One Today :-)

      Best Regards,
      David Chriss

      • Hi David, Hope you are well, Has this plug in for facebook comments been updated for the new wordpress 4.7.2? And perhaps you might also know of a pinterest plugin that doesnt just show the pictures but also the description below, which works with the latest version of WordPress.

        Thank you

        Charne
        xx

  15. Hi. I want to know if it’s possible to make the comments on my fanpage’s articles appear directly on my website’s articles and vice versa. Thanks!

  16. Anytime someone tried to comment they get ‘message failed’ error. Pls what’s the solution for thia

    • Hi,

      Even me I Have That Common problem Please WP Beginner Help Us Or Any One can Help Us Please.

      Please Help Us

    • Dear Team, What is the name of social share plugin you are using as i wish to install the same. It looks quite simple and sober. Regards, Amit Jain

  17. Hi Everyone, I was looking for a plugin who’s importing my facebook old comment from my facebook fanpage to my wordpress.

    I tried this one but it’s not working, can anyone tell me how it works ?

    I used another methode by commenting the embed comment and looks not really fine

  18. Hi WPBeginner – Quick question about Facebook Comments… How does it effect your SEO? Is it better to keep default WordPress comments or maybe Jetpack comments so that the comment content stays attached to your blog rather than fb? thanks.

  19. This plugin is installed on my site and I have also activated coments mirroring for my page but still comment mirroring is not happening?

    Do you know the way around to do this?

  20. Hello very well explained!! But I have a problem! The comments should show also on my fan page write? …..
    ……I did everything and I get my comments on my wordpress but not SHOWING on my facebook page why?? Help !!!!!! Thanks a lot. Daniela

  21. I can’t get the plugin to work in Internet explorer. I can see from other threads on the net that others have the same experience. Some say that header.php should be modified, but I can’t figure out where in the file.
    What to do?

  22. I set up this plugin with a test app. Right before I was due to launch the website, I had to switch over to the new app that was set up for the business the website was built for. When I changed the app ID to the new app, all of the comments kept going to the old app I set up for testing purposes. Even after I deleted the old app, deleted and reinstalled the plugin and verified that the correct app ID was being used in the api call.

    Now, I have no way to moderate the comments because that old app is deleted and all the new comments are going to that old app even though the app ID I have in the plugin settings is for the new app ID.

    Any ideas?

  23. ..that facebook plugin is not updated since 11 months. Moreover, the plugin is made by some developer, and not Facebook. It does not feel very safe to use that plugin. Do you have any alternatives?

  24. Hi.. When i hyperlink another post from my wordpress blog to new post. All hyper links get shown below with ping back option. I don’t want them to show. Any advice?

  25. great post !!! i have been searching for how to install facebook comments to my site. now i am going to use it on my site
    thank you alot .

  26. ok, that’s all fine, I’ll switch to that from now on.

    In order to disable the WordPress comments:
    Settings >> Discussion >> uncheck “Allow people to post comments on new articles”

    This applies to new posts that you will publish from now on.

    To disallow comments from already publish posts:

    Posts >> select them all and “Edit” under bulk actions and hit apply >> choose “do not allow” next to comments and hit update posts.

  27. hey guys,

    regarding to your plugin issues…

    you need ipv6 addresses… without switching from ipv4 to ipv6 it isn´t working…

    kindly, autarka

  28. Hey, nice article, but I have some questions.

    This blog here:
    When you comment his facebook publication, it’s automatically commenting his blog, keeping the theme of the blog. When he comments his blog, it’s automatically commenting the facebook thread.
    Any idea on how to do that?

    Cheers,

    • Hello,
      I would like exactly the same! Can’t find how to. Did you find the answer to this and would you want to enlighten me? What I’ve been Googling so far is things like:
      “auto publish to facebook grab retrieve comments”

      Thank you so much!
      Greetings

  29. There is NO Create App ID button here:

    “Simply visit the Facebook Apps page and click on the create new app button. You will need to provide a name for your app and click on the Create App ID button.”

  30. I just set it up and It’s pulling in 1200+ comments, but I’ve only just created my FB page and I have not comments on it yet. The stuff is from all over the place. How do I get it to just show my FB page’s comments

    • I have exactly the same problem and will remove these coments now as it looks so fake. Anyone can see it is not genuine. What a disappointment! There are no instructions either about this, as far as I can see.

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