Getting Started
What Is Social Linkz? Fast WordPress Share Buttons
What is Social Linkz?
Social Linkz is a lightweight WordPress plugin that adds social share and follow buttons to your posts and pages using inline SVG icons, with no render-blocking scripts. If bulky sharing plugins are slowing your site or loading third-party JavaScript on every page, Social Linkz gives you clean, on-brand share buttons that add almost nothing to your page weight.
It draws every icon as inline SVG, so there are no icon fonts or external icon libraries to fetch, and it only loads its assets where share buttons actually appear. The result is fast, accessible sharing that matches your theme.
What Social Linkz does
Social Linkz focuses on one job and does it well: getting readers to share your content without hurting performance. Out of the box it can:
- Add inline share buttons automatically above or below your post content.
- Render share buttons anywhere with the
[social_linkz]shortcode. - Drop a share block into any post with the WordPress block editor.
- Match your branding with button color, shape, style, and layout controls.
- Reorder the networks readers see by dragging them into place.
Core value: speed and branding
Two things set Social Linkz apart from heavier sharing plugins:
- Speed. Inline SVG icons mean no icon-font downloads and no third-party script libraries. Assets load only where buttons are shown, so pages stay light and fast.
- Branding. You control the button color, hover color, icon color, shape, and layout, so the buttons look like part of your site rather than a bolted-on widget.
To learn more about the performance angle, see do share buttons slow your site?.
What you can add
You can place share buttons in three ways in the free plugin, with several more sharing tools available in Social Linkz PRO:
- Inline share buttons that appear automatically with your post content.
- The block — a Social Linkz Share block for the WordPress block editor. See adding buttons in the block editor.
- The shortcode —
[social_linkz]for manual placement anywhere. See how to add share buttons.
PRO feature
The floating share bar, highlight-to-share, click-to-post boxes, and share counts are part of Social Linkz PRO. See the Social Linkz product page for the full PRO feature list.
Free vs PRO at a glance
| Capability | Free | PRO |
|---|---|---|
| Inline share buttons (above/below content) | Yes | Yes |
[social_linkz] shortcode |
Yes | Yes |
| Block editor block | Yes | Yes |
| Share networks | Facebook, X (Twitter) | 60+ networks |
| Button style / shape / layout | Solid / Squared / Auto-width | More styles, shapes, and column layouts |
| Post types | Posts and Pages | Custom post types too |
| Floating share bar | — | Yes |
| Highlight to share | — | Yes |
| Click-to-post boxes | — | Yes |
| Share counts | — | Yes |
| Call-to-action text | — | Yes |
| Per-post meta-box overrides | — | Yes |
The free plugin ships with Facebook and X (Twitter) as its share networks. PRO unlocks 60+ additional networks along with the advanced sharing tools above.
Where the settings live
Everything is configured from one place: WordPress admin → Social Linkz → Settings. The settings are organized into tabs:
- Inline Content — enable inline buttons, choose networks, set position, and design the buttons.
- Floating Bar (PRO) — configure the floating share rail.
- Highlight Share (PRO) — configure highlight-to-share.
- Click to Post (PRO) — configure click-to-post boxes.
- Configuration — link shortening (URL Shortify integration) and your social account handles.
Conclusion
Social Linkz is the fast, lightweight way to add social share buttons to WordPress without dragging your pages down. It renders inline SVG icons, loads scripts only where needed, and lets you brand the buttons to match your theme. The next step is to get it running: follow how to install and set up Social Linkz.
FAQs
Is Social Linkz free?
Yes. Social Linkz has a free version that adds inline share buttons, a block, and the [social_linkz] shortcode, with Facebook and X (Twitter) as the share networks. Social Linkz PRO adds a floating share bar, highlight-to-share, click-to-post boxes, share counts, and 60+ more networks.
Does Social Linkz slow down my website?
No. Social Linkz is built for speed: it uses inline SVG icons instead of icon fonts or third-party libraries, avoids render-blocking scripts, and only loads its assets on pages where share buttons appear.
Which social networks does the free version support?
The free version ships with Facebook and X (Twitter) as share networks. Social Linkz PRO adds 60+ additional networks.
Where do I configure Social Linkz?
All settings live under WordPress admin → Social Linkz → Settings, split into the Inline Content and Configuration tabs, plus Floating Bar, Highlight Share, and Click to Post tabs when PRO is active.
Does Social Linkz work with the block editor?
Yes. Social Linkz registers a Social Linkz Share block (social-linkz/share) for the WordPress block editor, so you can place share buttons anywhere in a post. See adding buttons in the block editor.