Many small businesses are exploring the use of Facebook for their business. If you’re using Facebook, then adding a “Become a Fan” box to your website is one of the best ways to announce to your customers that you’re on Facebook.

With a fan box, people can sign up to receive your Facebook updates right from your home page. This not only gives you the opportunity to generate more fans, but given the popularity of Facebook, it also conveys that your business is up-to-date, or “au courant.” Having a Facebook fan page is definitely a smart move for your brand.

So if you’d like to add a fan box to your website’s home page, just follow these basic steps:

1. Log in to your Facebook fan page. On the left side, near the top, there’s a link that says “Edit Page.” Click on that link.
2. On the edit page, midway down the page on the right-hand side, there’s a heading that says “Promote your page.” Below that heading, there’s a link that says “Promote with a Fan Box.” Click on that link.

3. This takes you to a page called “Fan Box Widget.” The first option is to “Select your Page.” Your fan page should already be selected, unless you have more than one fan page. There are three “include” options that you can choose for your fan box:

• If you select the “stream” option, the box will include the stream of comments on your wall. (Note: This option will make the box bigger.)
• If you choose the “fans” option, your fans will be included in the box. (Note: This option will make the box bigger.)
• The third option will include the “facebook logo,” and I definitely recommend this choice.
4. The second option on the “Fan Box Widget” page is to “Choose where to add the widget.” To add the widget to your website, select “Other.” The code that you need for doing so will be generated, and it will appear in the field below. You’ll also see a preview of your fan box on the right-hand side. If you want to change any of your choices, you can select or deselect them and then re-click the “Other” button. At that point, your code and the preview will refresh.
5. Finally, you need to select the code in the field, copy it (hit Ctrl+C or use the browser copy function), and then paste it (hit Ctrl+V or use the browser paste function) in the HTML code on the home page of your website.

If you’re a Web.com eWorks! XL® customer, you can send this code to our modifications team by completing the Modifications Submission Form, and they’ll be happy to insert it onto your website. If you’re a do-it-yourself website or hosting customer, you can paste this code in the HTML code on your website.

P.S. Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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