Setting up your first social proof campaign takes about fifteen minutes once you know the steps, and you only need access to your site's HTML or tag manager.
This tutorial takes you from a new account to a live notification on your website. It assumes no technical background. If you can paste a snippet into your site's settings, you can do this. Plan for about twenty minutes the first time.
If you're still deciding whether social proof is right for your site, start with What Is Social Proof, and How to Use It Honestly.
Planning your first social proof campaign
Plan for mobile visitors from the start. The Pew Research Center reports that 91% of U.S. adults own a smartphone, so a notification that looks fine on a laptop may cover a button on a phone. If you have reviews to show, they're a strong first choice: Northwestern's Spiegel Research Center found that displaying reviews raised conversion rates by 190% for lower-priced products and 380% for higher-priced ones in the data it studied.
Step 1: Create your account
Go to the sign-up page and create a free account. Confirm your email if asked, then log in. You'll land on your dashboard, which is where you manage campaigns, notifications and statistics.
Step 2: Create a campaign for your website
In EasySocialCred, a campaign represents one website. Each campaign has its own notifications and its own tracking code.
- Click to create a new campaign.
- Give it a name you'll recognize, such as "Main store".
- Enter your website's domain, for example
example.com. - Save.
If you run several sites, create one campaign per site. That keeps their notifications and statistics separate.
Step 3: Install the pixel on your site
Each campaign has a small piece of JavaScript called a pixel. It loads your notifications on your site and reports basic statistics like impressions and clicks back to your dashboard.
Open your campaign and copy the pixel code. Then add it to every page of your site, ideally just before the closing </head> or </body> tag. How you do that depends on your platform:
- WordPress: use your theme's header/footer code setting or a plugin that adds code to the header.
- Shopify, Wix, Squarespace and similar builders: look for a "custom code", "code injection" or "tracking code" setting in your site settings.
- Google Tag Manager: add a Custom HTML tag with the code and set it to fire on all pages.
- Custom sites: paste it into your main layout template.
Once it's installed, open your site in a browser. Your campaign should show that the pixel has been detected. If not, clear any caching plugin or CDN cache and reload.
Step 4: Create your first notification
Inside your campaign, create a new notification. You'll be asked to choose a type. For a first notification, two good choices are:
- Informational: a simple message with a title, description, image and optional link. Great for announcing something real, like free shipping or a new feature.
- Coupon: shows a discount code with a button. Good if you have an actual promotion running.
Other types, like conversions, reviews and live visitor counters, rely on real activity and data. Our guide to choosing the right notification type covers each one.
Step 5: Write the content
Keep the message short. A notification is glanced at, not read carefully.
- Title: five to eight words that say what it's about. "Free shipping on all orders this week."
- Description: one sentence of detail, if needed.
- Image: optional. A small product image or icon helps it stand out.
- Link: where clicking the notification should go. Make sure that page matches the promise.
Preview it in the editor and check that it's readable.
Step 6: Customize the look
You can adjust colors, fonts, border radius, shadow, position on screen and animation. A few tips:
- Match your site. The notification should feel like part of your site, not an ad from somewhere else.
- Pick a corner that doesn't block anything. Bottom-left is a common choice because many sites use bottom-right for chat widgets.
- Keep animations subtle. A gentle fade or slide is enough.
Step 7: Set display rules
This is where you control when and where the notification appears. The settings to look at first:
- Pages (triggers): show the notification only on certain URLs, for example product pages, or exclude pages like checkout.
- Delay: how many seconds after page load the notification appears. Three to ten seconds is a common starting range.
- Duration: how long it stays visible.
- Devices: choose desktop, mobile or both. On small screens, consider a smaller position or a longer delay.
- Frequency: limit how often the same visitor sees it so it doesn't become annoying.
Start conservative. It's easier to make a notification more visible later than to win back a visitor who was irritated by it.
Step 8: Turn it on and test
Enable the notification and visit your site in a private browser window so you see it as a new visitor would. Check it on your phone too. Ask yourself:
- Does it appear on the right pages?
- Is the timing comfortable?
- Is any important content covered?
- Does the link work?
Step 9: Watch the statistics
After a few days, open your campaign statistics. You'll see impressions (how often notifications were shown), hovers and clicks. Compare notifications against each other and adjust one thing at a time. Our article on measuring notifications without annoying visitors goes deeper.
About the branding line
On the free plan, notifications include a small "via EasySocialCred" line. It's discreet and doesn't affect how the notification works.
Troubleshooting
Nothing appears. Check that the pixel is on the page (view the page source and search for it), that the notification is enabled, and that your display rules match the page you're on.
It appears everywhere. Add page triggers so it shows only where you want it.
It looks wrong on mobile. Adjust the position and size settings, or disable it on mobile.
Need a hand? Contact us with your site address and what you're seeing, and we'll help you sort it out.
Key takeaways
- One campaign covers one website or domain
- Install the pixel once, then manage everything from the dashboard
- Start with a single notification type tied to one goal
- Use display rules to limit where and how often it appears
- Check it on a phone before you call it done
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a developer to install the pixel?
Not usually. If you can paste a line of code into your site's header or tag manager, you can install it yourself.
Can I use one campaign on several websites?
Each campaign is tied to a website. Create a separate campaign for each domain you want to use.
How do I know the pixel is working?
Visit your site with the notification enabled and check that it appears. Your campaign statistics will also start recording impressions.
Will notifications slow my site down?
The pixel is a single small script, but like any third-party code it adds some work for the browser. Keep the number of active notifications small.
Can I pause a campaign?
Yes. You can disable a campaign or individual notifications at any time without removing the pixel.
