There is NO "vs." on this issue; both types of links are necessary and more than a little useful.
It's been years and years since this became the norm for any and every website out there on the www. If you have ever visited ANY website you find both kinds of items: Social Media Icons and Social Media Share Buttons.
As a web developer, here at Buddy Web Services, it's a given and has been for a very, very long time. However, for the novice website builders out there, this is a lesson that seems to have been skipped along the way.
Take a look at this diagram ---
It's been years and years since this became the norm for any and every website out there on the www. If you have ever visited ANY website you find both kinds of items: Social Media Icons and Social Media Share Buttons.
As a web developer, here at Buddy Web Services, it's a given and has been for a very, very long time. However, for the novice website builders out there, this is a lesson that seems to have been skipped along the way.
Take a look at this diagram ---
Viewing a social media profile may lead to new connections that at some point may lead to new clients/customers. More than that though, showing people a path to your social media does show you are active, aware and know that social media is an important part of doing business on the web.
Sharing your content cannot be any easier when you provide share buttons on your website. There is no reason whatsoever to not provide this service to your browsing customers on each an every website page. A recent client argued over this issue as she did not (and maybe still does not) understand the difference between the two types of links, "profile view" and "share."
So for the novice website builders out there - USE BOTH types of links on your pages. Otherwise your shoppers/visitors will know you don't actually have all your ducks in a row. They'll also know your social media "savvy" is more than a little lacking.
There are myriad ways to add both to your website. For Wordpress, simple add-ons or widgets make this easy and simple. For sites like Weebly and others, there are apps and add-on's available both for free and with premium offers.
Sharing your content cannot be any easier when you provide share buttons on your website. There is no reason whatsoever to not provide this service to your browsing customers on each an every website page. A recent client argued over this issue as she did not (and maybe still does not) understand the difference between the two types of links, "profile view" and "share."
So for the novice website builders out there - USE BOTH types of links on your pages. Otherwise your shoppers/visitors will know you don't actually have all your ducks in a row. They'll also know your social media "savvy" is more than a little lacking.
There are myriad ways to add both to your website. For Wordpress, simple add-ons or widgets make this easy and simple. For sites like Weebly and others, there are apps and add-on's available both for free and with premium offers.