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Why is your Instagram widget taking so long to load on your hotel website?

Common causes and solutions to speed up the flow

Key points:

  • Loading time depends on the cache and the connection with Instagram.
  • The embedded widgets load external data (Meta API).
  • The image format and website design may slow down display.
  • A few simple adjustments can significantly speed up the flow.

It's normal for an Instagram widget like LightWidget to take a few seconds to load, especially if your hotel website displays several high-resolution images. This delay stems from the time it takes to retrieve the data from Instagram's servers. However, several optimizations can improve loading speed without compromising image quality.

1. Understand the source of the slowdown

When a visitor opens your site:

  1. The widget calls the LightWidget servers.
  2. These tools query the Instagram API to retrieve your latest posts.
  3. The images are then uploaded and displayed on your page.

💡 If Instagram or LightWidget are temporarily in demand (traffic spikes), the feed may take 2 to 5 seconds to display — which is within the normal average for an external widget.

2. Reduce the number of images displayed

The more posts you display, the longer the loading time. In LightWidget settings, reduce:

  • The number of columns (e.g., 3 instead of 6)
  • Reducing the number of lines (e.g., 2 instead of 4) allows for a reduction in the volume of data downloaded and improves the overall speed of the hotel website.

💡 Tip: Display a shorter feed on the homepage and reserve the full version for a dedicated “Gallery” page.

3. Optimize image format and display

LightWidget automatically compresses visuals, but you can:

  • Enable the “Lazy loading” option to load images only when they appear on the screen.
  • Avoid full-width widgets in visually dense sections.
  • Check that the widget container does not have any unnecessary CSS animations or scrolling effects.

💡 If you integrate several widgets (e.g., one feed on the homepage and another on the “Restaurant” page), avoid having them load simultaneously on a single page.

4. Check the speed of your hotel website

A slow widget can also reveal a broader performance issue. Test your site using Google PageSpeed ​​Insights or GTmetrix to identify:

  • Blocking scripts
  • Files that are too large
  • A lack of compression on visual resources

💡 You can also host the widget scripts on a fast CDN to improve international responsiveness (useful for hotels receiving foreign traffic).

5. Monitor the Instagram connection

If the Instagram access token is expired or partially valid, the widget may attempt several requests before obtaining the data. In this case:

  • Reconnect your account from LightWidget.
  • Click “Refresh cache” to reload the feed immediately.

Conclusion

Yes, it's normal for the Instagram widget to take a moment to load, as it retrieves data from external servers. However, by reducing the number of images, enabling lazy loading, and maintaining a good API connection, you can make loading almost instantaneous and offer your visitors a smooth and elegant experience.