Social logins – You see them often, and you’ve probably used them several times to log on to various web sites. They use existing login information from your various social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter to create a single sign-on experience. Yes, they’re increasingly common and fast, but should you be using them for your own business? Read on for a crash course on social logins and why you may want to consider using them.

What are the benefits of using a social login?
A social login allows users to avoid a website’s lengthy registration process by authenticating their identities using one of their existing social network accounts. Most importantly, the faster you let people into your website, the sooner they can start purchasing or using your product. Here are 10 more benefits:

1. Faster registration process. Social logins cut down on a lengthy or sometimes frustrating registration process for consumers. According to Gigya, social logins increase registration rates by up to 90 percent.
2. More revenue. Social login users are more likely to make purchases online compared to those who don’t use social logins, according to a recent 2014 Janrain Social Login and Personalization report. The report also revealed the following:
3. Loyal followers. People who use social logins are more likely to be brand advocates.
4. Valid emails. Social logins decrease the number of false email addresses you might acquire through more traditional registrations.
5. Increased user engagement. Visitors who use social logins tend to be more engaged. In fact, 60 percent of social login users are more likely to watch a video or read an article, and they spend 64 percent more time on a website than non-users.
6. Referrals. Social login users are more likely than non-users to recommend a company’s website to others (40 percent vs. 22 percent).
7. Increased app usage. Social login users are 78 percent more likely to download a mobile app from a company.
8. Customer satisfaction. There is increased satisfaction among consumers who have personalized experiences online. Social logins provide businesses with personalized data and profiles to create this more targeted experience.
9. Decreased customer support. With one less user name and password to remember, you can significantly decrease the need to provide password retrieval support.
10. Repeat visitors. Of the consumers who register traditionally but forget their username or password, about 90 percent won’t come back to your website according to Loginradius. So making it easy to get to your site with a username and password they use in other places makes it super simple.

Do many businesses use social logins?
Yes, in fact, social logins are now the most popular way to create accounts on the Internet. Of the nearly 90 percent of people who have run across social media logins, more than half use them, according to a 2014 U.S. research report on “Social Login and Personalization” from Janrain.

Which social sites are most important?
For the second quarter of 2014, the numbers weren’t much of a surprise. Facebook led the pack with about 55 percent of the social login share, with Google trailing behind at 27 percent. Yahoo (11 percent) and Twitter (5 percent) were third and fourth, with LinkedIn, Pinterest and Amazon and others sharing the remaining 2 percent.

Should you offer social logins?
As you can see from the stats in this post, if you have a website in which people are logging in to make a purchase, register, or try out a service, it’s certainly worth a try. It could be a game-changer for your business.

Do you use social logins? Tell us why or why not in the comment section below.

This post contributed by Wendy Burt-Thomas, a full-time freelance writer with four books and thousands of published articles to her credit.

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