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How to Limit Access to Your WordPress Dashboard

How many people would you hand your house keys to and let get into anything that they want? The same can be said about your WordPress account and its users. In this article, we explore some of the easiest ways to limit access for WP users using the admin, code, and plugins.

If you considered your WordPress site like an online home, you wouldn’t always want everyone going through all of your drawers.

The good news is, after reading this, you’ll know how to hand out digital permission accordingly to your users and keep certain areas inaccessible.

Dev Man with access pass.
WordPress has its own access capabilities — without having an actual access pass.

To kick things off…

Why Limit Usage?

You trust everyone that has access to your WordPress account, right? Well, sure. Maybe. However, it doesn’t mean they need to have TOTAL access to everything.

There are times you don’t want every user to access it all.

For example, if you’re running a multi-author blog and just want editors to have access to write and publish — and nothing else. That way they can’t change the themes or plugins while logged in.

Or, maybe you don’t want subscribers to access your dashboard at all.

Whatever the case may be, it’s nice to have control over who has access to what, and set your WordPress site up accordingly.

Let’s start by limiting dashboard access in the WordPress dashboard.

Limiting Dashboard Access With Different User Roles and Permissions

If you’re the site owner, you can assign user roles that control how much access to the dashboard they have.

WordPress roles come with different capabilities and actions that users are allowed to conduct, such as writing and editing posts, creating pages, moderating comments, and more.

An easy way to limit access is to set up a new user as a Subscriber. The Subscriber role is very limited and only allows the user to read content on the frontend of the site and manage their profiles.

This can all be done in the admin area of WordPress.

To do this, simply go to Settings and then General. From there, just set any New User Default Role as a Subscriber.

Where you’ll set up new user default settings.
Where you’ll set up new user default settings.

You can change the roles of any user that has access to your site at any time. So, any existing user roles can be modified under Users and then All Users.

From there, click the box of the user whose role you’d like to change or you can select numerous users in bulk.

The dropdown to change roles in WordPress’ admin.
The dropdown to change roles in WordPress’ admin.

So what’s the difference of roles? The WordPress role options are:

  • Admin/Super Admin: Allows access to the site network administration features and every other feature in a single site. Super Admin is only available with multisite.
  • Editor: A user who can publish and manage posts, including the posts of other users.
  • Author: Users can publish and manage their posts.
  • Contributor: Will allow a user to write and manage their posts, but not publish them.
  • Subscriber: As I mentioned, it’s very limited. It only allows the user to manage their profile.

As you can see, each role has different capabilities. You can adjust and change roles as needed.

Using Code to Limit Access

Another way of limiting access is with code. It’s easy to paste the following snippet of code into your child themes functions.php file.

This will block non-administrators from accessing your WordPress site’s backend. Only admins can have access and all other users will be redirected to the home page.

This code only functions when a user logs into the WordPress dashboard. It won’t apply to any user that’s not non-logged, because they wouldn’t have any dashboard access, to begin with.

If code isn’t your thing, there’s always a way to…

Prevent Users From Access with a Plugin

Plugins can have some advantages over the other options of limiting users. Plus, let’s face it, they’re easy to use.

For example, you can simply restrict access to user roles or users that have specific permissions and redirect others to a specific page. This makes it so that only trusted users can have dashboard access.

Here’s a quick rundown of several plugins (some with familiar faces) that can help limit access to your WordPress dashboard.

All of these are free to use, rated well, and have specific functionality.

Remove Dashboard Access

Remove Dashboard Access.

The Remove Dashboard Access plugin is a simple and easy way to limit access for users in your WordPress dashboard. With 5-star ratings and over 40K downloads, it’s a quality and popular option for many WordPress users.

Once you have it downloaded and installed, it’s just a click of the button to limit users to the admin area.

In the Dashboard Access Controls area, you can allow the dashboard access for administrators only, editors and administrators, or authors, editors, and administrators.

There is also an advanced option for numerous options of more specific areas (e.g. ability to view story budget).

 

Where you’ll select access options.
Where you’ll select access options.

You can also input a redirect URL for disallowed users, allow all users to edit their profile, and also add a customized login message.

Where you’ll put a redirect and also an option for a login message.

Overall, if you’re looking to quickly limit your user’s options in the dashboard, this plugin has the essential features to do so.

Branda

Branda header

If you want to take things up a notch, with Branda, our very own 5-star rated white label plugin, you can customize every aspect of WordPress to match your brand.

Plus, she can customize your admin menu based on user roles or custom user in the dashboard, which will allow users to have access to specific areas.

Once you have her installed and activated, all an be done in the Admin Menu and by clicking Activate.

In the Custom Admin menu area, you can fully customize the admin sidebar for selected user roles or specific users.

There’s a Customize button that when hit, will display all of your options. You can decide from the dropdown if you want to customize the menu for user roles or specific users.

Custom admin options in Branda.
The custom admin area.

If you have User Roles selected, you’ll see that you have the option of picking a role (e.g. Administrator).

It will refresh and automatically populate the admin menu items that the user role has access to by default.

You can also now drag and drop the top-level menu items if you’d like to re-order them.

When you hover your cursor over any menu item it will reveal Duplicate and Hide options for that item. You can also Select All or use the checkbox in any menu item to reveal the same to perform this in bulk.

Duplicate role in dashboard.
Where you have the option to duplicate or hide.

The Hide option will hide it from the user in the selected role and Unhide will then appear as an option if you’d ever like to revert this.

The Duplicate option will create an exact duplicate of the menu item (including its sub-menu).

You also have additional options for any menu item by clicking the dropdown arrow. This includes options to add your own custom top-level menu item, adding a submenu, CSS classes, and much more.

Additional user settings.
Additional user settings.

Once all of your changes are made, just hit Apply and everything will stay that way. You can always discard all changes and adjust them at any time.

Along with allowing users to access certain areas in the admin area of WordPress, Branda can totally brand your admin area and site with tons of other customization options.

Defender

Defender plugin download.

Defender is WPMU DEV’s 5-star plugin and our answer to security. Amongst numerous security features, one function Defender does well is disabling the file editor, so that only the admin can make any changes to the file editor that’s built into WordPress.

All of this can be done with a click of a button in an area called Security Tweaks.

Here, it shows a list of various security features that can be enabled and disabled at any time. One of the features is to Disable the file editor. Simply click the switch over if it’s in the Issues area.

If it’s not, it will be highlighted green and in the Resolved section. Once doing that, it will let you know that it switched over okay.

Where it shows that you've disabled the file editor.
Where it shows that you’ve disabled the file editor.

 

You can revert this feature at any time by clicking Revert.

Defender is a great additional way to limit your users in the WordPress admin and keeps your files secure. Try him out for free today for your security and to limit access to files.

Admin Bar & Dashboard Access Control

The Admin Bar & Dashboard Access Control plugin allows you to limit dashboard access for users. It has a solid 4.5-star rating and over 5,000 downloads.

The Dashboard Access area lets you disable dashboard access to various user roles with just a few clicks. You can also enter a customized redirect for users without dashboard access.

Dashboard access area.
Dashboard access area.

In the Admin Bar area, you can disable the admin bar and select user roles for users you’d like it to be disabled for.

The admin bar.
The admin bar.

And that’s it! This simple and easy to use plugin is a quick option to limit your user’s admin access. It very basic, similar to the Remove Dashboard Access plugin.

We’ll Limit It to That…

As you can see, it’s very easy to limit dashboard access for users. You have several options when it comes to doing this; whether it be directly from the admin, a code snippet, file access, or with the help of a plugin like Branda.

What matters most is you’re in control of your WordPress site and know who can do what when you allow users access.

Otherwise, your users might be snooping in areas of your site that you might not want them. That can be, well, awkward (and insecure).

So, put a limit on things today.

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Find Out if You’re Hacked: How to Find and Delete Suspicious Code with Defender

Detecting suspicious code within a site isn’t always that simple and can easily go unnoticed. Thankfully, our 5-star Defender plugin is well equipped to find malware, let you know about it, and eliminate it with brute force. See how it’s done in this tutorial.

Looking for a convenient and hassle-free way to locate and delete suspicious code from your sites?

In this tutorial we’re showing you, step-by-step, how Defender‘s vast suite of security features can help banish and keep suspicious code at bay.

You’ll also learn how to keep your sites protected from these kinds of issues going forward.

For reference, here are the 7 talking points we’ll be covering (feel free to jump to any specific section!):

  1. How to Scan Your Site for Malicious Code
  2. Deleting and Ignoring Issues
  3. Taking Care of Issues in Bulk
  4. Watching Out for False Positives
  5. Control Which Files To Scan With ‘Scan Types’
  6. Notifications of Suspicious Activities
  7. How to Schedule Regular Scans of Your Site

Let’s get into it.

1. Start By Scanning Your Site for Malicious Code

Scanning your site for malicious code can be achieved through Defender’s dashboard under Malware Scanning. Here, you can see when your last scan was, any issues, and more.

The New Scan button kicks things off. Defender will then scan your WordPress core files for any suspicious code modifications or additions.

Where to click for a new scan.
Where to click for a new scan.

Once started, it generally only takes a few moments, depending on the size of your site.

The status of the scan in Defender.
The status of the scan.

Defender discloses the exact issue(s) and tells you what they are under the Issues tab.

Issues that were spotted.
Issues that were spotted.

From here, you’ll see a dropdown of each issue to get specific information, including:

  • Issue Details: Consists of a brief explanation of the issue.
  • Error: Showcases a snippet of the suspicious code.
Example of suspicious code.
An example of suspicious code.
  • Location: Where the issue’s file path is located.
  • Size: The size of the suspicious file.
  • Date Added: Displays the date and time that the code was added to the WordPress site.

You can also perform additional scanning with Defender Pro. In this case, the other areas that will be scanned for vulnerabilities and suspicious code include:

Plugins & Themes: Plugins and themes will be scanned for known, publicly-reported vulnerabilities.

Suspicious Code: This takes scanning up a level by scanning all site files for suspicious PHP functions and code.

The two new searches with Defender Pro: Plugins & themes and Suspicious code.
The two new searches with Defender Pro: Plugins & themes and Suspicious code.

The results are then organized by WordPress core, Plugins & themes, and Suspicious code.

2. Delete or Ignore Detected Issues

Defender makes getting rid of suspicious code as easy as possible. We’re literally talking one-click.

To get rid of the issue immediately, the Delete button is all that needs to be hit.

With one click, you can delete the suspicious code with Defender.
With one click, you can delete the suspicious code.

With that, the code will be deleted.

There’s also an option to Ignore an issue if you would like to remove a specific issue from the Issues tab.

Once you do this, they’ll no longer appear in the Issues tab, but will be moved to the Ignored tab.

One note of caution: It’s strongly recommended to be 100% certain that something is harmless before deleting and/or ignoring it. You can ask our 24/7 WordPress experts at WPMU DEV using live support to find out if you’re unsure or need advice.

3. Resolve Multiple Issues in Bulk

If you have multiple issues, you can bulk action the items by selecting either Bulk Update or Ignore in the dropdown.

Bulk action area.
Bulk action area.

If you click Bulk Update, all the issues will be removed.

Like previously demonstrated, any actions that are ignored show up in the Ignored tab and will no longer be identified as issues by Defender.

You can always restore them back to the Issues area with the Restore button, or by performing a bulk action on all the issues.

Restore button.
Restore button.

4. Minimize The Chance of False Positives Occurring

WordPress allows for a vast amount of customization, and this can lead to legitimate code being flagged as suspicious due to its resemblance to malicious code.

This can happen for various reasons, including if a function is modified by a plugin, theme, or if something is modified directly in the file or theme editor.

Luckily, Defender was designed to minimize false positives occurring. However, malicious code is typically written to resemble legit code and it’s almost impossible to completely avoid.

To help verify suspicious code, here are a couple of steps you can take:

  1. Verify custom edits: Check with a developer to verify the questionable code.
  2. Contact our support: If you didn’t add the code, and you’re certain no one you know did either, feel free to contact WPMU DEV support for feedback and share what you’ve found to be malicious code.

5. Control Which Files You Scan With ‘Scan Types’

To track down malicious code, you can control what files are scanned in the Scan Types area.

It’s all done with a simple click in Settings. With Defender, the option to turn off and on is the WordPress core switch.

This is where you can also enter the maximum size that you want Defender to skip by entering in the Mb number.

Defender basic settings.

6. Enable Notifications of Suspicious Activity For Even More Assurance

Setting up notifications is a snap in the Malware Scanning Notifications section.

Here, you can flip-on notifications “on” to enable notifications when a manual file scan has been finished.

Where you can enable notifications.
Where you can enable notifications.

Once you’ve done this, you have several options for tweaking your settings accordingly. Such as sending notifications when no issues are determined and recipients’ emails of notifications.

Area to further set up notifications.

Plus, you can edit the email templates of your notifications for when issues are found and when they’re not.

Clicking the pencil will allow for customization.
Clicking the pencil will allow for customization.

Finally, you can customize the wording and information accordingly.

Email template that can be edited however you’d like.
Email template that can be edited however you’d like.

Just like that you have customized notifications.

 7. Schedule Automated Site Scans

Another handy option that comes with Defender (Pro only) is the ability to run automated site scans.

This simple adjustment can be made through the Enable Reporting feature. Simply click “on” and you’ll be in business.

Enable reporting section.
Enable reporting section.

From this point, features such as emails to send notifications to, frequency, day of the week, and time of day that the report will be sent.

Where you’ll change the report settings.
Where you’ll change the report settings.

Defender’s customized report is created and set up exactly how you want and you (and any added recipients) will be emailed the results.

Finding and Deleting Suspicious Code Just Got Easier With Defender

As you can see, suspicious code is no match for Defender and it really just takes one click to remove.

Beyond finding malicious code and the ability to delete it, Defender can stop SQL injections, prevent hackers from exploiting WordPress vulnerabilities, prevent PHP execution, and much more.

To learn more about WordPress security, check out our Ultimate Guide to WordPress Security. And for more information on how Defender works, be sure to view the plugin’s documentation.

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How to Stop Hackers in Their Tracks with Defender

Defender deters hackers with IP banning, login lockout, updating security keys, two-factor authorization, and more. Learn about Defender’s robust security features that prevent hackers from waltzing right into your WordPress site.

No hacker gets past Defender!

Defender is WPMU DEV’s answer to WordPress security.

Our powerful 5-star plugin provides complete security for your WordPress sites and brings you peace of mind by deterring brute force attacks, SQL injections, cross-site scripting XSS, and preventing hackers from exploiting WordPress vulnerabilities.

“Defender recently blocked over 3000 attacks in one week without any noticeable impact on the website. WPMUDEV knocking it out of the park on this one.” – David Oswald

Defender adds the best in WordPress security to your website with just a few clicks.

In order to stop the hackers from getting in, Defender configures powerful security measures, including allowing you to easily:

Security Tweaks

Right off the bat, Defender provides a number of Security Tweaks in the dashboard, allowing you to easily fix any issues that can be exploited by hackers and compromise your site’s security with just one click.

To help you stay on top of your security tweaks, Defender provides a checklist of all issues that need fixing and highlights these in yellow…

Defender - Security Tweaks - Issues
Defender highlights all issues in yellow.

And marks all resolved issues in green…

Defender Security Tweaks - Resolved
Security tweaks resolved and no longer an issue.

Let’s go through some of these one-click security tweaks…

Disable Trackbacks and Pingbacks

Defender can prevent trackbacks and pingbacks from causing DDoS attacks and spam comments.

Just click the Disable Pingbacks button.

Disable trackbacks and pingbacks.
Disable trackbacks and pingbacks.

Change Default Database Prefix

With one click, you can change the default wp_ database prefix that WordPress normally assigns to many new installations.

This lets you set a unique database prefix that will make it harder for hackers to perform SQL injection attacks if they run across any code vulnerability on your site.

It also adds another layer of difficulty for hackers to overcome, further protecting your WordPress site.

You can quickly see if this function is enabled or disabled in the Issues or Resolved section.

Your default database prefix is resolved.
Your default database prefix is resolved.

Disable File Editor

As the file editor is built into WordPress, anyone with an admin account can edit your theme and plugin files and inject malicious code.

Disabling the file editor helps prevent this and any security holes in your admin that could become a problem.

Disable file editor.
Disable the file editor is seen as a security issue. That can be done with a click of a button.

If it’s an issue, just click Disable the File Editor in the Issues section.

Disable file editor button.
Disable file editor button.

The problem will be fixed and marked as Resolved.

Disabled file editor.
And now it’s disabled.

Hide Error Reporting

With Defender’s one-click security tweaks, you can make your site less prone to malicious attacks by disabling the built-in PHP and scripts error debugging feature of WordPress.

This feature displays code errors on the frontend of your website, allowing hackers to find loopholes in your site’s security.

Hide error reporting is now resolved.
Hide error reporting is now resolved.

Update Security Keys

As WordPress uses security keys to enhance the encryption of information, having a random, unpredictable encrypted password (e.g. 89080a8908908b098903c) can make it near impossible for hackers to come up with the right combination.

Defender’s Update old security keys feature lets you update these keys regularly and set a reminder for how often ut should notify the admin to regenerate these.

Where you'll regenerate the keys.
Where you’ll regenerate the keys.

Once your security keys have been regenerated, the update is then automatically marked as Resolved.

Where it shows security keys are updated. Also, you can set a reminder here to reset again in the future.

Prevent Information Disclosure

Another of Defender’s automated one-click Security Tweaks is to prevent the disclosure of sensitive files in servers that have been misconfigured, allowing malicious users to access your WordPress site or database.

Prevent information disclosure.
The status of the Prevent Information Disclosure security feature.

Prevent PHP Execution

Defender lets you disable direct PHP execution in directories that don’t require it, preventing plugin or theme vulnerabilities from allowing a harmful PHP file to be uploaded to your WordPress site’s directories.

Resolved Prevent PHP Execution.
Resolved Prevent PHP Execution.

You can also add exceptions to PHP files that you want to run and bypass Defender’s protection measures.

Where exempt PHP files can be placed.
Where exempt PHP files can be placed.

Firewall

Defender’s Firewall adds a hardened layer of protection against a hacker’s attempts to gain entry to your site through brute force attacks.

It comprises a number of security measures, including:

Login Lockout

Defender locks out any user who tries to log in and fails repeatedly to get the credentials right.

Login Lockouts dashboard.
Defender’s Login lockouts dashboard.

You can configure login lockout options such as the lockout time, lockout message, and ban usernames.

Adjusting the threshold lets you specify how many failed login attempts defender will allow in a given time period before triggering a lockout.

Login lockout threshold
In this example, Defender will ban users with 5 failed login attempts within a 5-minute period.

You can set the duration of the lockout or permanently lock out offending users.

Login lockout duration.
Ban users temporarily or permanently.

Like most of Defender’s features, you can customize the message that will be displayed to locked out users.

Customizable login lockout message.
Customize your message to locked out users.

You can also automatically lockout and ban users if they attempt to log in using common usernames (e.g. admin).

Banned username message.
Defender locks out and bans users attempting to log in using a banned username.

404 Detection

Defender keeps an eye out for repeat offenders. These are usually bots that crawl every link on your site trying to find a back-end admin area so they can wreak havoc or requests from the same IP addresses for pages on your WordPress site that don’t exist.

If this happens too frequently, Defender will block users from accessing your site.

You can specify how many 404 errors within a specific period will trigger a lockout and choose the ban duration for offending users, either for a specific timeframe (in seconds, minutes, or hours) or permanently.

Defender Firewall - 404 Detection.
Defender Firewall – 404 Detection.

You can also customize the message displayed to locked out users.

Blocked message.
Don’t leave hackers guessing why they’ve been locked out.

Defender’s Blocklist automatically bans users and bots from accessing any files and folders you specify.

If a common file or folder in your website is missing, you can record it in the Allowlist area. Any attempts to access these won’t count toward a lockout.

Defender Firewall - 404 Detection - Files & Folders section
Ban or allow users to access files and folders.

Specifying file types and extensions to auto-ban or allow is as simple as entering these into the plugin’s fields.

Defender Firewall - 404 Detection - Filetypes & Extensions section.
Auto-ban or allow access to filetypes and extensions.

Defender monitors all interactions on your website. However, with the click of a button, you can also choose to include or exclude monitoring 404s from logged-in users.

Click to monitor 404s from logged in users.
Click to monitor 404s from logged-in users.

Geolocation IP Lockout

Defender lets you ban traffic from any location–even an entire nation– if you don’t want traffic coming to your site from certain places. Geolocation IP lockout is a great added security bonus that prevents users in undesirable locations from getting anywhere near your site.

IP Banning inside Defender’ Firewall stops unwelcome visitors with just a few clicks.

Defender - Firewall - IP Banning - Locations section.
Ban countries you don’t want traffic coming from to protect your site from hackers in that location.

You will need to sign up for a free account with MaxMind to get access to the free GeoLite2 Database.

After confirming your account and creating a password, you can generate a license key.

Maxmind - Generate license key
Generate a license key to access the GeoIP database.

Adding this license key to Defender lets you download, add, and access the GeoLite 2 database.

Defender - Locations section - GeoIP database license
Add your GeoIP database license key to download the list of countries.

After successful license activation, the Location section will let you specify countries to block or let traffic through from a drop-down menu.

Defender Locations - GeoIP database dropdown menu
Block or allow traffic from selected countries.

IP Banning

You can block IP addresses by adding these to Defender’s Blacklist. Users with those IP addresses won’t be able to visit your WordPress site and will be greeted instead with a customizable message.

IP block message.

Defender lets you add any addresses you want to ban into its Blocklisted IPs section and supports both IPv4 and IPv6 formats.

Blocklisted IP addresses
Enter banned IPs you want to block.

Alternatively, you can allow IP addresses and exempt users from the ban rules for login protection, 404 detection, or IP ban lists.

Allowlisted IP addresses.
Add allowed IPs.

Once you have added an active list, Defender monitors these IPs. It also lets you release any blocked IPs that were inadvertently banned.

Defender - Firewall - IP Banning - Active lockouts.
Unblock banned IP addresses.

Additionally, you can easily import and export any list data you have already compiled to and from Defender with just one click.

Defender - Firewall - IP Banning - Import and export IP address lists.
Import and export IP address lists easily.

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

If you’re hosting your website with WPMU DEV, a Web Application Firewall is enabled via Defender adding an initial layer of protection against hackers and bots before they can even reach your site.

If any vulnerabilities match our WAF filters ruleset covering common attacks, any vulnerable files in your WordPress core, plugins, or themes will be virtually patched, while also respecting any rules set in Defender’s firewall.

Defender Web Application Firewall
WAF blocks hackers and bot attacks before they ever reach your site!

Two Factor Authentication (2FA)

Defender enhances your WordPress site’s security by adding an extra step in the login process with two-factor authentication. This makes it extremely difficult for a hacker to login to your account.

Enable Two-factor Authentication

With a click of the Activate button, you can configure authentication settings. All the recommended settings are on by default and you’ll have plenty of options.

You can assign User Roles that will require 2FA by clicking on each one.

2FA-User roles section
Defender lets you specify which user roles require 2FA.

If you have a Lost Phone, you can enable this setting to send the authentication code to the user’s email instead.  You can also Force Authentication that will force users to activate 2FA and create Custom Graphics instead of using the default Defender icon.

Lost Phone, Force Authentication, and Custom Graphic options.
Set up Lost Phone, Force Authentication, and Custom Graphic options.

Defender uses the Google Authenticator app. Download and set up instructions are in the User Profile dashboard, allowing you to easily install the app on your device from the App Store or Google Play.

2FA Setup instructions.
Enable 2FA on your User Profile to access setup instructions.

2FA functions by scanning the barcode and entering the 6-digit passcode shown on your device.

Google authenticator.
Google authenticator screen.

Defender’s 2FA feature adds the first impenetrable layer of security and protection against hackers.

Two way authentication area for Defender.
No passcode, no access.

Advanced Tools

Defender provides two Advanced Tools to enhance site security and thwart hackers from accessing your site:

  • Masked Login Area: Change the URL path to your login screen to something other than the default wp-admin.
  • Security Headers: Enable security headers to add an extra layer of security to your website.

Let’s take a quick look at how easy it is to make it hard for hackers to find your login screen:

Login Masking

With Defender, you can easily change your default URL to mask (hide) your login area, preventing hackers and bots from locating and accessing your login URL.

You can choose your own mask login URL and enter any slug you like (e.g. ‘my-awesome-login’). We recommend choosing a login URL that bots will find almost impossible to guess.

Mask Login Area - Masking Inactive.
Create a new login URL that bots won’t be able to guess.

Setting up your new beefed-up secure login URL is as easy as entering a new slug and clicking Save Changes.

Mask Login Area - Masking Active.
Your WordPress site now has a new login URL.

Defender Makes It Harder To Hack WordPress And Easier For Hackers To Go Elsewhere

With Defender monitoring your WordPress site 24/7, hackers have no reason to stick around.

Defender amps your security and stops Hackers in their tracks. In fact, Defender automatically resolves many common security issues as soon as you activate the plugin.

Defender protects your site against hackers and malicious bots before they even visit your site with WAF, lets you perform one-click security tweaks, and then continuously guards and monitors the perimeter with advanced security hardening features like login masking, two-factor authentication, malware scanning, audit logging, and firewall protection.

To learn more about WordPress security, check out our Ultimate Guide to WordPress Security.

For more information on how Defender works, be sure to view the plugin’s documentation.

Also, keep an eye on our roadmap for all the exciting new features coming soon to Defender, the ultimate WordPress security plugin.

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Write On! 12 Best Multi-author Plugins for WordPress

Multi-author blogs are a great way to attract readers by offering an array of different viewpoints, topics, and voices. They can also become disorganized chaos if you don’t have a good system of maintaining posts, scheduling, author payments, and everything else that comes with running a multi-author blog on WordPress.

Luckily, with some helpful plugins and solid advice, your site can run a multi-author blog smoothly and efficiently.

I’ll be going over:

  • Why have a multi-author blog
  • How multi-author plugins can help
  • 12 Best Multi-Author Plugins
  • Tips for managing a multi-author blog

And plenty more!

If you haven’t started a multi-author blog and are considering it, or if you have one already established on WordPress and it needs some modifications, this post will show you what needs to be done, how to do it, and what it takes to keep it maintained.

Forminator, Dev Man, and Hummingbird all working on a multi-author site.
Forminator, Dev Man, and Hummingbird all working on a multi-author site. It should be super.

You’ll then have happy authors and happy readers that will return multi-ple times.

Why Have a Multi-author Blog?

If you’re not familiar with multi-author blogs, or if you are but never considered why to have one, this will help shed some light on them.

There are many reasons to have one. Need an example? You’re on one right now!

WPMU DEV puts great emphasis on our blog. It’s a platform for numerous authors, experts, and our whole team here.

We cover a wide scope of WordPress topics, ideas, news, reviews, lists, and tutorials that aim to be informational, useful, and entertaining for our visitors, members, and blog readers.

This blog has helped establish our brand and our voice.

As well as helping to establish your brand, a multi-author blog can provide you with regular updates, different viewpoints, and help you cover more topics.

Multi-author blogs can also bring your team together, as writers can learn from each other and work towards a common goal of delivering the best darn content possible.

It can also become a community for your readers with their comments, perspective, and insight.

Plus, multi-author blogs are a good segue to other things.

For example, as our team shares information about our plugins, hosting, support, and upcoming features, this collaborative effort leads to new customers for our membership and hosting, increased activity in our forums, ideas for improving our products and services with new features, and a whole lot more.

With a multi-author site, you can publish an ongoing stream of articles about your products and services, tutorials and announcements about their features and benefits, and in return, start generating income.

Excited yet? I thought so.

However, before launching your multi-author blog, there are…

A Few Things to Consider

As you can see, multi-author blogs have tons of benefits. But, they’re similar to owning — let’s say — a cute kitten. You love your new furry friend, but it requires a litter box, food, fuzzy toys, healthcare, and more. Multi-author blogs are similar (except for the spay or neutered part).

Cute kitten.
Running a multi-author site purr-fectly takes about as much care as having this guy.

With a multi-author blog, you may need to address challenges like:

  • More editing: Nobody wants to comb through bad grammar, typos, and awful sentence structure when reading a blog. So, if you have writers that aren’t editors, you may have to wrangle editing yourself or appoint someone to it (which, as you’ll see later, is highly recommended). It’s a bit more challenging than keeping just yourself edited. (Editor’s note: I agree!)
  • Payments: Depending on how your operations run, you may have to pay authors. Of course, if they deliver quality content, it’s well worth it (any author needs to be paid well). Financially though, make sure you’re prepared to do so if your situation calls for it.
  • Many voices: I mentioned that having many voices is beneficial, however, it can also be detrimental. If your audience only wants to hear from you, then having a multi-author site might not be a good thing. Also, you may have some writers that just don’t match the tone of your blog.
  • Lose a personal connection: This goes hand-in-hand with having many voices. You don’t want to lose a personal connection with your readers if the WordPress site is strictly about you. Be careful not to disconnect with your audience when you feature numerous authors.

It’s typically best to establish a multi-author blog right from the beginning. If you don’t, you can still create one. Just be sure to take measures of letting your audience know. You can do this by announcing that it’s coming, or slowly start including other authors.

As long as you’re transparent with your audience and they know what to expect, you should be fine.

Your blog will then be manageable and won’t stink (like a dirty litter box).

Why Use a Multi-author Plugin?

Plugins. They are the answer to all of life’s problems, right? Well, at least when it comes to WordPress.

Multi-author plugins make your blog run more smoothly, clearly, and keep it organized. Rather than, for example, creating an author list widget on your own, there is a plugin for that (I’ll be showing you soon).

In general, using plugins can help to make running a multi-author blog easier. It can also prevent challenges by:

  • Making it clear who the author (and feature the author in an attractive way too!)
  • Keeping design consistency
  • Allowing for more information regarding author bios, links, etc.
  • Improving organization (e.g. editorial calendar)
  • Keeping track of payments
  • Improving general areas of WordPress like security, opt-in forms, and social media

12 Multi-author Plugins

Now that we’ve covered some of the pros and cons of running a multi-author WordPress site, let’s take a look at 12 multi-author plugins that can really help you out in areas like functionality, design, communication, organization, payments, and more:

1. Simple Author Box

simple author box

Simple Author Box is a quick way to add an attractive author box that can include social links, the author’s gravatar, email, and more. You can easily customize almost every aspect of the box to include exactly what you want.

The plugin makes it easy to adjust everything about your bio box. All the different settings and features are really helpful to have.

simple author box example.
Example of an author box I created.

You can see in my example I created a custom avatar, included a bio, and mentioned my name.

One thing to consider about this plugin is that to allow guest authors and co-authors, you’ll need to upgrade to the Pro version.

Currently, the cost is $499 per year for an Agency account, $69 a year for a Trio account, and $29 per year for a Mono account. Beyond having an upgraded account for multi-authors, you’ll be able to change box positions, linking to websites, and more.

They include various features, as seen below:

Simple author box pricing.
Features with an upgraded account.

Click here for more information and details about an upgraded account.

For simplicity and a fair price, the Simple Author Box is a great way to display each author in a professional way.

Also, for additional information on author box plugins, be sure to read our article all about them.

2. Edit Flow

edit flow

Edit Flow is an amazing all-in-one work area for organizing your entire editorial team directly in WordPress. Once installed, you have access to a content calendar, editorial comments, budgets, user groups, and more.

It’s convenient how all the functions are displayed in one area directly in your WordPress admin. You can see all of the impressive features that can be edited and configured in this area, such as notifications, story budgets, user groups, and editorial comments.

A look at the Edit Flow dashboard and all of the options.
A look at the Edit Flow dashboard and all of the options.

The plugin is free to use and there are no upgrades needed to organize your multi-author blog.

Edit flow calendar
Example of the calendar area where I set up a post that is scheduled.

Beyond WordPress.org, they also have a website where you can learn more about all that Edit Flow can accomplish.

With a solid 4-star rating and over 10K active installations, it might be a fantastic fit for your organizational multi-author needs and worth checking out.

3. Co-Authors Plus

co-authors plus

Co-Authors Plus was created to assign multiple bylines to posts and pages. Co-authored posts will appear on a co-author archive page and also in their feed. You can create a guest author profile and also allow co-authors to edit unpublished posts.

The authors can be arranged by a simple drag-and-drop process. This allows you to feature the main author on top and a secondary author(s) below. They then appear in the post with their name and avatar.

co-authors plus example.
You can add multiple authors and co-authors to arrange accordingly.

It can be used for multisite, however, guest authors will exist on a site by site basis.

This very simple and free plugin is good for arranging the order of any authors that contribute to a post.

4. Post Status Notifier Lite

post status notifier lite
Post Status Notifier Lite is a system for getting notified when one of your contributors submits a new post for a revision or an editor publishes a new one. It also supports custom taxonomies, like categories and tags that other plugins are using.
An example of the area to create a new rule for posts.
An example of the area to create a new rule for posts.

There are rules you can set up that will send a notification when a new post gets submitted for review. You can also set up rules that send an email to the author of a post when it becomes published.

This plugin is free to use, however, the PRO version comes with advanced features like custom notification rules, individual email texts, and HTML emails. The price range is $26 to $115, depending on what type of license you’d like to purchase.

It’s an option to keep tabs on any changes, publications, and workflow with posts.

5. Post Pay Counter Stats

Post pay counter.

Post Pay Counter Stats is a way to simply calculate and handle authors’ pay by displaying payment, comments, the date, and more in one area. It’s specifically made for multi-author blogs.

You can set up the payment criteria and let the plugin post-payment to your authors. It’s awesome for implementing a revenue-sharing system and paid model for your website.

This plugin has a pay per post, word, visit, image, and comment feature. Also, there are sortable stats, personalized user settings, and customizable permissions to prevent your users from seeing stats.

post payment settings.
Example of some counting and personalized settings.

They do have a PRO version that includes analytics visits payment, Adsense revenues sharing, payments management, and PayPal payments. The basic package starts at around $38 per year to around $93 (prices are in Euros and subject to change).

If you have a payroll or are profiting off of your blog, this plugin may do the trick to help keep your payments in check.

6. Author Avatars List/Block

author avatars list/block.

Author Avatars List/Block makes it a cinch to display lists of user avatars that are grouped by user roles. You can also insert single avatars for blog users or any email address into a post or page.

It can be inserted into your sidebar via widget or into posts and pages with shortcodes.

Setting up the author's avatar as a widget.
Setting up the author’s avatar as a widget.

The customization options are easy to adjust. It’s a simplistic plugin, but great for displaying avatars on a WordPress multi-author site.

author avatars live example.
A view of my avatar (yes, I’m lounging at the pool).

If you have multiple authors, it’s an attractive way to feature them and put a face directly out there with the name.

For additional ways to show all of your authors together, check out our article on the topic.

7. PublishPress Revisions

PublishPress Revisions

PublishPress Revisions lets your users submit change requests for published posts, which is great for any multi-author site. Any user you have can update posts using the WordPress editor, but any changes they make will not be published automatically. Instead, they’re kept as “pending revision” that any editor can approve or reject.

Once you have PublishPress activated, all published posts will give you the option to Save Revision.

Where the Save Revision button is on a blog post.
Where the Save Revision button is on a blog post.

It will then be added to a queue, where it can easily be accessed.

The revisions queue in PublishPress.
The revisions queue in PublishPress.

It has impressive features, such as email notifications for revisions, revision permissions, frontend moderation of revisions, scheduled revisions, and more.

You will need to upgrade to a PRO version from $59 to $199 per year, to use it for multi-author. The upgrade also includes additional features, such as advanced custom fields, WooCommerce compatibility, Yoast SEO compatibility, and support.

They have their own dedicated website devoted to PublishPress that will help answer any question you may have. For example, you can find out how to create revisions or compare revisions.

This is an efficient plugin to help organize workflow, editing, and — of course — keep tabs on revisions.

8. User Submitted Posts

User submitted posts

User Submitted Posts is a plugin for user-generation. It enables visitors to submit posts from the frontend of your WordPress site.

It’s an extremely easy to use plugin. You simply add a shortcode to any post, page, or widget, and then that will let your visitors submit posts and upload images.

The shortcode that’s used.

It includes a fast & secure post submission form, tags to display submitted post content, and automatically displays all submitted content on the frontend.

You can edit the form as much as you’d like. Then, have it displayed accordingly.

Form example.
Example of the form I created.

They also have a PRO version that lets you develop auto-display images, registration forms, and allows users to upload videos. Prices start at $45 to $550, depending on use and how many sites you have.

This simple to use plugin is nice for allowing guest posts and letting your audience engage directly with your site.

9. WP User Frontend

WP User Frontend

WP User Frontend is a frontend builder plugin that includes a frontend dashboard, frontend editor & publishing, and frontend uploader for user profiles, post submissions, and memberships.

Users can easily make new posts and edit their profiles all from the site frontend, which prevents them from any need to enter the backend admin panel to perform any action.

These actions are done by the editor, or admin, creating a drag and drop form that, when published, is available on the frontend.

A custom form I created allowing users to create a post.
A custom form I created allowing users to create a post.

Once the form is created, it’s compiled into an easy to access list in the WordPress admin. The shortcode for the form is available and can be used in any post, page, or widget.

The forms area.
The forms area.

You can also enable guests to post from your site frontend without registering, enable certain user roles, submit and update anything from the frontend, and more.

They also offer a PRO version that starts at $49 to $159 per year that has features such as private messaging, Paid Membership Pro, reports, and live chat support.

This well-developed plugin is a great attribute for any multi-author WordPress site.

10. Pre-Publish Checklist

pre-publish checklist.

Pre-Publish Checklist is a simple way to ensure your page or post is ready to go live. It lets you create a checklist that you wish to maintain for every post type on your WordPress site.

This plugin is especially perfect for multi-author so that your authors can check-off everything for their posts — and any editor can, too.

 

Pre-publish checklist settings.
Pre-publish checklist settings.

The key features are managed checklists for your pages & posts, personalized checklists, and an overview of the progress of posts and pages.

The checklist shows up within a metabox on the post or page edit page.

If all of the items on the checklist are not completed, you can create a message that will be displayed when they hit the publish button.

Prepublish notification.
Uh-oh. Looks like not everything was checked off the list.

If you’re looking for quality control with your post, this is a perfect plugin to ensure all the boxes are ticked and any author’s post is ready to be published.

11. Editorial Calendar

Editorial calendar.

Editorial Calendar is a way to keep track of drafts, scheduled posts, and published articles for your multi-author site. You can easily drag and drop to move posts around, edit posts by clicking on them on the calendar, and manage your entire WordPress blog.

It’s simple to get to the calendar by clicking on Posts and then Calendar in the WordPress admin.

The main features are:

  • Capability to see all of your posts and when they’ll be posted
  • Drag and drop changes to post dates
  • Able to manage drafts with their drafts drawer
  • Check the status of posts
  • Multi-author friendly
An example I set up for a pending post and scheduled post.
An example I set up for a pending post and scheduled post.

It’s a very impressive free and easy to use plugin that really makes keeping tabs on posts simple and accessible. It’s one of those plugins that will make you wonder how you’ve lived without it if you have a multi-author website.

12. User Blocker

User Blocker.

User Blocker provides the ability for admin to block or unblock user accounts in a quick and effortless way. You can specify if a user is blocked for a certain amount of time or permanently. Then, when that blocked user tries to log in, they’ll be welcomed with a friendly error message on the login screen.

You can always unblock accounts at any time. Admin always has access to view blocked accounts and can edit.

Where blocked users are located in the WordPress admin.
Where blocked users are located in the WordPress admin.

It’s a free plugin that combats spam and also will remove a user from a specific role on a multi-author site.

5 Tips for Managing a Multi-author WordPress Site

We now have a nice foundation for a multi-author site, with reasons to have one, plugins to enhance it, and more. So, you launch your very own multi-author site. Yippee! Now what?

Beyond plugins, here are some tips to keeping it managed well and running like a well-oiled multi-author machine:

1. Create a Contributors Guidelines Page: You should be open to being pitched by amazing writers. Any opportunity for talent that can help your blog shouldn’t be dismissed. If you create a good writer’s guideline, it will help the process by guiding the writers in the right direction on what to pitch, how to do it, and how to submit.

2. Work Ahead: It’s a good idea to stay ahead of the game. That’s especially true when you have posts that need to be published regularly. The further you work ahead the better. That way if something comes up (e.g. one of your writer’s falls ill), you’ll be prepared with the material.

Plus, you want to have ample time to give feedback, gather illustrations/visuals, and revisions.

In general, nobody is a huge fan of last-minute edits and details right before publication, so working ahead can alleviate a lot of that stress (and headache).

3. Assign an Editor: Depending on the size of your blog and the number of posts being published, one editor might be all you need. However, as it grows, you may need several more. Either way, it’s essential to have a go-to editor to make the final call on edits, revisions, and ensure the quality of the posts are up to par.

Without an editor, a lot can slip through the cracks. Sometimes it takes a second pair of eyes for typos, grammar, suggestions, and more. (Editor’s note: I agree!)

4. Have a Database for Writers: A writer database helps keep track of writers who have contacted you about contributing, current writers, and what they’ve written, contact information, and assignments.

You don’t need to have anything fancy in regards to this. A spreadsheet or whatever method works best for you will do the trick.

5. Communicate Well: Communication is key when it comes to having (and maintaining) good content on a multi-author blog. The better the communication, the better the blog.

It’s essential that all the writers are on the same page.

Also, be professional. Nobody wants to have a jerk at the helm of a multi-site blog, so communicate friendly, professionally, and just be cool. Don’t be the person that nobody wants to communicate with due to a poor attitude.

That’s a Writer’s Wrap

With different viewpoints, topics, ideas, and features, a multi-author blog can be a great contribution to the WordPress community. Hey, we have ours here at WPMU DEV — and you can, too!

It can also be a great way to bring in income, create a fanbase, get users excited about your brand, and so much more.

With the help of plugins, knowledge, and a handful of good writers, there’s always room in the WordPress world for emerging multi-author blogs to break-through and become an essential read for thousands (or millions) of readers.

And hopefully, now you know how to do it write.

 

Posted on

Shop it To Me: Combine Elementor and WooCommerce For An Amazing Online Store

Are you looking to open your first WooCommerce store? Or maybe you’ve built WooCommerce stores for clients, but want to build better custom eCommerce stores?

You’ve got amazing products that you can’t wait to get out to your customers. Luckily, you can be open for business in no time.

In this post, I’ll be going over how to build a WooCommerce store using Elementor WooCommerce Builder. It’s a visual, drag-and-drop WordPress page builder that gives you full control over your shop and product page designs.

The areas I’ll be covering are:

No matter whether it’s your first store or your fiftieth, you’ll discover a simpler workflow that eliminates the need to directly edit WooCommerce template files or get your hands dirty with hooks. Woo-hoo!

Elementor and WooCommerce Dev Man
Dev Man is pretty excited about his new shop.

What are Elementor and WooCommerce?

To kick things off, in case you didn’t know (although how couldn’t you?), here’s a quick rundown of what Elementor and WooCommerce are.

Elementor is “the ultimate & free WordPress page builder.”

It lets you create an amazingly beautiful website in the quickest way possible. You can reach a high level of design, by designing live, and on the frontend of your WordPress site.

It’s currently the only (and first) frontend page builder to allow limitless design possibilities.

WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that incorporates eCommerce capabilities for your site so you can have an online store.

It integrates easily with your existing WordPress site, allowing you to create customizable stores in minutes, get secure payments, configurable shipping options, and much more.

How Elementor WooCommerce Builder Helps You Create an eCommerce Store

The free core Elementor plugin allows you to design your WordPress content using a visual, drag-and-drop interface.

You can use widgets to add content to your site and control nearly every aspect of your designs’ layouts and styles.

With Elementor Pro, you then get access to Elementor WooCommerce Builder, which lets you design dynamic templates for your product archive and single product pages using the same visual editor.

With WooCommerce Builder, you can easily build an entirely custom WooCommerce store without ever needing to work directly with PHP template files or WooCommerce hooks.

Advantages of Using Elementor WooCommerce Builder

  • Visual, drag-and-drop design: You can design your WooCommerce store precisely as your visitors will see it. You can even preview different products to see how they look with your designs.
  • No PHP/code: Rather than working directly with PHP and/or template files, you can design everything from the Elementor interface.
  • Dedicated WooCommerce widgets: You’ll get dedicated widgets to include all the important WooCommerce information, even down to upsells and related products.
  • Conditional template display: You can create as many product archives and single templates as needed and use conditional rules to control where to use each template. For example, you could create one product single design for products in “Category A” and another for products in “Category B”.
  • Pre-built templates: You get access to pre-built product archives and single templates that you can customize to meet your needs. Or, you can build your own designs from scratch.

Is There Anything You Can’t Design with Elementor WooCommerce Builder?

You can use Elementor WooCommerce Builder to design your product archive and single templates, which comprise most of your store’s content. You can also design the rest of your WordPress content, even including templates for your header and footer.

However, there are two WooCommerce pages that it doesn’t help you with at this time:

  • Shopping cart
  • Checkout

You can use Elementor to add content around the WooCommerce cart and checkout content, but you cannot customize the actual content itself.

However, to control the design of the cart and checkout content, there are a few options.

First, you can use a flexible base theme that pairs well with Elementor, while also giving you settings to control your cart and checkout pages. Some good options here are:

  1. Astra
  2. OceanWP
  3. GeneratePress
  4. Neve

Second, if you know your way around CSS, you can add your own styles to control the cart and checkout pages.

Finally, you can use a plugin that modifies the checkout process.

For example, the CartFlows plugin lets you build a custom checkout process using Elementor. However, CartFlows is more suited for sales funnels than “traditional” eCommerce stores, so it won’t work in all situations.

You can also use a plugin such as our very own Forminator to create a customized checkout process.

How to Design Your WooCommerce Store with Elementor

Now, roll up those sleeves to get hands-on and design your store using Elementor Pro and WooCommerce Builder.

Let’s go step-by-step and create a store.

Set Up and Configure WooCommerce

If you haven’t already, you’ll want to start by setting up and configuring the basics of your WooCommerce store. These basic setup steps aren’t the main focus of this tutorial, so we won’t go too in-depth.

But in general, you’ll want to:

  1. Install and activate the free WooCommerce plugin from WordPress.org.
  2. Run the WooCommerce setup wizard to configure important basics.
  3. Add your products.
  4. Configure any other relevant settings in the WooCommerce settings area.

If you need help getting started, more information on how to do this can be found here.

Design Your Shop Archive Page(s)

Now, you’re ready to start building your store, starting with the template for your product archives.

The product archive page is the page that lists all of your WooCommerce products (or the products with a specific category, tag, etc.).

To get started, go to Templates > Theme Builder > Product Archive. Then, click the Add New Product Archive button.

Theme builder template.
The theme builder template.

Give it a fancy name and click Create Template to continue.

This will launch you into the design interface. You can import one of the pre-made product archive templates or close the template library to build your design from scratch.

Elementor design interface.
Elementor design interface.

From there, you’ll be able to design your archive template using the visual, drag-and-drop interface.

You can use the dedicated Product Archive widgets to add core content like a list of all your products or the title of the archive page (e.g. the name of the category).

Archives products.
Archives products.

Editing one of the widgets lets you control its appearance and functionality. You can customize everything from star ratings to sale badges.

Edit Archives Products.
Edit Archives Products.

When you’re finished with your design, click the Publish button to control when to use your template.

You get five display conditions that you can mix-and-match as needed:

  1. All Product Archives
  2. Shop page
  3. Search results
  4. Product categories
  5. Product tags

For example, to display the template on your main shop page only, choose Shop Page.

For some conditions, you’ll get additional options. An example of this is if you select Product categories, you can target your template to all product category archive pages or just a specific category (or set of categories).

Publish Settings - Template display conditions.
Set conditions for displaying your template on your site.

These display conditions are useful because they let you create as many unique templates as you need to best showcase all the different products that you sell.

Sometimes a one-size-fits-all approach isn’t the best solution. WooCommerce Builder makes it easy to spin up new templates without needing to work directly with PHP template files.

Design Your Single Product Pages

Once you’ve created your product archive pages, you can use the same basic approach to customize a WooCommerce product page template for single products.

To get started, go to Templates > Theme Builder > Single Product. Then, click the Add New Single Product button and give it a name.

Just as with your product archive design, you’ll have the option to import one of the pre-made templates or build your own product page template from scratch.

Single products page.
Single products page.

Now, you’ll get another set of dedicated widgets for all the information on the product single page, including everything from the product title to related products and upsells.

Single product page.
Edit Add to Cart widget.

Entering the settings for one of the widgets lets you configure its style and placement.

Single product page.
Configure widget settings on your product page.

By default, Elementor will pull in one of your real products for the live preview of your design. But if you’d prefer to see how your design would look with a different product, click on the gear icon in the bottom-left corner and edit the Preview Settings to use any product at your store.

Preview your design before going live.
Preview your design before going live.

Once you’re finished, click the Publish button to choose where to apply this product single template.

Here, you’ll get another five options:

  1. All products
  2. In category
  3. In child category
  4. In tag
  5. Products by author

For the latter options, you’ll be able to choose specific items that apply to that condition (e.g. a specific category).

Where to display a product.
You can set very specific conditions for displaying your templates.

As with your product archive templates, you can repeat the process as many times as needed to ensure that each type of product has an optimized single product design.

Include WooCommerce Products in Other Designs as Needed

Beyond letting you design your product archive and single templates, Elementor Pro also gives you dedicated WooCommerce widgets that you can use in other designs.

For example, you could use them to feature products in a blog post that you’re writing. You can access these widgets at any time from the WooCommerce section in the Elementor interface.

Access and edit your site widgets in elementor.
Easily access and edit your site widgets at any time.

If you want to display products, you can create your own custom queries to control which products to display.

You can even use the included Elementor Popup Builder feature to include or promote products in a popup. For example, you can advertise a special deal and include an add to cart button right in the popup.

Special deal.
Example of a special deal or promotion.

It’s a great feature to promote special deals and promotions.

Time to Open Shop

With Elementor Pro, you can build a custom WooCommerce store faster and with more flexibility.

As you can see, it’s a simple process. Rather than working with hooks or template files, you can use a visual, drag-and-drop interface.

You get dedicated widgets to display important WooCommerce product information, and you can also use conditional display rules to create as many single product and product archive templates as your store needs.

If you really want to make your site shine, check out our article on 8 Must-Haves When Adding eCommerce to Your WordPress Site.

Also, if you’re shopping around for additional WordPress features, we offer dedicated hosting, site management, and 24/7 support.

So, get started today and build your own custom WooCommerce store. Then, turn that sign over to “OPEN” and start selling your amazing products.

Posted on

Get Movin’: Migrate Your Website with Shipper WordPress Migration Plugin

Moving can be stressful. You’re packing up all of your belongings, cleaning, tying up loose ends, and doing everything you can to ensure the move will go smoothly.

That goes for moving to a new home, office, or host. Luckily, migrating from host to host in WordPress can be an easy process. And you don’t even need to hire movers or rent a van.

In this article, pack your bags, because I’ll be moving you through the process of migrating to a new host.

Dev Man migrating from host to host.
This was the scene when WPMU DEV started hosting. Dev Man quickly left the old one.

We’ll be going over why to migrate in the first place, prepping for a move, the steps during the moving process, and more.

By the time you trek through this post, you’ll be ready to move your WordPress site into its new host home.

Every hosting company is different, so in this article, I’ll show you how our Shipper WordPress migration plugin can really help simplify this process through automation.

I’ll also explain the process of migrating a site to our WPMU DEV hosting using our built-in WordPress migration tool.

Even if you don’t host with WPMU DEV, the tips provided in this article apply to most hosting providers. This includes knowing what specific hosting information they’ll need to provide you with (which I’ll cover later) so you can complete the move.

Why It’s Great to Migrate

There are many reasons to consider migrating to a new host. Some of these might not be so obvious.

For example, let’s say you sign up for a web hosting company that promises the world in bandwidth, space, and support.

As time goes on, you see the service wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. Your online traffic is picking up but your hosting can’t handle your users.

You need certain applications to run on your server but your host won’t allow it unless you upgrade to a more expensive plan. You have questions that support can’t answer, or aren’t answering promptly.

Meanwhile, the problem hasn’t gone away.

All this can impact your business and cost you time and money. All you wanted was to get your site up and running and get on with your business. Now you’re dealing with technical issues you don’t understand and getting frustrated and impatient.

Or, maybe you’re starting fresh (a first-time homeowner). You’ve just developed a site locally and it needs a fresh new home.

It’s not technically migrating from host to host but you’re migrating to a new site, now that it’s ready to launch.

Sometimes price or ease of use is a factor. Sometimes, you need a hosting company that offers way more than just hosting.

Like support, for example. Or access to hosting management features that put you in complete control of your site.

[Shameless plug: check out why WPMU DEV offers the best hosting on the planet. Seriously.]

The point being, you want your website to have a good hosting home. You want it to be reliable, practical, and dependable.

So, it basically boils down to — if you’re not happy with your hosting, or you’ve outgrown it, it’s time to move.

Ship Ahoy! Easy Site Migration With Shipper

If you’re a WPMU DEV member and you’re not hosting with us (yet), our Shipper Pro plugin is a great way to migrate your WordPress site from host to host.

Shipper Pro download.
Never fear, Shipper is here! Shipper makes moving yer WordPress site to yer new host smooth sailing!

Shipper Pro handles the moving of WordPress sites with a smile. He’ll also handle moving local to production, development to live — without using FTP or SFTP. It’s an easy option for migration.

Let me show you a brief tutorial on how it’s done.

To get started you’ll need:

  • One destination site
  • One source site
  • Both sites connected to The Hub
  • Shipper installed on both websites

After all four of these points are checked off, you’ll be ready to don your eyepatch and get a shippin’.

When you have Shipper downloaded and activated, you’re welcomed by this screen:

Ready to ship with Shipper.
Shipper includes everything you need to set sail and ship your site out speedily … except a bottle of Rum!

As you can see, you have a choice to export your website to another server or import a website to this location.

Let’s start with an export.

When you click Export, you’ll see that a destination screen pops up.

The destination screen.
The destination screen.

As I mentioned in the bullet points, the site that you want to export to needs to be connected in The Hub.

If it is, your site will appear in a dropdown menu. Choose the website you’d like to export to from the list.

After this, click the blue arrow to continue.

Note: By default, Shipper is set up to export the entire website. However, you don’t have to migrate every file associated with your site.

For example, if you’re moving from a subsite to its own domain, you may want to do some configuring.

Shipper migration filters.
Use the Shipper migration filters to exclude files, folders, or database tables from your package.

In the Migration Filters area, you can easily exclude areas and adjust however you’d like for migration.

Pre-Flight Check

When the Migration Filters area is ready to go, click Next and get ready for boarding.

A screen will appear to let you know if you have any pre-flight issues.

Pre-flight Issues screen.
Pre-flight Issues screen.

In this example, there’s a server difference. One of the sites is a multisite and the other one isn’t.

Shipper tells you exactly what is wrong. In this case, I can currently only migrate between the same installation types, so I will have to resolve this issue before moving forward.

Thanks for letting me know, mate!

If you have any issues that may or may not cause export issues, it would be indicated with a yellow exclamation point. If it’s good to go, you’ll get a green checkmark.

Until issues are resolved, the Continue Anyway option is greyed out.

If you have no issues or when you get your issue(s) fixed, you’ll be taken to the Destination Database Prefix.

Destination Database Prefix area.
Destination Database Prefix area.

By default, the WordPress database table is wp_. Sometimes this prefix is customized.

When Shipper migrates tables, you have three options:

  • Source’s prefix — Migrate tables with the shipping site prefix
  • Existing destination prefix — Use the existing destination prefix
  • Custom — Create a new custom prefix

When you decide what prefix you’d like to use, click Next and Shipper then gives you the option to Begin Migration.

Begin migration.
If you’re ready to fly, Shipper is ready to ship.

Once you begin the migration, a status will appear.

Migration in process.
The status bar shows the percentage and where it’s at in the process.

With advanced API, Shipper ensures the process is as stable as possible. Also, keep in mind this can take some time.

If you want, you can close out of the tab and you’ll get an email when the migrating is complete, calling for drinks all around.

A welcome email from Shipper.
A welcome email from Shipper.

If for some reason, you have a failed migration, Shipper will let you know. It will include some troubleshooting tips and ways to ensure it’s successful on the next attempt (so you can get those drinks on).

More Shipper Options…

You can also Import a site.

Importing is very similar to the export demo. All the options are the same — just instead of exporting, it’s importing.

Also with Shipper, you can:

  • Migrate a multisite network.
  • Create a package migration with a zip file of your WordPress site, multisite network, or subsite.
  • Check the latest logs, which is used to debug any issues you are having.

For more information on all of Shipper Pro’s features, check out the download page and all the documentation we have on using our favorite orange-bearded plugin.

Here’s An Even Easier Way To Migrate Your Sites…

An even easier way to migrate WordPress sites than using the Shipper WordPress migration plugin if you’re hosting with us is to use our built-in WordPress host migration tool (if you’re not hosting your sites with us you need to check out our amazing WordPress hosting options).

Let me show you how it works.

Whoah…Back-Up!

First things first. Before the big move, the number one step is to back up every aspect of your site.

If you’d like to use a plugin for this, we have a handy article on plugins that backup your WordPress site automatically. You can back your site up to the cloud or the server of your choice with an FTP transfer.

This process could take a bit of time, depending on the amount of media uploads you have on your site.

Export the WordPress Database

We’re going to start with exporting the WordPress database. This is an easy process that only takes a few steps to accomplish (whew!).

If you’re hosting on a server with cPanel installed, log into your web server and open phpMyAdmin.

cPanel dashboard with phpMyAdmin highlighted.
Click phpMyAdmin in your cPanel dashboard to view your WordPress database.

If you don’t have cPanel, look for a similar way to access phpMyAdmin.

For example, in the WPMU DEV Hosting Hub, you can access your database via phpMyAdmin by selecting your site and clicking on Manage Database.

WPMU DEV Hosting Hub - Manage Database.
WPMU DEV Hosting Hub – Manage Database.

phpMyAdmin will load your database on your web browser screen.

Example of what WPMU DEV phpMyAdmin looks like with our hosting.
Example of what WPMU DEV phpMyAdmin looks like with our hosting.

From here, select the database that contains your WordPress installation on the left-hand side of the screen. Once selected, click on the Export tab located in the navigation menu.

The Export tab.
The Export tab.

By default, the Quick export and the SQL format for the export are perfect for what we need.

Export methods.

Just click Go and the database export process will begin. Your file will be downloaded to your computer.

When the database export and the FTP transfer of your files is completed, we’ll be all set to go to the next step.

Get Ready to Move In

Now that we’ve backed up our database, let’s begin migrating to the new host.

In this example, we’ll migrate to our hosting using WPMU DEV’s Hub 2.0.

If you’re not using our hosting, it’s okay (but why wouldn’t you be?). Just follow along using whatever process your host has in place.

The first step is to add your domain to The Hub 2.0. This simple process needs to be completed before any site can be migrated to WPMU DEV Hosting.

This applies to both manual migrations and those accomplished with the migration tool (which I’ll show you how to use next).

If you get stuck at any point, don’t worry. We have plenty of step-by-step documentation and 24/7 support if you need help.

After adding your domain, you’ll need to add the WPMU DEV Dashboard, which lets you manage everything from a central location and keeps everything synced together with easy one-click automation.

Simply download the plugin to your computer. Once downloaded, upload it to the WordPress site that you’ll want to host with us.

You can then sync it up to The Hub 2.0 in our dashboard and you should be all good to proceed.

WPMU DEV Dashboard plugin download.
WPMU DEV Dashboard plugin download.

You can migrate sites to WPMU DEV hosting using our migration tool (which I’ll show you how to use shortly) or by manually transferring files using SFTP/SSH and phpMyAdmin.

We recommend using our migration tool. It simplifies and accelerates the process and it also automatically resolves any issues that can interfere. Really, we make it easy.

Make sure you have your current FTP username and password on hand before beginning.

The migration tool works by connecting WPMU DEV servers to your host’s servers with the same FTP credentials you would use to connect by FTP.

If you’re not sure what they are, the best place to find them is in your dashboard or control panel of your original host. Still can’t find them? Contact your current host and get assistance.

Not sure WTF is FTP? Check out this article on using FTP or SFTP to transfer files securely.

Set Your Sights on a New Site

We’re now ready to get started on the actual migration. This is like picking up the keys to your new home.

First, you’ll want to be logged in to The Hub. Once here, click on the Hosting tab at the top of the page.

The hosting tab.
The hosting tab.

From here, click on the +Plus sign.

Once you click the plus sign, several options will pop up. You can create a new website, migrate an existing website, and clone an existing website.

Of course, with this example, you’ll want to click on the Migrate Existing Website.

Migrating in the Hub.
Here’s where you’ll start.

You’ll click on Migrate Site from here.

What comes up next is a dropdown of all the sites currently connected to The Hub (which you should have there if synced correctly from the steps above).

Select the site that you want to migrate and click the arrow to proceed.

Where you’ll select what website you want to migrate.
Select which website you want to migrate.

Once you click the arrow, you’ll be asked to create a temporary domain name. Your site will reside under this domain until the DNS record changes that you’ll make later have a chance to propagate.

Not sure WTF is DNS? Check out our ultimate guide to DNS for WordPress.

Temporary domain name.
Create a temporary URL.

After this, select which region you’d like your site to be hosted from the Server Location dropdown menu (tip: pick the closest location to where most of your traffic comes from).

Pick your location where your site is hosted.
Pick your location.

Click the arrow and let the process begin.

Status of migration.
This can take a few moments. It gives you the status as it goes through the process.

At this point, WPMU DEV servers need to log in to your website using the exact FTP or SFTP username and password you used to manage files with an FTP client.

If these credentials do not exist, you can create them.

Paste your (S)FTP credentials into the fields and click Start Migration.

Where you’ll put your FPT Username and FTP Password.
Where you’ll put your Username and Password for SFTP or FTP.

WPMU DEV servers will then try to locate your site’s files. Usually, this is flawless and there’s no problem.

However, if the path to those files contains some unknown directory that our servers can’t resolve, then the migration process will be interrupted and we’ll alert you of this.

Make sure you’ve entered all details correctly to avert any problems.

If you know the FTP path to your site files, you can place it in our WordPress Install Path area so that it can provide a backup in case our server cannot find the files.

And if you don’t know the FTP path — no worries. You can always contact your current host and they should be able to provide it.

You can also locate it on your own by logging in to your site via FTP. Regardless of the FTP client you use, your path will be displayed on the screen.

You can then cut and paste the path into the WordPress Install Path field.

If you’re hosting with WPMU DEV, this information can be found in Hosting > SFTP/SSH.

FTP and SFTP information.
Get your credentials from the SFTP/SSH screen.

And Away We Go…

Once everything is set up, hit Start Migration.

After hitting the button, you’ll get notified by email once the process has completed.

If all goes well and it’s a successful migration, the temporary domain you set up earlier (e.g. username.wpmudev.host) will be the primary domain for your migrated content for now.

Enter this temporary domain into your browser to view your site and content.

Unless the original site has been disabled in some way, your site and content should still be viewable at the original URL as well as your new temporary address.

This is because you have not set your domain to point to your new host’s nameservers yet.

In other words, you’ve made a copy of your site and added it to your new servers but your site is still hosted on your old server.

And that’s where visitors will go to until you change domain nameservers by updating your DNS records.

You’ll be asked to update your DNS records and set your original domain as the primary one. Then, your permanent domain will the only one users can have access to.

If you need help, check out our step-by-step documentation on how to set up your DNS records.

Before updating your DNS, we suggest visiting the temporary domain to verify that everything is a-ok and that the migration went well.

You can do this from The Hub by clicking WP Admin in the temporary domain.

Where the WP Admin is in The Hub.
Where the WP Admin is in The Hub.

If you experience any issues with your site after migration, contact your host. We provide 24/7 support and we’ll not only help you determine what the problem is, we’ll also do our best to fix it for you.

If everything is looking good, all you need to do is edit your DNS records and that’s all. WPMU DEV offers a DNS Management tool that lets you get this done ASAP on the W-E-B.

You’re good to go! Your site should now be migrated over to our hosting.

Welcome home.

Time To Settle In

You did it! You’ve moved in, are unpacking, and getting settled. Sure, you might have some boxes (or plugins) to unpack, but you made it.

Regardless of who you choose to host with, migration doesn’t have to be that difficult with good hosting (or with the assistance of a smooth-sailing plugin like Shipper).

If you haven’t migrated from host to host yet, but are thinking about it because you’ve outgrown your current hosting provider, consider giving WPMU DEV managed WordPress hosting a try.

Our hosting includes dedicated memory, CPU, SSD storage resources, blazing-fast CDN, WAF, DNS Manager, IPv6, SSH, WP-Cli, 24/7 support, and more.

A WPMU DEV Membership includes hosting for 3 sites, plus access to The HUB and all of our award-winning plugins (Pro version).

Migrating your website to a new host doesn’t have to cause a lot of anxiety and stress.

And once you’re settled in, the peace of mind knowing that your host can handle the traffic, cover your needs, and provide you with assistance will keep you happy to be in the neighborhood.

 

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SSH and SSL: What’s the Difference for Security Sake?

When it comes to security online, you want to feel good about sending information across the web. SSH and SSL are here to help keep your information secure. So, what’s the difference between the two?

It might be easy to confuse them. They both consist of three letters, they both start with two ‘Ss’, and they help keep vital information secure (and more).

But, yes, they are different and your confusion will soon end.

In this article, I’ll be going over all things SSH and SSL.

The areas we’ll cover are:

  • What is SSH?
  • What is SSL?
  • How TLS plays a part
  • The importance of each one
  • Why we use it
  • The authentication process
  • All about encryption
  • Setting up SSH and SSL in The Hub
  • Similarities and differences between them

And more!

Dev Man SSH and SSL
By the time you’ve read this, confusion will end and all will be revealed.

To get started, it’s important to know what SSH and SSL are. So…

What is SSH?

SSH (secure shell) is a way to communicate with a remote computer securely. It’s used for executing commands remotely.

So, for example, if you’re on vacation in the Bahamas, you can access your work website remotely, perform commands, and edit (although, why would you do this on such a great vacation?).

It does this by interacting with another system’s operating shell and functions by using public-key cryptography for connection and authentication.

This makes gaining access to a WordPress site possible in a secure way to ensure nobody has access to your connection while you’re on it.

What’s the Importance of It?

It’s important because it secures all of the unsecured networks in the client and server connection.

The client uses the remote host information to initiate a connection, and, when the credentials are verified, it establishes the encrypted connection.

On the server-side, there’s an SSH daemon that’s regularly listening to a specific TCP/IP port for a potential client connection request.

When a client initiates a connection, the SSH daemon will get back to it and reply with the software and the protocol versions it supports.

The two exchange their identification data and (if the credentials pan out) create a new session for the appropriate environment.

Why Do We Use It?

People use SSH to securely communicate with another computer. By using it, the exchange of data is encrypted through the internet pathways.

This ensures that anyone who might see the data, who isn’t supposed to, would not be able to see what was in the data.

With SSH, you can then access sites and use commands to perform various functions (e.g. add a new file from the Bahamas).

The Key(s) to the Authentication Process

The authentication is pretty straightforward and simple.

It starts with creating a key pair, which the user typically does with ssh-keygen. Private keys stick with the user, while the public key goes to the server.

A server stores the public key and marks it as authorized. From this point, a server will now allow access to anyone who can show proof that they have the corresponding private key.

The private key is typically kept private by a user developing a passphrase for it.

Then, when a private key is needed, the user has to supply the passphrase so that the private key can be decrypted.

how ssh works.
How SSH works.

Setting up SSH in the Hub

If you’re new to WPMU DEV or do not have an account with us, The Hub is where you can manage, update, monitor, scan, and manage WordPress sites, all in one place.

It’s where you can allow SSH authentication, too.

In this example, I’m going to show you how to get SSH quickly set up in our Hub 2.0.

Then, I’ll provide a link to an article of ours that has a ton of very useful and detailed information that shows how to login to a cloud server, generate a public and private key pair, commands, and everything you need to know for SSH.

Note: If you are not hosting with us, your hosting service should have an admin section where you can upload the public key.

Every hosting service is a bit different, so you may need to reach out to them for assistance.

Ok, back to The Hub…

When you’re logged into the Hub, select your website and then click on the Hosting tab.

The Hub hosting tab.
Where the hosting tab is in the Hub.

Once you click the Hosting tab, more options will appear.

From this point, click on the SFTP/SSH tab.

STFP/SSH tab.

This takes you to a screen where you can view your SFTP/SSH Accounts and Users.

All the SSH accounts and users.
All your SSH accounts and users.

For this post, we’re interested in SSH. For a detailed tutorial on using SFTP, see this post on using SFTP to transfer your files securely.

Setting up a new user with an SSH account is quick and easy to do.

First, click on Add User.

Add a new SSH user.
Add a new SSH user.

This will give you two options: SFTP User or SSH User.

SSH user.
We’ll go with SSH…

Clicking on SSH User will take you to an area where you fill out specific information for a new user.

New SSH user setup.

Create a Username and Password (or use the funky password we’ll automatically generate for you).

Next up is Path Restriction. If you like, you can limit the user’s access to your entire wp-content directory, or just to your Plugins, Themes, and Uploads folder.

If you want no restrictions, just keep it on the default of None.

You can also choose the Environment (i.e. Production or Staging).

When you have all of the necessary information inputted, click the blue Add button.

That’s it!

The new user will now appear in the dashboard. He or she will use the information to log into SSH to work on your site with commands and more.

You can edit the user, password, restrictions, and environment for any user at any time.

There’s a ton you can do with SSH and it’s easy to get started. For more detailed information, please check out our article all about SSH.

And now that you know about SSH…

What is SSL?

You may not be aware of this, but you’re probably already familiar with it.

For example, have you ever logged into your checking account or another website (e.g. one about Bahama vacations) and noticed it starts with “https://” instead of just “http”? There’s an “s”. Hmm…

Or, for an even quicker example, check out the lock to this post here on WPMU DEV from my browser.

You’ll notice in the address bar, we have a lock before our URL. I told you that you were already familiar with it ;)

SSL lock on browser.
Look familiar?

SSL (secure socket layer) is the standard security technology for establishing an encrypted link between a server and a browser.

This link ensures that all data that is passed between the web server and browser stay private.

When you visit a website that has a form and you fill out your information, SSL helps keep it secured. If you did this on an unsecured website, that information could be intercepted by (yikes) hackers.

It’s often used for user account pages, online checkout, and any site where important or sensitive information is used.

With SSL, your browser will form a connection with the server, look around for an SSL certificate, and then connect together with your browser and the server.

The connection is secure so that only you and the site that you submitted the information can access or see what you input in your browser.

The connection is instant and is typically faster than an unsecured website. If you have a website with SSL, you’ll score much better with SEO as well as security.

Why Do We Use It?

Simply put…to stay secure!

It’s important that information doesn’t get into the wrong hands and you feel at ease when transmitting personal information online.

Otherwise, some crook might take that money you were going to use on vacation and go on one himself.

What’s the Importance of It?

It’s important to keep information safe when online.

With SSL, sensitive information is sent across the Internet encrypted. That means only the intended receiver can access it.

Also, an SSL certificate provides authentication. This ensures that you’re sending the information to the right place and not some hacker who is trying to swipe your information.

SSL providers are important to help verify a company. They use several identity checks to make certain that the website is who they say they are.

Authentication Process

A browser or a server will attempt to connect to a website with SSL. The browser then asks (requests) that the web server identifies itself.

The web server will then send the browser (or server) a copy of its SSL certificate.

The browser checks it out to make sure it can trust it. If it can, it sends a message to the webserver.

From here, the webserver sends back an acknowledgment that’s digitally signed. This starts an SSL encrypted session.

Data between the browser/server and the secure SSL server is shared securely because it’s encrypted.

How SSL works.
How SSL works.

Getting Set Up in the Hub

This is extremely easy to set up because, well, it’s already done for you!

All websites that are hosted with WPMU DEV are provided with SSL certificates.

Considering how unsafe unsecured sites are, it’s essential for us to provide members with this automatically.

You can see the SSL status of your site by clicking on your website’s URL, then Hosting>Domains.

Where you can see your SSL status.
Where you can see your SSL status.

It will have a green checkmark underneath SSL status if all is running well.

Keep in mind that when you add a site, it may take several minutes for a certificate to be ready.

Sometimes the process can take hours or, in very rare cases, an entire day. It just depends on how fast your DNS settings propagate.

Our SSL certificates come from Let’s Encrypt. It’s totally free for you and we renew them every three months.

Custom SSL Certificates

Adding a custom SSL is an option for you as well with our hosting.

The first thing you’ll need to do is submit a Certificate Signing Request (CSR) to a Certificate Authority. Certificate providers (e.g. CSR Generator) usually have tools or can assist you in generating the CSR.

When you obtain the CSR, it’s important to save a copy of the Private Key.

Now, you’ll use the CSR to purchase the SSL certificate. This will give you a Private Key, Certificate, and Certificate Chain.

Your SSL provider should be able to provide you with this information if they create a CSR with their interface.

Keep in mind, you can use wildcard SSL certificates, too.

Our team can upload those for you exactly like non-wildcard certificates.

Also, our support staff can help with adding custom certificates. You can start a live chat or create a support ticket. Either way, we’ll get you all set up.

To learn more about SSL, be sure to check out our article How to Use SSL and HTTPS with WordPress.

A Little Bit on TLS…

Whenever you see SSL being mentioned, you’ll often see TLS, too.

So, what’s TLS?

TLS (Transport Layer Security) is a vastly adopted security protocol that is designed to facilitate privacy and data security over the Internet.

It encrypts the information that is being communicated between web applications and servers (e.g. web browsers loading a website).

TLS actually evolved from SSL, therefore you often see the name SSL/TLS used interchangeably. TLS is basically an upgraded version of SSL. However, there are a few minor distinctions.

Here are five of them:

  1. Alerts: TLS protocol is to remove the alert message. It replaces it with several other alert messages. Meanwhile, SSL has a No Certificate alert message.
  2. Cipher Suites: TLS doesn’t offer any support for Fortezza cipher suite, however, SSL does. TLS follows an improved standardization process that helps make defining of new cipher suites simpler (e.g. RC4).
  3. Handshake: With SSL, the hash calculation additionally encompasses the master secret and pad. With TLS, the hashes are calculated over the handshake message.
  4. Record Protocol: TLS uses HMAC, which is a hash-based message authentication code. It’s used after each message encryption. SSL uses Message Authentication Code (MAC) after encrypting each message.
  5. Message Authentication: TLS depends on HMAC Hash-based Message Authentication Code while SSL authenticates by adjoining the key details and application data in an ad-hoc way.

As you can see, they’re different but are also very similar in nature.

You also now know why you often see SSH/TLS together. TLS fixes some of the security vulnerabilities in the earlier SSL protocols.

Something to remember is that your certificate is not exactly the same as the protocol that your server will use. That means you do not need to change your certificate to use TLS.

Sure, it may be labeled as an SSL certificate, but your certificate already supports both the SSL and TLS protocols.

If you’d like to check out what version of SSL/TLS your web browser is using, you can cruise over to the How’s My SSL tool. It’ll show you instantly.

TLS is probably going to become more and more common of a term than SSL soon, so get used to it.

Differences Between SSH and SSL/TLS

Now that we’ve looked at SSH and SSL/TLS — what are the similarities and differences?

I’ve gone over how they function and what they do, however, the big takeaway is they both use encryption to protect data that is being passed between two network devices.

Here’s a quick breakdown of some of the essential differences between the two:

SSH vs SSL/TLS
SSH vs SSL/TLS

While we are comparing security protocols and acronyms that start with “s,” the other protocol you should know about is when to use SSH vs SFTP.

This is important if you plan to access files on your hosting server securely. Fortunately, we have written an entire article about it here: What is SFTP? How to Transfer Your Files Securely.

Feel Secure Yet?

Security has many layers and differences, as you can see. A strong password isn’t the only thing that’s going to protect you.

Both SSH and SSL have their unique purposes and do what they can to help.

SSL is the primary requisite of security on the web, SSH is an added safety feature of it. When you add TLS into the mix, all three of them render strong and mighty security and safer communication in the web hosting process.

SSH does have some additional features, such as providing multiple data channels to its applications.

It supports the execution of remote programming, TCP connections, and more, which makes it often used by web hosting companies as the sole security protocol.

However, when implemented correctly, they all work well to help keep your information secure.

Throw some good hosting and take other measures (e.g. install our Defender plugin), and you’ll have a knockout system of security for the web.

And now the big difference between SSH and SSL is you’re no longer confused by them.

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Error You Go: How To Create Custom WordPress HTTP Error Pages

You’re excited. You just found an interesting link about a talking giraffe on Google. You click on it. You’re now anxiously waiting for the article to pop up. Instead of an article, a message arrives. ‘Page not found’ is what’s displayed on your monitor. You won’t be learning about a talking giraffe today.

HTTP error pages in WordPress can be an eyesore for any web user that experiences them and make your visitor want to rip off their giraffe shirt out of frustration.

However, don’t worry. You can brighten the occasion with customized HTTP error pages in WordPress. Creating a custom error page will leave a visitor fulfilled, returning later, and (hopefully) keep their shirt on.

In this article, I’ll be going over:

  • What an HTTP error is.
  • What causes them.
  • Why you should customize your error pages.
  • Types of error pages (and what they mean).
  • Using a plugin to customize HTTP error pages/redirecting.
  • Why not having a custom error page is bad for SEO.
  • How we can help solve some of the HTTP error page madness.

By the time you read this article, you’ll have error pages or redirects that enhance your site instead of one where a user feels like it was an error to visit.

What is an HTTP Error?

I don’t like to assume things, but we’ve probably all seen them:

  • 404 error
  • An unexpected error has happened, please contact the system administrator.
  • Server not found
  • This page isn’t working

Have you ever wondered what exactly they are? 404 — what is that? The name of some highway in the desert?

404 http error image.
If there is a highway 404, hopefully, it’s error-free.

Before we dive into creating custom HTTP error pages, it’s important to understand them.

The HTTP (hypertext transfer protocol) error is the standard response code, in regards to computer network communications.

It indicates that the browser was able to communicate with a server, but the server couldn’t find what was requested.

The error can also be used when the server doesn’t want to disclose whether it has the requested information or not.

Typically, the website hosting server will generate a “404 Not Found” web page when a user attempts to follow a dead or broken link.

404 is by far the most well-known and common error message you’ll find in the World Wide Web. It means, “there’s nothing here.”

It has a history of its own, and you’ll often see it if you click on a broken link or if you mistype something.

So, What’s the 101 on the 404?

Http error book image.

There have been rumors circulating on the web over the years that it’s called a 404 error because of a room number.

That’s right. The story goes that room 404 housed the web’s first servers at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) and that the World Wide Web inventor, Tim Berners-Lee, had an office there and, well, often could not be found.

Though that makes for an interesting story around the campfire, it’s a myth.

The actual reason is that error codes designate numerical ranges in a category. Client errors fell into a 400 range, and that made “404” the code for “not found”.

Other Types of HTTP Error Pages and What They Mean

404 isn’t the only game in town. In fact, the sheer number of error pages might surprise you.

Like a great white shark, most of them you’ll never encounter. However, some are a bit more common.

Here’s a shortlist of some of the more frequent HTTP error pages and what exactly they mean:

301 – A 301 error indicates that the content has moved and won’t be returning to the original location. 301’s are permanent redirects for content. They can be tricky, but luckily we have an article about how to set them up.

400 – This one indicates a bad request. That means either the browser tried to access the content in an incorrect way or it corrupted the request. It can also mean that the syntax wasn’t right. Whatever the case may be, the server doesn’t understand the request and doesn’t know what to do with it.

401 – If you get this error, it means that the content needs authorization. The user tried to access something they can’t (e.g. your WP admin panel). It could just be because you mistyped your login info, or you’ve cached something you shouldn’t have.

500 – This is a general server error. It’s basically saying, “Okay, something happened, but I have no clue what it was.” It’s very vague and indicates that the server doesn’t know how to handle the request.

504 – What’s taking you so long? This error indicates a gateway timeout. It shows that the server waited for data from upstream, but nothing happened. The usual time frame is about thirty seconds. If the gateway doesn’t hear back within about a half a minute, you might get a timeout.

And the list goes on…

If you’d like, there are many more HTTP error codes to explore.

What Causes an HTTP Error?

The big culprit behind triggering an error message is when a web page or content has been moved to a different URL. This frequently happens and is easy to do.

For example, if you have a web page, with a bunch of subpages, and you change the webpage’s URL, it will screw up all of the connected subpages. Uh-oh.

Other reasons for an HTTP error are:

  • The page was deleted.
  • The URL was written incorrectly or typed in the browser wrong.
  • The server that is responsible for the website isn’t running or the connection could be broken.
  • The domain entered doesn’t exist anymore.
  • The requested domain isn’t able to convert to an IP by the DNS.

How to Fix Them

The most simplistic way is to redirect the page to another one. We’ll be discussing this later on in the article.

You can also correct the link. Hey, errors and typos happen all of the time. This goes with hyperlinks, too. If you go back and fix the error to the URL, you should be in good shape.

Also, restoring deleted pages will do the trick. If it’s a deleted page that’s no longer needed, redirect the user to a relevant page.

Deleted pages still show up on search engines, so it’s important to manage them well. They don’t simply disappear. Instead, you can always redirect or “reopen” them up in some way.

It’s important to catch HTTP errors so you know that you have them. Here are a couple of recommended options for you:

  • Google Search Console: When you log into Google Console, you can click Crawl from the dropdown menu. From there, click on Crawl Errors.
  • SmartCrawl: Speaking of crawling, our very own free SEO plugin can help with the broken link checker.

Once you have SmartCrawl installed and activated, simply go to the SmartCrawl admin area and the Sitemap section. Then, click on the URL Crawler and it will show any link that is broken.

Also, SmartCrawl can redirect any “dead” pages or however you’d like.

From the admin area, just click on Advanced Tools>URL Redirection.

SmartCrawl redirect in Advanced Tools.

At this point, you can enter in as many links as you’d like and have them redirected to either a customized error page, homepage, new page — anything!

There are other options out there, like our broken link checker plugin.

The main thing is fixing the problem before you have one. Whatever works best for you to discover broken links, redirect them, or fix the page.

SEO What?

Broken links can be bad for SEO. Google mentions that having 404 errors won’t necessarily harm your SEO but it can harm your user’s experience.

This can result in poor performance, and obviously a high bounce rate.

Search engines are always working on improving the user’s experience, so keep in mind, if it’s bad for the user, it’s probably not going to be great for SEO.

Why Create a Customized HTTP Error Page?

Now that we’re familiar with HTTP error pages, how they happen, and what to do to fix them…

Let’s focus on creating custom error pages, so when the inevitable does happen (type, anyone?), you’ll be ready.

That’s where customization comes into play.

Think about it. Would you rather see this:

404 - file directory not found.
Can it get any more lame?

Or this:

Amazon 404 page not found.
Who DOESN’T want to see a cute dog?

Or, you might recognize this one:

WPMU DEV 404 error page.
Even Dev Man sometimes gets lost.

If you liked the first example the most, well, we might not be able to help you here.

However, if any of the other examples stuck out, then now we’re getting somewhere!

Hopefully, you can see that if you have a 404 error page, it doesn’t have to be drab and boring.

That’s why having a customized 404 error page is important. Though it’s not exactly where a user wants to be, it doesn’t have to turn them off to your site, either. In fact, it can be engaging!

As Amazon and our example above for WPMU DEV demonstrate, it’s easy enough to get creative with error pages and add a useful call to action.

For Amazon… you can meet the dogs of Amazon. How cool is that?

And for us… you get a chance to see Dev Man from behind (it’s a stretch, I know), and you can head back to the home page from there.

Overall, they offer solutions instead of a complete stop, like other generic 404 messages.

Here’s a Toast to Having a Good Host

The backbone of ensuring that you don’t get error pages in the first place is having a good host.

This ensures your site is up-and-running to begin with. It’s also essential to have good speed and performance.

We offer hosting that includes dedicated memory, CPU, and SSD storage resources, which means these resources are independent of any other sites (even other sites hosted with us).

Plus, our hosting is optimized for WordPress, with object and page caching, IPv6 support, and our CDN — which ensures our sites are faster than a speeding bullet (actually, much faster).

This helps with any lag time, waiting, slow page loads, and more that can cause your site to time out and get a 504 error.

Let’s Get Set Up

If some of your goals include keeping a user on your page, having visitors return, keeping your SEO in good standings, and not turning-off users — then a customized HTTP error page is an essential part of your WordPress website.

There are several ways to go about doing this in your theme with code (and we have an article on how to do just that). However, since the arrival of Gutenberg, the simplest way is with a plugin.

T-error-ific Error Page Plugins

Plugins. They can solve almost any problem with WordPress in a snap. And that’s definitely true with creating a customized HTTP error page.

I’ll briefly be going over several free plugins that can help you create, customize, and implement amazing HTTP error pages.

Each one of these has over a 4-star average review, is free, and has over 5K users.

You’ll notice some of them will redirect your page, some won’t. However, each of these has a customization option for an error page.

You’ll discover for yourself what plugin works best for your website.

  • 404page

    This plugin has over 100K active installations, making the 404page from Peter Raschendorfer one of the most used plugins for creating customized HTTP error pages in WordPress. It ranks up there as well with a solid 5-star average review.

    The plugin works with almost any theme, where you’re able to customize the error page to match your voice and style.

    It’s extremely simple to use in terms of design, display, and functionality. It’s all achieved in the WordPress page editor under 404 Error Page.

    One difference between this and others is it does not create redirects. A correct code 404 is delivered instead.

    That tells search engines that the page does not exist and has to be removed from the index. It also doesn’t create additional server requests.

    For being one of the most popular HTTP error plugins out there right now, it’s worth checking out for yourself.

  • Custom 404 Pro

    The Custom 404 Pro by Kunal Nagar is a simple option that replaces the default 404 page with a custom page from the Pages section in the Admin panel.

    You simply choose a custom page, enter a custom URL for 404, and that’s it.

    This makes it easy to create your own customized page for 404 errors and create any type of amazing page your heart desires.

    With over 9K users and an average 4-star review, it’s not too shabby of an option. It’s frequently updated and has full support on Github.

    This plugin is a nice option for ease of use and to have total control of whatever type of 404 page you want to feature on your WordPress site.

  • All 404 Redirect to Homepage

    All 404 Redirect to Homepage by Fakhri Alsadi is a simple solution to handle 404 error pages by using 301 redirect.

    It solves errors by redirecting all 404 error pages to a home or customized page.

    It’s a terrific plugin for a quick solution (redirecting to your homepage) while you work on building a customized 404 page.

    This is a popular plugin, with over 200K installations and a solid 4.5-star average review. It’s also updated regularly and has an active support forum.

    It features an error rate graph that demonstrates any errors on your website.

    You can also enable the 404 redirection status and where to redirect them to with just a simple click of a button on the dashboard.

    With the ability to redirect any errors, creating customized error pages, and support, this plugin is a top-notch choice.

    Interested in All 404 Redirect to Homepage?

    Details

  • 301 Redirects - Easy Redirect Manager

    301 Redirects – Easy Redirect Manager by WebFactory Ltd allows you to create and manage 301 and 302 redirects, which will help your WordPress site improve SEO and the user’s experience.

    It features a user-friendly interface, simple installation, and is well organized in terms of setting up.

    It’s great for new WordPress sites, repairing links after reorganizing existing content, and for when your site’s content expires and you want to avoid sending visitors to a 404 page.

    This plugin has over 80K installs and an awesome 4.5-star average review. It’s also updated on a regular basis.

    Some of the features of the 301 Redirects are the options to choose from pages, posts, custom post types, archives, and term archives from the dropdown menu.

    You can also set up your own custom destination URL.

    It also allows you to retain query strings across redirects, import/export features for bulk redirects management, and simple redirect stats.

    It’s perfect for replacing an old site design with a new one, overhauling, or reorganizing your WordPress content, and if you have content that expires and you’d like to redirect users to a different location.

    Interested in 301 Redirects - Easy Redirect Manager?

    Details

  • Redirection

    Redirection by John Godley is the most popular free redirect plugin for WordPress.

    You can simply manage 301 redirects, keep tabs on 404 errors, and even redirect if the user is logged in or logged out.

    It’s designed to be used on sites with a few redirects to sites with thousands of redirects.

    It’s the oldest out of all the plugins (over 10 years!) and has a million+ installations and a thumbs-up with a 4.5-star average review.

    Some of its features include redirects for certain browsers, cookies, HTTP headers, and more; meaning that you can really customize what redirect actions you want to take.

    It also has a configurable logging option, which allows you to view all redirects occurring on your site, including information about the visitor, browser used, and the referrer.

    With full support and all the features, this plugin is great for any WordPress site and creating HTTP error pages that you can redirect to.

  • 404 to 301 - Redirect, Log and Notify 404 Errors

    404 to 301 – Redirect, Log and Notify 404 Errors by Joel James is a simple plugin that handles all 404 errors.

    It redirects all errors to any page you’d like, using 301 or any other status you’d prefer.

    This leaves zero 404 error reports in your webmaster tool dashboard, making you and your WordPress site happy.

    This plugin has over 100K installs and a sweet 4.5-star average review.

    Some of the features include setting custom redirect for each 404 path, it’s translation ready, enable email notifications, and is known as developer-friendly.

    There is full support, regular updates, and very detailed information on what all this plugin has to offer once activated.

    Oh, and by the way, the creator of this plugin works for us! Hi, Joel!

    Interested in 404 to 301 - Redirect, Log and Notify 404 Errors?

    Details

Putting It All Together

There was a lot to comb over in this article when it comes to setting up customized HTTP Error pages. So, here’s a quick recap to get your error page error-free (boy, that’s a lot of errors).

You now know what an error page is, the different codes (and what they mean), what causes them, why to fix them, the importance of them, and how to create them with the help of a plugin.

Plus, you want to ensure your site is in good working order with some solid hosting.

You should see what we’ve been up to when it comes to hosting. Check out this post about what we did for Hosting Month! Yes, we’re a bit crazy about it…

And to wrap things up, keep all of these tips in mind:

Redirect: Instead of taking a page down, you redirect to a customized page (or homepage).

Keep Tabs on Your Pages: Remember to check with SmartCrawl or other sources to ensure you don’t have any broken links.

Remember Your Updates: Updating or changing any links? Be sure to ensure they’re not going to break any other links in the process.

Make Your Error Pages Human: On your customized error page, be sure to give them a personalized voice that works well with your brand or image.

Don’t make it generic and also include a call to action (e.g. “Click here to visit our homepage.”).

And Error You Have It

Now, when a user comes across something of interest on your site, but you forgot to redirect the page or re-adjust things, they won’t get the bland 404 messages.

Instead, they’ll be happy, possibly amused. Why? Because you’re prepared.

You created an amazing, entertaining, and informative custom error page that leaves them feeling happy — not disappointed.

Your user knows that you’re on top of your website and will understand.

They won’t be eager to leave and go elsewhere — even if they can’t learn about a talking giraffe.

Posted on

You’ve Got Mail: WPMU DEV Hosting, now with Free Email!

You asked for it, and we’ve delivered. Every WPMU DEV hosting account now comes with 5 free email accounts.

There’s not even postage required. While we’ve had email forwarding for some time, you asked us for regular free at your domain email, like name@domain.tld, that your users and clients could hook up to Outlook, Apple Mail or their favorite email client.

Well, our awesome developers have packaged it all up for us and now we’re letting email out of its (in)box.

Dev Man with hosting and email DNS envelope.
Dev Man is pretty excited about getting his new email option.

This article covers what’s included, how it works, and everything you need to know to set up your new free email accounts.

Creating Fresh New Email Accounts

So just to reiterate, each site hosted with us comes with 5 free email addresses that you can create right in The Hub 2.0 with just a few clicks.

And then easily configure using our DNS manager (you can expect that to be automated in the very near future too).

Here’s how it’s done.

Screenshots in the tutorial below are from our new Hub 2.0 interface. Our Hosting interface will be upgraded to Hub 2.0 shortly. Check out the new Hub 2.0 features here: The Hub 2.0

First, from the Hub, select the domain that you’d like to add email to. Then, you’ll click Hosting > Emails.

Where emails are located in the Hub.
Where emails are located in the Hub.

From this point, click on Add Email Account.

Create new email account.

Once you click on Add Email Account, you’ll be prompted to enter an Email and a Password.

We generate some very secure, but slightly odd, passwords for you :)

Add a new email.
Where you’ll create a new email account.

When it is successfully created, you’ll get access to all required DNS records, which includes the name, type (e.g. MX), host, and value.

Which you can simply add to your preferred DNS provider (yet another hint if you didn’t get it the first time: use us to make it super, super easy)

All of your created email accounts will now appear in the Emails area and can be accessed at any time.

Configuring Your Email Client

Once you’ve created your email you’ll want to add it to your email client of choice.

To help you out we’ve  a bunch of guides for all the popular email clients that you can find here.

Specifically, here’s how to set your new free email accounts up with:

And, of course, if you get stuck then you can just chat with our friendly 24/7 live expert support who will help you until you are sorted.

Free Email Hosting vs Forwarding

If you need to be able to receive emails from your custom domains, another way of doing that is by email forwarding. Which we’ve allowed you to do with an unlimited number of emails for some time :) In fact it’s what I’ve been doing with all my hobby sites.

Email forwarding is basically re-sending emails received by one email address to another email address.

It works great with email providers like Gmail, so say if I want to send email from nate@mydomain.com I can forward that to nates.email@gmail.com and then configure Gmail to ‘send as’ nate@mydomain.com… easy, quick and effective.

However, it does not let you log into nate@mydomain.com using outlook or your iphone mail app.

Whereas these new free email accounts do.

Any restrictions?

Basically, no :)

We don’t provide web mail with these accounts  (I mean honestly, as much as we love them in principle, who actually uses Horde?) so you’ll have to use your own client and there’s a limit to 25MB of what we’ll keep on the server.

But other than that, you’re good to go. No holds barred.

Or Should I Use Professional Email?

As discussed (and as I’m sure you already knew), email comes in many flavors.

For most of us (and our clients and users), these free email accounts and forwarding email will do the job.

But if you’re looking for a more feature rich and industrial strength email solution you should consider a third party provider like G Suite or Zoho  (and if you are a charity or a non-profit then you almost certainly should consider G Suite for non-profits as it’s free!)

These solutions basically ramp up your ability to send lots of emails, host lots of accounts, increase deliverability and, of course, provide you with a bunch of other tools.

But, as I mentioned, for the majority of us we hope our free email hosting and forwarding tools will do the job!

Also, with this being Hosting Month, we’re giving away 10K worth of Dev credits, so be sure to enter our giveaway at the end of this article!

And as mentioned in the article, we have 24/7 support, documentation, and any help you may need along the way.

So, put those stamps away. You won’t be needing them here. We’ll deliver (postage free) with our hosting and using email with your domain.

Posted on

What is SSH? The Magic Of Remote WordPress Access

Did you know you can securely access your WordPress site remotely? But how is it done? By some magician’s trick? Actually, it’s called SSH — and now’s your chance to get to know it.

It’s possible with a dash of login credentials, a sprinkle of an interface, and a pinch of a good network connection.

Then, like a good WordPress potion, everything works together and you’ll have a secure way of getting it all accomplished.

In this getting started guide, we’ll be going over all things WordPress SSH to get you started and familiar with how it operates.

More specifically I’ll be discussing:

  • What is SSH and when you’d use it.
  • How to setup SSH.
  • Accessing SSH.
  • Setting up a user for it.
  • Commands to perform SSH functions.
  • Differences between SSH, SFTP, and FTP.
  • Our hosting and SSH.
  • And more!

Though it looks like I’m trying to keep this under wraps (SSH can easily become confused with shhh), it’s no secret that by the time you get through this, you’ll be so comfortable knowing SSH that you can set it up and securely log in to your computer remotely.

You’ll also discover how the process can be simplified with good hosting.

Once you get the hang of SSH, you’ll see why it’s so popular and how remote access can make life easier for you (unlike some other things that are remote).

Dev Man looking under couch cushions.
Luckily, we’re not dealing with a lost TV remote.

So, What is SSH?

SSH is a UNIX-based command interface and protocol. It stands for ‘Secure Shell’ and is defined as a protocol for secure remote login and other secure network services over an insecure network.

It functions by using public-key cryptography for connection and authentication.

What this means is that you can use it to gain access to your WordPress website remotely from any computer.

It doesn’t matter where your site is hosted, as long as you have credentials to log in.

SSH is here to provide a secure login, to ensure nobody has access to your connection while you’re on it.

When you want to connect your server by using SSH, you just need two things:

  1. An interface
  2. Login Credentials

Something to keep in mind is if you’re running Linux or macOS, there is already an interface built into your operating system, so installing an SSH client isn’t necessary.

However, if you’re running Windows, you’ll have to install a client. More on that coming up…

Let’s Talk Client and Server

To establish an SSH, there are two components: a client and the corresponding server.

A client is an application that you’ll install on your computer to connect with another computer (aka — server).

The client uses the remote host information to initiate a connection and, when the credentials are verified, establishes the encrypted connection.

Meanwhile, on the server-side, there’s a component defined as SSH daemon that is regularly listening to a specific TCP/IP port for potential client connection requests.

When a client initiates a connection, the SSH daemon will reply with the software and the protocol versions it supports.

Then, the two will exchange their identification data. If all is well and the credentials pan out, SSH creates a new session for the appropriate environment.

It’s almost as if the client and server were passing each other a briefcase. Any crook getting in between that wants to get into the briefcase can’t, because they don’t have a key.

This keeps the items in the briefcase secure until the client opens it up with a key, and is able to pass things back and forth securely.

When Do You Need To Use SSH?

With cloud servers becoming increasingly popular and affordable, more and more clients favor the use of a cloud server for their website.

That makes SSH the most commonly used tool to handle tasks of various degrees on cloud servers.

Some examples of when SSH might be used are when a developer sets up a web server for a website of a client, or to possibly deploy source code to a production server.

Prerequisites For SSH

Before you can establish a secure remote desktop protocol with a remote machine, there are some requirements.

Here is the checklist:

Ensure you have the necessary permissions to access the remote computer.
The Firewall settings have to allow a remote connection.
Have the IP address or the name of the remote machine you want to connect up to.
The remote computer has to be turned on and have a network connection.
Client and server applications need to be installed and enabled.

Of course, to check some of these items off, you’ll need to know how to get set up in the first place.

On that note, here are…

The Key(s) To Getting Started

You will have to set up SSH correctly to ensure you’re able to login to the cloud server from your local computer.

So, how do we go about doing that?

As I mentioned, if you have a Linux or macOS, a pair of public and private keys are already built into your operating system.

If you’re Windows-based, you’ll need to install a client to get started.

It’s free and easy to do. It’s just a matter of downloading a client to your system.

There are a lot of free open source software options out there for Windows, such as PuTTY, SuperPuTTY, and PuTTYtray. Download whichever option you prefer, and then you’re ready to move forward.

They’re all a bit different. For example, Absolute Telnet is designed strictly for Windows and not for Linux. Whereas, eSSH Client is designed for both.

Example of SSH clients.
Example of SSH clients. (Source: Wikipedia)

You can take a look at more comparisons and see what works best for you.

SSH Set Up

To get set up, we’ll need to generate the public and private keys pair.

In this example, I’m on a Mac OS, so I’ll be doing this from Terminal. The Terminal is located in Applications>Utilities>Terminal.

Once there, we will run this command:

ssh-keygen -t rsa

In this command, the -t option will allow you to specify what type of key to create. It’s typical to use RSA.

RSA is one of the earliest public-key cryptosystems and is widely used in secure data transmissions.

RSA is here by default, so there is nothing to change unless you specify something else.

Enter file in which to save the key (/Users/demo/.ssh/id_rsa):

Now you’ll enter the path where you’d like to store the public and private key pairs. On Mac OS X, typically they’re saved in the user’s home directory. However, save it anyplace you’d like.

Once you have it saved, next up is to enter a passphrase.

If you’re running this for the first time, keep it as the default value.

Enter passphrase (empty for no passphrase):

Type in a password to protect your private key. This is the password you’ll need to enter each time you access the private key.

If you don’t want a password, you can keep it empty.

Enter same passphrase again:

You’ll next confirm your password.

Once you do that, your identification is saved and you’ll get a confirmation and the key’s randomart image will appear on the line below.

Example of randomart
Example of the key’s randomart image that will appear after successfully creating a key.

It will also tell you where the public and private key is saved to above the image.

An example of the public key would be /Users/demo/.ssh/id_rsa.pub and /Users/demo/.ssh/id_rsa for the private key.

You’re moving right along now with SSH. You have your key, passcode, and the information stored in a location on your computer.

Note: If you’re on Windows, search online for “generate ssh keys windows” and you will get a list of tutorials showing you how to do this.

Here, for example, is one that came up for manually generating ssh keys in Windows using PuTTY.

Okay, What’s In Store Next?

Glad you asked. We need to ‘store’ the public key to the cloud server, so you can allow users access to your website.

Your hosting company should have an admin section for you to upload the public key. Every cloud service will be different, so you may have to reach out to yours for specific information on where to do this.

Since we offer hosting here at WPMU DEV, I’ll show you how to do this through our hosting service.

(P.S. We’ll be going over hosting later in this article.)

We make it simple and easy to store the public key and allow users access.

With our hosting, you’ll log in to your WPMU DEV account and go to The Hub 2.0, click on your website, and then click the Hosting tab.

The hub hosting tab.
My website’s hosting area in The Hub.

You’ll see a bunch of tabs appear beneath. Click on SFTP/SSH.

This will give you the option to add an SFTP or SSH user. Click Add User.

Add SSH user image.

Once you hit Add User, you’ll have a choice between SFTP or SSH.

SFTP User and SSH User options.
SFTP User and SSH User options.

Tough choice, huh?

If you’re wondering what the difference between an SFTP user and SSH user is, here is some clarification.

SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) is a file transfer protocol that is built upon the SSH transport layer. It’s used to securely move large amounts of data over any given internet connection.

Of course, we defined it earlier, but just to refresh, SSH is a protocol that allows you to connect securely to a remote computer or server by using a text-based interface.

Similarities Between SSH and SFTP

With SFTP, the protocol can’t exist without SSH, making SSH the binding agent that lets SFTP transfer files securely. Most SSH servers include SFTP capabilities, however, not all SFTP servers support SSH actions and commands.

Differences?

They’re both used to transfer information securely, but unlike SFTP, SSH can exist on its own.

Many applications for SSH are remote command-line, remote command execution, and log in.

SFTP provides secure file access, file management, and file transfer over a data stream.

Alright, now that you know the differences, you can choose accordingly what type of user you’d like to add.

We’re going to stick with SSH for this tutorial.

Once you click on SSH User, a screen pops up with additional information to add for a new SSH user.

Screen to add a new SSH User.
Screen to add a new SSH User.

Here, you set up a Username, Password, Path Restriction (optional), and Environment.

In the Password section, you have the option of using a Public Key that we went over earlier (/Users/demo/.ssh/id_rsa.pub). Or, you can create your own password.

In the Path Restriction area, you can add restrictions for wp-content, Plugins, or Themes. By default, it’s on None.

Path restrictions dropdown.
Path restrictions dropdown.

In the Environment area, we’ll select Production.

After you get the information entered, your Users will appear on the SFTP/SSH dashboard.

It shows the Username, Environment, Type (e.g. SSH), Path Restrictions, and SSH Connection Info.

SSH users image.
Where your Users will appear.

From this point, your users will have SSH access.

You can change your password and edit the user however you’d like in this area.

When you’re ready to log in, the Connection Info is where you can copy and paste the user name for configuration.

Connection info for SSH.
Quick configuration screen.

You would then paste or type this into your Terminal. After that, it will prompt you to enter a password.

If the username and password are correct, you’ll have access and a screen similar to the one below will appear.

WPMU DEV login screen for SSH.
What a successful login looks like.

You can now use commands and perform functions.

Setting up an SFTP User is similar to SSH. Just follow the prompts and, like our above example, it will then appear in your dashboard once successfully set up.

Connecting Client and Server

Now that you’re set up, refer back to our checklist at the beginning of this article. If you have your remote machine and your own computer set up with SSH, you should be in business!

To operate a remote machine, SSH is performed by commands. There are numerous command capabilities that you can use. Here’s a rundown…

SSH Commands

You can run certain commands from one computer on a remote machine. This will enable you to copy files, list files in a certain directory, move files, and more.

This is more advanced and will require getting to know the commands and what ones do what.

However, once you know what each command does, you can then operate a system remotely with them.

Several examples of commands are:

ls will display the details of the files, such as the modified date and time, size, and permissions.

Cd is used to change directories. It will take you to the new directory and the command line indicates where you are.

Mkdir will create a new directory.

There are a lot of popular commands in SSH. A list of commands that are allowed with WPMU DEV hosting can be found on our SFTP & SSH information page.

It will be necessary for you to know commands if you’re going to be the one working with a computer remotely.

There are cheat sheets out there that can give you more insight and examples of what commands can do.

Something to keep in mind is SSH is a pretty powerful tool, so if you DO create commands, you have to be careful or you could break your site.

You can add and delete files, so if you enter a wrong command, you could lose content.

Be sure to backup your website before using commands and get familiar with how they function.

SSH and FTP

You may have heard about FTP as a method of transferring information remotely.

So, what’s the difference between SSH and FTP?

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is a standard network protocol that is used to transfer files between a client and a server on a data network. File transfer connections are (typically) initiated by an FTP client and responded to by an FTP server.

Then, when authenticated, a connection occurs between the client and the server.

Any files and folders can be transferred to either direction between the connected computers.

How FTP works.
An example of how FTP works.

It’s different from SSH for several reasons.

SSH is vastly more secure. When FTP was designed, network security wasn’t as important as it is today.

It wasn’t created to be secure and offers no protection for the privacy or integrity of the files that are being transferred. So, information can easily be intercepted.

And if you’re great at using Unix commands, then SSH is probably going to be your best choice. That being said, with FTP, you can use any favorite editor for file editing.

Also, for speed, SSH is quicker.

With FTP, you need to download files to your PC and then upload it to the server using FTP.

With SSH, getting files from server to server with commands is fast, once you learn what commands do what. You can download a library within seconds.

So, for a secure transfer of information, speed, and reliability, SSH is typically the best option.

There’s Never Been a Better Time To Try Our Hosting

I told you we’d talk hosting, and here it is…

As I showed you earlier in this article, setting up SSH with our hosting, it’s an easy way of doing it in The Hub 2.0.

Plus, with our hosting, we offer 24/7 support, our award-winning premium plugins, advanced releases on updates, and much more!

I mention specifically our hosting because this April we’re celebrating Hosting Month!

Yes, it’s a thing. And you can try our hosting for 3-months for FREE.

BTW: We’re also giving away a total of $10K in WPMU DEV credits!

I could go on and on about this big event, so the best thing to do is read all about it here and enter our giveaway at the bottom of this article.

Be sure to join the fun on our social media, too. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

We’re having an amazing caption contest this month that’s part of our $10K giveaway and always have tons of other shenanigans socially.

We’ll Fini(SSH) With This…

Now that you’ve dabbled in SSH, you can securely set up your website remotely and have it worked on without being there.

As you can see, it IS like magic!

Okay, in this day and age, maybe I won’t go that far. However, it is a great option for working on your WordPress site remotely.

Add in a dusting of great hosting (waving hand) and you’ll be in good SSH-ape — and I’ll stop with the play on words.

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How To Reduce Your TTFB and Boost WordPress Page Speed

In this age of instant gratification, nobody likes to wait. This includes search engines and website visitors. Reducing the TTFB (time to first byte) of your WordPress site is essential to keep it ranking well and ensuring visitors don’t click away. Find out why in this article.

In today’s article, I’ll be going into detail on why TTFB is important, as well as the differences between TTFB and loading time.

I’ll also show you how to diagnose why your speed isn’t up to snuff, and improve TTFB with the help (wink, wink) of our hosting and Hummingbird plugin.

By the end, you’ll have a good idea of what you can do to ensure your viewers (or Google) aren’t impatiently tapping their fingers waiting for your website to load.

So WTH(eck) is TTFB?

Though it sounds like a text acronym, such as TTYL, TY, or TBD — it’s much more than that.

Fastest TTFB WordPress with Dev Man.
Please do not confuse TTFB with a text.

TTFB is a metric that determines when a user’s browser receives the first byte of data from your server.

A web page cannot render for any user until their browser receives that data. In a nutshell, if it’s too slow, your user may click away – thus affecting the UX, and the SEO of your site.

It’s also a way to troubleshoot a slow website by measuring how fast your website starts loading in a certain location, or with a variety of settings.

TTFB is composed of three main parts:

  1. The time needed to send an HTTP request
  2. Connection time
  3. The time needed to get the first byte of a web page
How TTFB basically works.
How TTFB basically works. (Image source: https://varvy.com/pagespeed/ttfb.html)

The calculation of TTFB in networking also includes network latency in measuring the length of time it takes for loading.

Many people use this reading as a way to test server speed. This works, but it’s only part of the big picture.

With a CMS (content management system) like WordPress, the server must do all CMS computations necessary to produce content.

The PHP service has to load your MySQL database, retrieve content, do a calculation for the appropriate HTML output, and finally return it to the site’s visitor. Whew!

So, if you have a lagging CMS, those steps can take time and you might get back some pretty awful TTFB results. And that doesn’t always mean your hosting server is sluggish.

Many factors can affect your TTFB. With WordPress, often it’s outdated plugins, old themes, or clunky ads that can impact performance.

To Be, or Not to TTFB

The next question you might be asking yourself is: “Is TTFB really that important?”

Well to start with, fast loading times and speed are important for SEO (btw, there’s a difference between load time and TTFB, which I’ll get to next). A quicker website can also increase conversions.

Plus, Google has made some big algorithm changes in the past few years that emphasize speed. So, yes — TTFB is important.

Of course, it’s not the only factor when it comes to making your WordPress website more efficient.

Quality content, design, simplicity, location, and other variables can affect the quality and rank of your site.

But, for usability, SERPs, and to stay ahead of the game, it’s important to be aware of TTFB and to monitor it. And lastly, keep it in good standings.

Get a Load of This

One thing to note about TTFB is that it shouldn’t be confused with load times. As they are two very different things.

As already mentioned, TTFB is when a user’s browser receives the first byte of data from your server.

Load time, on the other hand, is described as how long a specific page took to load in its entirety. That goes for all of the CSS, images, scripts, and any third-party resources.

Of course, this means that load time takes longer than TTFB. After all, there’s a lot more to the process than just the time it takes to connect the first byte of data from a server.

In a sense, TTFB is more “behind the scenes” before you see the big picture.

Having a Good Time (To First Byte)?

Now that we know what TTFB is… the next step is knowing what type of website speed you should be aiming for.

In the latest v5 PageSpeed API, the TTFB has only a pass or fail option. Anything above 600 ms will fail and anything below 600 ms will pass.

There are quite a few ways to test your TTFB time with tools such as Sucuri, GTmetrix, and our very own Hummingbird (which we’ll be discussing in detail soon).

But Whoah! Sloooow Down a Minute…

Say you run a report and, uh-oh, your TTFB is slow…

First, it’s a matter of figuring out the underlying problem of what’s causing it.

There are several factors behind why your TTFB usually isn’t up to par.

The main culprits are:

  • The amount of traffic
  • Web server configuration
  • Dynamic content creation
  • Network problems
  • Inefficient code on the origin server
  • Database design that results in slow queries
  • An origin server that has reached its capacity
What causes slow TTFB.
A few reasons can be the cause behind slow TTFB. (Image source: https://varvy.com/pagespeed/ttfb.html)

How To Get Up To Speed

As you can see, there are a variety of reasons why the TTFB might not be up to speed. Some of the reasons you have more control over than others.

One area you DON’T have control over is visitors to your website.

It’s great to have a ton of visitors (yay!). However, that can also lead to servers buckling under pressure and your TTFB takes a hit.

Another example is dynamic content creation. This on the other hand, is a factor that you DO have control over.

WordPress pages are dynamic, and a few things have to occur between the time it receives a request and when it offers a response.

You can look at it like this: static content is quickly handed over, and dynamic content needs to be built by getting php files and interacting with a database before it’s handed over.

Static and dynamic differences TTFB.
A few differences between static and dynamic. (Image source: https://varvy.com/pagespeed/ttfb.html)

This is a lot. It can take thousands of interactions to build just one page. And this process happens every time the page is called by a browser.

And it can be a big contributing factor that grinds TTFB to a halt.

Cache Me If You Can

A great way to fix this is to provide cached versions of your pages.

Website caching is used because it provides a much better experience for your visitors. It does this by saving a static copy of your site, and therefore your site will load much more quickly.

The most efficient way of doing this is choosing a great host and installing a caching plugin.

Humming To a New Tune (Up)

This is where our plugin Hummingbird can help.

Hummingbird plugin image.
Hummingbird is here to save the day!

Hummingbird provides an efficient page, browser, RSS, full-page and Gravatar caching.

Beyond that, it scans your site for potential speed improvements and helps improve your Google PageSpeed Insights score (and more).

It’s a great tool to analyze the WHY behind your site being slow, and recommendations on how to fix it in a full audit and report.

So, when it comes time for faster TTFB, Hummingbird can tell you exactly where you’re at.

Let’s Take a Quick Look at How You Can Check Your TTFB with Hummingbird

When you activate the plugin, the first thing you’ll want to do is run a test. You can do this in just several clicks and in about a minute.

From the dashboard under Hummingbird, click on Performance Test. From this point, click on New Test.

Hummingbird running a performance test.
Hummingbird performing a test.

It takes only a few moments for her to run the test and get you the results.

Hummingbird test results.
The results from the performance test.

This test will show you all the areas that can be improved upon, how to do it, and also all of the audits that passed. From this, you get a score out of 100. With this run, my site scored a 96. Not too bad.

Our concern today is TTFB results, so let’s check that out.

After running the test, click on Audits.

From there you’ll see all of the audits. Just scroll down until you see the TTFB audit.

It gives a dropdown to show you any detailed information in an overview, what the score is, and if you need to improve.

TTFB audit by Hummingbird.
A look at the TTFB report on Hummingbird.

As you can see, our TTFB scored 100 and took 540 ms.

Nice!

With a 5-star rating and over 100,000 downloads, Hummingbird is completely free. However, if you’re really serious about optimizing your site, there’s also Hummingbird Pro which comes with a WPMU DEV membership.

Also, this plugin works great with our other performance plugin Smush.

Smush plugin.

Smush optimizes your images by turning on lazy load, resizing, compressing, and improving your Google Page Speed — which helps with TTFB.

With Smush Pro, you can also decrease TTFB with its Content Delivery Network (CDN).

That means, if you have a WordPress site that’s serving visitors in many places across the globe, this can reduce your TTFB significantly.

Turn On, Tune (Plugin), Drop Out

Something else to keep in mind is to drop old outdated plugins and update essential ones.

The quality of your plugins can significantly impact your TTFB (Hummingbird will let you know about them). They can cause your WordPress site to become slow.

Also, unnecessary plugins can be canned. If they’re not necessary for your site, just get rid of them.

Get The Most Out Of Your Host

Last but not least, a great way to reduce TTFB is by choosing an excellent WordPress host.

By using a faster host, you can see a 20% decrease (or more) in TTFB globally, and a 32% decrease in TTFB across the United States and Canada.

Also, to ensure that you have the latest version of PHP, good hosting is important.

Combining a fast host with a well developed WordPress site can drastically improve your TTFB score.

This is another area we can help with our own WMPU DEV hosting. You see, with us there’s no shared hosting and no shared IPs. This keeps your site completely isolated and separated from any other sites.

It also includes object caching by default. Our hosting is optimized for WordPress and blazing fast, which is exactly what helps lower your – you guessed it — TTFB.

Plus, if you weren’t already aware, we’ve officially labeled April #HostingMonth, and to celebrate we’re giving away a cool $10K WPMU DEV credit!

Subscribe to our blog using the form below this article (you can’t miss it!) to automatically get yourself in the draw – and check out our announcement post for more about our giveaways.

We’re also offering new members 3-month FREE WPMU DEV trials. Giving you a plethora of time to test out our hosting, and everything else a membership has to offer if you’re not signed up yet.

*Unlock your 3 month free trial coupon here.

TTFB (Time To Finish Blog)

With all that I’ve gone over in this post, you can see that when it comes to achieving a faster website, there are quite a few solutions, including:

  • Effective caching
  • Keeping your PHP up to date
  • Choosing a great hosting provider
  • And more!

All of these help with improving (and keeping) and good TTFB score and scoring big with rankings — and visitors. Plus, it’s fairly simple to get TTFB in a good range with all of the tools provided here.

TTFB isn’t the only factor for SEO and won’t alone earn you a top spot on the SERPs, but slower speeds will prevent you from ranking higher. So, optimizing your site for peak performance is always a win.

I won’t keep you waiting any longer. Go for it and get your site’s TTFB up to speed.

TTYL.

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Address To Impress: 9 Of The Best WordPress Email Marketing Plugins

Email marketing is tough. What to include? When do you send them out? How do you come across as non-Spammy McSpam? With so much to think about, often design and functionality are overlooked. Luckily, with the help of an email marketing plugin, you can get assistance with automation, visuals, organization, and much more.

Before we get started, you should know that all of these email marketing plugins have terrific reviews, thousands of users (sometimes millions), and are up-to-date.

They also cover the full spectrum; from opting-in, to helping you create long-term loyal subscribers.

By the end of this article you’ll hopefully be able to identify the subtle differences between them all, and know which will work best for your list.

Plus, I’ll be going over what to look for in a good email marketing plugin, and various email service providers.

It will then be up to you, fellow email marketer, to decide which plugin to try.

Soon, you’ll be delivering your email more efficiently than your local postal service (if they ever delivered mail digitally, that is).

Dev Man email marketing plugins.
Not the best way to deliver mail on your computer.

What All Good Email Marketing Plugins Should Address

Some plugins can send a newsletter directly within WordPress, others have very attractive opt-in forms, and some offer easy customization.

So… what do you look for when deciding?

A few questions you can ask yourself are:

  • Will this work for the purpose I want it to?
  • Is this something I can set up on my own, or will I need someone else to do it for me?
  • Will the free version work? If not, how much of a budget do I have for an email marketing plugin?

Also, look at the reviews — both positive and negative. All of the plugins featured in this post have a 4.5-star or above-average reviews, which is great!

But still, dig around a bit more at some of the negative remarks. You can also ask questions on each plugin’s method of communication, whether that be with support, a public forum, or live chat.

Plus, considering these are all free, test them out first. You will discover your likes and dislikes — ultimately leading to a comfortable decision when deciding on what plugin to use.

From there, you may feel more inclined to upgrade to any pro options, if needed.

Time to Deliver

Here are nine amazing free email marketing plugins. Even though they’re all free, all offer upgrade options for advanced features. Included is a price range of the premium costs. Depending on your use, an upgrade may, or may not, be needed.

Luckily, none of these require any postage.

  • HubSpot

    The HubSpot all-in-one marketing plugin includes all of the essentials. Everything from the striking responsive newsletters, automation, pop-ups, and more makes this plugin a distinctive choice compared to many others. This plugin is perfectly tailored to grow businesses. Plus, it has over 100K users and a 4.5 average star rating. Spot-on!

    Key Features:

    • Easily create responsive newsletters to distribute to your contact database with their drag and drop email builder. You can build your own or select from over 20 pre-designed templates.
    • You can send automated emails when a visitor to your WordPress site fills out a form or sends you a live chat message. Beyond that, all emails are automatically logged in your CRM and keep track of open and click rates.
    • Feature attractive forms & popups on your site with their drag and drop builder. Or, you can integrate with other WordPress forms and popup builders.
    • The analytics are built-in to make it easy to understand which sales and marketing actions are successful and which ones require some more work.

    Premium Price Range:

    The email plugin is free to download and use for up to 2,000 email sends per month. Upgrades are available starting at $50 and up to $3200 per month when billed annually.

  • Hustle

    Hustle by WPMU DEV is our free email, social share, popup, and opt-in marketing plugin. Hustle allows you to quickly grow your email lists with popups, slide-ins, widgets, and shortcodes.

    This is a perfect plugin for individuals, growing businesses, or any company that wants to dance their way to having effective email marketing. It’s groovin’ to over 80K downloads and a 4.5 average user review.

    Key Features:

    • Simply integrates with all of the popular email services when you connect your account. You can then create automated email campaigns, welcome messages, or add to a specific list when a user opts-in.
    • A groovy smart exit-intent that detects when visitors are about to leave your site. It will then display a pop-up or slide-in to grab their attention.
    • It can breakdance around the block. Your pop-ups and slide-ins will still work around ad blockers.
    • You can easily measure performance and results with three metrics that help you make better marketing decisions; including stats on form displays, forms submitted, and conversion rates.

    Premium Price Range:

    You can get advanced features with Hustle Pro. It includes 24/7 support and other premium plugins with a WPMU DEV membership. Try it FREE for 7 days. After that, membership is only $49/m for everything (including hosting)!

  • Sendinblue

    Sendinblue Subscribe Form and WP SMTP is another all-in-one email marketing plugin.

    Everything is easy to use, clear, and organized. You can get a nice email newsletter set up in just minutes.

    It has advanced capabilities to handle small, midsize, and big businesses looking to enhance their email marketing efforts. Plus, they offer support and are regularly updated.

    It can’t be blue considering it has over 50K users and 4.5-star average reviews.

    Key Features:

    • Subscription forms that allow you to customize accordingly and integrate them into your pages, posts, or sidebars.
    • You can manage your contact lists with segmentation, which will enhance your campaign performance.
    • Email marketing campaigns are delivered with beautiful newsletters. They’re all mobile-friendly and are created with a drag and drop builder with your own customization or their template library.
    • Automation enabling in WordPress that will auto-install the script on your website.

    Premium Price Range:

    This plugin does use Sendinblue’s API to synchronize contacts, send emails, and get stats. The free plan is for up 300 emails per day, otherwise, you’ll need to upgrade. Various plans start at $25 to $66+ per month.

  • MC4WP: MailChimp for WordPress

    MC4WP: MailChimp for WordPress by ibericode is made specifically to help grow your MailChimp lists and create better newsletters.

    Their attractive opt-in forms integrate with any existing form on your WordPress site; specifically your comment, contact, or checkout form.

    If you’re currently using MailChimp for your email lists, it’s a great option that’s catered to their service. This chimp comes in with a solid 5-star review and over a million downloads!

    Key Features:

    • Install attractive signup forms that are quick and easy to set up and use with your MailChimp account. It takes less than a minute to sync your MailChimp account and get up and running.
    • You can integrate with numerous other plugins, such as Ninja Form 7, BuddyPress, WPForms, MemberPress, Events Manager, and WooCommerce.
    • They have a knowledge base that is updated daily.
    • It’s developer-friendly for adding additional code snippets and customizing.

    Premium Price Range:

    You’ll need a MailChimp account, which is also free for a list of up to 2000 subscribers. There is an upgrade option with this plugin that features multiple forms, advanced e-commerce integration for WooCommerce, email notifications, and more. The price range for upgrading begins at $59 to $149 per year.

    Interested in MC4WP: MailChimp for WordPress?

    Details

  • Newsletter

    Newsletter by Stefano Lissa & The Newsletter Team is a newsletter and email marketing plugin for list building, tracking emails, and is easy to use.

    Once you have it installed, it’s practically ready to go. The main feature is the drag and drop builder. You can easily arrange your newsletters with this feature and provide attractive results.

    With over 300K downloads and average 4.5-star reviews, it makes this plugin news(letter) worthy.

    Key Features:

    • You can have unlimited subscribers without having to resort to email service (e.g. MailChimp). They’re all updated directly in your WordPress dashboard.
    • There is an unlimited amount of newsletters you can send that include tracking.
    • There’s customization with the opt-in feature. You can choose single, double opt-in, and even a privacy checkbox for EU laws compliance.
    • It is compatible with every SMTP plugin.

    Premium Price Range:

    There are premium options that include one-to-one support, WooCommerce integration, reports, and more. The costs for premium starts at $65 to $249 per year.

  • MailPoet

    MailPoet is a marketing plugin that provides sign up forms for newsletters, subscriptions, and emails.

    What’s nice about this plugin is that you can schedule your newsletters, send them right away, or automate it to send notifications whenever there’s a new blog post.

    The plugin was developed in 2011 and trusted by over 100K poets and has a 4.5-star average review.

    Key Features:

    • The newsletter subscription options are nice to have when you’re looking for ease and automation.
    • Everything is based on WordPress and can be synced with a 3rd party email provider.
    • Includes a free WooCommerce email customizer.
    • You can view audience engagement and more. Stats provide open rates, unsubscribes, and all the vital information for your email campaigns.

    Premium Price Range:

    Free for the first 1000 subscribers. After that, you can upgrade for as low as $13 to $292+ per month (depending on the number of emails).

  • Ninja Forms

    Ninja Forms by Saturday Drive delivers a knockout plugin for email marketing. It coins itself as the most user-friendly WordPress contact form builder — and it might be right.

    The easy to use drag and drop fields make creative a complex looking form quick to create. It’s an extremely up-to-date plugin and packs a punch with over a million downloads and a 4.5-star average rating.

    Key Features:

    • The drag and drop form builder is easy to use and perfect for someone with not much knowledge on using WordPress.
    • There are over 27 different field types for forms, which makes creating them to suit your needs very obtainable.
    • Unlimited forms and form submissions.
    • You can export and import forms as needed.

    Premium Price Range:

    You can upgrade as needed with a ton of options that start as low as $29 to $499 per year. Some of the upgrades include the ability to accept payments, user management login, advanced analytics, and more.

  • SendPress

    SendPress is another easy to set up email marketing plugin that’s extremely customizable. You can arrange the subscription widget, page, or custom form exactly how you would like.

    It’s perfect for anyone wanting to grow their email lists and has the essentials; such as single and double opt-in, analytics, and newsletter templates.

    Though it has fewer downloads so far than the rest (8k), it’s updated regularly and is a great option to press-out your email marketing.

    Key Features:

    • You can have unlimited subscribers and unlimited responsive newsletters with tracking.
    • Everything is code free. It has a simple editor to make editing a breeze.
    • Allows for single and double opt-in.
    • Tracking is included. You can track clicks, opens, unsubscribes, and more.

    Premium Price Range:

    You can always go PRO. Some of the pro features include API sending, custom HTML templates, spam score, and one year of updates. It starts at $39 to $399 per year.

  • Email Subscribers & Newsletters

    Email Subscribers & Newsletters by Icegram does a ton as a free plugin. It was specifically created to suit the needs of regular bloggers, website owners, marketers, and developers.

    In a nutshell, it has everything you need to build email lists and market out to them. Plus, you can subscribe to the fact that they have over 100K installations and a 4.5-star average review.

    Key Features:

    • You can create unlimited broadcasts, post notifications, email templates, and form.
    • There is a subscription spam check with domain blacklists. A good feature to keep your email lists in good standings.
    • The choice between single or double opt-in plus a privacy checkbox.
    • There is an HTML editor to create broadcasts and post notifications

    Price Range:

    They have pro options that have extras; such as premium email, high security, autoresponders, and more. If you want to upgrade, their pro version is quite affordable. It starts at $9 to $10.75 per month.

    Interested in Email Subscribers & Newsletters?

    Details

Getting Good Email Service Is Not a Disservice

At this point, you’ve now seen some plugins that can work and you’ve either started or are about to start an email marketing campaign for your site. However, how do you go about picking the best email marketing software? Hmm…

There are lots of decisions when it comes to picking an email company to work with. You want to feel at ease knowing your email lists are in good hands.

Some good reputable companies, such as MailChimp, AWeber, and Constant Contact, all have the essentials. However, there are also many other options out there.

There are a few key things to look for in email software:

  • Automation: Make sure that the automation provided will work for your needs.
  • Campaigns: There should be options to support a wide variety of email types. That includes newsletters, autoresponders, and A/B tests.
  • Editing: You want to be able to edit your email templates easily, so a good drag and drop visual editor is best for this. Anything that eliminates coding and makes it simple.
  • Support: Make sure the support they offer is effective. Check for support like live chat, phone, and email and learn of their options.
  • Integration: Ensure that you can integrate with whatever plugin you decide works best for your WordPress site.

Having an email software provider is nice to have beyond just using the WordPress dashboard. It’s a way to ensure your lists are stored in a safe place and can be organized more efficiently.

Signed, Sealed, Dev-livered

When developing your email marketing strategy, there is a lot to consider. Hopefully, these options presented to you today will help narrow down some specific plugins that will work well for your needs. Also, I hope you have some good ideas for an email marketing company that will work well, too.

To deliver the goods, consider signing up for our 7-day free premium trial and get access to all of our plugins (including our email marketer, Hustle), 24/7 support, security, blazing-fast hosting, and tons more.

It’s vital to have a WordPress email marketing plugin to help increase and update subscribers. Once subscribed, keep them from opting out by delivering great content, attractive newsletters, quality emails, and — yeah — not being a Spammy McSpam.

Soon, your email marketing will be tough to beat and earn a stamp of approval.

Posted on

Page Parenting Guide: How To Set Up An Index of WordPress Child Pages

Creating child pages in WordPress is simple to do. The only problem is, creating a child page doesn’t do anything for the front end of your blog and your viewers. You can’t just easily check a box or two and display child pages automatically on the parent page. This leaves your homepage, well… childless. Read on for the simple solution.

Parental Guidance Recommended

This article is rated PG, meaning that — like a parent — I’ll be offering some guidance on how you can better index your child pages with the help of some free WordPress plugins.

More specifically, showing you how to get a list of Child Pages to appear both on a Parent Page, and also in your sidebar.

By the time you read this article, you’ll have a nice idea of several options to set up your WordPress site and child pages.

From there you’ll be able to make a grown-up decision on what works best.

Having an option to showcase your child pages on your website is important if you have some vital information that you want prominently displayed.

Why?

If you don’t, many viewers might not realize a lot of what you want them to see is accessible.

If child pages are in the future for you, your life, er — website — is about to change.

Dev Man and Child Page for WordPress.
Is a super child (page) in Dev Man’s future?

Good Parenting Means Good Plugins

Like a good parent, a good plugin can raise your child pages to be well-displayed.

Not only that, but they can also simplify the process, assist with customization, and – as you’ll see – much more.

These free child page plugins each have various features and benefits. I’ll be going over all of them in detail.

Plus, I have a “bonus” plugin that I’ll mention that deals with a child of a different magnitude.

  • CC Child Pages

    CC Child Pages by Caterham Computing is a simple plugin that can display child pages on your homepage with a shortcode.

    It’s so easy to use, even a child can add child pages to their WordPress website.

    Everything is achieved by using a shortcode. The shortcode is relatively simple and can be used wherever you’d like the child pages to appear (e.g. the homepage).

    Child pages code.
    Example of child pages shortcode.

    The child pages are displayed in responsive boxes, which include a page title, excerpt, and even a “Read more…” link.

    I like how you can choose your layout with this plugin. It can be 1, 2, 3 or 4 columns.

    If you choose to go with a three or four-column layout, it will resize to two columns on mobile devices, which makes them easy to read when viewing on the go.

    CC Child pages one column example.
    Example of a one-column layout.

    You can also choose the depth of pages to be displayed. All of this can be configured as a widget in the Sidebar area.

    CC Child Pages sidebar.
    As you can see, there are a lot of options. This is where you can add the shortcode, exclude pages, show siblings pages, and choose the depth.

    Once you have edited it how you’d like, it’s ready to go! You just paste the shortcode wherever you want to display it on your site.

    CC Child Pages example.
    Another example of what it can look like on your website.

    Though there’s not a ton of customization options, the simplicity of this plugin makes it efficient and does the job.

    With over 10,000 downloads and a solid 5-star review, this plugin has what it takes to add your child pages to your WordPress site.

    Interested in CC Child Pages?

    Details

  • Advanced Sidebar Menu

    Advanced Sidebar Menu by OnPoint Plugins is another basic and easy to use free plugin for child pages on your site.

    It uses the parent and child relationship of your WordPress pages or categories and generates menus in specific areas.

    You just assign a page or category to a parent and the plugin does the rest for you.

    This plugin has solid reviews along with good support.

    Let’s check it out!

    To set it up, it’s all located in the widgets area from your dashboard.

    Advanced Sidebar categories.
    Advanced categories menu.

    Here you can add a title, display the highest level parent category, display menu, and use built-in styling.

    Everything is located here and there are no additional places to customize.

    Once you have configured it the way you want, it’s ready to go.

    Advanced Sidebar example.
    Example of what the child pages on your website can look like.

    It is as simple as that.

    There’s not much when it comes to additional customization, but like our previous plugin, it might not be necessary to suit your needs.

    They have an option to Go Pro, which features advanced styling, priority support, custom link text, excluding pages, and more.

    However, for just the basics, the free version does the trick.

    Though there are not many advanced options, if you have some CSS knowledge, you can customize as much as you’d like in your theme’s style sheet.

    This plugin is great when it comes to including a clean and usable menu for child pages.

    It’s nice to be able to feature only what you want and have full control over your options. Plus, the ease of use makes for a quick fix when adjusting your website.

    Interested in Advanced Sidebar Menu?

    Details

  • Content Views - Post Grid & List for Wordpress

    The Content Views – Post Grid & List for WordPress by Content Views is a fantastic option for anyone looking for an extremely easy fix for adding child pages or grids for posts.

    It’s a well-updated plugin that’s 100% responsive and mobile-friendly. I love how you can customize almost every aspect of the pages; including arranging by keyword, images, recent pages, and more.

    The layout of this plugin in your dashboard is a breeze to figure out.

    It gives you an option for either a page or post right in the dashboard under Content Type.

    Everything is clearly labeled and you can quickly set up your child pages however you’d like.

    From the dashboard, you can choose what to include, exclude, and limit. There are also more advanced options for sorting and display.

    Content View new child page.
    The dashboard for adding a new view for a child page or post.

    The Display Settings has all the options you need for setting it up the way you want it to look.

    You have options for layout, format, and field settings. It also goes as far as allowing you to set up excerpts, HTML tags, pagination, opening child pages in the current tab or a new tab, and more.

    Content View display settings.
    The display settings area.

    Once you have your child pages display all set up — you’re all set!

    There’s a simple shortcode to embed it into your website. You can use it in a widget or for a theme file. They give you both options.

    Content View options.
    Code options.

    When you save your new view, it’s listed on the dashboard. You can easily retrieve the code from there, too.

    Content Views shortcode.
    Views from the dashboard.

    Want to see it in action? Here is a quick set up I created from a basic WordPress website.

    Content Views preview.
    The child pages featured below the parent page.

    Like a lot of the other plugins, there is a Pro option. If you upgrade, you can get advanced customization options, more layouts, and options for Google Adsense.

    I found the free version suitable as-is. The clean layout, design, and ease of functionality make this a pretty amazing free plugin for child pages.

    Interested in Content Views - Post Grid & List for Wordpress?

    Details

  • Child Theme Configurator

    I told you I had a “bonus” — and this is it.

    The Child Theme Configurator by Lilaea Media is something else to consider. It goes beyond just pages and tackles child themes.

    I think it’s worth including because sometimes users want to edit a child theme. Or, you might not even be aware that this is an option for your WordPress site.

    And since we’re talking about child stuff, well…why not include it?

    Let’s dive in and take a look.

    Once uploaded into your dashboard, you have four options to choose from:

    • Creating a new child theme.
    • Configuring an existing child theme.
    • Duplicating an existing child theme.
    • Resetting an existing child theme.
    Child Theme configure dashboard.
    The child theme configurator.

    One great quality of this plugin is how it’s step-by-step. There’s no overly complicated language or confusion, making configuring very simple.

    Child Theme tab two.
    The next step is setting up a theme.

    You can customize however you’d like.

    Child Theme 4-5.

    This includes where to save the stylesheet, ensuring plugins work with specific themes, and verifying the theme directory.

    Child Theme section.
    Selecting parent theme stylesheet handling.

    This plugin has a lot to offer and it’s worth exploring for yourself if you’re interested in child themes.

    Child Theme example.
    The child theme example I set up.

    There is an upgrade option that includes customizable plugin stylesheets, quick preview, color palettes, new styles, adding child theme files, and tutorials.

    Depending on your skill level, it might be worth the upgrade. The free version is quite impressive as is.

    Interested in Child Theme Configurator?

    Details

Prefer To Take The Coding Route?

Now even though we’re mostly talking plugins in this article, with a little bit of coding knowledge, you don’t need a plugin to create child pages that are displayed on your homepage.

An example of this is adding the below code to your theme’s sidebar.php file.

Code for setting up child pages.

From there, you can edit accordingly by resizing, adding fonts, colors, etc.

Of course, if this is a bit too complicated and CSS isn’t your thing (by the way, we can help you with that), a plugin is the easiest way to go.

Plus, a plugin can give you more options for functionality, displays, and features.

(No) Problem Child

To avoid problems with your site’s viewers seeing your content, a great child page plugin will do the trick. As you can see, you have a lot of options.

Each plugin is uniquely different, but they all make setting up child pages on a parent page much easier than, let’s say, parenting.

And if you need babysitting, we have 24/7 support, hosting, and security to keep your WordPress site and child plugins in good hands.

Posted on

Prepare For Liftoff: Free Coming Soon and Launch WordPress Themes

The time is approaching. Soon, you’ll be launching something special and you need to tell the world about it. Installing a “Coming Soon” WordPress theme can do the trick. They’re a great tool for building audience anticipation before you officially hit that launch button. Today we’re reviewing some of our favorites.

The bad news is… most themes of this nature come at a cost. :(

The good news is… after scouring through the WordPress theme directory, we’ve uncovered a bunch of great free options you can use for your coming soon or launch page. :D

In each mini review we cover what’s good about each one, their specific options/features, and which one might work best for you.

Then, when you do launch — BOOM! — the sky’s the limit.

Plugin vs. Theme: Which One Launches You Higher?

Before we continue, I recently published an in-depth article that provides useful insights on using coming soon plugins.

Inside I explain why coming soon pages are important and test several plugins. It’s worth reading as it goes hand in hand with the article you’re reading now.

In general, there are much more WordPress coming soon plugins than there are themes out there – all with varying specific features.

And as you’ll see, many of these themes do require additional help with their suggested plugins. Still, these coming soon themes have a standalone purpose.

After all, a theme might be the better way to go if you’re looking for the complete layout of your website to be geared towards launching.

Plus, a theme can work well if you’re after a simple coming soon/launch landing page – meaning you don’t necessarily have to install a whole bunch of plugin add-ons.

Use Both Coming Soon Themes and Plugins For Best Results

In my experience, both work best in unison together.

A standalone coming soon or launch theme can also be enhanced with a great plugin. Likewise, practically any theme can benefit from having a coming soon plugin.

It’s what suits your purpose the most efficiently.

What’s For Launch?

By the way, launching goes way beyond just websites.

A coming soon theme can also be a great tool to promote events like: A wedding, a new restaurant, book launch, online course, and much more!

Point is, no matter what type of site you plan to launch, a coming soon theme (like the ones below) can help you.

I’ve downloaded and tested all of the following free coming soon and launch themes. You won’t find any ‘fake’ reviews that are based solely off the theme website or description.

Let’s go through these and help you pick one that’ll put your next event/website into orbit.

  • Event Press

    Event Press by Nayra Themes is a free announcement and counting down until the “big day” theme. What’s impressive is all of the essentials are set up for you.

    It’s suited for webinars, seminars, the launch of your website, and much more.

    Living up to its name, this theme can especially be beneficial for events. It has all the essentials to make your celebration go off without a hitch.

    Grab some punch and an hors d’oeuvre and let’s check out this event – er, EventPress.

    After activating it, all the customization options are immediately available to you. However, they recommend that you install the Evento plugin that works well with this theme.

    Evento is great for customizing your landing page for specific holidays and more.

    Evento plugin.
    Ugly Christmas sweater, anybody?

    Now, let’s get this party started and check it out.

     

    EventPress customization page.

    The layout is great on this theme to get ready for an announcement of any kind. You’re immediately able to add a relevant header image and text.

    Directly below that is where you can add your organizer or other relevant information.

    What’s convenient is you don’t need to have a separate contact form plugin or anything else with this theme. It’s already set up for you in their system.

    That way if anyone has any questions or comments, they can quickly contact you. As you can see, even if it’s a website dedicated to sending well wishes for, let’s say a wedding, hey — that’s fine, too!

    EventPress contact form.
    The EventPress contact form.

    And, of course, if you’re counting down; whether it be for an event, website launch, or anything else — their countdown timer is easy to configure and set up.

    EventPress countdown.

    Maybe you have a fundraising event and you need to raise some dough. You can include a donations section on your landing page and make it happen.

    This feature is included in their PRO version, so you would have to upgrade to include.

    EventPress contributions.
    Example of a contribution page.

    The Pro version includes some additional features and support. However, for the basics, the free version might do the trick. It has all the elements of a great coming soon theme.

    I like its easy to use layout, default options, and its overall functionality and design.

    This theme can kickstart your upcoming event, build your email lists, countdown, and works great as an all-in-one theme.

    To see this theme in action, be sure to check out their live demo.

  • The Launcher

    With a name like that, it has to be good, right? The Launcher by Access Keys might be the coming soon theme you need to propel your website up to new heights.

    This theme was created specifically for launching…anything. And it lives up to its name. You have options of different vibrant themes to choose from once activated (a theme within a theme within a theme).

    It’s great to have the variety, and you can customize however you’d like.

    Launcher coming soon theme options.
    Several of the themes to choose from.

    All of them look nice and are effective. It’s worth sampling a few of them with a demo to see which one works best for you.

    The theme packs a punch with the assistance of the Access Demo Importer plugin. It has an option to install and activate it immediately.

    Launcher access plugin.

    A countdown timer is a feature that’s always beneficial to any coming soon website. It lets your audience know exactly how long they will have to wait until “it” happens and helps build anticipation.

    This theme makes it extremely easy to set up a countdown timer on the sidebar.

    Launcher timer settings.
    Configuring the countdown timer area.

    Other than that, there are lots of customization options. You can change the background images, add a video, adjust the fonts, and plenty more options to play with.

    Launcher example.
    Example of the timer I set up. 93 weeks is a long wait…

    It works best as a landing page. Adding any additional bells and whistles beyond the essentials (e.g. a contact form, timer, etc.) takes the focus off its main purpose: launching.

    You can view several demos of this theme in their live demos.

  • Landing Pagency

    Landing Pagency by ThemeEverest is a simple theme that’s recommended if you’re a creative agency, consulting business, or startup.

    There’s not a ton of customization features (e.g. contact forms, countdown timer, etc.), but all the essentials can be accomplished with plugins.

    It comes with the blog prominent on the landing page. You can adjust everything to fit your needs for a coming soon page, product promo, or event.

    Its simplistic look might be exactly what you’re looking for and customization is simple.

    Landing Pagency customization.
    The customization screen.

    This theme has no recommended plugins to accompany it. For a pop-up, we recommend using our Hustle plugin.

    And for additional forms, our very own Forminator can work well here as well.

    This theme also makes for a great opportunity to put your CSS knowledge into play. Like most themes, you can tweak it as you’d like.

    The nice empty canvas on this theme can provide anyone with CSS skills a chance to add a personal touch. Maybe a happy little cloud?

    Landing Pagency CSS.
    Where you can add additional CSS.

    There is an upgrade option as well. Here’s a comparison of the FREE vs PREMIUM versions:

    Landing Pagency free and premium comparison.
    A comparison list of FREE vs PREMIUM version of Landing Pagency.

    A lot of the premium options can be accomplished with a variety of plugins, good hosting, image SEO, and more. However, it may be worth the cost to upgrade if it has all the essentials you’re looking for.

    For a simple coming soon option, I was impressed with its quick editing options, default layout, and design. Sure, it doesn’t have a ton of features, but sometimes that’s perfect.

    Be sure to view their demo to see if it’s a great match for your purpose.

What Goes Up, Must Come Down

After you launched and your event is over — what next? Does the website come down?

That depends.

Something to keep in mind is themes are more of a permanent* option, so if you don’t have repeat events or promotions, it might make more sense to use a coming soon plugin instead (since they’re easily deactivated).

However, if you have reasons for keeping a coming soon theme (e.g. recurring events), then it’ll be nice to have a more stable website layout.

Coming in For a Landing (Page)

As you can see, most of these themes work best as a landing page. Are you ready to land on one?

They’re also all a little bit different.

For free options, there are slim pickings. However, there are a lot of options out there available for purchase.

The main thing is that your coming soon theme for WordPress is engaging and effective.

Or, instead of your campaign taking off, your visitors might takeoff… to another website.

Posted on

Deliver Knockout HTML Emails With These WordPress Plugins

There are some heavy hitters when it comes to WordPress email plugins that can help build your contact lists, send automated HTML emails, newsletters, and more. Which ones deliver the knockout punch and reign supreme as champions? Stay tuned, because we’re going to let these plugins duke it out and see who wins the title for your WordPress website.

“In this corner, weighing in on the digital scale at 16 GB of RAM is…”

We’ll be featuring some competitive email plugins that are HTML ready (to rumble). We’ll size them up and show you some specific features of each one.

By the time you get through this match, er – article – you’ll have a good idea of what will work best for you.

Dev Man fighting inbox.
Good email is worth fighting for.

Punching-out Good HTML Emails.

By default, WordPress does not send out HTML emails but sends them out as plain text. HTML emails work more consistently for your email subscribers in terms of looks and functionality.

So it’s important to have a plugin to help if you’re wanting to send your readers information via emails or newsletters that look more professional (e.g. including a logo in the signature).

Of course, to get them to opt in in the first place, they need a compelling reason why. A well-crafted message, attractive form, and specific placement on your website can do the trick.

Then, when done right, readers will opt in to and subscribe to your content.

So yes, sending professional emails instead of generic ones is important. Especially if you want to be taken seriously.

The Ultimate (In)boxing Match.

There are different divisions out there when it comes to a great WordPress email plugin, so let’s check out tonight’s matchups.

We’ll go over four very distinctive choices.

All are a bit different, all are free, and all offer various solutions to building lists, and ultimately deliver the perfect HTML emails.

So, let’s get ready to rumble!

Ding! Ding! Ding!

  • Email Posts to Subscribers

    The Email Posts to Subscribers by Gopi Ramasamy (aka Gopiplus) has great reviews and was made to automatically deliver a newsletter to subscribers that feature your latest blog posts.

    You can schedule the newsletter daily or weekly. It has 10 default templates available, or if you have the itch to create your own, it’s possible using their visual editor.

    It’s a nice “set it and forget it” plugin. Once you have it running, you won’t have to worry about scheduling your email. This automates all of that for you.

    I started by checking out their live subscription demo, entered my email, grabbed some popcorn and had ringside seats to see what it looked like when it arrived in my inbox.

    Sure enough, an email popped up shortly after hitting ‘submit’. Once I verified it, I received their welcome email.

    Nice.

    It got me excited, so let’s activate this bad boy (or girl) and check it out.

    The plugin comes up as Email Posts in the dashboard. From here, you can dig into everything it has to offer; including the General Settings, Confirmation Email, Welcome Email, and more.

    Gogiplus general settings.
    The main settings area.

    When viewing the subscribers’ area, it’s a very simple way of checking out all of your email subscribers’ information.

    Gogiplus email subscriber.

    You can create groups and organize your subscribers. It’s also nice to be able to import and export them here.

    That way, if you ever wanted to add your list to an email service like MailChimp, or add your list to your WordPress campaign, it’s very simple to do.

    Of course, to get subscribers in the first place, you need to have a way of doing that. You can manually add them into their system, or provide an opt-in box.

    The box is then added to your sidebar in the Widgets area.

    Gogiplus widget copy.
    The Email Posts to Subscribers widget. You can add as much detailed information as you’d like here.

    I made just a very simple opt-in for the sake of this demo.

    Gogiplus opt in.

    If you don’t want to add the opt-in as a widget, you also have the option of adding a shortcode to a post or page.

    And with that, we’re ready to start collecting emails!

    Now, let’s get into setting up email campaigns and more.

    When setting up your emails, there’s a list of nine pre-made templates you can choose from.

    Gogiplus email templates.
    All available email templates.
    Gogiplus preview header.
    An example of one of their pre-made templates I put together.

    You can create your own, too.

    Gogiplus mail template custom.
    An example of our own.

    In the Mail Configuration area, you can schedule your posts or newsletters to go out specifically how you would like. The Status shows you what you have set up.

    Gogiplus mail configuration.
    You can specify exactly how you’d like to have your posts sent.

    Assigning roles can simply be done in the Roles and Capabilities area.

    Once you have an email or campaign sent, they have reports worth viewing to see how they did based on open rates, status, last run, and more.
    Gogiplus email report.
    Our test campaign went out okay and we received a report back saying that it was successful.
    Gogiplus email sent report.
    For a free plugin, this one blew me away on all of the options and more that could give a major email provider a run for its money. Any automation is good, and there are even options for Google reCAPTCHA, a throttling mechanism to protect against spam submissions, and plenty more features that you’ll have to try for yourself.

    Interested in Email Posts to Subscribers?

    Details

  • Email Subscribers & Newsletters -- Simple and Effective Newsletter System

    As soon as the Email Subscribers & Newsletters — Simple and Effective Newsletter System by Icegram plugin is activated, they already have you covered.

    How?

    A welcome message stating “80% done!” and a big thumbs up appears. They’ve done a lot of the work already for you to get your email subscription in shape.

    All the essentials are included in this free plugin. If you want to take it to the next level and add a few premium options, you can upgrade and Go Pro.

    They make it simple to get started (again, they already had a lot of the legwork done) and I hopped right in.

    Everything is accessible from your dashboard under Email Subscribers.

    The first section shows your audience. It provides all of the emails, subscriptions, unsubscribes, and opens.

    Here is also where you can upload/download your contacts, create lists, sync (which will automatically subscribe a person to a specific list when opting in), and manage lists.

    Icegram audience example.
    Area of the Audience section.

    It’s very simplistic and easy to manage contacts in this area. I love how accessible it is and the straightforward information on where everything is at.

    To get contacts, we need a form for our visitors to sign up on.

    The… you guessed it – Forms section – is where you’ll go for this.

    This is the brains of the form building operations, where you can easily name, describe, adjust form fields, and more.

    Icegram edit form.
    The Edit Forms area.

    It’s a very simplistic opt-in as is. With some CSS knowledge, it can be edited accordingly with colors, style, etc.

    When you have a form completed, it will give you a shortcode that can be used on any page or blog. You can also use the Widget and place it on your page that way.

    Icegram test form.
    The test form example I set up.

    To automate emailing your newsletter and blogs, that’s another very simple feature.

    When you publish a new post, it will be emailed out automatically. It’s not quite as advanced as having weekly emails with all your posts or content sent.

    Still, it is nice to just publish a blog and know that it will go out on its own in full HTML glory.

    Icegram campaign set up.
    The Campaign area where you’ll edit post notifications.

    I set up a test email to myself and received exactly what I put down for what I wanted to include: Dev Man, of course.

    Icegram test email.
    My test email.

    There are plenty of other functions that can be tweaked and adjusted to ensure your email marketing is flawless in the Settings area.

    Icegram settings page.
    A snapshot of the Settings area.

    Here, you can set up a welcome email, confirmation email, security, and more.

    In general, this is an awesome plugin that works well with any WordPress theme. Its simplicity sets it apart (in a good way), making it as easy as ever to get an email list growing and automate your blog posts to be delivered to your readers.

    Interested in Email Subscribers & Newsletters -- Simple and Effective Newsletter System?

    Details

  • Newsletter

    The Newsletter plugin by Stefano Lissa & The Newsletter Team is an entire newsletter and email marketing system for your WordPress blog.

    It’s great for list building and you can create, send, and track HTML emails. Once activated, it packs a punch.

    When you activate, you’re welcomed by a lavish dashboard, animations, and illustrations demonstrating all of its features. It’s a nice addition and shows that they’re not some “dull and ordinary” plugin.

    Beyond visually being nice, it has all of the essential features for subscriptions to your email and/or newsletter.

    The easy to use drag and drop composer makes building newsletters simple. And with the capability of having unlimited subscribers, unlimited newsletters, advanced targeting and more, this is worth a try.

    Just having an endless amount of contacts at no cost is an advantage over professional email services that charge you based on the number of subscribers.

    Let’s check this out!

    Everything is accessible and clearly labeled right from the dashboard.

    Newsletter plugin dashboard.
    The Newsletter dashboard.

    You can see that the upper tabs have all of the ingredients you’ll need to include a subscription block and get your marketing in motion.

    Newsletter dashboard subscribers.
    From the dashboard, all the main tabs are on top.

    There are a lot of capabilities here. Going over every detail that is included in this plugin would lead to a rather long article (and not entirely necessary considering how self-explanatory this plugin is), so to keep things simple, I’ll break down just a few essentials.

    Let’s start with the Subscription Configuration. Like everything else, it’s very clear what the functions are and where they’re at.

    For example, if I want to edit the opt-in feature, I click the List Building tab, Subscription Configuration, and then all the features are right here.

    Newsletter subscription configuration.
    Where you can choose how visitors opt in, manage repeat subscriptions, override opt in, and edit notifications.

    I can see why this plugin is called Newsletter, because it truly lives up to its name as the highlight of the features — creating amazing newsletters.

    The drag and drop feature streamlines the creation process, making it incredibly easy and efficient.

    You can start by choosing a preset template. There’s everything from a simple call to action, invitation, or a big announcement.

    Or, you can create your own with some coding knowledge.

    Newsletter drag and drop feature.
    The newsletter area.

    I’m going to just create a simple call to action newsletter.

    I dragged the header block over and an image block, uploaded my own Dev Man.jpeg, and — in less than a minute — I had a newsletter ready to be delivered (possibly by Dev Man himself).

    Newsletter creator.
    As you can see, you can also preview what it will look like. Here’s an example newsletter with a mobile preview on the right.

    When you have your newsletter ready to go, it’s a matter of sending it. You can specify quite a bit in regards to how you want to compose the email.

    Newsletter email options.
    Pick from lists, select language, and plenty more.

    You can preview everything right here. It’s a simple click back to edit if you notice a change you need to make.

    To sum it all up, this is a pretty amazing plugin for the going rate of — free! There is a Premium option starting $65, which includes support, more detailed reports, and more.

    However, if you’re looking to save some money, the free version gets two thumbs (or knuckles) up from us.

  • Hustle

    Cue the music. And let’s get our groove on!

    Hustle is our very own free plugin that we created here at WPMU DEV and it can help your email marketing campaign boogie to success.

    Sure, he can dance well, but he can also pack a punch by creating pop-ups, slide-ins, ads, and sidebar widgets for your WordPress website.

    Once visitors opt in, he can then integrate with your favorite email company, where you can then create automated HTML emails, newsletters, or whatever is your favorite move.

    Not to be biased, but the simplicity of this plugin makes it probably the easiest out of all of the other examples to set up an opt-in form, widget, or slide-in for collecting emails and then reaching out.

    When you first get started, there’s a complete walkthrough on how to get moving.

    Hustle plugin for WordPress introduction.
    Hustle greets you immediately and helps you get started.

    From this point, you can choose what kind of form you want to create: Pop-up, Slide-in, Embed, or Social Share.

    Hustle create pop up.
    The Create Module.

    For this example, we’ll use a pop-up.

    I can now pick and choose various options to include in the Edit Pop-up section. You have a TON of options here to suit your needs.

    This is where you design, add what information you’d like to collect from users, integrate your favorite email provider, edit the visibility, and much more.

    All the major email services provide HTML emails, so you’ll be all set in that department. They all have customizable templates, too.

    When connecting to other apps for integration, there are 1000’s to choose from.

    Hustle email integration.
    Where you can connect your favorite apps.

    You can specify advanced features, such as animated effects on entrance and exits, delays, AdBlock, and more.

    Hustle plugin behavior.
    Example of the Behavior settings page.

    And the forms look as shiny as a disco ball. Here is an example of the pop-up I just created.

    Hustle plugin pop up example.
    Example pop-up.

    With over 80,000 installations, 4.5-star review, and ease of use, all we can say is that if you’re looking to start an amazing email marketing campaign — Hustle makes it a party.

    For more information, check out his funky video below.

And the Winner Is…

That will be for you to decide. Each one of these unique plugins can be a great match for your website.

Just remember that plain text is a lightweight to HTML when it comes to quality. A great HTML email comes across as more professional, they’re more adjustable, and the best way to showcase your message.

These customized WordPress email plugins are all prizefighters in our eyes and any one of them can be a champion for your website.

For more information on newsletter marketing, be sure to check out our post on the 7 Best Newsletter Plugins to Create and Send Emails in WordPress.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

And with that, this post is over.

Posted on

Catch Fire Before Launch Day With These Free WordPress Coming Soon Page And Under Construction Plugins

Your site’s Coming Soon page is the perfect canvas to give visitors a sneak peek of what’s to come. The pre-launch or construction stage of a website is also great opportunity to drum up excitement and interest in advance. In this article we’re reviewing some of the best WordPress plugins that can help you do this.

Three, two, one… and we’re “go” for launch…

Soon!

As touched on above, today we’re introducing you to several free WordPress Coming Soon and Under Construction plugins.

All of these plugins can help you with a new pre-launch, or if you need to perform maintenance on your site. If used correctly, best believe they can help your site take off like a rocket (before it’s even live!).

We’ll also demonstrate how to set each plugin up, and introduce you to all of the main features.

The goal being to see what sets each one apart, and helping you decide which plugin will work best for you.

By the time we’re done, you’ll hopefully feel better about launching your site before it’s open, or after construction.

Doing it the right way is important, unlike, well…

Dev Man launching a WordPress website.
Dev Man about to launch a new website — into the air. It’s not recommended to do it this way (especially with a computer).

First, Make Sure Your Coming Soon Page Can Be ‘Counted On’…

As several of these plugins countdown for you, you need to count on them. There are some essential things your coming soon page needs to do.

For example, the page should:

  • Match your branding – Your coming soon content should be along the same lines of your overall offerings in terms of design. Also, it should highlight specific features you want to showcase.
  • Help capture leads – You’ll want to have prominent form displayed on your page to encourage visitors to sign up for launch notifications. A free plugin like Forminator is great for this.
  • Encourage social sharing – To help generate buzz about your launch, you’ll want easy to integrate options for people to share news of your site socially.

Grab a Hard Hat, Here’s What Else Your Under Construction Page Needs:

If your site is under construction, there are additional features that should be included:

  • Stay analytically friendly – If you need to do work on your site, ensure that you don’t get penalized by Google for being down. Keep your SEO in check.
  • Mention you’re under construction and will open soon – Nothing can upset a potential customer or visitor than a site that doesn’t function and doesn’t mention why.

It’s a fairly simple set of requirements, and the tools we’ll be discussing will help you execute all of them in style.

Let The [Plugin] Countdown Begin!

WAIT! Before we accelerate into examples of plugins, you may be interested in some background resources:

So now you have a good marketing plan, you have a URL, and your website’s being worked on. It’s time to get on the clock. Punch in and we’ll set up the ultimate coming soon page.

Down below you’ll find five free coming soon plugins for WordPress, as well as one of our own premium plugins (which we’d be silly not to mention).

Some function specifically for counting down, others are best for when you’re under construction.

Let’s get to work.

  • Colorlib Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode

    Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode by ColorLib allows you to create coming soon and maintenance pages that are one of a kind.

    While it’s operating, you can easily work on your website while the plugin collects your visitors’ emails.

    Let’s go ahead and activate this plugin.

    By the way… if you’d like to follow along with all of the demonstrations in this post, be sure to visit the plugin’s page and download it. (I know, it goes without saying. But still…)

    Once you have it installed, go to Settings and you’ll be taken to the block editor.

    ColorLib customization area.
    The settings area.

    All the settings are accessible by clicking the blue pencils, or you can edit them on the left-hand side of the screen.

    The General area is where it supports its main function — which is a countdown clock.

    You can quickly activate it so it’s displayed on your website by clicking the switch next to Activate Colorlib Coming Soon Page.

    Below that is an option for the timer. Simply flip the switch to activate it.

    All the features of this plugin are accessible without any advanced CSS needed. It’s easy to adjust the date and time, timezone, and you can even upload a new image in this area.

    ColorLib General tab.
    A look at the General tab.

    As we mentioned at the beginning of this article, social sharing is important.

    Folks need to share and get the word out about your launch. With that said, there is a tab you can utilize to help get visitors get in tune with your social accounts. You can also keep them posted on your progress.

    The ColorLib social media area.
    The social tabs.

    Also, for more advanced customizations, you can add custom CSS.

    ColorLib custom CSS.
    ColorLib custom CSS.

    As for getting visitors to sign up for updates and to get on your email list, there’s a form already available when this plugin is activated.

    ColorLib sign-up form.
    The customizable signup form.

    You can easily disable or activate it, like anything else on this plugin. If activated, you can integrate it with an email service (e.g. MailChimp).

    I like how the form remains hidden while editing the site. It’s only accessible once you’re logged out and you preview your site, or if you use a different browser.

    ColorLib live website.
    A live look at what the coming soon timer and opt-in form look like.

    It’s nice how there is currently no upgrade option, so all of the features are instantly available and free.

    Overall, what I enjoyed most was the beautiful and responsive designs, the ability to work with all WordPress themes, and the easy setup.

    You don’t need much more than what is offered. With plenty of 5-star reviews, we’re down (countdown, that is) with this plugin.

    Interested in Colorlib Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode?

    Details

  • Countdown, Coming Soon -- Countdown & Clock

    The Countdown, Coming Soon — Countdown & Clock is another simple, easy to use timer and coming soon plugin. It comes with numerous countdown display options (e.g. digital, circle, etc.) and customizable coming soon settings.

    On that note, let’s check it out in WP.

    When you have the plugin installed, it’s nice that the two main features of it are prominent on your dashboard. You can easily pick between creating a Countdown & Clock or a Coming Soon display.

    Countdown and Coming Soon in dashboard.
    The dashboard.

    If you’d like to feature a countdown timer it’s quick and easy to do. There are several varieties to choose from when it comes to look and style.

    The Add New Countdown screen.
    The Add New Countdown screen.

    As you can see, immediately you have some options not available unless you upgrade, such as hiding on mobile devices, scheduling, and more.

    But that’s okay. For basic use of creating a timer, you don’t need the upgrade unless there are specific features you wish to include.

    You can add a title, date, timezone, and set your clock’s countdown time.

    With Countdown Types, you can specify what style of countdown clock you would like.

    Countdown and coming soon timers.
    Selection of timers.

    There are other options to add advanced CSS to the timers and more. However, if you want to keep it simple, none of that is necessary.

    Once you have it named and designed how you would like it – simply save the timer. It will then give you a shortcode.

    Countdown and coming soon enable clock.
    Where the shortcode is located.

    Paste the shortcode on a blog or webpage — and you’re all set.

    Countdown and coming soon pasted code.
    Where we’ll paste the code for this example.
    Countdown and coming soon published clock.
    The live timer.

    If you’d like to set the coming soon display up, it’s also very easy to do.

    Go to the dashboard and select Coming Soon.

    You’ll then want to make sure Enable is turned on. Here you can craft your Headline and Message that you would like displayed on your website.

    Countdown and coming soon message.
    Where you type your message.

    If all looks well, hit Save Changes and it will display on your website.

    Coming soon example.
    Example of what the coming soon message can look like.

    Again, this is a very simple plugin. It has the essential features needed for creating a countdown timer and coming soon message.

    It’s a bit limited on some of the other features (e.g. an opt-in form), but it’s functional, easy to set up, and works well.

    Interested in Countdown, Coming Soon -- Countdown & Clock?

    Details

  • JQuery T (-) Countdown

    The JQuery T (-) is a basic countdown sidebar widget that requires shortcodes for it to function. You’ll notice the theme of this plugin is all Star Wars based (for example, one of the Force Load CSS options is ‘Jedi’), which we find quite interesting (and out of this world).

    It’s not exactly user friendly for anyone looking to quickly set up a countdown timer. However, with a little CSS knowledge, it is easy to use. It’s also highly customizable and the result can look impressive.

    This doesn’t come with all of the bells and whistles as some of the other plugins. There’s no opt-in forms, upgrades, or social buttons.

    With all that being said, grab a lightsaber, and let’s check it out.

    There’s only one page of customization widget options once installed, which makes it nice to have everything in the same spot.

    JQuery T Widget options.
    The jQuery T (-) Countdown Widget options.

    Once here, this is where all of the coding and building of the countdown timer takes place.

    What if I don’t have any CSS knowledge? No problem. They’ve made it a breeze to find the shortcode that is needed for your purposes with a link to one of their CSS pages.

    jQuery custom CSS.
    You simply paste it into the Custom CSS area and build it up like the Death Star.

    Once you have the shortcode that you need, jQuery works as a widget. So, you can move it into the desired area in WordPress.

    jQuery widget.
    Where the widget is located when activated.

    When it’s added to your site, you can customize the widget even more, if you’d like.

    jQuery widget customization.
    You can see numerous options that require CSS coding.

    Here is our very basic widget that we just set up.

    jQuery live example.
    An example of the countdown timer live.

    You can get more advanced with this and have some fun customizing the CSS.

    jQuery advanced styling.
    Some advanced timers.

    They do have options to upgrade, like an advanced countdown control. All additional features require being purchased.

    Overall, it’s a nice free plugin/widget that’s fairly easy to set up and use.

    You might find it difficult using some of the CSS without much knowledge of it, however, we also see this as a good opportunity to learn about basic CSS and — like a good Jedi mind trick — you might be surprised with what you can do.

    Interested in JQuery T (-) Countdown?

    Details

  • Minimal Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode -- Coming Soon Page

    For a free plugin, the Minimal Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode — Coming Soon Page offers a ton of options to ensure your visitors will be excited to visit your website when it’s ready for launch. And you can get it up and running in a matter of minutes.

    It doesn’t include a countdown timer, but it’s one of the most customizable options for everything else.

    This plugin even has its own themes that can work well with the maintenance mode. However, you don’t necessarily need to use theirs, because it’s also compatible with any other theme in WordPress.

    It’s a great choice for simplicity, ease of use (no CSS or coding required), and functionality.

    After downloading the plugin, it’s effortless to get moving. Everything is on the page and organized by the following menu tabs:

    • Basic
    • SEO
    • Themes
    • Design
    • Email
    • Advanced
    • Support

    There is also a tab to upgrade to the PRO version, which offers a lot more options for themes, SEO, design, email, and more.

    Starting with the Basic tab.

    Minimal coming soon setup.
    The Basic menu.

    Here you can enable Maintenance Mode, add Header Text, and Content.

    You can set everything up accordingly and include whatever message is best for your viewers. It does come with default text as well, if you’re not sure what to include.

    Minimal Coming Soon SEO options.
    The SEO section.

    This is an area where you can add keywords, a meta description, enable search engines, and more. It’s nice that they’ve also included an area to enable Google Analytics Tracking ID.

    Minimal Coming Soon themes.
    The themes area.

    It’s impressive how this plugin has its own themes available.

    There are free and PRO themes to choose from. As mentioned, you don’t need to include one of their themes to get this plugin to function, however, these themes were designed to function with the plugin so it’s aesthetically pleasing.

    Minimal Coming Soon images.
    Design options.

    When designing your page, they make it easy to upload a background and foreground image. You can upload your design or use theirs.

    Minimal Coming Soon email settings.
    Email settings.

    The email settings are available with everything else. It’s also extremely simple to incorporate MailChimp or another email service.

    Once added, you can include an opt-in form so that your visitors can be contacted with updates.

    Minimal Coming Soon opt in.
    The form area.

    Your opt-in form can be edited specifically to your liking. And as you can see, you’re given plenty of options to choose from.

    You can also get into more advanced settings, which include adding custom CSS and more.

    However, we chose to keep it simple.

    As you can see below, we added our very own Dev Man and used their default background. This is just a simple example of what you can do with this plugin.

    Minimal Coming Soon live preview.
    Dev Man, mountains, a nice looking coming soon site…What more do you need?

    This plugin has a 5-star rating from well over a hundred users, so don’t just take our word for it that this is a nice and easy coming soon option.

    Despite missing a timer option, this plugin has everything else you’d want to support your website before you’re up and running.

    Interested in Minimal Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode -- Coming Soon Page?

    Details

  • Under Construction

    The Under Construction plugin by WebFactory LTD is another free amazing and simple to use under construction plugin that takes just minutes to install.

    We love the fun designs and illustrations they include that can be used for your website while it’s getting ready for take off.

    All of the features are bundled in one area, and can all be simply accessed. It has most of the essentials you need for your page, as you’ll soon see.

    First, start under Settings to access the main panel.

    Since we’re going to be going under construction, the first step is to flip the Under Construction Mode switch to On.

    This will ensure visitors will see that it’s being worked on.

    In this tab, you can also prevent search engines from indexing the temporary site, automatically set up an end date and time, enable Google Analytics tracking, and reset settings.

    Under Construction main tab.
    The main panel where you have plenty of options.

    To design your under construction page, click over to the Design tab.

    Under Construction design page.
    The Design area.

    This is where you’ll discover a lot of fun, unique, and effective page designs.

    Some of them are premium features, which you can get if you upgrade. However, even without upgrading, they have a lot of great options to choose from.

    Once you find a design you like, click Activate and you’re in business.

    Of course, you’ll want to edit your message. You can do all of that in the Content area.

    Under Construction content area.
    The content area.

    Here you can edit more than just text. There are shortcode options, multilingual support, and also an area to include your social links and email.

    Under Construction social links.

    In the Access area, you can include things like whitelisted IP addresses and other URL based options.

    Under Construction access area.
    The Access area.

    And just like that, you can have a custom under construction page up for your visitors.

    Under Construction live example.
    A preview of our just created under construction page. Purr-fect.

    Though it’s functional, one thing it lacks is opt-in options for your visitors.

    You can include your social links and email — which is good. However, it’s always recommended to include an area for visitors to sign up, too. This can be created with some custom CSS.

    Here’s a bit more about using Under Construction in the video below.

    Interested in Under Construction?

    Details

  • Branda Pro

    Now we couldn’t let this post come to an end without giving our very own Branda Pro a cheeky mention…

    Branda image.
    “Hey there.”

    She’s a plugin that boasts WordPress white label branding, maintenance mode and coming soon landing pages, custom admin bars, and much more.

    Branda Pro features.
    More Branda Pro features.

    There’s a TON you can do with customization. And what’s especially great about Branda is that it makes it easy to match your website’s theme or topic.

    For this example, we’ll just be looking at the coming soon and under construction features she has on offer.

    Once installed, you can quickly access Branda on your dashboard. To start maintenance or coming soon mode, navigate to the Utilities area under Website Mode.

    Utilities in Branda for WordPress.
    The Utilities area in the WordPress dashboard for Branda.
    Branda coming soon area.

    Once here, you can pick Coming Soon, Maintenance, or Off.

    The content can all be edited directly below. Even the option for adding all of your social accounts.

    Branda social features.
    The social linking area in Branda.

    Adjusting colors and adding your own custom CSS is also a breeze.

    Branda color and CSS section.
    Branda color and CSS section.

    And here’s a look at a finished countdown timer.

    Branda timer example.
    And the Branda Pro countdown begins!

    Branda Pro is a simple, easy to use plugin that can definitely get the job done when coming soon and maintenance mode is needed for your website.

    For WPMU DEV members, she is available now to create maintenance pages, countdowns, and much more. If you are not a member, sign up for a free 30-day trial.

    Soon though, there will also be a free option available.

    You can check here to keep tabs on what she’s up to, and any updates on when it will be released.

Time is On Your [Web]Side.

Hopefully, you have some ideas on what works best for your website on your next pre-launch or maintenance.

You can have peace of mind knowing your visitors won’t be turned off by an ugly construction or a 404 error.

Fun Fact: Being Under Construction Can Be Beneficial

It shows your visitors that the website is evolving, up to date, and gives them a chance to connect with you on your social accounts or email.

And with that, when the maintenance is done and the website is open — job well done.

Feel free to punch the clock and take some time to yourself.

Posted on

Amp Up Your Site’s UX With These Free WordPress Audio Player Plugins

All is quiet as you browse the internet for some food. Then, after Googling ‘Italian takeout’, you see it: Bob’s Spaghetti Palace. Perfect. You click on Bob’s website. Suddenly, you’re jolted back into your chair when ‘That’s Amore’ blares through your laptop’s speakers. At first, you’re unaware of where the song is coming from, but as you scroll a bit — there it is: a music player.

Dev Man punching WordPress autoplay music notes
Dev Man swings to the beat of an autoplay tune.

Okay, forcing website visitors to listen to something might not be the way to go. However, there’s a lot more than autoplay when it comes to audio players for WordPress websites.

Adding a WordPress audio player can be beneficial in numerous ways. Whether it be for podcasts, music playlist, introducing a product, and more. We’ll explore all the reasons to include one on your website in this post.

Plus, with the additional assistance of a free audio player plugin, you can amp-up your user’s website experience. I’ll be showing you the latest, up-to-date audio plugins, their features, and specific reasons to use them instead of just the basics that WordPress provides.

As for using audio in the first place, there are many reasons why you should. For example, if you want to:

  • Share a welcome message.
  • Embed a full recording of a teleseminar or interview into a blog post.
  • Publish your latest podcast.
  • Share audio testimonials.
  • Include audio versions of your content.
  • Share a song or playlist you’re listening to from Spotify or some other audio-streaming service.

As you can see, there are ways to use audio to support your site and it doesn’t have to come off as cheesy (possibly mozzarella cheesy?) or unwanted.

Just please: don’t force the autoplay!

On That Note…

You might be undecided about whether or not having audio is a good idea for your website. If so, consider these facts:

  • Audio is an intriguing way to draw visitors to a specific element on your site (e.g. a CTA, free download, etc.).
  • Like other media, audio can boost SEO by keeping engaged listeners on your site longer.
  • Your brand recognition can be improved if you include a particularly unique or memorable audio clip.
  • If you’re not great at writing, audio can be a substitute.
  • If you’re a singer, in a band, or voice artist, you can use an audio music player to showcase your work — and sell it.
  • It’s a way to provide more options on your site for digesting content.
  • Interviewed by Oprah? It’s a great way to showcase it for your listeners.
  • It adds a human touch if it’s your voice or someone else’s recognizable voice.
  • Your audience may want to know and experience what type of music playlist you’re into. This is your chance to have it accessible to them.

Differentiating your site with a WordPress audio player plugin can make a user’s experience from just “well, that was so-so” to “wow, that was freaking awesome”.

Speaking of freaking awesome, check out for yourself what adding audio to your site can do with this episode of our own Hello, WP podcast:

How to Add Audio to Your WordPress site (Without a Plugin).

These days, like a video player, you can quickly add audio on WordPress with a Gutenberg block. You may find it to be a bit limiting, but it’s extremely easy to do.

So it’s true: you don’t need to have a plugin when adding an audio player. However, plugins can enhance them in several ways (which we’ll be going over).

For now though, here are four other options that enable you to include an audio player without a plugin.

1. Gutenberg Block

Like everything else, Gutenberg has made adding audio almost effortlessly.

First, go to your block options (+).

Gutenberg audio block.
Gutenberg audio block.

 

Select Audio.

Gutenberg audio player options.
Gutenberg audio player options.

Once you click Audio, you’ll see that you have several options to choose from. You can Upload a file, retrieve audio from your Media Library, or Insert from URL.

Considering how popular streaming is, for this example, we’ll copy a URL from Spotify and go with the Insert from URL option.

Just paste it in the spot provided and hit Apply.

Adding a link for audio in Gutenberg.
Adding a link for audio in Gutenberg.

 

If you’re using different audio-streaming services (Google, Amazon, etc), chances are they can also provide you with links you can paste right into your site.

Once you hit Apply, just like that, you’ll have a media player.

Gutenberg audio player example.

You can also add a caption, and there are advanced options, for styling, size, and design.

This is by far the easiest way of manually adding a WordPress audio player. You won’t have as many features that some of the plugins offer, however, it does do the job: inserting audio as effortlessly as possible.

2. Embed a link to the source audio player

Embedding is another option of applying media from another source. Just like the link in the first example, there is typically an embed code as well for audio on most streaming services.

For this, we’ll be using the classic editor.

Spotify embedded code.
Where the code to embed Spotify audio is.

Once you get the code, paste it in your WordPress blog or page in the Text editor.

Spotify code embed.
Code from Spotify.

When doing it this way, you don’t have to worry about hosting any of the audio and you can import it directly from the source.

And just like that…

An example of a playlist on Spotify.
An example of a Spotify playlist.

…you have a playlist.

The one negative about this method is you don’t have any control over the way it visually looks on your site. Your digital service has specific colors, fonts, etc. that may not fit with the rest of your website.

3. Upload an audio file through Media

You’re likely familiar with the Add Media function in the classic editor of WordPress.

Yes, the same place where you can add images is where you can also upload audio clips (and retrieve them for the Gutenberg block). If you use this option, be sure to update the metadata as you would any other media file for SEO.

WordPress audio clip.
WordPress audio clip.

There’s not a lot of control over this way of embedding. The clip will go in its entirety unless you’ve edited it before you upload it. Also, it will appear in the default WordPress audio player design.

4. Add a Playlist

WordPress enables users to create an audio playlist of their own.

When you go to Insert Media in the classic editor, you have the option on the left-hand side of the screen. If you have the audio files available, all you do is create your playlist the way you would a video playlist or an image gallery.

Just click on Create Audio Playlist and upload your files. And don’t forget to add the metadata for each.

Create audio playlist in WordPress.
Create an audio playlist.

Once you add your files, you’ll be able to edit specific information you want to be included in your audio playlist; including Show Tracklist, Show Artist Name in Tracklist, and Show Images.

Adjusting audio playlist in WordPress.

Once completed, below is what the final playlist looks on WordPress.

Final playlist in WordPress.

It’s great that WordPress offers built-in options for uploading and publishing audio. However, there is little control over settings and appearance without advanced design knowledge. So, that’s where a plugin can help tweak and design everything for your audio needs.

Plugin the Amplifier

So you want to amp things up, huh?

With audio plugins, you can do just that. They are available to help your audio with sound, displays, words, and more. Depending on what audio your website is featuring (music, podcasting, interviews, etc.), there’s a free plugin that can enhance it.

Audio plugins have many benefits (as you’ll see). Several examples are:

  • Custom player options
  • Saved audio positions
  • Text-to-talk features
  • Specific labeling of audio clips
  • Organizing audio
  • Subscription tools
  • Payment for songs/audio downloads

There is a variety of free audio player plugins. Each one has unique features, capabilities, and can be suited best for your needs. Also, these are all compatible with Gutenberg and up-to-date.

If you’re going to have audio as part of your visitor’s experience on your website, you need to make it a good one.

We’ve searched high and low to find several free WordPress music player plugins. Once you review their features, you should be able to decide what one works best for you.

Here are some of our top choices.

  • Audio Dock

    In a band? Then the Audio Dock might be a hit. This plugin by Themify has some features that make it especially great for musicians looking to showcase their newest album while visitors browse through their site. Its attractive audio player is highly customizable and works well with any theme.

    Some of the features include:

    • Personally owning custom titles for tracks
    • Unlimited number of audio tracks
    • Customizable bar and track color
    • Responsiveness across all resolutions
    Audio Dock player example.
    Example of the audio player.

    There’s not a ton of advanced options with Audio Deck. However, it does make for a quick-and-easy customization plugin when it comes to looks, autoplay, and creating custom titles.

  • PowerPress

    If music isn’t your thing, maybe it’s a podcast.

    PowerPress is great for podcasting. It was developed by podcasters for podcasters. The features are quite impressive when it comes to delivering your audio. And setting it up is essentially just like setting up a blog post; allowing text, audio, visuals, and more advanced options.

    Some of the features of this plugin include:

    • Full Apple Podcasts & Google Podcasts support
    • Integrated HTML5 media players with embed support
    • Skip to a position in Player shortcode
    • Subscription tools
    • Podcasting SEO

    You can set up your podcast in 3-simple steps with this plugin:

    1. Fill out the settings.
    2. Create a blog post with an episode.
    3. Submit your feed to iTunes and other podcast directories.
    PowerPress example.
    Example of setting up a podcast episode in PowerPress.

    With its ease of use, subscription options, and delivery method, it’s a great free option for your podcast listeners.

  • Compact WP Audio Player

    The Compact WP Audio Player lives up to its name by being, well, very compact. Some might even describe it as “cute”.

    You can embed an mp3 or .ogg audio file with this responsive player.

    Some of its most notable features are:

    • Not taking up a lot of space
    • HTML5 compatible
    • Works on all major browsers
    • Can be embedded on posts or pages
    • Offers previews if selling audio files
    Compact Visual Audio Player example.
    Example of the player.

    Overall, this is a simple audio plugin that will fit snug into your website.

    Interested in Compact WP Audio Player?

    Details

  • mb.miniAudioPlayer

    Another example of a small player is the mb.miniAudioPlayer. This plugin was made to transform any mp3 file uploaded into a post into a small HTML5 audio player with various features.

    Some of the options that you can utilize with this player include:

    • Customizable skins
    • Volume and seeking control
    • Title bar
    • Rewind button
    • Mute and play buttons
    • Resizing

    You can also include a download option for your audio clips.

    Mb miniaudioplayer customization screen.
    Customization screen.

    This player is relatively simple to set up and use. It’s a good fit if you’re looking for minor adjustments to add to your WordPress audio player.

    Interested in mb.miniAudioPlayer?

    Details

  • Audio Album

    Audio Album gives you the ability to style a group of audio files as a single block formatted as an album. This can come in handy if you’re looking to display multiple albums (music or spoken) on your WordPress site.

    Shortcodes are used to set the parameters; including titles, width, height, date, songwriter, and more.

    Some of the features included are:

    • Customized colors
    • Attractive player
    • Play buttons
    • Timer
    CubeColour customization screen.
    Customization screen.

    This is a more prominent player, which is great if you’re wanting your visitors to pay attention, and listen to what you have to offer.

  • CP Media Player

    What separates the CP Media Player from the rest of the pack is its ability to play audio AND video. It also has some great customization options that allow you to match the look of your player to your website.

    Some of the various file types it can publish are MP4, OGG, WebM, MP3, WAV, and WebSRT subtitle files. It also works on all browsers.

    It’s main features are:

    • The capability of publishing an audio and video player in a post, page, or template.
    • Supports a wide variety of audio files.
    • Allows you to associate a playlist to your media player.
    • The adjustable design of skins.

    You can also get a premium version of the player, which features more skins, selling of files from the player, and a sales report.

    CP Media Player example.
    Media player example.

    When setting up, the player provides 3 separate blocks:

    1. New Audio Player
    2. New Video Player
    3. Insert Player From Gallery

    Overall, it’s a nice option to have all your audio and video capabilities in one plugin.

    Interested in CP Media Player?

    Details

  • AWS For WordPress

    AWS for WordPress is a very unique audio plugin and a bit different from the others. Its main feature is the capability of translating your posts into other languages and creating spoken words with the help of Amazon Polly.

    This can also be integrated with Amazon’s Alexa, so you can listen to your posts on Alexa-enabled devices.

    To use it, you must have an Amazon AWS account. It’s free to set up and get started.

    The features of this plugin include:

    • Works perfect for the visually impaired
    • Translates text into different languages
    • Easy to use
    • Works with Amazon Polly
    AWS Polly example.
    AWS Polly example.

    If writing or blogging is your main focus, this plugin might be a good option; especially for accessibility and being more user-friendly for viewers who are visually impaired.

    Interested in AWS For WordPress?

    Details

  • Music Player for WooCommerce

    With exceptional reviews and lots of features, the Music Player for WooCommerce is perfect for customization, sales, and having a very distinctive player.

    It’s regularly updated, and works well with any device or theme. Some of the main features of this plugin are:

    • Google Analytics integration
    • Supports OGA, MP3, WAV, and WMA formats
    • Includes multiple skins for designing the music player
    • Includes a sidebar widget
    • Features a block to insert a playlist on pages using Gutenberg
    • Ability to purchase audio files

    There are some premium features as well that can allow playing the audio files in a secure mode to prevent unauthorized downloads, and allow a certain percent of the audio file’s size to be played in the secure mode.

    WooCommerce player example.
    Example of the media player.

    In terms of being a functional, customizable, and up-to-date player, this one Woo-ed us over.

    Interested in Music Player for WooCommerce?

    Details

How’s That Sound?

With all of the examples we covered in this article, hopefully now you have a good idea of what might work best for you. As you can see, adding a free audio plugin can be a fantastic way to help tune-up the audio on your website. Or, if you want to keep it simple, there are easier ways of embedding audio, as mentioned at the beginning of the article.

And hopefully, Bob’s Spaghetti Palace will delete the autoplay and instead include a playlist that you can decide to listen to, a welcome introduction (from Bob himself), or an audio clip of the latest menu items that can be read off the menu with one click.

 

Posted on

Free WordPress Video Plugins For Advanced Embedding

Want to keep your website’s viewers tuned in? Whether it be a tutorial, welcome message, or the latest viral cat video – Videos are your ticket. WordPress video plugins can give your content the type of value and enhancements that simple video embedding doesn’t provide.

Grab some popcorn, because in this post we’ll be binge-showcasing some of the best free WordPress video plugins available.

Dev Man Watching Computer.
Over a billion users worldwide are Dev-ouring videos online every year.

I’ll also be showing you why you should be using videos, specific features for each plugin, their benefits, capabilities, and more.

By the time we close the credits on this post, you’ll have a good idea of what works best for you.

Why use a video plugin? 

Good question. WordPress has made it easier than ever to add a video to your blog or page.

Let’s be clear: you don’t need to have a plugin to get a video on your website. It’s simply a matter of uploading a file to your Add Media section or dropping a link.

And now the Gutenberg video block has made it even simpler by adding a video block to upload and embed videos.

Still, plugins can add additional value to your videos by enhancing them in various ways. For example, they can:

  • Feature ways to style your video display without any CSS knowledge.
  • Allow user uploads.
  • Supply additional help with adding subtitles.
  • Include download buttons.
  • Save the location of a video remembering a visitor’s playback position.
  • Include analytics.

And much more.

In a nutshell, a WordPress video plugin can help with additional features that might not be available for general uploads into WordPress, or if you have limited knowledge of design and functionality.

Each one has specific features that might be perfect for you and your audience.

Whether you decide to use a plugin or not, videos can visually enhance your website in many ways, as I’ll be discussing in this post.

Lights, camera, ACTION!

Just a reminder, video recording has come a long way in recent years.

Anyone with a decent mobile phone can create a high definition video and upload it online. The visual medium has become increasingly popular. Need an example? TikTok recently hit 1.5 billion downloads on the App Store and Google Play.

People are watching videos more than ever before, so featuring them on your site is a welcome feature these days. Consumers have shorter attention spans, so with videos, people can consume more content, faster.

And that can lead to…

S, E….O, WOW!

A major reason to also include a WordPress video plugin is they can help with your SEO.

YouTube is the 2nd largest search engine in the world, and any keyword you want to target for your website can be a great opportunity for your video to get traction.

Google also displays videos in its search results, another benefit of including videos on your site and helping it get found.

Through YouTube alone, you can enhance SEO by:

  • Creating an attractive and relevant title
  • Including keywords in your description
  • Linking back to your website
  • Creating a playlist

Ranking on YouTube can translate to your website ranking better. Visitors that enjoy content there are likely to enjoy what you feature on your own site.

What’s also great is videos can keep visitors engaged for longer, which also helps with page rank.

Plus, videos are sharable. That can bring in traffic from social media, emails, and your entire distribution method. Think of a time that you saw an amazing video and just HAD to share it on your favorite social profile.

On that note, if we’re convincing you that plugins are the way to go for your videos, let’s check out some free options.

  • WP VIDEO LIGHTBOX

    WP Video Lightbox download.

    We’ll start with the WP Video Lightbox. Simple is good, and this free plugin can be used to display YouTube, Vimeo, iFrame, and more in a lightbox overlay.

    It works with a shortcode that you use to embed the videos that can be added to the WordPress page or post.

    WP Video Lightbox example of shortcode.
    Example of shortcode for Vimeo.

    They make it easy to embed the videos by simply replacing the value of “video_id” with the actual Vimeo video ID. It’s also the same when embedding a YouTube video.

    This video shows how quickly it can all be done with some quick copy & paste actions.

    Be sure to optimize the SEO of your thumbnail image as well. If you’re using your thumbnail image as the anchor, it’s possible to describe it using the “alt” parameter in the shortcode. This will help search engines understand what exactly the image is about and will help it come up in searches.

    Some of the features this plugin are:

    • Enabling prettyPhoto
    • Custom animation speeds (fast, slow, or normal)
    • Autoplay slideshows
    • Opacity adjustments
    • Title displays
    • Resizing
    • Autoplay

    There are other attributes as well, like disabling suggested videos at the end of YouTube clips, flexibility using both shortcodes, and HTML to pop-up media in a lightbox. Also, you can show a description of a pop-up in an overlay.

    Interested in WP VIDEO LIGHTBOX?

    Details

  • VIDEO EMBED & THUMBNAIL GENERATOR

    With a 5-star rating, Video Embed & Thumbnail Generator is another simple free video plugin to make embedding videos, generating thumbnails, and encoding files easier.

    To make this plugin work, it adds several fields to videos that are uploaded into the WordPress Media Library. You’ll simply pick your options and you’ll get a shortcode to embed the video.

    Video Embed & Thumbnail Generator short code.
    Video Embed & Thumbnail Generator shortcode.

    The options for the video players are:

    • Video.js
    • WordPress default player that uses MediaElement.js
    • JW Player 6
    • Adobe’s Strobe Media Playback Flash player

    Regardless of which player you decide to use, the video will responsively resize to fit in the container. And if you provide multiple H.264 resolutions, this plugin automatically selects the one that’s closest to the size of your choice. Also, it provides a button so that users can select the resolution manually.

    For SEO purposes, if you have Google Analytics set up on your website, it will automatically send Google Analytics Events when a user starts, reaches 25%, 50%, 75%, and then completes watching your videos.

    Other features are:

    • A pop-up video gallery
    • The ability to add subtitles and caption tracks
    • You can create a generate download button for users to download video
    • It’s easy to configure

    This is a great plugin if you’re looking to make your WordPress website into the ultimate web video platform.

    Interested in VIDEO EMBED & THUMBNAIL GENERATOR?

    Details

  • EASY VIDEO PLAYER

    If you’re looking for a user-friendly plugin to showcase your videos, the Easy Video Player is a great choice.

    As the name says, it’s EASY. Once you have it installed, you can head to the Settings menu where you’ll be able to configure some options.

    Keep in mind you also need to check the “Enable jQuery” option, so that it will allow the plugin to make use of the jQuery library.

    Like the other plugins, it uses a shortcode for embedding videos.

    Example of this plugin’s shortcode.
    Example of this plugin’s shortcode.

    More examples of the shortcode are found on the download page and also here.

    Here are some of the features:

    • Play videos using HTML5
    • Enable automatic fallback for browsers that don’t support HTML5
    • Embed responsive videos so they’re all set for looking good on mobile devices

    It also has some unique features, such as video preload, adding custom CSS, and video looping.

    For more information, check out the video below.

    Interested in EASY VIDEO PLAYER?

    Details

  • YOUTUBE EMBED PLUS

    YouTube Embed Plus is a very up-to-date plugin that works as your WordPress YouTube embed, YouTube gallery, and YouTube live stream feature.

    What’s nice about this particular video plugin is it’s compatible with the WordPress 5.0+ Gutenberg block editor.

    It also has some great features, such as:

    • Privacy and consent improvements and GDPR compliance options, such as YouTube no cookie, YouTube API restrictions, and customizable GDPR consent message
    • YouTube Gallery capability
    • YouTube gallery auto continuous play
    • Accessibility by using title attributes for screen reader support
    • General playlist embedding support
    • YouTube migration support

    This is a free plugin, but that being said, there is also the YouTube PRO version, if you’d like to upgrade. Below is a look at some of the Pro features.

    Embed Plus Pro features.

    Note: Prices may be subject to change, so please visit their website if interested in upgrading.

    This plugin is skewed towards YouTube (instead of, for example, Vimeo), but with solid reviews of both the free and paid versions, it ranks up there as a great option for your videos.

    Interested in YOUTUBE EMBED PLUS?

    Details

  • FV WORDPRESS FLOWPLAYER

    According to FV Flowplayer, they’re: “WordPress’s most reliable, easy to use and feature-rich video player.”

    That’s a tough act to follow, but with their good ratings, reviews, and regular updates, we’ll take their word for it.

    The FV Flowplayer Video Player is a completely free plugin for embedding FLV or MP4 videos into your WordPress posts or pages.

    It has some great features to it, including:

    • Remembering a video’s position for both guest users and members
    • A simple AB looped playback for your visitors
    • Automated checking of video encoding for any admin that’s logged in
    • 98% browser coverage
    • Supporting video intelligence video ads

    They do have their branding, however, you can add your branding and also get access to more pro support for a cost.

    The free version supported video formats are MP4, WebM, and OGV. Also, the supported video streaming formats are HLS, MPEG DASH, and RTMP.

    When this plugin is activated, you can modify a variety of things in the submenu, such as:

    • Autoplay
    • AutoBuffering
    • Popup Box
    • Enabling Full-screen Mode
    • Allow User Uploads
    • Enabling Post Thumbnail

    Like the other plugins, it uses shortcodes that can be posted on pages and posts.

    VF Player shortcode.
    VF Player shortcode.

    Being self-described as one of the best video player plugins out there, screen it for yourself and find out.

    Interested in FV WORDPRESS FLOWPLAYER?

    Details

  • BRID VIDEO EASY PUBLISH

    The Brid Video Easy Publish plugin allows you to seamlessly add video content to your WordPress site or blog.

    It’s a free CMS system. You can add existing YouTube content or upload custom videos and monetize them.

    Some of the main features are:

    • A quick and lightweight HTML5 player
    • Outstream ad units
    • 33+ custom HTML5 skins
    • Responsive player sizing
    • Amazon CDN video hosting
    • Powerful analytics

    This plugin also features a live preview, so that you’ll know if you have the right video before adding it to your site.

    Brid Video Display example.
    A look at the Brid quick post video screen.

    The Brid playlist widget does have a shortcode as well (a common theme amongst all the plugins, if you haven’t noticed). The basic template for a Brid playlist is: [brid_widget items="25" player="1" height="540" type="0" autoplay="1"]

    Users can also easily look for videos in their Brid Video library. Also, all of your playlists and videos are easily accessible with editable thumbnails, titles, and other information.

    Interested in BRID VIDEO EASY PUBLISH?

    Details

For Your Viewing Pleasure (Or Plugin)

After checking out these examples, you should have a good idea of what video plugin might work best for your website and whether to use one or not.

Though WordPress makes it easy to add videos without a plugin, the benefits of using one can add some enhancements that were mentioned, such as:

  • Customization of controls
  • Advanced display options
  • More options for website visitors
  • Adjustable display settings to correspond with your website
  • Analytics
  • Saves spot in the video where the viewer left off

Whether it be for information, entertainment, or anything — a video plugin for your website can help your content go from OK to awesome. It’s nice that so many options are free, too.

We use videos for numerous uses here at WPMU DEV. You’ll catch them everywhere from showcasing our plugins, introducing our Hello WP podcast, and our Integrated Video Tutorials (watch below) which comes with our membership (which, by the way, you can try FREE for 30-days).

And that’s a wrap.

Roll Credits

The growth of videos online doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon. While WordPress lets you add videos to content without the drama of sticking to the scripts, if you want better engagement and SEO, a free plugin might just be what you need.

Viewers will be binge-watching your content in no time.