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April 10, 2024

5 Best WordPress Caching Plugins to Speed Up Your Website (2024)

Are you looking for the best WordPress caching plugin for your website?

Caching essentially stores a copy of your WordPress site on your server. When users open your website again, the server can simply pull up the copy so that visitors won’t have to reload your site from scratch again.

Since there are so many different WordPress cache plugins, it can feel overwhelming to pick the right option.

To help you pick the best plugin, we tested some of the best options on the market. While testing, we focused on a bunch of factors like ease of use, caching options, and price.

In this guide, we will show you the best WordPress caching plugins to improve your site speed.

In a hurry? No worries! Take a look at our top picks so you can quickly choose the right WordPress cache plugin for your site.

Ranking	Plugin	Best For	Price
#1	WP Rocket	Overall performance	$59/year	Read more
#2	WP Super Cache	Beginners	Free	Read more
#3	W3 Total Cache	Multiple caching options	Free + paid	Read more
#4	Sucuri	Firewall + caching	$9.99/month	Read more
#5	Cache Enabler	Simple caching	Free	Read more

Why Use a WordPress Caching Plugin?

Using a WordPress caching plugin is one of the easiest ways to increase your website speed. When installed, the caching plugin will store parts of your site (like static HTML files, CSS files, JavaScript files, and so on) on your server.

Every time someone visits your site, they are served the cached version of the site instead of having to wait for your server to load the web pages from the beginning.

By storing cached pages of your site, a caching plugin drastically reduces the amount of processing required to serve those pages. Some cache content at the server level and others leverage browser caching. This leads to:

A faster website and better WordPress SEO. Search engines give a significant SEO advantage to fast web pages, which helps you rank higher in search results.
More power to handle larger amounts of traffic without slowing down your site performance or affecting your uptime. This is important if you run an eCommerce website.

Plus, caching can create a better user experience. Users who visit your site will experience faster page loading times, making it less likely for them to bounce from your site.

The probability of bounce increases 32% as page load time goes from 1 second to 3 seconds.
Think with Google

How We Tested and Reviewed WordPress Caching Plugins

We used them on our websites: Throughout the years, we have used different WordPress cache plugins on our websites to improve our site performance.
We tested the most popular plugins: We tested some of the most popular caching plugins on the market to see if they are worth the hype. We analyzed those plugins based on the following factors: ease of use, features, types of caching, and pricing.
We categorized them based on your needs: Not every website will benefit from the same caching plugin. That’s why we analyzed all the features to help you decide which tool fits your needs.

Why Trust WPBeginner

At WPBeginner, we are a dedicated team of people with over 16 years of experience in WordPress, design, and online marketing. Our WordPress experts extensively review each plugin or tool that is featured here and thoroughly test them on real websites. To learn more, you can see our complete editorial process.

1. WP Rocket

After trying out different plugins from this list, we found WP Rocket to be the overall best WordPress caching plugin. It is the easiest and most beginner-friendly option, which is a big help if you are new to this topic.

With WP Rocket, WordPress users can instantly cache their website with just one click. Once the plugin is activated, its crawler automatically fetches the WordPress pages to build up the cache.

The plugin then automatically turns on the recommended WordPress caching settings. These include page caching, cache preloading, Gzip compression, browser caching, and mobile device caching.

WP Rocket also offers optional features to configure to improve your website performance further. These include lazy loading images, CDN (content delivery network) support, minification, and more.

Pros of WP Rocket:

User-friendly plugin interface for beginners.
Essential caching functions are available out of the box, from page caching and browser caching to mobile device caching.
Additional optimization features to speed up your website loading time, like options to minify CSS files and enable a CDN integration.
Advanced features like database optimization, multisite support, and cache exclusions based on URLs or cookies.
Supports caching for dynamic content, including WooCommerce cart items.

Cons of WP Rocket:

Unfortunately, there is no free version, but WP Rocket does offer a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Pricing: Starting from $59 per year for one website, product updates, and support.

Why we chose WP Rocket: We have reviewed WP Rocket before at WPBeginner, and we strongly recommend it as the best WordPress caching plugin on the market. While there is no free version, its prices are quite affordable compared to other paid options.

You can also check out our step-by-step guide on how to install and set up WP Rocket in WordPress.

2. WP Super Cache

WP Super Cache is a popular, free caching plugin created by Automattic, the company that runs WordPress.com.

This WordPress caching plugin has 2 caching settings: Expert and Simple. The first one is a much faster option than the other because it doesn’t execute any PHP scripts, but it does require you to edit your .htaccess file.

The second is a happy medium between fast site loading speed and ease of use. We recommend choosing this method instead if you are not confident editing your own .htaccess file.

Other than that, WP Super Cache includes other speed optimization features like cache preloading. This setting will generate cached files of your pages, posts, categories, and tags that are ready to load as soon as someone accesses the content for the first time.

Pros of WP Super Cache:

Completely free of charge.
Advanced caching settings are available, such as expert caching that can handle high traffic and custom caching options to control how the plugin works.
Cache garbage collection to delete old cache pages and keep your website updated.
Basic CDN support that will rewrite your website content URLs so that they are loaded with CDN.

Cons of WP Super Cache:

While the interface is pretty user-friendly, it uses technical terms designed for advanced users that may confuse beginners.

Pricing: Free plugin.

Why we chose WP Super Cache: If you are looking for a free caching plugin to speed up your website loading time, then WP Super Cache is a great choice.

For beginners, we recommend taking the time to explore the plugin and understand some of the more technical terms so that you can make the most of it. See our article on how to install and set up WP Super Cache for detailed instructions.

3. W3 Total Cache

If you want to use a WordPress caching plugin with tons of optimization features, then check out W3 Total Cache.

Firstly, W3 Total Cache offers various types of caching besides page caching and browser caching. It also has object caching and database caching, both of which can speed up the execution of dynamic parts of your site (the ones that change frequently), not just the static ones.

Secondly, it has a Google PageSpeed Insights integration. During our testing, we liked that this feature lets you test your website speed without leaving your WordPress admin area, so it’s very user-friendly.

Other than that, you can find other speed enhancement features like CSS and JS file minification, lazy loading, and an image converter from other formats to WebP for better performance.

Pros of W3 Total Cache:

Multiple caching options are available for free: page caching, browser caching, opcode caching, database query caching, and object caching.
Google PageSpeed Insights integration to test website speed.
Image optimization features like lazy loading and WebP conversion.
Pro features in the premium version, like CDN support for the entire website and fragment caching for plugins and themes using the WordPress Transient API.

Cons of W3 Total Cache:

The feature set is comprehensive but can seem intimidating for beginners.
Unlike other plugins on the list, the preloading feature is not available out of the box.

Pricing: Free plugin available. The premium version’s plans start from $99 per year for one website license.

Why we chose W3 Total Cache: The free version of W3 Total Cache offers many caching options that you may not find in other plugins on the list, especially not in the free versions.

That said, the sheer range of features can feel overwhelming for beginners. For detailed setup instructions, see our article on how to install and set up the W3 Total Cache plugin.

4. Sucuri

Sucuri is technically a WordPress firewall plugin, but it has built-in caching options to speed up your website in just a few clicks. We used to use Sucuri on WPBeginner, so we are very familiar with this plugin.

If you run an online store or a membership site, Sucuri recommends using Site Caching, which will keep your cache for up to 180 minutes. Meanwhile, blogs or news portals can use Minimal Caching, which will only cache your pages for up to 8 minutes before they are refreshed.

If you make significant changes to your site, then you can clear your old cache in one click. Sucuri also lets you clear the cache for a file or folder instead of the whole site. This allows you to optimize specific parts of your site without affecting its entirety.

Additionally, Sucuri supports Brotli, a data compression algorithm by Google that is faster than Gzip compression. It’s effective for compressing large files and reducing bandwidth usage. This means people with slow internet can visit your website quicker.

Pros of Sucuri:

Easy-to-use caching features that can be enabled in a few clicks.
User-friendly cache-clearing functions for the entire website and specific files or folders.
Support for compression algorithms, like the more popular Gzip, and a newer option like Brotli.
Reliable CDN service with worldwide network coverage, a great feature for websites with a global audience.
Top-notch security features like a web application firewall, malware removal, and DDoS protection.

Cons of Sucuri:

If you are just looking for a plugin with caching functionality, then Sucuri may seem like overkill.

Pricing: Comes in two types of subscription plans: Website Security Platform and Firewall with CDN. The first starts from $199.99 per year and includes the complete Sucuri security kit. The second starts from $9.99 per month and only comes with a firewall and CDN.

Why we chose Sucuri: If you are looking for a security plugin that doubles as an optimization plugin, then Sucuri is the perfect solution. Besides offering user-friendly caching features, you can get great protection without installing other plugins.

5. Cache Enabler by KeyCDN

Cache Enabler is a free WordPress caching plugin by KeyCDN, one of the most popular WordPress CDN services.

When we first activated the plugin, the plugin page looked rather simple. In reality, it’s quite powerful on its own. You can customize how long cached files last to suit your website needs instead of choosing a time period that’s been set for you.

There are also many cache-clearing settings that you can enable. For example, you can automatically clear the cache when a post type has been published, updated, or trashed so that your blog content stays up-to-date.

Pros of Cache Enabler:

Simple-to-use plugin page interface that’s easy to understand for beginners.
Gzip and Brotli compression support to reduce your file sizes.
Custom post types support, which is great for portfolios, online stores, membership sites, and so on.
A real-time display of your website’s cache size in the WordPress dashboard helps you keep track of how much space your cache is taking on your server.

Cons of Cache Enabler:

Compared to other caching plugins on the list, the features of Cache Enabler can seem pretty limited.

Pricing: Free plugin. However, if you choose to get KeyCDN as well, then the prices start from $0.04 per GB per month for the first 10 TB (for North America/Europe region). The cost varies by region, but you can use its pricing calculator to get estimates.

Why we chose Cache Enabler: As a free caching plugin, Cache Enabler is great at being easy to use yet packed with the most essential caching features. It can be a good option if you just need a simple caching solution.

Bonus Tip: Use Built-in Caching Features From Hosting Providers

These days, many WordPress hosting companies offer their own built-in caching solutions.

The benefit of using these built-in caching settings is that you won’t have to find or install a plugin yourself. Plus, the caching functionality is readily optimized for your hosting, so you may experience fewer errors.

The downside is that the feature set widely varies. Some may only include basic page caching, while others may have more advanced options. Depending on your website, you may not be able to rely solely on these built-in options.

That being said, we still think these hosting caching settings are worth talking about because they are very easy to enable. Let’s look at the caching features offered by some of the most popular web hosting providers on the market.

Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the biggest hosting companies in the world and an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider. Their hosting plans include built-in caching that you can enable from your hosting dashboard.

You can select one of these caching levels:

Assets Only – For eCommerce and sites that update frequently or display real-time information, you can use this level to cache your site’s static assets for 5 minutes.
Assets & Web Pages – If you have a WordPress blog, an educational site, or a website that updates at least once a week, consider using this level to cache static assets for 6 hours and other web pages for 5 minutes.
Assets & Web Pages – Extended – For portfolios or websites that update every month or less frequently, you can choose this option to cache static assets for 1 week and web pages for 5 minutes.

If you compare Bluehost’s caching options to the other plugins on the list, they may seem basic. But they also offer a Cloudflare CDN integration to boost your website performance further.

SiteGround

We use SiteGround to power WPBeginner and have seen many performance improvements since we switched. If you are curious, then you can check out our article on why we switched to SiteGround for more information.

By default, SiteGround offers 3 caching solutions: Nginx Direct Delivery for static content, Dynamic Cache, and Memcached (optional).

The last two are caching modules that not many WordPress hosting offers by default, which is what makes SiteGround so powerful. In fact, they can improve your website speed anywhere from 50% to 500%.

For WordPress sites, SiteGround recommends installing their Speed Optimizer plugin to speed up your website by 20%. The plugin can also compress image sizes by up to 85% without losing quality.

Overall, if you use SiteGround, you really won’t need any caching plugins like WP Rocket or others.

Hostinger

Hostinger is one of the fastest-growing WordPress hosting providers in recent years. They are powered by the LiteSpeed Web Server, so their caching settings also come from LiteSpeed.

From the get-go, Hostinger offers two types of caching modules: the LiteSpeed Cache plugin and the Object Cache.

The LiteSpeed Cache plugin is included in all plans and offers page caching, cache preloading, and image compression for your website. By default, Hostinger will update your cache every 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, the Object Cache will cache your database queries and is only available for Business plan users or above. It has been said to improve website speed by up to 3 times.

WP Engine

WP Engine is a managed WordPress hosting company, which means they will take care of most of your back-end maintenance tasks as much as possible. As a result, you won’t have to handle them as much.

Since WP Engine is a more premium hosting service, it comes with tons of caching features by default. These include page caching, CDN caching, object caching, and local browser caching.

You can also set exclusion rules for dynamic content, like shopping cart, checkout, or login pages. If you need to clear your cache, then you can just log in to your user portal and click a few buttons.

What Is the Best Cache Plugin for WordPress?

After comparing the different options on the list, we found that the best WordPress caching plugin is hands down WP Rocket. It has a great balance between being beginner-friendly and powerful to elevate your website performance.

If you are looking for a free caching plugin, then we recommend W3 Total Cache. It has plenty of caching features out of the box, from basic to advanced.

We also recommend checking out the caching modules that hosting providers like Bluehost have to offer. These may already be good enough to speed up your website, and they are already customized to suit your hosting needs.

Best WordPress Caching Plugins: FAQs Answered

Now that we’ve covered the list of best WordPress caching plugins, let’s answer some frequently asked questions.

Do I need a caching plugin?

Yes, we strongly recommend installing a WordPress caching plugin, as it can significantly improve your WordPress site’s speed.

Caching can reduce server load, improve the user experience by reducing load times, and potentially boost your site’s SEO rankings due to improved speed.

However, if your hosting provider offers built-in caching solutions like SiteGround, then you might not need to install a separate caching plugin.

Should I use multiple cache plugins in WordPress?

Using multiple caching plugins simultaneously can lead to conflicts and potential issues with your site. We generally recommend using only one caching plugin to avoid these problems.

However, if you need to use multiple caching tools for specific purposes, make sure they can complement each other and do not result in the same action being performed twice.

Which is better: WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache?

Both WP Super Cache and W3 Total Cache are highly-rated WordPress caching plugins. However, the choice between the two depends on your specific needs and preferences.

WP Super Cache is a free plugin with some basic and advanced caching features. But some settings require some technical knowledge, so we don’t recommend it if you are a complete beginner.

W3 Total Cache is a freemium plugin with a comprehensive set of caching settings. The abundance of features may intimidate beginners, but the ease of use is generally much better than WP Super Cache.

Check Out More Guides to Speed Up WordPress

We hope this article helped you find the WordPress caching plugin to speed up your website. You may also want to see our list of the best WordPress plugins for business websites, and the best WordPress SEO plugins to help you boost your rankings.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

Disclaimer: We also looked at other WordPress cache plugins and solutions for this article, including WP Fastest Cache, Hummingbird, and WP-Optimize. However, we picked only the very best WordPress caching plugins to help you avoid choice paralysis.

The post 5 Best WordPress Caching Plugins to Speed Up Your Website (2024) first appeared on WPBeginner.

April 5, 2024

6 Important WordPress Server Requirements You Should Know

Recently, one of our users asked what the recommended server requirements are for running a WordPress website.

The best thing about WordPress is that it will work in almost any kind of environment. However, when you’re picking a hosting solution for your site, it’s important to check whether it meets the basic prerequisites or not.

In this article, we will share important WordPress server requirements you should know.

Why is it Important to Check Server Requirements?

All WordPress websites on the internet need a server to function. They are used to store and use website files, databases, media files, content, and other important data.

When it comes to running WordPress smoothly, there are some server requirements you should look into. Technically, WordPress will work in minimalist conditions, like on outdated versions of PHP or basic hardware, but it’s not ideal.

WordPress server plays a big role in your site’s performance. Limited server specifications can slow down your site, which can have a negative impact on user experience and keyword rankings.

It will also make it difficult to handle large spikes in traffic. If you run multiple WordPress plugins and third-party tools, then meeting server requirements is critical. Otherwise, you’ll risk breaking your site or experiencing sluggish performance.

That said, let’s look at the server requirements for WordPress. You can click the links below to jump ahead to any section:

Ensure the Server Supports Recommended PHP Version
Check for Suggested MySQL or MariaDB Versions
Look for NGINX or Apache Web Server Software
Support for HTTPS by WordPress Server
WordPress Server Hardware Requirements
Check Your WordPress Server Location and CDN Option

Important WordPress Server Requirements

To run WordPress, you will need to check some prerequisites. These include the PHP version, MySQL or MariaDB version, HTTPS support, web server type, storage space, and other hardware specifications.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these requirements.

1. Ensure the Server Supports Recommended PHP Version

WordPress currently requires PHP version 7.4 or higher to work smoothly. PHP is a programming language for creating dynamic interactive websites. It is open source and WordPress is written using PHP.

Just like any other programming language, there are many versions of PHP you can use. Each version receives updates and fixes for up to 2 years. While WordPress officially recommends PHP version 7.4, it no longer gets any security updates.

That’s why we would suggest using the latest version. If you already have a WordPress site, then it’s better to update the PHP version at the earliest.

This will protect your site from security vulnerabilities, bugs, malware, and hackers. Plus, it will improve performance by running processes much faster and reducing memory usage.

You can also check the PHP version of your server by going to Tools » Site Health from the WordPress dashboard. From here, switch to the ‘Info’ tab.

Opening the Info tab inside the Site Health menu in the WordPress admin area

Next, you can scroll down to the ‘Server’ tab.

Go ahead and click the tab to expand the Server section and view the server’s system information along with the PHP version.

Checking your server's PHP version in the WordPress Site Health page

Besides that, you should also check the PHP memory allocated by the WordPress server. PHP memory is the amount of memory reserved for running PHP-based processes.

The standard PHP memory used by WordPress is 64MB, but this is often not high enough. If a task or process requires more memory to work, then it could lead to the WordPress memory exhausted error.

A simple fix is to increase the PHP memory by manually editing the wp-config.php file or .htaccess file. Or you can reach out to your web hosting provider and increase the limit.

2. Check for Suggested MySQL or MariaDB Versions

WordPress recommends MySQL version 5.7 or greater and MariaDB version 10.4 or higher to function.

MySQL and MariaDB are database management systems used by WordPress to store and retrieve blog information. You only need any one of the systems to install and use WordPress on a server.

You can easily access the databases from your hosting provider’s cPanel. For instance, simply use phpMyAdmin to access the MySQL database in your web browser.

However, when checking the WordPress server requirements, make sure that the database is stored on a solid-state drive (SSD). It is the fastest storage technology currently available and offers quick performance.

You should also see if the server offers automated database optimization and if there is an option for automated database backups.

3. Look for NGINX or Apache Web Server Software

The optimal web server software recommended by WordPress is NGINX or Apache. While it is not mandatory to run WordPress, using either software has certain advantages.

For instance, Apache is an open-source server software that is fast, reliable, and secure. It powers almost 31% of web servers and is highly customizable. You can use different extensions and modules to meet the needs of any environment.

On the other hand, NGINX is newer and faster and requires fewer resources to run than Apache. It runs more than 34% of web servers and is developed to address performance issues. However, it doesn’t offer the flexibility that you’d get with Apache.

When looking for a web server for your WordPress site, either Apache or NGINX is a great choice.

PRO TIP: Many users have had great success with Litespeed server software as well. If you’re interested in checking it out, we recommend using Hostinger because they have optimized Litespeed hosting for as low as $2.99 per month.

4. Support for HTTPS by WordPress Server

HTTPS, or hypertext transfer protocol secure, is an encryption method that secures the connection between your server and your user’s browser. It is an extension of HTTP, and all web addresses begin with HTTPS.

The HTTPS protocol in WPBeginner's domain

HTTPS makes it harder for hackers to eavesdrop on your connection, and it helps make your site more secure. Plus, it also sends a positive signal to search engines like Google and helps improve your WordPress SEO.

That’s why it’s important to check if your WordPress server supports HTTPS and offers SSL certificates.

For more details, you can see our guide on how to get a free SSL certificate for your WordPress website.

5. WordPress Server Hardware Requirements

When choosing a WordPress server, you should also look into some basic hardware specifications.

That’s because a web server is actually a physical server that stores and shares websites with people on the internet. If the hardware requirements are limited, then you could run into storage issues, poor performance, and other WordPress errors.

Some important hardware requirements include checking the disk space available for storage, RAM (random access memory), and CPU (central processing unit).

Storage (Disk Space) – The minimum disk space requirement for WordPress is 1 GB. However, we suggest looking for servers that offer at least 10 GB or more storage. WordPress will use disk space to store website files, images, videos, plugins, themes, and other data. So, as your site grows, it is better to have enough space to keep your website running smoothly. Plus, look for SSD drives as they are faster than the standard HDD (hard disk drives).
Memory (RAM) – It acts as a link between your server’s hard disk and processor. RAM speeds up server processes by temporarily storing data required by the CPU from the hard disk. WordPress itself only requires at least 512 MB of RAM, but look for a web server that has an option for expansion. As your site grows, you’ll need more RAM to improve performance.
Processing Power (CPU) – The processor or CPU is the brain of your web server, and it controls how many processes can happen at a given time. Its performance is usually measured in gigahertz (GHz) or the number of cores available. WordPress requires only a 1.0 GHz CPU to work normally. However, more powerful processors will have multiple cores and deliver faster performance.

To learn more, please see our guide on how to determine the ideal size of a web server for your website.

6. Check Your WordPress Server Location and CDN Option

The physical distance between your site’s server location and the user’s location can affect the loading speed of your website. If a user is located near your server, then your site will load faster compared to someone living further away.

To speed up your WordPress site, many web servers offer a content delivery network (CDN).

It is a network of servers spread across the globe, and they store static versions of your site. When a user wants to view your content, the closest server in the CDN will instantly load the website.

Even though it’s not a technical server requirement, when you’re looking at hosting companies for your site’s needs and requirements, there is an added advantage if the one you choose offers a CDN.

You may want to see our list of the best WordPress CDN services.

Bonus: Pick the Best WordPress Servers

Now that you know some important WordPress server specifications, the next step is to pick a hosting solution that meets these requirements.

In our 16+ years of experience, we’ve tested multiple website hosts. And to help you out, here are some of the best hosting providers you can choose from.

1. Bluehost

Bluehost is the oldest web host in the market, and they’re an official WordPress-recommended hosting provider.

It offers a free domain for 1 year, a free SSL certificate, and a 1-click WordPress installation with every plan. Plus, you get SSD web storage space starting from 10 GB and going all the way up to 100 GB.

Besides that, it offers free CDN with every pricing plan. If you opt for dedicated hosting, then you get a minimum of 4 CPU cores (2.3 GHz) and 1TB HDD storage.

2. SiteGround

SiteGround is one of the most popular and highest-rated hosting providers. They provide a unique in-house speed and security solution for WordPress.

With SiteGround, you get free WordPress installation, 10 GB of web storage space that goes up to 40 GB, a free SSL certificate for HTTPS support, free CDN, and more.

It easily meets the minimum WordPress server requirements and offers advanced solutions. For instance, it automatically updates the PHP version once it is stable, and lets you create unlimited MySQL databases, offers SSD storage, and more.

3. Hostinger

Hostinger is one of the fastest WordPress hosting services in the industry. It offers automatic 1-click WordPress install, free CDN, free domain name, and 24/7 customer support.

The best part about Hostinger is that the minimum storage space it offers is 100 GB, which goes up to 200 GB. Plus, it offers the fastest SSD technology currently available.

Besides that, you get free SSL, unlimited bandwidth, regular backups, unlimited databases, and multiple PHP version support. Their shared plans also run on Litespeed web server software, a popular alternative to Apache and NGINX.

If you want more options for picking a website server, then please see our guide on how to choose the best WordPress hosting.

We hope this article helped you learn about important WordPress server requirements you should know about. You may also want to see our guide on the difference between a domain name and web hosting and how to move WordPress from HTTP to HTTPS.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 6 Important WordPress Server Requirements You Should Know first appeared on WPBeginner.

March 26, 2024

How to Make a WordPress Database Backup Manually (Step by Step)

Backups are the most important security step and are often the most neglected by website owners.

Manually backing up a WordPress database is a quick and easy way to download all your WordPress data. It is not a complete WordPress website backup, but it is handy for recovering a WordPress site.

In this article, we will show you how to back up a WordPress database manually.

Making a WordPress database backup manually

Here is a quick overview of the topics we will cover in this tutorial:

When and Why Make a WordPress Database Backup Manually?
Making a WordPress Database Backup Using a Plugin
Backing Up WordPress Database Manually Using phpMyAdmin
Creating a Manual WordPress Database Backup From cPanel
Restoring a WordPress Database Backup
Set Up a Proper Automated Backup System for the Future

When and Why Make a WordPress Database Backup Manually?

You should always install and set up a WordPress backup system for your site. This allows you to restore your site should something go wrong.

There are several situations when you may need to manually back up a database.

For instance, you could be making some big changes to your WordPress website and just to be on the safe side, you want to have a database backup.

If you have access to the admin area of your website, then you can use a plugin to make an on-demand database backup (We will show you how and which plugin to use later in this article).

On the other hand, in some instances, you may not have access to the admin area of your WordPress website.

For example, this can happen when your WordPress website is hacked or inaccessible due to a WordPress error.

This is when you’ll need to make a completely manual backup using a database management utility (we will show you how to do that as well).

A manual database backup is exactly the same as a database backup created by a plugin.

Having said that, let’s take a look at how to easily make a WordPress database backup manually.

1. Making a WordPress Database Backup Using a Plugin

This method is easier and recommended, but it will only work if you have access to the admin area of your WordPress website.

First, you need to install and activate the Duplicator plugin. For more details, see our tutorial on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Note: There is also a free version of Duplicator, which can be used to create database backups. We recommend upgrading to the paid version because it offers more features.

Upon activation, you need to go to the Duplicator Pro » Packages page and click on the ‘Create New’ button.

On the next screen, Duplicator allows you to choose what you want to include in the backup.

Select ‘Database Only’ and then click on the ‘Next’ button.

Duplicator will now scan your WordPress site and database.

After that, it will show you the scan results. There may be a notice next to the Database section informing you that you are creating a database-only package.

Click on the ‘Build’ button to continue.

Duplicator will now prepare your database backup in the background and show you the progress.

Once finished, you will be able to download the backup files. We recommend downloading both Archive and Installer files. This will allow you to restore your website more easily.

2. Backing Up WordPress Database Manually Using phpMyAdmin

For this method, we will be using phpMyAdmin. It is an open-source software that allows you to manage your MySQL database using a web-based interface.

phpMyAdmin comes pre-installed on most WordPress hosting providers.

For the sake of this article, we will show you screenshots from Bluehost. However, the basic procedure is the same for most hosting providers.

First, you need to log in to your WordPress hosting control panel and click on the ‘Settings’ button under your website.

Under your website settings, scroll down to the Quick Links section.

Next, click on the ‘phpMyAdmin’ button to continue.

This will launch the phpMyAdmin app in a new browser tab.

From here, click to select your WordPress database from the left column and then click on the ‘Export’ button at the top.

You will be asked to select the export method.

Next, you need to select ‘Custom’, as it will give you more options to explore.

Once you choose the Custom option, it will show all your tables in your WordPress database as selected.

Sometimes, WordPress plugins add their own tables to your database. If there are any tables that you would like to exclude from export, then you can deselect them. If you are unsure, it is better to keep them all selected.

You now need to scroll down to the ‘Output’ section.

By default, phpMyAdmin will show you the output of the export process as text.

You need to change that by selecting the ‘Save output to a file’ option.

For compression, you must select the zipped or gzipped option.

Now, you need to scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the ‘Go’ button. phpMyAdmin will now send you the database export as a zip or gzip file.

That’s all. You have successfully made a manual WordPress database backup.

3. Creating a Manual WordPress Database Backup From cPanel

Most good WordPress hosting companies also offer easy ways to download on-demand backups. Here is how to make a manual WordPress database backup from your hosting dashboard.

Hosting providers like Bluehost, SiteGround, and HostGator all have similar options.

For the sake of this tutorial, we will show you screenshots of Bluehost. However, the basic procedure is quite similar for other hosts.

First, log in to your hosting account dashboard and click on the ‘Settings’ button under your website.

On the next screen, you need to switch to the ‘Advanced’ tab.

From here, simply scroll down to the cPanel section and click the ‘Manage’ button.

This will launch the cPanel interface in a new browser tab.

From here, just scroll down to the files section and click on the ‘Backup’ button.

On the backups page, scroll down to the partial backups section.

From here, you need to click on your database name to download your database backup file.

You can also download the backup of your WordPress files from this page if you need to.

Restoring a WordPress Database Backup

Once you have downloaded the WordPress database backup, you can continue fixing your hacked WordPress site or make any other changes you need to.

In many cases, you probably won’t need to restore your website from the backup.

But in case you do, we have a detailed step-by-step guide on restoring WordPress from backup. It covers all common WordPress backup options including restoring from a database backup.

Set Up a Proper Automated Backup System for the Future

You can make WordPress database backups manually, but keep in mind that this is not an alternative to a proper backup solution for your WordPress site.

There are situations when you may not have access to your WordPress database. For example, this can happen if your hosting company suspends your account or loses your website data.

Another possible scenario is when some hacker injects malicious code into your WordPress database. Cleaning an infected database will be a lot more difficult.

That’s why we suggest using a proper backup plugin to store your WordPress database backups on the cloud automatically.

We recommend using Duplicator. It automatically creates and stores your backups on a cloud storage service like Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, and more.

You can see this guide on how to automatically back up WordPress for detailed instructions.

We hope this article helped you learn how to make a WordPress database backup manually. You may also want to see our guide on how to restore your WordPress site with just a database backup or our expert picks of the best WordPress database plugins.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Make a WordPress Database Backup Manually (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.

March 15, 2024

6 Best Cheap WordPress Hosting (Compared)

Are you looking for a cheap hosting plan for your WordPress website?

When creating a new WordPress website, you will need to choose a hosting provider and a domain name. If you are starting out with a limited budget, then you need an affordable option.

In this article, we will share some of the best cheap WordPress hosting plans.

Why Choose Cheap WordPress Hosting?

When you create a WordPress website, you will need to pay for two things: a web hosting plan and a domain name. Web hosting is where your website files and content are stored, and a domain name is the address your users will use to visit your site.

Because all websites need these, WordPress hosting prices are very competitive and often cover the cost of your domain name for the first year.

If you are just starting out or have a tight budget, then you may be looking for the best cheap hosting you can find. Or you might prefer not to spend much on hosting if you are creating a test website or a site for students to practice on.

We recommend that you avoid free website hosting. These companies may try to save money by limiting your website traffic, and will often try to make money by displaying ads or upselling their other services, leading to a poor experience for you and your visitors.

You will have a better experience by choosing an inexpensive plan from one of the best web hosting companies.

How to Get the Best Cheap WordPress Hosting

Reputable web hosting companies usually offer multiple pricing options so that you can find something that fits your needs and budget. Here are a few ways you can save money.

Save Money on Hosting by Choosing the Cheapest Plan

If you are just starting out or have simple needs, then you can save money by choosing the cheapest plan the hosting company offers.

But be aware that you get what you pay for. A company’s cheapest hosting plan is designed to save beginners money and is cheap because it is limited.

For example, the cheapest plans can usually only host one website and offer less storage space than more expensive plans. They also may lack features offered by other plans.

So make sure that the cheapest plan meets your needs before you choose it.

Save Money on Hosting Using an Introductory Offer or Coupon Code

Most hosting companies offer heavy discounts to new customers. That means when you first sign up for hosting, you will be paying a fraction of what the hosting normally costs.

To save even more money, you can use one of our coupon codes. We have negotiated the best web hosting deals for WPBeginner readers, so make sure you don’t miss out.

Save Money on Hosting by Paying in Advance

To get the special initial price, most hosting companies will need you to pay at least a year in advance. That’s a good thing and will save you money because you will be charged the normal amount when it is time to renew your hosting.

You can save even more money by paying for multiple years in advance. Some hosting companies allow you to pay for 3-4 years upfront.

Save Money on Hosting by Considering the Renewal Price

If you are looking to save money in the long term, then make sure you consider the renewal cost. The introductory discount lasts for just one payment, and the renewal price is what you will be paying for years to come.

By default, most web companies will automatically renew your hosting for the same period as when you first signed up. You can save money by renewing 12 months or more in advance.

Lower Individual Payments by Paying Month-to-Month

To get the best deal on web hosting, you need to pay for a year or more in advance. While you will be saving money in the long term, your individual payments will cost more.

If you have limited money on hand, then you may prefer to pay for your web hosting month-to-month. While you will end up paying more in the long term, your monthly payments will be more manageable.

However, since the cheapest web hosting plans cost just over $30 for the first year, we recommend that you choose the month-to-month option only when absolutely necessary.

All that being said, let’s take a look at the best cheap WordPress hosting companies.

1. Bluehost

Bluehost is a good option for beginners, and their budget-friendly plans are suitable for all kinds of websites. They are one of the biggest web hosting companies and an official WordPress-recommended hosting provider.

Learn more in our complete Bluehost review.

Their Basic plan is the cheapest, and this lets you create one website with 10GB of storage and chat support. It also includes a free domain name and SSL certificate for the first year.

If you upgrade to their Choice Plus plan, then you can create 3 websites with 40GB of storage. You will also be able to contact customer support via phone.

Bluehost Pros and Cons

Bluehost is reliable, fast, and affordable. Here are some pros and cons.

Pros:

Cheapest hosting prices for new customers
Free domain name
Free CDN + SSL certificate
1-click WordPress install
Excellent customer support
Officially recommended by WordPress

Cons:

Hosting renewal prices are not as affordable as the cheapest companies
Higher renewal price for domains
They don’t offer month-to-month hosting

Why We Chose Bluehost

Bluehost offers affordable starter plans that fit any budget requirement, and they are often ranked the #1 web hosting provider. Their hosting plans offer tons of features and excellent support.

Bluehost Pricing

Bluehost offers many payment options. Here are some options for their Basic plan:

Month-to-month pricing: Not available
Cheapest rate: $1.99 for the first 12 months using our Bluehost coupon
First year in advance: $23.88 using our Bluehost coupon
Renewal price: $143.88 for 12 months

2. HostGator

HostGator is one of the most popular hosting companies in the world. We consider them one of the best web hosting options for businesses.

You can learn more in our complete HostGator review.

The company’s cheapest plan is the Hatchling Plan, which lets you create a single website with unlimited bandwidth and 10GB of storage. This plan also includes free domain name registration for your first year, but support will be by chat only.

Some users may prefer to upgrade to the Baby plan. This lets you create 2 websites with 20GB of storage and allows you to contact customer support via phone or chat.

HostGator Pros and Cons

HostGator offers reliable web hosting and quality customer service. Here are some of the company’s pros and cons.

Pros:

Affordable introductory hosting prices
Free domain and SSL certificate
Free business email address
1-click WordPress install
Reliable web hosting

Cons:

The cheapest plan includes chat support only
Renewal prices cost more than the cheapest companies
Higher monthly pricing
HostGator uses a lot of aggressive upselling tactics

Why We Chose HostGator

HostGator offers a variety of fast hosting plans that fit all budgets and requirements. They are trusted by over 2 million customers.

HostGator Pricing

HostGator offers many payment options. Here are some of the pricing options for their Hatchling plan:

Month-to-month: $4.78
Cheapest rate: $2.52 for the first 36 months using our HostGator coupon
First year in advance: $30.84 using our HostGator coupon
Renewal price: $143.88 for 12 months

3. DreamHost

DreamHost is one of WordPress.org’s officially recommended hosts. They offer affordable introductory pricing, better-than-average ongoing renewal pricing, a free domain name and SSL certificate, automatic daily backups, and WordPress privacy features.

Learn more in our complete DreamHost review.

DreamHost’s cheapest plan is Shared Starter. This allows you to host one website with unlimited traffic. It includes a free domain name and SSL certificate.

When you upgrade to the Shared Unlimited plan, you can host unlimited websites.

DreamHost Pros and Cons

DreamHost is known for making web hosting easy and affordable. You might like to see some pros and cons for the company.

Pros:

Officially recommended by WordPress
Award-winning hosting
Affordable introductory deals for new customers
The second best ongoing renewal pricing when paying a year or more in advance
Best price on month-to-month hosting
Free domain name, SSL certificate, and privacy
1-click WordPress install
Excellent customer support
Automatic daily WordPress backups

Cons:

No free business email address

Why We Chose DreamHost

DreamHost offers fast and affordable hosting that is suitable for bloggers, online store owners, developers, and web designers. They are recommended by WordPress, have won many awards, and get excellent reviews from their customers.

DreamHost Pricing

DreamHost offers many payment options. Here are some of the pricing options for their Shared Starter plan:

Month-to-month: $4.95 for 3 months, then $7.99
Cheapest rate: $2.59 for the first 36 months using our DreamHost coupon
First year in advance: $35.40 using our DreamHost coupon
Renewal price: $83.88 for 12 months

4. Hostinger

Hostinger is a popular web hosting provider that offers affordable shared hosting plans with great customer support, a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, and more.

You can learn more in our complete Hostinger review.

Their cheapest plan is the Premium plan, which lets you create up to 100 websites with standard performance. It includes a free SSL certificate, unlimited bandwidth, and a free domain name. Customer support is by live chat.

Hostinger Pros and Cons

Hostinger is a robust platform to host your website. You might like to see some of their other pros and cons.

Pros:

Affordable introductory hosting prices
Renewal pricing is also the most affordable when paying a year or more in advance
3 months free when you sign up
Free SSL certificate
1-click WordPress install
Performance-optimized hosting
Excellent customer support
Many data centers across the world

Cons:

Month-to-month pricing is a bit higher and requires an initial setup fee

Why We Chose Hostinger

Hostinger is the best choice for beginners who want to start a website without spending too much money. They offer great introductory deals to new customers, as well as the cheapest ongoing renewal pricing.

Hostinger Pricing

Hostinger offers many payment options, such as these options for their Single plan:

Month-to-month: $10.79 plus $4.99 setup fee
Cheapest rate: $2.69 per month for the first 48 months using our Hostinger coupon
First year in advance: $34.45 using our Hostinger coupon
Renewal price: $143.88 for 12 months

5. GreenGeeks

GreenGeeks is an environmentally friendly web hosting provider whose goal is to be as effective as possible. Their hosting plans are not the cheapest but offer great performance while saving the planet.

You can learn more in our complete GreenGeeks review.

The cheapest GreenGeeks plan is Lite, which is suitable for small websites that are just getting started. You will be able to host a single website with 50GB of storage space.

The plan includes unlimited bandwidth, a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, a free CDN, and one tree planted.

If you need more, then the Pro plan lets you host unlimited websites with unlimited storage.

GreenGeeks Pros and Cons

GreenGeeks offers affordable plans with plenty of useful features. You might like to see some of their pros and cons.

Pros:

Introductory pricing for new customers is competitive
A free domain name
Free SSL certificate, CDN, and website backups
Environmentally-friendly hosting
Built-in performance tools, including LiteSpeed caching
Great customer support
1-click WordPress install

Cons:

Renewal prices are more expensive than the cheapest companies
Their phone support isn’t available 24/7

Why We Chose GreenGeeks

GreenGeeks offers web hosting that is environmentally friendly and suitable for anyone who is just starting out.

GreenGeeks Pricing

GreenGeeks offers many payment options, such as these choices for their Lite plan:

Month-to-month: $11.95, plus a $15 setup fee
Cheapest rate: $2.95 for the first 12 months using our GreenGeeks coupon
First year in advance: $35.40 using our GreenGeeks coupon
Renewal price: $143.40 for 12 months

6. SiteGround

SiteGround is one of the most recommended WordPress hosting companies. While the introductory deal for new customers is very competitive, renewal prices for their hosting plans are more expensive.

However, SiteGround hosting is very reliable, and they provide a 99.9% uptime guarantee, so many users find the extra cost worthwhile. In fact, we use SiteGround hosting on WPBeginner.

Learn more in our complete SiteGround review.

SiteGround’s most affordable plan is StartUp. It is suitable for one website and includes 10GB of storage space. It also includes a free SSL and CDN, but not a free domain name.

Some users will want to upgrade to the GrowBig plan. It lets you host an unlimited number of websites using 20GB of storage space. However, you will still need to pay separately for a domain name.

SiteGround Pros and Cons

We find SiteGround hosting to be fast and reliable. Here are some of their pros and cons.

Pros:

While SiteGround doesn’t focus on budget hosting, their introductory prices for new customers are comparable to other hosting companies
Free domain name, SSL certificate, CDN, and website backups
Free website migration
1-click WordPress install
Speedy servers powered by Google Cloud
Excellent customer support

Cons:

Renewal prices are more expensive than other hosting companies

Why We Chose SiteGround

SiteGround focuses on fast and reliable web hosting with great customer support. While they are not the overall cheapest option, they have hosting plans for every budget.

SiteGround Pricing

SiteGround offers many payment options. Here are some of the pricing options for their StartUp plan:

Month-to-month: $19.99
Cheapest rate: $2.99 for the first 12 months using our SiteGround coupon
First year in advance: $35.88 using our SiteGround coupon
Renewal price: $215.88 for 12 months

What Is the Best Cheap WordPress Hosting?

Now that we’ve looked at the best cheap WordPress hosting providers, let’s put all of their pricing options into a table so we can compare them more easily.

	Cheapest Monthly	First Year	Annual Renewal	Month-to-Month
Bluehost	$1.99	$23.88	$143.88	n/a
HostGator	$2.52	$30.84	$143.88	$4.78
DreamHost	$2.59	$35.40	$83.88	$7.99
Hostinger	$2.69	$34.45	$143.88	$10.79
GreenGeeks	$2.95	$35.40	$143.40	$11.95
SiteGround	$2.99	$35.88	$215.88	$19.99

As you can see, Bluehost has the cheapest introductory pricing for the first year overall. This makes it easy to get started with your first website. However, you will pay more each year from your second year onwards.

HostGator is another good option. Their cheapest introductory rate can be used for the first three years of hosting. This will make the initial payment more expensive but is better value in the long run. Besides that, their renewal price for subsequent years is quite affordable.

Alternatively, DreamHost is a great choice if you are looking for the best cheap hosting. The introductory deal for new customers is very competitive, and the renewal price is the most affordable when paying for 12 months or more in advance.

DreamHost is also the best choice when paying for hosting month-to-month.

However, price is not the only consideration when choosing a hosting plan for your new website. You may like to see our guide on how to choose the best WordPress hosting. It includes a helpful quiz that will help you work through the issues and choose the best option.

FAQs About WordPress Hosting

Over the years, we have helped over 2 million users start their websites, so we hear a lot of questions about WordPress hosting. Here are some of the answers to the most frequently asked questions about WordPress hosting.

What are the costs of creating a new website?

When creating a new website, you will need to pay for web hosting and a domain name. These are ongoing costs that you will need to continue paying as long as your website is live.

Some users may pay additional costs, such as purchasing premium plugins and themes or hiring professional developers and designers.

The cost of building a WordPress website depends on what you need and can range from $100 to as high as $30,000. We have created a detailed guide explaining how much it really costs to build a WordPress website.

Do I need WordPress hosting to start a new website?

Yes, you need to choose a WordPress hosting plan before you can build a WordPress website. This is where your website files are stored.

How do I install WordPress on my WordPress hosting account?

Installing WordPress is easy. Our recommended WordPress hosting providers let you install WordPress easily with a single click.

You can see how this works in our guide on how to install WordPress on your host.

Can I change to a different WordPress hosting provider in the future?

Yes, you can absolutely switch if you are unhappy with your WordPress hosting company or your needs or budget change.

Most WordPress hosting companies offer free migration services, which makes the process fairly smooth. However, if you want to do the migration yourself, then you can follow our step-by-step guide on how to move WordPress to a new host with no downtime.

Should I use free WordPress hosting?

No, we highly recommend that you stay away from free website hosting companies.

That’s because free hosting providers usually put advertisements on your website and in some cases may even distribute malware to your users. They may also shut down your website at any time without any notification.

You can learn more in our guide on why having a ‘free website’ is a bad idea.

Expert Guides for WordPress Hosting

Now that you have learned about the best cheap hosting providers, you may like to see some other guides on WordPress hosting:

We hope this tutorial helped you find the best cheap WordPress hosting. You may also want to see our guide on important reasons why you should use WordPress for your website or our expert pick of the best analytics solutions for WordPress users.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post 6 Best Cheap WordPress Hosting (Compared) first appeared on WPBeginner.

March 13, 2024

How to Renew a Domain Name (All Major Hosting Registrars)

Are you wondering how to renew your domain name?

Having an active domain name is essential for your business. Otherwise, your audience won’t be able to view your content, products, and services. Domain registration renewals often happen every year, but you can choose to pay for multiple years at once so your site is in no danger of losing its URL.

In this article, we will show you how to renew a domain for all major hosting registrars.

What is Domain Renewal?

Domain renewal is a process where you renew your domain name by paying a fee to a registrar.

It is essential that your WordPress website is active so users can easily read your blog posts, subscribe to newsletters, purchase products and services, or contact you. If your domain name expires, they won’t be able to do any of this.

Plus, an expired domain can be auctioned off to the highest bidder on different domain registration websites. Or it will become available in the market again, and anyone can purchase it. As a result, you’ll lose your website and have to find a new name and URL for your business.

Now, the domain renewal costs usually depend on the domain extension (like .com, .net, .org) you’re using. You can also renew a domain for multiple years, depending on the domain registrars and hosting services you are using.

Most domain registrars and web hosting services have an auto-renew option enabled by default for domain names. They also inform users a few weeks before a domain expires, usually by email.

That said, let’s look at how to manually renew a domain name in major WordPress hosting services. You can click the links below to jump to your preferred hosting or domain registration service.

Domain Name Renewal in Bluehost
Renewing Domain Name in Domain.com
Renew Domain Name in Hostinger
How to Renew Domain Name in SiteGround
Renewing a Domain Name in HostGator
Domain Name Renewal in Namecheap
How to Renew a Domain Name in GoDaddy
Renewing a Domain Name in WordPress.com
Bonus Tip: Transfer a Domain Name for Lower Rates

Domain Name Renewal in Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the largest WordPress hosting companies in the world and is the official WordPress-recommended hosting service. It delivers fast performance, 24/7 support, and a wide variety of pricing plans for all types of businesses.

With Bluehost, you get a free domain name and SSL certificate with each hosting plan. Plus, it offers a free content delivery network (CDN), so you get fast load times.

You can read our detailed Bluehost review to learn more about the hosting service.

To renew a domain name in Bluehost, you’ll need to log into your account and head to the ‘Renewal Center’ from the menu on the left.

On the next screen, you can select the ‘Domain Name’ option.

After that, go ahead and click the ‘Renew’ button at the top.

Next, you can go to the cart page and proceed with the checkout process.

There is also an option to choose the number of years for domain renewal (like 1 year). Plus, you can also renew any addons, like domain privacy.

Once you complete the purchase, your domain will be renewed in Bluehost.

Renewing Domain Name in Domain.com

Domain.com is one of the leading domain registrars that helps you find the right name and extension for your website. It also offers web hosting services, domain protection features, a WHOIS lookup tool, SSL certificates, and more.

To renew your domain name, you’ll first need to log in to your Domain.com account. Next, you can click the domain name or the gear icon to open the settings.

After that, you should see a summary of your domain.

Simply click the ‘Renew Domain’ link at the bottom.

Next, you can follow the checkout process and complete the payment to renew your domain.

Domain.com also lets you choose the number of years for domain renewal. For instance, you can select anywhere from 1 to 5 years.

Once the purchase is complete, you will receive a confirmation email notifying you that your domain has been renewed.

Renew Domain Name in Hostinger

Hostinger is one of the fastest web hosting services in the market. It offers a variety of hosting plans, including WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, cloud hosting solutions, and more.

With Hostinger, you get a 1-click WordPress install, automatic updates, free CDN, free domain name, enhanced security features, free SSL, and different website speed acceleration features.

You can renew a domain name in Hostinger by logging into the dashboard. From here, head to the ‘Billing’ tab at the top.

Next, you will see your domain names.

Simply click the ‘Renew now’ button for the domain you want to renew.

After that, a popup window will open where you can select the number of years for domain renewal.

From here, go ahead and click the ‘Choose payment method’ button.

Pay for your domain renewal in Hostinger

Lastly, complete the checkout process to make the purchase and renew your domain name.

If you want to learn more about Hostinger and its features, then you may want to see our detailed Hostinger review.

How to Renew Domain Name in SiteGround

SiteGround is the highest-rated WordPress hosting service. What’s great about them is that they offer in-house WordPress speed and security solutions.

It is also an officially recommended hosting solution by WordPress, providing one of the industry’s best customer support around the clock. This is why we use SiteGround to host the WPBeginner website.

You can easily renew a domain name by logging in to your SiteGround account. Once you’re on the dashboard, head to the ‘Billing’ tab.

Under the Billing tab, you’ll see more options. Simply switch to the ‘Renewals’ tab.

After that, click the checkbox to choose your website and renew its domain name. There is also an option to choose the time period for domain renewal. You can select anywhere from 1 month to 24 months.

Next, you can scroll down to enter the payment details.

Simply click the ‘Pay Now’ button after entering the payment information, and your domain name will be renewed.

Renewing a Domain Name in HostGator

HostGator is another popular WordPress hosting service and domain registrar. It offers 24/7 support, 1-click WordPress installation, free domain name, free SSL certificate, and more.

To renew a domain name in HostGator, you will first need to log in to your account. After that, you can click the ‘Renewal Center’ option from the menu on the left.

On the next screen, you will see different products and services you’ve purchased in HostGator.

Go ahead and click the ‘Domain Name’ checkbox to select it, and then click the ‘Renew Now’ button at the top.

After that, you will see your cart with domain name renewal.

You can also change the number of years for renewing the domain name. By default, it will be set to 1 year. But you can click the dropdown menu and change it to a maximum of 5 years.

Next, you can click the ‘Continue to Checkout’ button and complete the purchase process.

Once that’s done, your domain will be renewed in HostGator.

Domain Name Renewal in Namecheap

Namecheap is a popular domain registrar that helps users find the right domain name for their website.

You can renew a domain in Namecheap by logging in to your account. From here, you can head to the ‘Domain List’ tab from the menu on the left.

Now click the ‘Manage’ button next to the domain name you want to renew.

Next, you can head to the ‘Status & Validity’ section.

Go ahead and click the ‘Add Years’ button for your domain name.

After that, you can click the dropdown menu to select the number of years to renew your domain name.

Once that’s done, you can click the ‘Confirm Order’ button.

From here, simply follow the checkout process and complete the payment to renew your domain name.

How to Renew a Domain Name in GoDaddy

GoDaddy is one of the biggest and most popular domain registrars. It also offers managed WordPress hosting, website builder, security features, automatic updates, daily backups, and more.

You can log in to the GoDaddy Domain Portfolio to renew a domain name. To access the Domain Portfolio, click the dialpad icon at the top next to My Account and click the ‘Domains’ option.

Next, you can select the domain name you want to renew by clicking the checkbox.

After that, you’ll need to click the ‘Renew Now’ option at the bottom.

A new popup window will now open, where you can select the domain name renewal length. GoDaddy lets you renew a domain from 1 year to 9 years.

From here, simply click the ‘Continue to Checkout’ button.

Next, you can view your cart and complete the checkout process to renew the domain name.

You may also want to see our guide on how to move a GoDaddy website builder site to WordPress.

Renewing a Domain Name in WordPress.com

WordPress.com is a hosting service by Automattic, the company led by WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg.

Most people often confuse WordPress.com with WordPress.org, but they are very different. WordPress.org is a popular website platform and is open source. While WordPress.com is a propriety blog hosting service.

To learn more, please see our comparison of WordPress.org vs WordPress.com.

In WordPress.com, you get a free domain name with its hosting plans. To renew the domain, you’ll need to log in to your account. From here, head to the ‘Purchases’ tab from the menu on the left and then select your domain.

On the next screen, you will see details of your domain name.

Simply click the ‘Renew now’ button at the top or bottom of the page.

After that, you can head to the checkout page, select the renewal length, and complete the payment process.

That’s it. Your domain will be renewed on WordPress.com.

Bonus Tip: Transfer a Domain Name for Lower Rates

When you’re renewing a domain name on your preferred registration or web hosting service, it’s better to compare prices on other platforms as well before paying.

Sometimes, the renewal costs can be higher on your existing service. This is where you can transfer a domain name to another web hosting company or domain registrar.

For instance, Hostinger offers a feature to transfer a domain easily without any hassle.

You can also find this feature in other WordPress hosting services.

Besides that, here are more useful guides to help you out with domain names:

We hope this article helped you learn how to renew a domain name in all major hosting registrars. You may also want to see our guide on the difference between domain name and web hosting, and must-have WordPress plugins.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Renew a Domain Name (All Major Hosting Registrars) first appeared on WPBeginner.

February 23, 2024

How to Migrate Google Business Profile Website to WordPress

The news that Google is shuttering Google Business Profile websites has made many users ask us how to migrate their site to WordPress before the service shuts down for good.

In March 2024, Google will be shutting down more than 21.7 million websites created with Google Business Profiles. This is the latest in a history of Google removing products and services.

If you’re one of the users who will be affected by this change, then now is the perfect time to relocate your website.

In this article, we will show you how to migrate a Google Business Profile website to WordPress.

Here’s an overview of what we will cover in this guide. You can click the links below to jump ahead to your preferred section:

Why Migrate a Google Business Profile Site to WordPress?
Why Choose WordPress as a Platform for Your Website?
Step 1: Create a Backup of Google Business Profile Site
Step 2: Choosing a Web Hosting Platform for Your Site
Step 3: Install and Set Up WordPress
Step 4: Add Content From Business Profile Site to WordPress
Step 5: Optimizing Your Business Site for Local SEO
Step 6: Update Website URL in Google Business Profile
Bonus: Install WordPress Plugins to Get the Most of Your Site

Why Migrate a Google Business Profile Site to WordPress?

When you create a Google Business Profile, you get an option to add a website. Previously, if you didn’t have a website, Google would allow you to create a free single-page site instantly.

This way, users looking up your brand on a local search will see a detailed business profile, including a business site, working hours, store locations, directions, phone numbers, and more.

However, Google is shutting down Business Profile sites in March 2024. Once the service closes, users will be automatically redirected to your Business Profile page.

Unfortunately, that redirection will only work until June 10, 2024. People visiting your site after this date will see a ‘page not found’ error.

This can have a negative effect on your business, as it will look less professional. Not to mention, customers won’t be able to view detailed information about your company, products, and services.

As a result, your conversions may drop, and you could end up losing customers to your competitors.

That’s why it’s important to migrate your Google Business Profile site to WordPress.

Note: Google is only shutting down the service that hosts sites through Google Business Profiles. The profile for your business itself will still be available in search results. Later in this post, we will show you how to link your new WordPress site with your business profile.

Why Choose WordPress as a Platform for Your Website?

WordPress is the most popular website builder in the world, as it powers more than 43% of websites on the internet.

The best part is that WordPress is free to use and open-source. By migrating your Google Business Profile site to WordPress, you get more control and flexibility.

For instance, you get to own all your content and don’t have to rely on a third-party platform. All you need is a web hosting service and a domain name to get started.

With WordPress, you get multiple themes. This makes it very flexible, as you can create a simple 1-page WordPress website or a complete online store. It also offers thousands of plugins which help add more features and functionality.

Besides that, WordPress is SEO-friendly. What this means is that you can easily optimize it for search engines like Google. This helps attract users to your website and boost conversion.

Note: Remember that WordPress.com and WordPress.org are different platforms. WordPress.com is a hosted solution that offers limited features, whereas WordPress.org is the famous platform that everyone has come to love and use. You can see our complete comparison of WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org.

That said, let’s look at how you can easily migrate your Business Profile site to WordPress.

Step 1: Create a Backup of Google Business Profile Site

Before you can migrate your website to WordPress, the first step is to backup data from your Google My Business site.

Note that Google Business Profile doesn’t offer an export option, so you’ll need to download all the images, videos, and other media files manually.

To do that, simply open your Google Business Profile website and then right-click on the image you want to save.

After that, simply click the ‘Save as’ option and save the image anywhere on your computer.

Similarly, you can simply copy the text on your website and paste it into a document.

To start, first highlight the text on your website and then hit the right-click button on your mouse. From here, select the ‘Copy’ button.

You can also use keyboard shortcuts to copy the text. For instance, you’ll need to hit ‘Ctrl + C’ on Windows and ‘Command + C’ on Mac.

Next, open a Notepad file, Google Docs, or a Microsoft Word document and simply paste the content from your website. If you have links in the text, it’s a good idea to use Google Docs or Microsoft Word because they will keep those in the pasted text.

You can right-click anywhere on the document and select the ‘Paste’ option. Or use the ‘Ctrl + V’ keyboard shortcut on Windows and ‘Command + V’ on Mac to paste the text.

Since Business Profile sites are small and single-page, downloading and copying your data should be a quick process.

Step 2: Choosing a Web Hosting Platform for Your Site

Next, you will need a web hosting service to run a website using WordPress. Web hosting is where all your website files are stored. You can think of it as a house where your site’s content lives.

While WordPress is free to download, you’ll need to subscribe to a platform like Bluehost to host the site

Usually, web hosting costs around $7.99 per month (paid annually), and domain name prices start from $16.99 per year, depending on the domain extension. The cost to build a WordPress site can go even higher if you want a custom theme and more features.

This can be a significant investment, considering it was free to create a website using Google Business Profile.

Luckily, Bluehost is offering an exclusive discount for WPBeginner users. You can get started for as low as $1.99 per month and get a free domain + SSL certificate.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

Bluehost is one of the best hosting companies in the industry. It is an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider.

WPBeginner users can enjoy up to 61% off and get a 1-click WordPress install. To start, simply visit the Bluehost website and click the ‘Get Started Now’ button.

After that, you will need to select a hosting plan.

Simply click the ‘Select’ button to choose a pricing plan. You can select the Basic or Choice Plus plans to get started, as they should be suitable for small business websites.

On the next screen, you will need to pick a domain name for your website. A domain name is your site’s name that users will enter in their browsers (like wpbeginner.com or google.com).

Bluehost lets you create a new domain name, or you can use an existing domain that you own.

Pro Tip: If you need help picking the right name, then try our free business name generator tool. Simply enter words related to your business, and the tool will generate lots of ideas for your domain name.

After choosing a name for your website, you’ll need to fill in your account details and finalize the Bluehost package.

Bluehost will add extra options to your package. We recommend unchecking all the additional options as you’ll save money. Plus, you can always add them later on if needed.

Next, you can add your payment details and complete the purchase.

Once that’s done, Bluehost will create your hosting account and email you the login details.

Step 3: Install and Set Up WordPress

Next, you can log in to the Bluehost account to view the dashboard. From here, you’ll be able to manage your website, get support, and install WordPress.

The best part about using Bluehost is that it automatically installs WordPress for you.

You just need to head to the ‘Websites’ tab from the menu on the left. After that, simply click the ‘Edit Site’ button.

This will open the WordPress dashboard, where you can log in and start adding content, customizing the design, and creating new pages.

Bluehost offers an AI-powered setup wizard that will guide you through the initial configuration. You can simply follow the on-screen instructions to create a WordPress website. You can also opt-out of the AI assistant.

You can learn more by following our complete guide on how to install WordPress.

Step 4: Add Content From Business Profile Site to WordPress

Now that your WordPress site is ready, the next step is to import content from the Google Business Profile site.

Since there is no way to directly import data from your Google My Business site into WordPress, you’ll need to add content manually.

You can start by creating different pages for your website, like an about us page, a contact page, and more. Simply head to Pages in the WordPress dashboard and click the ‘Add New Page’ button.

Next, you will need to enter content that you copied from the Google Business Profile site in the content editor.

To start, enter a title for your page at the top. After that, you can type the text or simply copy it from the file you created earlier and paste it into the content editor.

Simply use the keyboard shortcut keys to copy and paste the text. For Windows, you’ll need to press ‘Ctrl + C’ to copy and ‘Ctrl + V’ to paste. If you’re using Mac, then simply press ‘Command + V’ to copy and ‘Command + V’ to paste.

WordPress also lets you add images, videos, and other media files to your content.

To add a picture, you can click the ‘+’ sign and add an Image block in your content. From here, you’ll need to click the ‘Media Library’ button.

A new popup window will open with the WordPress Media Library.

Next, you can switch to the ‘Upload files’ tab and then click the ‘Select Files’ button.

Now, navaigate to the Google Business Profile website images you saved earlier and select them.

Once they’re uploaded, you will see them in the Media Library. Go ahead and select the image you want to add to your content.

To learn more, please see our guide on how to properly add images in WordPress.

Once you’re done, go ahead and click ‘Publish’ at the top of the page. Simply repeat this step to create as many pages as you want for your website.

Next, you can add the content to each of these pages that you saved and copied from your Google Business Profile site.

Pro Tip: We highly recommend checking out our guide to the important pages that every WordPress site should have. This will take you through the pages that ensure your migration from Google Business Profile to WordPress is as complete as possible.

We recommend that you create a custom landing page for your website using the block editor or a plugin like SeedProd.

SeedProd is the best WordPress theme and landing page builder. It offers a drag-and-drop builder, pre-built templates, and lots of customization options.

You can easily edit and control the appearance of your site using the plugin. Plus, there are different blocks to add to the design.

After creating pages, you can also add new blog posts to your business website. For more details, please see our guide on how to add a new post in WordPress.

There are various topics you can write about related to your business. These can be helpful guides, list articles, how-to tutorials that help explain how to use different features of your products and services, and more.

Step 5: Optimizing Your Business Site for Local SEO

After adding content from your Google My Business site to WordPress, you will need to optimize your site for local search results. This way, people searching for your business can easily find it on search engines like Google.

A simple way of doing that is by using All in One SEO (AIOSEO). It is the best WordPress SEO plugin that helps optimize your website for search engines. It automatically adds schema markup and helps configure local SEO settings without any technical knowledge.

Schema markup is a special code format that’s used on your site, and it tells search engines extra information about your business. For instance, schema markup helps you show details like address, opening hours, map location, and more on Google search results.

Note: To use the Local SEO feature in AIOSEO, you will need at least the Plus plan.

First, you will need to install and activate the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you will see the AIOSEO setup wizard. Simply click the ‘Let’s Get Started’ button and follow the on-screen instructions.

To learn more, please see our guide on how to properly set up All in One SEO in WordPress.

Next, you can go to All in One SEO » Local SEO from the WordPress dashboard and click the ‘Activate Local SEO’ button.

Add Location and Business Information

Once the Local SEO addon is active, you can head to the ‘Location’ tab.

Here, AIOSEO will ask if you have multiple business locations. If so, then simply click the ‘Multiple Location’ toggle to Yes.

To learn more, please see our guide on how to add multiple locations schema for local business in WordPress.

Next, you can scroll down and enter your business information. For instance, you can provide a name, logo, image, address, select type of business, phone number, and more.

Add Opening Hours for Your Business

After that, head to the ‘Opening Hours’ tab and enable the option.

Simply click the ‘Show Opening Hours’ toggle to Yes.

Next, you can scroll down and add your business hours.

There is also an option where you can show your business is open 24/7.

Show Business Location on Google Maps

AIOSEO also lets you integrate Google Maps and help users find where your business is located.

You can do that by going to the ‘Maps’ tab and entering the Google Maps API key.

For more details, please see our guide on how to add Google Maps in WordPress.

Step 6: Update Website URL in Google Business Profile

Now that your new WordPress website is ready, the next step is to update the link in Google Business Profile.

You can do that by visiting your Business Profile on Google. From here, simply click the ‘Edit Profile’ option.

You should now see a new popup window open with your business information.

Next, you can navigate to the ‘Website’ section and replace the URL with your new WordPress website.

That’s it! You’ve successfully migrated your Google Business Profile website to WordPress.

Now, users who click the ‘Website’ link on your Business Profile will land on your new WordPress website.

Bonus: Install WordPress Plugins to Get the Most of Your Site

The best part about using WordPress is the plugins. You can think of them as apps, and they help add additional features and functionality to your site.

For instance, there are plugins for creating backups, improving security, boosting speed and performance, starting an online store, and more.

That said, there are over 59,000 free and paid plugins that you can use. This can get overwhelming for new users who don’t know which plugin to pick and install.

To help you out, here are some of the top plugins we recommend using on your WordPress site:

WPForms – It is the best form builder for WordPress. You can easily create different types of forms and add them to your site. For example, it lets you create simple contact forms, payment forms, surveys, registration forms, and more.
MonsterInsights – It is the best Analytics plugin for WordPress. You can connect Google Analytics to WordPress without editing code using MonsterInsights. Plus, it helps you find out how people behave on your site, where they come from, which links they click, and uncover other useful insights.
OptinMonster – A powerful conversion optimization and lead generation toolkit for WordPress. You can create different campaigns to grow your email list, get more leads, and increase sales.
Duplicator – It is the best WordPress backup plugin. You can create backups of your WordPress site and store them on the cloud. This way, you’ll have a fresh copy to restore your site in case there’s a security breach, or something goes wrong.

For more plugin recommendations, please see our complete list of must-have WordPress plugins for business sites.

We hope this article helped you learn how to migrate a Google Business Profile website to WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on how to create a free business email address and easy ways to increase your blog traffic.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Migrate Google Business Profile Website to WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

February 9, 2024

Google Is Shutting Down Business Profile Sites: 5 Things to Do

Google is shutting down more than 21.7 million websites created with Google My Business.

These were free small business websites that Google offered to users when they created a Google Business Profile.

All of these websites will be turned off in March 2024, and users visiting those sites will be redirected to the Google Business Profiles associated with those accounts.

Let’s talk about how this change may affect your business and what you can do to not lose valuable online traffic.

Here is a list of topics we will cover in this article:

What Is a Google Business Profile Site?
Why Migrate Your Google Business Profile Site?
What to Do Before Google Business Profile Site Shutdown
Step 1: Make a Website You Own and Control
Step 2: Set Up Local SEO for Your Business Site
Step 3: Add Your New Website to Google Business Profile
Step 4: Create Landing Pages for Your Google Ads (Optional)
Step 5: Redirect Your Custom Domain
Bonus: Make the Most Out of Your New WordPress Site

What Is a Google Business Profile Site?

A Google Business Profile helps businesses appear in Google’s local search results with detailed information, including directions, business hours, phone numbers, and a link to visit the business’s website.

Local searches have increased almost 500% over the past few years. According to Google, almost 78% of searches for a local business end up in a physical visit within a week. (Source: ThinkwithGoogle)

This makes it essential for businesses to appear in local search results, and the easiest way to do this is by creating a Google Business Profile.

When you create a Google Business Profile, Google gives you the option to add your website. Previously, businesses that didn’t have a website were offered to create a free one instantly using the information in their Google Business Profile.

Many small businesses took advantage of this option and created these free websites. This drove them traffic, leads, and in-store visits from local searches.

Why Migrate Your Google Business Profile Site?

Google Business Profile sites will be shut down in March 2024. These were small, single-page sites that Google offered free to users when they created a Google Business Profile.

Once this service is closed, users will be redirected to the Business Profile page until June 10, 2024. After that, users visiting your site will see a page not found error. This will make your business look less professional and legitimate.

More importantly, it will affect the conversions you get from local searches. If you don’t have another website to replace the Business Profile site, then potential customers may not be able to learn everything they want to know about your company before visiting it. Unfortunately, this could lead to them choosing a competitor instead.

What to Do Before Google Business Profile Site Shutdown

If you are among the millions of businesses who used the option to create a Google Business Profile site, then here is what you need to do before Google shuts down the service.

Step 1: Make a Website You Own and Control

Google has a long history of shutting down services and products. Remember Orkut, Google+, and, more recently, Google Domains? There is a long list of products and services that have been shut down, and you can see Google Graveyard for a full list.

That’s why you need to make a website for your business that you own and control.

You will be able to display your website content in local search results. And since you have full control, you can drive even more traffic to your business.

The best way to do this is by using WordPress. It is the world’s most popular website builder, used by over 43% of all websites.

Note: When we say WordPress, we are talking about WordPress.org, also known as self-hosted WordPress. This is not to be confused with WordPress.com, which is a web hosting service. To understand the difference, just see our guide on WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com.

Why Use WordPress for Your Business Website?

WordPress is the most powerful yet easy-to-use website builder on the market. Here are some of the reasons for choosing WordPress:

It is free and open-source and has been around for 20+ years.
Websites you create using WordPress are fully controlled and owned by you.
It is infinitely extendible. You can use it to make a 1-page website, or you can use it to create a full-fledged online store.
It has thousands of design templates, tools, and plugins to choose from.
Lastly, it is very SEO-friendly and you can use it to get even more traffic from Google search results.

Need more convincing? Take a look at our explainer on why you should use WordPress.

Getting Started With WordPress

WordPress itself is free to download and use, but you’ll need a domain name and web hosting to run it.

These things used to be quite technical for average users, but luckily, they are not anymore.

You simply need to sign up for a web hosting account and purchase a domain name, and they will have a 1-click WordPress installer ready for you.

Web hosting typically costs around $7.99 per month (paid annually), and domain names start at ($16.99/year).

This is a significant investment, especially considering you didn’t pay anything to create your Google Business Profile site.

Luckily, the folks at Bluehost are offering a generous discount on hosting with a free domain name. This deal will help you get started at just $1.99 per month.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

Bluehost is one of the biggest hosting companies in the world. They are also one of the officially recommended WordPress hosting providers.

Simply go to the Bluehost website and click on the green ‘Get Started Now’ button.

Next, you’ll be asked to choose a hosting plan.

Basic and Choice Plus plans should be quite enough for a small business website.

Click ‘Select’ to choose your plan and continue.

After that, you will need to pick your domain name, or if you have a domain name already, then you can use that.

A domain name is your website’s name and the address that users will enter in their browser to visit it (e.g. wpbeginner.com or google.com).

💡Tip: Try our free business name generator tool. It will help you quickly generate dozens of ideas for your domain name.

After choosing your domain, you will be asked to fill in your account information and finalize the package.

You will see some additional options on the screen under Package Extras. You can uncheck all of them as they will increase your costs. You can always add them later if needed.

After that, enter your payment information to complete the purchase.

Bluehost will now create your hosting account and send you an email with login details.

Once you log in to your Bluehost hosting account, they will automatically install WordPress for you.

You can just click on the ‘Edit Site’ button to log in to WordPress and start working on your website.

Bluehost will walk you through the initial setup, and you can follow the on-screen instructions to create your website.

For more details, you can see our complete WordPress installation tutorial.

Step 2: Set Up Local SEO for Your Business Site

Local SEO is a set of techniques used to improve a business website’s visibility in local search results.

It sounds a bit technical, but it isn’t. Let us explain a bit.

Basically, you just need to add your business information to your website using Schema.org markup.

This markup is added to your website’s code in a special format, and search engines like Google can then find and use this data. This allows search engines to show your company in the search results to people who are looking for businesses like yours.

Luckily, you don’t even need to write this markup code. There are excellent tools that help you add that data to your website and optimize it for local SEO.

We recommend using All in One SEO for WordPress. It is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market that allows you to easily optimize your website for local SEO easily.

Note: You’ll need at least the Plus plan of the plugin to unlock the Local SEO features.

First, you need to install and activate the All in One SEO Plugin. For more details, see our tutorial on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, the plugin will show you a setup wizard. Simply follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup.

After finishing the setup, head over to the All in One SEO » Local SEO page in your WordPress dashboard.

You will be asked to ‘Activate Local SEO’ by clicking on the button.

All in One SEO will now download and activate the Local SEO addon.

After that, you will end up in the Locations tab.

Now, if your business has multiple locations, then you can turn the ‘Multiple Location’ toggle to ‘Yes’.

For more details, see our tutorial on how to add multiple locations schema in WordPress.

Scroll down a little to the Business Info section.

Here, you will need to provide general information for your business, including its name, logo image, type of business, complete address, phone number, and more.

Next, switch to the ‘Opening Hours’ tab to enter your business hours.

Ensure that the ‘Show Opening Hours’ toggle is set to ‘Yes’ if you want to display business hours on your website.

Scroll down a little and then add your business hours.

After that, you can switch to the ‘Google Maps’ tab.

You’ll need a Google Maps API key if you want to display your business location in Google Maps on your website.

Just click the ‘Learn More’ link for instructions on how to get the API key.

Finally, click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to save your settings.

Displaying Your Business Information on Your Website

All in One SEO will automatically add the schema markup to your website’s code, making it discoverable by search engines.

You can also display your business information on your website to make it visible to visitors and customers.

Simply edit the page where you want to display it and then click on the [+] add block button on the edit screen.

Search for AIOSEO Local and then add the local SEO blocks to your page.

You can then use the WordPress block editor to style or rearrange those items.

Don’t forget to update your page and preview your changes.

For more details, see our guide on how to use the WordPress block editor.

Step 3: Add Your New Website to Google Business Profile

Once you have created your new website, you can add it to your Google Business Profile.

To do that, you need to visit the Google Business Profile website or search Google with your exact business name.

This will bring up a popup with your business information.

Scroll down to the Website section and replace your old website address with the new one.

Now, visitors who click on the ‘Website’ link in your Google Business Profile will be directed to your new WordPress website instead of the old Business Profile website.

Step 4: Create Landing Pages for Your Google Ads (Optional)

Google previously offered free ad credits to businesses when they added their sites to Google Business Profile.

If your ads were bringing users to your old Google Business Profile site, then you may want to send them to your new WordPress website.

Now that you are using an actual website builder, you can also create attractive landing pages for your Google Ads campaigns.

The easiest way to create professional-looking landing pages is by using SeedProd. It is an easy-to-use drag-and-drop page builder for WordPress.

Note: There is also a free version of SeedProd. However, we recommend upgrading to the paid version to unlock more features.

SeedProd comes with 300+ page templates to use as a starting point. After that, you can use its drag-and-drop interface to design your ad landing page.

For more details, you can see our guide on how to make a Google ad landing page in WordPress.

Step 5: Redirect Your Custom Domain

By default, Google hosted Google Business Profile sites on URLs like:

https://example.business.site

Some businesses started using their own custom domains and simply redirected them to their Google Business Profile sites.

Depending on where you registered your domain name, you will need to sign in to your domain registrar website, undo that redirect, and point it to your new WordPress site.

On the other hand, if you want to start using that domain as the primary domain for your new WordPress site, then you need to point it to your hosting provider’s nameservers.

Simply log in to the domain management area and look for ‘DNS & Nameservers’. We are showing the Domain.com settings in screenshots, but it looks pretty much the same across all domain providers.

Here, you will see nameservers pointing to your domain registrar. You need to remove those entries.

After that, click on the ‘Add Nameserver’ button and add your new hosting provider’s nameservers.

For instance, if your WordPress site is hosted on Bluehost, then your nameserver information will look like this:

ns1.bluehost.com

ns2.bluehost.com

For more details, please see our guide on how to change domain nameservers and point it to a new host.

Once you have changed the nameserver information, it may take some time (between a few hours to two days) for those changes to propagate across the internet.

Bonus: Make the Most Out of Your New WordPress Site

Now that you have set up your WordPress website and added it to your Google Business profile, you can start customizing your site.

Here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Choose a WordPress Theme

WordPress gives you access to thousands of themes (website templates). Many of them are free, and you can install one of them to instantly transform the appearance of your website.

See our article on how to choose the perfect theme for your website for more details.

However, it may get quite confusing when you have this much choice. To avoid this, you can take a look at our curated lists of WordPress themes that are hand-picked by our WordPress experts:

Once you’ve picked one, simply follow our step-by-step tutorial on how to install a WordPress theme.

2. Create Important WordPress Pages

WordPress comes with two default content types, posts and pages. While posts belong to a blog, pages are used to create a site’s structure and layout.

You can start adding pages by going to Pages » Add New Page in the WordPress admin area.

For instance, if you run a small plumbing services business, then you may want to add an About page, a Services Page, and a Contact page.

For more information, see our list of essential pages to create on a WordPress website.

We also recommend adding blog posts so that you can get more traffic to your business website. You can see our guide on how to start a WordPress blog for more information.

3. Install Necessary Plugins

Plugins are like apps for your WordPress website. They allow you to add extra functionality and new features to WordPress.

For a small business website, here are some must-have plugins:

WPForms – You will need it to create forms that users can submit on your website. These include a contact form, booking forms, appointments, and more. Plus, you can also use WPForms to accept online payments.
All in One SEO – We have already mentioned it above, but it’s worth repeating here. This SEO plugin allows you to optimize your website and get free traffic from search engines.
MonsterInsights – It helps you see how many users are coming to your site, where they are visiting from, and what they do on your site. It connects WordPress to Google Analytics and unlocks a treasure trove of data that you can use to make informed decisions for your business’s growth.
Duplicator – It is a powerful WordPress backup plugin that allows you to create automatic backups and store them on the cloud. Most importantly, it helps you easily restore your website from backups.
For more plugin recommendations, just take a look at our list of essential WordPress plugins for business websites.

We hope this article helped you learn what you need to do to protect your business when Google Business Profile sites shut down. Next, you may want to see our guide on how to grow your business online or take a look at our complete WordPress SEO handbook to get more traffic to your new website.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post Google Is Shutting Down Business Profile Sites: 5 Things to Do first appeared on WPBeginner.

January 4, 2024

What Are the Limitations of WordPress.com? (Expert Insights)

Are you wondering whether you should use WordPress.com to launch your new blog?

If you are new to WordPress, then you may be curious why WPBeginner and other experts recommend WordPress.org more than WordPress.com. While WordPress.com is easy to use, it comes with a lot of pitfalls that you may not notice when you first build your website.

In this article, we will explain the limitations of WordPress.com so that you can choose the best website builder for your needs.

What Are the Limitations of WordPress.com?

An Overview of WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org

Before we start, let’s review the key difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com.

WordPress.org is an open-source content management system (CMS), which is a type of software used to build websites.

Open-source means the software is freely available for anyone to download and modify.

While WordPress.org itself is free, you will need to pay for hosting and a domain name to start a website on this platform. That’s why WordPress.org is also often called self-hosted WordPress.

On the other hand, WordPress.com is a website builder that’s based on the same WordPress software as WordPress.org. It is run by Automattic, the company founded by WordPress founder Matt Mullenwegg.

With WordPress.com, users don’t need to find their own hosting plan and install the software themselves. They can choose a free plan or one of the available paid plans, and Automattic will host their website for them.

For beginner WordPress bloggers, having your hosting taken care of might seem like a more convenient option.

However, there are actually some drawbacks that you should consider. Let’s go through them one by one. You can use these quick links to skip to a specific topic:

Limited Access to WordPress Plugins
Limited Access to WordPress Themes
Limited eCommerce Features
Limited SEO Features
Limited Monetization Opportunities
Possible Website Suspension (Without Warning)
Limited Branding Opportunities
Limited Performance and Security
When to Use WordPress.com Instead of WordPress.org
Moving From WordPress.com to WordPress.org

Limited Access to WordPress Plugins

Whether you use WordPress.com or WordPress.org, the core software only allows you to create a simple personal blog or website. That means you can only write content, add images, publish your pages or posts, and that’s it.

There are no built-in tools to do special things, like add a contact form or sell online. If you want to use these features, then you will need to install a WordPress plugin, which is like an app that extends the WordPress software.

In WordPress.org, you get access to 59,000+ free plugins for various functions. You can install a page builder to get more customization options for your web design or a Google Analytics plugin to track your site performance.

These plugins are what turned WordPress from a simple blogging platform to a powerful and widely used website builder.

Meanwhile, WordPress.com users have limited access to these free plugins. For starters, you need to have a Creator plan or higher to be able to install them. The plan itself costs $25 per month, which is pretty pricey to begin with.

You also cannot install third-party premium plugins unless you have a Creator plan or higher.

If you use WordPress.org, then you can install any free or premium plugin, no matter what. And if you use a hosting provider like Bluehost, then you can even get some must-have WordPress plugins pre-installed so that you can use them right away.

The best part is that Bluehost’s cheapest plans are much more affordable than WordPress.com’s Creator plan. They’ve also offered an exclusive discount for WPBeginner readers so that you can save even more money!

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

Limited Access to WordPress Themes

WordPress themes are ready-to-use template files that users can install to design their websites. This way, you won’t need any coding or design skills to make your site look good.

With WordPress.org, you will have the freedom to pick from more than 11,000 free themes or install a premium theme of your choice.

However, just like with plugins, WordPress.com users’ access to themes is limited. While Free plan and Starter plan users can use free themes, premium and third-party custom themes are only available for Explorer plan users or higher.

In other words, besides the cost of the premium theme, you will also have to pay $8 per month or more to be able to install it.

Of course, the 11,000+ free themes available are great. But often, premium themes come with advanced features, like more customization options and unique designs.

Even if you know how to style your theme using CSS, you cannot do so with WordPress.com unless you have a Premium plan or higher.

Limited eCommerce Features

Online store features in WordPress.com are only available if you buy the Entrepreneur plan or higher.

This plan costs $45 per month and includes features like premium store themes, inventory management, unlimited products, and a 0% commission fee.

The WordPress.com Entrepreneur plan landing page

If you are running a small business, then this price tag can feel a bit steep, especially when compared to WordPress.org.

On WordPress.org, you can install the free WooCommerce plugin to sell online. Then, you can sell multiple physical and digital products, get your storefront pages running, and enable online payment methods.

If you need more features, then there are tons of free and premium WooCommerce plugins available to extend the core WooCommerce plugin. This way, you can buy and use the tools you truly need to maximize your small business budget.

Limited SEO Features

Search engine optimization (SEO) is one of the most important marketing tactics for getting more traffic to your website. Both WordPress.com and WordPress.org have features that make optimizing your content for search engines easy.

For example, both platforms include heading tags in the block editor. You can use these to create structure in your pages or posts and help search engines and users navigate your content.

You Can Easily Add Heading Tags Without Code Using the WordPress Block Editor

They also have an alt text editor to provide more context to images. Search engines use this information to understand what the image is about. Screen readers also read the text out loud to visually impaired users when they are browsing the web.

What makes WordPress.com and WordPress.org different is the access to SEO plugins.

On WordPress.org, you can easily install a plugin like All in One SEO to get more SEO control. Some of this plugin’s features include the meta title and description editor, on-page content suggestions, an internal linking assistant, and so on.

Meanwhile, you can’t get access to those features if you are a free WordPress.com user. You will need the Creator plan ($25 per month) to use Jetpack’s SEO tools and install an SEO plugin.

This makes it pretty hard to optimize your content and do technical SEO, especially if you have a limited budget.

That said, all WordPress.com plans have an integrated Jetpack AI Assistant, which gives 20 free requests to check mistakes in your WordPress blog posts. However, the feedback won’t be specifically related to SEO.

JetPack's AI writing assistant in WordPress.com's block editor

You can also see stats via Jetpack to evaluate your website performance. Still, it’s not as in-depth as using a Google Analytics plugin like MonsterInsights.

Limited Monetization Opportunities

Monetization in WordPress.com has improved over the years, but it still has some drawbacks if you are looking to make money from your website.

Today, all WordPress.com plans allow donations, tips, payment buttons, paid content gating, and paid subscribers. These options are great if you are a content creator who wants to offer members-only perks on your site.

That said, you can only accept PayPal payments if you are on a Starter plan or higher. PayPal is one of the most widely-used payment methods on the internet, so not having it can make you miss out on potential sales.

Plus, WordAds (WordPress’s advertisement program) is only available for Explorer users or higher.

What’s more, WordPress.com takes commission fees from your payments, which lowers your profits. The rate ranges from 0% to 10%, and the cheaper your plan, the higher the fees.

On the other hand, WordPress.org puts no limit on how you make money on your blog or website. As a result, you can have full control over your revenue.

You can also join any advertising platform or use any online payment provider you want. Here are some guides on how to do that:

Possible Website Suspension (Without Warning)

Speaking of limited monetization, WordPress.com may also take down your site if you don’t follow their terms of service for advertising, among other things.

The other rules are pretty standard, such as avoiding spam and illegal activities. However, some users have reported unexpected suspensions without warning.

Here is what their user guidelines say: “Bear in mind that these are just guidelines — interpretations are solely up to us. These guidelines are not exhaustive and are subject to change.”

On the other hand, WordPress.org doesn’t have such specific terms or guidelines. Since it’s free software, the policies depend on the hosting provider and server configuration. This offers users more flexibility, but you do need to comply with your host’s rules.

Limited Branding Opportunities

Another limitation of WordPress.com is you don’t have complete control over your website’s branding.

You can customize your site’s appearance to some extent, including changing the color scheme, adding a custom logo, and customizing the site’s layout.

However, for Free and Starter plans, the level of customization is limited. Depending on how you change the theme’s style, you may get a notification that you are using a premium style and have to upgrade to use it.

WordPress.com's notification about upgrading to a higher plan to use a premium theme style

What’s more, if you use the free WordPress.com plan, then you will have WordPress.com ads displayed on your website.

On WordPress.org, you have much more flexibility in branding your site, and you won’t have any ads shown on your website unless you put them there.

Plus, you can use and customize any theme available. If you want more customization options, then you can just install a page builder plugin like SeedProd.

One perk of WordPress.com is it still allows the use of a custom domain name in all plans. Paid plans also come with a free domain name for one year. However, this feature is not something new, especially since many WordPress hosting providers like Bluehost offer it, too.

Limited Performance and Security

Like many other website builders, WordPress.com offers several plans that you can purchase as you build your business. What’s tricky is that certain security and performance features are only available if you upgrade to a specific plan.

For example, only Creator and Entrepreneur users can use Jetpack’s real-time backup and uptime monitoring features. These tools can help ensure that your site is available at all times, and you can restore it in case a disaster strikes.

Users with lower-tier plans cannot use these features. They can’t install their own backup plugins to enable them, either.

Plans below Creator also don’t include a web application firewall, which is a basic security feature that most major web hosting providers offer.

Many people choose self-hosted WordPress.org to avoid these problems. With it, they can choose a hosting platform and buy a hosting plan with the storage space, bandwidth, and other resources that suit their needs best.

If the hosting service doesn’t include certain tools like backups, then the user can freely install a plugin like Duplicator to enable it.

Is Duplicator the right backup and migration plugin for you?

These reasons make WordPress.org a much more scalable option than WordPress.com, especially for an online business.

When to Use WordPress.com Instead of WordPress.org

In most cases, we recommend using WordPress.org instead of WordPress.com. That being said, based on our experience, WordPress.com could be suitable if:

You want to create a free blog with a WordPress.com subdomain – If you are just running a personal blog and have no intention of branding it, then a free WordPress.com website could be a good option.
You want a no-frills solution to run a simple blog or website – In this case, you may not need any third-party plugins and would be happy with the Free, Starter, or Explorer plan.
You are a content creator or online business owner who wants to use an all-in-one website-building solution – WordPress.com’s Creator and Entrepreneur plans can be suitable as they are already tailored to these use cases.
You need direct WordPress support – With WordPress.org, the help you get often comes from community forums, blogs like WPBeginner, or theme or plugin developers. If you are a paid WordPress.com user, then you can get direct email or live chat support.

Moving From WordPress.com to WordPress.org

While WordPress.com is good for certain types of users, many WordPress.org hosting providers offer solutions that have made this open-source platform much easier to use.

For example, hosting services like Bluehost, Hostinger, and SiteGround include a one-click WordPress installer. This way, you won’t need to set up the platform manually. Just click a few buttons, and you can log in to WordPress right away.

What’s more, they also offer pre-installed free plugins, so you won’t have to find plugins on your own. For instance, Bluehost’s WordPress installation includes OptinMonster and WPForms, which are must-have WordPress plugins to grow your website.

On top of that, many WordPress hosting providers offer plans that are more affordable than WordPress.com’s Starter plan, which costs $4 per month.

Just take a look at Bluehost’s offers below:

The best part is that WordPress.org doesn’t restrict how you make money from your site or the plugins you can install on your WordPress account. This gives you full control over the activities and growth of your business.

If you already have a WordPress.com site but aren’t satisfied with it, then you can migrate it to WordPress.org easily. You can read our step-by-step guide on how to move your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.

Alternatively, check out WPBeginner’s free blog setup service. This allows you to buy a hosting plan from one of our trusted hosting partners, and in exchange, we will move your WordPress.com blog for free.

We hope this article helped you learn what the limitations of WordPress.com are. You may also be interested in our guide on how much it costs to build a WordPress website and our list of the best WordPress website examples for inspiration.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post What Are the Limitations of WordPress.com? (Expert Insights) first appeared on WPBeginner.

January 2, 2024

How to Start an Online Coaching Business (Step by Step)

Are you wondering how to start a coaching business online?

Here at WPBeginner, we’ve helped many bloggers and entrepreneurs build success and make money online. One of the most lucrative business ideas is coaching services. With just an internet connection and a laptop, you can help people worldwide and get paid for it.

In this article, we will show you how to start a coaching business online using WordPress, the most popular website builder on the market.

How to Start an Online Coaching Business (Step by Step)

What You Need to Start a Successful Online Coaching Business

To start your own online coaching business, you will need to know what type of coaching you’d like to offer.

There are many coaching niches out there, from wellness and health coaching and fitness coaching to life coaching and career coaching. It’s best to choose a coaching specialization that’s based on your area of expertise.

You will also need to choose a target market for your business. We recommend doing some market research to see who would be most interested in your coaching services.

Besides that, you will need to decide what kind of coaching business model you want to use. Many coaches work directly with clients through one-on-one calls, while some do group sessions and others do a combination.

Example of an online coach offering private coaching

With that in mind, let’s discuss how to start a coaching business online and create a WordPress website for it. You can use the quick links below to navigate through this step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Get a Hosting Plan and Domain Name
Step 2: Create a New WordPress Website
Step 3: Choose a WordPress Coaching Theme
Step 4: Set Up Your Web Pages
Step 5: Install and Set Up the MemberPress Plugin
Step 6: Set Up the CoachKit™ Add-On
Step 7: Create Your Coaching Program(s)
Step 8: Select a Video Conferencing Platform
Step 9: Create Professional Social Media Accounts
Step 10: Promote Your Online Coaching Services
Starting an Online Coaching Business FAQs

Step 1: Get a Hosting Plan and Domain Name

Any successful online business starts with a powerful hosting plan and domain name.

Web hosting is the service that stores your website files and makes them available online. Meanwhile, a domain name is the address that users enter into their internet browsers to get to your site.

If you are offering online coaching services, then you will want a hosting service that can keep your website online at all times, even when you are suddenly getting a huge amount of traffic.

We recommend Bluehost, which is one of the most well-known providers in the hosting industry.

With Bluehost, you get a web hosting service that’s already optimized for WordPress, the most popular website builder in the world.

WordPress.org is the platform we will use to build a coaching website because it’s easy to use and offers plenty of ways to customize your website later on.

Luckily, Bluehost has given us an exclusive discount link for WPBeginner readers. Just click the button below to use this offer:

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

Since you are just starting, we recommend going with the Choice Plus plan. This plan will give you enough power to run a small business, like 40 GB SSD storage and free CDN to make your site fast.

You can always upgrade to a higher-tier plan in a few clicks if you are starting to outgrow this plan.

Once you have chosen a plan, you can pick a new domain name. Online coaches typically just use their own name, like tonyrobbins.com. Or they may add a coaching-related keyword after it, such as andyallencoaching.com.

If you need some inspiration, then you can check out our article on how to choose a domain name and use our free business name generator.

Creating a domain name for a coaching business

After securing a domain name, you will now fill out your information for your Bluehost account and complete your payment details.

You will also see some package extras to add to your purchase, but they are all optional.

Alternatively, if you choose not to use Bluehost, then you can see our recommendations for the best WordPress hosting to make your website.

Step 2: Create a New WordPress Website

If you choose to set up a Bluehost WordPress hosting plan, then Bluehost will install WordPress automatically for you, and you can skip this step.

That said, perhaps you decide to skip the installation part, or you already have a Bluehost plan, and you are not sure how to set up a new website in your account. If so, then just follow this tutorial to create a new WordPress site.

Note: If you use other hosting services like SiteGround, Hostinger, or WP Engine, then you can follow our complete guide on how to install WordPress.

The first thing you will do is log in to your Bluehost account to access your Bluehost control panel.

After that, navigate to the ‘Websites’ menu and click ‘Add Site.’

From here, you can simply select ‘Install WordPress.’

Then, click ‘Continue.’

Choosing WordPress as the CMS to use in Bluehost

Once done, you can fill out the Site Title field, which will be your website name. It can just be the brand name of your coaching practice or something like ‘Coaching With [Your Name].’

After completing that field, just click ‘Continue.’

Inserting a site title for a new Bluehost WordPress site

Next, you will need to connect an existing domain to your website.

Alternatively, you can use a temporary subdomain until you are ready to buy a new domain to launch your website. Then, go ahead and click ‘Continue.’

Connecting a new domain name to a website in Bluehost

When the installation is complete, you should now return to the Websites menu and see your new site listed there.

To log in to the WordPress admin area, simply select ‘Edit Site.’ Or, you can use your website’s login URL to go to the admin panel.

Accessing the WordPress dashboard from Bluehost

With WordPress set up, let’s move on to the next steps.

Step 3: Choose a WordPress Coaching Theme

A WordPress theme is a series of template files that control the appearance of your website and make it easy to design your pages.

With a theme, you won’t have to code or design any part of your site from scratch. Simply choose a theme that suits your needs and tweak the colors, fonts, and other customization options to match your branding.

For theme recommendations, you can check out our list of the best WordPress themes for life coaches.

Once you have picked a theme, you can follow our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress theme.

To edit the theme, you can use either the WordPress Full Site Editor (FSE) or Theme Customizer. Both are WordPress’ default theme-building features, and they are pretty simple to use for beginners.

The WordPress full site editor for block themes

However, many WordPress users have found them to be limiting, especially in terms of customization options. Because of this, we recommend using a page builder plugin like SeedProd instead.

Out of all the page builder plugins we’ve tried, SeedProd was the easiest to use and offered great features to customize your site. You can easily drag and drop elements around your web page and modify each block or page section.

What’s more, SeedProd has high-quality WordPress theme template kits for coaching services, like this one for life coaching:

How to Install a SeedProd Theme Template

To use a SeedProd theme, you need to install the SeedProd plugin first. For step-by-step guidance, check out our article on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Note: The SeedProd free version is available in the WordPress plugin directory. However, we recommend using the Pro version because you can get full access to its templates and theme builder features.

After that, make sure to activate your SeedProd license key. Simply paste the license key from your SeedProd account page and click ‘Verify key.’

Adding the SeedProd license key to your WordPress website

Once done, just go to SeedProd » Theme Builder from your dashboard.

Then, click ‘Theme Template Kits.’

Accessing SeedProd's Theme Template Kits

Now, just look for the theme template that best matches your preferences. If you enter the term ‘coach’ in the search bar, then you will find several coaching website themes to choose from.

If you have decided on a specific theme, simply hover over the theme you like and click the orange checkmark button.

Choosing a SeedProd online coaching business theme

At this point, you will land in the SeedProd page builder.

There are many things you can do here, like changing the elements within the theme, adding new sections, and dragging and dropping content to the page.

Editing the online coaching business theme in SeedProd

For step-by-step instructions, we recommend checking out our WPBeginner course on getting started with SeedProd and our beginner’s guide on how to customize your WordPress theme.

Step 4: Set Up Your Web Pages

The next step is to set up your website’s pages. For more information, you can read about creating custom pages in WordPress in our article.

For an online coaching business, we recommend having at least the following pages:

Homepage – This is where most users will first land on your website, so it’s important to make a strong impression on this page. You can read our guide on how to create a custom homepage for more information.
About page – On this page, it’s a good idea to explain more about your background and what makes you qualified to be an online coach in your field.
Contact page – This page makes it easy for people to contact you and learn about your coaching services before signing up. Make sure to add a contact form here using an easy-to-use form builder like WPForms.
Free consultation booking page – This is optional, but some coaches allow users to book a free consultation to increase their chances of getting clients. You can add a booking form here to make it easier for visitors to schedule an appointment.
Coaching services page – You can explain more about your coaching offers as well as client membership tiers and perks here. Feel free to create child pages to explain more about each program and display them on a parent page for all of your services.

To learn about must-have pages on your website, read our guide on important pages that any WordPress site should have.

Step 5: Install and Set Up the MemberPress Plugin

With all your pages set up, let’s go ahead and install a coaching membership plugin on your WordPress website.

A membership plugin allows you to set up and manage your paid services and client membership levels. Plus, you can limit certain types of content to coaching clients only.

After trying out many membership plugins, we find MemberPress to be the easiest option for beginners. The plugin is quick and easy to set up and offers a CoachKit™ add-on for you to create the online coaching platform that you need.

With this MemberPress add-on, you can make unlimited coaching programs, set up milestones for clients to motivate their learning, and integrate your website with Calendly to schedule calls or offline coaching sessions with clients.

First things first, you need to install the WordPress plugin. For this guide, we will use the Elite MemberPress plan because that’s where the CoachKit add-on is available.

Once you have installed and activated the plugin, don’t forget to activate your MemberPress license. Simply go to MemberPress » Settings and insert the license key where appropriate. After that, click ‘Activate License Key.’

Adding a license key to your MemberPress plugin

We already have an in-depth guide on how to create a membership site. It will walk you through important steps like setting up payment methods and adding sign-up forms.

But for demonstration purposes, we will show you how to create a membership plan and restrict its content to the members. You can repeat this step to make as many plans as needed.

Creating a Membership Plan

To create a membership plan, go to MemberPress » Memberships. Then, click ‘Add New.’

Now, you will arrive at the membership plan editor page, which looks similar to the WordPress classic editor. At the top, you can give a name to your membership plan and a short description text to promote it.

In the ‘Membership Terms’ section, you can add a price, change the billing type from one-type to recurring, and modify the access from Lifetime to Expire or Fixed Expire.

Creating a new membership plan on MemberPress

Next, scroll down to the Membership Options section.

In the ‘Registration’ tab, you can customize the registration button text, enable a custom thank you message, activate a welcome email for new users, customize the payment methods, and customize the user information fields in the registration form.

The Membership Options settings when creating a new MemberPress membership plan

Switching to the ‘Permissions’ tab, you can select the user type who can purchase the plan and create a custom no permissions message for users without authorized access.

Since you are going to sell this membership plan to new users, you can just leave the ‘Who can purchase this Membership’ setting as ‘Everyone.’

The Permissions settings when creating a new MemberPress membership plan

Let’s navigate to the ‘Price Box’ tab, where you can customize how the membership plan price box will look on your pricing page later.

Feel free to insert a heading text, a benefits text, a footer text, and a button text to make your membership plan sound more attractive.

The Price Box settings when creating a new MemberPress membership plan

Once you are happy with the membership plan, go ahead and click ‘Publish’ to make the membership plan live.

Restricting Content Based on Membership

Now, let’s create rules to restrict content based on membership levels. First, go to MemberPress » Rules and click the ‘Add New’ button.

In the rules editor page, you can choose which type of content will be accessible to certain membership levels.

In this example, we have set that all pages or posts categorized as ‘Premium’ will be available to people with the Silver Coaching Plan membership. Feel free to add as many access conditions as needed.

Configuring the content access rules in MemberPress

Moving down, you can enable a Drip or Expiration functionality.

Drip content means all of the content will be available gradually rather than all at once. Meanwhile, Expiration means the content will no longer be available after a certain amount of time.

The Drip and Expiration features in MemberPress

These features can make your membership program more engaging and encourage users to read all of your content before it becomes unavailable.

Once you are done with the rule settings, you can scroll up and click ‘Save Rule’ to implement the new rule.

Clicking the Save Rule button in the MemberPress Rule editor

For more information about creating a membership site, just check out the following articles:

How to Create a Client Portal in WordPress
How to Add Free Trial Subscriptions in WordPress
How to Sell Group Memberships in WordPress (for corporate coaching services)

Step 6: Set Up the CoachKit™ Add-On

Now, let’s set up CoachKit™. All you need to do is go to MemberPress » Add-ons. Then, locate the CoachKit™ add-on and click the ‘Install Add-on’ button.

Installing the CoachKit add-on in MemberPress

After you do that, go to MemberPress » Settings and navigate to the ‘Pages’ tab.

By default, MemberPress will create a Coaching page for you, which is where you will manage your clients and track their progress. However, if you want to use a different existing page, then you can do so.

Or you can choose ‘Auto Create New Page’ to let the plugin set up a new page automatically.

Now, let’s switch to the ‘CoachKit™’ tab. Here, you can choose to enable the live chat feature to talk directly with your clients right on your membership site.

We recommend activating this feature so that your clients can do everything related to your coaching program in one place.

Enabling the CoachKit direct messaging feature in MemberPress

Another tab you should visit is ‘ReadyLaunch™.’

What you want to do here is upload a logo for your business, choose a brand color, and make sure the Coaching Pro Mode template is enabled.

The ReadyLaunch tab in MemberPress' settings

By default, MemberPress will use the Pro Mode template for all of your membership pages.

Here’s what the Coaching page looks like:

You can also access the messaging feature from the Coaching page.

This is what the feature looks like when you are starting a new conversation. You can also insert attachments if needed.

The MemberPress coaching messaging feature

Once you are happy with all of the settings, just scroll down the page.

After that, click ‘Update Options.’

Clicking the Update Options button in MemberPress settings

Step 7: Create Your Coaching Program(s)

At this stage, you can create a coaching program for your membership plans. You will need to go to CoachKit™ » Programs.

Then, simply click ‘Add New Post’ to create a new coaching program.

Adding a new program in MemberPress' CoachKit

First, let’s give your new program a title.

Next, you can set up some Milestones and/or Habits for the program.

A Milestone is a time-limited goal for tracking your client’s progress. You can add as many Milestones as you like and set due dates for when clients should achieve them.

To add one, just click ‘+ New Milestone.’

Adding a new milestone for a coaching program in MemberPress

Now, go ahead and insert a goal name and goal due date for after the program starts.

You can also tick the ‘Check In’ box to add a question to check in with your clients.

Setting up a coaching program milestone in MemberPress

Pro Tip: We also recommend installing the Downloads and Courses add-ons to add downloadable files and courses to Milestones. For more information about setting them up, just check out these guides:

On the other hand, Habits are regular tasks, and you can use them to motivate clients to develop a new habit.

To create a new habit, switch to the ‘Habits’ tab and click ‘+ New Habit.’

Creating a new habit for a coaching program in MemberPress

Now, give your new habit a name and choose how often the habit should be done.

Similar to Milestones, you can enable a check-in question for Habits, too.

Configuring a coaching program habit in MemberPress

You can set up as many Milestones and Habits as needed for your coaching program.

Once you are happy with the Milestones and Habits, navigate to the ‘Cohorts’ section. After that, just click ‘New Cohort.’

Creating a new coaching program cohort in MemberPress

A Cohort is basically a group of students enrolled in your coaching program, similar to a class in a school.

The reason why your clients are organized into cohorts is to limit the number of people who can sign up within a single program. This way, you or your team of coaches won’t get overwhelmed.

In the Cohort popup, you can name your cohort, limit the number of students who can enroll in the program, and assign a coach.

Other than that, you can select whether the student can start the program whenever they get enrolled (Dynamic) or at a fixed start and end date (Fixed).

You can also choose to make the program’s status open or closed for enrollment.

If you choose the Dynamic type, then we recommend making the Status ‘Closed’ until you are absolutely ready to run the program. Otherwise, you won’t be able to make changes to the program while it is already in progress.

After you have configured all of the Cohort settings, just click ‘Save.’

Configuring a coaching program cohort in MemberPress

Once you’ve done that, you can make the new coaching program available.

To do this, simply click the ‘Publish’ button.

Publishing a new coaching program with MemberPress

What you want to do now is add your coaching program to a membership plan.

Head over to MemberPress » Memberships from the dashboard and select the plan you just created by clicking on the ‘Edit’ link under it.

Once you are on the new membership page, scroll down to the ‘Membership Options’ section and switch to the ‘CoachKit™’ tab.

In the dropdown menu, you need to select which coaching programs you want this membership plan to have. You can also enable the messaging feature to allow them to contact you directly.

Assigning coaching programs to a MemberPress membership plan

And that’s it! Now, you can feel free to create as many coaching programs and/or membership plans as needed.

Step 8: Select a Video Conferencing Platform

What makes coaching different from teaching is you will need to offer a direct line of communication for clients to contact you. Because of this, you will need video chat software to reach out to your members.

We recommend using Nextiva, which is one of the best business phone services on the market. Their video chat software is fully cloud-based, so their audio and video quality is incredibly high, with little to no glitching.

Alternatively, you can use popular options like Zoom and Google Meet.

To learn more about the two software, just check out our article on Google Meet vs Zoom: which is better for your business.

To reach as many potential clients as possible, you should create professional social media accounts for your coaching business. Typically, you will need a Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter account to start.

But if you run a corporate coaching service, then we also recommend creating a LinkedIn account to find business clients.

Example of an online coach with a LinkedIn presence

Depending on your niche and demographic, you may also want to create a TikTok account, too.

Many lifestyle, wellness, and health coaches use this platform to create tips and tricks content and reach their target audience.

Example of a life coach with a TikTok presence

Once you have set up your social media platforms, you can:

Add social media icons and social share buttons to your website.
Make video content for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and/or YouTube shorts to find new clients.
Create Facebook groups for your community to connect with you.

Step 10: Promote Your Online Coaching Services

Finally, you will need a way to bring more visitors to your website and get them to sign up for your online coaching services. Here are some marketing strategies you can use:

Optimize your website for search engines. We recommend installing an SEO plugin like All in One SEO to make your website more SEO-friendly and gain more traffic.
Launch a referral program for clients to spread the word about your services, and you can give them a discount in return.
Sign up for a consumer review platform like Trustpilot and display your client testimonials on your website.
Create an email list for users to get exclusive offers and content from you. You can use OptinMonster to increase your chances of getting subscribers.
Start a podcast and invite industry leaders to expand your network and reach. Or you could become a podcast guest to get your name out there.
Run a giveaway for users to win a free coaching program. You can use RafflePress to launch this content on your website.

With a solid marketing strategy, you can run a successful coaching business that resonates with clients and makes a lasting impact.

Starting an Online Coaching Business FAQs

Let’s address some frequently asked questions about running an online coaching business.

Is online coaching profitable?

Yes, online coaching can be profitable. Many public figures like Tony Robbins have run a successful online coaching business that makes thousands of dollars. Of course, the profit potential depends on various factors, like your expertise and niche.

How much does it cost to start an online coaching business?

The startup costs can vary widely. At a minimum, you may need a website, a membership platform, and marketing expenses, which can total between $200 to $1000 per year. You can read more about this in our article on how much it costs to start a membership site.

What are the benefits of online coaching?

Online coaching offers flexibility for both coaches and clients, allowing you to do sessions from anywhere and reduce operating costs. You can also connect with clients globally, expanding your reach beyond where you are based.

We hope this article has helped you learn to start a coaching business online. You may also want to check out our tips and tricks to grow your online business and our list of the best online course platforms.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Start an Online Coaching Business (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.

November 24, 2023

How to Make a Travel Business Site in WordPress (Step by Step)

Do you want to make a travel business site in WordPress?

A travel business site lets you advertise your tour packages, take bookings directly, and communicate with your users. This will allow you to reach more customers, generate more leads and sales, and even improve customer service.

In this article, we will show you how to make a travel business site in WordPress, step by step.

Which Is the Best Website Builder to Make a Travel Business Site?

In our expert opinion, WordPress is the best website builder to make a travel business site. It is used by over 43% of the websites on the internet and is super reliable, secure, easy to use, and scalable.

WordPress is used by many different kinds of businesses to sell their services or products, and you can easily set up a travel company using a travel booking plugin.

However, you should know that there are two types of WordPress on the market.

WordPress.com is a blog hosting platform, whereas WordPress.org is an open-source, self-hosted software. For more detailed information, you may want to see our comparison between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

For a travel company, we recommend using WordPress.org because it is completely free, gives you full control over your website, and can easily integrate with any third-party travel plugins.

For more details, you may want to see our complete WordPress review.

That being said, let’s see how to easily make a travel business site in WordPress, step by step. Here is a quick overview of the steps we will cover:

Step 1: Choose a Domain Name and Hosting Plan
Step 2: Create a New WordPress Website
Step 3: Choose a Theme for Your Travel Business
Step 4: Create a Home Page and Navigation Menu
Step 5: Create Image Galleries for Your Travel Business
Step 6: Install and Set Up the WP Travel Engine Plugin
Step 7: Create a Travel Package for Your Business
Step 8: Add a Contact Form to Your Travel Business Site
Step 9: Add Customer Reviews on Your Website
Step 10: Use AIOSEO to Improve Search Engine Rankings
Bonus Tools to Boost Conversions on Your Travel Business Site

Step 1: Choose a Domain Name and Hosting Plan

To create a WordPress site, you will first need to get a domain name and web hosting.

A domain name is the name of your website on the internet. This is what customers will have to type to visit your site, like www.tourism.com or www.traveladventures.com.

Web hosting is where your website lives on the internet. To choose the perfect hosting plan for your travel business, you may want to see our list of the best WordPress hosting services.

You will notice that even though WordPress.org is free, the domain name and web hosting are where your costs will add up. The average cost for a domain name is $14.99/year, while hosting costs start from $7.99/month.

This can be a bit expensive if you are just starting out and have a shoestring budget.

Thankfully, Bluehost is offering a HUGE discount to WPBeginner readers along with a free domain name and an SSL certificate.

Bluehost is a WordPress-recommended hosting service and one of the best in the business.

To get a discount on Bluehost, just click on the button below.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

This will take you to the Bluehost website, where you have to click the ‘Get Started Now’ button.

You will now be taken to the Bluehost Pricing page, where you can select a hosting plan according to your travel business site needs.

We recommend opting for the Basic or Choice Plus plan, as they are the most popular web hosting plans among our readers.

Upon making your choice, simply click the ‘Select’ button under a plan.

This will direct you to a new page where you have to pick a domain name for your travel business site.

We recommend choosing a name related to your business that is easy to pronounce, spell, and remember.

The easiest option would be to choose the name of your existing travel business. However, keep in mind that this domain name may already be taken by some other website.

In that case, you can try adding some extra keywords or use your location to make your domain name stand out. For more ideas, you may want to see our beginner’s guide on how to choose the best domain name.

If you are just starting your travel business and do not have a name for it yet, then you can also try WPBeginner’s Free Business Name Generator to come up with an interesting name for your company.

After choosing a name, just click on the ‘Next’ button to continue.

Type the travel business site domain name

This will take you to the next step, where you will be asked to provide your account information, business email address, name, country, phone number, and more.

Once you have provided those details, you will also see optional extras that you can buy.

We generally don’t recommend buying these extras straight away, as you can always add them later if your business needs them.

After that, type in your payment information to complete the purchase.

Once you have done that, you will receive a confirmation email with details to log in to your Bluehost dashboard. This will be your control panel where you will manage your travel business site.

Now, it’s time for you to install WordPress.

Step 2: Create a New WordPress Website

If you signed up for Bluehost using our link above, then Bluehost will automatically install WordPress on your domain name for you.

However, if you want to create a different WordPress site for your travel business, then you can do that by clicking on the ‘My Sites’ tab in the Bluehost dashboard.

Once you have done that, click the ‘Add Site’ button and select the ‘Create New Site’ option.

Creating a new WordPress website with Bluehost

This will open the Bluehost wizard on the screen, which will walk you through the whole setup process.

You can start by adding a title and an optional tagline for your website. After that, just click the ‘Next’ button to continue.

Adding a site title and tagline to WordPress

You will now be asked to choose a domain name and path for your travel business. If you already have a domain name, then you can select it from the dropdown menu under the ‘Domain’ option.

However, if you still haven’t purchased the domain, then you can do that by visiting the ‘Domains’ page on the Bluehost dashboard.

Once you have chosen a domain, leave the directory path blank and let Bluehost fill it in for you.

Selecting a domain name for an automotive parts website

Now, the setup wizard will show you a list of optional WordPress plugins that you may want to install on your website, like WPForms and OptinMonster.

Most of these tools are must-have WordPress plugins that will help you improve your overall site quality. To install any of these plugins, just check the box next to its name.

After that, click the ‘Next’ button once again to set up your travel business site.

You will now see a ‘WordPress installed successfully’ message with information about your new website on the screen. From here, click the ‘Log into WordPress’ button to access your admin dashboard.

If you want, you can also log in to your WordPress dashboard by going to yoursite.com/wp-admin/ in your web browser.

Note: If you have selected different web hosting for your travel business site, like WP Engine, HostGator, SiteGround, or Hostinger, then you may want to see our complete guide on how to install WordPress for instructions.

Step 3: Choose a Theme for Your Travel Business

WordPress themes are professionally designed templates that control how your website looks on the front end.

Upon visiting your newly installed WordPress site, you will notice that it currently has the default theme activated, which will look like this:

If you want to make your travel business successful, get more leads, and impress your customers, then you should replace the default theme with one that matches your niche.

You can install any of the popular WordPress themes on your site and then customize them according to your liking.

You can also use themes that were specifically designed with the traveling niche in mind. For details, you may want to see our list of the best WordPress themes for travel blogs.

However, if you want to easily customize your travel business site in just a few clicks, then we recommend using SeedProd.

It is the best WordPress page builder on the market that allows you to create landing pages and even an entire theme without using any code.

It also comes with travel-related templates and advanced blocks that will let you set up your travel business site in just a few minutes.

First, you need to install and activate the SeedProd plugin. For detailed instructions, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, visit the SeedProd » Theme Builder page from the WordPress dashboard and click on the ‘Theme Template Kits’ button.

Click the Theme Template Kit button to create a theme

This will take you to a new screen where you will see a list of premade templates that you can use on your website.

When you find the ‘Travel Theme’ or ‘Travel Blog’ template, click on it to launch it in the drag-and-drop builder.

SeedProd will now create all the page templates that you will need for your travel business and launch the home page in the page builder.

Here, you can drag and drop any block from the left column into the page preview. For detailed instructions, see our beginner’s guide on how to create a custom theme in WordPress.

Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save’ button at the top.

If you want to use another travel-specific theme on your website, then you may want to see our tutorial on how to install a WordPress theme.

Once you have activated your theme, just visit the Appearance » Customize page from the WordPress admin sidebar. Here, you can change the theme’s appearance in the customizer.

If you are using a block-based theme, then you will have to visit the Appearance » Editor page from the WordPress dashboard.

This will open the full site editor, where you can drag and drop the blocks from the left column to customize your travel business site.

Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save’ button to store your settings.

Travel business site in full site editor

Step 4: Create a Home Page and Navigation Menu

WordPress uses two content types by default, which are posts and pages.

Pages can be used for home page, a Contact Us page, or an About Us page. On the other hand, posts are used to create articles and blog posts for your website.

These posts are then displayed in reverse chronological order on your website’s home page.

To further promote your travel business, it is a good idea to start a travel blog on your website. This will help improve your search engine rankings and gain more customers.

For detailed instructions, you can see our beginner’s guide on how to start a travel blog in WordPress.

However, even if you plan to write blog posts, we recommend creating a different page for your articles and not displaying them on the home page.

Instead, you can design a custom home page for your website that represents your travel business in a visually pleasing way.

For details, see our tutorial on how to create a custom home page in WordPress.

Once you have finished designing your homepage, you need to visit the Settings » Reading page in your WordPress dashboard and choose the ‘A static page’ option in the ‘Your homepage displays’ section.

Next, open the ‘Homepage’ dropdown and choose the page you want to use.

If you want to create a separate page for travel blogging, then you can see our tutorial on how to create a separate blog page. Finally, click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

Upon adding different posts and pages to your travel business site, you will also need to add a navigation menu at the top.

Navigation menu on your travel business site

This navigation menu will show an organized structure of your site and help your visitors navigate through it.

To create a navigation menu for your WordPress site, please see our step-by-step guide on how to add a navigation menu in WordPress.

Step 5: Create Image Galleries for Your Travel Business

Showing image galleries is extremely important for travel business sites.

This is because these galleries can show high-quality images of stunning scenery, exciting activities, and comfortable accommodations that can help inspire potential travelers and convince them to book a trip with you.

Plus, these image galleries can also be used to promote specific travel packages, tell a story about your adventure travel company, increase brand awareness, and much more.

To create image galleries in WordPress, we recommend using Envira Gallery. It is the best WordPress gallery plugin on the market that comes with amazing features like lightboxes, tags, watermarks, and more.

First, you need to install and activate the Envira Gallery plugin. For detailed instructions, see our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, visit the Envira Gallery » Settings page and enter your license key. You can find this information in the Envira Gallery account area.

Next, head to the Envira Gallery » Add New page from the WordPress dashboard. Here, click the ‘Select Files from Your Computer’ button to upload images from the computer.

If you want to add images from the media library, then click the ‘Select Files from Other Sources’ button.

Once you have uploaded the images for your travel package, scroll down to the ‘Currently in Your Gallery’ section.

Here, click the pencil icon on top of each image to open the ‘Edit Metadata’ prompt.

Once that prompt appears on the screen, you can add titles, descriptions, tags, and alt text to your images.

Next, click the ‘Save Metadata’ button to store your settings.

edit metadata prompt for the trip package image

After that, you can further configure other gallery settings according to your liking. For detailed instructions, you may want to see our beginner’s guide on how to create an image gallery in WordPress.

Finally, click the ‘Publish’ button at the top to store your settings.

Now, visit the WordPress page/post where you want to add the image gallery for the travel package.

Here, you need to click the ‘Add Block’ (+) button in the top left corner of the screen to open the block menu. Next, add the Envira Gallery block to the page/post.

After that, just choose the image gallery that you created for the travel package from the dropdown menu inside the block.

Finally, go ahead and click the ‘Publish’ or ‘Update’ button to store your settings.

You can now go ahead and add multiple image galleries to show your travel packages, different destinations, and much more on your WordPress travel business site.

Step 6: Install and Set Up the WP Travel Engine Plugin

By default, WordPress does not come with any built-in functionality for travel businesses. That is why you’ll need to use a third-party plugin like WP Travel Engine to set up trips and bookings on your site.

WP Travel Engine is a popular free WordPress plugin that allows you to create an SEO-friendly travel booking site in minutes.

Note: There is also a premium version of WP Travel Engine. This plugin will give you access to an advanced itinerary builder, upsell features, and more. However, we will be using the free plugin for this tutorial.

First, you need to install and activate the WP Travel Engine plugin. For detailed instructions, see our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, the plugin will launch a setup wizard on your screen where you have to click the ‘Let’s Get Started’ button.

You will now be taken to the ‘Currency Setting’ step, where you have to choose your website’s base currency, its symbol, and a thousand separator.

After that, click the ‘Continue’ button to move on.

Configure currency settings in WP Travel Engine

In the next step, you need to configure the email settings. Here, type the email address where you want to receive notifications when a user books a trip next to the ‘Sales Notification Emails’ option.

If you don’t want to receive any notifications, simply toggle the switch at the top.

After that, toggle the ‘Enable Enquiry Email’ option if you want to be able to send emails to customers who book a trip using your website.

Next, type the email address that will be used to send emails to customers next to the ‘From Email’ option and click the ‘Continue’ button.

Expert Tip: Emails sent directly from WordPress can sometimes end up in the spam folder. That’s why we recommend using a service like WP Mail SMTP to improve email deliverability. For more details, you can see our guide on how to fix the WordPress not sending emails issue.

You will now be taken to the ‘Page Settings’ step, where you have to choose different pages for the checkout, terms and conditions, booking confirmation, and other pages.

Here, you can select any of the pages that you have already published on your website or choose a page created by the plugin.

For example, if you have an existing checkout page, then you can select that page from the dropdown menu. If you don’t have one, then you can leave the setting as it is, and the plugin will create a custom page for you.

Once you are done, click the ‘Continue’ button.

In the ‘Payment Gateway Setting’ step, you have to toggle on the switches for the ‘Book Now Pay Later’ option and the ‘PayPal’ option.

After that, add your PayPal email ID into the ‘PayPal Email/ID’ field.

These payment gateways will then be added to your travel business site. Next, click the ‘Continue’ button to move on.

You have now successfully configured the WP Travel Engine plugin.

In the last step, just click the ‘Go to dashboard’ button to exit the setup wizard.

Step 7: Create a Travel Package for Your Business

Upon configuring the plugin, it is now time to create a travel package for your website. To do this, just visit the Trips » Add New page from the WordPress admin dashboard.

This will open the block editor, where you can start by adding a title and details for your travel package. You can also click the ‘Add Block’ (+) button in the top left to add an Image, Heading, or Quote block.

You can also add the image gallery that you created for the travel package by dragging and dropping the ‘Envira Gallery’ block from the block menu.

Once you have done that, expand the ‘Destinations’ tab in the block panel on the right and click the ‘Add New Destinations’ link.

Here, you can add the name of the country or city for the travel package you are offering. This feature will help you organize your travel packages by different destinations.

It will also help your users if you plan to offer multiple packages for the same destination.

Next, expand the ‘Activities’ tab and click the ‘Add New Activities’ link. Here, you can add all the activities that you will offer your clients on this trip, like snorkeling, hiking, scuba diving, visiting heritage areas, and more.

This option can also help you further categorize your trip. For example, if a user who does not have a specific destination in mind but likes hiking types this keyword into the search box, they will be shown all the travel packages that have hiking listed as one of the activities.

After that, you can also add a featured image, trip type (adventure, leisure vacation, business trip), and tags for your package from the block panel.

Now, it’s time for you to configure the trip settings. For this, scroll down to the ‘WP Travel Engine – Trip Settings’ section.

Here, you can type in the trip code and the day and night duration of the trip.

You can also enable a cut time for the travel package. This means that users won’t be able to book this trip after a specified date.

Then, you can also set a minimum and maximum age for the trip and the minimum or maximum number of participants for the trip.

Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save & Continue’ button to store your settings.

This will take you to the ‘Date and Price’ tab, where you have to click the ‘Add A New Package’ button.

Next, you will have to add a package name and click the ‘Edit Pricing and Dates’ link.

This will open a prompt on the screen where you can expand the ‘Adult’ tab and then type the price for the trip. You can set the price for per person or per group.

After that, you can set a price range for children and click the ‘Save and Close’ button once you are done.

Next, click the ‘Continue’ button to move on.

This will take you to the ‘Overview’ section, where you can add a title and description for your trip.

You can even add trip highlights like a snorkeling adventure under the ‘Trip Highlights’ section. After that, click the ‘Save & Continue’ button.

You will now be taken to the ‘Itinerary’ section, where you can start by adding a title.

Next, add a title for the day 1 itinerary and write all the activities that will be part of the first day of the trip. To add multiple days for the trip, you will have to click the ‘Add Itinerary’ button.

Once you are done, click the ‘Save & Continue’ button.

In the ‘Includes/Excludes’ section, you will have to add a section for all the things that are included in the trip price, like the hotel booking, breakfast, and more.

Similarly, you will also have to add a section for all the things that are excluded from the trip pricing, like snorkeling fees, dinner, and more.

Upon doing that, click the ‘Save & Continue’ button.

You will now be taken to the ‘Trip Info’ section, where you have to add a title and then choose trip facts that may not have been added before from the dropdown menu.

For example, if you want to talk about the hotel that your clients will be staying in, then you can select the ‘Accommodation’ option and click the ‘Add Fact’ button.

After that, you can simply add the hotel’s name and link next to the ‘Accommodation’ option.

You can also add other details for the trip, like admission fees, arrival city, best season, payment methods info, hotel transfer, WiFi, meals, and more.

Once you are done, click the ‘Save & Continue’ button.

You will now be taken to the ‘Gallery’ section, where you can toggle the ‘Enable Image Gallery’ switch if you haven’t already added a gallery with Envira.

You can then add images, and the gallery will automatically be created for you. You can even add a video gallery for the package by toggling the ‘Enable Video Gallery’ switch.

Next, you are able to add a YouTube or Vimeo video to your package. Upon doing that, click the ‘Save & Continue’ button to move on.

This will take you to the ‘Map’ section, where you can add a title, map image, and an iframe code for the hotel where your clients will be staying or for the general trip location.

Then, click the ‘Save & Continue’ button.

In the FAQs section, you can click on the ‘Add FAQs’ button and add questions that are frequently asked by your users. This will help answer customer queries and even improve your search engine rankings.

Upon adding the FAQs, simply click the ‘Save & Continue’ button.

Now, scroll back to the top and click the ‘Publish’ button to make your trip package live. After that, you can visit your WordPress website to view the package in action.

You can now create more packages for your travel business site by repeating the process.

Step 8: Add a Contact Form to Your Travel Business Site

Once you have created multiple travel packages that you plan to sell on your website, it is a good idea to also add a contact form.

This form will allow customers to reach out to you if they have any questions, which can help improve customer satisfaction. Plus, it can even help you build an email list by allowing you to collect customer information.

We recommend using WPForms to add a contact form to your website.

It is the best WordPress contact form plugin on the market that comes with 1000+ premade form templates, a drag-and-drop builder, protection from spam entries, and more.

First, you need to install and activate the WPForms plugin. For detailed instructions, see our tutorial on how to install a WordPress plugin.

After that, all you have to do is use the WPForms ‘Simple Contact Form’ template and then add it to any page or post using the WPForms block.

For detailed instructions, see our tutorial on how to create a contact form in WordPress.

Other than a contact form, we also recommend using a professional phone service on your travel site to make it easier for users to reach out to you or make bookings over the phone. This can lead to more conversions.

You can easily add a phone service for your travel business using Nextiva.

It is the best business phone service for small businesses that is super easy to use, offers an easy setup, has a lot of features, and has reasonable pricing.

Plus, Nextiva also comes with other features like online faxing, live chat, online surveys, CRM, call analytics, and more.

For details, see our tutorial on how to set up an auto-attendant phone system for your website.

Step 9: Add Customer Reviews on Your Website

Another way to build trust among potential customers and increase conversions is to add customer reviews to your travel business site.

If you already have reviews for your trip packages on Yelp, Facebook, or Google, then you can easily add them to your website using the Smash Balloon Reviews Feed Pro plugin.

It is the best WordPress customer reviews plugin on the market that lets you add reviews to your website in a visually pleasing layout.

Car part reviews, displayed using Smash Balloon

For more detailed instructions, see our tutorial on how to show Google, Facebook, and Yelp reviews in WordPress.

Step 10: Use AIOSEO to Improve Search Engine Rankings

Once you have finished making your travel business site, it is important to focus on its search engine optimization (SEO).

This can help you rank higher and get more traffic to your website. In turn, this can lead to more conversions and interest in your travel business.

We recommend using All in One SEO (AIOSEO) to optimize your WordPress site.

The All in One SEO (AIOSEO) search engine optimization plugin

AIOSEO comes with an amazing setup wizard that automatically helps you choose the best SEO settings for your business. Plus, it offers features like an on-page SEO checklist, XML sitemaps, a broken link checker, a schema generator, and more.

You can also add FAQs and their schema, track individual keyword results, do image SEO, use a social media assistant, and use the link assistant feature to further optimize your website.

For more details, you may want to see our complete WordPress SEO guide.

Bonus Tools to Boost Conversions on Your Travel Business Site

By now, you should have a functional travel business site up and running. Here are some plugins that you can install to improve your business and get more conversions:

OptinMonster: It is the best conversion optimization and lead generation tool on the market. It can be used to create opt-in forms that will help build you an email list.
MonsterInsights: It is the best analytics solution for WordPress. This will help you see where your visitors are coming from and optimize your business strategy based on real data.
PushEngage: It is the best push notification software that allows you to send personalized web push notifications to your customers. For example, you can let users know when you’ve published a new blog post or released a new travel package.
SearchWP: It is the best search plugin on the market that allows you to create a better search form for your website. This way, users can find the travel deals they are looking for.

We hope this article helped you learn how to make a travel business site in WordPress. You may also want to see our beginner’s guide on how to determine the ideal size of a web server for your website and our top picks for the must-have WordPress plugins to grow your business website.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Make a Travel Business Site in WordPress (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.

October 25, 2023

How to Sell Furniture Online – The Ultimate Guide for Beginners

Do you want to sell furniture online?

If you have a furniture business, then setting up an online store will allow you to reach a wider audience. This can help you increase conversions by allowing customers to go through the entire product catalog on your website.

In this article, we will show you how to easily sell furniture online in WordPress, step by step.

Which Is the Best Website Builder to Sell Furniture Online?

WordPress is the best website builder to sell furniture online. It powers over 43% of websites on the internet, is super easy to use, scalable, and has powerful features.

WordPress is used by many eCommerce stores, and there are plenty of free WordPress eCommerce plugins that you can use. This means that you will be able to easily set up a store and keep more of your profits.

However, before choosing WordPress as your website builder, keep in mind that there are two types of WordPress.

WordPress.com is a blog hosting platform, while WordPress.org is an open-source, self-hosted software. For more detailed information, you may want to see our comparison between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

For setting up an eCommerce store, WordPress.org is the perfect choice because it’s free, gives you complete ownership of your website, and can easily integrate with third-party eCommerce plugins like WooCommerce.

To learn more about why we recommend using WordPress.org, please see our complete WordPress review.

Having said that, we will now show you how to easily sell furniture online with WordPress, step by step:

Step 1: Choose a Domain Name and Hosting for Your Website
Step 2: Create a New WordPress Website
Step 3: Choose a Custom Theme
Step 4: Create a Custom Home Page and Navigation Menu
Step 5: Set Up an eCommerce Plugin
Step 6: Set Up Shipping For Your Furniture
Step 7: Set Up Payments in Your Furniture Store
Step 8: Add Your Furniture Products
Step 9: Add a Contact Us Form
Step 10: Create a WooCommerce Product Search
Step 11: Add Customer Reviews to Your Online Store
Bonus: Use AIOSEO to Improve Online Store Rankings

Step 1: Choose a Domain Name and Hosting for Your Website

To create a WordPress site, you will first need to get a domain name and web hosting.

A domain name is basically your online store’s name on the internet. It is what customers will type to visit your website, like www.sellingfurniture.com or www.buyhomedecor.com.

Similarly, web hosting is where your website lives online. To find the right web hosting for your online store, you can see our complete list of the best WordPress hosting services.

You will notice that even though WordPress is free, buying web hosting and a domain name is where the costs can add up.

A domain name can cost you about $14.99/year, and hosting costs start from $7.99/month, which can be a bit expensive if you have a small budget or are just starting out.

Thankfully, Bluehost is offering a BIG discount to WPBeginner readers along with a free domain name and an SSL certificate.

Bluehost is one of the largest hosting companies in the world and an official WordPress-recommended hosting partner.

To get a discount on Bluehost, just click on the button below.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

This will direct you to the Bluehost website, where you can click on the ‘Get Started Now’ button.

You will now be directed to the Bluehost Pricing page, where you can pick a hosting plan.

The Basic and Choice Plus plans are the most popular web hosting plans among our readers, but you might prefer the Online Store plan.

To choose a plan, click on the ‘Select’ button under it. This will take you to a new screen where you have to pick a domain name for your online store.

Try to choose a domain name that’s easy to pronounce, spell, remember, and is related to your business.

If you are just starting your furniture business, then you can use our WPBeginner Free Business Name Generator to come up with your company’s name.

Then, the easiest option is to choose your furniture store’s name for your website. However, sometimes the domain name is already taken by some other business.

After choosing a name, just click on the ‘Next’ button to continue.

Choose a domain name to sell furniture online

Once you do that, you will be asked to provide your account information, including your business email address, name, country, phone number, and more.

Upon providing those details, you will also see optional extras that you can buy.

We generally don’t recommend buying these extras straight away, as you can always add them later if your business needs them.

Next, simply type in your payment information to complete the purchase.

You will now get a confirmation email with details to log in to your Bluehost control panel. This will be your account dashboard where you will manage your furniture website, including asking for WordPress support.

Now, it’s time for you to install the WordPress software.

Step 2: Create a New WordPress Website

If you just signed up for Bluehost using our link above, then Bluehost will automatically install WordPress on your domain name for you.

However, if you want to create a different WordPress site, then you can also do that by clicking on the ‘My Sites’ tab in the Bluehost dashboard.

From here, simply click on the ‘Add Site’ button and select ‘Create New Site’.

The Bluehost wizard will now open up on your screen and walk you through the whole setup process.

First, you will need to type in a site title and an optional tagline for your website.

Once you do that, click the ‘Next’ button to continue.

You will now be asked to choose a domain name and path for your furniture website. If you already have a domain name, then go ahead and select it from the dropdown menu under the ‘Domain’ option.

However, if you haven’t purchased a domain name yet, then you can buy one by visiting the ‘Domains’ page on the Bluehost dashboard.

Upon selecting a domain name, simply leave the directory path blank and let Bluehost fill it in for you.

The setup wizard will also show you a number of plugins that you may want to install on your website, including OptinMonster and WPForms.

Many of these tools are must-have plugins that you will need to grow your online store. Simply check the boxes next to the ones you want to install on your site.

Once you are done, go ahead and click the ‘Next’ button to set up your furniture website. You will then see a ‘WordPress installed successfully’ message with information about your new website.

From here, click the ‘Log into WordPress’ button to access your admin dashboard.

You can also log in to the WordPress dashboard by going to yoursite.com/wp-admin/ in your web browser.

How to create a car parts website with WordPress

Note: If you are using a different web hosting for your furniture store, like Hostinger, SiteGround, WP Engine, or HostGator, then you can see our complete guide on how to install WordPress for instructions.

Step 3: Choose a Custom Theme

WordPress themes are professionally designed templates that control how your website looks on the front end to visitors.

Upon installing WordPress and visiting your website, you will notice that it has a default theme activated, which will look something like this:

However, if you want to get more sales and make a good impression on your customers, then you should replace the default theme with the one that matches your niche.

There are a lot of popular WordPress themes that you can customize on your website. You can also use multipurpose themes and create templates for your specific niche.

Additionally, you can also check our list of the best WooCommerce themes that will look amazing for your furniture store.

However, if you want a theme that is specifically designed for selling furniture online and requires minimal customization, then you can use SeedProd.

It is the best page builder plugin on the market that allows you to create landing pages and even an entire theme without using any code. It even comes with a furniture store template and additional WooCommerce blocks that will let you set up your furniture store in a few minutes.

First, you will need to install and activate the SeedProd plugin. For detailed instructions, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, visit the SeedProd » Theme Builder page from the WordPress dashboard and click on the ‘Theme Template Kits’ button.

This will open a new screen where you can browse all the premade templates that SeedProd has to offer.

Once you find the Furniture Store template, simply click on it to launch it in the drag-and-drop builder.

SeedProd will now create all the page templates that you will need for your furniture store and launch the home page in the page builder.

Here, you can drag and drop any block you want from the column on the left into the page preview.

For detailed instructions, you may want to see our beginner’s guide on how to create a custom theme in WordPress.

Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save’ button at the top.

If you have decided to use another theme for your furniture website, then you can see our tutorial on how to install a WordPress theme.

Upon installation, you will have to visit the Appearance » Customize page from the WordPress dashboard.

This will open the theme customizer, where you can change the theme settings according to your liking.

Alternatively, if you are using a block-based theme, then you will have to visit the Appearance » Editor page from the admin sidebar.

This will open the full site editor, where you will be using blocks to customize your whole theme.

Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save’ button to store your settings.

Step 4: Create a Custom Home Page and Navigation Menu

WordPress uses two content types by default: posts and pages.

Pages can be used to create a home page, a Contact Us page, or an About Us page. On the other hand, posts are usually used to create articles and blog posts for your website.

These blogs are then displayed in reverse chronological order on your website’s home page.

If you want, then you can also start writing blog posts on your website to help promote your furniture business. This can also help you improve your site’s search engine optimization (SEO) and customer engagement.

However, even if you plan to blog, you should create a separate page for your articles and not display them on your home page.

Instead, you can make a custom home page for your website that is visually appealing and introduces new visitors to your furniture store.

For detailed instructions, you may want to see our tutorial on how to create a custom home page in WordPress.

Once you have designed this page, you will have to set it as your home page.

To do this, visit the Settings » Reading page in your WordPress dashboard and choose the ‘A static page’ option in the ‘Your homepage displays’ section.

After that, open the ‘Homepage’ dropdown and choose the page you want to use.

If you want to use a separate page for blog posts, then you can see our tutorial on how to create a separate blog page.

Finally, click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

Now that you have added pages and posts to your furniture website, you will also need a navigation menu that can help visitors explore your website.

This menu will be displayed at the top of your site and will show an organized structure that allows visitors to navigate around your website.

To create a navigation menu for your WordPress site, please see our step-by-step guide on how to add a navigation menu in WordPress.

Step 5: Set Up an eCommerce Plugin

By default, WordPress does not have any eCommerce-related features. If you want to sell furniture online, then you will need to use a plugin like WooCommerce.

It is the most popular eCommerce plugin and the easiest way to sell physical products on your website.

First, you will need to install and activate the free WooCommerce plugin. For detailed instructions, you may want to see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, the WooCommerce setup wizard will open up on your screen. Here, you will first have to type in your physical store’s name.

After that, you will have to select an industry. Since you are going to be selling furniture, simply pick the ‘Home, furniture, and garden’ option from the dropdown menu.

Next, choose your store’s location and click the ‘Continue’ button.

WooCommerce will then show you a list of free features that you can use to boost sales on your website.

Here, simply check the features that you like and click the ‘Continue’ button.

That’s it. WooCommerce will now set up your online store for you.

Step 6: Set Up Shipping For Your Furniture

Now that your online store has been set up, it’s time to add a shipping method for your furniture.

To do this, visit the WooCommerce » Settings page from the WordPress dashboard and switch to the ‘Shipping tab.

Here, you will see that a shipping zone has already been added to the list. Simply click the ‘Edit’ link under the zone name to start configuring the settings.

This will take you to a new page where you can change the zone name to anything you like.

After that, you can start adding as many zone regions as you want from the dropdown menu. Here, you have to choose areas, cities, or countries where you want to deliver your furniture products.

Next, you have to add shipping methods. To do this, just click the ‘Add shipping method’ button.

This will open a prompt on the screen where you can select flat rate, free shipping, or local pickup as your method. You can also add all of them if you want.

Upon making your choice, simply click the ‘Add shipping method’ button.

WooCommerce will now add your chosen shipping method to the shipping zone.

To configure its settings, click the ‘Edit’ link under the method.

This will open another prompt on the screen where you can select the tax status and cost for the shipping.

Once you are done, go ahead and click the ‘Save changes’ button to store your settings.

This will take you back to the ‘Shipping Zone’ page, where you have to click on the ‘Save Changes’ button again to store your changes.

Step 7: Set Up Payments in Your Furniture Store

Next, you have to set up a payment method to accept online payments in your furniture store.

For this, you need to visit the WooCommerce » Settings page from the WordPress dashboard and switch to the ‘Payments’ tab.

This will open a list of different payment methods and payment gateways that you can use with WooCommerce. Here, click the ‘Finish set up’ button for the payment method that you want to enable.

How to sell car parts online in WordPress

Now, you will have to follow all of the on-screen instructions to set up the payment method of your choice.

Once you are done, click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

How to accept credit card payments in WordPress

Now, to activate the payment method in your furniture online store, simply toggle the ‘Enabled’ switch to active and click the ‘Save Changes’ button at the bottom.

We recommend adding multiple payment methods to drive more sales. For example, you can use Venmo, add cash on delivery, accept credit cards on your website, and more.

Step 8: Add Your Furniture Products

Now, it’s time for you to start adding furniture products to your online store. With WooCommerce, you can import your products from a template, CSV file, or another service.

However, in this tutorial, we will show you how to manually add furniture products to your online store.

First, visit the Products » Add New page from the WordPress admin sidebar. Once you are there, you can start by adding a title for your furniture product.

Next, add some sentences describing the product in the ‘Product Description’ text box.

After that, you need to add a product image by clicking on the ‘Set product image’ link on the right. If you want to add multiple images, then you can click on the ‘Add product gallery images’ link instead.

This will launch the WordPress media library, where you can upload an existing image or add new ones from your computer.

Once you have done that, you can also add categories and tags for your product. This will help customers find your products in your online store.

To add a category, simply click on the ‘+ Add new category’ link and then make a new category for the furniture product that you are selling.

Next, type in the different tags that you want to use for the product under the ‘Product tags’ section.

Now, you need to scroll down to the ‘Product Data’ section and choose the ‘Variable product’ option from the dropdown menu at the top.

After that, switch to the ‘Inventory’ tab from the left column and add the stock-keeping unit (SKU) for your product.

Once you have done that, switch to the ‘Shipping’ tab from the left column. Here, you can add the weight, dimensions, and shipping class for your product.

Next, you need to switch to the ‘Attributes’ tab to create different attributes, including sizes, colors, and more for your products.

From here, you can add a name for your attribute under the ‘Name’ option and then add its values in the text box next to it.

For example, if your furniture product is available in three colors, then you can name the attribute ‘Available Colors’ and type black, white, and blue into the ‘Value’ box.

Once done, click the ‘Save Attribute’ button to store your settings.

After that, switch to the ‘Variations’ tab and click on the ‘Generate Variations’ button.

WooCommerce will now generate variations for all the attributes that you have created. To set up each variation, click on its ‘Edit’ link.

This will expand the tab for that specific variation, and you can now add its size, color, image, shipping method, and pricing.

Once you are done, click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

Simply repeat this process to configure each product variation.

There are also other settings that you can explore and configure according to your liking. Once you are satisfied, click the ‘Publish’ button at the top to make your product live.

To add more furniture products to your online store, simply repeat the process all over again.

Step 9: Add a Contact Us Form

Once you have created a store to sell furniture online, it’s important to also add a contact form to your store.

This provides a convenient way for customers to get in touch with you and will help you improve the customer experience.

Plus, it can also help you build an email list by allowing you to capture email addresses from your customers and visitors to your store.

While you could also add a contact info widget or your business phone number to your website, a contact form is the best way to collect data, respond to customer queries, and generate leads.

We recommend using WPForms to add a form to your WordPress site. It is the best contact form plugin on the market that comes with 1000+ premade form templates.

Used by over 6 million websites, WPForms has a drag-and-drop builder, comes with a ready-made contact form template, protects your site from spam entries, and offers a free version.

All you have to do is use the WPForms ‘Simple Contact Form’ template and then add it to any page or post using the WPForms block.

For detailed instructions, see our tutorial on how to create a contact form in WordPress.

Step 10: Create a WooCommerce Product Search

It’s important to add a search block to your online store so that users can find your products.

However, the built-in WordPress search block is not very good and doesn’t look for matches in product attributes, reviews, custom fields, or product descriptions.

This is where SearchWP comes in. It is the best WordPress search plugin on the market that allows you to create a smart WooCommerce search without using any code.

The SearchWP search plugin for WordPress

It puts you in complete control of the search algorithm and looks at the product title, content (description), slug, and excerpt (short description) for matches.

You can even customize SearchWP settings to look for matches in taxonomies, comments, product tags, reviews, and more.

For detailed instructions, see our beginner’s guide on how to create a smart WooCommerce product search.

Step 11: Add Customer Reviews to Your Online Store

A great way to increase conversions in your furniture store is to showcase customer reviews on your website. This can help build trust among potential customers and convince them to buy furniture from your store

If you already have reviews for your products on Yelp, Facebook, or Google, then you can easily add them to your website using Smash Balloon Reviews Feed Pro plugin.

It is the best customer reviews plugin on the market that lets you collect and organize reviews into a nice layout.

For detailed instructions, please see our tutorial on how to show Google, Facebook, and Yelp reviews in WordPress

Bonus: Use AIOSEO to Improve Online Store Rankings

Now that you have completed your online furniture store setup, it’s time to focus on your website SEO.

By optimizing your website, you can increase its search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your site. In turn, this can lead to more furniture sales in your online store.

To boost your online store’s SEO, we recommend using All in One SEO, which is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market.

Is All in One SEO (AIOSEO) the best WordPress SEO plugin?

It comes with a setup wizard that automatically helps you choose the best SEO settings for your business. Plus, it offers features like an on-page SEO checklist, XML sitemaps, a broken link checker, a schema generator, and more.

AIOSEO offers built-in WooCommerce SEO tools like dynamic optimizations, individual product page optimizations, breadcrumbs, product image SEO, and other handy features to bring more organic traffic to your online store.

It even lets you add GTIN, ISBN & MPN schema for your products to help you get rich snippets for your product listings in the search results.

Add the ISBN, GTIN, or MPN and click Update Schema button

For details, see our tutorial on how to add GTIN, ISBN, and MPN schema in WordPress.

We hope this article helped you learn how to easily sell furniture online. You may also want to see our ultimate SEO guide and our top picks for the best WooCommerce plugins for your store.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Sell Furniture Online – The Ultimate Guide for Beginners first appeared on WPBeginner.

October 19, 2023

How to Determine the Ideal Size of a Web Server for Your Website

Are you trying to pick the ideal web server size for your website?

The size of a web server depends on different components and resources. More popular websites will need a larger web server, but lower-traffic websites can get by with a smaller one.

In this article, we will show you how to determine the size of a web server best suited to your website.

Choosing the perfect web server size for your website

Here is a quick overview of the topics we will cover in this guide:

What Is a Web Server?
What Makes Up the Size of a Web Server?
How to Calculate the Web Server Size You Need
Shared Hosting Web Server Sizes
Managed WordPress Hosting Web Server Sizes
VPS Hosting Web Server Size
Dedicated or Enterprise Hosting Web Server Size
Frequently Asked Questions About Web Server Size

What Is a Web Server?

A web server is a computer that stores and shares websites with people on the internet.

You can think of it like a librarian who keeps websites neatly organized and gives them to anyone who requests them so that they can see the information on their computer or phone.

To do all this, these computers have specialized web server software installed on them. The most common web server software currently in use are Apache and Nginx.

A web server can have different configurations just like a home computer, making it less or more powerful.

You can rent out web servers from companies specializing in website hosting. These service providers offer web servers in different configurations and pricing to cater to a wide variety of needs.

As a customer, you can choose the web server size you want to start with. Later on, you can upgrade your web server with more powerful components as needed. These upgrades can be more storage space, processing power, memory, and more.

What Makes Up the Size of a Web Server?

The size of a web server is determined by the capacity of the components installed on it.

Higher capacity components increase the web server size, making it faster and more powerful.

By contrast, lower capacity components reduce the web server size, making it less capable of working efficiently under peak traffic.

Here are some of the most important components of a web server that determine its size and performance.

Processing Power (CPU)

Each web server has a computer processor or CPU (central processing unit). This processor is the brain of your web server and helps it put all the website’s pieces together quickly.

It grabs the text, pictures, and videos, mixes them up, and serves them to a user’s computer or phone so they can see the website.

The faster and more powerful the processor is, the quicker the web server can do this job. This is super important because it makes websites load faster and work smoothly.

More powerful processors may have multiple cores (dual-core, quadcore, and higher). Each core adds a separate brain to your processor, making it faster by allowing it to do many tasks at once.

Memory (RAM)

Memory or RAM (random access memory) is a super-fast memory area where a web server can temporarily store needed files.

RAM allows your web server to temporarily collect all the files needed to display a webpage for quicker access.

More memory gives your web server more temporary storage for those files, allowing it to work faster and more efficiently.

Storage (Disk Space)

Storage or disk space is the physical storage the computer has. A higher storage size allows you to keep more data on your website.

You can think of storage as a big, digital closet where the server keeps all the website’s files, like pictures, text, and videos.

If your closet is well organized, it helps you find things more quickly and easily. Similarly, having more space allows you to store more items and quickly find them.

Like the closet analogy, having plenty of well-organized storage for your WordPress website makes it more efficient.

Internet Speeds & Bandwidth

A web server needs to be connected to the internet so that it can receive user requests and send back data.

If your website is hosted on an internet server with high bandwidth, that will help it send data more quickly.

Bandwidth is the amount of data your website can send. You can think of bandwidth as a straw. A narrow straw doesn’t have much space (low bandwidth), so you will not be able to drink much water. However, a wider straw (higher bandwidth) allows you to sip more water.

Increasing the internet and bandwidth size can make your website respond to user requests more quickly and send data much more efficiently.

How to Calculate the Web Server Size You Need

Now that we know what makes up the web server, you will need to calculate the size that fits your needs.

This is important because web hosting costs money, and bigger web servers with many resources are expensive.

Here is our formula to calculate the ideal web server size for your WordPress website.

1. Average Bandwidth and the Amount of Data Your Website Serves

Each time a user makes a request, your web server sends them data. More data means using more server resources.

You can calculate how much data your WordPress uses by first seeing your average page size.

This is easy to do by running your 10 most popular pages through website speed checker tools like GTMetrix.

You then need to multiply the average page size by your website’s monthly page views.

Google Analytics collects data about the traffic to your website, including page views, average session duration, and more. While you can go directly to Google Analytics to see your page views, it’s much easier to use a WordPress Google Analytics plugin.

You can get the total number of page views using MonsterInsights. It is the best Google Analytics plugin, and it helps you track your website traffic and see all the data from your WordPress dashboard.

Simply go to Insights » Reports in your WordPress dashboard.

Then, you can use our sample formula to calculate the average amount of data your website consumes:

Average page size x total monthly pageviews = average bandwidth consumed

For example, it might be:

200KB x 60,000 views = 12,000,000 KB bandwidth used

You can then convert it into MB or GB for convenience:

12,000,000 KB / 1,000 = 12000 MB
12,000 MB / 1,000 = 12 GB bandwidth consumed per month

2. How Much Storage You Will Need

You will also need to know how much storage space your website requires. You can calculate this by tracking the storage your website is currently using.

The easiest way to find this is by using the Site Health tool. Just go to the Tools » Site Health page in your WordPress admin dashboard and switch to the ‘Info’ tab.

From here, you can calculate the disk space used by your WordPress files and database.

As you can see in the screenshot above, our test site’s Total installation size is 1.30 GB. The ‘Total installation size’ shows how much storage space your website currently needs.

However, as your website grows, you also need to estimate how much data it will upload each month.

The easiest way to calculate this is by monitoring the total installation size each month and noticing the difference from the one before.

For instance, if your total installation size was 1.0 GB last month, and this month it is 1.4 GB, then you uploaded 0.4 GB or 400 MB of data.

We recommend choosing a web server that has at least 3 times the storage your website currently uses.

Now that you have calculated the web server size you need, you can shop around for web hosting services to meet your requirements.

Shared Hosting Web Server Sizes

On shared hosting plans, your website shares its server resources with other sites. This allows the hosting company to offer cheap hosting plans for smaller websites and blogs.

Suitable For: Small websites and blogs under 10,000 page views per month.

Web server size: Most good shared hosting companies spend a lot of money to ensure that their shared servers have fast processors, sufficient RAM, and plenty of storage.

The resources provided by a host vary a lot. If you cannot find this information on their website, then you can ask individual hosts before signing up.

Typically, you get a single-core CPU with 1 GB of RAM and 10 GB of disk storage for a starter shared plan.

However, the amount of web server resources available to your website will depend on the number of sites sharing those resources.

Our Recommendation

We recommend Bluehost as the best WordPress hosting company offering shared hosting plans.

Their web servers use state-of-the-art components, unlimited bandwidth, and highly optimized software to manage resources so that your site gets 99.9% uptime.

Depending on which plan you choose, you will get access to either 10 GB, 40 GB, or 100 GB of disk storage.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

Alternatives: Hostinger and HostGator

Managed WordPress Hosting Web Server Sizes

Managed WordPress hosting is an upgrade from shared hosting services. It allows users to use a custom-built platform for WordPress websites.

Managed WordPress hosting companies offer automatic updates, additional security, and easy options to scale your website as it grows.

You can think of it as a concierge service for your WordPress website.

Suitable For: eCommerce websites, growing blogs, and small to medium-sized businesses. Starting from 25,000 page views.

Web Server Size: The web server size varies based on your plan. Managed WordPress hosting companies also have strict disk and bandwidth limits to ensure fair usage.

Typically, you can expect at least 10 GB storage, 50 GB bandwidth, single or dual-core CPU, and 1 GB RAM.

Our Recommendation:

We recommend WP Engine as the best managed WordPress hosting provider.

They are the pioneers in the managed WordPress space and consistently raise the bar with state-of-the-art infrastructure.

Their plans range from 10 GB of storage and 50 GB of bandwidth to 50 GB of storage and 500 GB of bandwidth per month.

Alternative: SiteGround

VPS Hosting Web Server Size

A VPS hosting plan allows you to create a virtual private server and use it as your site’s web server. It is an upgrade from managed and shared WordPress hosting plans.

The advantage of VPS hosting is that you can choose your web server size and scale it as your website grows.

This ensures that you get the amount of resources you need without upgrading to a dedicated server or enterprise hosting plan.

Suitable For: eCommerce stores, large and content-rich websites with a lot of multimedia files like hosted audio or video files. Ideal for 30,000 to 100,000 page views, depending on the server configuration.

Web Server Size: Server configurations vary among companies and are priced accordingly. You can choose from different configurations or create your own from a hosting control panel.

Our Recommendation:

We recommend SiteGround VPS hosting plans. They offer generous web server sizes starting from 4-core processors with 8 GB memory and 40 GB storage space.

They have a powerful hosting infrastructure built on top of Google Cloud. Plus, you get all the features of managed WordPress hosting with access to additional developer tools.

Alternatives: Bluehost VPS

Dedicated or Enterprise Hosting Web Server Size

Dedicated or enterprise hosting is the ultimate upgrade, with custom-made web server sizes designed for the highest performance and massive amounts of traffic.

On a dedicated server, your website doesn’t share any of its web server resources. You can choose the processor speed and cores, RAM size, disk storage, and the bandwidth you need.

Enterprise hosting plans are the last tier of dedicated hosting plans. One of these plans gives you access to the hosting company’s engineering team. They will manage the hosting infrastructure according to your needs, with 24/7 phone support from your dedicated support team.

Suitable For: Big-name brands, mission-critical websites with massive traffic, and larger eCommerce stores. Ideal for 200,000 to millions of page views.

Web Server Size: Companies offer dedicated servers with different configurations. Typically, you can expect dual or quad-core CPUs with 4-8 GB RAM and 500 GB to 1TB disk storage. You can also configure your own dedicated server with different components.

Our Recommendation:

We recommend SiteGround’s dedicated hosting plans. Hosted on the Google Cloud platform, you can choose up to 33 core processing power, 130 GB memory, and 1TB of SSD storage.

Alternatives: DreamHost dedicated servers

Frequently Asked Questions About Web Server Size

Following are some of the most commonly asked questions about choosing a web server size.

1. How much disk space does a web server need?

The amount of disk space a web server needs depends on how much data you will be uploading to your website. Typically, starter hosting plans start with 5-10 GB of disk storage, which is enough for a small business website or a starter blog.

2. What is the average size of a web hosting server?

Most websites are hosted on shared hosting web servers. The average size of a starter shared hosting web server is under 10 GB of disk storage, 1 GB of RAM, and a single or dual-core processor.

3. What does unlimited bandwidth mean?

Normally, shared hosting companies advertise unlimited bandwidth with their hosting plans. However, bandwidth costs money, and there are usually restrictions on how much bandwidth your website can use based on a fair usage policy. You can get further information by asking your hosting provider about their fair usage policy for bandwidth limitations.

We hope this article helped you learn how to choose the ideal size of a web server for your WordPress website. You may also want to see our WordPress performance guide to make sure your WordPress website is ready for peak traffic and our expert pick of the best monthly web hosting plans.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Determine the Ideal Size of a Web Server for Your Website first appeared on WPBeginner.

September 28, 2023

What is Email Hosting and How to Find Best Email Hosting Service

Are you looking to get an email hosting service for your business?

Creating a custom email address for your website or organization with your brand helps build trust and credibility. With the right hosting service, you can easily manage and secure your emails.

In this article, we will show you what email hosting is and how to find the best email hosting service.

What is Email Hosting?

Email hosting is a service you can use to have your own domain names as for email addresses, with storage for email content and attachments. You can create business email addresses by subscribing to an email hosting provider.

The difference between using email hosting vs. free email providers like Gmail or Yahoo is that you get to use your brand name in the email address.

For instance, a free email service will use its own domain name in the email address. It will look like this: john.doe@gmail.com.

On the other hand, you can create branded email addresses using an email hosting service. Your emails will look like this: john.doe@example.com

Why Use an Email Hosting Service?

Using an email hosting service makes your emails look more professional. It helps build credibility and trust with your audience. A branded email address also leaves a lasting impression on your users and creates brand awareness.

Besides that, you get enhanced security with email hosting. Many providers offer 2-factor authentication (2FA), spam protection, anti-phishing and anti-spoofing features, end-to-end encryption, and more.

Another advantage of using an email hosting provider is that you get increased storage capacity. Standard email service would offer limited storage space, which can quickly run out. However, email hosting services can offer extended storage options.

Let’s see what factors you should consider when finding the best email hosting service.

How to Choose the Best Email Hosting Service?

When it comes to choosing the best email hosting provider, you should consider the following things:

Email Storage – Each email hosting service will allot a specific storage space for your mailbox. You should choose a service that offers flexible storage options to store attachments and other email content.
Email Protocols – There are different email protocols like IMAP, SMTP, and POP3. They help with email deliverability and accessing emails on different devices. When you’re selecting an email hosting service, see how the provider supports these protocols.
Email Security Features – One of the advantages of email hosting is the advanced security features it offers. The best services should offer end-to-end encryption, spam protection, scan attachments for viruses and malware, 2-factor authentication (2FA), and anti-phishing features.
Email Aliases – You can create additional email addresses or aliases without creating a new account. This allows you to forward emails addressed to the alias to your main account. When picking email hosting, check if the provider lets you create email aliases.
Pricing – An email hosting service will cost you money, so when deciding on a provider, you should take prices into consideration. Some services offer multiple pricing plans with different features and storage limits. We recommend choosing a host that fits your budget.

Now, let’s look at some of the best email hosting services you can choose.

Finding the Best Email Hosting Service

There are many email hosting providers in the market. Here are some of the best services you can choose from.

1. Google Workspace

Google Workspace, previously known as G Suite, is an email hosting service that offers a lot of value. It offers flexible plans that are great for all types of businesses and enterprises.

The best part about Google Workspace is that you can use Gmail for your custom-branded emails. You won’t have to map Gmail to other email hosting providers, which saves a lot of time and complexity.

At WPBeginner, we use Google Workspace and can honestly say it is the best email hosting provider.

Another benefit of using Google Workspace is that you get to use multiple Google products along with setting up a professional email address in Gmail. For instance, you get Google Drive storage, Google Docs and Sheets access, Google Teams, and more.

With Google Workspace, you get storage space from 30GB going all the way to 5TB. Plus, it offers up to 1000 participants in video meetings. Besides that, you’ll get tons of security features like 2 step verification, phishing and spam protection, an ad-free email experience, and more.

That said, Google Workspace can be expensive for startups or small businesses. It’s more suitable for organizations that don’t have budget limitations and can explore custom plans as well.

Pros:

Use a branded email address with Gmail
Get 30GB to 5TB of storage
Phishing and spam protection
Multiple security features
Access to different Google products

Cons:

Expensive pricing plans, especially for small businesses
It doesn’t offer an unlimited storage option

Pricing: Google Workspace prices start from $6 per user per month, and you get 30GB of storage. There are other plans that offer more storage, security options, and other features.

2. Hostinger

Hostinger is one of the fastest WordPress hosting services in the market. If you’re just starting a new WordPress website and selecting a web hosting provider, then Hostinger offers free email addresses with each pricing plan.

The best part, you don’t have to pay extra for email hosting, and you get to create up to 100 email addresses. Each mailbox also gets 1GB of storage space.

The web hosting plans also include free domain names, WHOIS protection, free SSL certificates, unlimited bandwidth, website backups, and more. This makes Hostinger great value for money.

That said, Hostinger also offers standalone email hosting plans, which are powered by Titan. This allows you to get more storage space, up to 50GB.

Other features include an inbuilt calendar and contacts, auto-reply, email templates, follow-up reminders, up to 10 email aliases, IMAP/POP3 support, spam and phishing protection, anti-virus and malware checker, and much more.

Pros:

Get free email hosting with web hosting plans
Fast performance and load times
Up to 50GB storage space
24/7 customer support
Free domain name and SSL certificate
Advanced security features

Cons:

High renewal costs

Pricing: Hostinger offers an exclusive 80% discount to WPBeginner users on web hosting plans, with prices starting from $1.79 per month. If you want more email addresses, then consider getting the WordPress starter plan for $2.69 per month.

3. Bluehost

Bluehost is the largest WordPress hosting company in the world that lets you create professional email addresses. You can use your domain name to set up domain-specific emails.

Just like Hostinger, you get email hosting included in the web hosting plan with Bluehost. Not to mention, you also get a free domain name, SSL certificate, and much more.

Bluehost email hosting offers a custom inbox and calendar. You can also schedule tasks and automatically save contact information. Depending on the plan you get, Bluehost offers up to 80GB storage and 50 email aliases.

Besides that, you get different security features like spam filters, antivirus, safe unsubscribe service, real-time anti-phishing, file encryption, and more. Bluehost also supports different email protocols, including IMAP and POP.

Bluehost is the best solution if you’re looking to purchase a hosting plan or already using Bluehost for your WordPress website. Its email hosting plans are affordable and offer tons of features for businesses of all sizes.

Pros:

Free domain name, CDN, and SSL certificate
3-month free trial for email hosting
Advanced email security options
Up to 80GB storage space & 50 email aliases
Quick and easy setup
Great customer support
Officially recommended by WordPress

Cons:

High domain renewal prices

Pricing: Bluehost offers an exclusive 73% off for WPBeginner users on hosting plans, with prices starting from $2.95 per month. You can use our Bluehost discount coupon to get started.

4. Microsoft Office 365

Microsoft Office 365 is another popular email hosting service that is similar to Google Workspace. You can easily set up a professional business email using Office 365 and get access to a bunch of tools offered by Microsoft.

Microsoft 365 offers up to 50GB of storage with each mailbox. Plus, you get advanced security features like spam and malware cloud-based email filtering, multifactor authentication, custom permissions, password policy creation, and more.

Aside from that, you can use other tools like Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, OnePoint, Publisher, SharePoint, and more. You also get up to 1TB of cloud storage and real-time monitoring of online threats for your mailboxes.

Microsoft Office 365 is a great solution for sites or organizations that are looking to use Microsoft Suite for their operations. If you’re confused about whether to pick Google vs Microsoft, then please see our comparison between Google Workspace and Office 365.

Pros:

Create branded emails using Outlook
Get 50GB of storage for mailboxes
Access powerful Microsoft tools with a professional email address
1TB of cloud storage
Advanced security features

Cons:

Expensive pricing plans
It can be tricky to use, especially for beginners

Pricing: Mircosoft Office 365 prices start from $6 per user per month. There are higher pricing plans that include more features and advanced security options.

5. Namecheap

Namecheap is one of the cheapest email hosting providers on our list. It’s also a popular domain registrar and helps you find custom domain names for your business.

With Namecheap email hosting, you get up to 15GB of email storage and up to 30GB of file storage space. It also lets you create unlimited aliases in the highest pricing plan, along with mobile sync support.

Other than that, Namecheap supports SMPT, IMAP, and POP3 email protocols. It also offers decent security features like 2-factor authentication, anti-spam protection, and email storage security.

Namecheap is an excellent option for startups and new website owners who are looking for a cheap email hosting service.

Pros:

Affordable pricing plans
Unlimited aliases with the Ultimate plan
Offers document viewer, calendar, contacts, and other tools
Supports SMTP, IMAP, and POP3 protocols
Mobile sync support

Cons:

Basic security features
Limited storage size, even in the Ultimate plan

Pricing: Namecheap email hosting plans start from $1.24 per month for 1 mailbox. You also get a 60-day free trial to try the service.

6. Rackspace Email

Rackspace Email is the next email hosting service on our list. It offers a lot of solutions to SaaS companies, including an email hosting solution for small businesses.

The service offers a 100% uptime guarantee, which means it is highly reliable. It has data centers spread across the world and you get 24/7 support in case anything goes wrong.

Besides that, Rackspace offers 25GB mailbox storage space and up to 30GB file storage space. You also get unlimited aliases, group lists, and email forwarding rules. It even offers free email migration from another provider.

Pros:

A reliable email hosting solution
24/7 customer support
25GB mailbox storage
Easily integrates with Microsoft Office 365 tools
Spam and virus protection

Cons:

Requires a high learning curve to use the service
You’ll need to pay extra for email archiving
Limited additional features

Pricing: Rackspace email prices start from $2.99 per user per month. You also get a 14-day free trial to try the service.

7. Zoho Mail

Zoho Mail is one of the most popular email hosting services in the market. It offers a secure platform to host emails and create a branded email address.

With Zoho, you get dedicated apps for desktop and mobile to manage and organize your emails. Other than that, it offers up to 50GB of mailbox storage, domain aliases, email forwarding, and offline access.

One of the standout features of Zoho Mail is its SecurePass email. This allows you to send confidential information over emails using a passcode.

Besides that, it supports IMAP and POP3 protocols, up to 1GB of email attachment options, anti-spam and malware protection, email encryption, and more.

Pros:

Easy-to-use email hosting platform
Dedicated apps for mobile devices
Strong security features
Send password-protected emails with SecurePass

Cons:

Pricing per user can be expensive for small businesses
Integration with third-party tools is tricky

Pricing: Zoho Email prices start from $1 per user per month and you get 5GB of mailbox storage.

Which Email Hosting Service Should You Choose?

After reviewing multiple email hosting services, we believe that Google Workspace is the best solution for your email needs.

For starters, it lets you use Gmail with your custom-branded email domain name. Plus, you get access to other powerful tools included in the Google Workspace suite.

At WPBeginner, we also use Google Workspace and highly recommend it.

That said, if you’re looking for a more affordable email hosting service, then you can give Hostinger and Bluehost a try. Both are perfect if you’re just starting a new website since they include email hosting in their web hosting plans.

We hope this article helped you learn what is email hosting and how to find the best email hosting service. You may also want to see our guide on the best email marketing tools and the ultimate guide to boost WordPress speed.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post What is Email Hosting and How to Find Best Email Hosting Service first appeared on WPBeginner.

September 13, 2023

Hostinger vs. Bluehost (Honest Web Hosting Comparison – 2023)

Are you looking for an honest web hosting comparison of Hostinger vs. Bluehost?

These are two of the most affordable hosting companies on the market. However, beginners are often not sure which company to choose for their websites.

In this guide, we will compare Hostinger vs. Bluehost with their pros and cons so that you can make the right decision.

Hostinger vs. Bluehost (Honest Comparison)

Comparison of Hostinger vs. Bluehost

If you are looking for low-price hosting to control your website costs, then Hostinger and Bluehost are two of the most affordable hosting companies on the market.

Bluehost is an official WordPress.org recommended hosting provider, and Hostinger’s plans start at an even more affordable price point. At WPBeginner, we recommend them as two of the top WordPress hosting services for all kinds of users.

In this comparison, we will take a closer look into the pros and cons of Hostinger vs. Bluehost in detail so you can see which is better for your needs and make an informed choice.

Are you wondering which is the best platform for your WordPress site? Here is a quick summary:

	Hostinger	Bluehost
Pricing	From $1.99/month	From $2.75/month
Free Domain	Yes, with $2.69 plan	Yes
Free SSL	Yes	Yes
Page Load Time	181 ms	1,480 ms
Avg Response Time	235 ms	156 ms
Support	Live Chat / Knowledge Base	Live Chat / Email / Phone
Rating	A	A-
Verdict	Best for Small Business	Best Cheap Hosting
	Visit Hostinger	Visit Bluehost

With that being said, let’s compare both services and see how they compare.

Hostinger Comparison

Hostinger is a popular web hosting provider with a reliable and user-friendly platform to launch websites. They offer affordable shared hosting plans with great customer support, a free domain name with most plans, a free SSL certificate, and more.

Their shared hosting prices are more affordable than most of their competitors. This makes them a good choice for beginners and small businesses looking for budget web hosting.

Pros of Hostinger

Hostinger has the lowest price hosting on the market, but what are some of their pros and cons? Let’s start with some of the benefits of using Hostinger as your hosting service:

Affordable Plans – They offer very low-cost hosting plans, making Hostinger a great option for people who just want to test out an idea or launch a small website.
Excellent Performance – Considering Hostinger’s low price point, their performance and speed are impressive.
Excellent Customer Support – They offer great customer support for all of their hosting plans, making them a great choice for beginners.

Cons of Hostinger

Are there any disadvantages to using Hostinger? Here are some of the downsides that you may want to know:

Plan Limitations – So that their low-cost hosting remains viable, Hostinger places limits on entry-level and low-level hosting plans. However, as your website grows, you can always remove those limitations by upgrading to more expensive cloud or VPS plans.
No Daily Backups – Hostinger’s single and premium plans provide weekly backups instead of daily backups. While this is a downside, we always recommend that users set up their own backup solution to be on the safe side.

Hostinger Review

Hostinger has a 5-star rating on WPBeginner based on over 800 user reviews. In our detailed Hostinger review, you can also see the results of our performance and stress tests on Hostinger servers.

If you would like a free domain name, then you won’t get one with Hostinger’s cheapest plan. However, their second-tier plan includes a free domain and is still a little more affordable than Bluehost’s cheapest plan. All Hostinger plans include a free SSL certificate.

We found their customer support team to be very responsive, with almost immediate response times over live chat. Plus, Hostinger has a detailed knowledge base with step-by-step tutorials that answer the most common customer questions.

Bluehost Comparison

Bluehost is an officially recommended WordPress host and one of the biggest web hosting companies in the world. Their hosting is designed for WordPress websites, and they provide great performance with fast servers.

Their hosting prices are lower than most other hosting companies, though their plans cost a little more than Hostinger’s. All the same, they are a good choice for beginners and small businesses with limited budgets.

Pros of Bluehost

Bluehost offers great value at low prices, but you might be wondering what their pros and cons are. We will start with some of the advantages of picking Bluehost as your hosting service:

Low Costs – Bluehost’s most affordable plan allows you to get started with your website for a low price. Overall, it’s excellent value for new small businesses, bloggers, portfolios, and other WordPress websites.
Ease of Use – Bluehost has one of the most user-friendly hosting control panels, which makes it easy to install WordPress with one click and manage your website with ease.
Free Domain – Bluehost provides a free domain name, and this saves you extra money on your start-up costs.
Free CDN + Free SSL – Bluehost provides a free CDN to boost your website performance, and all plans come with a free SSL certificate to improve security.
Website Speed – We found that Bluehost performed well in our tests, even without performance optimization. You can also add WordPress caching plugins to unlock further speed improvements.
Staging Sites + Dev Tools – Bluehost plans come with staging site access, automatic WordPress updates, the ability to change PHP versions, secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) access, and more.

Cons of Bluehost

Now, we will take a look at some downsides to using Bluehost. Here are some cons that you may want to know:

Higher Domain Renewal Price – Their renewal price for the free domain name is higher than average. This won’t have an immediate impact but is worth keeping in mind.
Upselling Addons – During signup, you will see a lot of upselling. Most beginners won’t need these products right away, so it is safe to skip them and add them later if needed.

Bluehost Review

Bluehost has a 5-star rating on WPBeginner based on over 300 user reviews and the high value they offer at low prices. You can also check out our detailed Bluehost review to see the results of our performance and stress tests on the Bluehost servers.

The best thing about Bluehost is all of their plans include a free domain, unlimited bandwidth and SSD storage on their Plus plan, and great overall value for what you pay.

Additionally, their eCommerce hosting plan for WooCommerce comes with over $1000+ in premium WooCommerce and WordPress extensions, which can save you a lot of money.

Hostinger vs. Bluehost – Which Is Better?

Now that we have compared the different features of Hostinger vs. Bluehost, you may still be wondering which one of them is better. The answer depends on your needs and requirements.

Hostinger and Bluehost offer slightly different services, but they are both great providers that offer hosting plans at affordable prices.

Both companies provide fast response times to visitors all around the world. Hostinger has a slight advantage in Europe, and Bluehost excels in North America.

Which hosting provider should you choose?

We recommend Hostinger to people looking for cheaper website hosting with some limitations. On the other hand, Bluehost is better for users looking for unlimited everything by paying a little extra.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We have helped thousands of our users choose the best web host for their needs, and we have been asked quite a few questions. Here are some of the answers to the most frequently asked questions about Hostinger vs. Bluehost.

Where are Hostinger and Bluehost located?

Hostinger’s headquarters are located in Kaunas, Lithuania. Their servers are located in several locations, including the USA, Europe, Brazil, Indonesia, and Singapore.

Bluehost has their own in-house data center in Utah, US. It is a huge 50,000-square-foot facility that acts as its primary data center.

How did you test the speeds of Hostinger’s and Bluehost’s web servers?

We started by creating identical test sites on each hosting provider and installed the default WordPress theme. After that, we imported sample content, including images and media.

We then used independent third-party tools like Pingdom to time page load time and Bitcatcha to test response times under load and from different geographical locations.

Can Hostinger and Bluehost handle high traffic?

Yes, in our stress tests, the shared hosting plans of both companies were able to handle 100 virtual users without any slowdown.

These plans can handle reasonable and sudden traffic spikes. However, they are still quite limited in server resources. If you are expecting high traffic, then we recommend you upgrade your hosting plan.

Are there other hosting providers that you haven’t covered in this comparison?

Yes, there are literally thousands of web hosting companies available, including SiteGround, DreamHost, HostGator, WP Engine, GreenGeeks, and more.

This article compares Hostinger and Bluehost because they are two of the most affordable hosting companies on the market.

Do you have any special discounts for Hostinger or Bluehost?

Yes. Because WPBeginner is the largest WordPress resource site, our users can get special discounts on popular hosting providers as well as other WordPress plugins. You can see all 100+ WordPress deals here.

Our Hostinger coupon will get you up to 81% off their web hosting plans.
You can use our Bluehost coupon to get over 75% off + a free domain.

We hope this comparison of Hostinger vs. Bluehost helped you decide which hosting platform is better for your new website. You may also want to see our guide on how to choose the best website builder or our expert pick of the best email marketing services for small businesses.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post Hostinger vs. Bluehost (Honest Web Hosting Comparison – 2023) first appeared on WPBeginner.

September 5, 2023

Where Is php.ini in WordPress? (& How to Edit This File)

Are you wondering where the php.ini file is located on your website?

Php.ini is a critical file in your WordPress installation. You’ll often need to edit it for better functionality and performance of your website. However, many website owners don’t know where it is located.

In this article, we’ll show you where is php.ini in WordPress and how to edit this file.

Where is php.ini in WordPress and how to edit it

To help you navigate the post, you can click the links below to jump to any section you’re interested in.

What is php.ini file in WordPress?
Why Do You Need to Edit php.ini File in WordPress?
Finding the php.ini File Location in WordPress
Use cPanel to Locate the php.ini File
Locate the php.ini File using a File Manager Plugin
Finding php.ini Path in WordPress using the phpinfo.php File
Editing the php.ini File in WordPress

What is php.ini file in WordPress?

The php.ini file is a default configuration file for PHP on your WordPress site. PHP is a scripting and programming language on which WordPress is written.

It’s used on the server side of things, which means it runs on your web hosting server. Through PHP, WordPress is able to display your blog posts, products, media content, and more.

The php.ini file configures how PHP works and can have a huge impact on your website’s functionality. Whenever PHP runs on your site, it will look for this file.

That said, let’s see why and when you’ll need to edit the file on your website.

Why Do You Need to Edit php.ini File in WordPress?

The php.ini file is very important for your site’s performance and functionality. This means you can edit it to ensure your website works smoothly or resolve any errors.

For instance, editing the php.ini file allows you to increase the maximum file upload size and resource limits.

If you have a photography website or a site that requires a lot of videos and images, then you might encounter an error ‘uploaded file exceeds the upload_max_filesize’ message.

Increasing the upload size in the php.ini file will help resolve this error and allow you to easily upload larger media files. Plus, you can also increase the available memory to accommodate long blog posts with lots of images.

Similarly, the php.ini file lets you edit the file timeout settings. If a file takes longer to process, then your site can timeout and stop processing the request. To prevent this from happening, you can increase the number of seconds before timeout through the php.ini file.

Lastly, you’ll also be able to enable or disable file extensions in PHP by editing the file. This is really useful if you see a ‘Your PHP installation appears to be missing the MySQL extension’ error on your site. It helps fix this error and resolve issues when establishing a database connection.

Now, let’s look at where the php.ini file is located in WordPress.

Finding the php.ini File Location in WordPress

There are several ways you can locate and view the php.ini file.

You can use your hosting service’s cPanel, a plugin, or an FTP client to access your website files and folders.

1. Use cPanel to Locate the php.ini File

You can use the cPanel provided by your WordPress hosting provider and access the File Manager to locate the file. This method is pretty straightforward, and you don’t need to edit any code.

For this tutorial, we will use Bluehost to access the cPanel. If you’re using another hosting service, then the steps may vary.

First, you’ll need to log in to your Bluehost account. From here, simply click the ‘Advanced’ option in the left panel.

On the next screen, you’ll see the cPanel of your website.

Simply scroll down to the Files section and click the File Manager option.

After that, you’ll see all the folders and files of your WordPress website.

From the left panel, you can navigate to the ‘public_html’ folder. Next, you should see files in the folder on your right. You can scroll down and locate the ‘php.ini’ file.

To download the file for editing, you can simply right-click the php.ini file and save it on your computer.

2. Locate the php.ini File using a File Manager Plugin

Another way of finding out where is the php.ini file in WordPress is by using a plugin like WP File Manager.

It is a free WordPress plugin that lets you edit, download, delete, and organize your files and folders directly from the WordPress dashboard. You don’t have to use an FTP client or cPanel to access your site’s files.

First, you’ll need to install and activate the WP File Manager plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you can head to WP File Manager from your WordPress admin panel.

Next, you’ll need to select the ‘public_html’ folder from the panel on the left. After that, you can scroll down and navigate to the ‘php.ini’ file.

View php.ini file in file manager plugin

Once you’ve located the file, simply right-click to download it onto your computer.

3. Finding php.ini Path in WordPress using the phpinfo.php File

You can also find the php.ini file by creating a phpinfo.php file and placing it in the root directory of your WordPress installation.

This is a slightly advanced method and is recommended for people who know how to use an FTP client and access the root directory of a website.

First, you’ll need to create a new text editor file. You can use Notepad, Bracket, Sublime Text, or any similar software to create one. In the file, ensure that you enter the following code:

<?PHP phpinfo(); ?>

Next, you’ll need to save the file and name it phpinfo.php. You can use any other name, but make sure that there is ‘.php’ at the end.

After that, you will need to use an FTP client to access the root directory of your website and upload the file. Simply drag the phpinfo.php file from the left panel and drop it into your site’s root directory.

If you need help, then please see our guide on how to use FTP to upload files to WordPress.

Next, you will need to enter the following web address in your browser:

www.example.com/phpinfo.php

Just make sure that you replace the ‘example.com’ with your domain name.

From here, you’ll see details about PHP installation on your site and the path for locating the php.ini file.

To find the path of the file, you can look for the ‘Configuration File Path’ or ‘Loaded Configuration File’ fields.

You’ll see the path for the php.ini file in either one of the fields.

Once you know the path, you can access your site’s files using an FTP client.

From there, simply go to the path you just discovered and download the php.ini file.

Access path of php ini file and download it

Editing the php.ini File in WordPress

Now that you know the location of the php.ini file, the next step is to download and edit it.

Go ahead and open the file in Notepad or any other text editor.

Next, you can edit the file to improve your site’s performance. Here are a few common configurations you can make in the php.ini file:

max_execution_time – This is the time needed to run commands and execute scripts. You can increase the default time of 60 to a higher number if you’re uploading large files to the server.
memory_limit – It relates to the memory needed to upload files and execute commands. Editing the memory limit will help you accommodate long content and lots of images. By default, it is set to 256M, but you can increase the memory limit.
upload_max_filesize – Editing this option allows you to upload large media files and increase the limit.
post_max_size – If your blog posts contain a lot of images and videos, then the size of the post will increase. To avoid any errors, you can increase the post_max_size to accommodate more extensive articles.

Once you’ve made these changes to the php.ini file, you can simply upload it back to your server in the same location using the cPanel, an FTP client, or the file manager plugin.

We hope this article helped you learn where is php.ini in WordPress and how to edit it. You may also want to see our guide on the most common WordPress errors and the best WordPress plugins.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post Where Is php.ini in WordPress? (& How to Edit This File) first appeared on WPBeginner.

August 15, 2023

Bluehost vs GoDaddy Hosting (Honest Comparison)

Are you looking for an honest web hosting comparison of Bluehost vs GoDaddy?

These are two of the most popular affordable hosting companies on the market. However, for beginners, it’s often not clear which one is better for their website.

In this guide, we will compare Bluehost vs GoDaddy with their pros and cons so that you can make the right decision.

Bluehost vs GoDaddy Hosting (Honest Comparison)

Comparison of Bluehost vs GoDaddy

Bluehost and GoDaddy are two of the most affordable hosting companies for people looking for a low-price hosting option to control their website costs.

Both are very popular. GoDaddy has a large market share and hosts over 40 million websites, while Bluehost is an official WordPress.org recommended hosting provider.

But which is the best platform for your new WordPress website?

In this comparison, we will take a closer look into the pros and cons of Bluehost vs GoDaddy in detail. However, if you don’t want to go through the full comparison, here is a quick summary:

	Bluehost	GoDaddy
Pricing	$2.75	$2.99
Hosting Type	Shared	Managed
Free Domain	Yes	Yes
Free SSL	Yes	Yes
Support	Live Chat / Email / Phone	Live Chat / Phone
	Visit Bluehost	Visit GoDaddy

That being said, let’s compare each one of them and see how they stack up.

Bluehost Comparison

Bluehost is one of the biggest web hosting companies in the world and an officially recommended WordPress host. They offer WordPress-optimized hosting plans with faster servers and reliable performance.

Their shared hosting prices are lower priced when compared to other hosting companies. This makes them a good choice for beginners and small businesses on a limited budget.

Pros of Bluehost

Bluehost offers great value at a low cost, but what are some of their pros and cons? Let’s start with some of the benefits of using Bluehost as your hosting service:

Lower Costs – Bluehost’s entry-level plan allows you to get started with your website for a lower price, which is great value for new small businesses, bloggers, portfolios, and other types of websites.
Ease of Use – Bluehost has one of the most beginner-friendly hosting control panels that makes it super easy to install WordPress (one click) and manage your website.
Free Domain – They offer a free domain name, which saves you additional money on your start-up costs.
Free CDN + Free SSL – Bluehost offers a free CDN to speed up your website, and all plans come with a free SSL certificate to improve website security.
Website Speed – In our tests, we found that Bluehost performs well, with no performance optimization done on our test sites. You can also add WordPress caching plugins to unlock further speed improvements.
Staging Sites + Dev Tools – Bluehost plans come with staging site setup, automatic WordPress updates, the ability to change PHP versions, SFTP access, and more.

Cons of Bluehost

Obviously, there are some downsides to using Bluehost as well. Here are some of the disadvantages that you may want to know:

Higher Domain Renewal Price – Their free domain renewal price is higher than average. This does not have an immediate impact on most businesses, but it is something you may need to keep in mind.
Upselling Addons – You will see a lot of upselling during signup. Most beginners usually don’t need these products right away, so you can skip them.

Bluehost Review

Bluehost has a 5-star rating on WPBeginner based on over 300 user reviews and the high value they offer at low prices. We also ran our own performance and stress tests on their servers, which you can read all about in our detailed Bluehost review.

The best thing about Bluehost is that you get a free domain with all plans, unlimited bandwidth and SSD storage on their Plus plan, and great overall value for what you pay.

Plus, their eCommerce hosting plan for WooCommerce comes with over $1000+ in premium WooCommerce and WordPress extensions, which is a huge cost saving for online store owners.

GoDaddy Comparison

GoDaddy is a famous web hosting company and the world’s biggest domain registrar. They offer a huge variety of hosting plans for individuals and businesses of every size.

GoDaddy has a large market share in the website hosting space, and many popular websites use them. However, they are not always the best option when you are building a website, creating a blog, or starting a new business.

Pros of GoDaddy

GoDaddy is a popular low-cost hosting provider, but what are some of their pros and cons? Let’s start with some of the benefits of using GoDaddy as your hosting service:

WordPress-Optimized Hosting – GoDaddy’s managed WordPress hosting plans are run on servers optimized for WordPress for faster and more secure hosting.
Managed Hosting – GoDaddy handles some basic administrative tasks for you, such as installing WordPress, automated daily backups, WordPress core updates, and server-level caching. Bluehost shared hosting plans also include some of these tasks.
Free Domain – They offer a free domain name, which helps you save money on your start-up costs.
Free CDN + Free SSL – GoDaddy plans come with the Cloudflare CDN to speed up your website, and all plans come with a free SSL certificate to improve website security.
Affordable – GoDaddy has very reasonable prices for all the features they offer.
24/7 Support – No matter when you need help, GoDaddy support is available any time of day or night.
Monthly Billing Option – For those who prefer to pay month to month, there is a monthly billing option. However, you get a bigger discount if you pay for at least a year in advance.

Cons of Bluehost

Are there any downsides to using GoDaddy? Here are some of the disadvantages that you may want to know:

Addons – GoDaddy offers a huge variety of services. During the checkout process, many of these tools and features will be offered to you as addons. These are completely optional, but some users may find all the upsell offers to be too aggressive.
Controversial Ads – GoDaddy has come under fire several times over the years due to its controversial advertising. While this does not affect their hosting services, some users have moved away from GoDaddy in protest against their ads.
No Email Support – While still offering 24/7 support by live chat and phone, GoDaddy has discontinued email support.

GoDaddy Review

GoDaddy has a 5-star rating on WPBeginner, but this is based on 16 reviews compared to over 300 for Bluehost. You will find detailed information about their hosting in our GoDaddy review.

Like Bluehost, GoDaddy’s plans offer excellent value. You get one year of free domain registration, a free SSL certificate, SSD storage, and unlimited bandwidth with all plans. Plus, their hosting plans are managed, saving you some ongoing maintenance work.

However, GoDaddy’s overall onboarding experience is not as beginner friendly. And while they offer 24/7 support via live chat and phone, they no longer offer email support.

Bluehost vs GoDaddy – Which Is Better?

Now that we have compared different features of Bluehost vs GoDaddy, you may still be wondering which one of these hosting providers is better.

If you are looking for the most affordable hosting, then the best choice is Bluehost. They offer better pricing for small businesses. They also have better support, and their My Sites dashboard and overall onboarding experience is a lot more beginner-friendly.

But maybe you would prefer the convenience of managed hosting, where the routine maintenance work such as updates, backups, and more is done for you.

In that case, GoDaddy offers basic managed hosting plans at a very affordable rate. In fact, they are much cheaper than Bluehost’s managed hosting. However, GoDaddy’s managed hosting plans offer fewer features when compared with the best managed hosting providers.

Although it will cost you more, we recommend WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. They are the best for scaling your website, and they can even offer custom cloud hosting using Amazon’s infrastructure and more.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Bluehost vs GoDaddy

Having helped thousands of users choose the best web host for their needs, we have answered quite a few questions. Here are some of the answers to the most frequently asked questions about Bluehost vs GoDaddy.

Which is better for beginners, Bluehost or GoDaddy?

Bluehost is the most beginner-friendly WordPress hosting company on the market. They automatically install WordPress for you when you sign up. They also have an easy-to-use control panel that allows you to manage your hosting account by yourself.

There is plenty of help available with detailed guides, video tutorials, and articles. You also have 24/7 access to their expert support via live chat and phone.

GoDaddy is also a good option for beginners, but their hosting can be more complex to use.

Does Bluehost or GoDaddy have the greater market share?

Over 4 million websites are hosted on Bluehost. Out of the top 1 million websites based on traffic, just 0.37% use Bluehost.

GoDaddy has a much bigger market share, hosting over 40 million websites. And when we look at the top 1 million websites based on traffic, 2.06% host their sites with GoDaddy.

Where are Bluehost and GoDaddy servers located?

Bluehost operates their own in-house data center located in Utah, US. It is a massive 50,000 square feet facility that serves as its primary data center.

GoDaddy has nine server facilities around the world, located in North America, Europe, and Asia. These facilities house over 37,000 servers in total.

Can I use subdomains for my site?

Yes, you can use subdomains on either Bluehost or GoDaddy.

Are there other hosting providers that you haven’t covered in this comparison?

Yes, there are literally thousands of web hosting companies on the market, including SiteGround, WP Engine, Hostinger, HostGator, DreamHost, GreenGeeks, Kinsta, A2 Hosting, and more.

We only compared Bluehost vs GoDaddy in this article because they are the most popular affordable WordPress hosting companies.

Do you have any special discounts for Bluehost or GoDaddy?

Yes, because WPBeginner is the largest WordPress resource site, our users can get special discounts on popular hosting providers as well as other WordPress plugins. You can see all 100+ WordPress deals here.

You can use our Bluehost coupon to get over 60% off + a free domain.

Our GoDaddy coupon gets you 70% off on web hosting.

We hope this comparison of Bluehost vs GoDaddy helped you decide which hosting platform is better for your new website. You may also want to see our guide on how to choose the best domain registrar or our expert picks of the best monthly web hosting plans.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post Bluehost vs GoDaddy Hosting (Honest Comparison) first appeared on WPBeginner.

July 27, 2023

What is HTTP/2 and How to Enable It in WordPress?

Are you wondering what is HTTP/2 and how you can use it in WordPress?

HTTP/2 is the major revision of the HTTP technology used by all websites.

In this article, we’ll explain HTTP/2 and how to enable it on your WordPress site.

What is HTTP/2?

HTTP/2 is the revised version of the original HTTP protocol. It was developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) and is based on an experimental SPDY protocol developed by Google.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) is like a language that allows computers to talk to each other on the internet. It’s how information gets sent back and forth when you use websites or apps.

When you visit a WordPress website, your web browser sends a message called a request to the server that stores the website. The request asks for specific information, like the page’s text, images, or videos.

Tip: See our article on how WordPress works behind the scenes for more details.

The server receives the user’s request and sends back a response. This response is like a package containing the information you asked for. It includes things like the text you see, the pictures you look at, or even the videos you watch on the website.

HTTP 0.9 was first launched in 1991. A significant revision to that, HTTP 1.1, was published in 1999 and most websites ran on that until 2015, when the HTTP/2 protocol launched.

HTTP/2 is supported by all modern web server software and browsers, though many websites still run on HTTP 1.1 if they do not have an SSL certificate installed.

The IETF currently proposes the upcoming version of HTTP/3. It will use QUIC (Quick UDP Internet Connections) instead of TCP and is expected to be much faster than HTTP/2.

What is the Difference Between HTTP2 and HTTP?

The HTTP 1.1 protocol sent data requests without prioritization. This means if a website has a reference to a JavaScript file in the head, it will load before any other content.

This makes a website appear slower to the users who could not see the content they were expecting to see.

HTTP/2 protocol uses a binary single stream to send and receive requests with prioritization support. This means developers can tell the server which data to send first.

The HTTP/2 protocol also uses compression for HTTP headers and multiplexing. Both of them further improve the page load performance.

The newer protocol also comes with HTTP/2 Server Push support. This allows developers to push data to the users’ browsers without them requesting it.

To summarize, HTTP/2 is faster than HTTP 1.1 and significantly improves your WordPress speed and performance.

What Do You Need to Use HTTP/2 in WordPress?

First, you need a hosting company offering the latest server software with HTTP/2 support. You’ll also need to install an SSL certificate on your WordPress website.

Most of the top WordPress hosting companies already use cutting-edge web server software.

We recommend using Bluehost, which uses the latest Apache web server software with HTTP/2 support enabled by default.

Luckily, the folks at Bluehost are offering WPBeginner users an exclusive discount with a free domain name and SSL certificate.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

Other hosting companies we recommend include SiteGround, Hostinger, and WP Engine. They all offer free SSL certificates and the latest server software with HTTP/2 support.

How to Enable HTTP/2 in WordPress?

The only requirement to enable HTTP/2 support in WordPress is installing an SSL certificate.

It is not an official requirement. However, major browsers like Google Chrome don’t support HTTP/2 on non-secure URLs.

If your website uses SSL, your URLs will have the https:// prefix like this:

https://wpbeginner.com

Visiting your website will also show a padlock icon in the browser’s address bar.

If your website does not use an SSL certificate, you can ask your WordPress hosting provider to install it for you.

Need more help? See our tutorial on how to move from HTTP to HTTPS in WordPress.

Once you have enabled SSL, your WordPress website will almost certainly be served via HTTP/2 protocol.

Testing HTTP/2 Support for Your Website

If you want to see if your WordPress website is serving pages via HTTP/2, then there are two ways you can test it.

First, you can visit HTTP2.Pro and enter your website’s URL. This free online tool will then tell you whether your website supports HTTP/2.

Another more effective way to check if your website serves pages on HTTP/2 is using the Chrome developer tools.

Simply open a new browser window in Google Chrome and visit your website. After that, open a new browser tab and enter the chrome://net-export URL in the address bar.

Chrome will then ask you to save a JSON file to your computer.

After saving the file, visit the netlog viewer app and click on the ‘Choose File’ button.

Choose file to view in netlog viewer app

Select the netlog file you downloaded earlier to continue.

The app will then present the file in a readable format. Click on the HTTP/2 tab in the left column, and it will show you all the websites you visited that were using the HTTP/2 protocol as h2.

We hope this article helped you learn about HTTP/2 and how to enable it in WordPress. You may also want to see our complete WordPress speed and performance guide or look at our beginner’s guide to WordPress SEO.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post What is HTTP/2 and How to Enable It in WordPress? first appeared on WPBeginner.

June 22, 2023

How to Set Up WP Mail SMTP with Any Host (Ultimate Guide)

Do you want to set up WP Mail SMTP on your WordPress site?

WP Mail SMTP is the best WordPress SMTP plugin that allows you to easily send WordPress emails using a secure mail transfer protocol (SMTP). It makes sure your emails go to the inboxes of your users and not to the spam folder.

In this article, we will show you how to easily set up WP Mail SMTP with any host or third-party SMTP service.

Setting up WP Mail SMTP with any WordPress host

This is a lengthy article, so we have added a table of contents. If you know what you are looking for, then you can click the link to jump to that section:

What Is WP Mail SMTP, and Why Do You Need It to Send WordPress Emails?
Hosting SMTP Server vs. Third-Party SMTP Server – Which One Should You Use?
Installing and Setting Up WP Mail SMTP
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on Bluehost
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on SiteGround
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on HostGator
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on DreamHost
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on InMotion Hosting
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on GoDaddy
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on iPage
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on GreenGeeks
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on JustHost
Setting Up WP Mail SMTP With Third-Party Email Services

What Is WP Mail SMTP, and Why Do You Need It to Send WordPress Emails?

WP Mail SMTP is the best WordPress SMTP plugin on the market. It allows you to send all your WordPress emails using an SMTP server.

Once you set up your WordPress site, you may notice that you are not getting any emails from WordPress. These include WordPress notification emails and emails from your WordPress contact form plugin.

The reason you are not getting emails is usually that WordPress uses the PHP mail() function to send them.

Most WordPress hosting companies do not configure this function properly, and some simply disable it to prevent abuse.

The easiest fix for this issue is to use SMTP to send WordPress emails.

SMTP stands for ‘secure mail transfer protocol’, and it is pretty much the standard way to send emails. It requires you to log in to a mail server to send emails. This prevents the abuse of the hosting server and improves email deliverability, which means that you and your users will receive all WordPress emails.

Hosting SMTP Server vs. Third-Party SMTP Server – Which One Should You Use?

Most WordPress hosting companies offer free business email addresses that you can use with your own domain name.

We recommend setting up a separate email address for your WordPress website. It can be anything like support@example.com or info@example.com.

However, your WordPress hosting provider does not specialize in sending emails. Their SMTP servers are basic and have strict limits on the number of emails you can send.

If you run a small business website or a blog, then you will probably be fine with your hosting provider’s SMTP servers.

On the other hand, if you run an online store or a membership website, then emails become mission-critical for your business. You want to make sure that your customers get important email notifications delivered to their inboxes.

This is where you need a third-party SMTP service provider. These companies specialize in securely sending large numbers of emails without triggering spam filters.

We recommend using SendLayer, Brevo (formerly Sendinblue), or SMTP.com for most online businesses. They are reasonably priced and can scale as your business grows.

For more information, you can see our article on the top SMTP service providers.

Once you have chosen an email delivery method, the next step is to connect your WordPress website to your mail server.

This is where the WP Mail SMTP plugin comes in. It allows you to send WordPress emails via SMTP by entering your SMTP credentials.

WP Mail SMTP is the most popular SMTP solution for WordPress, currently used by over 3 million websites. It’s maintained by the same team as WPForms.

There is also a free WP Mail SMTP lite version that is fully functional and can be used with any WordPress hosting company or third-party SMTP service provider.

The premium version of the WP Mail SMTP plugin supports all the top SMTP service providers and works with any WordPress hosting company that offers email accounts.

It also comes with powerful features like email logs, email controls, priority support, and a white glove setup.

Installing and Setting Up WP Mail SMTP

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the WP Mail SMTP plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you will see the setup wizard. You can skip it as we will show you how to set up WP Mail SMTP manually.

Just click on ‘Go back to the Dashboard’.

Next, you need to visit the WP Mail SMTP » Settings page to configure the plugin settings.

You need to enter your SMTP settings to use WP Mail SMTP. The first part of the settings will be similar regardless of your hosting company. It includes the following fields:

From Email – This email address will be used to send all WordPress emails.
From Name – This name will be used to send emails. We recommend using your website’s title.
Return Path – Check this box to receive delivery notifications or bounced messages.
Mailer – You need to select ‘Other SMTP’ here as you will be sending emails using your host’s SMTP server

Note: If you want to use third-party mailers, follow this guide to send WordPress emails via Gmail SMTP. We also have a similar guide for the Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) SMTP setup.

WP Mail SMTP return path and mailer settings

If you want to continue using your host, you need to select ‘Other SMTP’ and enter the SMTP server settings provided by the hosting company.

SMTP Host – The SMTP host address provided by your hosting company.
Encryption – The encryption method used by your mail server to send emails. Usually, it is TLS.
SMTP Port – The port used by the outgoing mail server.
Auto TLS – This setting should be set to On.
Authentication – Needs to be On.
SMTP Username – Usually the email address you are using to send emails.
SMTP Password – The password for the email account you are using to send emails. We don’t recommend saving SMTP passwords here. Instead, you need to store your password in the wp-config.php file.

These settings are required to connect with any SMTP server. However, their values may differ from one WordPress hosting company to another.

Let’s see how to set up the WP Mail SMTP plugin with different hosting companies.

Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the biggest hosting companies in the world and an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider.

We recommend Bluehost to all users who are starting a WordPress blog or making a small business website.

Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP to the Bluehost SMTP server:

SMTP Host – mail.example.com
Encryption – TLS
SMTP Port – 587
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password

Don’t forget to replace example.com with your own domain name.

Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on SiteGround

SiteGround is another popular WordPress hosting company. They offer excellent shared, managed, and WooCommerce hosting services.

Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP with SiteGround servers:

SMTP Host – mail.example.com
Encryption – TLS
SMTP Port – 587
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password

Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on HostGator

HostGator is another popular WordPress hosting company. WPBeginner is hosted with HostGator, and we have been using them for over a decade.

Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP with HostGator servers:

SMTP Host – full.servername.com
Encryption – SSL
SMTP Port – 465
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password

You will notice that instead of using your domain as the SMTP Host, it uses the server name. You can find the server name in your cPanel hosting dashboard.

Simply log in to your cPanel, and you will see the full server name in the right column towards the bottom.

Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on DreamHost

DreamHost is a popular WordPress hosting company. They have been around since 1997 (way before WordPress, Google, or Facebook) and offer shared WordPress hosting, managed, and VPS hosting plans.

Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP with DreamHost servers:

SMTP Host – full.servername.com
Encryption – SSL
SMTP Port – 465
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password

You will notice that Dreamhost doesn’t use your domain name as the mail server. Instead, they use different servers to manage emails, and you will need to find out which one is used by your hosting account.

You can do this by logging in to your DreamHost hosting panel and then going to the Support » Data Centers page. From here, you need to scroll down to the Mail service section.

You will find the name of the email cluster under the Details column next to your domain name.

Next, you need to visit DreamHost’s email configuration page and scroll down to the ‘Where to find your mail hostname (cluster) name’ section.

Here, you can match your email cluster with the names in the table and copy the outgoing server address next to it.

Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on InMotion Hosting

Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP with InMotion Hosting servers:

SMTP Host – server##.inmotionhosting.com
Encryption – SSL
SMTP Port – 465
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password

InMotion Hosting SMTP settings for WordPress

In the SMTP host field, you need to replace ## with your server number.

You can find this by logging in to your cPanel dashboard and then clicking on the ‘Account Technical Details’ icon.

Finding your InMotion Hosting server number

Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on GoDaddy

GoDaddy is the world’s most popular domain name registrar, managing more than 76 million domain names for over 17.5 million customers. They also offer different hosting plans (For details, see our article on the difference between a domain name and web hosting).

Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP with GoDaddy shared hosting plans:

SMTP Host – mail.example.com
Encryption – TLS
SMTP Port – 587
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password

Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on iPage

Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP with iPage hosting servers:

SMTP Host – smtp.ipage.com
Encryption – TLS
SMTP Port – 587
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password

Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on GreenGeeks

Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP with GreenGeeks:

SMTP Host – mail.example.com
Encryption – SSL
SMTP Port – 465
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password

GreenGeeks SMTP settings for WP Mail SMTP

Setting Up WP Mail SMTP on JustHost

Here are the SMTP settings you will be using to connect WP Mail SMTP with JustHost:

SMTP Host – mail.example.com
Encryption – SSL
SMTP Port – 465
SMTP Username – Your email address (e.g. wordpress@example.com)
SMTP Password – Your email account password

Setting Up WP Mail SMTP With Third-Party Email Services

Some managed WordPress hosting companies do not offer email services as part of their hosting plans. So, you will need to use a third-party SMTP service provider to send emails.

WP Mail SMTP supports multiple popular mailing services, including SendLayer, Gmail/Google Apps for Work, Microsoft Outlook and Office 360, Brevo (formerly Sendinblue), SMTP.com, and more.

Simply click on the mailer service, and the plugin will show you the information required to use that mailer.

For details, you can see our tutorial on how to use a free SMTP server to send WordPress emails.

We hope this article helped you learn how to set up WP Mail SMTP with any host. You may also want to see our guide on why you should never use WordPress to send your newsletter emails and our expert picks for the best newsletter plugins.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Set Up WP Mail SMTP with Any Host (Ultimate Guide) first appeared on WPBeginner.