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9 Best WordPress Product Comparison Plugins (Compared)

Are you looking for a way to compare products on your WordPress website?

Whether you have a blog site or an eCommerce store, allowing customers to compare different products helps them find the right product. They can look at different features, prices, specifications, and more side by side.

In this article, we will show you the best WordPress product comparison plugins.

Best WordPress product comparison plugins

Why Use a WordPress Product Comparison Plugin?

Sadly, WordPress and WooCommerce do not offer a built-in feature to put 2 or more products side by side. You’d have to enter a custom code to add the functionality and use custom CSS to style the comparison table.

Product comparison plugins make it very easy to add a comparison feature to your WordPress site without editing code. They also offer more flexibility and customization options.

Adding a product comparison feature helps users find the right product. For instance, if you have an online store that sells smartphones, then visitors can compare multiple phones together and pick the one that’s best for them.

Compare products preview

Similarly, if you have a WordPress blog, then you can use product comparisons to see how your product and services compare to competitors. You can show different features, specifications, prices, and other benefits in a comparison table format.

That said, let’s see which is the best product comparison plugin for WordPress and WooCommerce.

1. YITH WooCommerce Compare

YITH WooCommerce compare

YITH WooCommerce Compare is the best product comparison plugin for WooCommerce. It’s extremely flexible, easy to use, and offers lots of customization options.

Using the plugin, you can display product comparisons the way you want. It easily integrates with your site’s layout and offers an option to show a popup or page to display the comparison table.

YITH WooCommerce Compare also lets you choose which fields to show in the comparison table, select which product info fields to display, and more. It provides customers with a complete overview of product features and attributes.

Other features include social sharing buttons, showing related products, choosing the style and colors for the table, and displaying a counter of products added for comparison.

Another benefit of using the product comparison plugin is that it supports translations, so you can display comparison tables in multiple languages.

Pros:

  • Extremely customizable
  • Beginner friendly plugin
  • Show product comparison as a popup or page
  • Change the style, color, and layout of the comparison table
  • Display related products
  • Show social sharing buttons

Cons:

  • It offers a free version but with limited features
  • Limited to WooCommerce stores

Why We Choose This Plugin: We recommend YITH WooCommerce Compare because it is a beginner-friendly plugin that is flexible and offers lots of customization options. You can create a product comparison table for your store in no time without editing code.

Pricing: YITH WooCommerce Compare offers a free and premium version. The premium version will cost you $51.99 per year, and you’ll get more features.

2. Easy Pricing Tables

Easy pricing table

Easy Pricing Tables is the next WordPress product comparison plugin on our list. It is the cleanest and most beginner-friendly plugin in the market that lets you easily create pricing tables and product comparison tables.

The plugin comes with prebuilt designs and templates that are easily customizable. You can use any template and turn it into a comparison table. Whether it’s for a WooCommerce store or a blog site, Easy Pricing Tables gives you a lot of flexibility.

Other than that, you can create unlimited rows in the table, customize the color, font, and design settings, reorder the columns with one click, add payment method links in the table, and more.

Pros:

  • Build pricing and comparison tables in minutes
  • Choose from prebuilt templates
  • Customize tables with font options, colors, and more
  • Easily integrate it with WooCommerce
  • Automatically match column heights
  • Add unlimited table rows

Cons:

  • WooCommerce integration is not available in the premium plan

Why We Choose This Plugin: We recommend Easy Pricing Tables because it is the ultimate solution for all types of websites. You can create a product comparison table using any template for an eCommerce store, product review site, affiliate site, and more.

Pricing: Easy Pricing Tables prices start from $49 per year. There is also a free version that you can use to create comparison tables.

3. SeedProd

The SeedProd page builder plugin for WordPress

SeedProd is the best WordPress website builder and landing page builder. If you’re looking for a solution that gives complete control over the page design along with product comparison tables, then SeedProd is for you.

It offers a drag-and-drop page builder and prebuilt templates. You can create stunning product comparison pages for your WordPress site using different customization options.

The best part, SeedProd offers a dedicated pricing table block. You can use it to create a comparison table. Plus, there are over 20 different color schemes, lots of fonts, and other blocks to customize your table.

Pros:

  • Create stunning product comparison pages without coding
  • Choose from prebuilt templates
  • Lots of customization options
  • Easily integrates with email marketing tools and third-party plugins
  • Beginner-friendly plugin with drag & drop builder

Cons:

  • SeedProd only works with WordPress and not other content management systems (CMS)

Why We Choose This Plugin: We chose SeedProd as it is perfect for anyone looking to create product pages from scratch and wants a comparison table in the design. Its drag-and-drop page builder, pre-built templates, and customization options make SeedProd a powerful solution.

Pricing: SeedProd offers multiple pricing plans, starting from $39.50 per year. There is also a free version of SeedProd available that you can use to get started.

4. WooCommerce Products Compare

WooCommerce product compare

WooCommerce Products Compare is a WooCommerce extension that helps create product comparisons. The tool is flexible and very easy to use.

You can show detailed product comparison tables and show different fields. For instance, users can compare prices, features, user ratings, stock amounts, and product descriptions side by side.

The plugin makes it easy for customers to choose the products they want a closer look at. Visitors can simply click the compare checkbox on your WooCommerce store and see the comparison.

Pros:

  • Easily customize the comparison table
  • Choose which product details to show
  • Easy setup and configuration
  • Compare products on the category page

Cons:

  • It doesn’t work with other eCommerce plugins
  • No free version to try the plugin

Why We Choose This Plugin: What makes WooCommerce Products Compare great is its flexibility and easy setup. It extends the functionality of your WooCommerce store and lets you add product comparisons with ease.

Pricing: WooCommerce Products Compare will cost you $3.27 per month or $39.20 per year.

5. Ever Compare

Ever Compare

Ever Compare is another product comparison plugin for WooCommerce and WordPress. If you are looking for a free alternative that is easy to use and offers basic features, then this is the right plugin for you.

With Ever Compare, you can create a clean and basic product comparison table for your eCommerce store. The plugin lets you edit the button settings and enable them in the product list and product pages.

Besides that, the plugin also lets you choose which fields to display in the table. For instance, you can show product titles, ratings, prices, add to cart buttons, SKU, weight, colors, product size, and more.

Pros:

  • Simply and easy-to-use plugin
  • Select which product details to show
  • Easily integrates with WooCommerce

Cons:

  • Limited customization options

Why We Choose This Plugin: We added Ever Compare to our list because it is an excellent free alternative to premium plugins for adding product comparison tables.

Pricing: Ever Compare is a free WordPress plugin.

6. Pricing Table by Supsystic

Pricing table by Supsystic

Pricing Table by Supsystic is a free product comparison and pricing table plugin for WordPress. You can create stunning tables for your website or online store without editing code or hiring a developer.

The plugin offers a drag-and-drop table builder and preset templates to choose from. You can simply choose a template and customize it to create a comparison table. There is also an option to embed videos into the table, which can make your products stand out.

Pros:

  • Drag and drop builder
  • All tables are mobile-responsive
  • Prebuilt table templates
  • Hover animation, unlimited columns, featured lists, and more

Cons:

  • It doesn’t offer as many customization options as other plugins on the list

Why We Choose This Plugin: Pricing Table is another free option that users can use to create pricing tables or product comparison tables. What makes it so good is that you get great customization options and templates for free.

Pricing: Pricing Table by Supsystic is free to use.

7. Content Egg

Content Egg

Content Egg is one of the best WordPress product comparison plugins in the market. What makes it so great is that it’s easy to use and works for all types of websites. Be it an affiliate site, eCommerce store, product review site, or a deals website.

The plugin works seamlessly with WooCommerce. It offers WooCommerce product synchronization, which automatically updates product prices and other features in the comparison table.

Pros:

  • Create simple and clean comparison tables
  • Set up search filters
  • Add price trackers and price alerts
  • Auto update price comparison list based on keywords

Cons:

  • Limited designs and templates for comparison tables
  • Integration with Amazon, Aliexpress, eBay, and others is only available in the pro version

Why We Choose This Plugin: We recommend Content Egg because it offers a lot of features in the free version. You get auto price updates, search filters, price trackers, and more.

Pricing: Content Egg is a free WordPress product comparison plugin.

8. Addonify

Addonify

Addonify is a WooCommerce plugin that lets you add product comparison functionality to your online store. It is extremely easy to use and offers basic features to create clean comparison tables.

You can choose the position of the compare button, edit its color, select the button icon, set a label, and more. Besides that, there are options to edit the design and appearance of your comparison tables.

Pros:

  • Simple and easy to use
  • Show different product information (price, image, rating)
  • Edit compare button color, position, and settings
  • Add comparison tables via shortcode
  • Customize the table using additional CSS

Cons:

  • Limited customization options compared to other tools on our list
  • No templates or prebuilt designs to choose from

Why We Choose This Plugin: We chose Addonify because it was the cleanest and simplest WordPress plugin that lets you create basic comparison tables with ease. There are no complicated designs or configurations.

Pricing: Addonify is a free-to-use WooCommerce plugin.

9. ShopEngine

ShopEngine

ShopEngine is a WooCommerce solution for Elementor, and it offers multiple tools. These include a WooCommerce builder, product comparison, wishlist, and more. The plugin is perfect for users who are already using Elementor to build their website.

Pros:

  • Offers multiple modules for Elementor
  • Create stunning price comparison tables
  • Add products from comparison tables to cart
  • Choose where to show product comparison

Cons:

  • It only works if you’re using Elementor
  • The free version has limited features

Why We Choose This Plugin: ShopEngine is perfect for Elementor users. We added this plugin to the list because it extends the functionality of Elementor and helps create comparison tables that are part of the page design.

Pricing: ShopEngine premium plans start from $53.10 per year. There is also a free version that includes a product comparison module.

Which is the Best WordPress Product Comparison Plugin?

After reviewing multiple product comparison plugins, the best option depends on the nature of your website.

For instance, if you have a WooCommerce store, then YITH WooCommerce Compare is the best plugin for product comparisons. It is beginner-friendly to use and offers different customization options.

If you have a site that reviews products and publishes blogs, then Easy Pricing Tables is the best option. It lets you use different pricing table templates and convert them into a comparison table. Plus, it offers prebuilt templates and multiple customization options.

On the other hand, if you’re building a product comparison page from scratch, then SeedProd is the ultimate solution. It offers drag and drop builder that is easy to use. You can add a pricing table block and create a stunning comparison table baked into the landing page.

We hope this article helped you pick the WordPress product comparison plugin. You may also want to see our guide on how to create a WooCommerce popup to increase sales and the best WordPress landing page 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 9 Best WordPress Product Comparison Plugins (Compared) first appeared on WPBeginner.

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How to Display WordPress Photos in Columns and Rows

Do you want to display WordPress photos in columns and rows?

By default, WordPress adds images in a vertical column on top of each other. However, if you are adding multiple photos to a blog post, then this doesn’t look very clean and requires a lot of scrolling for your users.

In this article, we will show you how to easily display WordPress photos in columns and rows.

How to display WordPress photos in columns and rows

Why You Need WordPress Photos in Columns and Rows

By default, when you add multiple images to a WordPress blog post, they would appear right next to each other or on top of each other.

This doesn’t look very good, and your users must scroll a lot to view multiple images and photos.

You can easily solve this problem by displaying photos in rows and columns using a grid-based layout. This way, images will appear in a compact layout and improve user experience on your website.

If you have a photography website, then you can show your portfolio in a more engaging way. Or you can show more product images on an online store by displaying them in rows and columns.

Having said that, let’s take a look at how to display WordPress photos in columns and rows manually or use a WordPress plugin. Simply click the links below to jump ahead to your preferred section.

1. Display Photos in Columns and Rows without Plugins

This method does not require installing a plugin on your WordPress website. If you don’t add multiple photos too often, then this would work just fine for you.

You can manually add images to a column block or use the default gallery block in WordPress.

Adding Images to a Column Block

First, you need to create a new post or edit an existing one where you want to display your photos. Once you’re in the content editor screen, click the ‘+’ button to add a column block.

Add a column block

Next, you can choose the number of columns you’d like and its layout.

For instance, you can choose a 50/50 ratio, 33/66 ratio, 25/50/25 ratio, and more.

Choose column ratio and layout

After that, you can add an image block to each column.

Simply click the ‘+’ button and select the ‘Image’ block.

Add image block to column

Next, you will need to add an image to the block.

You can click the ‘Upload’ button to add an image from your computer or select the ‘Media Library’ option to use an existing picture.

Upload image to column block

Once the media library opens, simply select your preferred image and click the ‘Select’ button.

One of the image optimization best practices is to add an alt-text to your image. This allows search engine bots to understand your picture and show it in image search results.

Select an image from media library

You should now see your image in one of the column blocks.

Now, you can do the same for other blocks in the column and add more images.

Add more images to column block

Adding Images in a Gallery Block

WordPress also offers a default gallery block that you can use to display images in columns and rows.

To start, click the ‘+’ button and add a Gallery block in the content editor.

Add a gallery block in content editor

Next, you’ll need to upload images or choose from the media library.

For this tutorial, we’ll choose the ‘Media Library option.

Upload or select images from media library

From, simply select the images you’d like to add to your gallery and display them in rows and columns.

Once you choose the images, click the ‘Create a new gallery’ button.

Click the create a new gallery button

Next, WordPress will ask you to enter captions for each image and rearrange the order of the pictures.

After doing that, simply click the ‘Insert gallery’ button.

Insert your gallery

You should now see your images in the gallery block.

You can adjust the number of rows by clicking the slider in the Settings panel on the right.

Adjust column settings in the gallery

Once you’re done, simply publish your post to view images in columns and rows.

Simply visit your site to see them in action.

Images in columns manually

This method would work for most beginners. However, if you run a photography blog or often share photos on your website, then this method lacks several important features.

For example, the appearance of photos relies on your WordPress theme and you are limited to that one particular layout and style.

Your images will not open in a lightbox popup and users will have to load them as a new page and then hit the back button to return to the original page.

For a more professional and beautiful user experience, you should try the plugin method.

2. Display Photos in Columns and Rows Using a Plugin

The best plugin to add photos in columns and rows is Envira Gallery. It is the most popular WordPress gallery plugin that is super easy to use and offers lots of features.

First, you must install and activate the Envira Gallery plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to visit the Envira Gallery » Settings page to enter your license key. You can get this key from your account on the Envira Gallery website.

Add the Envira Gallery license key

Now, you are ready to create beautiful image galleries.

Simply head over to Envira Gallery » Add New from the WordPress dashboard to create your first gallery.

Add new gallery

First, you’ll need to enter a name for your gallery at the top. From here, you can select and upload files from your computer, or you can select from the WordPress media library.

After uploading your photos, you’ll see them appear in the gallery settings box below.

View images in your gallery

Next, you need to click on the ‘Configuration’ tab to customize how you want to display your photos.

Envira Gallery lets you choose different gallery layouts. To show images in rows and columns, you can select the grid, mason, and square layouts.

Choose gallery layout and number of columns

After selecting the layout, you can click the ‘Number of Gallery Columns’ dropdown menu and choose how many columns you’d like to show.

If you scroll down, then you’ll see more options to customize your gallery. For instance, there are settings to edit the dimensions and size of your gallery.

Publish your image gallery

After that, you can click the ‘Publish’ button to make your photo gallery ready to be added to your WordPress site.

Now, you need to edit a post or create a new one. Once you’re in the content editor, simply click the ‘+’ button to add the ‘Envira Gallery’ block.

Add the Envira Gallery block

From here, you can click the dropdown menu and select the gallery you created earlier.

You can now save your post and preview it to see your photos in columns and rows in a beautiful mobile-responsive photo gallery.

Preview of gallery

Now when your users click on a photo thumbnail it will open up in a beautiful popup. They will also be able to browse images without leaving the page.

Bonus: Create a Custom Theme with Image Columns & Rows

You can also create custom WordPress themes that have a placeholder for adding images in columns and rows.

The best way to create a custom theme is by using a SeedProd. It is the best drag-and-drop website builder that offers prebuilt themes and lots of customization options.

You can add a column block to your landing page designs using SeedProd and add images to rows and columns. SeedProd even comes with a built-in Gallery block that you can use for this.

Add the Column Block in SeedProd

To learn more, please see our guide on how to create a custom WordPress theme with no code.

We hope this article helped you learn how to display WordPress photos in columns and rows. You may also want to see our guide on how to fix common image issues in WordPress and the best design software 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 How to Display WordPress Photos in Columns and Rows first appeared on WPBeginner.

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How to Make a Transportation and Logistics Website in WordPress

Do you want to make a transportation and logistics WordPress website?

If you run a logistics and transportation business, then you will need an online presence to get your brand known and set yourself apart from the competition. WordPress is one of the easiest and most flexible platforms to build a website for that very purpose.

In this article, we will show you how to make a transportation and logistics website in WordPress.

How to Make a Transportation and Logistics Website in WordPress

What Features Should a Logistics & Transportation Site Have?

Like any other business, transportation and logistics companies need a professional website to reach customers online. Without a site, your business might miss out on opportunities and struggle to communicate effectively with potential clients.

But having a website isn’t just about showing your brand. Big companies like DHL use their websites to help customers track their shipments and answer questions quickly.

That’s why logistics and transportation companies usually have certain unique features on their sites, like shipment tracking.

This function allows customers to monitor where their shipment is located in real-time and identify any potential issues with the delivery.

Other than that, a logistics and transportation website should follow best practices, like responsive website design, fast loading speeds, and strong security to prevent unauthorized access.

With that in mind, let’s look at how you can make a transportation and logistics website using WordPress, the most popular website builder on the market. You can use the quick links below to navigate through the steps:

Step 1: Get a Hosting Plan and Domain Name

The first step is to sign up for a WordPress hosting service. If you are unfamiliar with web hosting, then it’s essentially a service that stores and displays your website files so that they are publicly accessible.

At WPBeginner, we recommend using Bluehost for your WordPress hosting. Besides offering great value for money, they are also fast and easy to use, even for beginners who are new to web hosting.

Bluehost offer for WPBeginner readers

Bluehost also has a huge discount for WPBeginner readers, along with a free domain name and an SSL certificate. You can sign up by clicking on the button below:

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

Since you will be running a logistics website, we recommend going with the Bluehost Pro plan. It’s designed for high traffic, so your site will stay online at all times, even if multiple users are tracking their shipments.

Simply click on ‘Select’ beneath the plan you want to buy.

Bluehost Pricing Plans

Once you have chosen a plan, you will now need to pick a domain name, which is the online address for your website.

In general, it’s best to use a domain that includes your brand name in it, like fedex.com or dhl.com. If you want, you may also add a transportation or logistics-related keyword after it, like murphylogistics.com.

For help with picking the best domain name, see our guide on how to choose a domain name for your WordPress website. You can also try WPBeginner’s free business name generator to play around with some options.

Once you have chosen a domain name, just click ‘Next.’

Choosing a logistics website domain name in Bluehost

After this, you will be asked to enter your account information, business email address, name, country, phone number, and more.

You will also see optional extras that you can buy. We generally don’t recommend buying them straight away, as you can always add them later if your business needs them.

Bluehost's package extras

At this stage, you can insert your payment information to complete the purchase.

Then, you will receive a confirmation email with the login credentials to your Bluehost dashboard, which is the control panel where you will manage your logistics site.

Step 2: Create a New WordPress Website

Note: If you have chosen other hosting services like SiteGround, DreamHost, HostGator, or WP Engine, then read our guide on how to install WordPress for step-by-step instructions.

If you used our Bluehost link before, then Bluehost will automatically install WordPress on your hosting service by default, so you can skip this section.

That said, if you miss this step or want to set up another WordPress site on the same hosting plan, you can follow these instructions.

First, go to the ‘Websites’ tab in the Bluehost dashboard. Then, click the ‘Add Site’ button.

Adding a new site in Bluehost

The Bluehost website setup wizard will now appear.

To begin, simply select ‘Install WordPress’ and click ‘Continue.’

Choosing WordPress as the CMS to use in Bluehost

You can now insert a title for your website.

After that, just click ‘Continue.’

Inserting a site title in Bluehost

At this stage, you can connect a domain name to your website.

You can add your existing domain or use a temporary subdomain until you are ready to purchase a new domain name.

Connecting a domain name to a website in Bluehost

Now, just wait a few moments for Bluehost to install WordPress.

Once the installation is successful, you will land on the ‘Websites’ tab in Bluehost again and find your new site there. To log in to the WordPress admin panel, just click ‘Edit Site.’

Clicking on the Edit Site button in Bluehost

Alternatively, you can use your WordPress login URL (like example.com/wp-admin/) in your web browser. Make sure to replace the domain name with your own.

At this point, you can continue to the next steps to start creating the transportation and logistics WordPress website.

Step 3: Choose a Transportation and Logistics WordPress Theme

WordPress themes make it easy to create a good-looking website without web design skills. All you have to do is choose a theme you like, install it, and tweak some of the design elements.

When you first install WordPress, you will have one of the default themes installed, which may not be the most attractive. But don’t worry, there are many other logistics and transportation WordPress themes that you can use.

For guidance on theme setup and theme recommendations, you can check out the following articles:

How to Edit Your Logistics and Transportation WordPress Theme

The great thing about WordPress is it offers several options to customize your WordPress theme, so you can choose the one that suits your skills and needs best.

One is to use the WordPress Full Site Editor (FSE), which is what you will use with a WordPress block theme.

Check out our beginner’s guide to WordPress Full Site Editing for step-by-step guidance.

Using the WordPress Full Site Editor to edit a transportation and logistics website

Another option is to use the Theme Customizer, which is the default option for classic WordPress themes. You can read more about how to edit a theme using the Theme Customizer in our article.

However, our recommendation is to use a page builder plugin like SeedProd.

While WordPress’ built-in editing features are good, their customization options may be a bit basic. Since you are working on a professional website, you want to leave a memorable impression on visitors.

SeedProd offers a flexible drag-and-drop builder with various fonts, color options, widgets, and even animations to personalize your website design. Plus, you get access to 300+ theme templates that are optimized for conversions from the get-go.

The SeedProd page builder plugin for WordPress

To use a SeedProd theme, you will need to install the SeedProd plugin. While a free version of SeedProd is available, we recommend getting a Pro or Elite plan. Both come with the Theme Builder, which allows you to customize every part of the theme.

For instructions on plugin installation, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once the plugin is installed and active, go ahead and activate your license. Simply paste your license key and click ‘Verify key.’

Adding the SeedProd license key to your WordPress website

After that, go to SeedProd » Theme Builder.

Now, just click ‘Theme Template Kits.’

Accessing SeedProd's Theme Template Kits

You will now see dozens of templates on the screen.

For a transportation and logistics website, you can use the Oceanic Cargo Shipping Agency theme. The theme template kit already has an attractive services page, so you can simply adjust the information and images there for your business.

Just hover your cursor over it and click the orange checkmark.

Choosing the Oceanic Cargo Shipping Agency SeedProd theme

You will now be directed to the SeedProd page builder, where you can drag and drop blocks, add new sections, change the background, create animated effects, and so on.

Every area is customizable, so feel free to play around with the editor.

Editing the transportation and logistics SeedProd theme

For more information about using SeedProd, you can check out our guide on how to create a custom theme in WordPress.

Step 4: Create a Homepage With a Services Section

When editing your website design, one of the most important things you should pay attention to is the homepage.

As the first page that visitors will most likely see, the homepage has to create a strong impression and give users enough information about your logistics business.

Typically, new WordPress websites have a homepage that displays their latest blog posts.

Example of a blog homepage

Since you are running a business site, it’s a good idea to separate your blog page from your homepage and create a new custom static front page from scratch. Otherwise, people may think your website is mainly for blogging and not for business.

You also want to add a services section to your homepage to give users an overview of what kind of logistics and transportation services you offer. Here’s a great example by DHL:

DHL's shipping service section

We also recommend linking this section to your services page later on so that you can provide more details about each offer there.

For guides to create a good-looking homepage, you can check out our article on how to create a custom homepage and how to create a services section in WordPress.

Step 5: Set Up Your Important Web Pages

Once you have set up your homepage, it’s time to create other pages on your transportation and logistics WordPress website.

We have an article that details the most important pages your WordPress site should have. But for this type of business, here are some pages that you should pay careful attention to:

  • Services page(s) – This is where you will detail the services you offer. You can include the types of shipping supplies and boxes, types of delivery, and their prices. Feel free to create a dedicated child page for all your services to provide more details.
  • Contact page – Here, potential customers can get in touch with you, or existing clients can reach out for help. We recommend adding a contact form using WPForms and including relevant contact information like your business address and phone number.
  • Service locations page – Highlight the areas where your transportation and logistics services are available. This will be helpful if you have multiple pickup and dropoff points that customers can go to.
  • Shipment tracking page – This page allows clients to monitor their shipments in real-time. You will want to create a blank page for this now, as we will show you how to add the tracking feature in the next step.
  • Booking page for pickups – This is for clients to schedule a pickup service for their packages. We will also show you how to add the booking form to this page later.
  • Customer portal – Create a secure and user-friendly portal for customers to access their shipment history, payments, invoices, and any other relevant data. Check out our article on how to make a client portal for step-by-step guidance.
  • FAQ page – Answer common questions clients may have so that they can better understand your services and feel confident about doing business with you. You can learn more about this topic in our article about adding an FAQ section in WordPress.

For more information, just see our article on how to create a custom page in WordPress.

Step 6: Install a Cargo Tracking Plugin for Your Logistics Site

We mentioned earlier that you will need a shipment tracking page for customers to monitor their deliveries. After setting up the page for this, you will need to install a cargo tracking plugin to display the user’s shipping information.

WPCargo is one cargo tracking plugin you could use. The free plugin comes with the standard shipment tracking functionality, including auto-tracking IDs, shipment management tools, and tracking forms. This may be enough if your business is new and that’s all the features you need at the moment.

There is also a premium plugin that gives you access to a barcode scanner, custom field manager, and more.

To use WPCargo, you need to install and activate the plugin. Then, go to WPCargo » General Settings from your WordPress dashboard.

On this page, you can add information about your services, like the types of shipments, shipment modes, shipment locations, and shipment carriers.

All this information will be useful when you need to add a new shipment from the WordPress admin.

WPCargo's general settings

One of the things you want to do in this tab is scroll down to ‘Track Page Settings.’

Then, select a page to insert the [wpcargo_trackform] shortcode.

Choosing a page for customers to track shipments in WPCargo

This tag will display a field that users can fill out with their shipment tracking number and get a real-time status on where their shipment is.

Here is what it looks like:

WPCargo's tracking shipment page on the frontend

Other than that, you can go ahead and configure other settings, like customizing the shipment number format and assigning shipment emails.

Once you’ve done that, just scroll down to click ‘Save Changes.’

Clicking save changes in WPCargo

If you switch to the ‘Multiple Package Settings’ tab, then you can choose whether clients can ship multiple packages in one order.

If so, feel free to specify what dimension and weight units to use and what package types they can select.

WPCargo's multiple package settings

Moving on to the Map Settings tab, you can choose to enable a map where users can view their shipment history.

We only recommend activating this setting if you know how to work with Google Maps APIs.

WPCargo's map settings

The Client Email Settings and Admin Email Settings tabs are basically similar. This is where you can customize the email notifications sent to website administrators and clients.

WPCargo comes with handy shortcode tags that you can include to display the shipment data. You can also choose which shipment statuses will make the plugin send an email notification to the client.

WPCargo's client email settings

Whenever you configure the settings in a WPCargo tab, don’t forget to save your changes.

Expert Tip: At times, emails sent from WordPress don’t get successfully delivered due to your site’s hosting configuration. To prevent this from happening, we recommend using the WP Mail SMTP plugin. For more details, you can see our guide on how to fix the WordPress not sending emails issue.

Adding a New Shipment in WPCargo

If you want to add a new shipment in WPCargo, then you have to do it in the WordPress admin. Only WPCargo admin, employee, and agent user roles have this access, whereas clients on your website don’t.

To add a new shipment, go to WPCargo » Add Shipment. Then, fill out the shipper and receiver’s details.

Adding a new shipment in WPCargo

Scrolling down, you will need to fill out more information about the shipment details.

All the things you configured in the General Settings will show up here as options you can choose.

Filling out WPCargo's shipment details

After that, scroll back up to the ‘Assign shipment to’ section.

Make sure to assign the shipment to a Client, Agent, and Employee responsible for it.

Assigning a WPCargo shipment

Then, move down to the ‘Current Status:’ section and update the shipment’s date, time, location, status, and remarks, if any.

After that, just click ‘Publish.’ Depending on your email settings from earlier, the plugin will notify the client about the shipment’s status.

Updating the shipment status in WPCargo

For an alternative method, you can see our guide on how to offer shipment tracking in WooCommerce.

Step 7: Add a Shipping Calculator Form to Your WordPress Site

Besides a tracking plugin, logistics companies typically have a shipping calculator form on their websites. This feature helps potential customers see the estimated price of their shipments, which can be handy if they want to deliver multiple packages.

If you use WPCargo, they have a premium add-on to create a shipping calculator. It allows users to see the distance between the origin and destination and the resulting fees based on the distance.

WPCargo vehicle rate add-on

Alternatively, you can use WPForms, which is the easiest WordPress form plugin on the market. It includes 1200+ templates for various forms, including a shipping cost calculator form.

All you need to do is install the plugin, choose this template, and customize the form fields to your liking.

The shipping cost calculator form already includes a calculations add-on that will automatically calculate the shipping price based on the user’s information.

Creating a shipping cost calculator in WPForms

For more information about this topic, check our out guide on how to add a shipping calculator in WordPress.

Step 8: Create a Booking Form for Scheduling Pickups

If you offer package pickup services, then it’s a good idea to create a booking form for customers to easily schedule their pickups on your website.

A booking form on a logistics site usually asks for information like:

  • The sender’s details, such as their contact information and origin address.
  • The receiver’s details, including their contact information and destination address.
  • Package weight and dimensions.
  • The shipping supplies they need, such as what type of box they want to use.
  • The type of delivery, such as express delivery or regular delivery.
  • Pickup date and time.

For that last part, we recommend specifying the availability of your pickup schedule. This way, customers can’t insert a date and time that’s outside of your work hours.

You can display this booking form on a dedicated page for scheduling pickups and the account page of your customer portal.

Creating a pickup booking form in WPForms

Our guide on how to create a booking form in WordPress can walk you through the entire process.

Step 9: Enable Payment Methods in Your Transportation Website

To accept payments for your transportation and logistics services, you will need to enable some payment methods on your website.

Usually, WordPress websites install an eCommerce or shopping cart plugin to accept payments. You can follow our guide on how to make an online store for more details.

If you are looking for a simpler solution, then we recommend using the WP Simple Pay plugin. It’s a Stripe payment plugin that lets you create a payment form without having to add an unnecessary shopping cart feature to your website.

WP Simple Pay

Since WP Simple Pay uses Stripe, you will have multiple payment methods by default, including buy-now-pay-later payment options.

If you use WPForms, then you can also add a payment function to your forms by connecting the plugin with Stripe. Or, you can install payment add-ons like Square, PayPal Commerce, and Authorize.net.

The payment fields in WPForms

For more information about enabling payments, just check out our guides on how to easily accept credit card payments.

If you have B2B clients that use your logistics services regularly, then we also recommend reading our article on accepting recurring payments in WordPress.

Step 10: Create a Request a Quote Form for Your Business

If you offer transportation and logistics services to businesses, then you may use a custom pricing structure that varies by the company’s needs.

In this case, it may not be possible to display a set list of prices on your website. Instead, the client has to consult with you first to get more information about your pricing.

It’s best to create a quote request form. Then, users can insert information about their business, company size, and the kind of transportation and logistics services they need. With this information, you can offer them the right service and pricing structure.

WPForms has a ‘Request a Quote’ form template ready, so you can use that and simply change the form fields according to your needs.

WPForms' Request a Quote template

You can read more in our article about how to create a request a quote form in WordPress.

For a transportation and logistics business, we recommend following these tips to create your form:

  • Make important form fields required to fill out – These include the type of goods, dimensions, weight, origin, and destination. This ensures that the potential client gives you enough information about the shipment so you can provide the right quote for them.
  • Enable autocompletion for address fields – This feature helps users enter their addresses faster and avoid any mistakes when inserting their information.
  • Mention how long you’ll take to respond – This way, the potential customer isn’t left wondering when to expect an email back. For example, you can say that you’ll get back to them within 24 hours.

Step 11: Add Live Chat to Your Company Website

Unfortunately, problems can happen during shipments and cause delays. When this occurs, customers will want to get answers quickly so that they aren’t wondering if their package has gotten lost or compromised.

To deal with this problem, we recommend using live chat support software. This allows users to talk to you or an agent directly on your website rather than having to email you and wait for a reply.

We recommend installing LiveChat, which is well-known in the customer support industry. With this tool, you can easily customize the live chat window in WordPress so that it doesn’t look out of place with your web design.

LiveChat

For more details, you can see our tutorial on how to add live chat in WordPress.

If you use WhatsApp, then you can also add a WhatsApp chatbox to communicate with users directly. We recommend doing this if this social media platform is popular among your region and target demographic.

WhatsApp chatbox on a website

In many cases, users use the live chat feature and ask questions that many other people also ask. To make answering these responses more efficient, you can try adding an automated chatbot to your website.

With this, instead of connecting the customer with a live agent, they will have to talk with a chatbot first. The chatbot will then show the user some pre-made responses based on what they’re asking.

For more details, check out our article on how to add a chatbot to your website.

Tools to Increase Sales for Your Transportation and Logistics Business

While you have now successfully created a transportation and logistics WordPress website, the journey doesn’t end here. To ensure the success of your business, you will need to continually optimize your site.

Here are some WordPress plugin and tool recommendations you can use to take your website to the next level:

  • All in One SEO (AIOSEO) – This plugin makes it easy to optimize your website for search engines and increase your site’s rankings. This way, you can get steady organic traffic to your business from Google.
  • MonsterInsights – If you want to use Google Analytics, then MonsterInsights can easily integrate your site with the platform. It has a user-friendly reporting dashboard that tells you where your customers are coming from and what they do on your site.
  • Reviews Feed Pro – Boost your social proof by displaying customer testimonials on your website. With Reviews Feed Pro, you can pull testimonials from third-party review sites like Google Reviews and Trustpilot.

We hope this article has helped you learn how to make a transportation and logistics website in WordPress. You may also want to check out our guides on dropshipping made simple and our expert picks for the best WooCommerce dropshipping 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 Transportation and Logistics Website in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

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15 Most Annoying Things about WordPress and How to Fix Them

Did you come across annoying things in WordPress and now looking for ways to fix them?

Like most things in life, WordPress also has its fair share of annoying things. Dealing with these annoyances is very easy with the right system and processes.

In this article, we will show you the 15 most annoying things about WordPress and how to fix them.

Most annoying things about WordPress and how to fix them

What is WordPress?

WordPress is an open-source website builder and content management system (CMS). It was created by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little in 2003.

Over 43% of the websites on the internet are powered by WordPress. You can create all kinds of websites using WordPress. For instance, you can create a blog, start an online store, build a membership community, sell online courses, make a small business site, and more.

Do note that there is a difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com. The latter is a website and blog hosting platform, while WordPress.org is an open-source software used by millions of people (including WPBeginner).

To get started with a WordPress website, you’ll need a domain name and website hosting. A domain name is like the address to your house, while web hosting is where your website lives, like a building.

For more details, please see our guide on how to make a WordPress website.

With all its popularity, WordPress isn’t perfect. There are a few quirks and shortcomings that can be frustrating for users.

That said, let’s look at some of the most annoying things about WordPress and how you can easily fix them. You can click the links below to jump ahead to any section:

1. Setting Up WordPress Backup

WordPress does not come with a built-in backup system. You are supposed to create your own backups instead of relying on your WordPress hosting company.

Having a regular backup saves you the frustration when something bad happens to your website. You can easily restore your website from a backup in case something fails or there is a security breach.

There are several ways to backup a WordPress site. The easiest way is by using a plugin. There are plenty of free and paid backup solutions available for WordPress. See our comparison of the 7 best WordPress backup plugins.

For instance, you can use Duplicator to create a complete backup of your site’s important files, databases, folders, and more. The plugin is very easy to use and also lets you schedule regular website backups.

Create new duplicator package

Besides that, you can also your web hosting provider’s cPanel or manually backup databases and other content on your website.

If you’re unsure what to backup, then please see our guide on which files you should backup.

2. Deleting the Uncategorized Category

WordPress comes with two built-in taxonomies, they are called categories and tags. By default, each new post you create is filed into a built-in category titled Uncategorized.

If you forget to assign the post to a category, then it will be filed under Uncategorized. This looks unprofessional, but you can easily fix it.

First, WordPress lets you rename the categories on your website. Simply head to Post Categories from the WordPress dashboard and then click the ‘Edit’ link under the Uncategorized category.

Click the Edit Link Under the Uncategorized Category

From here, you can rename the category to anything you want.

If you have other categories created on your website, then WordPress lets you change the default settings and use another category instead.

Simply navigate to Settings » Writing from the WordPress admin panel and click the ‘Default Post Category’ dropdown menu. Next, you can change it from Uncategorized to any other category.

Choosing the Default Category in Writing Settings

To learn more, please see our guide on how to change the default Uncategorized category in WordPress.

3. Changing Your Username

During WordPress installation or at the time of user creation, you can choose a username for the account.

However, the problem is that there’s no easy way to change the username once it’s created. This can be extremely annoying.

You Cannot Change Your Username from Your WordPress User Profile

One of the ways to fix this is by deleting the user and creating a new user with the updated username. Another way to resolve this is by using a WordPress plugin or manually updating the username from the WordPress database.

You can see our guide guide on how to change your WordPress username for more details.

4. Adding More Formatting Options to the Content Editor

Before the introduction of Gutenberg or block editor, WordPress had limited formatting options. You’d have to play around with HTML and CSS to edit the appearance of your blog posts and pages.

However, the WordPress content editor now offers a lot of customization options. You can format your content more easily and don’t have to rely on coding.

While new features are introduced with every new version of WordPress, many users may feel frustrated if they don’t find a formatting option.

For instance, you might want to use a specific font for your content but can’t find it in WordPress. To fix this, you can use different plugins to add custom fonts.

You can see our guide on 16 tips to master the WordPress content editor to learn more.

5. Getting White Screen of Death

Another annoying thing you might face in WordPress is the white screen of death. The worst part about the error is that there is no message, and you’re locked out of WordPress.

Most of the time, the error occurs because a script on your site exhausted the memory limit. When the unresponsive script gets killed by the WordPress hosting server or times out, you’ll see this error.

WordPress showing white screen instead of website

There are different ways to fix the white screen of death error. For instance, you can check whether the issue is occurring on other websites of yours. You can also try to increase the memory limit, disable all the plugins, clear the cache, and more.

For a step-by-step approach to fixing this issue, follow our guide on how to fix the WordPress white screen of death.

6. Getting Locked Out of WordPress

Sometimes you may end up locking yourself out of the WordPress admin area. Either you forgot your password and were unable to recover it, or something broke when you were adding code or a plugin.

Or there was an error establishing a connection between the database, there was an internal server error, or your site was hacked.

To help you resolve this issue, we have created a handy guide on what to do when you are locked out of the WordPress admin area. It will help you learn how to fix this in different scenarios.

7. Deactivating All WordPress Plugins without Admin Access

When troubleshooting some problems on your WordPress site, you will be advised to deactivate all WordPress plugins. You can just go to the plugins page and deactivate all plugins.

Deactivate all plugins

However, what if you don’t have access to the WordPress admin area?

You can deactivate plugins by using an FTP client. Simply access the /wp-content/ folder to view all the plugins and then deactivate them.

If you have access to the web hosting service’s cPanel, then you can also deactivate plugins from the phpMyAdmin settings.

See our guide on how to deactivate all WordPress plugins when not able to access wp-admin.

8. Fixing Common WordPress Errors

WordPress comes with a slight learning curve, and you get to learn things as you go along. Some things are easier to learn than others. The most frustrating and annoying thing for beginners is the number of common WordPress errors they may come across.

For instance, you might see a syntax error, your posts might be returning a 404 error, there can be an issue when uploading images, and more.

That’s why we have compiled a list of common WordPress errors and how to fix them.

9. Setting up Automatic Updates for WordPress Plugins

All good WordPress plugins are regularly updated. If you are using the best WordPress plugins on your website, then chances are that you will be installing updates quite often.

Installing updates takes only a few seconds, but it can be distracting to log in and find new updates.

To resolve this, you can simply head to Plugins » Installed Plugins from your WordPress dashboard and click the ‘Enable auto-updates’ for critical plugins.

Enable automatic updates for WordPress plugins

See our guide on how to automatically install updates for WordPress plugins.

10. Creating Better Image Galleries

While you can create galleries in the default WordPress installation, it’s not as useful because it lacks features like Albums, tagging, light boxes, and more.

Thankfully there are plugins like Envira Gallery, which allow you to create beautiful image galleries in WordPress without compromising speed. You can add Albums, watermarks, sell your photos, and more.

Many WordPress landing pages and theme builders like SeedProd also offer options to add image galleries to your website.

Advanced settings for SeedProd product image gallery

11. WordPress Plugins Can Conflict with Each Other

WordPress plugins are great for adding additional functionality and features to your website.

However, some plugins can conflict with one another, causing serious problems. For instance, they might not work properly like they’re intended to work or would end up breaking your site.

Having too many plugins can also lead to conflicts. You should deactivate and delete plugins that are not in use. This will help solve conflicts, strengthen WordPress security, and boost page load time.

12. Customizing WordPress Excerpts

By default, WordPress displays full posts on the homepage, archives, and category pages.

This not only creates duplicate content on your site, but it also makes navigation more frustrating and discourages users from viewing the full post and leaving comments.

By displaying excerpts on these pages, you can increase your pageviews and user engagement. It shows a short summary and tells users what the content is about.

Add an excerpt in WordPress

To learn more, please see our guide on how to customize WordPress excerpts without any coding.

13. Showing Excerpts in RSS Feeds

WordPress also shows your full articles in the RSS Feed. This means users reading your posts in a feed reader will have no reason to visit your website.

You can easily change this from the WordPress admin area. Go to Settings » Reading page and scroll down to ‘For each article in a feed, include’ option and select Excerpt.

Display excerpt for each post

Next, click on the save changes button to store your settings.

14. Dealing with Comment Spam

Spam comments are one of the most annoying things on the internet. WordPress comes with built-in comment moderation to deal with spam comments. However, comment spam can quickly grow, and before you know it, you will be spending more time moderating comments.

The first thing you need to do is start using Akismet. It will catch most spam comments and keep them away from your moderation queue.

You may also want to check out these 12+ vital tips and tools to combat comment spam in WordPress.

WordPress comes with a built-in search feature, but it’s not very good. If a search is important for your website, then you will need to replace the default search with something better.

To improve WordPress search, you can use plugins like SearchWP. It helps you customize the search algorithm and include tables, custom fields, documents, taxonomies, and more in the search process.

Configure SearchWP engine settings

You can follow our guide on how to improve WordPress search for more details.

We hope this article helped you fix some of the most annoying things about WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on proven ways to make money online and the best email marketing software.

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 15 Most Annoying Things about WordPress and How to Fix Them first appeared on WPBeginner.

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Ultimate Website Migration Checklist: 16 Steps You Need to Do

Do you want to migrate your WordPress site but are not sure if everything is ready?

Website migration can be complicated as there are many things to look after. Having a checklist can help ensure that you’ve followed all the steps. This also prevents multiple errors.

In this article, we will share the ultimate website migration checklist and show the steps you need to do.

Ultimate website migration checklist

Here is a quick overview of what we will cover in this guide. You can click the links below to jump ahead to any section:

What is Website Migration?

You can migrate many different things on a WordPress site, including upgrading to new technology, website redesign, restructuring content, or moving to a new server or location.

There are many reasons for WordPress migration. You might want to move to a new content management system (CMS) for better performance and security. Or you’d like to switch hosting servers to scale your site and business.

For example, you’d like to migrate your site from Blogger, Shopify, Squarespace, Joomla, Gumroad, and other platforms to WordPress.

See our ultimate WordPress migration guide to learn more about moving your site from different blogging platforms.

Migration can also take place when your site is going through a redesign for a better user experience. Or you’re updating the site structure and navigation. Moving your site from HTTP to HTTPS also requires careful WordPress migration.

Another reason for migrating your WordPress site is changing your domain name. Let’s say you’re rebranding and going to use another website name. Then, you’ll need to migrate your site.

That said, let’s see how migration can affect your site’s rankings in search engine page results.

How Does Migration Impact WordPress SEO?

WordPress migration is a major change that happens on your website, and it can impact your site’s SEO (search engine optimization).

If done correctly, migration can have a positive impact. For example, switching to a faster hosting service can improve WordPress performance and help boost keyword rankings.

However, the slightest mistake can lead to multiple SEO-related errors like broken links, lost rankings, and missing content.

This is where the website migration checklist comes in handy. You can go through it step by step to ensure everything is working properly.

Let’s look at each step in the website migration checklist.

Tip: Website migration has many moving parts and it can be tricky for beginners. If you don’t want to worry about migrating a website yourself, then you can hire Seahawk. They offer a wide range of WordPress services, including website migration. Seahawk helps transfer any website to WordPress bug-free and ensure smooth functionality.

Website Migration Checklist: Preparing Your Site for Migration

Before you can start website migration, there are several factors to take into account.

Here are a few checklist items you should look into prior to moving your WordPress site.

1. Plan Your Migration and Inform Your Users

When you decide to migrate your WordPress website, it is important to plan things in advance and decide on a time to move your site.

To start, you can set objectives. For example, simply ask why you’re moving your website and if everything is ready.

Next, you’ll need to decide on a particular time to move website assets. Ideally, it should be done when the traffic is low. There will be a small outage when you migrate the site, so there is bound to be a drop in traffic.

That’s why it is best practice to avoid website migration during peak traffic times. You can use a plugin like MonsterInsights to monitor website traffic to find the best time to perform the migration.

Once you’ve settled on migration time, it is also best to inform your users. This way, your audience will know beforehand about your site being unavailable. It will help build trust and credibility.

To inform users about the migration, you can send an email, show a popup notice on the website, or send push notifications.

2. Put Your WordPress Site in Maintenance Mode

Before you start the migration, it is important to put the website in maintenance mode. This will inform visitors that your site is down temporarily and will be restored shortly.

An example maintenance mode, created using SeedProd

There are several ways to put your site in maintenance mode.

You can use SeedProd to create a custom maintenance mode page and enable it on your site when you’re ready for migration.

SeedProd is the best WordPress theme and landing page builder. It offers pre-built templates and comes with a drag-and-drop builder. Plus, there are several customization options to edit the maintenance mode.

An example WordPress site in maintenance mode

To learn more, please see our guide on how to put your WordPress site in maintenance mode.

3. Create a Backup of Your WordPress Website

Another important website migration checklist item is making a fresh backup of your site. This way, if anything goes wrong during the migration process, you’ll have an updated copy of your website.

WordPress backups will protect your critical data and help restore the site in case there is a failure during migration.

There are several ways to create a backup of your site. The easiest way is by using a plugin like Duplicator. It is the best WordPress backup plugin and is very easy to use. Simply create a new package, select the storage location, and choose files to backup.

Create new duplicator package

You can also create backups manually by using the cPanel in your WordPress hosting, backup databases, or using an FTP client to access site files.

Please follow our guide on how to backup your WordPress site to learn all the ways.

4. Perform a Website SEO Audit

Next, you should check the website’s SEO health before migration. This will help reveal any issues that may arise during the migration process.

For example, an audit can reveal issues like your pages are missing SEO titles or if there are images without alt attributes. These errors can hurt your SEO when the website is migrated.

You can perform an SEO audit inside your WordPress dashboard by using the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin. It is the best WordPress SEO plugin that helps conduct a complete SEO audit and shows critical issues that need to be resolved.

SEO audit

As an alternative, you can also use the WPBeginner SEO Analyzer tool. It is 100% free to use and helps find critical errors on your site.

You may also want to see our guide on the WordPress SEO audit checklist to boost rankings.

5. Disable Caching, Firewall, and Redirect Plugins

Another important step in the migration checklist is to disable any caching, firewall, and redirection plugins. These plugins and tools can cause issues during the migration process.

For instance, you may see 403 Forbidden errors or 500 Internal Server errors if these tools are not disabled. Similarly, a firewall plugin can cause errors by blocking requests made during the migration process for site files.

In WordPress, you can head to Plugins » Installed Plugins and then simply click the ‘Deactivate’ option under these plugins.

Deactivating a WordPress Plugin

To learn more, please see our guide on how to easily deactivate WordPress plugins.

6. Prevent Search Engines from Indexing Your New Site

If you are moving your site to a new domain or a new content management system (like WordPress), then you should ensure that search engines don’t index the new site before the migration.

This way, Google and other search engines won’t show both versions on the search results.

In WordPress, you can go to Settings » Reading and then uncheck the ‘Search Engine Visibility’ checkbox.

Search Engine Visibility Setting in WordPress

Besides that, you can also stop search engines from indexing specific pages and posts by using an SEO plugin like AIOSEO.

It offers Robots.txt settings for each content, where you can enable the ‘No Index’ option.

Asking Search Engines Not to Index a Single Page

You can find all the details in our guide on how to stop search engines from crawling a WordPress site.

Website Migration Checklist: Starting the Migration Process

Now that you’ve prepared your website for migration, the next step is to start the migration process.

Here are checklist steps to follow during the migration stage.

7. Ensure Your Domain is Pointing to the New Web Host

If you are moving your website to a new web hosting service, then you’ll need to point the domain to the new host.

To do that, you will need to edit the DNS or Domain Name System records. These records help connect your domain name to the new servers that will be hosting your site.

Now, the steps for updating the DNS settings will depend on the hosting provider or domain registrar you are using.

For more details, please see our guide on how to easily change domain nameservers.

8. Make Sure WordPress is Installed on Your Site

Many WordPress hosting services will have WordPress pre-installed when you migrate a website.

However, if your hosting plan doesn’t come with WordPress, then you can easily add it.

Do note that the steps to install WordPress will depend on the hosting services you are using. You can also use auto-installers or manually install it through cPanel or an FTP client.

Please see our guide on how to install WordPress the right way for more details.

9. Set Up and Test Redirects when Migrating to New Domain

Next, you’ll need to set up redirection if you’ve switched to a new domain.

This way, when a user enters the old website URL, they’ll be redirected to the new one automatically.

A simple way of setting up 301 redirects in WordPress is by using All in One SEO (AIOSEO). It offers a powerful redirection manager that you can use to set up redirects and also perform full site redirects.

Full site redirect in All in One SEO

You may also want to see our guide on creating 301 redirects in WordPress.

10. Make Sure the New Site is Indexable and Crawlable

As the migration process nears an end, you should remove any blockades that can stop users and search engine crawlers from accessing your new website.

For instance, if you enabled noindex or any other option to prevent search engines from finding your new domain, then you should remove it. This way, search engines can crawl and index your site in the search results.

One way of checking if your site is being crawled is by using Google Search Console.

Crawl stats overview

It offers a Crawl Stats report that shows crawl requests from your site. If you see a drop, then check your site’s settings that might be stopping your pages from being crawled.

Website Migration Checklist: Monitor and Test Migration

Once the website migration process is complete, you will need to monitor the changes and see their impact.

Here are some website migration checklist items to keep a lookout for after moving your website.

11. Test the Overall Functionality of Your Site

After the migration process is complete, you should ensure that everything is working properly on your site.

For instance, if you redesigned your site, then you should see if all the buttons, links, navigation menus, and other elements are functioning properly.

Besides that, you can also fill out different WordPress forms to see if all the fields are working. Similarly, try leaving a comment under blog posts to check its functionality.

If you have an online store, then try adding products to your cart, go through the checkout process, view each product page, and click the links to check everything.

12. Check for 404 Errors

One of the most common errors you will notice is the 404 error after migrating a website.

404 error occurs when a user is unable to reach a web page because it doesn’t exist. This happens when you migrate a site to a new CMS or hosting service, and the old domain no longer works.

A simple way to track 404 errors is by using the AIOSEO plugin. Its redirection manager lets you track 404 errors and quickly fix them by setting up redirection.

404 error logs in AIOSEO

To learn more, please follow our guide on how to track 404 pages and redirect them in WordPress.

13. Perform a Speed Test to See the Performance

Next website migration checklist item to see the performance of your WordPress site. This is particularly useful if you moved to a new hosting service for faster loading sites.

For example, you should see an improvement in the speed if you’ve upgraded to the fastest hosting provider.

There are different website speed test tools you can use to get started. For instance, Google offers a free PageSpeed Insights tool to test your site’s speed.

Google Pagespeed insights

You may also want to see our ultimate guide to WordPress performance to learn more tips on speeding up your site.

14. Run an SEO Audit Again to Check for Errors

Once you’ve completed the migration process, it is a best practice to run an SEO audit of your website again.

This way, you will catch any issues that might have been raised during the migration.

For example, if there are any broken links that need fixing, your content is missing SEO titles, or there are other technical issues to look into.

15. Track Keyword Positions, Traffic, and Conversions

After moving a site to a new CMS or web hosting platform, you should check the keyword rankings, traffic, and conversions of the new site.

Tracking keyword positions will help you see whether there is a boost in rankings or a drop.

There are many SEO rank tracker tools in the market. For example, you can use Semrush to monitor keyword rankings. The SEO tool shows changes in position along with other important metrics.

Position tracking tool

16. Ensure Your Old Hosting is Closed

Now that the migration is complete, one final checklist item to cross off is to close the old domain hosting account. This way, Google and other search engines will know that this is the new site to index.

However, make sure to set up 301 redirects and ensure they are working before closing the old hosting account. If any redirect is not functioning properly, then you can quickly fix it.

Once you’re happy with everything, go ahead and close the old hosting account.

Your site will now be migrated, and all the content will be visible and available for users.

We hope this article helped you learn about the website migration checklist and the steps you need to do. You may also want to see our ultimate WordPress migration guide for beginners and when do you really need managed WordPress hosting.

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.

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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

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.

Bluehost offer for WPBeginner readers

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.

Bluehost pricing plans

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.

Bluehost's package extras

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.’

Adding a new site in Bluehost

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:

SeedProd's life coaching theme

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.

MemberPress

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.’

Creating a new MemberPress membership

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:

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.

Setting up a MemberPress coaching page

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:

The MemberPress Coaching Page

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.

Edit membership

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.

Nextiva

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.

Step 9: Create Professional Social Media Accounts

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:

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:

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.

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17 Best WordPress Mailchimp Plugins for 2023

Do you want to integrate Mailchimp with your WordPress site and want to find the best plugins?

Mailchimp is a popular email marketing service that lets you create email campaigns, send automated messages, and more. With the right plugin, you can grow your email list, automate workflows, and make the most out of the service.

In this article, we’ll show you the best WordPress Mailchimp plugins that you can use for your business.

Best WordPress Mailchimp plugins

Why Use WordPress Mailchimp Plugins?

If you’re just getting started with email marketing, then you must have come across Mailchimp. It is one of the best email marketing services in the market. The best part is that you can get started for free and send up to 1,000 emails every month.

With Mailchimp, you can set up emails, create campaigns, and manage your subscribers with ease. It also integrates with other third-party plugins and tools for WordPress.

For instance, you can use it with lead generation software to grow your email list. Or you can connect it with a WordPress contact form plugin and automatically collect email addresses in Mailchimp.

You can even set up automation with Mailchimp using the right plugin. For example, automatically send an email using Mailchimp when publishing a new blog post. This way, your audience is immediately notified about new content, news, announcements, and sales.

That said, let’s look at some of the best Mailchimp plugins you can choose for your business.

1. WPForms

Is WPForms the best form builder plugin for WordPress?

WPForms is the best WordPress form builder plugin for WordPress that lets you easily create Mailchimp signup form with its powerful drag-and-drop form builder.

With its Mailchimp addon, you can create a newsletter signup form and select which audience or group the subscribers should be added to in Mailchimp. This makes it very easy to save form entries and add them to your email list.

Besides that, you also get options to unsubscribe, archive, delete, and record events. The Mailchimp addon also lets you mark subscribers as VIPs, so you know your high-value customers.

By integrating Mailchimp with WPForms, you can assign Mailchimp tags to segment subscribers. Or use WPForms smart tags to save additional information about subscribers in their Mailchimp profiles.

Pros:

  • Beginner-friendly plugin with drag-and-drop builder
  • Tons of pre-built form templates
  • Smart conditional logic
  • Easily integrates with Mailchimp
  • Built-in spam protection
  • Automated workflows

Cons:

  • Offers a Lite version, which is available for free but with limited features
  • Mailchimp integration is not available in the Lite version, only Constant Contact

Why Use This Plugin: If you’re looking to create different WordPress forms and want to collect subscribers’ contact information in Mailchimp, then WPForms is the best plugin.

Pricing: WPForms pricing plans start from $49.50 per year. However, you’ll need the Plus plan to use the Mailchimp addon, which will cost $99.50 per year. There is also a WPForms Lite version you can use for free.

2. Uncanny Automator

Uncanny Automator

Uncanny Automator is the best WordPress automation plugin. You can think of it as Zapier but for WordPress. Uncanny Automator offers different recipes that you can create for Mailchimp and automate workflows.

You can choose from hundreds of actions and triggers to create an automated recipe. It helps 2 or more WordPress plugins to talk to each other.

For example, let’s say a user cancels their membership on MemberPress. They’re then automatically unsubscribed from the Mailchimp audience. Similarly, if a user completes an online course on LifterLMS, then a tag is automatically added to the user’s profile in Mailchimp.

Aside from Mailchimp, Uncanny Automator integrates with over 130 different plugins and social media apps. Plus, its recipe builder is user-friendly, and you don’t need to edit code to set up automation.

Pros:

  • Easy-to-use recipe builder
  • Supports over 130 integrations, including Mailchimp
  • Choose from over 500 triggers and 300 actions
  • Automate workflows without touching code

Cons:

  • The premium version can be a bit expensive for startups or businesses on a tight budget

Why Use This Plugin: If you’re looking for a way to automate your workflows between Mailchimp and other plugins on your WordPress site, then Uncanny Automator is the perfect solution for you.

Pricing: Uncanny Automator prices start from $149 per year.

3. WP WooCommerce Mailchimp

WP WooCommerce MailChimp

WP WooCommerce Mailchimp is a free WordPress Mailchimp plugin. It helps you add customers to your email list automatically.

You can select which Mailchimp list the subscribers should be added to. The plugin lets you choose when to collect customers’ email addresses. For instance, you can collect information when a customer places an order, the order is processed, or when the order is completed.

Other options offered by the plugin include asking permission from customers to subscribe to the email list, editing the opt-in field text, and more.

Pros:

  • Simply and free-to-use plugin
  • Automatically add customers to your email list in Mailchimp
  • Add interest groups to further segment customers
  • Multiple opt-in settings

Cons:

  • Limited opt-in customization options

Why Use This Plugin: If you have a WooCommerce store, then the WP WooCommerce Mailchimp plugin is a great plugin to automatically add customers to specific email lists. This way, you can create custom email campaigns for each customer group and send personalized messages.

Pricing: WP WooCommerce Mailchimp is a free WordPress plugin.

4. OptinMonster

The OptinMonster conversion optimization plugin

OptinMonster is the best lead generation and conversion optimization software. It helps you get more leads, grow your email list, and boost conversions.

OptinMonster easily integrates with Mailchimp, and you can gather email addresses through different campaigns in your Mailchimp account.

With OptinMonster, you can create all types of campaigns, like a simple popup, floating bar, full-screen welcome mats, and more. There are lots of pre-built campaign templates to choose from. You can then use its drag-and-drop campaign builder to easily customize your campaigns.

Plus, it offers powerful display rules that let you show personalized messages based on user behavior. You can learn more by following our ultimate guide to using Mailchimp and WordPress.

For instance, you can show a campaign when a user is about to leave your site with an exit-intent popup. Or display campaigns based on the time a user spends on a page, visit a specific page, and more.

Pros:

  • Drag and drop campaign builder
  • Pre-built campaign templates and customization options
  • Powerful display rules to show campaigns
  • Simple integration with Mailchimp and other email marketing services
  • Mobile friendly popups

Cons:

  • The free version has limited features

Why Use This Plugin: OptinMonster and Mailchimp are an explosive combination to have on your website. It’s perfect for anyone who wants to create attractive and nonintrusive popup campaigns using OptinMonster and collect email addresses in Mailchimp.

Pricing: OptinMonster pricing plans start from $9 per month (billed annually).

5. MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress

MC4WP

MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress is a free plugin that lets you add signup forms to your WordPress site. It easily integrates with Mailchimp and collects email addresses from the sign-up form.

The plugin is simple and easy to use. It even integrates with other form builders and plugins like WooCommerce, WPForms, AffiliateWP, and more.

While the plugin is free to use, it doesn’t offer the customization options or form templates that you’d get in other form plugins, like WPForms. There are only a handful of form fields to choose from and limited customization options.

Pros:

  • Simple interface and is easy to use
  • Easily integrates with Mailchimp
  • Free to use
  • It also integrates with other form plugins

Cons:

  • Limited customization options
  • No form templates

Why Use This Plugin: The plugin is best for anyone who wants a free WordPress plugin that creates basic sign-up forms and integrates with Mailchimp.

Pricing: MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress is a free to use plugin.

6. SeedProd

SeedProd WordPress Website Builder

SeedProd is the best WordPress website builder that helps you create custom themes and landing pages without editing code or hiring a developer.

SeedProd easily integrates with Mailchimp. This way, you can create custom landing pages with subscription forms and collect email addresses in Mailchimp.

Besides that, you can also select which segment or group to add your subscribers to in Mailchimp, enable double opt-in, and more.

Other features offered by SeedProd include a drag-and-drop theme builder, pre-built theme and landing page templates, lots of customization options, and more.

Pros:

  • Super easy to use
  • Drag and drop theme and landing page builder
  • Easily integrates with Mailchimp
  • Multiple customization options

Cons:

  • The free version has limited customization options

Why Use This Plugin: If you’re looking for a plugin that lets you design and create custom landing pages and works seamlessly with Mailchimp, then SeedProd is the perfect solution.

Pricing: You’ll need at least the Plus plan in SeedProd to use Mailchimp integration. This will cost you $99.50 per year.

7. Another Mailchimp Widget

Another MailChimp widget

Another Mailchimp Widget is the next Mailchimp WordPress plugin on our list. The plugin lets you add clean and basic sign-up forms for your WordPress site.

You can show the signup form through a shortcode or use a widget. The plugin also shows different lists from your Mailchimp account. You can select a list and group to add new subscribers.

That said, there are not many customization options or templates to choose from. The plugin just lets you edit the first and last name labels and show a success message and a failure message. The form also only contains 3 fields, which include first name, last name, and email.

Pros:

  • Lightweight and easy-to-use plugin
  • Automatically add subscribers to lists and groups in Mailchimp
  • Add sign-up form using shortcode
  • Free to use

Cons:

  • Limited customization options
  • Cannot add additional form fields

Why Use This Plugin: The plugin is best for anyone looking for a free option to add simple Mailchimp signup forms. It is lightweight, and you can add the form anywhere using a shortcode.

Pricing: Another Mailchimp Widget is 100% free to use.

8. Thrive Themes

ThriveThemes

Thrive Themes offers powerful tools to build high-converting WordPress sites without editing code. It is a complete suite of plugins that help you build, convert, sell, and engage.

Thrive Themes suite includes popular tools like Thrive Leads, Thrive Architect, Thrive Theme Builder, Thrive Quiz Builder, Thrive Ovation, and more.

You can easily integrate Mailchimp with Thrive Theme and then use the email marketing software with different tools in the suite.

For instance, you can connect Mailchimp’s API with Thrive Themes and then use Thrive Leads to gather email addresses. Or use Thrive Apprentice to build online courses and integrate it with Mailchimp for all your email needs.

Pros:

  • Offers 9 powerful tools for different purposes
  • Easy to set up and use
  • Mailchimp easily integrates with different tools
  • 24/7 customer support

Cons:

  • Thrive Theme suite is only for WordPress

Why Use This Plugin: The plugin is great for anyone looking for a complete marketing toolkit for their WordPress site and wants to integrate Mailchimp as well. You can do so much with Thrive Themes tools, from creating landing pages to building online courses, popups, quizzes, and more.

Pricing: The Thrive Themes suite will cost $299 per year.

9. MemberPress

The MemberPress membership plugin

MemberPress is the best WordPress membership plugin that’s beginner-friendly to use. You can use it to create a membership site, lock content based on user roles, set up content dripping, sell online courses, and more.

MemeberPress easily integrates with different email marketing tools, including Mailchimp. This allows you to add your members to Mailchimp and segment them based on their membership levels. You can then create targeted email campaigns for each segment.

MemberPress also lets you send custom fields to Mailchimp and add additional user information. By default, it will only send the email address and first name to Mailchimp. But you can edit the settings to map other fields as well.

Pros:

  • Easy to set up and use
  • Create unlimited membership levels
  • Easily integrates with Mailchimp
  • Offers powerful content access controls
  • Offers a drag-and-drop online course builder

Cons:

  • Limited payment options
  • Mapping custom fields in Mailchimp can be tricky for beginners

Why Use This Plugin: MemberPress is one of the best Mailchimp plugins because it makes it very easy to create a membership site. Plus, it helps you manage all your email needs by seamlessly integrating with Mailchimp.

Pricing: MemberPress is a premium plugin with prices starting from $179.50 per year.

10. RafflePress

Is RafflePress the best WordPress giveaway plugin?

RafflePress is the best WordPress giveaway plugin that helps you run viral giveaways to grow your email subscribers, social followers, and website traffic.

The plugin easily integrates with Mailchimp. You can add an option in your giveaway content to join your email newsletter and integrate it with Mailchimp. This way, when users enter their email addresses, they’re automatically added to Mailchimp.

Besides that, RafflePress offers a drag-and-drop giveaway builder, pre-built templates, social media integration, a custom giveaway landing page, and more.

Pros:

  • Drag and drop giveaway builder
  • Use pre-built giveaway templates
  • Fraud protection
  • Seamless integration with Mailchimp

Cons:

  • The free version doesn’t include Mailchimp integration
  • Limited customization options in the free version

Why Use This Plugin: The plugin is perfect for anyone who wants to run a viral giveaway and collect email addresses in Mailchimp. Both plugins smoothly integrate with each other.

Pricing: You’ll need at least the RafflePress Pro plan to unlock email integrations. This will cost you $99.50 per year.

11. Formidable Forms

Formidable forms

Formidable Forms is another popular contact form plugin for WordPress, and it also offers a Mailchimp addon. Formidable Forms lets you create complex and advanced forms without editing code.

For instance, you can create advanced calculators like mortgage calculators, time sheet forms, amortization calculators, registration forms, content download forms, web applications, and more.

With the Mailchimp addon, you can automatically send contacts gathered from the form over to Mailchimp. You also get options to sort leads with tags and groups in Mailchimp.

Other options include selecting a single or double opt-in, asking users to update their information when filling out the form, and more.

Pros:

  • Create complex forms and web applications
  • Drag and drop form builder
  • Multiple customization options
  • Seamless integration with Mailchimp
  • Create all types of WordPress forms

Cons:

  • High learning curve for creating complex forms
  • No Mailchimp integration in the free version

Why Use This Plugin: Do you want to create advanced and complex WordPress forms and manage leads in Mailchimp? If yes, then Formidable Forms is perfect for you. It offers pre-built form templates, a drag-and-drop form builder, lots of customization options, and more.

Pricing: Formidable Forms is a premium WordPress plugin. You’ll need at least the Plus plan to unlock Mailchimp integration, which is priced at $99.50 per year.

12. MailChimp Forms by MailMunch

Mailchimp forms by mailmunch

MailChimp Forms by MailMunch is one of the best free WordPress Mailchimp plugins on our list. The plugin deeply integrates with Mailchimp and lets you create beautiful opt-in forms for your website, eCommerce site, or blog.

With different opt-in forms, you can grab user’s attention and grow your email list. MailChimp Forms by MailMunch lets you create opt-in forms like popups with exit, sidebar widgets, top bars, scroll boxes, landing pages, and embedded forms.

Besides that, you can add additional information about your subscribers in Mailchimp. For instance, it lets you collect first and last names, email addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, and more.

The plugin offers other features as well. For instance, you can A/B test Mailchimp opt-in forms, enable welcome emails, and more. However, MailChimp Forms by MailMunch doesn’t offer many display rules or templates compared to OptinMonster.

Pros:

  • A free plugin that’s easy to use
  • Easily connects with Mailchimp
  • A/B test opt-in forms
  • Enable Google reCAPTCHA protection
  • GDPR compliant

Cons:

  • Limited opt-in forms options
  • Display rules are not that powerful
  • Not many customization options

Why Use This Plugin: If you’re looking for a free Mailchimp WordPress plugin to create opt-in forms for your site and grow your email list, then MailChimp Forms by MailMunch is among the best free solutions in the market.

Pricing: MailChimp Forms by MailMunch is a free WordPress plugin.

13. Easy Digital Downloads

The Easy Digital Downloads website

Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) is among the best eCommerce plugins for WordPress, and you can use it to sell digital products on WordPress. The plugin comes with powerful features and lets you create beautiful digital stores.

We use Easy Digital Downloads to sell our software, like WPForms and MonsterInsights. With that, we can easily say that it’s the best eCommerce platform for your site.

Easy Digital Downloads offers different extensions, including a Mailchimp extension. This helps you connect your email lists in Mailchimp to Easy Digital Downloads. When a customer purchases a product and enters an email address, it’s automatically saved in Mailchimp.

You can also show different email lists at checkout and let customers choose which list they’d like to subscribe to. EDD also supports Mailchimp’s eCommerce tracking, which shows the products that are driving the most subscribers.

If you’re using the Free Downloads extension in Easy Digital Downloads, then you can integrate it with Mailchimp. This way, you can grow your email list faster by offering free downloads.

Other than that, you can also use email templates offered by Mailchimp to run email campaigns, A/B test different email versions and improve email deliverability.

Pros:

  • Beginner-friendly to use
  • Works smoothly with any WordPress theme
  • Set up software licensing and sell all kinds of digital goods
  • Easily integrates with Mailchimp

Cons:

  • Selling non-digital products can be complicated
  • You’ll need third-party to sell external or affiliate products

Why Use This Plugin: Easy Digital Downloads makes it very easy to sell digital products. It is the best Mailchimp WordPress plugin, as you get to do so much more with your eCommerce website. For instance, automatically add customers to email groups, send targeted messages, create segments, and more.

Pricing: Easy Digital Downloads pricing plans start from $99.50 per year.

14. MC4WP: Mailchimp Top Bar

MailChimp top bar

MC4WP: Mailchimp Top Bar is a WordPress Mailchimp plugin that lets you add a customization sign-up bar at the top of your WordPress website.

You can show a beautiful sign-up bar at the top of the page to attract user attention. The best part, it automatically connects with your Mailchimp account and adds new subscribers to your preferred list or group.

The plugin offers decent customization options. You get to change the bar color, and text color, edit the text for the message and button, and more.

Pros:

  • Create stunning sign-up bars
  • Easily integrates with Mailchimp
  • Choose your Mailchimp lists and groups
  • Basic customization options
  • The plugin is 100% free

Cons:

  • Only limited to creating sign-up bars
  • There are no additional display rules

Why Use This Plugin: If you’re looking for a plugin to add a sign-up bar only, then this is the right plugin for you. It’s free to use and allows users to quickly enter their email address and subscribe to your emails.

Pricing: You can use the MC4WP: Mailchimp Top Bar plugin for free.

15. Featured Images in RSS for Mailchimp & More

Featured images in MailChimp RSS

Featured Images in RSS for Mailchimp & More is a free Mailchimp plugin that lets you add featured images to your RSS feed.

The plugin is super easy to use and offers different image size options, image alignment settings, image-to-text padding, and more. You can also use it with your WooCommerce store to show product photos in Mailchimp RSS campaigns.

Pros:

  • Simple and easy to use
  • Show featured images in the Mailchimp RSS feed
  • Free to use plugin

Cons:

  • Limited customization options in the free version
  • You cannot set custom image size in the free version

Why Use This Plugin: If you want to ensure that your blog post featured images appear in the RSS feed, then this is the plugin to use. You can set a particular image size and customize the image’s appearance in the feed.

Pricing: Featured Images in RSS for Mailchimp & More is a free WordPress plugin.

16. MonsterInsights

MonsterInsights horizontal navigation menu preview

MonsterInsights is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress that lets you enable Mailchimp form tracking in WordPress. It helps you set up Google Analytics in WordPress without editing code or hiring a developer.

For instance, you can use its Forms addon to track Mailchimp signup forms on your site. The plugin also shows reports inside your WordPress dashboard, so you can easily view data without having to leave your website.

You can see which Mailchimp form is performing the best. This way, you get to optimize low-converting forms while promoting high-performing forms even more.

Pros:

  • Set up Google Analytics in WordPress
  • View dashboard reports to make decisions
  • Track Mailchimp forms conversions
  • Set up advanced tracking like eCommerce tracking

Cons:

  • Forms addon is not available in the MonsterInsights Lite version

Why Use This Plugin: Do you want to track Mailchimp forms on your website and see which campaign is performing the best? Then MonsterInsights is the perfect solution for you. It is beginner-friendly and helps set up tracking without touching a single line of code.

Pricing: The MonsterInsights Forms addon is available in the Pro plan, which costs $199.50 per year. There is also a MonsterInsights Lite version that you can use for free, but it doesn’t include the Forms addon.

17. Contact Form 7 Extension For Mailchimp

Contact form 7 for mailchimp

Contact Form 7 Extension For Mailchimp is a free plugin that lets you integrate Contact Form 7 with Mailchimp. All your Contact Form 7 entries will be automatically added to an email list in Mailchimp.

The plugin is flexible and easy to set up. You can choose a predefined list to add new contacts to in Mailchimp. The plugin also lets you choose between single or double opt-in, as well as show an opt-in checkbox.

Pros:

  • Simple and easy interface
  • Easily connect mailing lists from Mailchimp
  • Add mailing list tags to subscribers
  • Show a single or double opt-in

Cons:

  • The plugin works only if you’re already using Contact Form 7
  • Not many customization options

Why Use This Plugin: If you are already using Contact Form 7 on your WordPress site, then this plugin is for you. It lets you pair Contact Form 7 with Mailchimp.

Pricing: Contact Form 7 Extension For Mailchimp is 100% free to use.

Which WordPress Mailchimp Plugin Should You Use?

After going through multiple plugins, choosing the best Mailchimp WordPress plugin depends on your needs. You can use multiple plugins in combination and integrate Mailchimp with your site.

For instance, if you’re looking to add different forms on your site and collect emails, then WPForms is the best plugin. You get multiple form templates, a drag-and-drop form builder, lots of customization options, and easy Mailchimp integration.

On the other hand, if you’re looking to get more email subscribers in Mailchimp, then we recommend OptinMonster. It offers pre-built templates, lots of campaign options, and powerful display rules.

Similarly, you can use Uncanny Automator and connect Mailchimp with other plugins and tools on your website. This way, you get to automate different tasks and let the plugin handle everything for you.

We hope this article helped you pick the best WordPress Mailchimp plugin. You may also want to see our list of best WooCommerce plugins and how to create a free business email address.

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 17 Best WordPress Mailchimp Plugins for 2023 first appeared on WPBeginner.

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How to Add Social Media Icons in Your WordPress Sidebar

Are you wondering how to add social media icons to your WordPress sidebar?

Adding social icons to your website is an easy way to let your audience know about your social media presence. That way, they can easily visit your social profiles and follow you online.

In this article, we will show you how to add social media icons to your WordPress sidebar.

How to Add Social Media Icons in Your WordPress Sidebar

Why Add Social Media Icons to Your WordPress Sidebar?

A WordPress sidebar is an area on your website that is not a part of your main content. It’s where you can display additional information that readers may be interested in, such as your most recent blog posts and links to your social profiles.

Adding social links to your WordPress sidebar is a good idea because it tells users about your social media accounts. As a result, they can check them out, follow you, and help you grow your social media following.

What’s more, displaying your social media accounts can build a sense of credibility and serve as social proof. When visitors see that you have an active social media presence, this shows that your business is responsive and trustworthy.

Many popular WordPress blogs display social media icons in their sidebars, like WPBeginner:

WPBeginner's social media icons on the sidebar

Note: Social media icons are different from social share buttons on WordPress posts. If you are looking to add share buttons, then you can see our beginner’s guide on how to add social sharing icons in WordPress.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how to add social media follow icons to your WordPress sidebar. The method you should use depends on the WordPress theme and editor you are using. If you want to skip to a certain section, then you can use these quick links:

Method 1: Adding Social Icons With Full Site Editor (Block Themes)

If you are a block theme user, then you can add social media buttons to your WordPress sidebar using the Social Icons block.

Note that the process varies by the theme you use. Some block themes may include a sidebar by default, which you can then add the Social Icons block to. Some might also have a header pattern that functions like a sidebar, and some may not have a sidebar at all.

In this example, we will use a default WordPress block theme and show you how to create a sidebar for all your pages or posts where you can add the Social Icons block.

First, go to Appearance » Editor in your WordPress admin panel.

Selecting the Full-Site Editor from the WordPress admin panel

Next, you need to select ‘Templates.’

This will bring you to a page where you can edit the template of your pages and posts.

Choosing the Templates menu on WordPress Editor

Here, you can choose one of the page templates. It may be either ‘Pages’ or ‘Single Posts,’ depending on where you want the sidebar to be.

If you want the sidebar to show on both your static pages and posts, then you can edit both of them later. You can also customize the homepage template in case you need the sidebar to appear there, too.

In this case, we will select ‘Pages.’

Selecting Pages on the WordPress Editor Templates page

After that, click the pencil button in the left panel next to the three-dot button.

This will open up the WordPress editor.

Clicking the pencil edit button on Pages inside the WordPress editor

As you can see, the default theme doesn’t have a sidebar in the Pages template yet, so we need to create one for it.

To do this, you can hover over where you want to add the sidebar and click the add block ‘+’ button when it appears. Then, find and select ‘Columns.’

Selecting the Columns block on WordPress editor

There will be some variations to choose from.

In this example, we will use the ‘66 / 33’ option to imitate the standard look of a right sidebar.

Choosing one of the variations of the Columns block in WordPress editor

Once done, you can drag and drop the Post Content block to the left of the Columns block.

Your Pages template should look something like the image below, with the right column empty.

Moving the Post Content block to the left side of the Columns block

Now, click on the right column and select the add block ‘+’ button.

Then, search for the Social Icons block.

Searching for the Social Icons block to add to the Columns block

You can now start adding your social media platforms to the block. Simply click the ‘+’ button again and add your social media buttons one by one.

Feel free to use the search feature to browse all of the social network options.

Adding a social profile to the Social Icons block

Once you’ve added all of the buttons, you can start adding links to your social profiles.

All you need to do is click on a social icon and enter your profile URL.

Entering an Instagram account link to the Social Icons block

At this stage, you can customize how the icons look.

If the size of the buttons isn’t big or small enough, then you can use the ‘Size’ option in the block toolbar.

Customizing the buttons' sizes using the Social Icons block toolbar

In the Block Settings on the left, you can customize the icons’ justification, orientation, link settings, and labels.

We recommend making the links open in a new tab so that users won’t need to leave your website to visit your social profiles.

Social Icons Block Settings

If you switch to the Block Styles tab, then you can change the icons’ styles and colors to suit your WordPress website design.

Depending on your preference, you can make all the icons have different colors or the same one, like below.

Configuring the Social Icons color and styles in the Block Styles tab

Scrolling down the same tab, you’ll find the Dimensions settings to customize the block margin and spacing.

These settings can be helpful if you want to adjust the spacing between the Social Icons block and other blocks in the sidebar.

Configuring the Dimensions settings of the Social Icons block

It’s also a good idea to add a call-to-action text on top of the Social Icons block to highlight where the buttons are and draw website visitors’ attention.

To do this, go ahead and add a Paragraph block using the ‘+’ button. Make sure it’s above the social icons.

Adding a Paragraph block on top of the Social Icons block

Some call-to-action examples you might use are ‘Follow Us, ‘Join Over X Readers,’ or ‘Get the Latest Updates.’

If you haven’t already, then you can also add more elements to the sidebar, like your featured posts and recent comments.

Now, simply click the ‘Save’ button in the top right corner of the page.

Clicking the Save button on the WordPress editor

And that’s it!

When you go to your WordPress website, you should now see a sidebar with some social links.

Example of what the Social Icons block looks like on the front end

If you want to create unique sidebars for different pages or posts, all of which include a Social Icons block, then we recommend creating a WordPress pattern or reusable block for your sidebar.

To learn more, you can check out our beginner’s guides on how to use WordPress block patterns and how to add reusable blocks.

Method 2: Adding Social Media Icons With WordPress Widgets (Classic Themes)

This next method is for people using a classic WordPress theme with widget-ready sidebar areas.

To add social media buttons to your sidebar, simply head to Appearance » Widgets from your WordPress dashboard.

Then, navigate to the WordPress widget area where you want to add the Social Icons widget. In our example, we will select ‘Sidebar,’ but the name may be different depending on the theme you are using.

Navigating to the Appearance Widgets menu and selecting Sidebar on WordPress admin panel

Now, click the add block ‘+’ button at the top left, next to ‘Widgets.’

Here, you can look for the Social Icons block.

Choosing the Social Icons block in the WordPress Widgets settings

After that, you need to click on this sidebar widget or drag and drop it anywhere in the editing area.

In general, it’s best to add your social network icons close to the top of the widget area. This way, they can catch your visitors’ attention right from the moment they land on the page.

Then, similar to the previous method, you can click the ‘+’ button to add new social media buttons one by one to the widget.

In the example below, we have placed the Social Icons block below the Search block. We are also adding a WhatsApp icon.

Placing the Social Icons widget below the Search widget and adding the WhatsApp icon

At this point, you can start adding your social links.

For WhatsApp, you can type ‘wa.me/’ and write your WhatsApp number next to it. There is no need to use the + symbol, but make sure to add your country calling code, like in this screenshot.

Adding a WhatsApp number in the Social Icons block

You also have access to the Block Settings and Styles options in the right panel.

To open these options, you can click the ‘Settings’ icon in the top right corner.

Selecting the Settings icon on the Widgets page

Additionally, feel free to add a Paragraph block on top of the social media widget for your call-to-action text.

We recommend making the Paragraph and Social Icons blocks a Group so that they don’t look separated in the sidebar.

To do this, just select the Paragraph and Social Icons together. After that, click the ‘Transform’ icon in the block toolbar and select ‘Group.’

Grouping the Social Icons and Paragraph blocks

Once finished, go ahead and click the ‘Update’ button to make the changes official on all of your sidebars.

Here’s what the end result should look like:

An example of what the Social Icons widget looks like on the website

Method 3: Adding Custom Social Media Icons With SeedProd (Custom Themes)

If you use SeedProd, then you will have more control over how your social media buttons look in your sidebar. For example, if you use a social media platform that WordPress doesn’t have an icon for, then you can create a button for it yourself.

Additionally, you can adjust the icon spacing specifically for mobile devices.

If you are new to SeedProd and want to use it, then you need to install and activate the plugin first. You will need the Pro version to be able to access the Social Profiles feature.

For more information on how to install a plugin, check out our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Then, you can follow this tutorial to set up your theme with SeedProd.

Now, to add the social icons to the sidebar, you will need to go to SeedProd » Theme Builder. Then, hover over the ‘Sidebar’ template and click ‘Edit Design.’

Clicking Edit Design on the Sidebar template inside SeedProd

You are now inside the SeedProd page builder. The Social Profiles block should have been added by default to the theme template.

If it hasn’t, however, you can use the search bar in the left panel and type in ‘Social Profiles.’ After that, simply drag and drop the block to wherever is suitable for you.

Selecting the Social Profiles block on SeedProd

Don’t forget to add a Text block on top of the buttons and write some call-to-action text.

This way, you are directing visitors’ attention to the social media buttons in the sidebar.

Creating a Follow Us text on top of the Social Profiles block on SeedProd

To customize how the social media profile icons look, just click on the ‘Social Profiles’ element. Here, you will see different tabs to customize the buttons.

In the ‘Content’ tab, you can add more icons and change the icon style, icon size, and alignment.

Configuring the Content tab of the Social Profiles block in SeedProd

Besides the standard options like Instagram and Facebook, SeedProd also has buttons for Slack, Telegram, Github, and more.

To add a new social media icon that SeedProd doesn’t have by default, you need to click the ‘+ Add New Share’ button.

After that, select ‘Custom’ from the dropdown menu.

Creating a Custom social media button on SeedProd

To edit the button, go ahead and click the gear settings symbol next to the arrow button.

Once you’ve done that, just select ‘Choose Icon.’

Clicking the Choose Icon for the custom social media button on SeedProd

Now, you will be redirected to the Icon Library, where there are hundreds of brand icons to choose from, courtesy of Font Awesome icons.

In this example, we will use Airbnb.

Choosing the Airbnb icon on SeedProd

Once you have selected an icon, you can adjust the color and add the link to the social media page.

Here, we’ve decided to stick with Airbnb’s brand color. When inserting the social account link, make sure to include the ‘https://’ as well.

Configuring the Airbnb icon design on Social Profiles block inside SeedProd

Next is the ‘Templates’ tab.

If you switch to this tab, you can adjust the design of the icon. You can make it more square, circular, and/or monochromatic, depending on your preferences.

Editing the Templates setting for the Social Profiles block in SeedProd

Lastly, the ‘Advanced’ tab offers more ways to customize your social media buttons.

The Styles section is where you can change the icons’ style, color, size, space in between, and shadow effect.

The Styles tab in the Social Profiles block settings in SeedProd

In Spacing, you can edit the block’s margin and padding. What’s great about SeedProd is it allows you to make the margin and padding different for desktop and mobile devices.

To edit the margin and padding, just choose one of the device icons and insert your margin and padding measurements like so:

Configuring the Social Profiles block spacing in SeedProd

Scrolling down, you will find Device Visibility and Animation Effects.

In the first setting, you can opt to hide the block on desktop or mobile. This may be necessary if you have chosen to use the Social Profiles block in another part of your website and don’t want duplicate social profile icons.

With Animation Effects, you can select an animation style for the block when the icons are loaded on the web page. This effect is not necessary if you don’t want to distract the visitor too much from the main content.

SeedProd's Device Visibility and Animation Effect settings for the Social Profiles block

Once you have configured the Social Profiles block to your liking, simply click the ‘Save’ button in the top right corner.

Or, click the ‘Preview’ button to see how the sidebar looks first.

Clicking the Save button on SeedProd

And that’s it! You have successfully added the social profiles block using SeedProd.

Here’s what the end result may look like:

Example of what the social media icons in the sidebar look like if made with SeedProd

We hope this step-by-step guide has helped you learn how to add social media icons to your WordPress sidebar. You may also want to check out how to display different sidebars for each post and page in WordPress and our list of the must-have WordPress plugins for business sites.

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 Add Social Media Icons in Your WordPress Sidebar first appeared on WPBeginner.

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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.

Make a Travel Business Site in WordPress

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

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.

Bluehost website

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.

Bluehost Pricing page

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.

Bluehost package extras

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.

Log into WordPress

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:

An example of a default WordPress theme

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.

Astra Travel Blog Theme

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.

SeedProd

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.

Choose SeedProd's travel template

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.

Edit SeedProd's travel theme

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.

Travel theme 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.

Travel business site 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.

Choose a static home page

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.

Add the Envira Gallery license key

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.

Add travel trip gallery

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.

Edit gallery images

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.

Add envira gallery 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.

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.

Configure email settings

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.

Enable email enquiry

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.

Configure page settings

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.

Configure payment gateways

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.

Go back to the dashboard

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.

Add title for the trip package

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.

Add destination for the trip

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.

Add trip activities

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.

Add trip duration

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.

Enable cut time for trip

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.

Edit pricing and dates

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.

Add trip pricing

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.

Add description for the trip

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.

Add itenirary

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.

Configure inlcudes excludes section

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.

Add trip facts

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.

Enable the image and video gallery

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.

Add a map

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.

Add FAQs for the trip

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.

Trip package preview

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.

WPForms

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.

Add the WPForms block

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.

Nextiva website

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:

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.

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How to Convert WooCommerce Visitors into Customers (9 Tips)

Do you want to convert visitors to your WooCommerce store into customers?

Bringing traffic to your WooCommerce store is only half the battle. The other half is to convert those visitors into paying customers. One of the ways you can optimize your online store is by using targeted messages and offering incentives to boost conversions.

In this article, we will show you how to easily convert WooCommerce visitors into customers.

How to convert WooCommerce visitors into customers

Why Do You Need Conversion Optimization for Your WooCommerce Store?

Most eCommerce stores rely on search engines or paid advertising campaigns for traffic.

There are many other ways to get more traffic to your website. However, more than 75% of visitors who find your website through search engines will never find it again. Of the people who stick around, only a small percentage of them will add products to their carts.

In the end, more than 69% of shopping carts are abandoned without making a purchase. Shipping costs, a complicated checkout experience, and bad design are among the top reasons for abandoned carts.

Considering these statistics, your WooCommerce store will continue losing potential sales if you don’t work on converting those visitors into customers.

How Do You Convert Visitors Into Customers?

The process and technique that is used to convert visitors into customers is called conversion rate optimization (CRO). Marketers and usability experts use CRO to successfully drive visitors to become customers.

Basically, you remove obstacles that affect a user’s experience on your WordPress website. You also provide incentives that convince users to buy.

Lastly, if a user must leave without making a purchase, then your goal is to try and get their information through lead generation. This allows you to communicate with them via email and offer personalized messages, special discounts, or new product announcements.

In the early days of eCommerce, you needed programming skills to work on all these tasks, but not anymore. Now, you have tools that make it extremely easy to do all these things without writing code or acquiring any new technical skills.

That being said, let’s take a look at different ways you can convert WooCommerce visitors into customers.

1. Offer Discount Coupons and Free Shipping

One of the easiest ways of converting visitors into customers is by offering incentives like discounts and free shipping.

They also help convert abandoning visitors and reduce abandoned carts. For instance, if a visitor is about to exit your online store without checking out, then you can show a popup with a discount coupon.

WooCommerce popup preview

The best way to show discounts, flash sales, free shipping, and other offers is by using OptinMonster. It is the best conversion optimization and lead generation software.

OptinMonster lets you create different campaigns for your WooCommerce store, including popups, slide-in scroll boxes, floating bars, countdown timers, sidebar forms, and in-line forms.

Besides that, it offers powerful display rules to show the campaign to the right person at the right time.

Ecommerce display rules

For instance, it allows eCommerce targeting, where you can show your campaigns based on cart total, specific product pages, how long a customer has spent in your online store, and more.

For more details, see our guide on how to create a WooCommerce popup to increase sales.

You can also create a spin-to-win campaign to offer discount coupons and free shipping to users. This helps create engagement and is a fun way to boost conversions.

OptinMonster Spin Wheel Campaign

2. Promote Products That Your Audience Prefers

Another way to get more conversions in your WooCommerce store is by figuring out which products your audience likes the most and then promoting them. This way, you can improve the visibility of top-selling products and boost conversions.

To find out which products your visitors prefer, you can use MonsterInsights. It is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress that helps you set up advanced tracking without editing code.

MonsterInsights lets you set up eCommerce tracking, which helps record conversions, revenue, and user behavior in your WooCommerce store. It also offers eCommerce reports, so you can easily view top products inside your WordPress dashboard.

How to set up eCommerce tracking on a WooCommerce store

Once you know which products your audience prefers, the next step is to promote them in your WooCommerce store.

A simple way to do that is by improving their visibility so users can easily find and purchase them. For example, you can show top-selling products under other items, in the sidebar, or within your content.

Showing best-selling products on your WooCommerce store using MonsterInsights

With MonsterInsights, you can easily show top products across your website. It offers a Popular Products feature that lets you add products at the end of a blog post to boost conversions.

To learn more, please see our guide on how to display popular products on WooCommerce product pages.

3. Make High-Converting Sales Pages

You can also create high-converting sales pages to promote different products and boost conversions in your WooCommerce store.

A sales page has a single purpose, which is to get people to buy your products or services. A high-converting sales page will have clear call-to-action (CTA) buttons, engaging product images, and other details to help users buy the product.

You can easily create high-converting sales pages for WooCommerce using SeedProd. It is the best WordPress page builder that lets you create custom landing pages without editing code.

SeedProd's drag and drop page builder

SeedProd offers 300+ prebuilt templates, multiple customization options, a drag-and-drop page builder, and more. It also integrates with email marketing tools and other third-party tools.

For step-by-step details, see our guide on how to create a sales page in WordPress that converts.

4. Build an Email List and Promote Products

Did you know that email lists get 10 times higher conversions than social media campaigns?

Building an email list for your WooCommerce store can help improve your revenue. You can tell your subscribers about the latest products, promotional sales, upcoming campaigns, and more.

Example of a flash sale email blast

You can also send targeted emails to specific subscribers. For example, if you are launching a new product in a specific location, then you can send out an email campaign for subscribers from that particular country.

To get started, you will need an email marketing tool like Constant Contact. It is very easy to use, and you can easily collect email addresses, manage them, and segment them into different groups. Plus, it helps you set up automated drip notifications and other email campaigns.

Create an automated workflow

Once you’ve started collecting emails, you can take things one step further and try different ways to grow your email list.

For example, you can offer discounts, giveaways, and other incentives to customers in exchange for their email. You can see our complete guide to uncover more ways to grow your email list.

5. Leverage Social Proof to Boost Conversions

Another simple hack for converting WooCommerce visitors into customers is by showing social proof.

People feel more comfortable with their buying decisions when they know others have also bought the same product and had a great experience.

There are different ways to show social proof on your WooCommerce store. For instance, you can use TrustPulse to display real-time user activity notifications, such as the latest product purchase.

A notification, created using TrustPulse

Besides that, you can also show testimonials and customer reviews on the product page to boost social proof.

They can help you gain trust from your visitors and encourage them to purchase the product.

Preview for testimonials

You can learn more by following our guide on how to add a customer reviews page in WordPress.

Another way to boost conversions in WooCommerce stores is by using FOMO or fear of missing out. You can add a countdown timer to a discount campaign and encourage users to make a purchase before time runs out.

Black Friday FOMO popup for WooCommerce

6. Run a Giveaway Contest

If you are looking for a way to boost engagement on your website and increase eCommerce conversions, then running a viral giveaway contest is a great way of doing it.

A competition gives your WooCommerce visitors a fun reason to return to your store and stand a chance to win free products.

In return, you can ask users to participate in the competition by following your social media pages, signing up for an email newsletter, inviting a friend to participate, and more.

This way, you’ll also grow your social followers, increase your email list, promote your brand, and build a relationship with your audience.

The best way to run a giveaway contest is by using RafflePress. It is the best giveaway plugin for WordPress that’s easy to use. RafflePress offers a drag-and-drop contest builder with lots of customization options.

Host a giveaway

To learn more, please see our guide on how to create a WooCommerce contest to boost loyalty and engagement.

7. Upsell Products in WooCommerce

Upselling is a technique that encourages visitors to purchase a higher-priced product instead of the one they already have in their shopping cart.

These products might have a higher value, offer more features, or have better quality. As a result, they are also more expensive and more lucrative for your business.

For instance, let’s say you are selling plugins or software in your online store. You can offer users a higher pricing plan with more addons and upgrades than the base plan.

There are several ways you can upsell products in WooCommerce. First, you can show different products on a product page at the bottom and ask visitors to buy them instead. Or you can create a popup to upsell particular products.

Upsell popup preview

Besides that, you can also showcase different products on the checkout page before a user makes a purchase. Or you might promote products on the thank you page, enticing a customer to buy more items.

To learn more details about each of these methods, please see our guide on how to upsell products in WooCommerce.

8. Add Express Checkout Buttons

Another simple method for boosting conversions in your WooCommerce store is offering express checkout buttons. This allows users to skip different steps in the checkout process and go directly to the payment page.

This provides a better shopping experience for customers and makes the buying process quicker. A user can simply click a button to make a purchase. As a result, you’ll see more conversions and less cart abandonment.

Express checkout buttons preview

Please see our guide on how to add express checkout buttons in WooCommore to learn more.

9. Offer a Personalized Experience to Users

Personalization helps you improve the user experience by making your content more personal for each visitor. You can create product offerings for different users to boost WooCommerce conversions.

For example, you might greet logged-in customers with their names, show them products based on their browsing history, and offer them discounts or coupons.

Lightbox popup with yes no optin

For more details, you can see our guide on how to show personalized content to different users in WordPress.

We hope this article helped you learn how to convert WooCommerce visitors into customers. You may also want to see our guide on how to enable customer tracking in WooCommerce with Google Analytics and our expert picks for the must-have WordPress plugins for business websites.

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 Convert WooCommerce Visitors into Customers (9 Tips) first appeared on WPBeginner.

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How to Plan a Holiday Sale for Your WooCommerce Store (12 Tips)

Do you want to plan a holiday sale for your WooCommerce store?

The holiday season is the busiest time for online stores across the world. By planning a sale for the holidays, you can capitalize on this demand and boost your sales and revenue.

In this article, we will share some tips on how to easily plan a holiday sale for your WooCommerce store.

How to Plan a Holiday Sale for Your WooCommerce Store

Why Plan a Holiday Sale for Your WooCommerce Store?

If you have a WooCommerce store, then planning a holiday sale for it can be a great way to attract new customers.

This is because most users are looking for sales during the holiday season and offering them discount coupons can help you generate more revenue. A well-executed online store sale can even increase your brand awareness and retain existing customers.

Additionally, a holiday sale can improve your website SEO due to the increased traffic, improved click-through rates, and relevant content.

Having said that, here is our list of some of the best tips that can help you easily plan a holiday sale for your WooCommerce store.

  1. Create Holiday-Themed Lead Generation Campaigns
  2. Start a Giveaway Contest
  3. Offer Holiday Discount Coupons to Customers
  4. Add Social Proof to Your WooCommerce Store
  5. Add Banners to Promote the Holiday
  6. Start a Holiday Countdown
  7. Offer Free Shipping
  8. Run an Email Campaign For the Sale
  9. Create Attractive Landing Pages
  10. Use Surveys and Polls to Plan Holiday Sale
  11. Plan Your Social Media Strategy
  12. Start an Affiliate Program
  13. Bonus: Spread Holiday Spirit on Your WooCommerce Store

1. Create Holiday-Themed Lead Generation Campaigns

OptinMonster is the best lead generation and conversion optimization tool that allows you to create popups, yes/no optins, banners, sliders, and more.

It comes with a drag-and-drop builder, exit-intent technology, and A/B testing, making it super easy to convert website visitors into customers.

OptinMonster even comes with premade templates for the holiday season that can be used to launch a marketing campaign in just a few minutes.

First, you’ll need to visit the OptinMonster website to create an account by clicking the ‘Get OptinMonster Now’ button.

OptinMonster – The best WordPress popup plugin

Then, you need to visit your WordPress site to install and activate the OptinMonster plugin. For details, see our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, this plugin will act as a connector between your OptinMonster account and website. You will now see a setup wizard on the screen, where you have to click on the ‘Connect Your Existing Account’ button.

Connect your existing account

Once you have done that, visit the OptinMonster » Templates page from the WordPress dashboard.

Here, you will notice a list of holidays under the ‘Seasonal’ section in the left column. Now if you are planning a sale for the Christmas season, check the box next to that option.

OptinMonster will now display all the premade templates for this holiday season. You can even select a campaign type from the top including popups, floating bar, fullscreen, gamified, inline, or slide-in.

Upon making your choice, simply click the ‘Use Template’ button to launch the template in the OptinMonster’s drag-and-drop builder.

Choose a holiday campaign template

Here, you can add headings, and dynamic content, add your discount offers, configure the countdown timer, and so much more.

You can even connect your campaigns to your email marketing services. For detailed instructions, you may want to see our tutorial on how to create WooCommerce popups to increase sales.

Customize holiday campaign popup

Once you are done, you can easily publish your campaign by switching to the ‘Publish’ tab from the top.

Upon its launch, the WooCommerce campaign for holiday sales will promote the discounts that you are offering, increase engagement, help you build an email list, and even boost sales on your online store.

Apart from that, you can also schedule your Christmas campaign, check analytics, and create mobile popups, making OptinMonster a great tool for building campaigns.

Holiday sale popup preview

2. Start a Giveaway Contest

You can also promote your holiday sales by hosting a giveaway competition on your website. This can create excitement and increase user engagement.

You can even make the giveaway competition exclusive for the customers who have bought something from your store which can convince potential customers to make a purchase.

When hosting a giveaway, keep in mind to choose a prize that may interest your entire audience, make the competition easy to enter, and announce the winner publicly.

To create and add a giveaway on your website, we recommend using RafflePress.

It is the best WordPress giveaway plugin on the market that comes with a drag-and-drop builder, premade templates, fraud protection, CRM (Customer Relationship Management) integration, and more.

RafflePress

Upon installing the plugin, you can navigate to the RafflePress » Add New page from the WordPress dashboard and select a template for your giveaway.

Once the template opens up in the drag-and-drop builder, you can add a name, prize, countdown timer, and a background image related to the holiday season.

For detailed instructions, see our tutorial on how to run a giveaway in WordPress with RafflePress.

Create Christmas giveaway

Once you are done, simply switch to the ‘Publish’ tab from the top to launch it.

The holiday season giveaway will now help you grow your audience and encourage them to buy from you to return the favor for freebies.

However, you can also host competitions on your website during the season to promote sales. For detailed instructions, you can see our beginner’s guide on how to create a WooCommerce contest to boost loyalty.

3. Offer Holiday Discount Coupons to Customers

When planning a holiday sale, it is important to create discount coupons, gift cards, and loyalty programs for your customers.

Discount coupons can help you clear out the inventory, increase sales, and even attract new customers.

On the other hand, offering gift cards on a new purchase for store credits can help build loyalty among users.

Another tip is to launch a loyalty program on your WooCommerce store during the holiday season to encourage customers to purchase more products in order to gain points.

You can do all of this on your website using Advanced Coupons. It is the best WordPress coupon plugin on the market that allows you to create BOGO (Buy One, Get One) deals, loyalty programs, gift cards, and smart coupons for your WooCommerce store.

It is super easy to use and offers features like coupon URLs, scheduled coupons, auto-apply coupons, shipping coupons, bulk coupons, and more.

Advanced Coupons

First, you’ll need to install and activate the Advanced Coupons plugin. For detailed instructions, see our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you must visit the Coupons » Add New page from the WordPress dashboard. Here, you can start by adding a name and description for the coupon.

Next, you can select a discount type and add the coupon amount next to the ‘Coupon amount’ option.

Now according to the studies, most online stores offer a discount of about 30-40% during the holiday season. While some stores also add discount offers of up to 70% for selected items only.

We recommend creating discount coupons of up to 35-40% off on all products to maximize your sales during the holidays.

Create a discount coupon

Once you have added all the details, simply click the ‘Publish’ button at the top to store your settings.

For detailed instructions, you may want to see our complete tutorial on how to create smart coupons in WooCommerce.

If you also want to add a loyalty program or offer gift cards to your customers, then you can see our guides on how to create a loyalty program in WooCommerce and how to add advanced gift cards in WooCommerce.

4. Add Social Proof to Your WooCommerce Store

You can also plan and promote your holiday sale by displaying social proof on your website. It is a social phenomenon wherein people copy the actions of others in choosing how to behave in a situation.

This means that a user is more likely to purchase your products if they see testimonials or reviews from other users talking positively about them.

You can easily add social proof to your WooCommerce store using TrustPulse. It is the best WordPress social proof plugin on the market that displays real-time notifications of user activities on your site.

Is TrustPulse the best social proof plugin for WordPress?

TrustPulse shows recent purchases or customer interactions to all the users who are visiting your online store at the time in order to convince them to make a purchase as well.

It offers actionable insights, real-time event tracking, smart targeting, and flexible design options, making it super easy to add social proof to your site.

For more detailed instructions, you can see our beginner’s guide on how to use FOMO on your WordPress site to increase conversions.

Fomo notification preview

5. Add Banners to Promote the Holiday

Another amazing tip that can help promote your WooCommerce holiday sale is to add banners at the top of your website.

These banners can include your brand name, logo, and discount offers to promote the holiday season and even create a festive atmosphere on your site.

If you also run a WordPress blog separately, then adding banners there for your online store sale can help drive more traffic.

You can easily create a banner on your WooCommerce store using OptinMonster which is the best WordPress banner plugin on the market.

All you have to do is create an account on the OptinMonster website and then connect it to your WordPress site using the free OptinMonster plugin.

Once you have done that, visit the OptinMonster » Templates page from the WordPress dashboard and select the ‘Floating Bar’ campaign type.

After that, choose the ‘Christmas’ option from the ‘Seasonal’ section on the left. You can now select any of the premade banner templates for your WooCommerce store.

Add a sale banner

Once you choose a template, it will be launched in the drag-and-drop builder where you can customize it according to your liking.

After that, you must switch to the ‘Publish’ tab to activate the Christmas sale banner on your online store.

Customize the WooCommerce holiday sale banner

However, if you don’t want to use OptinMonster, then you can also create a banner for your store using Thrive Leads or Canva. For detailed instructions, please see our tutorial on how to make a website banner easily.

6. Start a Holiday Countdown

When planning for a holiday sale on your WooCommerce store, it is important to also add a countdown timer on your website.

This can create a sense of urgency among your customers and encourage them to make a buying decision. It can also reduce cart abandonment rates by reminding customers to complete their purchase before the sale ends.

Plus, countdown timers also help highlight your sale and make it more visible to customers.

Countdown timer for the WooCommerce sale

You can easily create a countdown timer using a free plugin like Countdown Timer Ultimate or by opting for paid plugins like Thrive Ultimatum which is one of the best countdown plugins for your website.

For detailed instructions, you may want to see our tutorial on how to add a countdown timer widget in WordPress.

7. Offer Free Shipping

Offering free shipping upon purchase during the holiday season can help increase conversions by removing a purchase barrier.

This builds customer loyalty, encourages customers to spend more money, and also creates a sense of urgency because you are offering this service for a limited time only.

You can easily offer free shipping with a purchase using the Advanced Coupons plugin.

Upon activation, all you will have to do is visit the Coupons » Add New page from the WordPress dashboard. This will take you to a new screen where you can start by creating a discount coupon for the holiday season.

After that, simply check the ‘Allow free shipping’ box in the ‘General’ section to enable free shipping for customers who use the discount code on your website.

Allow free shipping in WooCommerce

This will encourage more customers to use your discount coupons and will boost your sales during the holiday.

For more information, you may want to see our tutorial on how to offer a shipping discount in WooCommerce.

8. Run an Email Campaign For the Sale

Email campaigns can also be an effective way to promote your WooCommerce store sales.

You can send personalized emails to your existing customers to let them know about the sale or encourage users to sign up for your newsletter to stay updated about future discount offers.

You can also send automated emails to all your subscribers and launch drip campaigns for further sale promotion. This can create a buzz around your holiday sale and help generate more leads.

You can easily launch an email marketing campaign for your holiday sale by connecting your email marketing service and WordPress site using WP Mail SMTP.

It is the best WordPress SMTP plugin on the market that allows you to properly configure your email settings and improve the overall deliverability rate.

WP Mail SMTP

With WP Mail SMTP, the emails that you send to your customers will never end up in the spam folder, ultimately helping you gain more visitors and revenue for your online store’s holiday sale.

9. Create Attractive Landing Pages

Another way that you can plan and promote your WooCommerce holiday sale is by creating attractive landing pages that represent the holiday.

These landing pages will quickly grab the user’s attention with their visuals and eye-catching colors, encouraging users to take action.

To easily create landing pages in WordPress, you can use SeedProd which is the best page builder plugin on the market.

It comes with a drag-and-drop builder, numerous pre-made templates, and advanced WooCommerce blocks that allow you to create landing pages for online stores in just a few minutes.

The SeedProd page builder plugin for WordPress

First, you’ll need to install and activate the SeedProd plugin. For details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, visit the SeedProd » Landing Pages screen from the WordPress dashboard and click on the ‘Add New Landing Page’ button.

Click the Add New Landing Page button

This will take you to the ‘Choose a New Page Template’ screen where you can select any of the premade templates for your WooCommerce store.

You can easily create a pricing page for your services, a 404 error page, a coming soon page, a products page, or a home page.

Upon making your choice, you will be asked to enter a name for the landing page that you are about to create. Once you do that, click on the ‘Save and Start Editing the Page’ button to continue.

Add a page for the WooCommerce sale

This will launch SeedProd’s drag-and-drop page builder, where you can now start editing your page.

You can add a heading, CTA, dynamic content, images, videos, navigation menu, or anything else you like by dragging and dropping blocks. You can even use the WooCommerce blocks from the left column.

For detailed instructions, you may want to see our beginner’s guide on how to create a landing page in WordPress.

Publish landing page for the holiday sale

Once you are done, simply click the ‘Save’ and ‘Publish’ buttons at the top to launch your page on the store.

Tip: You can even create a fully customized theme for the holidays without using any code with SeedProd. For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to easily create a custom theme in WordPress.

10. Use Surveys and Polls to Plan Holiday Sale

You can also use surveys and polls to plan your holiday sale. These polls can help you learn more about your customers, their shopping habits, and preferences and help you plan a sale according to them.

For example, if most of the customers who filled out the survey form have said that free shipping or a 50% discount on all products encourages them to buy from the store, then you can use these suggestions for your holiday sale as well.

Adding a poll or survey form to your WooCommerce store is the easiest way to gather feedback for your holiday sale plan and make improvements where needed.

You can add polls and survey forms to your website using WPForms which is the best WordPress contact form plugin on the market. It comes with a drag-and-drop builder, spam protection, and numerous pre-made templates.

Keep in mind that you will need the Pro plan of the plugin to unlock the surveys and poll extension.

WPForms

Once you do that, visit the WPForms » Add New page from the WordPress dashboard and select from the multiple Survey or Poll form templates.

WPForms will then load the template in the drag-and-drop builder where you can add, remove, rename, or rearrange fields in a few minutes.

For detailed instructions, check our tutorials on how to create a survey in WordPress and how to create an interactive poll in WordPress.

createsurveyform

If you don’t want to create surveys for your online store, then you can use the UserFeedback plugin. It is the best WordPress feedback plugin on the market that makes it super easy to collect feedback from your users.

It shows a small prompt on the screen that you can use to ask users about their shopping habits and holiday sale preferences.

UserFeedback preview

11. Plan Your Social Media Strategy

When planning a holiday sale, it is important to also build a social media strategy for it. These are tips that you will be using on different social media platforms to drive more traffic to your WooCommerce store.

To develop a solid social media strategy, you will first need to identify your target audience, and then choose the right social media platforms according to it.

For example, if you have a store that sells teen clothes, then you may want to focus on Instagram to target the younger audience.

To do this, you can start selling your products on Instagram as well, add Instagram shoppable images to your store, or add your whole Instagram feed to your WooCommerce store.

Instagram feed preview

Similarly, if you sell home decor products or DIY, then Pinterest is the go-to platform for you.

Once you do that, use a content calendar to plan and schedule your social media posts, create high-quality content, use relevant hashtags and keywords, and then start promoting your holiday sale on the platforms in advance.

You can also offer discounts to your Facebook or Instagram followers, run social media contests, and so much more.

This will help drive traffic to your WooCommerce store from different social media platforms.

For more tips, you can see our complete social media cheat sheet for WordPress.

12. Start an Affiliate Program

Another great way to promote the holiday sale is by starting an affiliate program on your WooCommerce store.

A referral program lets you build partnerships with other small businesses on the market who promote your products or services on their websites to earn a small commission.

This practice can help you reach to a different audience and bring more traffic to your online store, ultimately leading to more conversions.

You can easily create an affiliate program for your store using AffiliateWP. It is the best WordPress affiliate tracking and management software that gives you complete control over your affiliate program.

Plus, it is super cost effective making it a great choice.

AffiliateWP website

For detailed instructions, you may want to see our beginner’s guide on how to easily add an affiliate program in WooCommerce.

Bonus: Spread Holiday Spirit on Your WooCommerce Store

By spreading holiday spirit on your WooCommerce store, you can drive more traffic and generate more leads.

This is because customers are more likely to buy from vendors who have decorated their websites for the holidays and look as excited about the season as they are.

To spread the holiday spirit, you can use free plugins like Christmasify or Christmas Greetings to add jingle music, Santa Claus, gift boxes, and change the fonts of your store for the holidays.

Christmas Greetings preview

This can make your WooCommerce store look more fun and approachable and users are more likely to buy from it.

For more tips, you can see our tutorial on how to spread the holiday spirit on your WordPress site.

We hope this article helped you learn how to plan a holiday sale for your WooCommerce store. You may also want to our tutorial on how to create a sales page in WordPress and our list of amazing holiday gift ideas for bloggers, designers, and developers.

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 Plan a Holiday Sale for Your WooCommerce Store (12 Tips) first appeared on WPBeginner.

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7 Ways to Spread the Holiday Spirit With Your WordPress Site

Are you looking for ways to spread the holiday spirit on your WordPress website?

By promoting different holidays on your website, you can increase user engagement as visitors are more likely to stay and interact with your seasonal content. This can even help boost your profits and sales.

In this article, we will show you how to easily spread the holiday spirit with your WordPress site using plugins and themes.

Ways to spread holiday spirit in WordPress

Why Spread the Holiday Spirit With Your WordPress Site?

Celebrating holidays on your WordPress website can improve your brand image. Customers are more likely to trust your brand if they see you as an approachable and fun-loving company.

Additionally, spreading the holiday spirit can also help drive social media traffic to your website because users are more likely to share content that aligns with holidays during the festive season.

If you have an online store, then promoting different holidays can boost your sales. You can offer seasonal discounts, create gift guides, or run holiday-themed contests to encourage people to shop on your site.

You can also add holiday decorations like snowfall effects, Christmas bells, and lights to your blog. There are many third-party WordPress plugins and themes for the holiday season that you can use on your website to make it look more festive.

That being said, let’s take a look at the best ways to spread the holiday spirit with your WordPress site. You can use the quick links below to jump to our different tips:

  1. Create Seasonal Popups
  2. Run a Holiday Giveaway
  3. Spread Holiday Cheer With Seasonal Landing Pages
  4. Add Christmas Effects to Your Site
  5. Add Falling Snowflakes to Your Website
  6. Create Seasonal Weather Effects
  7. Use a WordPress Holiday Theme

1. Create Seasonal Popups

OptinMonster – The best WordPress popup plugin

OptinMonster is the best lead generation and conversion optimization software on the market.

It allows you to easily create opt-in forms, popups, yes/no opt-ins, and banners using its drag-and-drop builder. The tool basically helps you convert website visitors into customers or email subscribers.

OptinMonster even comes with premade seasonal templates that you can use to create a popup, sidebar, or floating bar and launch a successful campaign.

Once you have installed and activated OptinMonster, just visit the OptinMonster » Templates page from the WordPress dashboard. Here, you will see a list of holidays under the ‘Seasonal’ section in the left column.

You can now select the holiday that you want to promote on your website, and it will show a list of premade templates. For example, you can select the ‘Christmas Savings Sales’ template for your online store.

Choose holiday spirits

This template comes with a countdown timer and works well with the exit-intent technology.

This popup will be shown to your visitors when they are about to leave your website and can help boost your conversions. Plus, the countdown timer can also create a sense of urgency for your holiday sale.

Holiday sale campaign

Similarly, you can also use a slide-in popup, floating bar, or inline banner to promote the holiday by using these premade templates.

You can then easily customize these popups in OptinMonster’s drag-and-drop builder and even connect them to an email marketing service to grow your email list.

Customize the holiday campaign

Apart from that, you can also schedule your Christmas campaign, do A/B testing, perform analytics, and create mobile campaigns, making OptinMonster a great tool for promoting the holiday spirit.

For more details, you can see our guide on how to build your email list with OptinMonster.

2. Run a Holiday Giveaway

RafflePress

Another way to spread the holiday spirit on your website is by hosting a seasonal giveaway. This is a competition where entrants must complete actions like signing up for your email list, commenting on your blog posts, or following you on social media. Then, you give away a product or service for free to the winners.

Many small businesses and WooCommerce stores use giveaways as part of their marketing strategies because they are much more cost-effective than running paid advertisements.

To create a giveaway for your website, we recommend using RafflePress, which is the best WordPress giveaway plugin on the market.

It comes with premade templates and a drag-and-drop interface that makes it super easy to run a holiday giveaway on your website.

All you have to do is add a prize name, start and end time for the giveaway, and then use an image that represents the holiday as the background on the RafflePress popup.

Host a giveaway

Additionally, you can also use other features of RafflePress, like mobile-friendly widgets, viral sharing, fraud protection, and more, to further improve your giveaway.

For more detailed instructions, you may want to see our tutorial on how to run a giveaway in WordPress with RafflePress.

3. Spread Holiday Cheer With Seasonal Web Pages

SeedProd

If you want to create customized pages on your WordPress site that promote holiday cheer, then you can use SeedProd.

It is the best WordPress page builder plugin on the market that comes with a drag-and-drop builder, premade templates, advanced blocks, integrations with email marketing services, and more.

You can create a pricing page, coming soon page, landing page, home page, 404 error page, or even an entire custom theme with SeedProd.

After installing and activating the SeedProd plugin, just visit the SeedProd » Landing Pages section from the admin dashboard and click on the ‘Add New Landing Page’ button.

Click the Add New Landing Page button

This will take you to the ‘Choose a New Page Template’ screen, where you can select any of the premade templates offered by SeedProd.

Once you do that, you will have to add a name and URL for the template and click the ‘Save and Start Editing the Page’ button to continue.

Add page name and URL

SeedProd’s drag-and-drop builder will now open up on the screen, where you will see a block column on the left with a template preview on the right.

You can now change the whole look of the template by adding a different background image, adding a heading block, buttons, videos, and more. In our example, we have created a simple login page.

However, you can add a contact form, giveaways, opt-in form, countdown timer, pricing table, navigation menu, and more to create a landing page that represents the holiday spirit.

Customize the landing page for the holiday spirit

Once you have customized the page, you can click the ‘Connect’ tab at the top and then choose an email marketing service that you want to connect to your landing page.

This can help boost your email list and gain new subscribers for your newsletter.

Choose an email marketing service

For detailed instructions, you can see our tutorial on how to create a landing page in WordPress.

4. Add Christmas Effects to Your Site

Chritmasify

Christmasify is a free WordPress plugin that can be used to create holiday effects on your website. The plugin allows you to add jingle music, a flying Santa Claus, Christmas decorations, fonts, and much more.

Upon installing the plugin, all you have to do is visit the Chrismasify menu tab from the WordPress admin sidebar.

Christmasify settings

Here, you can choose jingle music from the dropdown menu and check the box next to the Christmas effects that you want to add to your WordPress blog.

After that, don’t forget to click the ‘Christmasify My Website’ button to store your settings.

Christmasify plugin preview

5. Add Falling Snowflakes to Your Website

DB Falling Snowflakes plugin

DB Falling Snowflakes is a free WordPress plugin that lets you add falling snowflakes to your website. This can create a festive atmosphere and increase user engagement.

Upon plugin activation, you can visit the DB Snow Flakes menu tab from the WordPress dashboard to configure the start and end dates for the snowflakes.

Choose a start and end date for snowflakes

This way, you won’t be using snowflakes excessively, and they will only start falling on your website on your chosen date.

You can even choose the snowflake size, color, and speed from these settings. For detailed instructions, just see our tutorial on how to add falling snowflakes on your WordPress blog.

Add Snowflakes

6. Create Seasonal Weather Effects

Weather Effect plugin

The Weather Effect plugin is completely free and lets you add falling effects for different seasons, including Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Day, and more.

With the Weather Effect plugin, you can set up falling Christmas bells, Santa, gift boxes, a snowman, autumn leaves, and more. You can even configure the size of all these effects by visiting the Weather Effect menu tab from the WordPress dashboard.

Configure weather effect settings

Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save’ button to store your settings.

You can now visit your WordPress site to view the different effects.

Weather effect plugin preview

7. Use a WordPress Holiday Theme

We don’t usually recommend our users change their WordPress theme for a specific event or holiday season. This is because it can distract from your business’s branding and confuse your visitors.

However, if you have a personal website, then you can change your theme to create a festive atmosphere and increase user engagement.

A holiday theme can help you stand out from your competitors and promote your holiday specials like sales or discount offers.

Here is our handpicked list of the best WordPress themes for the holidays.

Christmas Bell

Christmas Bell theme

Christmas Bell is a free and multipurpose WordPress theme that can be used to give your website a warm and festive atmosphere.

We recommend this theme specifically for Christmas due to its built-in Christmas decoration features like Christmas-themed images, snowflakes, bells, and other elements.

Other features of the Christmas Bell theme include the ability to add a custom logo, featured content slider, header media options, holiday fonts, social media integrations, WooCommerce compatibility, and more.

Overall, the theme adds a fun and festive feel to your WordPress website, making it a great choice for the Christmas season.

Snowflakes

Snowflakes theme

Snowflakes is another free WordPress holiday theme with seasonal photos. It comes with bright colors and a cheerful, festive look.

Snowflakes has multiple color options, navigation menus, image galleries, header media options, hero content, and so much more.

You can use this theme to transform your site for the holidays and create a welcoming environment for your users. We recommend this theme if you have a photography website and want to add some holiday spirit to it.

We hope this article helped you find the best ways to spread the holiday spirit with your WordPress site. You may also want to see our tutorial on how to add Halloween effects to your WordPress website and our expert picks for the best holiday gift ideas for bloggers, designers, and developers.

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 7 Ways to Spread the Holiday Spirit With Your WordPress Site first appeared on WPBeginner.

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How to Create an Online Portfolio Website in WordPress

Looking to create an online portfolio website in WordPress?

The freelance market has grown rapidly. Resumes and LinkedIn profiles are important, but to beat out the opposition, you’ll need a portfolio website to showcase your best work and land more clients.

In this article, we will show you how to easily create an online portfolio website in WordPress, step by step.

How to create an online portfolio website in WordPress

Why Do You Need an Online Portfolio Website?

Think of your online portfolio website as your digital business card.

Portfolios are assets for everyone, including freelancers, job seekers, and small businesses.

Example of portfolio website

While you may think a portfolio is only for artists or creatives, that’s simply not true. They work for any profession, whether you’re a graphic designer, writer, or developer.

It’s a chance to put your best foot forward in your industry. In a nutshell, your website portfolio helps you to stand out from the crowd and build trust. When you design a professional portfolio website, you instantly gain credibility and show off your experience.

Plus, you can optimize your site for search engines based on specific keywords so that more people can find you.

How to Create an Online Portfolio Website in WordPress with SeedProd

You don’t need to learn how to code or write HTML to build your portfolio site. Simply follow our step by step instructions, and you’ll have your website up and running in minutes.

1. Choose a WordPress Host

To start with, you’ll need a domain name and web host. The web host stores your website files and is your site’s home on the internet.

A good web host should be scalable enough to handle demanding sites, offer support in case anything goes wrong, take web security seriously, and have features to keep you safe.

You should also be looking for the fastest WordPress hosting providers, which helps to get your site loading quickly.

Hostinger is the best choice for small businesses that want affordable, beginner-friendly hosting.

Fortunately, Hostinger has agreed to offer our readers a free domain name and up to 78% off on WordPress hosting. You can get started for just $2.69 per month.

To get set up with Hostinger in a few minutes, simply click this button:

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Hostinger Offer ←

If you need help signing up for Hostinger, check out our post on how to get a free domain name, where you find a step by step tutorial.

Once you’ve registered and set up your hosting plan, you can just go into your dashboard and select the ‘Domains’ tab.

From there, you’ll need to enter a new domain name.

Hostinger get a domain

You’ll be prompted to create a new website or migrate an existing website.

For the sake of this tutorial, you can click the ‘Skip, create an empty website.’

Skip website hostinger

Next, click on the ‘Select’ button under ‘Claim a Free Domain.’

You can simply enter the domain name that you want to use for your portfolio website.

Claim free domain

If you need help deciding on a domain name, WPBeginner offers a free business name generator to help you find a company name that is easy to read and promote online.

Of course, if you’re creating a personal portfolio, the easiest thing to do would be to use your first and last name as a domain name. If it’s taken, you can add your profession along with your first name.

For example, if johndoe.com is taken, you might find johndoephotography.com or janedoewriter.com.

Ideally, you should stick to a .com domain extension since it’s the most recognizable and trustworthy for small businesses.

2. Install WordPress

One of the most common mistakes most beginners make is choosing the wrong website platform. Many freelancers or small business owners gravitate towards Squarespace or Wix.

While those are easy to use, they lack tons of functionality, customization, and control.

Using a content management system like WordPress gives you much more flexibility with thousands of designs and addons for your portfolio site. WordPress is free, open-source, and has thousands of pre-built extensions and website designs.

With the right WordPress plugins and themes, you’ll also get the same drag-and-drop builder that makes platforms like Squarespace or Wix so easy to use.

Whether you use Hostinger or another WordPress hosting service like WPEngine or Bluehost, you can follow our guide on how to install WordPress for detailed, step by step instructions.

Next, in your Hostinger dashboard, click on the ‘Admin Panel’ button with the WordPress logo to go to your WordPress website’s dashboard.

You can also go to yoursite.com/wp-admin directly in your browser.

3. Choose a Portfolio Theme

Once you have your WordPress set up, you’re ready to customize your website design by choosing a theme and creating new pages.

For this tutorial, we’ll be using SeedProd to create a theme specifically for portfolio websites.

SeedProd is the best WordPress page builder on the market. It lets you quickly and easily create any type of page without writing a single line of code.

Whether you want to make a portfolio website to land potential clients, start a WordPress blog, or an online store, SeedProd is a one-stop solution that gives you templates tailored to your needs.

You’ll want to install and activate the SeedProd plugin. For more help, see our in-depth guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon installation, you’ll be prompted to complete the setup wizard. You can click ‘Get Started’ and just follow along the step by step instructions so that SeedProd can configure the plugin to best suit your needs.

SeedProd setup wizard

When you’ve completed the setup wizard, head over to SeedProd ≫ Settings and enter your license key. You can find your license key under your accounts page on the SeedProd website.

After entering the information, click on the ‘Verify Key’ button.

Verify key for SeedProd

You will now have access to all of SeedProd’s features.

4. Build Your Portfolio Landing Page

Next, go to SeedProd ≫ Theme Builder.

From there, select the orange button that says ‘Theme Template Kits.’

SeedProd theme builder

You’ll land on a page with a searchable library of WordPress themes to choose from. Type in ‘portfolio’ in the search bar and select the theme template that best fits your website idea.

Also, you may want to search other keywords if you’re in a specific niche. For example, if you are a realtor, you can find real estate WordPress themes on SeedProd.

We’ll be choosing the ‘Freelance Portfolio’ theme, but feel free to pick any theme that fits your needs.

Online portfolio theme in SeedProd

We’ll be creating a one-page portfolio site, where your portfolio page is on the Homepage of your website. This lets you have your portfolio site up and running fast without the hassle of designing multiple pages.

In the WordPress dashboard, head over to Settings ≫ Reading. Next to the Homepage, select the ‘Portfolio’ dropdown to make your portfolio page your Homepage.

Set portfolio page as homepage

Then head back to SeedProd ≫ Theme Builder, and you’ll see a list of all the pages within the theme.

Scroll down and hover over the ‘Portfolio’ page. Then click on ‘Edit Design.’

Edit portfolio page

5. Edit the Portfolio Website

Now it’s time to edit the content and make it your own. You’ll be sent to SeedProd’s visual, drag-and-drop page builder. There are plenty of Standard and Advanced widgets to choose from, such as a headline, text, list, header, featured image, and so on.

Simply drag the widget you want and move it to the exact location you want that element.

Widgets in SeedProd

You can also customize the background to your liking by choosing a solid color, gradient color, or background image.

Just click on the outer layer box, and under ‘Content’ in the sidebar menu, you’ll see options to customize your background.

Background in SeedProd

If you need help working with the SeedProd interface, you can watch our SeedProd video tutorials.

When editing the contents of your main portfolio page, there are several key components you want to include, such as:

Strong Call to Action (CTA): Portfolio sites should have a clear call to action to allow visitors to hire or get in touch with you. The CTA button should be placed both above the fold and at the bottom of your page.

Just find the ‘Button’ box in the left-hand menu and drag it to your page on the right.

Call to action in SeedProd

When editing any element, you must click on the specific element or area you want to customize.

Then, the options for that block appear to the left. As you can see below, the Content tab lets you edit the button text and link it to your contact page or even to an embedded form lower in this same page.

The ‘Templates’ tab lets you choose the button style, and the Advanced tab lets you change the padding, fonts, and more.

Edit button SeedProd

Services you offer: Visitors want to know what you offer so they can be sure you can do what they’re looking for. For instance, as a WordPress developer, do you code custom plugins, offer website customizations, or build websites from scratch?

To create a services section, just add a Column widget and insert an Icon Box for each service we offer.

Then, you can customize the text and icons as needed by clicking on the element and using the sidebar.

Services page in SeedProd

About Me section: Potential customers and clients also want to know more about your background and experience. This is a chance to build a connection with people and showcase why you’re passionate about what you do.

To create an About Me section, all you need to do is add the ‘Image Box’ widget to the page. Then, add a portrait photo of yourself and write a description that tells people more about you.

If you are creating a portfolio for a business or brand, you could use your custom logo here instead.

Author bio in SeedProd

Testimonials: Providing testimonials from previous clients helps to build trust, especially if you’ve worked with reputable brands. Seeing that other people are satisfied with your work gives others the confidence that you can also do a great job.

Simply add the Testimonials widget to your page. Then, you can add a photo of the client and edit their name and testimonial. If you want to add more reviews, click on the ‘Duplicate’ icon next to the person’s name.

Duplicate testimonials in SeedProd

6. Add a Gallery to Showcase Examples of your Work

Creating a portfolio website gives you a chance to showcase all of the awesome work you’ve done. When potential clients see what you can do, they’ll trust that you’re the right person for the job.

To do that, we’ll be using Envira Gallery, which is the best WordPress gallery plugin. While you can use the ‘Advanced Gallery’ widget on SeedProd, Envira Gallery gives you more functionality.

For example, it comes with Lightbox images, meaning when someone clicks on a photo, it automatically displays the full dimensions without needing to crop or resize them. You can even add slideshows and organize your galleries into albums to better categorize your work.

First, install and activate the Envira Gallery plugin. You can follow our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin for detailed instructions.

Head over to Envira Gallery ≫ Add New in the WordPress dashboard. Then, name your gallery in the title bar. From there, click ‘Search Files from Your Computer’ to add images of your portfolio projects.

Add new gallery Envira Gallery

Once you’ve uploaded the portfolio items, scroll down and select the ‘Config’ tab.

Here, you can change the number of gallery columns you want to display. Setting it to ‘Automatic’ will set the number of images to automatically fill each row.

Configurations in Envira Gallery

If you want to change the image sizes, scroll down in the ‘Config’ tab and find the Image Size option.

Select the size that best showcases your portfolio items.

Image size in Envira Gallery

You can also adjust the Lightbox image size so that it displays the original size image when someone clicks on the picture.

Go to the ‘Lightbox’ tab and adjust the Image Size to ‘Original Image.’

Lightbox in Envira Gallery

Scroll up to the top of the page and hit ‘Publish.’ Underneath the publish button, you’ll see a shortcode.

Copy the shortcode so that we can add the gallery to our WordPress portfolio page.

Publish gallery in Envira Gallery

Go back to your portfolio page in SeedProd. Drag and drop the Shortcode block anywhere you’d like on the page.

Then, simply paste the shortcode into the ‘Shortcode’ box in the sidebar menu.

Shortcode in SeedProd

If you want to preview the shortcode, click on the ‘Preview’ button on the top right corner of the page.

This will show you what the entire page looks like.

Preview portfolio website

Here, you should be able to see that your Envira Gallery is embedded in your portfolio site.

With the lightbox feature from Envira Gallery, you can click on each item to see the full image.

Recent projects in SeedProd

7. Add a Contact Form

Now that you’ve reeled in your potential clients, it’s time to get them to contact you. Sure, you can just drop an email in there, but contact forms let them send you a message directly without opening up their email app.

The best way to create a simple and professional contact form is with WPForms.

WPForms form builder

WPForms is the best WordPress form builder that lets you create online contact forms.

To learn how to create a simple contact form for your website so that potential clients can contact you, just follow our step-by-step tutorial on how to create a contact form in WordPress.

Once you’ve completed your form, go back to your portfolio page. You can use the ‘Contact Form’ widget to add a form from WPForms. Under ‘Select a Form,’ choose the one you’ve created.

WPForms in SeedProd

8. Make It Live

If everything looks good, you’re ready to launch your website.

All you have to do is click the arrow under the green ‘Save’ button on the top right corner. Then click ‘Publish.’

Publish portfolio in SeedProd

Go ahead and check the live site.

Everything should appear, including the portfolio gallery, buttons, and contact form.

Portfolio website live example

Once you have a professional-looking portfolio website made, you’re ready to start sending more traffic to your site or nurture interested prospects.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create an online portfolio website in WordPress. We also recommend that you check out our post on how to start a WordPress blog or our guide on how to create an email newsletter.

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 Create an Online Portfolio Website in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

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How to Create a Mobile-Ready Responsive WordPress Menu

Do you want to create a mobile-ready responsive WordPress menu?

More than half of all website traffic comes from mobile devices. If your navigation menu doesn’t work well on smartphone and tablets, then a big chunk of your audience may struggle to find their way around your site.

In this guide, we will show you how to create a mobile-ready responsive WordPress menu.

How to create a mobile-ready responsive WordPress menu

Why Create a Mobile-Ready Responsive WordPress Menu?

A well-designed navigation menu will help visitors find their way around your website. However, just because you menu looks great on desktop computers, doesn’t automatically mean it will look good on smartphones and tablets too.

Mobile users make up around 58% of all internet traffic. That said, if your menu doesn’t look good or work correctly on mobile devices, then you risk losing half your audience. This will make it difficult to achieve key goals such as growing your email list, getting sales, and growing your business.

With that being said, let’s see how you can create a mobile-ready responsive menu that will look great on smartphones and tablets. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use.

Method 1: Create a Mobile-Ready Responsive Slide Panel Menu

A responsive slide panel is a navigation menu that slides onscreen when a visitor taps or clicks on a toggle.

A sliding side panel menu in WordPress

In this way, the menu is always within easy reach but doesn’t take up any onscreen space by default. This is particularly important since smartphones and tablets have much smaller screens compared to desktop computers.

If the menu is constantly expanded, then a mobile user may trigger its links by accident using their device’s touchscreen. This makes slide panels a good choice for a mobile-responsive menu.

The easiest way to add a mobile-ready slide panel is by using Responsive Menu.

Note: There is a premium version of Responsive Menu with extra themes and additional features such as conditional logic. However, in this guide, we’ll use the free plugin since it has everything you need to create a mobile-ready menu.

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the Responsive Menu plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you can use the plugin to customize any WordPress menu you’ve previously created. If you need to create a new menu, then please see our guide on how to add a navigation menu in WordPress.

If your WordPress theme already has a built-in mobile menu, then you’ll need to know that menu’s CSS class so you can hide it. If you skip this step, then mobile users will see two overlapping menus on your website. For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to hide a mobile menu in WordPress.

With that done, go to the Responsive Menu » Menus page and click on the ‘Create New Menu’ button.

Creating a mobile-ready responsive menu

You will now see a few different themes that you can use for your menu.

We’re using the ‘Default Theme’ in our images but you can use any theme you want. After making your decision, click on ‘Next.’

Choosing a template for your navigation menu

You can now type in a name for the menu. This is just for your reference so you can use anything you want.

With that done, click on ‘Link WordPress Menu’ and choose the menu that you want to use.

Adding a responsive menu to a WordPress blog or website

As already mentioned, if your theme already has a built-in mobile menu, then you’ll need to add its CSS class to the ‘Hide Theme Menu’ field.

If you upgrade to the premium plugin, then you’ll get a few additional settings. For example, Pro users can hide the menu on particular pages or devices.

When you’re happy with how the menu is set up, click on ‘Create Menu.’

How to create a mobile-ready menu for your website or blog

You’ll now see a preview of your WordPress website on the right of the screen, and some settings on the left.

To see how your site looks on mobile, click on either the mobile or tablet icon towards the bottom left of the screen.

Previewing a responsive menu on a smartphone or tablet

To customize how the menu looks and acts on mobile devices, select ‘Mobile Menu.’

Then, click on ‘Container.’

Designing a mobile-responsive WordPress navigation menu

Here, you’ll find lots of different settings.

As you make changes, the live preview will often update automatically. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to expand the menu so you can monitor how your mobile menu will look. To do this, simply click on the menu toggle button.

How to preview a mobile menu on desktop

By default, the plugin adds a title and some ‘Add more content…’ text.

You can replace this with your own messaging, or even remove the text completely. To edit the title, click to expand the ‘Title’ section.

Adding a custom title to a navigation menu

You can now type your own messaging into the ‘Title Text’ field.

You can also add a link to the title, or add icon fonts and images.

Customizing the title in a WordPress navigation menu

To customize how the title looks, click on the ‘Styles’ tab.

Here, you can change the background color, the text color, the font size, and more.

Customizing how a menu looks using a free WordPress plugin

If you don’t want to show any title text, then click to deactivate the toggle next to ‘Title.’

If the title isn’t essential, then removing it will create more space for the links and other content in your mobile navigation menu.

Removing the title from a WordPress navigation menu

To replace the ‘Add more content here….’ text with your own messaging, click to expand the ‘Additional Content’ area.

You can now type in your own text, change the text color, change the text alignment, and more by using the settings in the left-hand menu.

Adding your own messaging to a mobile-ready navigation menu

To remove the text completely, simply click to deactivate the toggle.

Once again, this can create more room for the rest of the menu’s content. This is particularly useful on smartphones and tablets, which typically have smaller screens.

Creating a unique menu for a smartphone or tablet

By default, Responsive Menu will show all your menu items as a single list. However, you may prefer to show these links in multiple columns. This can work well if your menu labels are shorter, as it allows you to show more items in a smaller amount of space without the menu looking cluttered.

To try different column layouts, click to expand the ‘Menu’ section.

Expanding the WordPress navigation menu settings

You can now open the ‘Menu container columns’ dropdown and choose the number of columns you want to use.

At this point, you may see some ‘Update Required’ text. If you see this message, then give it a click to update the live preview with your new column settings.

Creating a multi-column menu layout

By default, Responsive Menu adds a search bar to your WordPress menu. This can help visitors find interesting content, but it can also take up precious onscreen space.

If you prefer, then you can remove the search bar for mobile users by deactivating the toggle next to ‘Search.’

Removing a search bar from the WordPress mobile menu

There are lots more settings that you can configure, so you may want to spend some time looking through the other options. However, this is enough to create a well-designed mobile-ready menu.

When you’re happy with how the navigation menu is set up, click on ‘Update.’

Making the mobile-responsive menu live on your website

Now, simply visit your WordPress blog using a mobile device, to see the new menu in action. You can also view the mobile version of your WordPress site from desktop.

Method 2. Create a Mobile-Ready Fullscreen Responsive Menu

Another option is to add a fullscreen responsive menu. This is a menu that automatically adjusts to different screen sizes, so the navigation menu will always look good no matter what device the visitor is using.

Since the menu takes up all the available space, it is easier to navigate on smartphones and tablets, no matter how small the screen.

The easiest way to create a fullscreen menu is by using FullScreen Menu – Mobile Friendly and Responsive. This plugin allows you to create a fullscreen menu for mobile devices only, or you can show the same menu across smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers, so all visitors have the same experience.

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the FullScreen Menu plugin. You can check our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin for more details.

Upon activation, select Fullscreen Menu Options from the WordPress menu and check the following box: ‘Activate Animated Fullscreen Menu.’

Creating a fullscreen menu for smartphones and tablets

We also recommend checking the ‘Show the menu only for Admin users’ box. This allows you to see the changes as you’re configuring the menu, but visitors won’t see the mobile menu until you make it live.

By default, the plugin will show the fullscreen menu on all devices. If you want to show the fullscreen menu on smartphones and tablets only, then check the box next to ‘Mobile only.’

Showing a fullscreen menu on a mobile device

With that done, you’re ready to fine-tune how the menu looks by clicking on the ‘Design / Appearance’ tab.

Here, you can choose the colors, font, and animation settings for the fullscreen menu.

Adding custom colors to a mobile-responsive menu

When making these changes, just be aware that ‘Initial Background Menu’ is the menu’s toggle icon. Meanwhile, ‘Opened Background Menu’ is the color of the expanded, fullscreen mobile menu.

After choosing the menu colors, scroll to the ‘Menu Appearance’ section. Here you can change the menu’s font color, font family, and font size.

Changing the appearance of a mobile navigation menu

Just be aware that loading additional fonts could affect your WordPress site performance and speed. This isn’t always a good choice for mobile devices, which typically have less processing power compared to desktop computers. Some visitors may also have a poor mobile internet connection, which will make your site load even more slowly.

With that done, scroll to ‘Animation Settings.’.

To start, you can choose how the menu will expand when a visitor clicks the toggle icon. Simply open the ‘Animation Type’ dropdown menu and choose an option from the list, such as From Top to Bottom or From Left to Right.

Adding animation effects to a mobile website

When you’re happy with how the menu is set up, it’s time to add some content by clicking on the ‘Menu Content’ tab.

Here, go ahead and open the ‘Select Menu’ dropdown and choose the menu that you want to show fullscreen.

Creating a mobile-responsive WordPress menu

If you haven’t created a navigation menu yet, then check out our guide on how to add navigation menus in WordPress.

If you want to show additional content in the menu, then you can add it in the ‘Free HTML / Shortcodes’ box. This acts as a mini page editor so you can type in text, change the formatting, add bullet points and numbered lists, and more.

Adding shortcodes and HTMTL to your website's navigation

There’s also a checkbox that will add a link to your privacy policy page. 

Next, you might like to add social media icons to your WordPress menu. These icons will appear in a row at the bottom of the fullscreen menu.

An example of a fullscreen mobile menu

To add these icons, simply click to expand the ‘Social Icon 1’ box.

You can now type in a title for the icon, such as ‘Facebook.’

Adding social icons to your blog or website

After that, click on the arrow next to ‘Social Icon’ and choose the icon that you want to show to mobile visitors.

Finally, type the address you want to use into the ‘Social URL’ field.

Adding Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms to your website or blog

To add more icons, simply click the ‘Add Another Icon’ button.

Finally, you may want to add a WordPress search bar to help visitors find what they’re looking for. To do this, simply check the box next to ‘Add Search Bar.’

How to add a search bar to your mobile website

By default, the plugin will show a ‘Search something…’ message. However, you can replace this with your own custom messaging by typing into the ‘Search input placeholder’ field.

For example, if you run a WooCommerce store then you may want to use text such as ‘Start shopping’ or ‘Search for products.’

When you’re happy with how the menu is set up, click on the ‘Save Changes’ button.

Making a mobile responsive menu live on your website

Now, simply visit your website using a mobile device to see the fullscreen menu in action.

You can also preview the mobile version of your website using the WordPress theme customizer.

Bonus: How to Add a Mobile-Responsive Menu to Landing Pages

If you’re creating a landing page or sales page, then you’ll want the design to look just as good on mobile devices as it does on desktop.

With that in mind, we recommend creating the page using SeedProd. SeedProd is the best page builder plugin and comes with more than 180 professionally-designed templates.

Choosing a SeedProd template

After creating a design using SeedProd, you can add a mobile-responsive menu to the page using SeedProd’s ready-made Nav Menu block. This block allows you to create separate menus for both menu devices and desktop.

In this way, you can use a different layout and even show different links depending on the user’s device.

To learn more, please see our guide on how to add custom navigation menus in WordPress.

After adding the Nav block to your design, simply click on the ‘Advanced’ tab.

Creating mobile responsive navigation using SeedProd

Here, click to expand the ‘Device Visibility’ section.

After that, click on the ‘Hide on Desktop’ toggle to activate it. Now, this menu will only appear on mobile devices.

Creating a mobile responsive menu using SeedProd

You can now add links and change the menu’s layout using the settings in the left-hand menu.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create a mobile-ready responsive WordPress menu. You may also want to see our guide on how to increase your blog traffic, or see 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 How to Create a Mobile-Ready Responsive WordPress Menu first appeared on WPBeginner.

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How to Fix Blank Site Editor Issue in WordPress (Step by Step)

Are you seeing a blank screen when you try to use the full site editor in WordPress?

The WordPress full site editor allows you to customize your website’s theme, including its header, footer, and page templates. However, some users are just seeing a blank screen when trying to open the site editor.

In this article, we will show you how to fix the blank site editor issue in WordPress.

How to Fix Blank Site Editor Issue in WordPress

What Is the Blank Site Editor Issue in WordPress?

The full site editor in WordPress is an editing interface that works with block themes and gives you more control over your website design. It allows you to use blocks for styling your website’s header, footer, sidebar, and other sections.

You can access it by selecting Appearance » Editor from the WordPress admin sidebar whenever you wish to customize your WordPress theme.

The WordPress Full Site Editor

However, some users report seeing a blank screen whenever they try to access the site editor.

Some users just see a completely blank screen. That screen may be dark or light in color.

Completely Blank Site Editor

This issue is caused by incorrect WordPress settings. We will show you how to fix it in Method 1.

Other users can see part of the site editor’s interface, but the preview of their website is blank. They might also see a spinning circle indicating that the editor is trying to load the preview, but it never appears.

Blank Site Editor Preview

This happens when someone has disabled the REST API in WordPress. We show you how to fix this issue in Method 2.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how to fix the blank site editor in WordPress. You can use the links below to jump to the method you need to use:

  1. Fixing the Blank Site Editor Issue in WordPress Settings
  2. Fixing the Blank Site Editor Issue by Enabling the REST API
  3. Alternative: Using a Page Builder Plugin to Design Your Website

Fixing the Blank Site Editor Issue in WordPress Settings

If you are seeing a completely blank screen when you try to use the site editor, then you have a problem with the URL settings on your WordPress website.

First, you need to navigate to Settings » General in your dashboard. Now, you need to find the ‘WordPress Address (URL)’ and ‘Site Address (URL)’ settings.

The General Settings Page in WordPress

You need to make sure that the site address matches the WordPress address.

In particular, you need to make sure that if the WordPress address has a www or non-www URL, then the site address matches that exactly. In our screenshot above, these do not match, so ‘www.’ needs to be removed from the site address URL.

Once the two settings are identical, you need to scroll to the bottom of the General Settings page and click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

You can now open up the site editor again, and it should work.

Fixing the Blank Site Editor Issue by Enabling the REST API

If the site editor is not loading a preview of your website, then the REST API might be disabled on your WordPress website.

What Is the REST API in WordPress?

The REST API was introduced in WordPress 4.4. It is useful for plugin developers because it provides an interface where they can access WordPress functionality and data to build their plugins.

The REST API is enabled by default, and the site editor uses it to render a preview of your website. So, if you have disabled the REST API on your website, then the site editor won’t be able to show a preview of your site.

Some website owners choose to disable the REST API in the hope of improving their site’s security and performance. They may have followed our guide on how to disable the JSON REST API in WordPress.

Our guide shows you how to disable the REST API using two methods: adding a code snippet in WPCode or installing the Disable REST API plugin.

To enable the REST API again, you will need to disable that code snippet or plugin, depending on which method you originally chose.

Disabling the REST API Code Snippet in WPCode

If you used WPCode to disable the REST API, then you need to navigate to Code Snippets in WordPress admin.

Once there, you need to find the ‘Disable WordPress REST API’ snippet and switch the ‘Status’ toggle off.

Deactivating a Code Snippet in WPCode

Alternatively, if you disabled the REST API by adding code directly to your functions.php file instead of using WPCode, then you will need to open that file using an FTP client or the file manager app in your hosting dashboard.

Then, you must edit the file and remove the custom code.

Edit functions.php file

You should now be able to access the site editor and see the preview of your website.

Disabling the Disable REST API Plugin

If you used a plugin to disable the REST API, then you need to navigate to Plugins » Installed Plugins.

Once there, you need to scroll down to the plugin and click the ‘Deactivate’ link. In our example, we are working with the Disable REST API plugin, but you will use the same method if you have a different plugin installed.

Deactivating a WordPress Plugin

You can now open up the site editor, and it should be working properly again.

Alternative: Using a Page Builder Plugin to Design Your Website

While the full site editor is a helpful tool for designing your website, it has some limitations. It is only available with block themes, and you will lose your customizations if you change your theme.

By contrast, WordPress page builders like SeedProd provide a drag-and-drop interface where you can design all your individual pages using blocks. They are compatible with any WordPress theme, and you can change your theme without losing your customizations.

You can get started by choosing a template/site kit or building completely from scratch.

Choose SeedProd website kit template

You can even use SeedProd to design an entire theme for your website. For more details, you can see our guide on how to create a custom WordPress theme without writing any code.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to fix the blank site editor issue in WordPress. You may also want to see our guide to the most common WordPress errors and how to fix them or our expert pick of the best drag-and-drop page builder plugins to design your website more easily.

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 Fix Blank Site Editor Issue in WordPress (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.

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How to Display Different Sidebar for Each Post and Page in WordPress

Do you want to display different sidebars for certain posts and pages on your WordPress site?

A lot of the time, you will want to show the same sidebar across your entire website or blog. However, sometimes you may need to show different sidebar content on some of your posts and pages.

In this article, we will show you how to create and display different sidebars for each post and page in WordPress.

How to Display Different Sidebar for Each Post and Page in WordPress

When Would You Need Different Sidebars in WordPress?

Many WordPress themes have a sidebar where you can add useful widgets and content. For example, many sites add a search bar to the sidebar or show a list of recent posts.

If your WordPress theme has a sidebar, then by default, it will look the same on all your posts, pages, categories, and archive pages.

However, you may want to display different sidebar widgets on certain posts and pages.

For example, you might show different content in the sidebar of your most popular posts or display ads that are more relevant to a particular page.

You could even use different contact forms depending on the page’s content.

Having said that, let’s see how to create and display a different sidebar for each post and page in WordPress. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use:

Method 1: Displaying Different Sidebars for Each Post and Page in WordPress (Easy)

If your theme supports sidebar widgets, then you can easily create multiple sidebars using Lightweight Sidebar Manager. This plugin lets you build as many custom sidebars as you want and then assign them to different posts and pages. You can also add them to custom post types or assign a sidebar to all the pages or posts that have a specific category.

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the Lightweight Sidebar Manager plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to go to Appearance » Sidebars. To create the first sidebar, click on the ‘Add New’ button.

Adding custom sidebars to your WordPress website

You can now type in a title for the sidebar. This is just for your reference, so you can use anything you want.

With that done, open the ‘Sidebar To Replace’ dropdown menu and choose the location where you want to show the sidebar. The options you see may vary depending on your WordPress theme. 

Replacing the built-in sidebar provided by your WordPress theme

Now, you can control where the sidebar appears by creating inclusion or exclusion rules. 

To create an inclusion rule, just open the ‘Display On’ dropdown and choose the pages, posts, custom post types, or categories where you want to use the sidebar. 

For example, you might add the sidebar to a specific page, such as your 404 error page or the author archive.

Adding a custom sidebar to the WordPress 404 page

Another option is using the sidebar for a particular page, post, or category by selecting ‘Specific Pages/Posts/Taxonomies.’

This adds a box where you can type in the page, post, or category.

Creating a custom sidebar for WordPress categories

To create more inclusion rules, simply click on the ‘Add Display’ Rule button.

This adds a section where you can create the new inclusion rule.

Adding display rules for custom sidebars in WordPress

If you prefer, then you can create exclusion rules instead. For example, you may want to show the sidebar on every page except the homepage. 

You can also combine inclusion and exclusion rules to control exactly where the sidebar appears on your WordPress website.

To create an exclusion rule, just click on the ‘Add Exclusion Rule’ button.

Displaying different sidebars for pages and posts in WordPress

In the new ‘Do Not Display On’ section, open the dropdown menu and select the page or post that shouldn’t use this sidebar. 

You can also exclude the sidebar from pages that have a specific category by following the same process described above.

Displaying different sidebar for each page and post in WordPress

After deciding where the sidebar will appear on your WordPress blog, you may want to show different content to different users.

For example, if you have a membership site, then you might use a different sidebar for visitors compared to logged-in members. 

To do this, open the ‘User’ dropdown and choose a role from the dropdown menu. Now, only people with this specific user role will see the sidebar. 

Displaying different sidebar widgets on each WordPress page or post

Finally, you may want to type in an optional description. This will only appear in the WordPress dashboard, so it’s a good way to share information with other admins or users on a multi-author WordPress blog. 

If you are going to create lots of sidebars, then you can also use this field to leave yourself notes and helpful reminders.

Adding a helpful description to a custom sidebar in WordPress

When you are happy with the information you have entered, simply click on ‘Publish.’

With that done, go to Appearance » Widgets. You will now see all the widget-ready areas that your theme supports by default, plus the new sidebar you created in the previous step.

Adding content to a sidebar or similar widget-ready area

You can now go ahead and add widgets to the sidebar, just like any other widget-ready area. 

For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to add and use widgets. 

Adding content to a custom WordPress sidebar

When you are happy with how the sidebar is set up, click on ‘Update.’

Now, if you visit your WordPress blog, you will see the new sidebar live.

An example of a custom WordPress sidebar, created using a plugin

To create more custom sidebars, simply keep repeating these steps. 

Method 2: Creating a Different Sidebar With a Page Builder Plugin (Works With Any WordPress Theme)

If your theme doesn’t support sidebars, then you can still create different sidebars using a drag and drop page builder plugin.

SeedProd is the best landing page builder plugin for WordPress. With this plugin, you can create any type of custom page without writing any code. It also has dozens of professional site kits and templates that you can easily edit and fine-tune using the drag-and-drop builder.

When designing a custom page, you can choose a layout that has a sidebar.

Choose a Layout with a Sidebar

You then simply find the blocks you want to show in that sidebar and add them using drag and drop.

SeedProd has all the blocks and features you’d expect from a powerful page builder, such as optin forms, social profiles, countdown timers, contact forms, buttons, various content blocks, and more. This makes it easy to create powerful and unique sidebars for your WordPress blog.

Drag the Blocks You Wish to Use Right onto the Sidebar

To learn how to use the SeedProd page builder plugin on your website, you can see our guide on how to create a custom page in WordPress.

We hope this article helped you learn how to add different sidebars to each post or page in WordPress. You may also want to learn how to create a custom Instagram feed in WordPress or see our expert picks for the best block themes for full site editing.

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 Display Different Sidebar for Each Post and Page in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

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How to Sell Car Parts Online With WordPress (Step by Step)

Are you looking for a way to sell car parts online on your WordPress website?

If you have an automotive business, then a website is a great way to reach new customers. It can also improve the customer experience by allowing car owners to look through your entire catalog and order auto parts online.

In this article, we will show you how to sell car parts online with WordPress.

How to sell car parts online with WordPress

Which Is the Best Website Builder to Sell Car Parts Online?

There are many website builders that you can use to sell car parts online, but we recommend using WordPress.

According to our blogging research statistics, WordPress is the most popular website platform in the world. It powers nearly 43% of all websites, including many of the top eCommerce websites.

WordPress is also open-source and free, so you will have bigger profit margins. For more on this topic, see our article on why WordPress is free.

However, just be aware there are two types of WordPress software. First, there is WordPress.com, which is a blog hosting platform. Then, there is WordPress.org, which is also known as self-hosted WordPress.

For a detailed comparison, please see our guide on the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

For an eCommerce site, we recommend using WordPress.org because it gives you complete ownership of your website and online store. You can also install third-party plugins, including the popular WooCommerce eCommerce plugin.

According to our WordPress market share report, WooCommerce is used by 8.8% of all websites, which makes it more popular than Shopify for online stores and eCommerce sites.

To learn more about why we recommend WordPress to all our readers, please see our complete WordPress review.

We will now show you how to sell car parts online with WordPress. You can use the quick links below to jump to the different parts of the article:

Step 1: Set Up Your Auto Parts Website

To start selling car parts online, you will need a domain name and web hosting.

A domain name is your store’s address on the internet. This is what customers will type into their browsers to reach your website, such as www.carparts.com or www.buyautoparts.com.

Web hosting is where your site lives online. To help you find the right hosting for your business, we have created a complete list of the best WordPress hosting that you can buy.

Although the WordPress software is free, hosting and domain names are where the costs can really start to add up.

A domain name typically costs $14.99/year, and hosting costs start from $7.99/month. This can make it difficult if you are a new business or have a limited budget.

Thankfully, Bluehost is offering our readers 60% off web hosting, plus a free domain name. Bluehost is one of the largest hosting companies in the world and an official WordPress-recommended hosting partner.

They are also offering our users a free SSL certificate. If you want to sell car parts online, then an SSL certificate is essential for keeping customer credit and debit card information safe.

You can click the button below to get started for as little as $2.75 per month.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

Once on the Bluehost website, click the green ‘Get Started Now’ button.

The Bluehost web hosting website

This will bring you to the Bluehost pricing page, where you can choose a hosting plan for your auto part business.

We recommend choosing a Basic or Plus plan, as they are the most popular web hosting plans among our readers.

Bluehost's pricing plans

After selecting a plan, click on ‘Continue.’

On the next screen, you will need to choose a domain name.

Choosing a domain name for an automotive store

Ideally, your domain name will be easy to pronounce, spell, remember, and relate to your business. The name of your auto parts business is a great place to start, but sometimes that domain may already be taken by another business website.

In that case, you can try extending the domain name by adding your location, what makes your auto parts business unique, or some extra keywords. If you need some inspiration, then check out our guide on how to choose the best domain name.

After choosing a name, click on the ‘Next’ button to continue.

Now you will need to provide your account information, such as your name and business email address. After that, 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.

Bluehost package extras

After that, type in your payment information to complete the purchase.

After a few moments, you will get an email with instructions on how to log in to your web hosting control panel. This is your hosting account dashboard, where you can manage your car parts website, including setting up email notifications and asking for WordPress support.

It’s also where you will install the WordPress software, so let’s do that now.

Step 2: Create a New WordPress Website

If you sign up with Bluehost using our link, then Bluehost installs WordPress on your domain name automatically.

If you want to create a different WordPress website, then go ahead and click on the ‘My Sites’ tab in the Bluehost dashboard.

After that, you need to click on the ‘Add Site’ button and select ‘Create New Site.’

Creating a new WordPress website with Bluehost

The Bluehost wizard will now walk you through the setup process.

First, you will need to type in a site title and an optional tagline.

Adding a site title and tagline to WordPress

When you are ready, just click on the ‘Next’ button to continue.

After that, Bluehost will ask you to choose a domain name and path for your car parts website. If you already own a domain name, then go ahead and select it from the dropdown menu.

Selecting a domain name for an automotive parts website

If you don’t have a domain name, then you can buy one by visiting the ‘Domains’ page inside the Bluehost dashboard.

After choosing a domain name, you can leave the directory path blank and let Bluehost fill it in for you.

The installer will also show a few plugins that you may want to install on your car parts website, including WPForms. Many of these are must-have WordPress plugins that can help you grow your business and get more sales, so we recommend installing them.

When you are ready, click on the ‘Next’ button, and the installer will set up your car parts website. Once it’s finished, you will see a ‘WordPress installed successfully’ message with information about your new website.

You can now go ahead and click on the ‘Log into WordPress’ button, which takes you to your site’s admin dashboard.

How to create a car parts website with WordPress

You can also log in to the WordPress dashboard by going to yoursite.com/wp-admin/ in your web browser.

If you are using a different WordPress website host, such as SiteGround, Hostinger, HostGator, or WP Engine, then you can see our complete guide on how to install WordPress for all the top hosting providers.

Now that you have successfully set up WordPress, you are ready to start building your automotive parts website.

Step 3: Choose a WordPress Theme

WordPress themes are professionally-designed templates that change how your automotive website looks and acts.

By default, each WordPress site comes with a basic theme. If you visit your website now, then you will see something like the following image.

An example of a default WordPress theme

If you want to make a great first impression with customers and get more sales, then it’s a good idea to replace the default WordPress theme.

There are lots of different premium and free WordPress business themes to choose from. You can generally categorize these as niche industry themes or multipurpose WordPress themes.

Your typical automotive website needs special features, like the ability to show listings, support for popular eCommerce plugins, and a VIN decoder tool.

With that in mind, it makes sense to look for a theme that’s designed for the car industry. To help you out, we have collected the best WordPress themes for car dealerships and the best themes for auto repair.

You can also use a website and landing page builder plugin like SeedProd.

The SeedProd page builder plugin

SeedProd is the best drag and drop WordPress page builder and comes with built-in templates that you can use to create a professionally-designed car parts website.

It even has a template that’s designed specifically for the car industry.

How to sell car parts online with SeedProd

Once you have chosen a theme, check out our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress theme. After installing your theme, you can customize it by going to Appearance » Customize in the WordPress dashboard.

This will open the theme customizer, where you can fine-tune the theme settings and see your changes instantly, thanks to the live preview.

The WordPress theme customizer

If you are using one of the newer full site editing themes, then you can customize your theme by going to Appearance » Editor. This launches the full site editor, which uses blocks similar to the content editor.

Pro Tip: No matter which theme you are using, you can’t edit it by default using advanced drag and drop. For that reason, we recommend using a page builder like SeedProd instead.

Step 4: Create a Custom Home Page

WordPress has two default content types called posts and pages.

You will typically use posts to create articles and blogs. By default, the home page will show these posts in reverse chronological order, so the newest content appears at the top of the home page.

An example of a car parts blog

Blogging can help you build a stronger relationship with your customers, improve your WordPress SEO, and get more traffic to your automotive website.

For example, you might share tips on how to diagnose common car problems or blog about the latest industry trends.

However, even if you plan to blog, you typically don’t want to show those posts on your automotive website’s home page. Instead, we recommend creating a custom home page that introduces your car parts business to potential new customers.

For step-by-step instructions on how to create an attention-grabbing auto parts home page, please see our guide on how to create a custom home page in WordPress.

Once you are happy with how the page looks, it’s time to set it as your home page. To do this, head over to Settings » Reading in the WordPress dashboard.

The WordPress reading settings

On this screen, you need to scroll to ‘Your homepage settings’ and select ‘A static page.’

With that done, just open the ‘Homepage’ dropdown and choose the page you want to use.

The WordPress homepage settings

After that, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on ‘Save Changes.’ Now, if you visit your auto parts website, then you will see the new home page in action.

If you are going to write blogs, then you should also make sure to create a separate blog page to show your posts.

Step 5: Set Up an eCommerce Plugin

WordPress doesn’t have eCommerce features by default, so you will need a plugin to sell car parts online. The easiest way to sell physical products is by using WooCommerce.

WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce plugin in the world and has everything you need to sell car parts online.

First, you will need to install and activate the WooCommerce plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you will see the WooCommerce setup wizard. The first thing you will need to do is type in your store’s location.

The WooCommerce setup wizard

After that, click on the ‘Continue’ button.

On the next screen, you can select your industry. Since you are going to sell car parts online, you will typically want to check the box next to ‘Other.’

After that, type your industry into the ‘Description’ field.

How to sell car parts online with WooCommerce

With that done, click on ‘Continue.’

You can use WooCommerce to sell all kinds of products, including digital downloads, bookings, and WooCommerce subscriptions.

However, since you are selling automotive parts, make sure to check the ‘Physical products’ box.

The WooCommerce setup wizard

When you are happy with the information you have entered, click on ‘Continue.’

With that done, you can choose how many products you plan to sell and whether you are currently selling anywhere else.

How to create an online store with WooCommerce

After entering this information, just click on the ‘Continue’ button.

The setup wizard will now recommend some business features that you can add to your online store. These features are free, so we recommend selecting the following checkbox ‘Add recommended business features to my site.’

Adding recommended features to an online store

When you are happy with the information you have entered, simply click on ‘Continue’ to set up your online store.

Step 6: Set Up Shipping for Your Car Parts

Next, you can add shipping options by going to WooCommerce » Settings.

The WooCommerce settings screen

Here, you need to click on the ‘Shipping’ tab.

With that done, select ‘Add shipping zone.’

How to add shipping to an online store

On the next screen, type in a name for the zone and select one or more regions from the dropdown menu.

Once you have done that, simply click on the ‘Add shipping method’ button.

How to set up WooCommerce shipping

Now, you will see different shipping methods in the dropdown menu. You can choose between a flat rate, free shipping, or even offer local pickup.

Select your preferred shipping method and click ‘Add shipping method.’

Adding shipping methods to an online automotive store

WooCommerce will now add your chosen shipping method to the shipping zone.

To configure the shipping method, simply hover over it and then click the ‘Edit’ button.

Editing shipping methods to a WooCommerce automotive store

You will see a popup with more settings you can use. 

The settings will vary depending on the shipping method you choose. For example, if you select ‘Flat rate’, then you can change the method title, add a tax status, and enter the total shipping cost.

How to set up flat rate shipping in WooCommerce

After entering this information, go ahead and click on ‘Save changes.’

You can create as many shipping zones as you want by repeating these steps.

Step 7: Set Up Payments for Your Car Parts Business

Next, you need to add payment options so that customers can buy your car parts online. To get started, head over to WooCommerce » Settings and select the ‘Payments’ tab.

Adding payment methods to an auto parts website

This opens a screen with all the different payment methods and WooCommerce payment gateways that you can use.

Simply find the method you want to enable and click on its ‘Finish set up’ button.

How to sell car parts online in WordPress

You can now set up this payment method by following the onscreen instructions.

When you are finished, don’t forget to click on the ‘Save changes’ button.

How to accept credit card payments in WordPress

To make the payment method live on your site, click on the ‘Payments’ tab.

Then, simply click on the method’s toggle so it turns from grey (disabled) to purple (enabled).

Enabling WooCommerce payments

To get more sales in your online store, you may want to offer multiple payment methods. For example, you might accept credit card payments on your WordPress site, plus cash on delivery.

To add more payment methods, simply follow the same process described above.

Step 8: Create Product Attributes and Attribute Terms

By default, WooCommerce creates each product as a ‘Simple Product.’ However, you will probably want to offer the same car part for multiple models or brands.

The easiest way to do this is by creating a variable product. This allows customers to visit a single product listing and then choose the right product variation for their car, as you can see in the following image.

How to sell car parts online with WordPress

To create variable products, you will first need to set up attributes and attribute terms.

For example, if you are selling tires, then you might make a ‘Season’ attribute and then add ‘Winter’ and ‘Summer’ as the attribute terms.

This will allow customers to choose between winter tires and summer tires.

An example of a car part, created using WordPress and WooCommerce

You might also create a ‘Model’ attribute and then add each car model as an attribute term.

By adding attributes and attribute terms to your online store in advance, you will find it easier to create variable products later.

With that being said, head over to Products » Attributes. You can now type a title for the attribute into the ‘Title’ field. This will appear on your product pages, so make sure you use something descriptive.

Adding product attributes to an online store

For more on this topic, see our guide on how to add product attributes to WooCommerce.

When you are happy with the information you have entered, click on ‘Add attribute.’

Adding car parts as a variable product

This attribute will now appear towards the right of the screen.

Next, go ahead and click on the ‘Configure terms’ link.

Configuring terms for a variable product

This brings up a screen similar to the main attribute screen, where you can start adding attribute terms.

To start, type the term’s title into the ‘Name’ field.

Adding terms to an eCommerce store

When you are happy with the information you have typed in, just click on the ‘Add new…’ button.

Simply repeat the above steps to create more attribute terms. You can also create as many product attributes as you want and then add unique terms to those attributes.

Examples of product attributes, created using a WordPress eCommerce plugin

Step 9: Add Your Car Part Products

After creating some product attributes and terms, you are ready to start adding car parts to your online store. You can add each product manually or import WooCommerce products from a template, CSV file, or another service.

In this guide, we will show you how to add car parts to your store manually, so start by going to Products » Add New.

On this screen, start by typing in the product name. This will appear at the top of the product page, so visitors will be able to see it.

Adding a car part to an online store

After that, type in a description and add a product image.

If you want to show multiple images, then you can click on ‘Add product gallery images.’ You can even add interactive 360-degree images in WordPress.

Adding car part product images

After that, it’s a good idea to add categories and tags to the product. These will help customers find the right products on your car parts site, like categories and tags for WordPress pages.

Simply click on the ‘Add new category’ link and then create a new category for the car part you are adding.

Adding car part product categories to an online store

After that, you can type each tag into the ‘Product tags’ box and click on ‘Add.’

To add multiple product categories and tags, simply repeat the same steps described above.

Adding product tags to a car part product

After that, scroll to the ‘Product Data’ box.

To create a variable product, simply click on the dropdown that shows ‘Simple product’ by default. Then, select ‘Variable product.’

Adding variable products to an automotive website

You can now select the product type, add pricing, shipping costs, grouped products, and other information.

After entering all this information, you are ready to create variations by selecting the ‘Attributes’ tab. Here, open the ‘Add existing’ dropdown menu.

Adding existing attributes to a variable product

You can now go ahead and select the product attribute you want to use.

In the ‘Value(s)’ field, type in each term you want to use. When the right term appears, click to add it to the product.

Adding values to a product variable

With that done, click on the ‘Save attributes’ button.

To add more product attributes and terms, simply repeat the above steps.

WooCommerce's product data settings

With that done, click on the ‘Variations’ tab.

On this screen, go ahead and click on ‘Generate variations.’

Generating variations for a car part website

WooCommerce will now create variations using all the attributes you added to the product.

To set up each variation, click on its ‘Edit’ link.

Editing a variable car part product

You can now add the variation’s price, upload an image, set the shipping options, and more using the settings in this section.

Simply repeat this process to configure each product variation.

Configuring a vehicle part product

There are lots more settings you can use to fine-tune the variable product. However, this is all you need to add a car part to your online store.

When you are ready to make the product live, go ahead and click on the ‘Publish’ button.

Publishing a car part product to a WordPress website

If you visit your online store, you will see the variable product live.

To add more car parts to your online store, simply repeat these steps.

Step 10: Add a Contact Us Form

Customers might sometimes need to talk to you directly. For example, they may want to find out when a particular part will be back in stock or get some advice on a mechanical problem.

While visitors could call your business phone number, it’s still a good idea to add a contact form to your website.

An example of a contact form, on a car parts website

Most of the best contact form plugins come with built-in spam protection, so you won’t get any contact form spam. A form will also collect consistent information, so you will have all the data you need to write a helpful reply.

The easiest way to create a contact form is by using the free WPForms plugin. This plugin has a built-in Simply Contact Form template that you can quickly customize using the drag and drop editor.

A contact form, created using WPForms

After that, just add the form to any page, post, or widget-ready area using the ready-made WPForms block.

For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to create a contact form in WordPress.

Step 11: Add a Navigation Menu

After adding some content to your car parts website, you will want to help visitors find their way around those pages and posts by adding a navigation menu.

An example of a WordPress navigation menu

No matter which theme you are using, it’s easy to add menus and sub-menus to your automotive website.

For a complete guide, please see our post on how to add a navigation menu.

Adding a menu to your car parts website

WooCommerce has a built-in search feature, but it’s not very good at finding products. It doesn’t look for matches in product attributes, reviews, custom fields, or product descriptions.

By replacing the default search with a smarter and faster search, you can help customers find the exact car parts they need. This will improve the customer experience and help you get more sales.

The easiest way to create a smart WooCommerce product search is by using SearchWP. SearchWP is the best WordPress search plugin on the market and puts you in complete control of the WordPress search algorithm.

The SearchWP search plugin for WordPress

By default, SearchWP will look at the product title, content (description), slug, and excerpt (short description) for matches. 

Plus, you can customize the SearchWP settings to look for matches in custom fields, taxonomies, customer reviews, product tags, and more.

A smart WooCommerce product search, created using SearchWP

For more information, please check out our guide on how to make a smart WooCommerce product search.

Step 12: Display Customer Reviews

Reviews are some of the best ways to earn customer trust and convince visitors to buy car parts from your website. After all, we are more likely to buy things that we see other people buying, using, or recommending.

If you already have reviews on platforms like Facebook, Yelp, and Google, then it’s easy to display them on your WordPress site using Smash Balloon Reviews Feed Pro.

Car part reviews, displayed using Smash Balloon

Reviews Feed Pro is one of the best customer review plugins for WordPress that you can use.

It will collect reviews automatically and then organize them into a nice layout on your automotive website. You can also completely customize the review feed so that it perfectly fits with your site.

The Reviews Pro WordPress plugin, by Smash Balloon

For more details, please see our guide on how to show Google, Facebook, and Yelp reviews.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to sell car parts online with WordPress. You may also want to learn how to create a WooCommerce popup to increase sales or check out our list of 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 Car Parts Online With WordPress (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.