90+ Impressive eCommerce Statistics You Won’t Believe (2024)

Are you ready to see some eCommerce statistics that will help you take your online business to the next level? 

It’s safe to say that in the last 20 years, eCommerce has grown beyond our wildest expectations. And it’s still evolving faster than ever. If you want to keep your customers happy and build a relationship with new prospects, you need to stay current on the latest stats and insights.

In this post, we will share some of the best and most relevant eCommerce statistics of 2024. Our goal is to help you stay informed and make meaningful, data-driven decisions the next time you work on your website or marketing strategy. 

eCommerce statistics

Ultimate List of eCommerce Statistics

Before we get started, here’s a list of all the topics we will be discussing today. Feel free to jump to the part that catches your attention or read the whole thing from top to bottom!

General eCommerce Statistics

First, let’s start with some statistics about the general state of eCommerce and online stores.

1. Globally, there are over 12 million eCommerce websites.

Over 12 million eCommerce websites might sound like a saturated market at first glance. But you will be happy to know the answer is a little more complex than that. 

While competition is fierce for online stores, this statistic also shows that this is a growing market and there’s room for new business owners across all industries. The keys to success are to choose your target audience, cater to their goals, needs, and pain points, and create a website that separates you from everyone else. 

By catering to a specific audience and offering a unique, memorable customer experience, you can carve out your own spot in the eCommerce world. Remember, even giants like Amazon started small, so there’s room for you to succeed, too.

2. More than 80% of US shoppers say they occasionally buy from eCommerce stores.

More than 80% of US shoppers say they occasionally buy from eCommerce stores.

If your goal is to get more customers, then this statistic is very exciting. Business owners across all industries can be sure that their audience is out there and interested in their products and services. All they have to do is reach them. 

If you’re in this position, make sure you start an online store with a blog and write plenty of great content so people have a reason to stay once they discover your site. 

Think about it this way: four out of every five in a population of 331.1 million is about 265 million people! And that’s just in the United States.

3. It’s estimated that the eCommerce market will be worth $6.8 trillion by the end of this year, an almost 10% increase year over year.

The eCommerce market share is currently projected to hit a whopping $6.8 trillion by year’s end – that’s a 10% leap from last year! 

This huge growth is fantastic news for both established businesses and those just starting out. 

For veterans, it means a bigger customer pool to tap into. With more consumers shopping online, there’s a chance to expand your reach and grow your brand in new and exciting ways. 

New businesses can also benefit from this boom. As more people shop online, they are more open to discovering new brands. This presents a golden opportunity to get your foot in the door and establish yourself in the market.

4. Amazon made close to $575 billion in net sales revenue in 2023, making it the biggest eCommerce seller in the world.

There’s no question that Amazon’s success shows the potential of online sales. We were shocked to find that 44% of shoppers check Amazon for products before they turn to Google. 

But here’s the thing – they aren’t the only ones profiting. The entire eCommerce market is thriving and ready for smart, dedicated people who want to build customer-centric products and services. This means there’s space for you to win, too.

5. When it comes to eCommerce platforms, WooCommerce leads the pack, with over 6.6 million active users.

When it comes to eCommerce platforms, WooCommerce leads the pack, with over 6.6 million active users.

WooCommerce is the most popular eCommerce platform, with an eCommerce market share of 37.7% and 6.6 million users.

For context, Squarespace Online Stores takes second at 14.67%, and WooThemes takes third at 14.95%. The runner-ups are popular enough, but they don’t compare to WooCommerce. 

People prefer to use WooCommerce to start a store because it’s user-friendly, flexible, and comes with tons of great features and integrations. Plus, it’s customizable so you can use it to create an online store that matches your vision.

More General eCommerce Statistics

  • Across all industries, the average conversion rate on an eCommerce website is 2.86%. 
  • The top four drivers of online purchases are free shipping (49.4%), discounts (37.9%), customer reviews (31.6%), and an easy return policy (30.4%)
  • The largest group of online shoppers are people between the ages of 25 and 34. 
  • Nearly 55% of people prefer shopping online over traditional brick-and-mortar stores. 
  • China contributes the most to the eCommerce market share, as it is responsible for 52.1% of all eCommerce sales. 
  • But India is the fastest growing market, with a projected growth of 14.11% between 2023 and 2027. 
  • There are 604 eCommerce platforms to choose from.

eCommerce Marketing Statistics

Marketing is key to an online store’s success. Let’s now take a look at some eCommerce marketing statistics.

6. eCommerce businesses with three or more marketing channels see 251% more engagement than those that stick to a single marketing channel. 

eCommerce businesses with three or more marketing channels see 251% more engagement than those that stick to a single marketing channel.

Standing out online requires reaching your target audience, and this stat makes it clear: using just one marketing channel limits your reach. And if you can’t connect with your audience, then it’s hard to grow your eCommerce business.   

The solution is actually quite simple – add more ways to get your message out, and you’ll unlock more opportunities to reach potential customers. 

We suggest investing heavily in email marketing, social media outreach, and search engine optimization (SEO) since these are three of the best ways to generate traffic and conversions.

7. Content marketing helps brands generate 3x more leads than their non-blogging counterparts.

Imagine getting 3x more leads just by writing informative blog posts! That’s the advantage that content marketing offers.

Businesses that blog regularly see a huge jump in leads. Here’s why it works: blogs attract potential customers looking for answers.

By consistently creating helpful content related to users’ goals and interests, you can build trust and become an expert in their eyes. This makes them more likely to choose you when they are ready to buy. It’s like giving away valuable advice to build relationships—and ultimately, sales.

Our advice is to spend plenty of time doing keyword research so that you know what matters to your target audience. It’s much easier to create eye-catching content if you know what matters to your audience. 

8. 71% of shoppers expect businesses to use personalization in their marketing and 76% get frustrated when that doesn’t happen.

71% of shoppers expect businesses to use personalization in their marketing and 76% get frustrated when that doesn’t happen.

Forget one-size-fits-all marketing. Today’s shoppers crave personalization, and the numbers back this up. A vast majority of shoppers want businesses to use macro and micro-personalization in their marketing, and people get annoyed when that doesn’t happen. 

Including things like an email subscriber’s first name or referencing a product they purchased in the past shows that you are paying attention and want to build rapport to help them reach their goals.

If you don’t personalize at least a few parts of your marketing campaigns, then you may struggle to generate leads and connect with your prospects.

Similarly, if someone buys from your site and doesn’t see personalized messages or offers based on their interaction, they may choose another business that offers these experiences the next time they need to make a purchase. 

The best way to personalize your audience’s experience is to use tools like OptinMonster or FunnelKit. Both of these plugins allow you to show personalized content to each visitor.

For example, if someone is looking at a specific product page, you can use OptinMonster to create a popup that only shows up on that page with a unique offer. This is a great way to drive sales and grow your email list. 

9. SEO marketing matters, because search engines are the number one way people discover new products (30.6%).

SEO is more important now than ever before. Most people discover products through search engines, with TV and word-of-mouth coming in second and third place respectively.

If your site does not appear on search engine results pages (SERPs), you are missing out on a massive chunk of potential customers. The good news is that there are plenty of ways to optimize your site for search engines

All in One SEO (AIOSEO) is the best WordPress plugin you can use for the job. Currently, over 3 million people use it to check their on-page SEO, optimize their websites, and so much more. It’s a great tool for beginners and experts alike because it manages to be both user-friendly and has plenty of advanced features.

If you want to know more, just check out our Ultimate WordPress SEO Guide for more information.

More eCommerce Marketing Statistics

  • Video is a powerful marketing tool, with 73% of people saying they’d be more likely to buy a product if they could watch a video about it first. 
  • 75% of shoppers say they need to see photos of a product before they buy it. 
  • eCommerce advertising influences over 56% of in-store purchases.
  • Ad spending for eCommerce is worth $38.4 billion, which is 3x what it was in 2019. 
  • 75% of shoppers say they’ve used a paid search ad on Google to find a new product. 
  • Nearly three-fourths (73%) of people shop across multiple marketing channels.

Mobile eCommerce Statistics

Mobile browsing is more popular than ever, and the same goes for mobile shopping. Here are some key eCommerce statistics for mobile shoppers.

10. 71% of U.S. shoppers say they’ve made a purchase from their mobile phone.

71% of U.S. shoppers say they’ve made a purchase from their mobile phone.

This stat is a wake-up call for all eCommerce business owners: having a mobile-friendly website is no longer optional. It’s necessary.  

If your website isn’t easy to navigate and use on a smartphone, then you are missing out on a ton of traffic and potentially losing a huge chunk of sales.  

Mobile optimization includes things like a smooth user experience, clickable calls-to-action, fast loading times, and a layout that adapts to different screen sizes.  By prioritizing mobile users, you will be meeting your customers where they are and making the buying process as convenient as possible.

For more details, you can see our guide on how to create a mobile-friendly WordPress website.

11. During Q3 of 2023, 74% of all eCommerce visits happened via mobile.

Based on this statistic, it’s clear how people prefer to browse websites and shop online. This means you need to go beyond a responsive design and instead focus on creating a mobile-first experience.

Imagine what would happen if 3 out of 4 people who visited your site had trouble browsing your product landing page, contacting your customer support, or reading your blog. Odds are, you’d see a significant dip in engagement. 

If you follow mobile-first practices, then you’ll be in a much better position to capture your audience’s attention and turn them into customers.

12. 40% of shoppers say they are likely to leave an online store if it isn’t optimized for their device.

40% of shoppers say they are likely to leave an online store if it isn’t optimized for their device.

At a glance, it’s concerning to see that almost half of shoppers say they’ll leave a site if it’s not optimized for mobile. This could lead to a significant portion of potential customers bouncing off your website, simply because it isn’t user-friendly.

The good news is there’s a solution: SeedProd. It is one of the best page builders on the market and features a responsive option that allows you to fine-tune how your website displays on desktops, tablets, and mobiles. This ensures a smooth user experience for all visitors, regardless of their device.

Expert Tip: If you are looking for a different option for building a mobile-friendly website, Thrive Architect is another great choice!

More Mobile eCommerce Statistics

  • The average mobile order is between $90 and $110, which is less than the average desktop purchase. 
  • However, mobile eCommerce is growing faster at 29%, which is better than the 22% growth rate of desktop eCommerce. 
  • In the United States, there are 187 million active smartphone shoppers. 
  • Mobile apps convert 3x more customers than mobile websites.
  • 49% of smartphone shoppers use their devices to compare prices of different products when shopping online.
  • 38% of shoppers say they’ve never used a mobile device to shop, while 7% report never using desktop computers to make a purchase. 

eCommerce Payment Statistics

Next, let’s see some impressive eCommerce statistics for online payments.

When it comes to paying for online orders, credit cards are still the most popular payment method at 53%.

Credit cards might reign supreme for now, but the future of eCommerce payments is digital. While a solid 53% of customers still prefer credit cards, this statistic shouldn’t overshadow the rise of digital wallets and debit cards, which follow closely behind at 43% and 38%.

There’s no question that digital payment methods, like Apple Pay and PayPal, offer a faster, more convenient experience for shoppers, so integrating them into your website can dramatically boost conversions. 

The bottom line is every step a customer has to take to complete a purchase adds friction to the process. Digital wallets eliminate the need to manually enter card details, which will streamline your checkout process and result in more happy customers.

14. In one survey, half of eCommerce business owners say they lose about 10% of their international revenue because their payment vendors do not have flexible payment options.

Not having the right payment gateway on your site will result in people leaving without taking action. You don’t want to put your visitors in this position because not only are you leaving money on the table, but there’s a good chance they will not come back even if you add their preferred payment method later. 

The solution is to offer a wide range of payment methods as soon as possible. When customers have options they trust and use regularly, they are more likely to complete their purchases. 

Here’s where a plugin like WP Simple Pay can be a game-changer. This Stripe payment plugin allows you to easily integrate over 10 different payment methods into your website. This ensures a smooth checkout experience for customers, regardless of how they want to pay. 

For more details, see our guide on how to offer multiple payment methods in WordPress forms.

15. Optimizing your checkout page can improve conversions by 35%.

Optimizing your checkout process will have a noticeable impact on sales. When customers can quickly place an order with little to no friction, they’ll take action. 

You’ll be happy to know that getting your checkout page in good shape is easier than you might think. The key is to simplify as much as possible by offering a guest checkout option, limiting forms, and providing a progress bar so that customers can see how close they are to the end of the process. 

Be transparent, too. Don’t surprise customers with hidden fees. Clearly show taxes, shipping costs, and anything else upfront so they don’t get frustrated and leave. Building trust leads to happy customers, and happy customers mean more sales!

For more information, read our guide on how to customize your WooCommerce checkout page.

More eCommerce Payment Statistics

  • Over 65% of shoppers look up price comparisons in physical stores before they pay.
  • Venmo is growing at an impressive pace, with a 9% year-on-year increase, bringing its revenue to $6.7 million. 
  • However, their totals don’t come close to touching PayPal, which handles countless eCommerce transactions every day. They made $7.4 billion in revenue in 2023. 
  • Experts predict that the total number of Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) customers will increase by 400% between 2021 and 2026. 

Social Media eCommerce Statistics

Social media is one of the best ways to reach new customers and promote your online store. Here are some important social media eCommerce statistics you need to know.

16. Businesses that use social media generate an average of 32% more revenue than ones without it.

Businesses that use social media generate an average of 32% more revenue than ones without it.

Social media platforms aren’t just for entertainment anymore – they are a direct line to your target audience. So, don’t underestimate the value of social media marketing. We are confident that all eCommerce business owners would love to see a 32% boost in revenue! 

Beyond direct sales, you also get plenty of opportunities to engage with your audience. Think about it: you can showcase your products, highlight special offers, and build brand awareness – all without spending a dime on traditional advertising.

You can use a plugin like Smash Balloon to share your social media on your website. This can have a dramatic impact on engagement and help you get more followers. Plus, adding a social feed to your site is fast and easy.

17. 74% of shoppers turn to social media when they are thinking about buying a product.

It turns out that social media is also one of the most widely used research tools for online shoppers. This statistic highlights that about 3/4s of people turn to their favorite social sites when they want to learn more about a product or discover something new. 

For you, this means social sites are the perfect place to introduce yourself to prospects, show off your products, and get to know your existing customers. 

It’s a good idea to spend some time on social media every day so you can connect with your audience and build a community. Then, once your page gets to a certain point, the algorithm will begin recommending your channel or profile to people who don’t follow you. This is an easy way to build your social audience and customer base. 

18. 67% of affiliates and virtually all influencers use social media sites to boost their sales.

There’s no question that affiliates and influencers have a strong relationship with eCommerce business owners. 

This shouldn’t come as a surprise when you consider these groups often partner together on social media because it’s a win-win-win situation. The brand sells more products, the affiliate makes a commission on their sales, and the customers get great products. 

The increase in profits and ease of access is probably why 68% of marketers say they plan on investing in an affiliate program this year. 

We suggest using AffiliateWP to create and manage your affiliate program. This easy-to-use WordPress plugin allows you to set commissions, issue one-click payouts, and collaborate with your affiliates in new and exciting ways.

Just see our tutorial on how to add an affiliate program in WooCommerce for more information.

19. 80% of marketers who sell products on social media say consumers have made a purchase through these platforms.

Some business leaders think that social media is just for window shopping. However, many people are turning to social media to make purchases, and that isn’t going to change anytime soon. 

This can seem intimidating if you are currently not using social sites like Facebook and Instagram to sell your products. But there’s still plenty of time for you to get involved. 

By integrating social commerce features, you can streamline the buying journey for customers. They can discover your products, learn about them, and complete their purchase – all within the familiar social media interface.

More Social Media eCommerce Statistics

  • There are over 4.74 billion active social media users
  • 34% of marketers say Facebook generates the most sales, which makes sense when you consider that over 53.5 million people have bought something from the site. 
  • 16% of social media managers use automation to communicate with prospects. 
  • When it comes to Gen-Z and millennial shoppers, 28% have bought something directly from social media in the last 3 months.
  • The top categories for social media shopping in order are apparel, beauty, and home products. 
  • 70% of people say they are far more likely to buy a product from a brand if they have a positive experience with them on social media. 
  • Almost one-third of shoppers say they turn to social media to learn about new brands or products. 

Email eCommerce Statistics

Email is an important tool for any online business. Here are some of the most important email eCommerce statistics.

20. A vast majority (86%) of eCommerce marketers use email to build rapport with their audience and improve brand awareness.

There’s a reason why email marketing remains a favorite among eCommerce marketers: it’s a direct line of communication to prospects and existing customers. When you can have a one-on-one conversation with people, there’s a better chance you can learn about their goals and pain points while overcoming their objections. 

With what you learn from these encounters, you can share relevant content, advertise exclusive promotions, showcase new products, and ask for feedback, among other things.

If you are looking for a good email marketing service, then Constant Contact is our number one choice. It’s extremely easy to use and allows you to do everything you’d expect, like create templates, design a calendar, and more.

21. 52% of people say they’ve made a purchase as the result of a marketing email.

52% of people say they’ve made a purchase as the result of a marketing email.

This statistic highlights the value of email marketing for eCommerce businesses. There’s no doubt that it’s a cost-effective, powerful way to reach your audience and directly influence their buying decisions.

If you want to create emails that capture the attention of your subscribers and boost sales, then make sure you focus on personalization. About 80% of people say they are more likely to engage with a business if it personalizes content and offers to match their needs. 

For instance, we suggest using information subscribers have sent you, as well as their purchase history, to curate an email campaign that aligns with their interests.

22. 14% of marketing emails never reach their destination.

It’s shocking to think that so many emails never reach their destination. For business owners who use email marketing to engage with their customers, these deliverability issues could result in missed opportunities to build rapport and lost sales. 

Luckily, tools like WP Mail SMTP can help with this problem. This powerful WordPress plugin tackles deliverability issues head-on and makes sure that your emails will end up in your users’ inboxes.

For more information, just see our tutorial on how to fix the WordPress not sending emails issue.

More Email eCommerce Statistics

  • 72% of email marketers struggle with low open rates.
  • Personalized subject lines can get between 10-14% more people to read your email.  
  • Emails letting customers on a waitlist know a product is back in stock convert a staggering 8695% better than a traditional, generic email.
  • 78% of people say they don’t mind getting emails once a week from brands they love. 
  • 57% of marketers have between 1,000 and 10,000 email subscribers. 
  • Mobile-responsive emails are essential because 70% of people will delete an email if it looks bad on their phone.

eCommerce Shopping Cart Statistics

Next, let’s take a look at some eCommerce shopping cart statistics.

23. Across all industries, the average shopping cart abandonment rate is 70.19%.

23. Across all industries, the average shopping cart abandonment rate is 70.19%.

Shopping cart abandonment occurs when someone adds an item to their cart but leaves your website before checking out. And it’s way more common than you might think. 

It doesn’t matter what industry you are in. You will see this happen more often than you’d like. Instead of letting it bother you, you can find ways to reduce abandonment, such as by creating a cart recovery email series. 

Sending 3 emails to people who joined your list after they abandoned your cart can help you recover around 60% of lost sales. Generally, it’s a good idea to send one email after they leave, another 24 hours later, and the last one about a week after they leave with items still in their cart. 

For more details, see our guide on how to set up abandoned cart emails.

24. The number one reason shoppers abandon their shopping carts is unexpected costs.

Most people have decided to abandon a shopping cart without taking action because of unexpected costs. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn’t. 

That’s because shoppers expect the price at the end to be close to what they were shown when they added the items to their cart. Imagine thinking a new shirt will cost $25, only to see $60 after shipping and taxes.

You can reduce this type of abandonment by embracing an “always-on” shopping cart that shows visitors their total regardless of where they are on your site. Then, you can offer free shipping on orders over a specific amount.

25. 26% of people who leave items in their cart will go on to buy a similar item from a different store. 

You may be shocked to learn that people will buy the same type of product from a different eCommerce website after they first view it on another site. This means you need to do everything you can to capture visitors’ attention so you don’t lose sales and opportunities to engage with your customers. 

To win people over, there are two key areas you need to focus on: product information and enticing offers. 

You can overcome hesitation by creating informative product landing pages that showcase features, benefits, and high-quality images.

Additionally, strategic discounts are a game-changer.  Consider offering targeted promotions or deals specifically for recovering abandoned carts. This sweetens the deal and incentivizes customers to complete their purchase at your store instead of heading to a competitor.

26. Exit-intent popups can help you connect with 53% of visitors before they leave.

Exit-intent popups can help you connect with 53% of visitors before they leave.

This is why you shouldn’t underestimate the power of a well-timed popup. This statistic reveals that exit-intent popups, which appear when a visitor shows signs of leaving your site, can help you reconnect with a whopping 53% of departing customers.

With a tool like OptinMonster, you can streamline this process and turn more visitors into subscribers, which can later be converted into customers. 

With its drag-and-drop builder, you can design beautiful, high-converting popups – even if you don’t know how to code. OptinMonster offers customizable campaigns, from exit-intent popups to lightbox forms, which lets you reach visitors at various touchpoints in their journey.

Need more proof? We used OptinMonster and managed to grow our email list by 600%

More Shopping Cart Statistics

  • 92% of visitors don’t intend to buy something the first time they land on your site. 
  • 54% of shoppers say they are more likely to revisit a website and complete their order if they are offered a discount. 
  • Despite this, only 38% of marketers say they use email to reduce abandonment. 
  • Organic search traffic is less likely to abandon their cart (76%) than visitors who find your site through social media (91%).
  • A little less than half (46%) of shoppers have left items in their cart because a discount code they received didn’t work. 
  • Using predictive AI to personalize product and content recommendations can reduce abandonment by up to 18%. 
  • While it’s hard to pin down an exact number, experts estimate over $4 trillion worth of products are left in abandoned shopping carts each year. 

Customer Experience and eCommerce Statistics

Providing a good customer experience is important if you want your eCommerce business to succeed. Here are some statistics to keep in mind.

27. 76% of people say they are more likely to buy from an online store if they personalize their shopping experience.

This stat highlights a crucial factor for eCommerce business owners: creating unique shopping journeys that resonate with each customer. 

Think about it: People who see generic offers that don’t resonate with their needs will likely ignore them in favor of ultra-personalized, relevant promotions. Personalized content and product suggestions will make customers feel like you are there with them, understand their needs, and are committed to their success. 

Interestingly, 85% of leaders believe they are already doing a good job personalizing content and offers, but only 60% of shoppers agree. In other words, there’s a gap that you need to be mindful of when designing your personalization strategy.

28. 95% of shoppers look for reviews and other forms of social proof before making a purchase.

95% of shoppers look for reviews and other forms of social proof before making a purchase.

It’s impossible to deny the power of social proof in eCommerce. We bet that you look at reviews every time you buy something new online – after all, most people do.

When potential customers see positive reviews, testimonials, or user-generated content, it builds trust and validates your brand’s credibility.  Imagine walking into a store and seeing it packed with happy customers – that feeling of social validation translates to the online world as well.

It’s a good idea to display reviews and testimonials on key parts of your website. The social wall plugin Smash Balloon can help with this because it lets you embed a reviews feed and show website visitors what people are saying about you on social media and other websites.

Plus consider using the social proof plugin TrustPulse to add engaging real-time live sales notifications to your site. 

For more information, see our guide to the best social proof plugins for WordPress.

29. If your customer service team is unresponsive and a user has a question, 79% will leave and may never return.

You probably know that customer support is essential to your business, but did you know that 4 out of 5 people who don’t get their questions answered will leave for good? This startling statistic highlights why it’s so important to have a well-rounded customer support plan in place. 

The consequences of having an unresponsive customer service team are quite severe. You’ll miss opportunities to connect with potential customers, people will think poorly of your brand, and existing customers may churn in favor of a company that offers 24/7 support.

Our advice is to use a mix of live support agents and chatbots to help your customers quickly and easily find what they are looking for.

Groove is a great help desk option that can make life easier for your support team. It allows you to quickly and easily respond to customers, track user history, create tasks, monitor feedback, and much more.

More Customer Experience Statistics

  • 78% of people are more likely to place an order if there’s a fast and affordable shipping option. 
  • Around 35% of shoppers say they would shop online more if they could virtually try a product before they buy it. 
  • 48% of internet users say if a site has a bad web design, it instantly loses credibility. 
  • Less than 20% of people say customer service interactions with retailers exceeded their expectations. 
  • Solving a customer’s problem could result in them telling 4 to 6 other people about their experience. 
  • Globally, poor customer experiences cost businesses $75 million a year. 
  • 82% of people claim they are willing to spend more money on a product if they consistently receive excellent service.

The Future of eCommerce

We already know that online shopping has been growing over the years. So, let’s take a look at the future of eCommerce.

30. By the end of 2024, global eCommerce sales are projected to grow by 10% from the same time last year. Meanwhile, in-store sales are expected to see a 2% boost.  

The future is bright for eCommerce businesses! This statistic paints a clear picture: online shopping is on a steady upward trajectory, while traditional brick-and-mortar stores see a more modest increase.

Plus, we expect this trend to continue in the years to come. 

31. Experts predict the eCommerce market share to be worth over $8.1 trillion by 2026.

Experts predict the eCommerce market share to be worth over $8.1 trillion by 2026.

This is a very exciting prediction for eCommerce business owners across all industries. This means there’s a booming marketplace on the horizon, which translates to a wider audience for your products and more sales. 

If you want to take advantage of this surge of new eCommerce traffic, make sure you are doing everything you can to align with your customers’ needs. This will give you the knowledge and experience you need to scale your business.

We recommend using a plugin like MonsterInsights to learn more about your eCommerce visitors. You can see at a glance who is visiting your site, how they found you, and more. Combine all of this data and you can learn so much about your target audience, like their needs, interests, and goals.

For more details, see our tutorial on how to set up eCommerce tracking in WordPress.

32. About 20% of all retail sales occur online. It’s estimated that this number will reach 25% by the end of 2025.

This statistic aligns with the others we have already listed – eCommerce is on the rise.

Over the course of the next year, we will see retail sales jump to 25%. This is partially due to new businesses opening up, and existing brands building a website and taking their products online. 

More eCommerce Predictions

  • By the end of 2025, it’s estimated that PayPal, Venmo, and other digital wallets will make up over 52% of payments.
  • Most professional marketers agree that mobile eCommerce sales will reach $710 billion by 2025.
  • Mobile eCommerce sales are expected to bring in $729 billion in revenue by the start of 2026. 
  • By the same time, subscription eCommerce will be worth an estimated $904.2 billion.
  • In 2027, eCommerce revenue in the United States alone is estimated to hit $6.43 billion.

Sources:

OptinMonster, IsItWP, WPForms, AffiliateWP, TrustPulse, Shopify, Forbes, HubSpot, Constant Contact, Instapage, WebFX, Statista, eDesk, The Future of Commerce, Exploding Topics, Hostinger, Bluehost, Video Wise, Sprout Social, Backlinko, Dash, Artios, Tidio

There you have it! We hope this extensive list of eCommerce statistics helps you on your journey. If you are looking for more interesting statistics, check out some of our other posts below!

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The post 90+ Impressive eCommerce Statistics You Won’t Believe (2024) first appeared on WPBeginner.

The Ultimate WordPress Local SEO Guide to Boost Rankings

Are you struggling with WordPress local SEO and getting your site noticed in local searches?

SEO can be tricky, and local SEO has its own set of challenges. But here’s the good news: we’ve been helping small business owners win at SEO for years. We know what it takes to rank in the search results and get more traffic to your website.

Local SEO is more than just using the right keywords. It’s about attracting potential customers who live right around the corner.

In this article, we will show you the ultimate WordPress local SEO guide to get your website noticed by your local customers.

The Ultimate WordPress Local SEO Guide to Boost Rankings

What Is Local SEO?

Local SEO is a type of search engine optimization (SEO) that helps local businesses get found by users searching online.

For example, if you run a pizza place in your area, then local SEO can make your business appear at the top of relevant search engine results pages (SERPs).

Example of a local search engine results page

Search engines use algorithms to understand a user’s location and offer relevant local search results. They look at the person’s IP address, the search query, and business listings to associate businesses with specific locations.

With this information, search engines can then show results that are most relevant to the person’s location and needs.

Optimizing your online presence for local searches can help you drive more organic traffic and attract potential customers in your area. This is why local SEO is an important digital marketing strategy for small businesses.

What Are Local SEO Ranking Factors?

Local SEO ranking factors are what search engines look at when they are deciding which local businesses should appear at the top of search results.

Here are some key factors that influence local rankings:

  • Google Business listing – This free Google tool allows businesses to manage their online presence across Search and Maps. Having your company listed here will make it easier for users to find you.
  • Reviews – Comments from customers are like social proof. They can influence local search rankings because they show potential buyers that other people have had a good experience with your business.
  • Relevance to search query – This means making sure your business information and content match the searcher’s keywords.
  • NAP consistency – Short for Name, Address, and Phone number, it’s important that these details are consistent across all your online platforms to avoid confusion.
  • Proximity to the searcher – This refers to how close your business is to the person doing the search. Search engines often rank businesses closer to the searcher.

Other standard search ranking factors, such as website performance, high-quality content, and user experience, can also affect where your web pages rank on search engine results pages.

Now, let’s look at some of the best WordPress SEO practices to rank for local searches. You can use the quick links below to navigate through our tutorial:

1. Create a Google Business Profile

A Google Business Profile, also known as Google My Business, is a free and powerful tool that can help your business appear in local organic searches.

It acts like a digital storefront that appears on Google Maps and Search results when people look for businesses like yours in their area.

Here’s an example:

Example of Google Business Profile

By claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile, you can provide potential customers with key information about your business, like your address, phone number, WordPress website, and opening hours.

To create a Google Business profile, head over to https://www.google.com/business/ and click ‘Manage now.’ Then, sign in with your Google account.

Clicking Manage Now in Google Business Profile website

Once signed in, you can start by entering your business name. Google will then search for existing listings.

If yours doesn’t appear, then you can select ‘Create a business with this name’ to continue.

Creating a new Google Business Profile

The next step is to choose one of these business types: online retail, local store, or service business. The onboarding steps for each business type may look a bit different from one another.

Once you have made your choice, click ‘Next’.

Choosing a business type in Google Business Profile

If you picked ‘online retail’ in the previous step, then you will now enter the web address of your online store.

You can skip this step if you have not made an eCommerce site yet.

Adding your online store to Google Business Profile

Now, it’s time to choose a business category. Simply type in what type of product or service you offer in the field, and some options will start appearing.

Then, click ‘Next’.

Entering the business category in Google Business Profile

At this stage, you can enter your business address.

To complete this step, fill out your country/region, street address, city, state/province, and zip code. Then, hit the ‘Next’ button.

Entering the business address in Google Business Profile

Based on the address you enter, Google may suggest some business listings that are already in their directory but have yet to be claimed.

If you don’t see any listings related to your business, select ‘None of these’ and continue to the next step.

Similar businesses found by Google Business Profile

Now, a map will appear. Here, you will have to drag the pin onto your business location. This will help users find your business with Google Maps.

Once done, click ‘Next.’

Positioning the map marker in Google Business Profile

The next step is to enter your contact phone number.

If you don’t have one yet, then just skip this step. You can also read our expert pick of the best business phone services if you need some recommendations.

Adding a phone number in Google Business Profile

You have now successfully created a business listing on Google.

To go ahead with updating your business details, click ‘Continue’ on the screen below.

Continuing to edit Google Business Profile

First, you must verify that you actually own and manage the business. Google automatically determines the verification method based on the business information you’ve provided so far.

If you want to verify your business at another time, just click ‘Verify Later.’

Getting verified in Google Business Profile

Now, depending on your business type and category, you will have to enter additional information in the next onboarding steps.

For example, if you run a restaurant, then you will have to specify your business hours and dining modes and add photos of your establishment.

Once you have completed all that information, you will see an option to claim a $500 Google Ads credit. With this, you can advertise your business so that it appears at the very top of local searches (above organic search results).

Claiming Google Ads credits

You will also see an option to sign up for Google Workspace, which is a software kit that includes professional Google Mail, Drive, Calendar, and other Google products.

With this, you can create a professional business email address with a custom domain name.

Signing up for Google Workspace

And that’s it. If you decide to verify your business right away, then Google will review your business profile integrity within 7 days of your verification. After that, your business listing will be visible on Google.

Pro Tip: Besides Google Maps, Apple Maps is another popular mapping platform people use to find local businesses. Our guide on how to optimize your site’s SEO for DuckDuckGo includes a handy tutorial on how to add your business to Apple Maps.

2. Install a WordPress SEO Plugin With Local SEO Features

Having a Google Business Profile is a great first step, but it’s not the only tool in your local SEO toolbox. A WordPress plugin with local SEO features can also help your website rank better in Google search results.

While Google My Business focuses on your business listing, SEO tools and plugins can help optimize your website content for local searches.

Many plugins offer features specifically designed to improve your local ranking, like adding schema markup to your website. Also called structured data, schema markup gives search engines more information about your business in a clear and organized way.

By adding schema markup, you are not just helping search engines crawl, index, and rank your website. You are also making the information about your business in search results clearer and more interesting.

This can make your website stand out more in search results, which can improve your website’s click-through rates.

Here’s an example of a snippet you may find when looking for ‘Joe’s pizza NYC’:

There are many SEO plugins for WordPress websites, but our favorite is All in One SEO (AIOSEO).

This WordPress plugin makes it easy to set up your local business schema without using code.

Click the Activate Local SEO button

For more information about using AIOSEO’s local SEO features, you can read our guides below:

3. Add Google Maps to Your WordPress Site

Besides setting up your local business schema, you can also use AIOSEO to add your business’s Google Maps listing to your WordPress site.

This doesn’t mean that adding Google Maps to your website will suddenly put your site at the top of search results. But it can increase your chances significantly in a few ways:

  • Local SEO signals – Embedding a Google Map on your website strengthens local SEO signals to search engines. It tells search engines your business has a physical location, which is crucial for local searches.
  • User experience – Having a map on your website improves the user experience by allowing people to easily see your location and plan their visit. This can keep visitors engaged on your site for longer.
  • Social proof – Google Maps reviews can serve as social proof, showing potential customers that others have had positive experiences with your business. This can increase trust and encourage more people to visit your website.

You can read our article on how to add a Google Maps store locator to WordPress for more information.

Enter Your Store Location as a Query in the Map Section

Alternatively, you can check out our guide on how to embed a Google Map in a contact form. This tutorial can be useful if you want to include the map in your contact information page.

Additionally, you could also create an interactive map on your WordPress website or landing page. This will help users plan their travel to your physical address.

4. Do Local Keyword Research

Before you jump into creating content, it’s essential to understand what people in your area are actually searching for online. Local keyword research is an important SEO strategy that can help you achieve this.

Unlike regular keyword research that focuses on global search terms, local SEO targets specific keywords with a local focus, like ‘best pizza near me’ or ‘pizza delivery [your city].’

To get started with local keyword research, you don’t need to be an expert. There are many keyword research tools available, like WPBeginner’s Keyword Generator Tool.

All you need to do is enter a keyword, like your business category and your location. After that, the tool will come up with keyword ideas that you can include in your content later. Here’s an example using ‘pet sitters Seattle’:

Keyword ideas from WPBeginner's keyword generator

We see that the tool has suggested ‘best pet sitters Seattle.’ You can use this keyword when you create the copy for your homepage or other pages so that they show up for those search terms.

You can also include details like pet sitting rates or certification because, based on the keyword ideas, people are interested in this information.

If you want to use a more advanced tool, then check out Semrush. This tool helps you discover relevant keywords and their search volume and shows you their ranking difficulty based on location.

Here’s an example when you type ‘pet sitters’ into Semrush and limit the location to Seattle, WA:

Using Semrush to find target local search keywords

You can see that Semrush gives you information about how easy it is to rank for the keyword in its ‘Keyword Difficulty’ section.

If you scroll down, then you will also see keyword ideas that you can use in your website content.

For example, you can use ‘trusted pet sitters’ or ‘in-home pet sitters’ to make your website appear on those local search queries if that’s what your target audience uses.

Semrush's keyword ideas

Just read these guides for more detailed information:

Creating website content for local search means writing articles specifically for your local audience. This goes beyond just mentioning your location on every web page of your WordPress blog.

Imagine you run a pet store. In addition to listing your products on your website, you could create a blog post on ‘Top Dog Parks in [Your City]’ or ‘Common Dog Walking Mistakes in [Your City].’

This type of content positions you as a helpful resource for locals and strengthens your connection with the community.

Examples of local SEO content in SERPs

There are many benefits to creating local content. First, it attracts potential customers who are already searching for related topics. Second, it lets you showcase your expertise and build trust with your target audience.

You can then optimize these blog posts using on-page SEO techniques like including relevant keywords in your title tags, meta descriptions, and image alt text.

This increases your chances of ranking higher in local search results when people search for those keywords.

If you use AIOSEO, then you can use the TruSEO On-Page Analysis to see whether you have used enough relevant keywords in your content, title tags, and meta descriptions for your page to rank for your target keywords.

Focus keyphrase score

You can also use the Headline Analyzer to see if your article’s headline is enticing enough for people to click and read the content.

Here’s an example:

AIOSEO headline analyzer

If you want to learn more about content optimization, then you can read these articles below:

6. List Your Business in Local Business Directories

Listing your company in local business directories is a very important step for local SEO. It involves registering your business with various platforms that are recognized in your local area, making it more visible online.

This visibility can lead to increased traffic to your website, higher engagement, and ultimately, more leads and sales.

Doing this can also improve your search engine rankings for local searches.

This is because directories often provide a link to your website, which acts as a form of link-building. Search engines view high-quality backlinks from relevant websites as a sign of trustworthiness.

There are general directories like Yelp and Google Business that every business should be on. That said, you should also consider your local industry associations or review platforms because they can put you in front of potential customers in your area.

Additionally, local newspapers and websites sometimes feature establishments in articles like ‘Best [Your Industry] in [Your City]’ or guides to your area. Try contacting them to see if they’d be interested in writing about your business.

Example of a city guide article that helps with local SEO

If you are curious to see if there are any sites that already link to your business website, then you can use a backlink checker tool to do that.

Also, ensure that your business’s name, address, and phone number are the same across your website and all of the other directories you list in. Inconsistencies can confuse search engines and customers, potentially leading to a loss of trust and visibility.

For instance, if your business name is ‘Baker’s Delight’ on your website but ‘Bakers Delight Bakery’ on your Google Business Profile, then search engines might not recognize them as the same entity.

7. Get Customers to Leave Online Reviews

Besides getting listed on local directories or review sites, you should also encourage your customers to leave online reviews on those platforms.

Customer reviews are digital word-of-mouth recommendations. They can improve your local SEO by increasing the number of mentions of your business online. This way, search engines and other potential customers see your company as trustworthy.

At the very least, you should get customers to rate and review your business on Google. When people search for things like ‘best cafe in Seattle,’ Google often shows businesses with high review ratings in the local results.

Example of Google listing the top-rated cafes in their SERPs

Reviews on Yelp, Trustpilot, TripAdvisor, and other sites are valuable, too. These platforms attract people who are really interested in your industry, so your business gets seen by potential customers who are a good fit.

Social media reviews on Facebook, TikTok, or Instagram can also help your local SEO as people often look there for recommendations.

Once you have collected some customer reviews, we recommend displaying them on your website with the Smash Balloon Reviews Feed plugin.

This way, people who find your site through search will see great feedback from others, making your business seem more reliable and trustworthy.

You can check out these guides on displaying customer reviews for more information:

8. Don’t Forget About User Experience

Even with strong local SEO, a user-friendly website is key to converting visitors into customers. Here are some ways to improve your website’s experience:

  • Clear and easy navigation Make it easy for visitors to find what they are looking for. A clear navigation menu with simple categories and relevant internal links helps people navigate your site quickly.
  • Mobile-friendly design Most people search on their phones, so you need to ensure your website looks good and functions well on all desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
  • Fast loading speeds – Nobody likes a slow website. Best practices like optimizing your images and code can significantly boost your WordPress site’s performance.
  • Relevant and up-to-date content – Keep your website content fresh and informative. Include valuable information about your services, pricing, and frequently asked questions (FAQs).
  • Strong calls to action – Tell visitors what you want them to do on your website. Clear call-to-action buttons like ‘Book Now’ or ‘Contact Us’ can boost conversions.
  • Technical SEO – At the very least, your website needs to have an SEO-friendly URL structure, an XML sitemap, an SSL certificate, and a proper canonical URL in its header to avoid duplicate content issues.

9. Track Your Website Performance Regularly

Just like any marketing strategy, local SEO needs progress monitoring. Tracking key website metrics helps you see how your SEO efforts are performing and identify areas for improvement.

Here are a few key metrics to track for local SEO:

  • Website traffic – See how many people are visiting your website and how much is coming from organic search.
  • Local search rankings – Monitor your rankings for relevant keywords in local searches. Tools like Google Search Console can show you where you appear in local search results.
  • Conversion rates – Track how many visitors take desired actions on your website, like contacting you or booking an appointment. This helps you measure the effectiveness of your website in converting visitors into customers.
  • User engagement – Track how visitors interact with your website. Look at metrics like bounce rate (how many people leave right away) and average time spent on site. Low engagement suggests your website content is not informative enough.

Google Analytics is a powerful tool for tracking these metrics. However, its reports are very detailed and can get confusing.

If you want to use Google Analytics for WordPress sites, then we recommend installing MonsterInsights.

This analytics plugin can integrate Google Analytics with WordPress, making it easier to monitor your website’s performance directly from your dashboard.

For example, you can track how many visitors come from Google Search, how they interact with your site, and which pages they visit most.

MonsterInsights page insights reports

Furthermore, if you connect Google Analytics with Google Search Console, then you can check out the Search Console report to see your top 50 search terms right in WordPress.

This way, you won’t have to switch between platforms to check your SEO analytics.

For more information on SEO analytics, check out these guides:

WordPress Local SEO: Frequently Asked Questions

Now that we have covered some local SEO best practices, let’s answer a few frequently asked questions about the topic:

How long does local SEO take to work?

Local SEO can start showing results within a few weeks to a few months, depending on factors like the competitiveness of your local market and the quality of your SEO efforts.

For more information, check out our article on how long website SEO takes to show results.

Who should use local SEO?

Local SEO is beneficial for businesses that operate in a specific geographic area, such as restaurants, plumbers, or local retailers. It’s also suitable for businesses that want to attract customers from a certain region.

Which is better: local SEO or paid search?

Local SEO is cost-effective and builds a long-term online presence, while paid search ads can provide immediate visibility and targeted results. Ideally, it’s best to use both for a strong online presence.

Does blogging help local SEO?

Yes, blogging about relevant local content can improve your website’s rankings and establish you as an expert in your industry.

Is local SEO still relevant?

Absolutely. More and more people search online before buying locally to make informed decisions and choose the best business for their needs. Local SEO helps people find you by making your online presence more visible to your target audience.

We hope this article helped you learn about WordPress local SEO tips and tricks you can use to boost rankings. You may also be interested in our ultimate WooCommerce SEO guide and our expert pick of the best WordPress hosting providers to host 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 The Ultimate WordPress Local SEO Guide to Boost Rankings first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Do Content Syndication in WordPress (Beginner’s Guide)

Users have often asked us if they can use content syndication to get website backlinks or content.

Most WordPress blogs use content syndication, which is a built-in WordPress feature that makes it easier to share content using RSS feeds.

This feature allows users to subscribe to your website using news reader software. It also enables other websites to automatically share your content on different platforms.

In this article, we will discuss content syndication and how to do it properly in WordPress as a blogger or content curator.

Content syndication in WordPress and how to do it properly

What Is Content Syndication, and Why Use it?

Content syndication is when content creators and bloggers make their published work available for other interested parties to republish and share on their own platforms.

For instance, if you have a blog, then you can make your articles available for other people to publish and share on their platforms.

Similarly, if you want to curate content from different blogs on specific topics, then you can do so by fetching their syndicated content and publishing it on your site.

Why Use Content Syndication as a Blogger?

Now, you may be wondering why anyone would want to allow others to share their content on their websites and platforms.

There are several benefits to making your content available for syndication:

  1. Wider Audience – If you are a new blog, then syndication helps you promote your content on different platforms and find new audiences to visit your blog or website.
  2. Build Partnerships – You can discuss and negotiate terms with other platforms using your content in a way that helps you promote and establish your brand using their existing traffic.
  3. SEO and Backlinks – More websites citing your original content with a link back to the source helps with search engine optimization (SEO). Some of these backlinks can be useful, depending on the website’s reputation and how they share your content. At the same time, websites with poor reputations and spam won’t be beneficial, and you can request that they not share your content.
  4. Increased Social Reach – A good content curator will promote the content that they are sharing on their website using their social media accounts. If they appropriately attribute it to your socials, then this could help you gain new followers.

Why Publish Syndicated Content as a Curator?

The following are some of the benefits of publishing syndicated content as a curator:

  1. Building Topical Authority – Citing quality content from various sources on a specific topic helps you build authority and credibility around that subject. This allows users to find better content and helps search engines understand your platform’s focus on that niche.
  2. Save Time and Resources – Writing high-quality content takes time. Even with the help of AI writing tools, you will still need to edit, rewrite, and publish all your articles. Curating content helps you save some time by sharing similar content from other well-established sources.
  3. Networking and Partnerships – Instead of fetching syndicated content without permission, you can contact the sources and ask for approval to share their content. They might request that you share their content in specific ways, and respecting those requests will help you win partners and network within your industry.

That being said, let’s look at content syndication in WordPress and how to do it properly.

How Does Content Syndication Work in WordPress?

WordPress has built-in support for syndication using RSS (Really Simple Syndication).

RSS feeds work by publishing your latest content in a structured XML document. This feed contains your full articles or the summary, along with metadata for each item, like the date, author, category, and so on.

This RSS feed can be found by adding /feed/ at the end of any WordPress website’s URL. For instance:

https://www.example.com/feed/

Users can subscribe to an RSS feed using a feed reader app like Feedly. Other websites can also use these apps to get updates and publish them on their own blogs or websites.

That being said, let’s dig in a little deeper and learn how to syndicate content properly so that you get the maximum benefit as a publisher. Later, we will also discuss how to ethically source syndicated content as a curator.

How to Share Syndicated Content as a Publisher / Blogger

As a publisher and blogger, you will want users to visit your blog or website to view your content.

Now, if other websites started publishing your content, then why would users come to your website?

And wouldn’t search engines count it as duplicate content?

How do you ensure that your articles rank before the sources that are republishing your content?

Let’s eliminate all those risks to ensure that your content and website don’t lose out on traffic, SEO, or reputation.

1. Only Syndicate Summaries Instead of Full Content

Instead of giving your entire articles to other websites, you can restrict WordPress only to sharing a short summary of the content in the RSS feed.

To do this, you need to go to the Settings » Reading page in the WordPress admin area and scroll down to the ‘For each post in a feed, include’ option.

Show only summary in syndication feeds

From here, select ‘Excerpt’ and click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your changes.

Your WordPress syndication feed will now only show a summary or excerpt of your article. You can also customize WordPress excerpts for your articles to make them more engaging, like a teaser to grab the audience’s attention.

2. Add a Link Back to Your Original Article in RSS Feed

Content curators often use auto-blogging software to fetch blog feeds and publish them on their websites automatically.

This doesn’t give you proper credit, and for some low-ranking keywords, those content scrapers could even outrank you.

To fix this, you will need All in One SEO for WordPress. It is the best WordPress SEO plugin that allows you to hack content syndication feeds to your advantage.

All in One SEO plugin

Note: There is also a free version of All in One SEO. However, we recommend upgrading to the premium version, which unlocks all advanced features.

Upon activation, you must go to All in One SEO » General Settings in your WordPress dashboard and switch to the ‘RSS Content’ tab.

All in One SEO RSS content settings

From here, you can add any content you would like to appear before or after each article in your RSS feed.

By default, All in One SEO adds a link back to your original article in the RSS After Content field.

All in One SEO RSS after content

Once you are happy with the content, just click on the ‘Save Changes’ button.

For more details, you might like to see our tutorial on how to completely customize your RSS feeds.

3. Properly Use Canonical URLs

Canonical URLs ensure search engines aren’t confused when different URLs point to the same content.

By default, your WordPress content may appear across your website on category, tag, author, and other archive pages.

Plus, sometimes, you may intentionally publish the same content across different URLs for marketing purposes. For example, you might do this when making landing pages for different ad campaigns and promotions.

Or let’s say you have a blog post about selling your SEO services and another page on your website listing those services with very similar or identical content.

When an external website syndicates your content, they will share the information from your post. But as you want search engines to prioritize your content over the third-party website, you can add a canonical link to the services page.

WordPress automatically adds canonical URL tags to your articles to ensure that search engines can understand which URL gets preference.

If you need to have two URLs for the same content, then you can add the canonical URL using All in One SEO for WordPress.

Simply edit the secondary post/page that you don’t want to be indexed, and then scroll down to the AIOSEO Settings box below the post editor.

From here, switch to the ‘Advanced’ tab and add the preferred URL into the ‘Canonical URL’ field.

All in One SEO canonical setting

Don’t forget to save your post or page to store the new settings.

4. Create and Submit RSS Sitemap

To improve your website’s search visibility and indexing, you need to submit XML sitemaps in Google Search Console and other webmaster tools.

Search engines also recommend adding an RSS sitemap to your site.

An RSS sitemap contains your recent articles. It is a smaller file, and search engines can access it more frequently to discover new content.

By using an RSS sitemap, your content gets indexed before it is found on other websites. This helps search engines understand which source appeared first and should be considered original.

To add an RSS sitemap, go to All in One SEO » Sitemap and then click on the ‘RSS Sitemap’ tab.

You can see that the ‘Enable Sitemap’ toggle in the ‘RSS Sitemap’ box is already enabled.

AIOSEO RSS sitemap

You can click on the ‘Open RSS Sitemap’ button to view and copy the URL of your site’s RSS sitemap.

After that, you can submit your sitemap to Google Search Console.

5. Track Your Website Analytics

Tracking your website analytics helps you analyze the sources sending the most traffic to your website. More importantly, it also enables you to monitor any drops in traffic and take immediate action.

The easiest way to track analytics in WordPress is by using MonsterInsights. It is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress that allows you to monitor your website traffic directly from the WordPress dashboard.

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the MonsterInsights plugin. For more details, see our tutorial on how to install a WordPress plugin.

MonsterInsights

Note: There is also a free version of MonsterInsights. However, we recommend upgrading to the premium version to unlock the plugin’s full potential.

Upon activation, the plugin will walk you through the setup process. Need help? You can also follow our tutorial on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress for complete setup instructions.

Once set up, you can see regular website traffic reports by visiting the Insights » Reports page.

MonsterInsights Reports

The reporting page gives you quick information in human-readable format, with a graph at the top showing your website’s traffic performance.

You can review and further drill down website traffic reports to understand where your traffic is coming from and look for any signs of traffic loss.

For more details, see our tutorial on how to track website visitors in WordPress using MonsterInsights.

How to Share Syndicated Content as a Curator

As a curator, you can use syndicated content to build an engaging experience for your users.

However, what is the appropriate way to do that without being taken down for copyright violation or penalized by search engines for duplicate content?

Here are some expert tips on sharing syndicated content as a curator.

1. Finding Syndicated Content

Finding the right content for syndication helps you provide your audience with unique perspectives. It also helps you avoid content duplication penalties from search engines.

For instance, most popular blogs are already shared across many platforms. Curating content from only the top sources in your industry would make your website look quite similar to other curated platforms.

Instead, you can pick a variety of sources based on quality to ensure that your curated list offers a different mix of content.

2. Ask Permission to Share

Having an RSS feed does not mean that a website has given you permission to share its content on your website automatically.

You can share an excerpt or blurb from their website under fair use. However, website owners may not feel your sharing qualifies for fair usage.

To avoid potential problems, you should always seek permission from original publishers. This will not only allow you to network, but you may also be able to build business partnerships beyond sharing content.

3. Use Auto-blogging Software

There are a ton of auto-blogging software options that you can use to curate content on your website.

We recommend using Feedzy. It allows you to fetch RSS feeds and publish content on your website automatically.

Feedzy

It also lets you choose which content qualifies for publication. For instance, you might only publish content that matches specific keywords.

Feedzy includes an integration with ChatGPT and other AI software, allowing you to paraphrase content before publishing it. However, you must be mindful of how to do that ethically and legally without infringing on copyright.

For more details, see our tutorial on automatically curating content in WordPress.

4. Make It Easy to Request Content Removal

As a content curator, sharing articles from other sources makes your website vulnerable to copyright notices and DMCA takedown requests.

If a creator is unhappy about you sharing some part of their syndicated content, then they may want to ask you to remove it.

You need to make it easy for them to make such requests by adding a contact form to your website.

If you don’t make it easy, then those creators may file their take-down requests directly with search engines, who can then penalize your website. Even worse, they may ask your website hosting provider to take it down, making your website inaccessible.

The easiest way to set up a “Request content removal” form is by using WPForms. It is the best WordPress contact form plugin that allows you to create all kinds of forms for your website.

WPForms

Note: There is also a free version of WPForms, which is good enough to add a simple contact form. However, we recommend using the paid plugin with more features and templates.

WPForms has 1500+ powerful templates and a simple drag-and-drop form builder to create your form.

Create content removal form

Afterward, you can easily embed that form anywhere on your website using the WPForms block.

For more details, just see our tutorial on how to create a contact form in WordPress.

WPForms also has addons for user-submitted posts, which allow users to submit their content directly to your website for publication.

We hope this article gave you a good understanding of content syndication and how to use it properly in WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on coming up with blog post ideas or our tutorial on using artificial intelligence to write content in WordPress.

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 Do Content Syndication in WordPress (Beginner’s Guide) first appeared on WPBeginner.

Is AI Content Bad for WordPress SEO? (Expert Insights & Tips)

AI (artificial intelligence) is quickly becoming an essential tool in marketing and content creation since it helps bloggers and website owners be a lot more productive.

However, with so many people creating content with the help of AI, how will it affect SEO?

As the president of one of the most popular SEO toolkits for WordPress, I’ve been closely observing and analyzing the impact of AI content on search engine rankings.

In this article, I will answer whether AI content is bad for SEO and share some insights and tips on using AI to your advantage.

Note: This is a guest post by Benjamin Rojas, the president of All in One SEO, the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market. This is an expert column that we publish every Thursday, where we invite a WordPress expert to share their experiences with our readers.

Expert advice on using AI content and its impact on WordPress SEO

I will cover a few different topics in this post, and you can use the quick links below to jump to the section you want to read:

What Is AI Content?

AI content means text, images, videos, and other forms of content that are created by using an artificial intelligence tool like ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, DALL-E, Microsoft Copilot, and more.

AI tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini make it super easy to generate entire articles and essays in just minutes.

Similarly, AI image-generation tools like DALL-E, Midjourney, Firefly, and more can generate visual artwork for your website or blog.

All of these AI tools make it very easy for content creators to make new content on almost any topic under the sun much more quickly than they could before.

Now, before I explain how good or bad this content is for SEO, I want to talk about how AIs generate the content.

How Does AI Generate Content?

AI generating content

AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, and others are advanced software trained using a technique called ‘Machine Learning’.

This technique involves feeding AI models lots of data from various sources, including websites, books, magazines, and other sources.

Unfortunately, the vast amount of data used for training AIs is not always factually correct, creative, coherent, or even good.

Developers try to address this by providing better quality data and teaching AIs to assign weightage scores to different data sources. However, AIs can still learn from incorrect, incoherent, and low-quality sources of information.

They are also trained in pattern recognition, which can sometimes lead to an AI condition called hallucination, where the AI could make up its own facts.

That’s why I always recommend double-checking any information generated by AI software because it could be inaccurate. And publishing false information on your WordPress website or blog could make your brand look unprofessional and even hurt your SEO.

Is AI-Generated Content Bad for SEO?

In an earlier guest column, I explained Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines for search.

E-E-A-T ven diagram

E-E-A-T stands for:

  • Expertise
  • Experience
  • Authoritativeness
  • Trustworthiness

Essentially, you will need to meet all of these criteria within your content to be ranked high on the search engine results pages (SERPs) in Google.

Content that is entirely generated by AI may not be able to satisfy these ranking signals for several reasons.

First, AI programs are trained on data from various sources. These sources don’t reflect your ‘Experience’ and ‘Expertise’ as the author because they are coming from third-party sites.

That’s why I always advise my customers to include their firsthand experiences within their online content.

Secondly, you need to consider the ‘Trustworthiness’ of information provided by AI. AI-generated content is not always accurate, could reflect bias, and can even make up things.

Lastly, AI cannot show the authoritativeness of a human author who has gained acknowledgment, earned credibility, and has the credentials to be an authority on a subject matter.

Does this mean that AI content is against Google Search guidelines?

The short answer is no, and here is what Google has to say about that:

Appropriate use of AI or automation is not against our guidelines. This means that it is not used to generate content primarily to manipulate search rankings, which is against our spam policies.

Google Search Guidelines on AI Usage

Google will not be punishing websites for using AI content. However, if AI and automation tools are used solely to manipulate search rankings, then that violates their spam policies.

This means that content entirely generated by AI may not be as good for SEO on its own.

It is missing one very important element: the human factor.

How to Create SEO-Friendly AI Content

In my opinion, it would be unwise to avoid using AI in your content creation process. That’s because it offers plenty of benefits, such as:

  • Reducing the amount of time you would spend on research.
  • Helping you come up with quick ideas or a solid outline for your content.
  • Overcoming writer’s block by letting AI give up a few samples to use as a starting point.

But to make this content actually good for SEO, you will need to use AI as an assistant rather than a content generator.

This allows you to add your experience and authority to the content while still using AI to do the same work but more quickly and efficiently.

I recommend using AI in your content creation process in the following ways:

  • Generate article ideas.
  • Create article outlines and let AI help you fill the content gaps.
  • Proofreading, paraphrasing, adjusting style and tone of content.
  • Let AI work on portions of content to extend, summarize, or optimize your work.

To summarize, adding your human experience and expertise can make AI content good for SEO.

With this in mind, I will now provide some practical examples of using AI tools to achieve this.

1. Using AI to Generate Headlines

Did you know that 4 out of 5 people will not click on your website even when it appears on the first page of search results?

Headlines or SEO titles help your article gain more clicks in search results. This is what your users will first see when they are looking for content in Google.

Effective headline in search results

However, for your content to stand out, it will need to have an eye-catching and descriptive title.

There is a character limit for SEO titles, plus your competitors may already be using the most obvious headlines. This makes it difficult to write a powerful headline that entices users to click on it.

Luckily, this is where AI can help.

Because AI programs are remarkably good at recognizing and generating patterns, they can help you generate several excellent ideas at once.

For instance, you can use All in One SEO, which includes a built-in AI title generator. It uses OpenAI’s ChatGPT to generate highly engaging headlines.

Generate headlines using AI

Note: You will need the premium version of OpenAI and integrate it with the AIOSEO plugin to use this feature.

Simply click on the bot icon next to the ‘Post Title’, and it will generate up to five ideas. They all automatically use the most up-to-date best practices for writing effective headlines.

Pick an AI generated title

You can then pick one of the titles that would work best for your article or generate new titles until you find one that you like.

Similarly, you can use the same feature to write an SEO meta description as well.

Alternative tools: Headline Analyzer | Semrush AI Text Generator

2. Using AI Tools to Adjust Tone and Style

One of the biggest mistakes that website owners and bloggers make is not fully understanding their intended audience when creating content.

AI tools can help you get this right.

These tools have spent countless hours and have learned from millions of gigabytes of data. They are incredibly talented in understanding language patterns.

For example, you could use Grammarly to adjust your content for your target audience. It comes with an AI-powered writing assistant, which allows you to choose the tone and style of your content.

Grammarly optimizing tone and style

Simply click on the Grammarly icon on the screen, then write a prompt like ‘I want you to make suggestions to make the content sound more persuasive’.

Grammarly learns from your tone and style as you continue to use it. Then, it will identify your brand ‘voice’ and show you the results.

Grammarly learns your voice and tone

You can also instruct Grammarly to rewrite any text in your voice by simply selecting the text and typing the prompt ‘Rewrite in my voice.’

Alternatively, you could also use ChatGPT or Gemini to do something similar. Here is a quick prompt you can try:

I need you to act as a professional proofreader and experienced copywriter. First, you will ask me to provide you with the text that I want to optimize. Once you have received the text, instead of answering, you will then ask me to describe the tone and style I would prefer for the text. After I provide you with tone and style input, you will then analyze the text and make changes to it so that it matches the desired tone and style. You will highlight the changes you have made. Show a summary at the end describing what kind of tone and style the original text had and what changes you made to make it match the style and tone I asked for.

I also find this handy list of useful ChatGPT prompts quite helpful. It has some great prompt writing examples for bloggers, writers, and marketers.

3. Optimizing Content Using AI

In most industries, your content will be competing with other top articles, blog posts, and pages for search rankings.

Search engines look for the most helpful content for a user’s search intent and rank it accordingly.

But how do you know if your content addresses the user intent while being the absolutely best resource for that keyword?

This is another area where AI can help. Its powerful capability to quickly analyze patterns can help you find the missing pieces in your content.

AI platforms like ChatGPT or Gemini can help you compare your draft and make suggestions for inclusion.

For example, here is a prompt that I find works well with ChatGPT 4 and Gemini:

Ask me to provide you with the text of an article I am working on. After receiving the text, ask me to provide you with a search term I am trying to target. After receiving the search term, compare my text to the top 10 search results for the search term I provided. Now, I need you to make suggestions to fill in the content gaps in the text to make it better than the current top 10 search results.

For more specific tools, you could try Clearscope.

It is an AI-powered content optimization software that helps you optimize your content to the next level.

Clearscope uses AI to help you fill content gaps

It uses AI to compare other top-ranking content for a keyword. It can generate an outline, find the questions people are looking for, and more.

You can also paste your content, and it will show you a score and missing keywords and phrases you can add to improve it.

In fact, my own team often uses it to optimize our blog content for search engines.

Conclusion: Is AI Content Good for SEO?

Overall, AI content is not bad for SEO, as long as you are providing your human input. That’s because any content generated entirely with AI does not reflect your unique perspective, experiences, and expertise, so it could harm your website’s SEO.

In my experience working daily with SEO best practices, I have seen firsthand the ever-evolving landscape of search engine optimization and the rising importance of AI.

That’s why I recommend using AI as an assistant tool in your workflow to help you create better content more quickly. However, it should not be a complete replacement for your own voice and content.

I hope this article answered some of your questions about whether AI content is bad for SEO. You may also want to look at these tools for using AI in WordPress SEO or check out expert tips on using AI in marketing.

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 Is AI Content Bad for WordPress SEO? (Expert Insights & Tips) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Start an Online Thrift Store Using WordPress (2024)

Are you looking to create an online thrift store website?

Many people think that to start an eCommerce business, they’ll need to create a new product. However, there’s another way. You can find pre-owned items and sell them online through a thrift store.

In this article, we will show you how to start an online thrift store using WordPress.

How to Start an online thrift store using WordPress

What is an Online Thrift Store?

A thrift store is a type of eCommerce business where you can sell used or pre-loved products. It can be anything ranging from clothes to automobiles, electronic items, toys, books, furniture, and more at bargain prices.

One of the benefits of starting an online thrift store is its low startup cost. You don’t need a lot of money to buy and maintain an inventory. Plus, the cost of building an eCommerce site is also low.

For example, if you have an expensive dress that doesn’t fit you anymore. Instead of throwing it away, you can have it cleaned and sell it online.

Besides that, it is a great side hustle to make money online. You can start small and slowly expand your business.

What Do You Need to Start an Online Thrift Store?

When it comes to starting an online store, many people think it is too complicated. However, it’s a lot simpler than you might think.

There are 3 main things you’ll need to get started:

  • Domain Name – This is the name of your thrift store that people will enter in their web browser (like wpbeginner.com). Think of it as an address to your home.
  • Web Hosting Service – It’s where your website lives on the internet and where all your website files are saved. You can think of it as a house for your online thrift store.
  • SSL Certificate – This adds an extra layer of security to your online store, so you can easily accept online payments from customers.

It’s really that easy!

You can build an online thrift website without any technical skills, coding, or complicated setup.

We’ll show you step-by-step how to get started. Simply click the links below to jump to any section:

Choosing an eCommerce Platform for Online Thrift Store

The first and most essential step is to find the right platform for your online thrift store.

Choosing the wrong eCommerce platform can be a costly mistake for new store owners. Moving to a new service later on would mean you’ll have to re-do all the work and spend money again.

To avoid making this mistake, we’re here to help.

There are two popular eCommerce platforms that we recommend for your online thrift store: Shopify or WooCommerce (built on WordPress).

Shopify is a fully hosted eCommerce solution that lets you create an online store quickly.

However, the biggest drawback is its pricing. You’ll need to pay $25 per month, which can be quite expensive for individuals and small business owners. You also get limited payment options unless you pay extra.

This is why most users choose WordPress + WooCommerce. It is more flexible and cost-effective compared to Shopify. WooCommerce does require some setup, but it’s worth it in the long run.

To learn more details, please see our comparison of Shopify vs WooCommerce.

For this tutorial, we will walk you through how to start an online thrift store using WooCommerce + WordPress.

Select a Web Hosting Service and Install WordPress

As we mentioned earlier, you will need a domain name, web hosting service, and SSL certificate to create an online thrift store.

If purchased separately, a domain name costs around $14.99 per year, web hosting will cost around $7.99 per year, and an SSL certificate will cost roughly $69.99 per year.

This cost can go even higher if you add extra features and addons to your hosting plan.

Thankfully, our friends at Bluehost offer an exclusive offer for WPBeginner readers. You can save up to 61% on website hosting plans and get started for as little as $1.99 per month.

Bluehost is an official WordPress and WooCommerce-recommended hosting provider. The best part, you get a free domain name and SSL certificate with each hosting plan.

Note: At WPBeginner, we believe in transparency. If you sign up with Bluehost using our referral link, then we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you (in fact, you will save money and get a free domain).

We would get this commission for recommending just about any WordPress hosting company, but we only recommend products that we personally use and believe will add value to our readers.

If you’re looking for an alternative to Bluehost, then we suggest using SiteGround WooCommerce hosting. It is another officially recommended WordPress hosting service.

To start, simply visit the Bluehost website and click the ‘Get Started Now’ button.

Clicking the Get Started Now button in the Bluehost page

Next, you’ll need to select a pricing plan.

You can get started for $1.99 per month. However, Bluehost also offers an Online Store plan costing you $6.99 per month. It comes with an exclusive store theme, store analytics, and $450 worth of eCommerce plugins included in the plan.

We’ll select the ‘Online Store’ plan for this tutorial.

Bluehost pricing plans

Next, Bluehost will ask you to enter a name for your online thrift store.

If you don’t have a domain, then simply enter a website name under the ‘Create a new domain’ section, select a domain extension, and click the ‘Next’ button.

Bluehost buy domain name

Make sure that the domain name relates to your business, is easy to pronounce and spell, and is memorable. You should also try to get a domain with a ‘.com’ extension.

If you’re not sure which name to choose, then please see our guide on how to choose the best domain name.

After that, you’ll need to provide details like name, address, email, and more to create a new account.

Bluehost will also show extra features to add to your hosting plan. We don’t recommend purchasing these additional features, as you can always add them later on.

Bluehost WooCommerce package extras

Lastly, you’ll need to enter the payment information to complete the purchase.

Once that’s done, Bluehost will open the account dashboard from where you can manage your websites.

The best part is that Bluehost offers a one-click WordPress installation. However, if you are using another hosting provider or somehow skipped the setup step, then please see our guide on how to install WordPress for more details.

For instance, in Bluehost, you can log in to your account and navigate to the ‘Websites’ tab. From here, simply click the ‘Add Site’ button in the top corner.

Click the Add Site button on the Bluehost dashboard

This will launch the WordPress setup wizard in Bluehost.

You can click the ‘Install WordPress’ option and click the ‘Continue’ button.

Install WordPress in Bluehost

After that, you’ll be asked to enter a name for your online thrift store website.

Once you’ve entered a title, click the ‘Continue’ button.

Connect your domain or enter a website title

Bluehost will now install WordPress and create your thrift store site.

After the installation is complete, you can go to the ‘Websites’ tab to see your new website. Go ahead and click the ‘Edit Site’ button to view the WordPress admin panel.

Click the Edit Site button to access your WordPress dashboard

As an alternate, you can also log in to your WordPress dashboard by going to ‘yourthriftstore.com/wp-admin’ directly from the browser.

Here’s what the WordPress admin area will look like:

Areas of the WordPress Dashboard

Next, you’ll need to view WordPress settings and ensure everything is set up properly.

First, you need to go to the Settings » General page and add a WordPress site title and tagline. If you’re happy with the site title, then you don’t need to change it.

A tagline acts as a small description for your thrift store. However, this is optional, and you can add it later on.

Change site title

Besides that, you’ll also need to ensure that your WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) are using HTTPS instead of HTTP.

Next, you can go to the Settings » Discussions page from the admin panel and scroll down to the ‘Before a comment appears’ section.

Here, click the ‘Comment must be manually approved’ checkbox. This way, your comments will go into moderation and help prevent spam.

Require all comments to be manually approved

For more details, please see our guide on how to moderate comments in WordPress.

Setting Up WooCommerce on Your Site

The next step is to install WooCommerce on your website. It is the best eCommerce platform that’s built on top of WordPress.

First, you’ll 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, the WooCommerce setup wizard will launch. You can click the ‘Set up my store’ button to continue.

WooCommerce setup wizard

Simply follow the onscreen instructions to complete the WooCommerce setup. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to start an online store.

Once the setup is complete, you can set up payment options on your thrift store.

WooCommerce supports some of the most popular payment gateways. You can accept credit cards, cash on delivery, bank transfers, Stripe, PayPal, and more.

Simply go to WooCommerce » Settings from your WordPress dashboard and switch to the ‘Payments’ tab.

Set Up Stripe Credit Card in WooCommerce

You can click the ‘Set up’ button for the payment service you’d like to add to your online thrift store.

For example, let’s say you want to configure Stripe credit card payments. Simply connect your Stripe account or enter account keys to add the payment method to your store.

Connect Stripe to WooCommerce

Another optional setting you can configure in WooCommerce is shipping zones. It lets you add different shipping methods and costs for various regions.

For more details, please see our guide on how to add a shipping calculator to your WordPress site.

Customize the WordPress Thrift Store Theme

When you sign up for the Bluehost Online Store plan, you get a WordPress theme pre-installed.

Simply head to Appearance » Themes and click the ‘Customize’ button to edit the theme.

Customize default WooCommerce store theme

This will launch the WordPress Full Site Editor (FSE). It was first introduced in WordPress 5.9 and uses blocks to edit the theme, just like editing content in the block editor.

The goal of the full site editor is to simplify website editing and make it user-friendly.

Edit theme in full site editor

To learn more, you can see our complete guide to WordPress full site editing.

If you don’t like the default theme, then you can simply change it. There are thousands of WordPress themes to choose from. You can see our list of the best WooCommerce WordPress themes to pick the on you like.

On the other hand, you can create a custom theme for your online thrift store using a WordPress theme builder.

For instance, SeedProd is the best theme and landing page builder that offers a drag-and-drop interface. It comes with pre-built templates, which you can easily customize without editing code.

Customizing a WooCommerce product page using SeedProd

You can follow our guide on how to create a custom WordPress theme (no code).

Adding Products to Your Online Thrift Store

Now that your online thrift store is ready and set up, it’s time to add products to WooCommerce.

Simply navigate to the Products » Add New page from the admin panel. Next, you can enter a name for your product and add a brief description.

Add new product

After that, you’ll need to scroll down to the ‘Product Data’ section.

Here, you can enter the price of your product under the ‘Regular price ($)’ field. There is also an option to enter a sale price for the product.

Enter price of product

Next, you can add product images from the panel on the right.

Simply navigate to the Product Image section and add your picture. This will act as the featured image for your product.

add product images woocommerce

There is also an option to create a product gallery and upload other images for a product.

Once you’re done, simply click the ‘Publish’ button.

publish woocommerce product

Now, you can repeat this step and add more products to your online thrift store.

You can then visit your site to see all the products listed on the store page.

Online thrift store preview

Sourcing Products for Your Thrift Store

Finding products on a regular basis for your online thrift store can be a challenge for many business owners.

However, there are different places from where you can source used or pre-loved products. For instance, a quick search on other thrift stores and sites like eBay and Craigslist can help discover multiple products that you can list on your site.

Similarly, visiting flea markets, other local stores, and garage sales can also help you find the right products for your store. This is a great option if you’re selling clothes, books, and second-hand electronic items.

Another option is to allow users to upload their items for consideration on your online thrift store. This way, you’ll get to build an inventory without having to invest and simply share the revenue from the sale.

You can also create an online marketplace using WordPress where users can sell their products using your eCommerce platform. For example, people can sell their used items on your site and give you a percentage or a fee for using your site.

Add Plugins to Grow Your Traffic and Drive Sales

WordPress offers different plugins that act like apps for your website. They allow you to add extra features and functionalities and help customize your online thrift store.

For example, there are plugins for adding a contact form, product image galleries, product comparisons, gift cards, giveaways, popups, and more.

You can choose from over 59,000 free WordPress plugins. There are also premium plugins that are sold by third-party sites and developers.

If you’re not sure what to look for in a plugin before installing it, then you may want to see our guide on how to choose the best WordPress plugin.

That said, we’ve handpicked some essential plugins that you should install on your thrift store.

Add Extra Features and Functionality

  • WPForms – It is the best form plugin for WordPress that lets you add a contact form to your site. You can also create other types of forms, like a file upload form, order/billing form, online payment form, and more.
  • MonsterInsights – You can connect Google Analytics to your site using MonsterInsights without editing code. Using the plugin, you get insights about how users behave in your store, where they click, which products they purchase, and where they are from.
  • SeedProd – It’s the best drag-and-drop builder for creating custom landing pages, layouts, and website themes without any technical knowledge.
  • Envira Gallery – Create stunning image galleries for products on your online thrift store.

Website Optimization for SEO, Performance, and Conversions

Enhance Your Website Security

Other WordPress Plugins to Consider

  • RafflePress – Run viral giveaways and contests on your thrift store to boost sales, social media followers, and email subscribers.
  • UserFeedback – Add interactive surveys to your online store and collect user feedback. Use the data to improve user experience and satisfy customer needs.
  • Smash Balloon – Display social media content on your store and boost engagement.
  • Uncanny Automator – Automate workflows to save time and streamline work. Connect plugins, sites, and apps to automate your thrift store.
  • Constant Contact – It is the best email marketing service that you can use for all your email needs. Easily set up email campaigns, autoresponders, A/B testing, WooCommerce integration, and more.
  • WP Mail SMTP – Ensure your WordPress emails reach your customer’s inbox and don’t end up in spam. Fix email deliverability issues.
  • LiveChat – Offer real-time support to customers through live chat software. Answer customer queries, improve user experience, and boost sales.

You can also take a look at our list of the best WooCommerce plugins to find more options.

At WPBeginner, our main goal is to provide helpful and beginner-friendly WordPress tutorials for non-techy users, small business owners, bloggers, and eCommerce store owners.

To help you learn more about WooCommerce and WordPress, you can follow these guides:

We hope this article helped you learn how to start an online thrift store using WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on important reasons why you should use WordPress and the best business phone services for small businesses.

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

The post How to Start an Online Thrift Store Using WordPress (2024) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Improve Accessibility on Your WordPress Site

Do you want to improve accessibility on your WordPress site?

When building a website, accessibility often gets neglected, which can create a poor user experience (UX). Ideally, you want your WordPress site to be user-friendly and inclusive to all individuals, regardless of their needs.

In this article, we will show you how to improve the accessibility of your WordPress website.

How to Improve Accessibility on Your WordPress Site

Why Is Accessibility Important for My WordPress Site?

In web design, accessibility refers to techniques used to make a website easier to use for people with disabilities. Some visitors use assistive technologies to navigate the web, like screen readers for people with visual impairments and keyboard navigation for folks who cannot use a mouse.

There are some common best practices that are recommended by experts to make websites more accessible. They help make sites more inclusive and user-friendly for everyone, regardless of ability.

By prioritizing accessibility, more people will be able to navigate your WordPress website and explore your content. If you run an online store, then you will also increase your chances of converting users into customers.

Accessibility is also important for search engine optimization (SEO). Google values websites with good user-friendliness. Besides making your website more responsive for mobile devices, you can also prioritize inclusivity in your web design to improve rankings.

Additionally, if you are a business website owner and the front end of your site is inaccessible, then you could face legal consequences.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) states that consumers can file a complaint if a site does not comply with accessibility guidelines. What’s more, your reputation could get ruined, which could result in financial losses.

How Does WordPress Make My Website More Accessible?

WordPress has several built-in functionalities to help users make their WordPress websites accessible. For example, by default, you can add alternative text (alt text) and title attributes to images so that screen readers can read them out loud for users with visual impairments.

WordPress has also made it mandatory for all new and updated code in WordPress to follow its accessibility coding standards. This is to ensure WordPress developers comply with best practices for accessibility when creating themes and plugins.

Other than that, WordPress includes features that make it easy for users with disabilities to build their own websites, like the accessibility mode for adding widgets.

For more information, we recommend keeping up with the Accessibility tag on the Make WordPress Core page for more information.

With all this in mind, WordPress is not entirely accessible out of the box. As a website owner, it’s important to take extra steps to help your site meet accessibility standards.

We have broken down this guide into a few easy tips to improve your WordPress website’s accessibility. You can use these quick links to navigate to a specific section:

1. Get Familiar With the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

First things first, we recommend reading the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These are the standards laid out by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) for users to make their websites more accessible.

You can check out the WCAG 2.1 and WCAG 2.2 updates for starters. If both documents seem too long to read, then feel free to bookmark this quick reference instead.

2. Use an Accessibility-Ready WordPress Theme

Accessibility-ready themes have met the minimum accessibility standards that the WordPress theme review team has set.

Using an accessible WordPress theme does not mean your website will automatically comply with all accessibility requirements, as you still have to make some tweaks on your own. However, it can give you a jumpstart to making your website more accessible.

At the very least, an accessibility-ready theme will have:

  • Menus that can be navigated using the keyboard alone.
  • Good color contrast that makes the content readable for users with visual impairments.
  • Semantically correct HTML, which helps assistive technologies understand the content and structure of a web page.

If you want to take things a step further, you may also want to check if the theme has ARIA attributes in it. These attributes are like extra information that complements your theme’s HTML to make a website even easier to navigate for assistive technologies.

The easiest way to look for an accessibility-ready theme is by going to Appearance » Themes on your WordPress dashboard. Then, click ‘Add New Theme.’

Adding a new theme in WordPress

From here, select ‘Feature Filter’ and choose ‘Accessibility Ready.’

Feel free to add more filters to find the theme that matches your exact needs.

Selecting the Accessibility Ready filter in WordPress themes page

Now, scroll down and click ‘Apply Filters.’

You will then see some accessibility-ready themes on the screen.

Applying theme filters in WordPress

For more theme recommendations, check out our expert picks of the best WordPress themes.

3. Install a WordPress Accessibility Plugin

A WordPress accessibility plugin adds helpful features for visitors with disabilities to navigate your website.

One WordPress accessibility plugin we recommend is WP Accessibility. Some of the things this plugin can do include:

  • Adding an accessibility toolbar
  • Detecting whether your theme is accessibility-ready
  • Tracking how the accessibility features on your website are being used so that you can assess them

First, you need to install and activate the plugin on WordPress.

Upon activation, you need to go to Settings » WP Accessibility to configure the plugin.

WP Accessibility Settings

Let’s take a look at each section of the settings page.

Add Skip Links

In the first section of the plugin settings, you can use skip links on your website, and this setting is enabled by default. A skip link allows users to jump directly to the content section of a post or page.

This is an extremely useful feature for people using screen readers. Without a skip link, they will have to listen to everything displayed on your website, including your navigation menus, before they reach the content part.

If your theme already uses skip links, then you will see a notification confirming that.

WP Accessibility Add Skiplinks

Accessibility Toolbar

The WP Accessibility plugin comes with an accessibility toolbar.

When you enable it, the plugin will add a toolbar on your website where users can resize fonts or view your site in high-contrast color mode.

This lets your users select the options they need to make the page easier to read.

WP Accessibility Toolbar

To enable the toolbar, simply check the ‘Font size’ and ‘Contrast’ checkboxes.

There are also settings where you can control the toolbar’s font size and placement.

WP Accessibility Toolbar

If you make changes to these settings, then make sure you click the ‘Update Toolbar Settings’ button to store your settings.

This is what the toolbar looks like on our test website.

WP Accessibility Toolbar Preview

Accessibility Fixes

WP Accessibility also provides several accessibility fixes that could solve potential issues on your site. You can go through each option and see if you need it.

Some recommended settings will be checked by default. These options prevent links from opening in new windows, display an error when you submit an empty search submission, and remove the tabindex HTML attribute where it is not needed to simplify keyboard navigation.

WP Accessibility Fixes

If you are using an accessibility-friendly theme that has already enabled some of these features, then you will see a message confirming this at the top of the section.

Don’t forget to click the ‘Update Miscellaneous Settings’ button to store your changes.

Accessibility Features

The plugin also provides a few options to help make your content more accessible.

The first group of settings makes images easier to handle for those using screen readers.

There are also options to display summaries at the top of your posts and pages. This allows those with screen readers to hear a summary of the content before deciding to listen to the entire article.

WP Accessibility Features

If you change any of these options, then please remember to click the ‘Update Accessibility Features’ button.

Testing & Admin Experience

Next, you will find some settings that let you improve the accessibility of your WordPress admin area and help with testing.

This section is more technical, so make sure you consult the plugin’s documentation before checking the boxes.

WP Accessibility Testing & Admin Experience

Make sure you click the ‘Update Accessibility Tools’ button to save your changes.

Remove Title Attributes

This section lets you remove the title attribute from tag clouds.

The title attribute is considered to be useless by some accessibility experts. Most screen readers usually ignore the title attribute and instead read the anchor text.

WP Accessibility Remove Title Attributes

This setting is enabled by default, but if you change it, then make sure you click the ‘Update Title Attributes Settings’ button.

4. Check Your Website’s Color Contrast

Color contrast means the difference between the text color and background color. It’s a very important part of website accessibility because it can affect how readable your website content is for people with poor vision and color blindness.

To meet web accessibility standards, regular text should have a high contrast of at least 4.5 to 1. This means the text needs to be 4.5 times brighter than the background.

For larger text, the requirement is a bit less, at 3 to 1. This means a slightly lower contrast is acceptable. The same rule applies to graphics and user interface elements, such as form input borders.

The WP Accessibility plugin has a built-in color contrast checker that you can use.

In the plugin settings, simply scroll down to the Color Contrast Tester section and choose a foreground color (the color you will use for your text) and its background color.

Then, click ‘Check Color Contrast.’

Checking color contrast using WP Accessibility

The plugin will then tell you if the colors pass or do not pass the contrast test.

Here’s what the result looks like:

WP Accessibility color contrast test results

Alternatively, you can use the free WebAIM Contrast Checker. As with the previous tool, you will only need to select a foreground color and a background color.

This tool not only tests your color contrast but also shows you what the colors may look like as normal and large text, as well as graphical objects and user interface components.

Free WebAIM Color Contrast Checker

For more details, you may like to see our guide on how to pick the perfect color scheme for your WordPress website.

5. Add Alternative Text to Images

Besides being useful for search engines, alt text is helpful for screen readers to describe images to individuals with visual impairments.

Adding a title to an image in WordPress

Previously, we mentioned that WordPress has a built-in feature for adding alt text. The process is pretty easy, and you can read all about setting it up in the following guides:

Expert Tip: If you want to automatically set a consistent alt text format for all of your images, then you can use All in One SEO’s Image SEO tool.

6. Add Labels to All Form Fields

If you have forms on your website, then you will want to make sure that you use the appropriate labels for each form element. This includes form fields, buttons, menus, and so on.

Adding checkout date and time fields to a form

The WCAG recommends adding labels to all form elements to make it easier for assistive tools to identify and relay information about each one to users.

Furthermore, adding clear and descriptive labels is a good web design practice. By helping users understand what each form field is for, user errors are less likely to occur, and more people will be able to submit their forms.

If you are not sure how to create great forms, then we recommend checking out WPForms. It’s the best WordPress form builder that makes it super easy to customize forms to your exact needs, including improving them for accessibility.

WPForms

You can read more about WPForms in our WPForms review. Also, check out these guides on how to create forms in WordPress:

7. Use Proper Heading Tags in Your Content

Heading tags are HTML tags that can mark the titles or subtitles of a web page. This way, your content is much more organized and easier to follow.

These tags also help tools like screen readers generate a navigable outline for users with visual impairments. This will allow them to jump between sections and understand your content’s overall structure.

If you are not sure how to take advantage of heading tags, then you can read our guide on how to properly use heading tags in WordPress.

8. Use Descriptive Anchor Text

Anchor or link text is basically the clickable words or phrases in a link. You can usually tell which text is linked because it will be in a different color.

Often, bloggers will use the link text ‘click here’ or ‘read more’ to direct visitors to a page.

This is not a good practice for accessibility because it doesn’t give any information about where the link goes. This makes it hard for people using assistive technologies to understand the purpose of the link.

That’s why it’s best to use descriptive anchor text instead. This means using words that describe what the content is about when you click the link.

For example, let’s say that you want to add a link to an article about the best WordPress hosting in this sentence: ‘Follow this guide to learn about the best WordPress hosting services on the market.’

Instead of adding the link to ‘Follow this guide’ or anywhere else in that sentence, you should insert it into ‘best WordPress hosting services.’ This way, the user gets an overview of what they will find in the linked content

For more information about links and anchor text, see our beginner’s guide on linking in WordPress.

9. Add Captions or Transcripts to Video and Audio Content

One of the main struggles for users with hearing disabilities is the inability to understand spoken content in videos and audio. That’s why a lot of video content creators and podcasters add captions or transcripts.

At WPBeginner, we strongly discourage you from uploading videos to your own website because they can slow your site down. Instead, it’s best to use services like YouTube or Vimeo, both of which have built-in tools for adding captions.

As for audio content, you may want to consider using a transcription service to convert speech to text easily. This way, you won’t need to manually create a written version of your audio content.

Check out our list of the best transcription services for more information.

10. Do Usability and Accessibility Testing

If you have implemented all the tips from this guide, then the final step is to do usability and accessibility testing on your WordPress website.

This testing can help you identify any remaining issues and help you make your website user-friendly and accessible to everyone.

WebAIM has a Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool (WAVE) that you can use for free.

Simply type in your website’s domain name, and the tool will identify any accessibility-related issues for you.

WebAIM's Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool (WAVE)

You can also use an accessibility scanner. We recommend checking out Accessibility Checker by Equalize Digital. It also comes with a free plugin version to scan unlimited posts and pages on your website.

After installing the plugin, you can simply go to the block editor of your page or post. If you scroll down to the meta box section, you will find an Accessibility Checker that identifies your accessibility issues.

Example of what the Accessibility Checker plugin does

Another option is to perform a UX audit, which basically means checking your website to see if it has a good user experience. Just head over to our UX audit guide for more information.

Last but not least, we encourage you to ask for your user feedback. While testing can get you results, getting feedback from actual visitors who use your site’s accessibility features can provide much more accurate insights.

UserFeedback is the best plugin for this job. It lets you create surveys to collect your users’ opinions and thoughts. There are also templates for website design feedback, so you won’t have to create the survey from scratch.

UserFeedback plugin

For more information, just see our guide on how to get website design feedback in WordPress.

Expert Guides on WordPress Accessibility

Now that you know how to improve accessibility on your site, you may like to see some other guides related to WordPress accessibility issues:

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 Improve Accessibility on Your WordPress Site first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Highlight New Posts for Returning Visitors in WordPress

Are you wondering how to highlight new posts for returning visitors in WordPress?

Showing off the posts that were newly published on your website is one way to keep your readers updated and make sure they don’t miss out on your latest content.

In this step-by-step guide, we will show you how to highlight new posts for returning visitors in WordPress.

How to Highlight New Posts for Returning Visitors in WordPress

Why Highlight New Posts on Your WordPress Site?

Highlighting new posts on your WordPress site helps returning visitors easily discover your new content. This way, they won’t miss out on any fresh information or updates you’ve added to your blog.

Labeling new posts improves the user experience on your WordPress website. When a returning visitor reaches your website, they can easily spot which posts they haven’t read yet, saving them a lot of time and increasing your pageviews.

A good user experience on your site not only keeps visitors happy but also helps with SEO. When your site is easy to use, it improves your search engine rankings and increases the likelihood of visitors finding your content.

With that in mind, let’s see how you can highlight new posts for returning visitors in WordPress.

We will show you two methods: one with a WordPress plugin and the other with code. You can jump to a specific method using the quick links below:

Method 1: Highlight New WordPress Posts With a WordPress Plugin

This first method uses the Mark New Posts plugin. We recommend it for complete beginners because it’s very simple. This plugin will add a label to show which blog posts your site visitors haven’t seen yet.

Firstly, you need to install and activate the Mark New Posts plugin. If you need guidance, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

After that, go to Settings » Mark New Posts from the WordPress admin area. You will now see the plugin’s settings page.

What you want to do now is select where to display the ‘New’ label. You can select After post title, Before post title, or Before and after post title.

We find that adding the label after the post title will look like a notification and grab users’ attention the most, so that’s what we’ve chosen.

Selecting the new post marker placement in Mark New Posts plugin

Next, you need to choose what the marker looks like in the Marker type setting. The options include “New” text, “New” text legacy, Orange circle, Flag, Picture, or None.

Be sure to explore each option to see which one looks best with your website design.

Selecting a new post marker type in Mark New Posts plugin

Another setting you can configure is the background color for the new post’s title. If you enable this, then when a reader visits a new post, they will see that the post title section has a background color. We didn’t find this setting necessary, so we disabled it.

In the ‘Consider a post as read’ setting, you can choose when to turn off the new post label: after it was opened, after it was displayed in the list, or after any web page of the blog was opened.

We suggest going with ‘after it was opened.’ This means that if a visitor hasn’t read several posts and opens one, then the new post label for the other articles won’t disappear.

Next, you can select how many days the post should stay highlighted as new, show all existing posts as new to new visitors, and disable the new label for custom post types.

The Mark New Posts plugin settings page

The last two settings are pretty advanced.

One is to ‘Allow outside the post list,’ which means you can highlight posts outside of the loop, like in widget-ready sidebar areas. Be cautious about enabling this setting, as it may create unwanted WordPress errors.

The other is ‘Use JavaScript for showing markers’, which is only recommended if the plugin is not compatible with the theme or other plugins being used on your blog. In most cases, you will want to keep this setting disabled.

Once you are done configuring the plugin settings, just click ‘Save.’

Clicking the Save button in Mark New Posts plugin

And that’s it! Go ahead and visit your website in incognito mode to see if the new labels for recent posts are live.

Here’s what it looks like on our demo website:

Example of the new post marker made by Mark New Posts plugin

Method 2: Highlight New Posts by Adding Custom Code

Are you unhappy with the new post label options given by the previous plugin? If so, then you can highlight new posts using custom code instead.

For beginners, this method may seem intimidating. But don’t worry because we will use the WPCode plugin to safely insert code snippets in WordPress without breaking your website.

WPCode also makes it easy to manage multiple custom code snippets, which will be handy in our case since we will be using more than one.

WPCode - Best WordPress Code Snippets Plugin

Note: While there is a free version of WPCode, we will use WPCode Pro because it allows you to insert the code snippets into the proper locations for this tutorial.

The first thing you need to do is install WPCode in WordPress. For setup instructions, go ahead and check out our article on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Next, go to Code Snippets » + Add Snippet from your WordPress dashboard. After that, select ‘Add Your Custom Code (New Snippet)’ and click the ‘Use snippet’ button.

Adding custom code in WPCode

Now, let’s add a title to your code snippet so that it’s easier to find it later on if needed. For this, you can name it something like ‘WordPress Last Visit Title Modifier.’

Then, select ‘PHP Snippet’ in the Code Type dropdown.

Giving the custom code snippet a title and selecting the PHP code type in WPCode

After that, you can copy and paste the code snippet below:

// Define a function to modify post titles based on the last visit
function wpb_lastvisit_the_title($title, $id) {

    // Check if not in the loop, a singular page, or a page post type; if true, return the original title
    if (!in_the_loop() || is_singular() || get_post_type($id) == 'page') return $title;

    // Check if no 'lastvisit' cookie is set or if it is empty; if true, set the cookie with the current timestamp
    if (!isset($_COOKIE['lastvisit']) || $_COOKIE['lastvisit'] == '') {
        $current = current_time('timestamp', 1);
        setcookie('lastvisit', $current, time() + 60 * 60 * 24 * 7, COOKIEPATH, COOKIE_DOMAIN);
    }

    // Retrieve the 'lastvisit' cookie value
    $lastvisit = $_COOKIE['lastvisit'];

    // Get the publish date of the post (in Unix timestamp format)
    $publish_date = get_post_time('U', true, $id);

    // If the post was published after the last visit, append a new span to the title
    if ($publish_date > $lastvisit) $title .= '<span class="new-article">New</span>';

    // Return the modified or original title
    return $title;
}

// Add a filter to apply the 'wpb_lastvisit_the_title' function to 'the_title' hook with priority 10 and 2 parameters
add_filter('the_title', 'wpb_lastvisit_the_title', 10, 2);

What this snippet does is modify WordPress post titles based on a user’s last visit.

It checks if the page is a blog post or not, and if not, then it will display the original title as is. But if it is a blog post, then the title will be modified.

Then, the snippet ensures the lastvisit cookie exists. If it doesn’t, then the code creates it and sets it to the current time. The function then compares this lastvisit time with the post’s publish date and adds a ‘New’ label to the title if the post is newer than the last visit.

Once you have inserted the code snippet, just scroll down and select ‘Auto Insert’ for the Insert Method.

Other than that, make sure to choose ‘Frontend only’ for the Location. This means the code will only run on the part of your WordPress blog that visitors interact with and not in your admin panel or other places.

Modifying the insertion settings in WPCode and activating and publishing the code

With that done, you can make the code ‘Active’ and click ‘Save Snippet.’

Now, repeat the step to add a new custom code snippet. This time, the code will style the ‘New’ label that is added to recent post titles based on the last visit of a user.

So, you can name it something like ‘Post Title New Label Style’ and the Code Type should be ‘CSS Snippet.’

Creating a CSS code to customize the new post label in WPCode

You can then copy and paste the following lines of code into the Code Preview box:

/* CSS to style the "New" label in blog post titles */
.new-article {
    background-color: #4CAF50; /* Green background color */
    color: #ffffff; /* White text color */
    padding: 2px 5px; /* Padding around the label */
    margin-left: 5px; /* Adjust the margin to your preference */
    border-radius: 3px; /* Rounded corners for the label */
    font-size: 12px; /* Adjust the font size to your preference */
}

This code snippet essentially customizes the ‘New’ post label using a custom background color, text color, padding, margin, border radius, and font size.

Feel free to adjust these elements to your preferences as you go along. Just make sure to use hex color codes or RGB values for the background and text colors.

In the Insertion section, select ‘Site Wide Header’ as the Location. After that, make the code ‘Active’ and click ‘Save Snippet.’

Choosing Site Wide Header as the code location in WPCode

And that’s it! To see if the code works, you can publish a new blog post and visit your website in incognito mode.

If the code is successful, then you should see a ‘New’ label next to your recent post titles.

Example of the new post label made with WPCode

Besides highlighting new posts for your returning visitors, there are many other ways to keep your readers engaged.

Ideally, you want visitors to check out not just one but three or more blog posts in one sitting. This shows that they are enjoying your content and are taking part in the community you are building.

However, sometimes, it can be hard for readers to find content that’s relevant to their interests. That’s where internal linking comes in.

Internal links are links that direct users to other pages or posts on your website.

You can use them directly within your blog posts. Or you can create a section under the post to show which blog posts are currently popular among your readers.

If you are not sure which internal links to use in a blog post, then All in One SEO (AIOSEO) has a link assistant feature that can give you some ideas.

View links details

For more information about internal linking, see our ultimate internal linking guide for SEO.

We hope this article has helped you learn how to highlight new posts for returning visitors in WordPress. You may also want to check out our WordPress SEO checklist for beginners and easy ways to increase your blog traffic.

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

The post How to Highlight New Posts for Returning Visitors in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Make a News Website Using WordPress (Step by Step)

Do you want to create a news website but are not sure how to get started?

News sites are popular among users all around the world. You can attract an audience from every corner of the world and build a brand. While it can be difficult to compete with established sites, you can write about your favorite topics, cover local area news, and report on specific niches.

In this article, we will show you how to make a news website step by step.

How to make a news website

Here is an overview of everything we will cover in this guide. You can click the links below to jump ahead to your preferred section.

Why You Should Start a News Website?

People are constantly in search of the latest information about different topics. Be it current affairs, technology, lifestyle, fashion, or updates about your local area, creating a news website can open a world of opportunities.

For instance, it helps you reach a wider audience. You can attract readers from different parts of the world and grow traffic on your website.

It also allows you to make money online. You can partner with brands and companies in different countries. Or start a subscription service like The New York Times and offer exclusive access to premium content.

New York times

Besides that, a news website lets you create a brand for a specific niche. You can cover training topics or the latest news from different industries and build brand recognition over time.

Another benefit of making a news site is that you can create different content formats. For example, simply turn textual news articles into videos, start a newsletter to inform your subscribers, or start a podcast.

That said, let’s see what you’ll need to make a news site.

What You’ll Need to Start a News Website

To get started, the first thing you’ll need to do is find the right platform for your news website. This is essential because moving to a new host can be tricky and technical later on.

There are many platforms that you can use to make a news website, but each one of them has its own pros and cons. You can learn more by seeing our comparison of the best blogging platforms.

For example, you can start for free on WordPress.com, Tumblr, Blogger, Medium, and more. However, free platforms offer limited features and flexibility, which makes it hard to monetize your site and scale your business.

This is where WordPress.org comes in. It powers more than 43% of the websites on the internet. Plus, it is a powerful website builder that gives you full control and ownership of your website.

In fact, many notable news brands like CNN Press Room, Microsoft News, The New Times, and more use WordPress.

Do note that WordPress.org and WordPress.com are two different platforms. Please see our comparison of WordPress.com vs WordPress.org to learn more.

Once you’ve selected WordPress.org as a platform for your news site, you’ll also need:

  • Web Hosting – This is the home for your news site where all the files, content, images, and other data will be stored.
  • Domain Name – It is your site’s address that users will enter in their browser (like wpbeginner.com or google.com)
  • Your undivided attention for the next 30 minutes.

In just a few minutes, you can easily create a news website using WordPress. Let’s dive into the steps.

Selecting Web Hosting and Installing WordPress

When creating a WordPress website, there are several costs you’ll need to look after.

For instance, a domain name usually costs $14.99 per year, and web hosting costs $7.99 per month. If you add an SSL certificate and more features to the web hosting plan, then this cost can go even higher.

That’s a lot for beginners and new website owners.

Luckily, our friends at Hostinger are offering an amazing deal where you get a free domain name and free SSL with each hosting plan. That’s an 81% discount on hosting for our readers.

So you can get started for as low as $2.24 per month.

To start, you’ll need to visit the Hostinger website and click the ‘Claim Deal’ button.

Hostinger

Next, Hostinger will ask you to select a pricing plan and click the ‘Add to Cart’ button.

We recommend that you start with the ‘Premium’ plan, but you can always upgrade to another plan later on.

Choose Hostinger plan

On the next screen, you’ll need to select a hosting time period. For instance, you can choose to host for 1 month, 12 months, 24 months, or 48 months.

The 48 months plan gives you the best discount and maximum saving.

Hostinger pricing periods

After that, you can create a new account on Hostinger.

There is also an option to log in using your Google or Facebook account.

Create your account on Hostinger

Next, you will need to enter your personal details and select a payment method.

From here, simply complete the payment process and finish your purchase. After completing the purchase, you can go ahead and create a new website.

Simply head to the ‘Websites’ tab from your Hostinger dashboard. From here, click the ‘+ Create or migrate a website’ option.

Installing WordPress on Hostinger

This will launch the website setup wizard by Hostinger.

Next, you can choose the type of website you want to create. There are multiple options like online store, blog, business, portfolio, and others.

To create a news website, go ahead and select the ‘Blog’ option.

Choose blog as your website type

In the next step, Hostinger will ask if you’d like to create a new site or migrate an existing website.

Go ahead and select the ‘Create a new website’ option.

Create or migrate a website

Next, Hostinger will ask you to select a platform for your news website.

You will have to choose the ‘WordPress with AI’ option and click the ‘Select’ button.

Select platform

After that, Hostinger will require setting up login details for your WordPress account.

Simply enter an administrator email and select a password. Once that’s done, click the ‘Continue’ button.

Create login details for news site

In the next step, Hostinger will ask you to automatically install specific WordPress plugins on your website.

You can simply choose the plugins you want and click the ‘Continue’ button. Or skip this step and install plugins later on.

Add plugins to the news site

After that, Hostinger will show different website templates to choose from.

You can simply skip this step and choose a news theme later on for your WordPress site.

Choose a theme template

In the next step, Hostinger offers you the option to automatically create a few pieces of content using AI. You can add a brand name and description and let ChatGPT handle the rest.

Or you can skip this step and create content for your news website later on.

Automate text creation using AI

After that, Hostinger will ask you to select a desired domain. You can claim a free domain, buy a domain, or use a domain name that you already own.

For this tutorial, we will select the ‘Claim a Free Domain’ option.

Claim free domain name

If you need help, then please see our guide on how to choose the best domain name for your news site.

After choosing a domain name, the WordPress installation will start.

To view your newly created site, you can go to the ‘Websites’ tab from your Hostinger dashboard.

login to WordPress

Go ahead and click the ‘Admin Panel’ option to open the WordPress admin area.

This is where you can choose a theme for your news site, install and manage plugins, add content to posts and pages, and more.

WordPress dashboard

Choosing a Theme for Your News Site

Now that you’ve created a news website using WordPress, the next step is to choose a theme. Choosing the right theme is essential, as it should display your latest and trending news prominently while making the reading experience pleasant.

WordPress offers over 11,000 free themes to choose from. To add a theme, simply head to Appearance » Themes from your WordPress dashboard and click the ‘Add New Theme’ button.

Adding a new WordPress theme in the admin area

Next, you’ll see different WordPress themes.

You can filter them by ‘news’ and choose the one you like.

Choose a news theme

If you’re looking for a beginner-friendly theme to get started, then we recommend Astra. It has many customization options and is a perfect choice for news websites.

The best part about using Astra is that it supports popular page builders out of the box. Plus, it’s optimized for WordPress SEO (search engine optimization) and ensures fast performance.

With Astra, you get multiple templates for a news site. You can simply select one and customize it. For instance, here’s a preview of a news template offered by Astra.

Astra news template preview

For more options, please see our list of the best WordPress newspaper themes.

On the other hand, you can also create a custom news theme using SeedProd. It is the best WordPress website builder that lets you create a theme without editing any code.

There are plenty of templates to choose from and different customization options. The best part, SeedProd offers a drag-and-drop theme and page builder, so it’s very easy to edit your site.

SeedProd news templates

To learn more, please see our guide on how to create a custom WordPress theme.

Adding Content to Your News Website

WordPress offers 2 default post types called posts and pages. Posts are part of the blogging functionality. On the other hand, pages are static content used for different landing pages, like an about us or contact us page.

To start adding content, you’ll need to use the WordPress block editor (also called Gutenberg).

Unlike the old Classic editor, you get modern features and more flexibility in creating content in the block editor. It makes it very easy to format text and add media like videos and images to your content.

The Gutenberg block editor interface

We recommend starting with the static content, as it will not change on a regular basis. There are pretty common kinds of static content that almost all websites on the internet share.

These include a contact form page, an about us page, a privacy policy page, a terms of service page, and more.

For instance, here’s a preview of what the Contact Us page from OptinMonster looks like. You can use a page builder to create custom landing pages just like this.

Contact us page preview

Next, you can start creating news articles as blog posts.

If you need help, then please see our guide on how to add a new blog post in WordPress and utilize all the features.

The Gutenberg block editor interface

We recommend publishing new content on a frequent basis. Large news sites post multiple news articles daily. You can start with a few posts per week and then gradually increase the frequency.

Bonus Tip: If you’re having trouble coming up with new topics, then you can follow our guide on how to generate 100+ blog post ideas or try out our free blog post generator tool.

Customizing and Adjusting Your News Website Settings

After adding content to your WordPress news site, you can tweak different settings on your site and customize its appearance.

Let’s look at some of the things you can adjust on your site.

1. Edit the News Website Title and Tagline

You can change the site title and add a tagline to your news site.

The site title will be the name of your website, like WPBeginner. While the tagline helps describe your website briefly.

Simply go to Settings » General page from the WordPress dashboard. From here, enter the site title and tagline.

Change site title

Note: If you’re using an SEO plugin like All in One SEO (AIOSEO) or Yoast SEO, then leave the site title field blank. Otherwise, the plugins will override the title text for better search engine optimization.

2. Create Categories to Organize Your Content

WordPress categories are a powerful tool that helps sort your content. Users can quickly view news from different regions, industries, or topics by navigating different categories.

Categories also develop a proper structure for your site. This is great for your site’s SEO, as it helps search engines understand what your page is about.

You can easily create categories and subcategories by going to Posts » Categories from the WordPress dashboard. Then, enter a name and click the ‘Add New Category’ button.

Adding a New Category

You can see our guide on how to add categories and subcategories in WordPress to learn more.

3. Add a Navigational Menu to Your News Site

The navigational menu helps your readers to browse your site. It also lets you organize your content and make it easy for users to access important articles and pages.

For example, The Guardian shows a menu at the top of its website where you can access content based on different categories, like news, sports, culture, and lifestyle.

Navigation menu on a news site

Many news themes come with built-in menus, and you can also create your own using WordPress’s powerful navigation menu system.

To learn more, please see our guide on how to add a navigation menu in WordPress.

4. Enable Comment Moderation on Your News Site

You can allow users to leave comments on your news article and participate in discussions. This is great for boosting engagement on your site.

However, if you don’t have comment moderation enabled, then it can lead to a lot of spam on your site.

To ensure that comments don’t automatically appear on your site, head to Settings » Discussion from the WordPress dashboard. Next, you’ll need to scroll down to the Before a comment appears section and click the ‘Comment must be manually approved’ checkbox.

Enable manual comment approval

You can follow our beginner’s guide on how to moderate comments in WordPress.

Optimize Your WordPress News Site for Search Engines

The next step is to ensure that users can easily find your news website on the internet. This is where optimizing your site for search engines is essential.

You can drive a lot of traffic from search engines like Google and Bing. By optimizing your content, you can rank higher in search engine page results and get more people to visit your news site.

The best part is that WordPress is SEO-friendly out of the box. However, you still need to ensure that your site is optimized correctly.

The easiest way to do that is by using the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin. It is the best SEO plugin for WordPress and helps you configure your site for search engines without hiring a professional or any technical knowledge.

AIOSEO offers powerful features like TruSEO on-page analysis, rich snippets schema markup, XML sitemaps, breadcrumb navigation, social media integration, and more. It handles all the technical SEO optimization for your WordPress news site.

Choose schema type

For more details, please see our guide on how to set up All in One SEO for WordPress.

Besides using AIOSEO, you can also ensure that you’re following the basics of SEO. For instance, check your site is visible to search engines, your site has an SEO-friendly URL, you’re using HTTPS, adding internal links to your content, and more.

To ensure your news site is properly optimized, please follow our step-by-step guide on WordPress SEO.

Submit Your WordPress News Site to Google News

Aside from following the basics of SEO, you can go a step further and submit your site to Google News. This can skyrocket your website traffic, attract a new audience, and build authority.

Google News is a news aggregator that shows the latest stories and news from different sources. Getting your site featured in Google News can improve visibility and also help capture the Top Stories featured snippet.

Google News Featured Snippet

Before submitting your site to Google News, you’ll need to ensure that you follow Google News policies. For example, your content should not be dangerous, deceptive, hateful, sexually explicit, violent, or manipulative.

Once you’ve followed all the policies, you can use the AIOSEO plugin to set up a news sitemap. The news sitemap helps Google to quickly discover your content and show it in the news section.

News sitemap in All in One SEO for WordPress

After creating a sitemap, you can head to the Google Publisher Center website.

Here, you can enter your news site’s URL and follow the onscreen instructions to submit it to Google News.

The Google Publisher Center Website

For more details, you can follow our step-by-step guide on how to submit your WordPress site to Google News.

Ways to Grow Traffic on Your News Website

While SEO plays a huge role in driving traffic to your site, there are more ways to attract visitors to your news articles.

Let’s look at some of the ways to grow your website traffic.

1. Convert Visitors into Subscribers

Did you know that 70% of people who visit your news site will never come back again?

You can change this by using OptinMonster. It is the best lead generation and conversion optimization software for WordPress. OptinMonster lets you create popups, spin-to-win campaigns, floating bars, and more. Plus, it offers powerful display rules, allowing you to show the campaigns to the right audience at the right time.

For example, you can offer free resources, coupons, discount deals, and other incentives in exchange for users’ email addresses.

Simple popup example

Once you start getting subscribers, you can build an email list and set up a newsletter to send the latest news, trending stories, and more. This will help bring people back to your site and build authority.

There are plenty of email marketing services to choose from. We recommend using Constant Contact, Brevo, or HubSpot to get started.

You can take a look at our detailed guide on how to create an email newsletter.

2. Send Push Notifications to Your Audience

Website push notifications help you stay in touch with your audience after they’ve left your site. They get a higher engagement rate compared to social media or email.

You can use PushEngage to get started. It is the best push notification software for WordPress. It is super easy to use and helps set up automated campaigns, create segments for different subscribers, detailed analytics, and more.

An example of a push notification, created using PushEngage

You can send notifications to inform users about new articles, breaking news, the latest trends, and more.

For more details, please see our guide on how to set up push notifications in WordPress.

3. Share Content on Social Media Channels

Another way to grow your website traffic is by sharing content on social media platforms.

For instance, you can send out a tweet on X (formerly known as Twitter) about the latest news and share news articles on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and more.

You can also add social sharing buttons on your site so visitors can share the news with their friends and followers.

With WordPress, there are ways to automate the process and automatically share content to social media when they’re published. Simply use Uncanny Automator to create automated workflows and integrate social media profiles with your website.

You can follow our guide on how to automatically post from WordPress to Twitter and Facebook for more details.

Tips to Boost Engagement on Your News Site

Once you start adding more content and attracting more visitors, you can take your news site to the next level.

Here are some tips for boosting engagement on your website.

1. Adding a Scrolling News Ticker in WordPress

A scrolling news ticker is a single line of text that appears continuously across the screen and shows small snippets of information.

For instance, you can use it to show breaking news, sporting results, live financial and currency information, weather, discount deals, upcoming events, and more.

Scrolling news ticker

The easiest way of adding a scrolling news ticker is by using the Ditty plugin. It is a free plugin that is very easy to use and set up. For more details, please see our step-by-step guide on how to add a scrolling news ticker in WordPress.

2. Show Popular and Trending News Articles

Another way to boost engagement on your site is by displaying popular and trending news articles within or at the end of your content

You can also show related news articles and other blog posts on similar topics within your content. This makes it easier for users to discover new content and stay longer on your site.

Popular posts preview on WPBeginner

To learn more, you can see our guides on how to display popular posts by views and how to display related posts in WordPress.

3. Turn Your Site into a News Aggregator

You can curate news from multiple sources and display them on your site as an aggregator.

News aggregators are useful for many niches and allow users to view news from their favorite websites in one place. It also lets you make money online by selling subscriptions, advertisements, and sponsorships.

Some popular news aggregators include Feedly, Google News, and Alltop. You can also create your own news aggregator site using a plugin like WP RSS Aggregator.

For more information, please follow our guide on the best news aggregator website and how to build your own.

We hope this article helped you learn how to make a news website step by step. You may also want to see our ultimate guide to boosting WordPress performance and the best WordPress plugins to have on your site.

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 News Website Using WordPress (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Migrate Google Business Profile Website to WordPress

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

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

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

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

Migrate Google Business Profile Website to WordPress

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

Why Migrate a Google Business Profile Site to WordPress?

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

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

Local search results example

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

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

google business profile site email

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

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

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

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

Why Choose WordPress as a Platform for Your Website?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Step 1: Create a Backup of Google Business Profile Site

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

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

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

Right click to save the image

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

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

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

Copy the text from business profile site

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

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

Paste content in notepad

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

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

Step 2: Choosing a Web Hosting Platform for Your Site

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bluehost

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

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

Bluehost pricing table

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

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

Bluehost buy domain name

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

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

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

bluehost package extras

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

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

Step 3: Install and Set Up WordPress

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

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

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

Edit site in Bluehost

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

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

Bluehost website setup wizard

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

Step 4: Add Content From Business Profile Site to WordPress

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

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

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

Add new page

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

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

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

Enter business profile text in content editor

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

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

Add image block to the post

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

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

upload file to the media library

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

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

Select an image from media library

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

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

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

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

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

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

SeedProd page builder

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

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

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

Step 5: Optimizing Your Business Site for Local SEO

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

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

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

All in One SEO

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

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

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

AIOSEO Setup Wizard

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

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

Activate Local SEO

Add Location and Business Information

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

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

Adding business location information

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

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

Enter your business information

Add Opening Hours for Your Business

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

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

AIOSEO business hours

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

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

Add business hours in AIOSEO

Show Business Location on Google Maps

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

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

Enter Google Maps API key

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

Step 6: Update Website URL in Google Business Profile

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

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

Edit Google Business profile

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

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

Add your new site

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Here are the things you need to do before Google shutdows Business Profile sites

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

What Is a Google Business Profile Site?

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

Local search results example

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

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

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

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

Why Migrate Your Google Business Profile Site?

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

Google business profile website

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

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

What to Do Before Google Business Profile Site Shutdown

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

Step 1: Make a Website You Own and Control

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

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

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

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

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

Why Use WordPress for Your Business Website?

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

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

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

Getting Started With WordPress

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bluehost website

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

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

Choose a hosting plan

Click ‘Select’ to choose your plan and continue.

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

Bluehost choose your domain name

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

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

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

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

Bluehost uncheck extras

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

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

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

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

Login to WordPress by click on the Edit Site button in Bluehost

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

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

Step 2: Set Up Local SEO for Your Business Site

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

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

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

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

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

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

All in One SEO website

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

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

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

AIOSEO Setup Wizard

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

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

Activate Local SEO

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

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

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

Adding business location information

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

Scroll down a little to the Business Info section.

Enter your business information

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

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

AIOSEO business hours

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

Scroll down a little and then add your business hours.

Add business hours in AIOSEO

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

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

Enter Google Maps API key

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

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

Displaying Your Business Information on Your Website

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

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

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

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

AIOSEO local SEO blocks

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

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

AIOSEO local business information preview

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

Step 3: Add Your New Website to Google Business Profile

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

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

Edit Google Business profile

This will bring up a popup with your business information.

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

Add your new site

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

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

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

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

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

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

SeedProd

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

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

A SeedProd landing page template

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

Step 5: Redirect Your Custom Domain

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

https://example.business.site

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

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

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

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

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

Domain.com change nameservers

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

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

ns1.bluehost.com

ns2.bluehost.com

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

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

Bonus: Make the Most Out of Your New WordPress Site

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

Here are some tips to help you get started.

1. Choose a WordPress Theme

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

Browse free WordPress themes

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

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

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

2. Create Important WordPress Pages

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

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

Add new page

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

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

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

3. Install Necessary Plugins

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

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

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

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

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

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

7 Proven Affiliate Marketing Tips to Grow Revenue From the Founder of Pretty Links

Are you looking for new ways to grow your affiliate marketing revenue?

There’s a lot of money to be made! In 2023, affiliate marketing made over $17 billion globally.

But while the average salary for an affiliate marketer is over $60,000, many people earn much less while a few earn much more. What makes the difference?

Here are 7 tips that will help you grow your affiliate marketing revenue.

Note: This is a guest post by Blair Williams, the founder of Pretty Links, a popular all-in-one affiliate link management plugin. We publish an expert column on WPBeginner every other Thursday. This is an invite-only column, meaning we don’t accept unsolicited guest post offers.

Proven Affiliate Marketing Tips to Grow Revenue

I will cover quite a few topics in this post. Here’s a handy list so you can jump to the section you are most interested in:

1. Drive the RIGHT Traffic That Earns Commissions

The first step in generating revenue from affiliate sales is to make sure you attract an audience that actually wants to try out the product or service you recommend.

Since over 70% of affiliate marketers get most of their traffic from search engines like Google, that makes SEO really important.

But SEO takes time, especially if you’re competing against other affiliate marketing sites for keywords with high search volume and high competition.

To earn the most commissions, I highly recommend targeting investigational keywords. Let me explain why.

Generally speaking, Google searches are performed with 4 different types of intent, and the best match for affiliate websites is investigational intent. Here’s a quick breakdown of the different kinds of search intent:

  • Users with navigational intent are trying to get to a particular website. Example: search on Google with the phrase www.wpbeginner.com
  • Users with informational intent are simply trying to find an answer to a question. Example: search on Google with the phrase who is the current US President.
  • Users with transactional intent have already made a decision and are ready to purchase or download the product they chose. Example: buy Apple iPhone 15 Pro
  • Finally, users with investigational intent are looking for information that may eventually lead to a purchase or transaction. Example: best student laptops, compare hp vs dell laptops, etc.

Users with investigational intent will want to read product reviews, showcases, and comparisons like yours before making a final purchasing decision. This means as an affiliate marketer, it’s your job to help your users find the right product and get them purchase it through your affiliate link.

They use investigational keywords in their search queries that include words like ‘best’, ‘review’, ‘compare’, and ‘alternative’.

Investigational Intent Keywords Example

Here are some examples of investigational intent keywords:

  • best laptops for students
  • honest review of Tesla Model S
  • Bose QuietComfort 45 vs. Sony WH-1000XM4
  • Lenovo ThinkPad X1 common problems
  • best alternatives to the Hoover MAXLife Pro

You can see the keywords people use to find your WordPress site using online tools like Google Search Console or All in One SEO for WordPress.

Keyword performance table

By targeting investigational keywords, you will drive the right audience to your site. I’ve found that means you won’t have to get as much traffic to make a decent affiliate income.

2. Publish High-Quality Content

Now that you know the investigational keywords that will bring potential customers to your site, your next job is to create high-quality content that ranks for those keywords.

That means writing in-depth product reviews, comparisons with pros and cons, video reviews, and more. Only 28% of affiliate marketers use blogs to promote their affiliate links, and I think that number should be much higher.

Create Quality Content

Not only will high-quality content bring in traffic to your WordPress website, but you will also benefit from long-term traffic that comes from your blog’s rankings.

Some of the most successful affiliates have become experts at using the product or service they are reviewing. In fact, demonstrating real-life experience in your reviews is more important now than ever.

In December 2022, Google added ‘experience’ to their E-E-A-T ranking criteria. Now, unless you show first-hand experience with the products you write about, Google may penalize you in the long run by giving your site a lower search ranking.

Darren Rowse’s Digital Photography School blog is a great example of what you should be doing. He shows excellent photos taken on Canon and Nikon SLR cameras and then mentions those cameras in posts and tutorials.

Demonstrate Experience DPS

Not only does this improve his ‘experience’ score with Google, but when his visitors are inspired by the spectacular photos taken by the cameras he reviews, they will be more likely to purchase them using his affiliate links.

You can do the same by producing more content, such as detailed blog posts or YouTube videos, displaying your skills using the actual product or service. Just make sure you don’t just talk about a product’s features. You also need to show your audience how they can use those features to get great results.

The best way to add affiliate links to your website or blog is by using a plugin like Pretty Links or ThirstyAffiliates. Creating a centralized affiliate link management system in your WordPress dashboard can save you a lot of time.

For example, when one of your affiliate partners changes your link, you would normally need to find every post where the link appears and update the link manually.

But with an affiliate link plugin, you simply need to update it once, and it will update across your entire website.

Managing affiliate links with ThirstyAffiliates

These plugins will also let you cloak the affiliate links you promote on your website. Typically, affiliate links are long and ugly like this:

http://example.com/products/?product_id=123&affiliate_id

A cloaked affiliate link looks better and is easier to understand:

http://www.yoursite.com/refer/productname
Pretty Links Cloaking an Affiliate Link

Besides these benefits, an affiliate link manager lets you categorize your links, add notes, check for links that have stopped working, and much more. This means you can spend less time managing your affiliate links and more time creating high-quality content.

Now that you’ve added affiliate links to your website, it’s essential to track how many times each one is being clicked.

This will help you see which affiliate products are performing well, and which of your blog posts are generating the most clicks.

This information will let you make improvements to your website that result in more revenue, and you can also use the metrics to negotiate with your partner companies for higher payouts. I’ll talk about this more later on.

Google Analytics can show how much traffic your links are sending to each affiliate product, but beginners can find it tricky to use.

Instead, I recommend using an analytics plugin like MonsterInsights because it makes your analytics easy to understand and supports affiliate link tracking out of the box.

Top Affiliate Links Shown in MonsterInsights

Now that you know how much traffic you are sending to each affiliate link, you should compare it with the revenue you made. This will help you discover your highest-performing products, and focusing on them will boost your affiliate income.

5. Convert Up to 60% of Abandoning Visitors With an Affiliate Popup

We spoke earlier about how to increase your affiliate income by bringing more visitors to your website. It’s also important to think about the visitors leaving your site, or you will miss out on sales.

You need to grab the attention of abandoning visitors before they leave your site because 70% of them will never come back.

Nadi Lopez, a marketing specialist at Top 6 Digital, combats this using an exit-intent popup. It detects the user’s mouse movement and shows them an affiliate promotion when they’re about to leave.

He uses OptinMonster to display a popup that is customized for the content the reader is viewing at the time, like this:

Affiliate Popup Example

The plan worked, and 17.31% of visitors who saw the popup above clicked the link.

As a result, Top 6 Digital’s affiliate revenue increased by 30%, and on some web pages, as many as 62% of abandoning visitors were converted.

For more details on how to do this, you can see this article on how to create popups that convert.

6. Optimize Your Content to Boost Conversions

Your visitors won’t click a link they don’t notice. You’ll get more clicks and revenue by highlighting the affiliate mentions in your articles.

You can try doing this in lots of different ways. Just make sure you track affiliate clicks to measure which methods are most effective on your blog and individual posts.

For example, you can highlight a link by simply bolding it or using colored text.

Or you can make a link more obvious by placing it in an affiliate product box or button. Some websites also use discreet icons like arrows or shopping carts next to the links to show they are affiliate links.

Affiliate product box

You could also create a call to action (CTA) where you mention the affiliate product or service. For best results, use persuasive language that encourages readers to learn more or click through.

7. Negotiate With Brands for a Higher Commission Tier

Finally, you can make more affiliate income by simply asking your partners for a higher commission percentage. This can potentially help you make the biggest gains in revenue.

Because you’ve already enabled link tracking, you will be able to gather the information you need to demonstrate the value you bring your affiliate partner.

Make sure you do your research first. Some affiliate plans may already offer a tiered structure that pays higher commission rates for higher sales volumes. Otherwise, you can speak to the affiliate manager about increasing the rates for your website.

Don’t become aggressive or demanding or you may damage your relationship with the company. Make sure you remain courteous and flexible and aim for a win-win outcome.

I hope my practical tips will help you grow your affiliate marketing revenue. You may also want to see the ultimate affiliate marketing guide or the best affiliate marketing tools and plugins for WordPress.

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 Proven Affiliate Marketing Tips to Grow Revenue From the Founder of Pretty Links first appeared on WPBeginner.

9 Best FAQ WordPress Plugins (Expert Pick)

Are you looking for WordPress FAQ plugins to use on your website?

Using FAQ plugins can improve the customer experience by making it easier for visitors to find answers to their questions without leaving your website. It can also boost your search engine rankings and help more people find your content.

In this article, we will share some of the best WordPress FAQ plugins that can help you add an attractive FAQ section to your website.

Best FAQ WordPress Plugins

Why Use a WordPress FAQ Plugin?

FAQ plugins create a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on your WordPress website with a list of some commonly asked questions and their answers.

FAQs

This helps build trust and credibility with your customers by letting them know that you understand their questions and worries. FAQs can even increase conversion rates.

An FAQ section allows users to find an answer to their questions without needing to contact customer service. This saves time and enables your customer support team to focus on other issues.

Additionally, using these plugins can improve your search engine rankings because most FAQs contain long-tail keywords that users commonly look for using search engines.

Your answers may even appear in Google answer boxes. This can bring a lot more organic traffic to your website.

That being said, let’s look at some of the best WordPress FAQ plugins that can help improve user experience on your website.

Disclaimer: When choosing the WordPress FAQ plugins for this article, we downloaded and tried out each of the plugins on our test website. This allowed us to explore all the features, pros, and cons to give you the best recommendations.

1. All in One SEO for WordPress

All in One SEO plugin

All in One SEO is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market that allows you to easily optimize your website to improve search engine rankings. The plugin comes with an FAQ block that helps you create an attractive FAQ section in the content editor. Within the block, you can directly enter questions and answers.

You can also customize the FAQ section from the block panel, including the text color, background color, typography, and title wrapper.

Add the AIOSEO FAQs block in your block editor

Moreover, All in One SEO allows you to add FAQ schema to your WordPress website. This schema markup can increase your visibility on Google and bring more traffic.

To activate the FAQ schema, you must scroll down to the AIOSEO section in the block editor and switch to the ‘Schema’ tab. After that, click the ‘Generate Schema’ button to open up a prompt.

Switch to the Schema tab and click the Generate Schema button

Once the Schema Generator opens up, click on the ‘FAQ’ option to add the schema.

Next, you can add questions and answers to the schema template. For more detailed instructions, please see our tutorial on how to add FAQ schema in WordPress.

Choose the FAQs schema

Pros

  • Apart from FAQs, AIOSEO has custom sitemaps, advanced redirects, SEO titles and descriptions, support for multiple keyphrases, and more.
  • It comes with a headline analyzer and provides suggestions to use active voice, insert transition words, distribute subheadings better, and hit a specific Flesch reading score. This makes it the best writing assistant software in WordPress.
  • AIOSEO can also integrate with social media and WooCommerce.

Cons

  • AIOSEO has a free plan that you can use to add an FAQ block. However, you will need the pro plan to unlock the FAQ schema.

Why we recommend All in One SEO: It is the best WordPress FAQ plugin on the market that allows you to add an FAQ section directly from the WordPress block editor. Plus, it lets you add FAQ schema to improve search engine rankings.

2. Heroic FAQs

Heroic FAQs for WordPress

Heroic FAQs by HeroThemes is a premium WordPress plugin that comes with a drag-and-drop interface to organize, reorder, or group related questions together.

It offers 5 pre-designed FAQ templates and a visual editor that lets you insert images, blockquotes, lists, videos, and more into your FAQ content.

Heroic FAQs dashboard

You can display the FAQs in accordion or toggle format. You are also able to choose from 15 different FAQ icon styles to match your website’s design.

Pros

  • Using the Heroic FAQs plugin can improve your website visibility and search engine rankings because it has built-in FAQ schema.
  • Some of its other features include fast loading, FAQ search, analytics reports, mobile responsiveness, and page builder integrations.

Cons

  • Heroic FAQs is a premium plugin and does not have a free plan.
  • It only offers five pre-designed styles. To create an FAQ section unique to your website, you will need to use CSS.

Why we recommend Heroic FAQs: Overall, Heroic FAQs is the perfect solution if you are looking for an all-in-one FAQ management kit. It is ideal for small business sites with its drag-and-drop builder, FAQ schema, analytics, page builder integrations, and more.

3. SeedProd

SeedProd

SeedProd is the best WordPress landing page builder on the market. It makes it super easy to create landing pages and custom themes in WordPress without using any code.

It also comes with an Accordion block that lets you create FAQs by adding text sections that expand and collapse to any part of your page.

First, you will need to choose a template and start building your page with SeedProd. Then, you can drag and drop the ‘Accordion’ block onto the landing page from the left column on the screen.

Configure Accordion Block settings

Once you add the questions and answers, you can also customize the font size, icon image, typography, text color, and background color for your FAQs.

Pros

  • You can add custom CSS and animation effects to your FAQs.
  • SeedProd comes with built-in SEO features that will allow you to optimize your landing pages for search engines and increase visibility.
  • It is the best theme builder that lets you create custom themes for your website.
  • SeedProd can integrate with any email marketing service, and you can also add a contact form, optin form, or giveaways using advanced blocks.

Cons

  • SeedProd is a page builder and is not designed specifically for FAQs.
  • It does not offer any FAQ templates or reports and analytics.
  • SeedProd has a free plan, but some of its features can only be unlocked in the pro version of the plugin.

Why we recommend SeedProd: If want to design custom landing pages for your site, then we recommend using SeedProd to add FAQs to those pages. The plugin will help you create a simple accordion FAQ.

4. Thrive Architect

Thrive Architect website

Thrive Architect is another powerful drag-and-drop page builder that helps you easily create custom landing pages, layouts, and content for your WordPress site.

It comes with a Toggle element that lets you add an FAQ section in an accordion style. To expand the toggle and add an answer to the question, click the ‘Expand’ button in the block toolbar above each toggle.

Add toggle element

Once you do that, you can customize the FAQ section by adjusting the columns, width, vertical space, and dropdown animations.

For more details on using Thrive Architect, you can see our guide on how to create a custom page in WordPress.

Pros

  • With Thrive Architect, you can further customize the FAQs section by changing the icons, typography, layout, background color, borders, adding HMTL attributes, and more.
  • It comes with prebuilt templates, conversion elements, A/B testing, parallax effects, and smart color technology.
  • The plugin is a part of Thrive Suite, which includes Thrive Leads, Thrive Comments, Thrive Optimize, and more.

Cons

  • Thrive Architect does not offer a free plan.
  • It is a page builder that can be used to add FAQs, but it lacks some of the advanced features offered by the other FAQ plugins on the list.

Why we recommend Thrive Architect: If you are already using Thrive Architect on your website to build pages, then we recommend using the same plugin to add FAQs.

5. YITH WooCommerce Questions And Answers

YITH WooCommerce Questions and Answers

YITH WooCommerce Questions And Answers is not a typical FAQ plugin because it is specifically designed for WooCommerce.

It allows you to create an FAQ section for your product pages and also enables customers to submit their own questions that can be answered by your support team.

This can help increase user engagement in your WooCommerce store and provide a better customer experience.

Pros

  • It is a highly customizable plugin with a category filter and search feature to make it easier for users to find the answers to their questions.
  • The plugin lets you implement a voting system, hide inappropriate questions, and encourage users to post their own answers in the FAQ section.
  • It has an email notification feature that tells you any time a user submits a question or answers the query of another customer.

Cons

  • The plugin won’t work if you do not have an online store with WooCommerce.
  • The plugin allows users to submit their questions, which can lead to spam, offensive language, or irrelevant content. To counter that, you will have to actively monitor and manage the FAQ sections.
  • The plugin offers limited customization options and may not be able to integrate with all WordPress themes seamlessly.

Why we recommend YITH WooCommerce Questions and Answers: If you have a WooCommerce store, then this is the perfect plugin for you. It is specifically designed for WooCommerce and even allows users to submit their questions on your site. This can help boost engagement and lead to more conversions.

6. Ultimate FAQ

Ultimate FAQs

Ultimate FAQ is a popular WordPress plugin that provides shortcodes and blocks in the Gutenberg editor that let you add an FAQ section to your website.

It comes with unlimited support for categories and tags and even lets you add an unlimited number of FAQs to a single section.

By default, the plugin comes with accordion and toggle styles. However, you can also use custom CSS to style your FAQs according to your liking.

Pros

  • The plugin lets you import FAQs in bulk using Google Sheets and even offers a search and filtering feature for customers.
  • It is super easy to use and helps you create SEO-friendly FAQs to boost website rankings.
  • Ultimate FAQ integrates with WooCommerce, so you can easily add an FAQ section to your online store.
  • Some of its other features include email support, social sharing, custom fields, video/image support, and more.

Cons

  • The plugin offers limited design options for FAQs.
  • It can add loading time to your pages depending on the customizations you make and the number of FAQs.
  • The plugin’s built-in search feature can be limited in scope and accuracy.

Why we recommend Ultimate FAQ: If you have a simple WordPress blog, then you can use this plugin to add an attractive FAQ section for free.

7. Easy Accordion

Easy Accordion

Easy Accordion is a powerful FAQ builder that provides a drag-and-drop interface to create an accordion-style FAQ section.

It’s lightweight, fast, and SEO-friendly, helping you quickly optimize your website content for search engines.

The plugin offers more than 16 pre-designed templates and other customization options, including typography, icon sets, font colors, themes, animation effects, padding, color schemes, and more.

Pros

  • Easy Accordion has a responsive layout that works on various devices, including mobile phones, iPads, desktops, and tablets.
  • It lets you adjust the accordion height and select activator events for the accordion, including click, mouseover, or automatic.
  • You can create unlimited accordion sections and also add advanced CSS for custom styling.

Cons

  • The plugin can add loading time to your pages depending on the number of accordions you have added to your website.
  • It can have compatibility issues with third-party plugins.

Why we recommend Easy Accordion: The free plugin is a great choice if you want to create a highly customizable FAQ section.

8. Helpie FAQ

Helpie FAQ

Helpie FAQ comes with a user-friendly interface that allows you to easily create and manage FAQ pages. It also offers built-in FAQ schema that increases your search visibility and can improve your website rankings.

The plugin provides you with complete flexibility to add an FAQ section to your pages, posts, or WordPress sidebar.

Pros

  • Helpie FAQ includes an AJAX search feature, basic sorting, color themes, import/export, user submissions, and more.
  • You can integrate this plugin with WooCommerce to create an FAQ section for your online store.
  • It can easily integrate with HelpieKB, which allows you to build documentation for your site.

Cons

Why we recommend Helpie FAQ: If you have just started your business and are on a shoestring budget, then you can use Helpie FAQ to build a simple FAQ section on your website. The plugin can also integrate with HelpieKB to create a knowledge base.

9. WP Responsive FAQ With Category

WP responsive FAQ with category plugin

WP Responsive FAQ with Category is a simple WordPress plugin that uses shortcodes to add FAQ sections to your pages or posts.

It comes with a drag-and-drop interface and 15+ pre-designed templates to create an aesthetically pleasing FAQ section for your website.

Other than that, WP Responsive FAQ offers WooCommerce support and makes it super easy for you to display an FAQ section in your online store.

Pros

  • The plugin comes with image/video support for FAQs.
  • It offers customization settings and accordion animation adjustments.
  • It creates search-friendly URLs for FAQ pages.

Cons

  • WP Responsive does not offer FAQ schema.

Why we recommend WP Responsive FAQ With Category: If you are looking for a beginner-friendly and easy-to-use solution to create FAQs with images and videos, then this plugin is for you.

Which Is the Best WordPress FAQ Plugin?

In our expert opinion, All in One SEO is the best WordPress FAQ plugin because it allows you to easily add FAQ sections and FAQ schema to your pages and posts.

However, if you want to create an FAQ section on a landing page, then you can also use SeedProd or Thrive Architect. They are the best WordPress page builders on the market that offer built-in features to create attractive FAQ sections.

You can also use the Heroic FAQs plugin if you are looking for an all-in-one solution. Its user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface allows you to easily build FAQs and FAQ schema.

If you have an online store, then we recommend using YITH WooCommerce Questions and Answers or the Ultimate FAQ plugin because they are designed to integrate with WooCommerce.

Frequently Asked Questions About WordPress FAQs

Here are some questions that are frequently asked by our readers about FAQ plugins:

Do FAQs improve SEO?

Adding FAQs on your website can improve SEO because they directly address your user’s query, boosting your relevance to search engines.

Plus, FAQs also contain target keywords and encourage users to spend more time on your website.

How many FAQs should I have on a page?

The best number of FAQs on a page can depend on several factors, including the target audience, topic complexity, layout, and more.

If you are creating a separate dedicated page for FAQs, then you should have at least 10 questions on this page.

However, if you have written an average blog post of about 1500 words and want to add a short FAQ section at the bottom, then you can just add about 3-5 FAQs for your users.

Which is the best free FAQ plugin for WordPress?

If you are on a budget, then you can use the free plan of AIOSEO to add FAQs to your WordPress site. This plugin will improve your SEO and let you add FAQs for free.

Alternatively, if you have a WooCommerce store, then Ultimate FAQ is also a good choice due to its seamless integration with the eCommerce plugin.

Best WordPress Guides for Using FAQs

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 FAQ WordPress Plugins (Expert Pick) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Track SEO Changes on Your WordPress Site (Easy Tutorial)

Are you wondering how you can track SEO changes on your WordPress website?

Maybe you’ve recently changed a blog post title or tweaked your content based on the on-page SEO analysis. As a result, you want to track whether the new changes you’ve made have boosted your position in the search results.

In this article, we will show you how to track SEO changes on your WordPress site so you can regularly monitor improvements or declines in your site’s search engine rankings.

How to track SEO changes on your WordPress website

Why Track SEO Changes in WordPress?

Writing high-quality blog posts is just one part of blogging or running a website. You will also need to optimize your content for search engines like Google to get traffic to your site. This is known as search engine optimization (SEO).

SEO changes are any modifications you’ve made to your content or overall website to improve its performance in the search engine results.

For instance, making adjustments to meta tags, changing headers, and adding keywords are just some examples of making SEO changes to your site. For more examples, you can see our complete WordPress SEO guide.

Without knowing how your SEO changes are affecting search engine rankings, you are essentially shooting in the dark. You won’t know whether a change in your title tag or meta tag is getting more clicks or if adding keywords did anything to improve your article’s rankings.

Plus, changes you make to your content can sometimes negatively impact your search results. Let’s say you change the title or meta description to be more readable. But in the process, you also change the keyword density, which can hurt your SEO score in the eyes of Google.

Or maybe you’ve changed URLs or accidentally added a broken link. Doing so can cause 404 errors and hurt the credibility of your site.

By tracking these changes, you can identify which SEO strategies are working well and improving your position in the search engine rankings. This information helps you focus your efforts on the most effective approaches.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how to track SEO changes in WordPress.

Tracking SEO Changes With All in One SEO

The easiest way to track SEO changes in WordPress is with the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin. AIOSEO is the best WordPress SEO plugin with an SEO revisions tool that allows you to quickly see the SEO changes that you’ve made to your content.

It also comes with on-page SEO optimization tools, instant sitemap creation, and more.

Is All in One SEO (AIOSEO) the best WordPress SEO plugin?

To begin, you will need to install and activate the All in One SEO plugin. If you need further help with installation, then check out our post on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once activated, just go to any post or page that you’ve made SEO changes to. Scroll to the bottom of that post, and under ‘AIOSEO Settings,’ click on the ‘SEO Revisions’ tab.

SEO revisions

With the AIOSEO SEO Revisions feature, you can see which revisions you have made that may have caused changes in rankings. These changes will be listed in chronological order, with the newest changes at the top.

AIOSEO will even show the date and time when each change was made.

Keep in mind that you won’t be able to see your rankings from this report, but you can compare this data to other AIOSEO reports. We will show you how to do this a little later in this article.

SEO track changes

You can also add notes directly to each SEO change to record how those changes made or didn’t make a difference to your content rankings. That way, you will know whether you should implement those changes on other blog posts.

Just hover over the line item and click ‘Add Note.’ Then, a box will appear above the SEO change, and you can simply type your note there.

Add note

If you hit the View icon, it will show you the specific change you’ve made.

And you can click on the ‘Compare’ link to compare the changes made between the two revisions.

Compare revisions

That will bring you to a page where you can see all of the SEO changes you have compared to the previous versions.

This helps you visualize your changes and ultimately determine whether or not they actually help boost search ranking results.

SEO changes

And if you toggle the adjuster at the top, then you can restore a previous version of a page.

That way, if one of the changes isn’t working out, then you can always revert back to a prior version before those SEO adjustments were made.

Restore this revision

Tracking SEO Rankings With All in One SEO

Beyond just tracking SEO changes, you will need to know whether those adjustments actually helped improve your search rankings.

The good news is that All in One SEO offers a Search Statistics feature to monitor all SEO metrics and keyword rankings. That way, you can refine your strategy and drive more organic traffic to your content.

All you have to do is head over to the All in One » SEO Search Statistics page in the WordPress admin panel.

monitor-seo-rankings-search-statistics-dashboard-new

In the dashboard section, you will see key SEO metrics such as your site’s Search Impressions, Total Clicks, Average CTR, and Average Position.

On top of that, it will display the number of keywords you’ve ranked for, along with the different positions.

When you scroll down to the bottom, you’ll find a Content Performance Report. Here is where you’ll discover your best-performing pages, the pages that are losing rankings the most, and the content that’s rising up in rankings for the date range set.

AIOSEO's Content Performance feature

You could also jump into the Content Rankings tab under Search Statistics. Under each page, you’ll see a ‘Last Updated On’ column, which shows the date the URL was last updated. This helps you easily track how your SEO changes have impacted the particular page or post.

The ‘Performance Score’ provides a good visual representation of how your content has performed in SERPs over the past 12 months.

The entire content rankings report is a good way to monitor any content decay so you can make changes to your blog posts and prevent them from dropping significantly in rankings.

aioseo-content-rankings

Monitoring Google Algorithm Updates

All that being said, managing your rankings can be difficult when Google is constantly changing its algorithms. Even your best-ranking pages that you’ve worked hard for can suddenly drop overnight, causing a loss of traffic.

Google frequently rolls out large-scale updates that can have a huge impact on your search rankings. They tend to focus on high-priority issues like search intent or content quality.

The good news is you can stay on top of them directly in WordPress. Inside the ‘SEO Statistics’ tab, you will see a Google icon indicating when each major algorithm update was made.

aioseo-seo-statistics-timeline-min

Simply click on that icon to read more about the changes that were made. From the line graph, you can easily see how your traffic has changed based on when the algorithm changed.

If you want a more in-depth tutorial, check out our blog post on how to monitor Google algorithm updates in WordPress.

aioseo-seo-statistics-google-update-marker-min

Bonus: Track Performance With MonsterInsights

Besides All in One SEO, there are plenty of other SEO rank tracker tools you could use to monitor your rankings.

But you probably want to track more than just your SEO changes. For example, you might be wondering:

  • How many page views am I getting?
  • Where are my page views coming from?
  • What’s the bounce rate on those pages?

The user experience and conversion rate are just as important as where your pages rank. It doesn’t matter if you are bringing in thousands of visitors if none of them are signing up for your newsletter or sticking around on your website.

That’s where MonsterInsights can help. Inside the plugin dashboard, you will get access to a treasure trove of information. MonsterInsights is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress, bringing real-time stats and conversion tracking to your dashboard.

You will be able to find information about pageviews, bounce rate, traffic sources, and more in the Reports section of MonsterInsights.

dashboard-reports-monsterinsights

Both All in One SEO and MonsterInsights allow you to see the keywords people use to find your WordPress site. But AIOSEO gives you the tools to easily optimize your site for better performance, while MonsterInsights gives you more detailed analytics.

For more information about what type of features and stats you can find with MonsterInsights, just check out our MonsterInsights review.

We hope that this article helped you learn how to track SEO changes on your WordPress site. You also may want to check our ultimate WordPress SEO guide for beginners or our article on how to increase your blog traffic.

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

The post How to Track SEO Changes on Your WordPress Site (Easy Tutorial) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Edit a WordPress Website (Ultimate Guide)

Are you a new WordPress.org user who wants to learn how to edit your WordPress site?

Here at WPBeginner, we have helped millions of beginners build their websites using WordPress, which is the most popular website builder on the market. If you need help with editing your website, then you have come to the right place.

In this article, we will show you the basics of editing a WordPress website.

How to Edit a WordPress Website (Ultimate Guide)

An Overview of Ways to Edit a WordPress Site

As an open-source content management system, WordPress has a lot of features to build and edit your website.

If you installed WordPress recently, then you may have come across Gutenberg, which is WordPress’s drag-and-drop block editor that allows you to customize a page or post. This feature is pretty easy and beginner-friendly.

The Gutenberg block editor interface

You may have also seen the Full Site Editor.

This is an extension of Gutenberg that lets you use the block editor to customize block-based WordPress themes.

The WordPress Full Site Editor

That said, if you use a classic, non-block WordPress theme, then the FSE won’t be available to you. Instead, you will have to use the WordPress Theme Customizer.

This feature doesn’t come with a drag-and-drop function, so it’s not as user-friendly. You have to edit your theme using some menu settings in the left-hand panel.

Using the WordPress Theme Customizer to edit a transportation and logistics website

If you need more customization options that aren’t available in WordPress’s built-in features, then you can install a page builder plugin like SeedProd.

This is what we usually recommend to WordPress beginners. Like Gutenberg, SeedProd has a drag-and-drop feature. However, it offers more ways to get creative, like animation effects and more content block options to build your pages.

Editing the online coaching business theme in SeedProd

Some WordPress users also use the Classic Editor. It’s WordPress’s legacy page and post editor that looks a bit like a document editor.

This feature is no longer enabled by default in the latest WordPress versions. However, some people still use it because they are more familiar with it and want to keep their current website designs.

The Classic Editor Interface

In this article, we will show you how to edit different parts of your WordPress website using the editors we’ve mentioned.

We will also assume that you have WordPress installed and set up already. Otherwise, you will need a WordPress hosting plan, domain name, and WordPress installation.

Want to skip to a specific section in this tutorial? Feel free to use these quick links below:

How to Edit a WordPress Theme

One of the first things you should do after installing WordPress is to choose and customize your theme. We will show you 3 ways to do that.

Customizing a Block Theme With the Full Site Editor

Full Site Editing was introduced in WordPress 5.9. It’s designed to make it easy to edit WordPress block themes using the block editor.

One tell-tale sign that you are using a block WordPress theme is you will see Appearance » Editor in your WordPress admin area. If you see Appearance » Customize instead, then you can skip to using the Theme Customizer.

Clicking Appearance Editor in the WordPress admin

To use the Full Site Editor, you will need to have a block theme installed. You can find plenty of them in our list of the best block WordPress themes for Full Site Editing.

If you want to find some free options, go to Appearance » Themes. Then, click ‘Add New Theme.’

Adding a new WordPress theme in the admin area

After that, just switch to the ‘Block Themes’ tab.

You will then see dozens of block themes on your screen. For installation instructions, check out our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress theme.

Finding WordPress block themes in the admin area

Once you have the theme installed, you must go to Appearance » Editor.

Now, you will see the main Full Site Editing dashboard. You can then edit your theme’s navigation menu, styles, pages, templates, and patterns.

We will discuss these topics in the rest of the tutorial, but we will show you briefly how to change the style of your theme.

To do this, click the ‘Styles’ menu.

Clicking Styles in the Full Site Editing interface

Now, you will see a list of the color scheme and typography pairings provided by the theme.

Every time you click on a style, the interface will preview it for you.

Choosing a theme style in the Full Site Editor

Once you are satisfied with your choice, just click ‘Save.’ Alternatively, you can create a custom style.

You can learn more about this and other ways to use the Full Site Editor in our beginner’s guide to WordPress Full Site Editing.

Customizing a Classic Theme With the Theme Customizer

If you use a classic WordPress theme, then you will work with the Theme Customizer to edit it. Simply head to Appearance » Customize from the WordPress admin area to access it.

Opening the WordPress theme customizer

Now, what you can customize here varies by the theme you are using.

For instance, if you have the Astra theme, then you can customize the style of your entire website, header, footer, sidebar, page, logo, and so on.

For this reason, we recommend reading your theme’s documentation for more instructions.

What the Theme Customizer looks like for Astra theme

Our guide on the Theme Customizer can give you more detailed pointers.

Once you’ve made your changes, you can preview the website in different screen resolutions. Then, you can hit the ‘Publish’ button at the top to make your edits live.

Publishing a classic WordPress theme in the Theme Customizer

One downside of the Theme Customizer is its user experience isn’t as flexible or easy as the block editor. If you feel this way, then we recommend using the next method instead.

Customizing a WordPress Theme With a Page Builder Plugin

Many WordPress users who aren’t satisfied with the platform’s built-in design features use a page builder to edit their site. This is a WordPress plugin that can replace the default editor for designing different parts of your website.

Most page builders come with a drag-and-drop functionality, so they are just as easy to use as the block editor. What’s more, they come with more page blocks and templates to personalize your website.

Out of all the page builders we’ve tried, we find SeedProd to be the best. It comes with 300+ templates for various industry categories, from eCommerce and accommodation to services.

SeedProd Website and Theme Builder

Note: While SeedProd comes in a free version, we recommend upgrading to the Pro plan to access the Theme Builder. This is what we will use in this tutorial.

To use SeedProd, you will need to install the WordPress plugin first. After that, go to SeedProd » Settings to activate your Pro plan license. Simply insert your license key and click ‘Verify Key’ to complete this step.

Verifying SeedProd Pro's license key

Next, switch to SeedProd » Theme Builder.

Just click ‘Theme Template Kits‘ to view your theme options.

Accessing SeedProd's Theme Template Kits

As you can see, there are many theme template kits available, from online stores to service sites. Feel free to use the filtering and sorting settings to find the right one for your needs.

Once you’ve made your choice, just hover over the theme template and click the orange checkmark button to use it.

Choosing a theme template kit in SeedProd

Now, just go back to the Theme Builder page and select a theme template you’d like to edit.

For demonstration purposes, we will show you how to edit the style of your SeedProd theme template. To do this, locate the ‘Global CSS’ theme template, hover over it, and click ‘Edit Design.’

Editing a theme template kit's Global CSS in SeedProd

You are now inside the SeedProd page builder and can customize your theme template’s style. Here, you can change your website’s colors, fonts, backgrounds, buttons, forms, and layout.

Let’s see how to change the theme’s default font. To do this, open the ‘Fonts’ menu. Then, just choose one of SeedProd’s many font and color options for the heading and body text.

All the changes you make will show up automatically in the right-side preview.

Changing a SeedProd theme template kit font in the Global CSS theme template

Once you are happy with the style, just click ‘Save’ to make these changes official.

Then, you can go back to SeedProd » Theme Builder and turn on the ‘Enable SeedProd Theme’ toggle in the top right corner.

Enabling the SeedProd theme template kit in WordPress

For more information about editing WordPress themes with SeedProd, you can see our guide on how to easily create a custom WordPress theme.

How to Edit a WordPress Page or Post

If you have updated WordPress to the latest version, then most likely, you will use the Gutenberg block editor to edit a page or post.

You can create a new page by going to Pages » Add New Page. This will automatically make an entirely blank page and direct you to the block editor.

On the other hand, if you want to edit an existing page, like the homepage or blog page, then you can go to Pages » All Pages. Hover your cursor over the page you want to edit, and then click ‘Edit.’

Clicking the Edit button to edit an existing WordPress page

Alternatively, there is also the Quick Edit feature.

This allows you to modify the page’s title, URL slug, and last modified date.

Clicking the Quick Edit button in the WordPress Pages page

You can do various things with the Quick Edit feature.

Examples include setting a password for the page, making it private, assigning it as a parent page, changing the page template, allowing/disallowing comments, and changing the page status.

The Quick Edit feature for WordPress pages

To create a new post, simply head to Posts » Add New Post to make a new blank post and edit it using the block editor.

Like before, you can edit an existing WordPress blog post by hovering your cursor over the selected post and clicking ‘Edit.’

The WordPress Posts interface in the WordPress admin area

The Quick Edit feature for posts is similar but with some minor differences.

Here, you can also add tags, allow/disallow pings, and make the post sticky (featured on your website).

The Quick Edit feature for WordPress blog posts

Once you have opened up a WordPress page or post, there are many things you can do in the block editor.

Typically, you will start by clicking the ‘+’ add block button in the top left corner.

This is where you will find all the available blocks from WordPress and the plugins you use.

Opening the block inserter library in WordPress

You can then drag and drop a block to the main editing area.

After that, you can use the block’s toolbar and settings sidebar to configure the block’s style, dimensions, spacing, and more.

The block settings sidebar in WordPress

If you have installed a WordPress plugin, then you may also see some settings below the editing interface.

For instance, the All in One SEO plugin will show you a section where you can optimize the page or post’s meta title and description for search engines.

The AIOSEO settings in the WordPress block editor

We have plenty of guides for you to learn more about editing posts and pages, so be sure to check them out:

How to Edit a WordPress Page or Post With Classic Editor

If you want to use the Classic Editor, then you will need to enable it. You can read our article on how to disable Gutenberg and activate the Classic Editor to do this.

After that, just create a new post or page by going to Posts » Add New Post or Pages » Add New Page, and the Classic Editor will show up on your screen.

The WordPress classic editor

Unlike the block editor, you won’t add blocks to insert content into your page or post. Instead, you can only type text, format it using the controls at the top of the editing panel, and add media files to your content by clicking on the ‘Add Media’ button.

At the bottom and the sides of the editing interface, there are settings to publish the page/post, set the page or post’s categories/tags, upload a featured image, and so on.

You can also switch between the visual and text editing modes. With the second editor, you can modify the post or page’s HTML code.

The text editing mode in the WordPress classic editor

How to Edit a WordPress Page With a Page Builder

If you already use a page builder like SeedProd to edit your theme, then you can use it to edit a page as well. This way, you can maintain your design’s consistency throughout all of your pages.

You will need to create a new page and open the block editor. If SeedProd is active, then you will see a button at the top that says, ‘Edit with SeedProd.’ Go ahead and click on it.

You can also do this with an existing page. However, do note that the content will not be transferred over, and you will have to create the page from scratch.

Clicking the Edit with SeedProd button in the WordPress block editor

In the page builder, you will see that the SeedProd theme’s header and footer have been added. All you need to do is start building the page.

First, choose one of the 8 layouts to use on the page.

Choosing a layout for the section in a SeedProd theme template

On the left-hand side, you will find all the blocks and sections that you can drag and drop onto the right-hand side, which is the template preview.

You can use these to insert content into the page.

SeedProd's block library

Whenever you click a block or a section, the left-hand side will show the available settings to customize the element.

In the screenshot below, you can see that clicking on the Text block will make the block settings appear. You can customize the text, insert dynamic content, edit the HTML, change the alignment, and so on.

Customizing SeedProd's text block settings

Once you are done editing the page, don’t forget to click ‘Save’ to make the changes live.

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

If you want to create a custom landing page from scratch, then you can also do that with SeedProd. All you need to do is go to SeedProd » Landing Pages. Then, click the ‘+ Add New Landing Page’ button.

Create a new landing page in SeedProd

For more information, check out our tutorial on how to create a custom landing page.

Alternative: Thrive Architect is another great page builder option for designing attractive and conversion-focused landing pages.

You may also want to edit the WordPress header, footer, sidebar, and other parts of your theme template.

These are sections on your site that are not part of the main page or post content. However, they are essential for giving additional information or helpful navigation.

How you can edit these sections depends on what theme you are using, so let’s go through each option.

How to Edit a Block Theme’s Header, Footer, and Other Template Parts

If you have a block theme, then you can use the Full Site Editor to edit your theme’s header and footer.

In the Full Site Editor, a header and footer are considered template parts. These are also known as WordPress patterns (a set of reusable blocks) that appear throughout your website.

Other examples of a template part include the comment section and the post meta.

For the sake of example, we will show you how to edit your WordPress header, but you can repeat these steps with other template parts.

First, go to Appearance » Editor. Once you are in the Full Site Editor, just click ‘Patterns.’

Clicking the Patterns menu in the Full Site Editor

You will now see a list of patterns provided by your WordPress theme.

Go ahead and scroll down to the Template Parts section. Then, select ‘Header’ and click on the Header template part.

Opening the header template part in the WordPress Full Site Editor

Now, you need to click the pencil button next to the Header text.

This will open the block editor.

Clicking the pencil button to edit the header using the Full Site Editor

The block editor works the same way with template parts as it does with pages and posts. You can add various blocks to the header, configure the block, and update the changes when you are done.

Headers usually include a Site Logo (or the favicon), so feel free to add that here, too.

Adding the Site Logo block to the header in the Full Site Editor

If you want to completely change how the header looks but don’t know where to start, click the ‘+’ add block button in the top left corner.

Then, navigate to the ‘Patterns’ tab and click ‘Headers.’ You will find many ready-to-use header layouts there.

Finding WordPress header patterns in the Full Site Editor

For more information, see our guide on how to customize your WordPress header.

Once you are done changing the header, click ‘Save.’ Since the header is a synced template part, all the changes you make here will apply across all pages that use the header.

Now, if you want to create a new header or any other template parts rather than editing the existing ones, you can go back to the ‘Patterns’ page. After that, click the ‘+ Create pattern’ button and select ‘Create template part.’

Creating a new template part in the Full Site Editor

In the popup, give the template part a name and select the type of template part.

Then, click ‘Create.’ You will then be directed to the block editor and you can edit the template part like usual.

The Create template part popup in the WordPress Full Site Editor

For more details, you can see our complete guide to WordPress full site editing.

How to Edit a WordPress Header, Footer, and Other Widget-Ready Areas in a Classic Theme

In a classic theme, a WordPress widget is basically a block that you can add to widget-ready areas, like headers, footers, sidebars, and so on.

Every classic WordPress theme has different widget-ready areas. Some may include a sidebar, and some may not. So be sure to check your theme’s documentation for more information.

To use widgets, you have to go to Appearance » Widgets. Here, you can add, configure, and remove blocks in the available widget-ready areas.

Adding the FlipBox widget to a sidebar or similar section

You can read more information about widgets in our how to add and use widgets in WordPress article.

Also, check out our guide on the difference between widgets and blocks to understand more about this feature.

How to Edit a WordPress Header, Footer, and Other Template Parts With a Page Builder

One of the benefits of using a page builder is you will have more options to customize headers, footers, sidebars, and other parts of your theme.

If you use SeedProd, you can go to SeedProd » Theme Builder. We will assume that you have installed a theme template kit from earlier.

The kit usually includes various theme templates. This may be a built-in page template, like a 404 or single post, or a part of a page, like a header, footer, pricing tables, and so on.

Go ahead and hover over a theme template. Then, click ‘Edit Design.’

Editing the header theme template in SeedProd

Now, you can edit the header the same way as you would with a page.

Let’s say you want to add your social media links here. What you can do is hover over the header until the blue border appears and click the ‘+ Add Row’ button. Then, go ahead and select a row layout.

In our example, we want to add one more column so that the header can fit the image, menu, and social media links. That means we will need three columns in one row.

Choosing a row layout in SeedProd

You can then drag and drop the blocks from the top row to the new row.

After that, just delete the top row so that your new row becomes the new header.

Deleting a previous row in a SeedProd section

Now, just look for the Social Profiles block in the left-side panel.

Drag it into the right column, and you are done.

Adding the Social Profiles block in the header in SeedProd

For more information about editing template parts, you can read these WordPress tutorials:

How to Edit a Navigation Menu in WordPress

A navigation menu makes it easy for visitors to explore all your content without getting lost on your website. That’s why it’s important to design a menu that shows your essential pages and links to other relevant information.

If you use a block WordPress theme, then you can select the ‘Navigation’ menu from the Full Site Editor page.

Selecting Navigation in WordPress Full Site Editing

Our article on adding custom navigation menus in WordPress can walk you through the rest of the steps.

If you use a classic WordPress theme, then you can go to Appearance » Menus. This is a dedicated page for you to add, arrange, and remove pages/posts and links to your menus.

How to add a WordPress navigation menu to your site or blog

For step-by-step instructions, you can check out our beginner’s guide on how to add a navigation menu in WordPress.

If you use a page builder like SeedProd, then your navigation menu (Nav Menu block) may have been embedded in your header theme template.

The Nav Menu block will already include all of your pages, though you can add new items, too.

First, go to SeedProd » Theme Builder from your WordPress dashboard. Then, find the ‘Header’ theme template and click ‘Edit Design.’

Editing the header theme template in SeedProd

Now, hover over the block that looks like a menu. That should be the ‘Nav Menu’ block.

After that, scroll down on the left panel and click ‘+ Add New Item.’

You can then customize the anchor text, enter the URL, have it open in a new window, and set it as nofollow.

Adding new menu items in SeedProd

Toward the bottom, you can change the links’ font size, spacing, divider, and alignment.

Don’t forget to click ‘Save’ to make the changes live.

Configuring the Nav Menu block in SeedProd

How to Edit a WordPress Site With Code

If you are comfortable with code, then you can also use custom code snippets to edit your WordPress website. That said, we only recommend this method if you have the right technical know-how to avoid breaking your website.

One way you can edit a WordPress site with code is by adding CSS, which is a stylesheet that can change how HTML looks on the front end.

Classic theme users can go to Appearance » Customize and find the ‘Additional CSS’ field in the Theme Customizer.

Here, you can insert CSS code to style different HTML elements like colors and fonts.

This may be handy if your theme’s built-in options aren’t enough for your needs.

Adding custom CSS in WordPress

As for block theme users, you cannot add custom CSS within the Full Site Editor.

Instead, you have to go to the URL below to open the Theme Customizer and find the Additional CSS field. Make sure to replace the domain name with your own.

https://example.com/wp-admin/customize.php

For more details, see our guide on how to fix missing Theme Customizer in WordPress.

Another way to add CSS is with CSS Hero. This plugin makes adding custom CSS to WordPress themes easy, even for beginners. If you are interested in using it, then just check out our CSS Hero review.

How to Edit WordPress Theme Files

At times, some tutorials may require you to edit your WordPress theme files to make changes beyond what your built-in theme features allow. In this case, we recommend:

  • Creating a child theme first. This is like a copy of your WordPress theme that you can safely customize with some coding.
  • Backing up your website. It’s a good measure to do so that you can restore your website to a previous version in case of errors.

Editing a WordPress theme file requires going to your WordPress file directory from the backend. To do this, you will need to open your hosting provider’s file manager or connect to your website with an FTP client.

If you use Bluehost, then you can go to your dashboard and open the ‘Websites’ tab. After that, click ‘Settings’ on the website for which you want to open the theme files.

Opening Bluehost's website settings

Now, simply scroll down to the ‘Quick Links’ section.

Then, click ‘File Manager.’ If you’re not sure where your root folder is, you can check the ‘Document Root’ function to see its path.

Opening Bluehost's file manager

Once inside the file manager, you can go to your website’s root folder (usually named public_html).

Then, head to /wp-content/themes and find your current theme folder.

An example of what the WordPress theme files look like in the Bluehost file manager

After that, you will find all of your WordPress theme files, which you can edit using a text editor.

Here are some things you can do by editing WordPress theme files:

How to Safely Insert Custom Code into WordPress

If you want to add new custom code rather than editing the code that is already within your theme files, then we recommend using WPCode. It’s the best WordPress code snippets plugin for easily inserting and managing custom code snippets.

WPCode - Best WordPress Code Snippets Plugin

With this plugin, you won’t have to worry about accidentally breaking your website. WPCode will let you know if there are errors in the code and deactivate it. Plus, you can create PHP shortcodes for inserting custom content into your website.

To see WPCode in action, you can check out our full WPCode review in the WPBeginner Solution Center.

What Is the Best Way to Edit a WordPress Site for Beginners?

For beginners, we always recommend installing a page builder plugin like SeedProd to edit WordPress websites. The reason is that it’s just as easy to use as the block editor yet gives you much more control over your website design.

If you don’t want to use a plugin, then the next best thing is a block theme with the Full Site Editor. This feature is not entirely developed yet because WordPress is constantly working on the Gutenberg project. But as of now, it’s pretty user-friendly.

The Theme Customizer is not as flexible as the Full Site Editor because it lacks drag-and-drop functionality. That’s why we suggest classic theme users install SeedProd to improve their user experience.

As for coding, we only recommend it if you have created a child theme and backups of your site to avoid errors. But with the WPCode plugin, adding custom code to edit your WordPress site is much safer and won’t cause any errors or break your website.

We hope this article helped you learn how to edit a WordPress website. You may also want to check out our in-depth WooCommerce tutorial to create an online store and the ultimate guide to WordPress SEO.

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

The post How to Edit a WordPress Website (Ultimate Guide) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Double Your SEO Traffic in 6 Months (With Case Studies)

Do you want to increase your website traffic?

Who doesn’t?

Over the years, I have seen a lot of websites driving tons of additional traffic to their content with the right SEO plan.

I’ve also seen other websites struggling to drive traffic while wondering what they did wrong.

In this article, I will share some successful SEO case studies with you and explain how having the right SEO approach can make a big impact in driving organic traffic.

Note: This is a guest post by Benjamin Rojas, the president of All in One SEO, the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market. This is an expert column that we publish every other Thursday, where we invite a WordPress expert to share their experiences with our readers.

Practical tips to grow your SEO traffic and double it in 6 months

I will cover quite a few topics in this post. Here’s a handy list so you can jump to the section you are most interested in:

1. Lay a Solid SEO Foundation

SEO is not complex. It is comprehensive. You need to keep SEO in mind even when you start building your site.

Unfortunately, many businesses think of SEO as a patchwork on top of whatever they are already doing.

By building a solid foundation with a clear-cut SEO strategy, we’ve seen several new websites grow their organic traffic exponentially.

Let’s take a look at Sporked.com, a food review website that grew traffic by 1,036% YoY, for example.

This website built a solid SEO foundation by applying Google’s E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness) principles from the very beginning.

Here is how their website’s traffic exploded.

Sporked's organic growth chart

Sporked is a very focused niche website. Google loves niche websites as it is easier for those sites to demonstrate their E-E-A-T.

The solid SEO foundation alone wasn’t the only reason for Sporked’s traffic growth. High-quality content, consistency, and backlinks also gave them an SEO boost.

Here is what you need to do to ensure that you are building an SEO-friendly business from the start.

1. Equip Yourself with the Right SEO Tools

Make sure you have the tools that help you easily implement SEO recommendations on your site. Below are a few:

  • A WordPress SEO plugin: An SEO plugin like All in One SEO (AIOSEO) makes it easy to optimize your site for search engines, even if you’re an absolute newbie.
  • Google Search Console: It helps you identify how your site performs on Google for free.
  • Google Analytics: It gives you insights into how every website visitor interacts with your site. Using a plugin like MonsterInsights is the easiest way to install Google Analytics on your site.
  • A professional SEO tool: With an SEO tool like Semrush, you can analyze competitor content and make informed decisions to boost rankings.

2. Configure Essential SEO Settings

There are some essential SEO settings you’ll need to enable on your site.

These include your permalink structure, categories and tags, and WordPress sitemaps.

I highly recommend checking out the essential WordPress site settings that are critical for SEO success.

For more details, check out the ultimate WordPress SEO guide for beginners.

2. Don’t Forget About Keyword Research

Keywords are the search terms that users type into Google and other search engines to find information. Understanding which keywords your users may be looking for gives you a tremendous advantage in optimizing your website.

This means that you will want to focus on keyword research.

Ideally, you will want to rank for keywords that have the most search volume. However, those keywords may be difficult to rank for, especially for a new website.

In my experience, targeting keywords with the right balance of search volume and lower difficulty level helps you gain the traffic boost you need at the start.

Here’s how Content Authority, a content services provider, uses Keyword Research to grow its traffic by almost 300%.

Content Authority is a content services provider. They grew their website traffic by almost 300%, mainly due to the clever use of keyword research in their strategy.

They are in a highly competitive industry of content creation. Most of their competitors are equally good at creating high-quality content and the latest SEO trends.

To stand out among the competition and capture an untapped traffic source, Content Authority targeted misspelled keywords. They wrote articles targeting those keywords in articles like:

  • Cruncy vs Crunchy: Decoding Common Word Mix-Ups
  • Excel Vs. Accel: What’s The Correct Spelling Of This Word?
  • Adress Vs. Address: What’s The Correct Spelling Of This Word?

Did it work? Yes, it did. Most of their top-ranked content is in this format, targeting misspelled words.

Misspelled keywords

Why did it work? Content Authority writes exclusively about creating content and writing. Writing articles about correct spelling usage falls right into their area of expertise.

Lesson learned: In a competitive industry, clever keyword research can help you bring traffic from untapped sources that your competitors may have ignored entirely.

Here’s how you can implement the same strategy on your site.

1. Understand the Keywords Your Website Ranks For

Google Search Console is a handy tool that helps you identify the keywords your website ranks for. If you want, you can also use an SEO plugin like AIOSEO that helps you view keyword data in your WordPress dashboard.

Keyword Rankings in All in One SEO

Here’s how to check if your blog posts are ranking for the right keywords.

2. Unveil More Keyword Insights

You can use a premium SEO tool like Semrush to clearly understand everything you need to know about a particular keyword. It offers detailed insights into search volume, keyword trends, similar keywords, user intent, and more.

Semrush keyword magic tool

3. Generate Keyword Ideas

If you want to use a free tool to generate keyword ideas, you can use WPBeginner’s free Keyword Generator tool. Simply enter your main keyword, and the keyword generator tool will fetch hundreds of related keywords that people are using.

Keyword Generator Tool example

For more details, take a look at this guide on how to do keyword research.

3. Content is Still King

Many small businesses create a simple website with a few pages of content and hope for traffic to appear magically.

Unfortunately, it does not work that way anymore.

In fact, one of the best ways to drive traffic is to publish great content on a regular basis.

Let’s take a look at how Golfer Geeks, a website all about golf, grew its traffic by 190% through content marketing.

Golf is a highly competitive industry where websites are competing not just with other golf enthusiasts but big-name brands and media companies.

Golfer Geeks applied a very disciplined approach towards content. Each piece of content is highly structured, with multiple headings and sections, making it a pleasure to read.

They also use a proactive approach towards content decay. All their content gets regular updates with new information, keeping the content fresh and search engines happy.

Keeping the content fresh

They also actively used schema markup, particularly for FAQs.

This helped their content rank for many untapped keywords that their big-name brand competitors completely ignored.

Appearing in people also ask

Lesson learned: Excellent content, when combined with the latest SEO best practices, can help smaller websites compete with much larger publications.

If you want to grow your traffic by publishing content, as Golfer Geeks did, then here are a few things you need to take care of:

  • Create a plan to regularly update all your blog articles on a regular basis to fight content decay. Learn more: What content decay is and how to fix it.
  • Implement FAQ schema for People Also Ask results.
  • Optimize images to increase the clickthrough rate on Google.

4. Using Schema Markup

Schema markup is a special type of HTML code that you can add to your WordPress website to tell search engines more about your content.

For instance, you can tell the search engines that a particular page is a blog post, a recipe, FAQs, a news article, or a product page in your online store. Search engines can then use this data to display rich results.

Schema markup displayed in search results

1. Implement Proper Schema Markup

Some types of content benefit more from schema markup than others. For instance, if you write product reviews, then adding the Review markup to your post will make it extremely useful for your users as well as search engines.

Learn how to properly add schema markup in WordPress and WooCommerce.

2. Create User-Centric Content

Schema markup gives you an advantage in search results, but this doesn’t mean that you need to start creating content for search engines alone.

Make sure that your schema markup actually helps users find the information they need. It supplements your actual content and makes it more discoverable.

Case Study: How a Food Blog Grew Traffic by 508%

For this part, I would like you to look at Iowa Girl Eats. It is a food blog specializing in gluten-free food.

It is an older blog that has been publishing content for a while, but recently, it has exploded in traffic.

Iowa Girl Eats

So what changed?

They started optimizing heavily for user-centric content using schema markup. The blog now ranks for 316.2K keywords with review schema markup.

After the success of the review snippets, the blog has now started focusing on recipe schema markup as well.

Lesson learned: Implement schema markup to make your content more user-centric and search engine-friendly.

Links play a crucial role in SEO. Search engines treat links as authority signals. Generally speaking, the more links pointing towards a website, the more trustworthy that website becomes.

Now, there are two types of links you need to focus on:

  1. Internal links
  2. Backlinks from third-party domains

1. Building Internal Linking

Internal linking refers to the practice of linking to your existing content. This helps you achieve two things.

First, it lets your users discover more content when reading your articles.

Secondly, it helps search engines crawl more content and understand the context and subject authority of your website.

For more details, look at this internal linking guide for SEO.

2. Get Backlinks From Third-Party Sites

These backlinks are hard to get. Site owners try to avoid linking to external sources too much to ensure that more sites are pointing to their own domain names.

However, there are several ways to get backlinks. For instance, you can get reciprocal links from third parties by mentioning them on your website.

Reach out to other blogs in your industry that you believe you can partner with and pitch them your content.

3. Creating Link Magnets

Link magnets are the kind of posts that websites generally like to link to. These include:

  • Industry research: This is one of the best backlink magnets, as every publisher looks for proof to validate a point they make in their content. Unique industry research does just that. As a result, people will link to it.

These link magnets attract a lot of attention from other website owners in the industry and will help you gain a ton of backlinks.

Case Study: How Explore.com Quadrupled Their Traffic with Backlinks

Explore.com is a travel website, which is a highly competitive industry. This makes it difficult to remain at the top of search rankings.

Explore.com witnessed a very slow growth for 5 years straight, then they suddenly grew their traffic by 305%. What changed?

Explore.com's traffic growth

Looking closely, it’s clear that their traffic growth is directly proportional to an increase in backlinks.

Here is the graph.

backlinks increased

Obviously, backlinks alone were not the only reason for their organic growth.

They also implemented schema markup and started targeting a wide range of long-tail keywords that their competitors had ignored.

Lesson: Just a few backlinks from authoritative websites in your industry can have a huge impact on SERPs when combined with other SEO best practices.

6. Measure Your SEO Performance

One question that I have been asked a lot is, how do I measure SEO performance to see if something has worked or not?

As you apply SEO best practices and publish content regularly, you will want to see how they impact your website’s SEO.

Again, I’d recommend using all the SEO tools I mentioned in tip #1 of this article.

Case Study: How Meshki UK Grew Traffic by 589%

Meshki is a popular fashion brand in Australia, UK, and the US. They use country-based TLDs for their websites in each region.

This gives them a competitive advantage in local searches. But the real value they achieved is by adding review schema markup and monitoring branded keywords.

Organic keyword growth

However, to get such a result, a website owner has to regularly monitor their SEO performance and measure the impact of changes they’re making.

Conclusion: Summary of Tips to Double Your SEO Traffic

These are just some of the ways that you can step up your SEO game and better compete with established brands.

Implementing all these tips might sound tedious, but you can take one lesson at a time and start testing them on your site.

To summarize, below are the tips we’ve explained so far:

  1. Lay a solid SEO foundation by using an excellent SEO plugin and using the right SEO settings.
  2. Keyword research can help small businesses compete with big-name brands and publishing companies.
  3. Publishing user-centric content is still the most important factor in winning organic traffic.
  4. Schema markup allows you to help search engines show rich results. In return, they send you more traffic and display your site more prominently.
  5. Focus on building both internal and third-party backlinks. Don’t underestimate the power of internal linking.
  6. Measure your SEO performance to view your gains and losses. Change strategies when needed or double down to have a much larger impact.

I hope these practical tips help you increase your SEO traffic. For further reading, I recommend following the WPBeginner SEO guide step by step.

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 Double Your SEO Traffic in 6 Months (With Case Studies) first appeared on WPBeginner.

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.

The post Ultimate Website Migration Checklist: 16 Steps You Need to Do first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Add Video Schema Markup in WordPress (2 Easy Methods)

Looking to add a video schema markup in WordPress?

A video schema markup helps search engines understand the context of your videos. When used properly, it’ll help give your page an SEO boost by allowing you to display your content preview in a rich snippet format.

In this article, you’ll learn how to easily add a video schema markup in WordPress so you can drive more clicks.

how-to-add-video-schema-markup-in-wordpress-og

Why You Need a Video Schema Markup?

If you’ve spent time, money, and effort on producing a video, you need to do everything you can to help Google find your video. 87% of video marketers say that video has helped boost traffic to their site, and 80% say it has helped increase sales.

But that can’t happen unless you tell search engines what your video is all about.

That’s where video schema markup comes into play.

Video schema markup is a type of code added to a webpage to help search engines better understand and display your video content in search results.

It provides additional information about your videos, such as the title, thumbnail, description, upload date, video duration, and more.

Google uses this information to display rich snippets, which look something like this.

video rich snippet example

This helps to make your content stand out and can help to improve your organic click-through rates.

Without the video schema markup, your video won’t be eligible to appear in the rich snippet format, which is a big opportunity you’ll miss. That’s because videos often appear near the top of search engines under ‘videos,’ giving an opportunity for your video to rank up top.

When you rank in Google’s video search results, your content will be eligible for the inclusion of other features, such as video previews and key moments, so users can get a glimpse of what your video is about.

But besides the Videos section, Google also displays the thumbnail for posts with videos in them as well.

Example of video schema markup

Notice the difference between the posts with rich snippets and the ones without one. Users are way more inclined to click on the posts when there is a thumbnail of a video included.

On top of that, a video schema markup allows search engines to better understand your video content, which boosts the odds that your page will rank higher. It’ll also help you rank new WordPress content faster, provided you’ve optimized all the other areas of your page and website.

Once you’ve embedded videos to your WordPress blog posts or page, you’re ready to add a schema markup.

With that in mind, we’ll show you two methods for how to add a video schema markup to your post. Feel free to use the links below to jump to any section you prefer.

Method 1: Add Video Schema Markup with All in One SEO Plugin (Easy Way)

The easiest way to add video schema markup in WordPress is by using All in One SEO for WordPress. It is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market and comes with a schema generator that lets you easily add schemas to your videos without any hassle.

Is All in One SEO (AIOSEO) the best WordPress SEO plugin?

Normally, you would have to write the JSON-LD code and ensure it’s correctly implemented into the HTML of your webpage. And on top of that, you need to check that the code works.

Note: Although there is a free version of All in One SEO, you’ll need the paid version to get schema controls for videos.

Step 1: Install All in One SEO plugin.

To get started, the first thing you need to do is install and activate the All in One SEO plugin for WordPress. For more help, you can follow our tutorial on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, the plugin will launch a setup wizard that will guide you through the entire setup process. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to set up All in One SEO for WordPress.

Step 2: Check that the video sitemap on your WordPress site is enabled.

Before you add schema markup to your videos, you want to ensure your WordPress website has set up a video sitemap first.

Using a video sitemap gives your media content the best chance of ranking. A video sitemap is an XML file that provides information about the videos on your site to search engines.

That way, search engine crawlers are aware of all the video content on your site.

This helps you to rank content faster rather than waiting for Google to naturally find your video content.

To create a video sitemap, head over to All in One SEO » Sitemaps. From there, you need to click on ‘Activate Video Sitemap.’

activate video sitemap

Under the ‘Video Sitemap’ tab, you should see that the ‘Enable Sitemap’ is on.

If it’s off, you’ll need to turn it on.

Enable video sitemap

You can also view your sitemap by clicking on the ‘Open Video Sitemap’ button. This will bring you to a list of all of the video content on your site, and you can view the information included with each media.

If you scroll down, you choose whether to ‘Include All Post Types’ and ‘Include All Taxonomies’ to appear in your sitemap.

Post types and taxonomies

Here is where you can uncheck any post types or categories and tags that you don’t want to appear in the sitemap.

If you’ve made any changes, make sure to hit the ‘Save Changes’ button up top.

save changes

Step 3: Add the video schema markup to WordPress.

Once you have your video sitemap enabled and configured, you’ll need to head over to any page or post that you want to add video schema markup to.

Scroll to the bottom of the page to get to the AIOSEO Settings. Next, go to the Schema tab. And then, hit the ‘Generate Schema’ button.

Generate schema

You’ll be taken to a pop-up window that shows all of the Schema templates that AIOSEO has to offer.

Go ahead and click the ‘+’ icon next to Video.

video schema template

Now you can customize all of the details of the video, such as:

  • Name: What is the name of your video?
  • Description: Tell people what your video is about
  • Content URL: What is the URL of the video file?
  • Embed URL: Enter the video hosting site you used, such as YouTube, Vimeo, Wistia, etc.
  • Upload date: Tell people when the video was published
  • Family-Friendly: Is your video family-friendly?
  • Thumbnail URL: Show off an eye-catching thumbnail that attracts visitors to your page.
video schema details

When you’re done entering your video details, just click on the ‘Add Schema’ button.

And if you want to save this schema as a template for other pages, you can hit the ‘Save Schema as Template’ button.

Add video schema

Step 4: Validate the schema.

Now that you’ve added your video schema markup, all that is left to do is validate it.

Click the ‘Validate Schema’ button.

Validate schema

You’ll be directed to the Google Rich Results test tool. This is designed to help WordPress site owners and developers check the structured data markup on their web pages. It ensures that the HTML code follows Google’s guidelines and tells you if there are any errors with your code.

Under the ‘Schema Validation’ tab, you’ll want to select ‘Test with Google.’

Test with Google

All in One SEO will automatically paste the structured schema markup data into the tool.

All you need to do is to hit the ‘Test Code’ button.

Test code

Give it a minute or two. You should see checkmarks across the board, especially next to Videos.

If not, then you can click the arrow to expand the option and see how you can fix the issue.

Google rich snippets test results

Keep in mind that this works for online stores as well.

For example, the All in One SEO settings appear within WooCommerce pages, meaning you can add schema markups to them.

woocommerce video schema markup

While there are many schema markup plugins for WordPress, such as Schema Pro, there’s no other tool that has as many schema markup options or other SEO optimization features as All in One SEO.

Method 2: Add Video Schema Markup Manually

If you want to add video schema markup manually, you can do so by writing and pasting code into the HTML of any web page.

While you may save some money, you wouldn’t get the many benefits that the All in One SEO plugin brings. Not to mention, even the slightest mistake in code could break your WordPress website.

Step 1: Write and customize the video schema markup code.

To get started, you’ll need to copy and paste this code into a text editor.

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
"@context": "https://schema.org/",
"@type": "VideoObject",
"name": "Name of the Video",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://example.com/thumbnail.jpg",
"uploadDate": "2023-07-28"
}
</script>

After this, you need to change the code based on your video name, thumbnail URL, and upload date.

Step 2: Validate the schema markup code.

Next, head over to Google’s Rich Results Test. Under the Code tab, paste your custom video schema markup.

Then click on ‘Test Code’ to validate this code.

Google rich results test code

You’ll be given the test results to see whether the code follows Google guidelines and that there are no errors.

If there’s an issue, it’ll tell you which part of the code to fix.

test validated

Step 3: Add the code to your WordPress page.

Once validated, you can now paste it into the HTML of your WordPress webpage.

Head over to the WordPress block editor of any post or page with video content embedded.

Choose a block and click the ‘+’ icon. Then, search for the ‘Custom HTML’ block and add it to your page.

custom html

From there, you’ll see an HTML box.

This is where you paste the code into to add the video schema markup to that page.

paste code into html

Finally, click ‘Update.’

Now you’ve added the video schema markup manually, and will be eligible for rich snippets.

Update wordpress page

Tips for Video Schema Markup

Using schema markups for videos is a great way to strengthen your organic marketing strategy.

That said, here are some best practices to keep in mind to ensure you’re keeping your video schema markup up to date:

  • Whenever you replace your videos or make changes to the title, thumbnail, or description, you’ll need to update the schema markup code.
  • Do not excessively stuff your video schema with keywords. Instead, include keyword phrases naturally.
  • Always run your code or URL through a validation tool to test your schema markup.
  • Perform a WordPress SEO audit regularly to identify and fix any new schema markup issues.
  • Track how your video content is performing organically.

Measuring the Impact of Video Schema on SEO

Implementing video schema markup can help you improve your organic reach and boost WordPress SEO. But, you’ll want to measure the performance of the pages with video content to determine the impact it’s having.

There are a few ways you can measure this. The idea is to use SEO rank tracker tools for keyword tracking to see if your content is climbing up the search engine results.

All in One SEO has a Content Rankings Report within the ‘Search Statistics’ addon.

Here, you can filter by all content types, including video. That way, you can track keywords on your site that use video content. You’ll want to monitor your content to see if it’s improving or experiencing content decay.

aioseo-content-rankings

You could also use SEO tools like SEMRush for position tracking.

Beyond monitoring the keyword positioning of your content you also want to measure the video engagement.

Even if you’re attracting more visitors with the rich snippet, you could still see a stagnant dropoff in WordPress conversions, whether that is email signups or purchases.

You can track videos on your site by using MonsterInsights. It is the best WordPress analytics solution that allows you to set up Google Analytics in your WordPress dashboard without any coding.

The MonsterInsights Google Analytics plugin

All you have to do is head over to the ‘Media’ tab in MonsterInsights.

This will show you a graph of the video plays on your website.

view-media-report

Scroll down, and you will see more in-depth information about each video.

The report will include metrics like the number of video plays, average watch time, average percentage watched, and completion rates.

media-report

If you want to learn more about video tracking, read our tutorial on how to track video analytics in WordPress.

Bonus: Adding Schema Markup for Local SEO

Besides optimizing your video SEO, there are plenty of other schema markups you can add, such as one for local SEO. With over 40% of users performing local searches, adding this schema is incredibly important for small businesses.

As a result, your business will appear in local search results.

All you need to do is head over to the All in One SEO » Local SEO page and click the ‘Activate Local SEO’ button.

activate local seo

Then, under the Locations tab, you can add important information about your business.

You can include your business name, logo, phone number, business type, any payment options you accept, and more.

business info

If you want step-by-step instructions, you can check out our tutorial on how to add schema markup in WordPress and WooCommerce.

We hope this article helped you learn how to easily add a video schema markup in WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on how to increase your blog traffic the easy way and our expert picks of the best keyword research tools for SEO.

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

The post How to Add Video Schema Markup in WordPress (2 Easy Methods) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Auto-Schedule Your WordPress Blog Posts

Do you want to auto-schedule your WordPress blog posts?

Auto-scheduling your posts can help you pick an article to publish randomly on your pre-selected publication date. This can also help make sure that your content is published at the optimal time for audience engagement.

In this article, we will show you how to easily auto-schedule your WordPress blog posts.

Auto-schedule WordPress blog posts

Why Auto-Schedule WordPress Blog Posts?

By default, WordPress allows you to schedule your posts to be published later. However, you will have to manually schedule every post that you write according to your content calendar, which can be time-consuming.

Schedule posts

By auto-scheduling your WordPress posts, you can use an automatic system with a fixed time to publish all your scheduled posts.

For example, if you have written 10 blog posts to be published the following month, then you can auto-schedule all the articles to go live in a random order on your preselected publication dates.

This way, you won’t have to manually schedule everything on your WordPress website, helping you save time.

Having said that, let’s take a look at how to easily auto-schedule your WordPress posts, step by step.

How to Auto-Schedule WordPress Blog Posts

You can easily auto-schedule your WordPress blog posts using the PublishPress Planner plugin. This free plugin lets you organize and schedule your WordPress content.

Note: To unlock some of the more advanced features in the plugin, you will have to upgrade to the PublishPress Pro plan. This will give you access to reminder notifications, a Slack integration, and more.

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

Upon activation, visit the Planner » Settings page from the WordPress dashboard and switch to the ‘Content Calendar’ tab from the top.

Here, you need to check the ‘Scheduled’ box next to the ‘Statuses to display publish time’ option. You can also choose other publication statuses like draft or pending review if you like.

Select the Scheduled status

Once you have done that, you must choose a time format for your post’s publication and then click on the field next to the ‘Default publish time for items created in the calendar’ option.

This will open a prompt on the screen where you can pick the exact time, hour, and minute for your scheduled posts to be published daily.

We recommend choosing a publishing time when there is usually an increase in your blog traffic. To determine the correct time to publish your blog posts, you may want to see our tutorial on when is the best time to publish a blog.

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

Choose a time for the publication of the scheduled posts

Now, you need to open the post that you want to schedule on your WordPress blog in the block editor.

Here, you will see a ‘Post Status’ dropdown menu in the block panel on the right. Once you have completed your post, simply open this dropdown menu and select the ‘Scheduled’ option.

After that, click the ‘Save as Scheduled’ button on the top of the screen to store your settings.

Schedule your WordPress blog post

Your post has now been scheduled and will be published on the day and time that you chose in the settings earlier.

You can see all your published and scheduled posts by visiting the Planner » Content Calendar page from the WordPress dashboard.

View your content calendar

Bonus: How to Increase WordPress Blog Traffic

Consistently publishing content is just one way to boost your rankings in the search results and get more visitors to your blog. You can also easily increase your blog traffic by optimizing your content for search engines.

This will improve your content’s authority and reach, as well as make your blog posts more likely to appear on search results pages (SERPs).

To do this, you can use All in One SEO (AIOSEO), which is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market. It is used by over 3+ million users and is a comprehensive SEO toolkit that can help your website rank higher.

AIOSEO's landing page

It comes with features like a headline analyzer, Flesch reading score, SEO health check, XML sitemaps, and more to improve your content.

Plus, it also offers schema markup like Article schema, FAQ schema, and How To schema to increase your visibility on Google.

Adding AIOSEO schema markup to a page or post

AIOSEO provides suggestions to use active voice, insert transition words, and distribute subheadings better. It also analyzes your blog posts for keyword density, readability, and title tags, making it the best writing assistant software on the market.

By using the tips suggested by AIOSEO, you can make your content more readable while at the same time optimizing it for search engines.

For more information, you can see our complete All in One SEO review.

We hope this article helped you learn how to easily auto-schedule your WordPress blog posts. You may also want to see our tutorial on how to add custom post status for blog posts in WordPress and our top picks for the best plugins to efficiently manage WordPress multi-author blogs.

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 Auto-Schedule Your WordPress Blog Posts first appeared on WPBeginner.