Category: jetpack.com

Including a contact form on your WordPress site gives visitors an easy way to get in touch with you. They don’t have to leave your site, dial a phone number, copy an email address, or do anything else. Plus, it gives you an opportunity to communicate with prospects while keeping personal information private.

There are a few different ways to add a contact form to your WordPress site. In this article, we’ll show you everything you need to know about contact forms, including how to create them, embed them, and secure them.

Why having a contact form is a good idea 

There are a few reasons you might want to add a contact form to your WordPress site. Here are some of the most common ones:

• It helps keep your email address private. By having a contact form, visitors can get in touch with you, but you don’t have to publicly share your email address. This can help to cut down on spam emails.
• It’s more user-friendly than an email link. A lot of people are hesitant to click on email links because they don’t want to go through the trouble of opening and using an email client. Plus, if they’re not super familiar with your site, they might not want to click unknown links for fear of being directed to less-than-friendly sites. With a contact form, they can send a message quickly and safely. 
• It looks more professional than an email link. If you’re running a business website, then you’ll want to come across as professional as possible. Having a contact form can help with that.
• It offers spam protection. You can add contact form spam protection to cut down on the amount of unwanted submissions you receive.
• It aids in lead generation. If you’re looking to generate leads, you’ll want to provide several easy ways for people to reach out. A contact form is a top choice for many users, and you don’t want to leave them out of your lead generation process. You can add a form to your website and offer something in exchange for visitors’ contact information, like an eBook or white paper.

Now that we’ve gone over some of the reasons that having a contact form is a good idea, let’s take a look at how to create one.

How to create a contact form with a plugin

There are a few plugins that you can use to create a contact form, each bringing something a bit different to the table. Here are a few of the most popular options:

• Contact Form 7: This is one of the most popular contact form plugins for WordPress. It’s free and easy to use, with a simple interface that allows you to create complex forms with just a few clicks.
• Gravity Forms: Gravity Forms is a premium plugin that offers a great deal of flexibility when it comes to creating forms. It’s perfect for creating forms with multiple steps, such as order forms or surveys.
• WPForms: WPForms is another popular contact form plugin that boasts an easy-to-use drag-and-drop interface. With this tool, you can create intricate forms without having to write any code.

And while these are all solid choices, the best option for adding contact forms to WordPress is Jetpack. 

Creating a contact form with Jetpack

1. Install and activate Jetpack

To begin, you’ll need to install and activate the Jetpack plugin. To do this, head over to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins → Add New.

In the search bar, type in “Jetpack” and hit enter. Click Install Now.  After the plugin is installed, click Activate.

Lastly, once you’ve activated the plugin, you’ll be prompted to connect it to your WordPress.com account. If you don’t have a WordPress.com account yet, don’t worry — you can create one for free.

2. Create a contact form

Once you have Jetpack installed and activated, creating a contact form is easy. Simply navigate to Pages → Add New in your WordPress dashboard to get started.

If using the Block Editor, you can add a contact form block by clicking on the (+) symbol and selecting it from the list of available blocks. Scrolling down should take you to the section with Jetpack blocks. Or, you can search for it by name. Click Form when you find it. 

From there, you can select the type of form you wish to create, including: 

• Contact Form 
• Newsletter Sign-up
• RSVP Form 
• Registration Form 
• Appointment Form 
• Feedback Form 

3. Configure your contact form settings

Now it’s time to configure your contact form settings. Here, you’ll be able to specify which email address you want the form submissions to be sent to, as well as what you want the subject line of the email to be.

To access these options, click on the pencil icon on the upper right-hand side of the block: 

Here you can adjust the email address your contact form submissions are sent to, what the email subject line says, and what message someone sees upon submission. You can also choose to send users to a specific URL once they’ve completed their submission. 

4. Choose which fields you want to include in your contact form

The default contact form appears as follows: 

However, you can make adjustments to this. Jetpack includes a variety of default fields, such as name, email, website, and message. 

You can do this by first selecting the form field you’d like to change and then clicking the green icon on the left.

In the above example, we selected the default name field. You can change this (or any) field to whatever you’d like, including: 

• Text
• Name
• Email
• Website
• Date Picker
• Phone Number 
• Message

To make a field required (or optional), click on it, then select the asterisk.

To add a field to your form, click the blue + icon at the top left, scroll down to Jetpack blocks, and select the field type. You can then change the order of the form fields by dragging them.

5. Preview your contact form

Once you’ve configured your settings, it’s a good idea to preview your contact form to make sure everything looks correct. To do this, simply click on the View button at the top of the page.

The next logical step would be to publish your form, but before we discuss that process, let’s first talk about security concerns and some of the more advanced customization options available.

How to secure and customize your contact form

Now that you know how to create a contact form, it’s important to discuss some of the security concerns you’ll need to keep in mind. By default, contact forms are not secure, which means they’re susceptible to spam submissions and other malicious attacks.

Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to mitigate these risks:

1. Use a CAPTCHA

A CAPTCHA is a type of challenge-response test that helps to ensure that only humans can submit your contact form. Visitors will need to answer a question or solve a math problem to prove that they’re an actual person.

There are also more advanced options, called reCAPTCHA, that involve checking a box or that even work invisibly to identify robots based on common user characteristics. 

Learn more about stopping contact form spam on WordPress.

2. Block spam with Akismet

Another great way to combat spam submissions is by using Akismet. Akismet is a plugin that often comes pre-installed with WordPress, and it does an impressive job of automatically filtering out spam comments and contact form submissions.

It works behind the scenes so it doesn’t add any extra work for your users. It utilizes global learning from millions of websites to identify spam based on phrases used, IP addresses, and other characteristics of known spammers. It automatically filters out spam submissions so you never see them, but you can review them manually at any time if you’d like. 

To configure Akismet for your contact form, go to Plugins → Add New. Search for “Akismet,” then click Install Now → Activate. 

You’ll need to configure a few more things. Follow this guide to activating Akismet to be up and running in just a couple of minutes!

3. Add a honeypot field

A honeypot is a hidden form field that helps catch spam submissions. By default, Jetpack includes a honeypot field in all of its contact forms. Some other form plugins have options to add a honeypot field as well. If the one you’re using does not, you’ll need to add one manually.

Use the CSS style “display: none !important;” to make the field hidden and tabindex=”-1″ autocomplete=”false;” to ensure the field is empty by default. 

Once you’ve done this, be sure to mark the field as required so that it’s always filled out when the form is submitted.

4. Customize the look of your contact form

In addition to securing your contact form, you may also want to customize its appearance to match the overall look and feel of your website. Advanced users can do this by adding custom CSS. 

But the good news is that you can make many appearance changes from within the block editor.  

For instance, if you select the button on your form, you can make changes to it via the settings panel that appears on the right-hand side of the screen.

You can change the button to be filled or outlined, change the text and background colors, and adjust the border radius. Here’s an example after playing around with the settings: 

Or you can set the background color to a gradient, even going so far as changing the angle of the gradient, how much of each color is shown, and whether you’d like the gradient to be linear or radial.

You can also change the background color of the entire form by first selecting the form block, then scrolling down to Color in the block’s settings. Again, choose between a solid color and a gradient.

Want to change the width of individual fields? That’s an option, too. Simply select the field you want to edit, then choose Field Width in the settings panel. In the example below, we’ve changed the Name field to only take up 50% of the form’s width. 

5. Add radio buttons and checkboxes

In addition to standard text-based fields, you can add options like checkboxes and radio buttons to your form. You’ll do this by following a similar process to adding other fields. 

Navigate to the form you want to edit. Press the blue + icon at the top left of the screen. 

Find the section titled Jetpack and choose from the list of fields. For example, if you want a list of radio buttons, choose the Radio field. Then, drag it into your form. 

You can click the + icon within the block to add the options that visitors will choose from. 

6. Add conditional logic to your contact form

Another useful customization is conditional logic. This allows you to show or hide fields based on how a user fills out your form. While Jetpack doesn’t include this functionality, you can do this with a plugin like Gravity Forms.

Let’s say that you offer interior design services. You might have a form field that asks visitors whether they’re interested in a virtual or in-person consultation. If they select “in-person,” you want to find out where their home is located.

We’re assuming that you’ve already installed Gravity Forms and created your initial form. Now, you would need to start by adding an Address field. Click on the field and scroll down in the Settings panel. Expand the Conditional Logic section and toggle the box to enable it. Choose “Show” and “All” for the first two dropdowns. Then, select the “What type of consultation are you interested in?” question for the next dropdown, followed by “is” and “In-Person.” 

Now, the address field will only appear when someone is interested in an in-person consultation. And feel free to play around here — there are a variety of options you can choose from.

7. Enable file uploads

You might also want site visitors to be able to upload files. Perhaps you’d like them to submit a  photo of the project they want help with or a PDF version of their resume. You can also do this with the Gravity Forms plugin.

When editing your form, go to Add Fields and expand the Advanced Fields section. Then, drag and drop the File Upload field into your form. Click on it to configure settings like file size and whether or not you’ll accept multiple files at once.

Where and how to embed your contact form

There are a variety of places you can embed contact forms other than pages and posts. Let’s take a look at a few options.

1. In the sidebar

The sidebar can be a great place to add a contact form because it appears on multiple pages or posts throughout your site. If you’re using a block theme with full site editing capabilities, you’ll need to use the Editor to make changes to your sidebar.

In the WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance → Editor, then select the template you want to edit from the top dropdown. You’ll want to click Browse All Templates to see the full list of templates. For example, if you want to edit the sidebar on all of your blog posts, choose the Single Post template.

Now, click the + icon at the top left of the Editor, search for your form block, and drag it into your sidebar column. Make any necessary changes and click Save.

If you’re not using full site editing, go to Appearance → Widgets and then expand your Sidebar area. Click the + sign to add a new block and select the appropriate Form block associated with your plugin.

2. In a template file

If you’re using a block-based theme that allows for full site editing, you can also add your contact form into any templates that you create. 

Let’s say you want to add a form to your blog post template. In the WordPress dashboard, navigate to Appearance → Editor and select the template you want to edit from the dropdown at the top. You might need to click Browse All Templates to see the full list.

Now, simply click the blue + icon at the top left, find your contact form block, and drag it into the template. There, you can edit the settings and make whatever changes you’d like. 

3. In the footer

You might want to add your contact form to the footer so that visitors can access it no matter where they are on your site. If you’re using a block-based theme with full site editing, the steps are similar to adding a form to a template. In the WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance → Editor and select Footer from the dropdown at the top.

Click the blue + icon at the top left, find your contact form block, and drag it into the footer wherever you’d like it to go. Make any necessary changes, and save them.

If you’re not using the full site editor, you can still add a contact form to your footer. Navigate to Appearance → Widgets in the WordPress dashboard. Scroll to the Footer section — you may have multiple footer columns — click the + sign and add your contact form block wherever you’d like. Now, just edit the settings and save!

4. As an on-click popup

If you want to display your contact form as an on-click popup, there are a few WordPress plugins that can help. Let’s look at how you can do this using WPForms and the Popup Maker plugin. 

Once you’ve installed and activated the plugins, simply head to WPForms → Add New in your WordPress dashboard. Then, select Use Template. Build your form and click Save.

Next, you’ll need to create a popup. Go to Popup Maker → Create Popup in your WordPress dashboard. Give it a name. Then click the Add Form button. Select the form you just made a few moments ago from the dropdown list and then click Add Form. This will insert a shortcode for the form. 

Next go to Popup Settings and click the Triggers tab to configure the settings related to how and when your popup will appear. Be sure to click Add when done making your selections and customizations. 

From there, go to the Targeting tab and select the conditions for where the popup will appear. This is where you’ll choose which pages, devices, etc. it’ll display on. 

Continue clicking through the tabs in Popup Maker to set the popup’s appearance. Once you’re done making changes, click Publish. Be sure to navigate to the page(s) where you’ve set the popup form to appear to verify it’s working properly. 

How to create a WordPress contact form without a plugin

If you don’t want to use a plugin to create your contact form, you can always do it yourself using WordPress core functionality. However, this method is more complex and requires some basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, and PHP.

You’ll also have to code all of the error handling and form field validation that comes by default when using a dedicated plugin, making what should be a simple task complex and time consuming.

If that doesn’t deter you, let’s dive in.

Note: Any changes made here should be done a) after a full WordPress website backup and b) using a child theme. 

We’re now going to walk you through how to create a very basic contact form, with fields for name, email address, and message. Of course, you can add more fields if you’d like to. You’ll start by adding the HTML for the form — this specific code was created by Daext:

<form id="contact-form" action="<?php echo esc_url( get_permalink() ); ?>"
    method="post">
    <input type="hidden" name="contact_form">
    <div class="form-section">
        <label for="full-name"><?php echo esc_html( 'Full Name', 'twentytwentyone' ); ?></label>
        <input type="text" id="full-name" name="full_name">
    </div>
    <div class="form-section">
        <label for="email"><?php echo esc_html( 'Email', 'twentytwentyone' ); ?></label>
        <input type="text" id="email" name="email">
    </div>
    <div class="form-section">
        <label for="message"><?php echo esc_html( 'Message', 'twentytwentyone' ); ?></label>
        <textarea id="message" name="message"></textarea>
    </div>
    <input type="submit" id="contact-form-submit" value="<?php echo esc_attr( 'Submit', 'twentytwentyone' ); ?>">
</form>

Now, you’ll need to sanitize the data from your contact form, which means cleaning or filtering it. WordPress offers data sanitization functions to make this process easier. In this case, you’ll use the sanitize_text_field() and sanitize_texarea() functions.

Next, you’ll need to set up form validation, which validates that fields aren’t left empty when the form is submitted. You’ll also add error messages that appear if a field doesn’t pass validation. You can use the following code to do this, editing the messages if you’d like:

//Validate the data
if ( strlen( $full_name ) === 0 ) {
    $validation_messages[] = esc_html__( 'Please enter a valid name.', 'twentytwentyone' );
}
if ( strlen( $email ) === 0 or
    ! is_email( $email ) ) {
    $validation_messages[] = esc_html__( 'Please enter a valid email address.', 'twentytwentyone' );
}
if ( strlen( $message ) === 0 ) {
    $validation_messages[] = esc_html__( 'Please enter a valid message.', 'twentytwentyone' );
}

You’ll also need to add code to display the error messages, send an email with the form submission to the site administrator, and create a shortcode that allows you to add the form to one of your pages. You can then style the form to match your site’s design.

You can find more detailed instructions and code for all of those functions in the walkthrough from Daext. 

Frequently asked questions

Now let’s review a few of the most commonly-asked questions about creating contact forms in WordPress.

1. Do I need a plugin to create a contact form in WordPress?

There are plugins that can assist you in creating a contact form, but you may also accomplish it without one. This approach is more difficult and necessitates some fundamental HTML, CSS, and PHP knowledge.

2. How do I add a contact form to my WordPress website?

There are two methods you can use to add a contact form to your WordPress website. You can either use a plugin or do it yourself using code.

If you want to use a plugin, Jetpack is a great choice. It’s easy to use and comes with everything you need to create a powerful contact form.

3. What should I do if I’m not receiving emails from my contact form?

If you’re not receiving emails from your contact form, there are a few things you can check.

First, contact your hosting provider to see if there are any restrictions in place that could be blocking the email from being sent.

Next, check the settings of your contact form to make sure the email is being sent to the correct address.

If none of that fixes the problem, you may need to use an SMTP plugin to help validate and send your emails.

4. Can I add a contact form to my WordPress sidebar?

Yes! If you want to add a contact form to your WordPress sidebar, just insert the Jetpack Form Block into your page or post template (if using full site editing) or sidebar widget area.

5. Do I need a separate contact page on my WordPress website?

No, you don’t necessarily need a separate contact page on your WordPress website. However, you may want one so that visitors can easily find your contact form. Plus, it gives you an opportunity to include additional information about how visitors can get in touch with you.

For example, you may want to include your email address, phone number, and social media links on your contact page. This way, visitors can choose the method they’re most comfortable with.

6. Do I need a separate contact form for each page on my WordPress website?

No, you don’t need a separate contact form for each page on your WordPress website. However, this could allow you to collect more relevant data from your visitors.

For example, if you have a form on your contact page, you may want to ask visitors for their name and email address. But if you have a contact form on a support page, you may want to ask for their name, email address, and to select a type of issue they’re experiencing. 

7. What is the best way to stop spam on WordPress contact forms?

There are a few things you can do to stop spam on your WordPress contact forms.

We recommend enabling Akismet. Using AI learning from millions of websites to identify common traits of spam, it works behind the scenes to stop unwanted messages before they ever reach your inbox.

WordPress is the world’s most popular content management system (CMS). It powers over 40% of all websites and more than 64% of those that use a CMS. It’s easy to use and customize. But is it the best option for enterprise websites? 

WordPress continues to grow in popularity as large companies realize its capabilities for building a robust site that can scale with their needs. But if you want to use WordPress for enterprise, it’s essential to understand how it works. It’s also worth exploring examples of how you can use the CMS, along with some plugins and hosting options you can leverage. 

In this post, we’ll discuss what to expect from the WordPress enterprise ecosystem, its benefits, and the best WordPress plugins to use. We’ll also cover real-world examples of WordPress enterprise sites and wrap up with frequently asked questions (FAQs).

Is WordPress enterprise ready?

An enterprise CMS is a system used to manage websites for large organizations. It handles content, workflow, user roles, and other aspects of site administration. 

But is WordPress powerful enough to be a viable option for your big company? The short answer is yes. WordPress is a robust CMS used to power some of the largest websites in the world. It’s flexible, easy to use, and highly customizable.

If you want to make WordPress completely enterprise-ready, however, there are a few things you’ll need to do first, including:

• Choosing reliable, fast hosting
• Installing helpful plugins
• Adding multilingual functionality
• Implementing security solutions

How robust is the WordPress enterprise ecosystem?

WordPress has been around since 2003, making it one of the oldest content management systems. This long history means that it’s mature, with a rich ecosystem of developers, resources, and tools.

The WordPress community is one of the most active worldwide, with thousands of developers contributing to its development and management. If you run into any issues with security or performance, there’s a good chance that someone else has already solved it. They’ve likely also made their solution available for you to use, too.

Furthermore, WordPress has a huge library of plugins and themes that allow you to customize your site however you’d like. 

What are the benefits of using WordPress for enterprise sites?

WordPress offers many advantages over other content management systems, including ease of use, cost savings, and flexibility for customizing enterprise-level sites. Here are just a few of the benefits:

1. Powerful and automated backup solutions

With WordPress, there are a variety of excellent options for backing up your website. This protects you in case anything ever goes wrong, like a hack or coding error. 

You can always manually save a copy of your site from your hosting provider or with file transfer protocol (FTP) software. Or, you can use a plugin like Jetpack Backup, which backs up your site in real time. 

This solution is incredibly powerful, because it means that every action that takes places on your site — a product sale, a contact form submission, an updated page, an added plugin — is saved automatically. You’ll always have a copy of the latest version of your site on-hand, that you can restore in just a few clicks.

Your backups are also stored on trusted servers — the same ones used for all of the WordPress.com sites — completely separately from your hosting provider. So if your host’s server is compromised, your off-site backups won’t be. 

This type of backup solution is critical for enterprise-level businesses who simply can’t afford to have their site down for long periods of time or, even worse, lose all of their content or data completely.

2. Enterprise-grade security options

No platform is ever completely safe from hackers or security vulnerabilities. But WordPress developers are constantly working on the platform to ensure that it’s built with high-quality, clean code, and they respond quickly if any vulnerabilities are ever found. Unlike other tools like Joomla, you can also turn on auto-updates to automatically update your software to its latest version. This will apply any security patches and protect your site from potential vulnerabilities.

And since WordPress is so flexible, you can use any number of top security solutions to further safeguard and protect your website. While there are lots of great options out there, Jetpack Security is a complete WordPress security tool, providing a range of features all in one plugin.

In addition to the real-time backups we discussed a moment ago, you’ll also benefit from:

• Automatic malware scans: Jetpack uses an always-updated database of known malware and suspicious indicators to spot any problems on your site. It scans your files 24/7 and sends you an instant alert if anything is found so you can take care of it right away.
• Downtime monitoring: Large companies can’t afford downtime. Find out the second your site goes down so you can troubleshoot and get it back up again quickly.
• Two-factor authentication: Along with their account information, require administrators to enter a one-time code sent to their mobile device each time they log in.
• An activity log: Keep track of every action taken on your site and find out who performed it and when. This is great for monitoring activity from various team members and also identifying the source of any problems. For example, if your site goes down, you might be able to identify that the cause was a plugin update. You can also use this to restore a backup from right before a hack or other issue occurred.
• Spam prevention: Automatically filter comments and contact form submissions so that annoying and dangerous spam never reaches the front of your site.
• Brute force attack protection: Block hackers who try to get into your site by trying thousands of passwords per second. 

When you’re running an enterprise site, security is more important than ever. Every minute your site is down or compromised means lost revenue and a damaged reputation. And if you hand customer or client information over to malicious actors, it could be devastating.

But putting your trust in a platform like WordPress — which understands and optimizes for security at a high level — and taking advantage of resources like Jetpack Security enable you to protect your site and sleep well at night.

3. Enterprise content management support

Content is at the heart of many enterprise websites. It educates clients and customers, keeps you top of mind, and is integral for a variety of marketing strategies. So it’s important that the CMS you choose enables you to create beautiful, effective content easily and quickly.

That’s exactly what WordPress does. Creating beautiful pages and blog posts is simple thanks to the built-in block editor. You can add all sorts of elements — paragraphs, images, videos, columns, social media feeds, calls to action, and more — to a post just by dragging and dropping it. 

And managing content is just as easy. You can create user roles for your various team members, restricting their level of access to just what they need to fulfill their role. For example, your marketing manager might have full administrator-level access, while content writers may just be able to load their own post into the dashboard without making any other changes.

Speaking of the WordPress dashboard — it acts as a central hub for your website and content management. There, you can add and edit your posts, respond to comments, schedule your posts to publish, and more. 

WordPress VIP takes things one step further for enterprise sites, adding powerful and agile content marketing and management capabilities. 

What does this mean exactly? WordPress VIP helps you respond quickly and adapt to the frequently-changing market. Here are some things you can accomplish:

• Create custom publishing workflows.
• Integrate with tools you already use like Salesforce. If there’s not a ready-made integration, you can take advantage of the WordPress API to create one.
• Define customer structures and taxonomies for your content.
• Add plugins for Accelerated Mobile Pages, Progresssive Web Apps, and Web Stories.
• Take advantage of a platform that automatically scales to accommodate traffic spikes.
• Dive into in-depth analytics, with real-time data, conversion attribution, and audience segmentation.

Learn more about the WordPress enterprise platform. 

4. An abundance of top-quality developers

WordPress is extremely developer-friendly, with endless opportunities for customization. It’s an open-source platform, so developers have full access to all of the code so they can customize it to meet your exact needs. They can also use the powerful WordPress REST API to connect your website to any third-party tools that you use for appointments, client relationship management, marketing, and more.

And because WordPress is so popular, there’s a wealth of top-quality developers available to assist with any needs that you have. Want a custom-built site with very specific requirements? There’s a developer for that. Need something to maintain your enterprise website on a weekly basis? There’s someone who can help with that, too.

Looking for an eCommerce-specific developer? Check out the WooExperts marketplace, with agencies personally vetted by WooCommerce.

5. Extensive flexibility and scalability

As your company grows, you want your website software to be able to accommodate a lot more traffic, more users, and any additional functionality that you might need. 

Say you’re using WordPress as a static website for your service-based business. But, as you grow, you decide to add a forum for your customers, an option to book appointments online, and an online store for supplementary merchandise. You can add all of those tools to your existing site without having to switch platforms or craft any complicated code.

WordPress also enables you to choose any hosting provider that you’d like. This means you can find a plan that suits your needs and scales to accommodate your website traffic. You can also choose a plan that includes extras like a super-fast CDN, caching tools, and staging sites for testing changes.

Since WordPress is completely free, you’re not nickel and dimed each time you get more site visitors or list more products. 

Finally, WordPress code is regularly checked and updated with scalability in mind. A global team works to update the software to meet the latest standards in performance, accessibility, and more. All of this combined means that you can trust WordPress for your enterprise site, no matter how much you grow.

6. Easy customization and usability 

A lot of the benefits we’ve talked about already go back to the same thing — customization and usability. Thanks to the huge library of available free and premium plugins, you can add any sort of functionality you’d like to your site and meet any need that your enterprise has.

You can also choose from a variety of themes that help dictate the design of your site. Work with something super flexible and customizable or choose a theme with pre-made demos and switch out content related to your business. 

And if you have a variety of team members who contribute to your website, the onboarding process is much simpler than with other enterprise CMS options. Without any code or development knowledge whatsoever, someone can create a new page or post using the block editor, edit colors or fonts with the Customizer, respond to comments, add new products, and more. Website maintenance and management is incredibly duplicatable and easy to scale. 

What are the best WordPress plugins for enterprise sites?

Plugins add extra functionality to your website, and there are both free and premium options available. If you have a need, there’s almost certainly a plugin available to fill it. Let’s take a look at just a few great options for enterprise WordPress sites:

1. Jetpack 

Jetpack is packed full of features that provide a ton of necessary functionality for large websites, from security and backups to performance, analytics, marketing, and more. But you can also disable any functionality that you’re not using to keep your site lightweight. There are both free and premium features available, including:

• Real-time backups: Save every single action that takes place and restore a backup in just a few clicks, even if your site is down.
• Additional security tools: Protect your site with downtime monitoring, malware scanning, brute force attack prevention, two-factor authentication, and more.
• Performance tools: Speed up your website by implementing a super fast CDN, minifying CSS and JavaScript files, lazy loading images, and more.
• Spam prevention: Get rid of offensive and distracting spam comments and contact form submissions. 
• Site search: Implement super fast site search, with powerful filters and spelling correction.
• Video hosting: Speed up your videos while avoiding third-party ads.
• Analytics: Get insights into how your site is performing and who makes up your audience.

Jetpack also offers a WordPress CRM (customer relationship management tool), which is essential for any enterprise-level business. It enables you to manage your leads, prospects, clients, and customers, helping you grow your company and streamline your marketing efforts. 

With Jetpack CRM, you can send quotes and invoices, see all of your contacts in one place, manage your sales funnel, view client history and interactions, assign leads to specific team members, and more. And you can do all of this directly in the WordPress dashboard!

And since Jetpack and Jetpack CRM are maintained by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, you can benefit from seamless integration, simple setup, and world-class support.

2. WooCommerce

WooCommerce is the go-to eCommerce solution for WordPress, providing everything you need to sell online — product listings, cart and checkout pages, payment solutions, and more. It’s maintained by Automattic and is built to scale, with no limit on number of products or sales. The best part? It’s completely free.

It’s also super flexible, just like WordPress, and offers a library of free and premium extensions that provide tons of additional functionality. Want to sync inventory with your warehouse? Integrate with Facebook or Google Shopping? Sell in multiple currencies? There’s an extension for that.

And you can sell more than just physical items, too. Offer digital downloads, memberships, subscriptions, bookings, accommodations, wholesale products, and more. Or combine any of those to create your own custom solution.

WooCommerce also integrates seamlessly with Jetpack CRM and a variety of other marketing tools to make your life just a little easier.

3. OptinMonster

OptinMonster is a powerful tool for converting leads and capturing email subscribers. You can create a huge variety of pop-up types, including:

• Lightboxes: Traditional style pop-ups you can use to display announcements and sales or capture email addresses
• Floating bars: Sticky bars in your header or footer that are perfect for sales, important messages, free shipping notices, and more
• Spin a wheel popups: A fun concept that allows visitors to spin a wheel to win a randomized coupon code
• Inline signup forms: Perfect to insert in the middle of blog posts and other content

There are endless ways you can use this plugin. And you can craft all of your pop-ups with a drag-and-drop builder that keeps things super simple. It even integrates with your favorite tools, like Campaign Monitor, HubSpot, Drip, and more. There’s a free version available, along with a premium option that includes additional features.

4. LiveChat

LiveChat is a feature-rich tool that enables you to add a chat box to your enterprise WordPress site. You can add 24/7 support, with automatic quick replies to frequently asked questions, and even send targeted messages to visitors based on the actions they take on your site.

While the plugin itself is free, you do need a paid LiveChat account to activate its features.

5. Yoast SEO 

Yoast SEO is a plugin specifically designed to help you implement search engine optimization strategies across your site. Without having to edit code, you can make changes to your sitemap, edit meta descriptions and titles for posts, pages, and custom post types, update indexing settings, and more. 

For each page or post, you can insert the keyword that you’re targeting and Yoast will generate a list of suggestions for each one. For example, it might advise you to use your keyword more frequently, increase the length of your content, add more external links, and include alt text for your images. 

The premium version of the plugin has additional features like link suggestions and content quality analyses.

6. Echo Knowledge Base 

Adding a knowledge base to your website can be extremely beneficial, whether you’re using it for product documentation, service documents, or employee handbooks. Echo Knowledge Base makes it easy to create that documentation, organize it by type, order it based on a variety of factors, and more. You can even add a search bar to make it easy for customers to use.

Like many of the other plugins here, there is both a free and premium version available, with varying features.

7. Connections Business Directory

You can use a business directory for a variety of purposes — display all the members of your team, showcase everyone in your club or organization, or maintain an internal staff directory. And the Connections Business Directory plugin is a free plugin that makes creating one easy and fast. You can even extend its capabilities with add-ons for creating extra fields, sending marketing messages, and more.

8. WPML

WPML is a multilingual tool that helps you translate your content and display your website in multiple languages. This, of course, is extremely beneficial if your enterprise business works with clients and customers across the globe.

You can either manually translate content yourself, use the automatic translation tool, or send your text to WPML’s trusted translation partners. And the tool can translate everything from paragraphs and headings to alt text, widgets, menus, product data, and text in plugins and admin screens.

WPML is a premium plugin, with several plans based on the features you need.

9. PublishPress 

This plugin offers a set of tools that level up your publishing process within WordPress, including:

• An editorial calendar to help you plan and schedule content
• Custom post statuses that you can set based on your specific process
• Editorial comments to facilitate discussion between team members
• The ability to group posts into a series
• Custom viewing and editing permissions
• Publishing checklists and to-do lists

You can purchase features separately or bundled together.

And remember — these are just a handful of the great WordPress plugins for enterprise sites. You can check out free options in the WordPress.org repository, or find premium plugins across a variety of reputable marketplaces.

Real-world examples of WordPress enterprise websites

Businesses of all niches and sizes can use WordPress. Let’s look at real-world examples of WordPress enterprise websites to give you a better idea of some possibilities!

1. ISC

ISC provides industrial products for equipment manufacturers and other companies. Built with WordPress and WooCommerce, their site features hundreds of products alongside helpful resources like blog posts and FAQs. They also offer a live chat feature and request a quote functionality.

2. Nalgene 

Nalgene is a popular outdoor brand that offers BPA-free water bottles and accessories. They used WordPress and WooCommerce to build their online store, which is packed full of items that can be easily accessed through a mega menu. Customers can even create their own custom water bottle directly on the site.

3. Dr. Scholl’s 

Dr. Scholl’s is a globally-known foot care brand that sells shoe inserts and various treatments for feet problems — all using WooCommerce and WordPress. Customers can purchase products on their site or use the Where to Buy tool to find them in their local store. There’s also a robust blog available to visitors, along with a nifty tool that advises shoppers on the right insole for their specific needs.

4. The National Archives 

The National Archives is the British government’s official online archive. It stores everything from wills and military service records to medals, passenger lists, and war diaries — more than 32 million descriptions of records, nine million of which are available for download. Visitors can search the large database and find detailed information about each record.

5. The New York Times 

The New York Times is one of the most popular and prolific American newspapers, with a corporate website powered by WordPress. It provides information about the company behind the news articles, stories, and op-eds that are available to visitors across the globe. 

6. Qualtrics 

Qualtrics is a research platform that offers customer, market, and employee insights. The American customer experience management company uses its WordPress website to provide cloud-based subscription software and collect customer feedback.

Frequently asked questions (FAQs) about using WordPress as an enterprise CMS

At this point, we’ve covered just about everything there is to know about using WordPress for enterprise. But to make sure we didn’t miss any important points, let’s wrap up with some FAQs!

What features should an enterprise CMS offer?

There are a handful of features that an enterprise CMS should offer. Security is one of the most important considerations. As your site grows, it’s more important than ever to protect it against hackers and other threats. 

You’ll also need access to automated backups, scalable and flexible software, and premium support. 

Is WordPress the best enterprise CMS?

Yes, WordPress is considered to be the best all-around enterprise CMS. But that’s not just because of its popularity. Since millions of people use WordPress every day, there are tons of plugins, themes, and developers who can help you customize your site.

WordPress is incredibly flexible, offering functionality for online stores, forums, directories, and more. It also integrates with a variety of tools your business may already use, like CRMs, marketing platforms, and warehouse solutions. WordPress is easy to customize and use, highly extensible and scalable, and secure by nature.

However, the specific CMS that you choose will depend on your unique business and needs.

How do I choose a host for my enterprise-level site?

The most important thing is ensuring that your enterprise WordPress site has a solid foundation. You can’t expect your website to perform at its best using subpar hosting. 

So it’s essential to choose a company that offers WordPress enterprise-grade hosting, with servers and plans specifically optimized for large volumes of traffic. You’ll also want to look for 24/7 support and a guarantee of 99%+ uptime.

WordPress VIP is an excellent option for enterprise-based sites. It’s a managed WordPress hosting service from Automattic, with powerful features specifically for large businesses. It’s built on a solid, super fast foundation that responds effortlessly to traffic spikes and keeps your data super secure.

Start building your WordPress enterprise site today

WordPress is an excellent option for enterprise websites, offering an extensive library of plugins, themes, and tools, access to a plethora of developers and resources, and strong security and content management solutions.

With a reliable and fast hosting provider and plugins that meet your needs, you can grow your business with WordPress!

Are you ready to start building your WordPress enterprise website? Download WordPress or get started with WordPress VIP.

If you’re looking to build a website, you’ve probably run across information on WordPress, the most popular content management system (CMS) on the web. But what exactly is WordPress? What can you create with it? And how can you build a site using its tools?

Let’s take a look at the answers to all of those questions, plus a few more.

What is WordPress?

At its core, WordPress is free software that anyone can use to create a website. It falls into the category of CMS — content management system — which is a tool used to build and manage websites without code. In fact, this is a key component of WordPress, because it empowers business owners, bloggers, influencers, and the average person to share what they’re passionate about on the web.

On their website, WordPress states: “We believe great software should work with minimum set up, so you can focus on sharing your story, product, or services freely.” This is at the heart of everything they do.

Here are some other important things to know about WordPress:

• It’s open-source. The software is freely available and can be modified and distributed in any number of ways. What does this mean for you? There’s a huge community of people passionate about WordPress who are involved in making it better each and every day. They work together to develop new features, fix bugs, and solve problems that users experience. You can trust that you’re getting opinions and solutions from the best of the best in their respective areas.
• It’s incredibly powerful and flexible. WordPress includes tons of top-notch features by default. But there are also thousands of free and premium plugins available with additional functionality you can incorporate. There’s a solution for just about any need you have, so there are absolutely no limits when it comes to your site. And, if there isn’t an out-of-the-box solution, the code can be easily modified by a developer to build whatever you’d like.
• It’s the most popular website building tool. 43% of the web uses WordPress, from small blogs to enterprise sites, online stores, and forums.
• The community is like no other. This goes back to the idea of open-source. There are lots of people — experts and beginners alike — who love the freedoms that come with WordPress. You’ll find online support forums, Facebook groups, podcasts, and in-person meetups full of people to connect with, share tips and tricks with, and learn from.

What is WordPress used for?

We touched just a bit on how flexible WordPress is, so it should be no surprise that it can be used in a huge variety of ways. Let’s look at just a few!

A site builder

You can use WordPress to build absolutely any kind of site you can imagine, from a hobby blog to a business site with hundreds of thousands of visitors. And you can do all of this without having to edit a single line of code! 

How does it work?

WordPress content revolves around the block editor, a powerful drag-and-drop tool that you can use to create any sort of design you’d like. It uses blocks to construct pages and posts — these are individual elements that make up a page, like paragraphs, headings, images, videos, and columns. All you have to do is find the one you want to use, drag it into your page, then click a few buttons to customize settings like colors and styles. 

There’s also a library full of block patterns that you can choose from. These act as pre-designed layouts for entire sections of content — think pricing tables, portfolios, FAQs, and service grids. Just drag a section you like into your page design, then switch out images and text as necessary. Then you’re ready to go — it’s that simple!

And you really can create anything you can dream up. Gracenote, for example, created a clean, professional website to showcase their entertainment services and impressive client database. Thatgamecompany built a highly-visual site with full-screen videos and fun animations that feature their video games. And the Dallas Mavericks have a WordPress website full of grunge textures, interactive elements, and colorful photos.

Three completely different sites — all built with WordPress.

An eCommerce store builder

Online stores can encompass a wide variety of merchants, from traditional retailers and digital product creators to membership sites, service-based businesses, wholesalers, and software engineers. And WordPress enables you to create all of those store types — and more — with the help of WooCommerce.

WooCommerce is the eCommerce arm of WordPress, supported and maintained by Automattic. It’s completely free, and integrates seamlessly with WordPress sites to add everything you need for an online store. It enables you to list products, accept payments, ship physical items, offer coupons, and more. There’s also an impressive library full of free and premium extensions that provide additional functionality for subscriptions, memberships, marketing, design, and more.  

Adding products and setting up your store is just as simple as creating pages and posts. There’s a setup wizard that walks you through all the steps you need to get started, even making suggestions based on the type of store you’re running.

And the product builder is straightforward, making adding items to your store fast and easy. All you have to do is fill out a series of fields — like the product title, price, SKU, description, and inventory levels — then add images to the gallery.

Of course, there’s a lot more you can do with your store, especially when harnessing the power of extensions. And there’s extensive documentation and a knowledgeable support team available to help you along the way.

Want some real-life examples? Here are some WooCommerce stores across a variety of industries and product types:

• Good Dye Young sells hair dye and other accessories — physical products that they ship to their customers.
• Style Girlfriend offers styling services for men, accepting payments and displaying those services with WooCommerce.
• TipoType is a type foundry, with a variety of digital typefaces and licenses for sale.
• boldSOCKS sells both one-off socks for men and women, along with subscription boxes that automatically ship products once a month.
• Dumpster Market compiles dumpster rentals across the country and enables customers to book them for a chosen date and time.
• Perfusion.com offers a membership program that provides subscribers with access to a cardiovascular content library, event discounts, a database of medical professionals, premium tools, and more.
• Porta Pro Chem is a distributor of portable restroom supplies, offering product quotes and special pricing for each of their wholesale customers.
• AdvantageLearn.com provides online courses to students preparing for university.

As you can see, the possibilities with WordPress and WooCommerce are endless. See even more examples.

A blog and publishing platform

Content creation and publishing are at the heart of everything that WordPress does. In fact, it was originally built as a blogging platform! That means that it provides top-level tools for bloggers and publishers.

It’s easy to present content in a way that’s consumable by site visitors, whether that’s in a grid, masonry format, or simple vertical feed. And, of course, the technical aspects are all there, too. WordPress is responsive, accessible, and SEO-friendly, ensuring that everyone can make the most of your posts â€” from mobile, desktop, and screen reader users to search engine robots.

You can add blog posts to your website using the block editor that we discussed in more detail above. This enables you to easily create truly unique content that’s more than just text. You can include images, videos, quote boxes, social media feeds, sliders, and more! 

But don’t just take it from us. There are endless examples of sites using WordPress as a blog or publishing tool. TechCrunch, for instance, has a clean, super engaging layout for their blog posts, including elements like social share buttons and email newsletter options. Oh She Glows has a beautiful, image-heavy blog feed to showcase available recipes. And Pousta uses WordPress to display the content that makes up their graphic-focused arts and culture magazine.

A customer relationship management system (CRM)

A customer relationship management tool (CRM) corrals all the information about your contacts, prospects, customers, and clients in one place, making it easier to manage and keep up with each and every one.

Jetpack CRM allows you to truly use WordPress as a CRM. It pulls all of its tools directly into the WordPress dashboard, available in the same place that you add posts, create pages, and more. But what exactly does it do and how can it help you?

It strengthens your sales, marketing, and customer service processes no matter what type of business you run. It gathers all of your customer and prospect data in one place, so you can view key information — like revenue and sales funnel information — at a glance. The CRM also has a detailed profile for each contact, with a record of every single interaction you’ve had with them, plus their preferences and engagement history with your company.

Want to set up a client portal? Send quotes and invoices? Share prospect information across sales team members? Email specific segments of your customer base? Jetpack CRM enables you to do all of that, from inside WordPress. This is an incredibly powerful opportunity for any business, whether you run an ice cream shop, online store, or graphic design agency.

How to use WordPress to build a secure site

Okay, so now that you have the answer to, “What is WordPress?” and you’ve learned what WordPress is used for, let’s dive into how you can build a safe, secure website.

1. Find a host for your WordPress site

A hosting provider stores your website’s files and makes them available for visitors to view when they type in your URL. It serves as the foundation of your site when it comes to security, site speed, and more. So it’s important to choose the right one!

Here are some important qualities of a good host:

• Offers excellent support. You’ll want to be able to get help whenever you need it. Look for a provider with 24/7 support in whatever method you prefer — live chat, phone, email, etc.
• Includes security features. You’ll want to pick a host with features like malware scanning, SSL certificates, and a server-side firewall. 
• Sets you up for growth. Choose a host that allows you to easily scale and switch to a plan with more resources as you grow. 
• Supports WordPress. Many providers include one-click WordPress installation, settings specific to the platform, and even premium plugins in your plan at no additional cost. 
• Includes any specialty features you need. If they’re important to you, choose a host with features like staging functionality, automated migrations, or workflow tools. Not every site will need these types of advanced features, however.

If you’re looking for the easiest, fastest way to start, with a host that’s 100% dedicated to WordPress, consider giving WordPress.com a try. It takes file and server maintenance completely off your plate and simplifies all of your site management. There are several plans available, but we highly recommend choosing a premium plan that allows you to install and utilize plugins.

We’ve also put together a list of recommended hosts that cover a wide range of budgets and features.

2. Install WordPress

Next, you’ll need to install WordPress on your host’s server. Most providers include one-click WordPress installation, which simplifies and speeds up the process. Check out their documentation for detailed instructions.

Or, if you do need or want to install WordPress manually, you can follow these instructions.

Note: If you’re using WordPress.com, it’s pre-installed, so you can skip to the next step.

The WordPress dashboard is the area where you’ll manage every aspect of your site, from pages and posts to comments, products, and settings. You can log in to your WordPress site by going to yoururl.com/wp-admin and using the credentials you created when installing WordPress. 

Check out our guide to the WordPress admin dashboard for detailed instructions on navigating every aspect.

3. Choose a theme

A theme sets the general design of your site as a whole, though you can customize details like colors, fonts, and more. Some themes act as pre-designed templates, enabling you to simply switch out elements and run with a ready-to-go site. Others are more like frameworks, allowing room for tons of customization. You’ll want to choose one that fits your experience and knowledge level. 

Here are some other considerations:

• Level of support. Most free themes include forum-based support, while premium themes often offer ticket-based support for a certain period of time. You’ll also want to choose a theme with excellent documentation to walk you through setup.
• Demos and templates available. If you want to use a ready-made design or layout, make sure that your theme has great demos that you can implement in a few clicks.
• Ease of use. What’s your technological and WordPress experience? Ensure that you can implement and make the most of your theme based on your capabilities.
• Customer reviews. What do others say about the theme? What problems have they encountered and how helpful has support been?
• Integration with other tools. Looking to use specific tools like WooCommerce? Make sure that your theme integrates seamlessly.
• Regular updates. The developer should release new versions regularly to keep up with WordPress and plugin updates. This is important for both security and functionality. 
• Quality and speed. Is the code quality high? How quickly does the theme load? You can always run the theme demo pages through a page speed test like GTmetrix to get a general idea.

You can add your theme by going to Appearance → Themes in the WordPress dashboard. There, you can either choose the one you’ve selected from the WordPress theme library or upload your own. 

Note: We highly recommend using a child theme, which enables you to make changes to your theme files without losing them when you update in the future. Many themes come with one included, but you can also create a child theme yourself.

4. Create your pages and posts

Now it’s time to build the pages and posts that will make up your website content. Your exact pages will vary based on your business, audience, and specific needs, but may include Home, About, Contact, FAQs, and more.

To build a page, go to Pages → Add New in your WordPress dashboard. Add a title to the page. Then, you can get started with the block editor.

In the top left, you’ll see a blue plus icon. Click this to open up a full list of available blocks. You can either scroll through to find the one you want, or use the search bar if you have something specific in mind.

Click your chosen block to add it to your page. You can also drag and drop it anywhere you’d like in relation to other content. Then you can manage the settings for that specific block. These will vary, of course, but let’s use an Image block as an example.

You’ll see a placeholder for an image after initially adding the block. There are three options that you can use to add an image: Upload, Select Image, and Insert from URL. Once you add the picture you want to use, more settings will appear.

You can use the toolbar on top of the image block to apply filters, choose the alignment, add text on top, and more. Or, use the settings panel on the right-hand side of the page to configure settings for things like alt text and image size. 

Again, these will vary based on the block that you’re using.

Want to implement more of a ready-made design? Try clicking the plus icon again and selecting Patterns. This will open up the pattern library, with fully-configured layouts for things like pricing tables and FAQs. Just add one to a page, switch out the content, and you’re good to go!

For more information about using the block editor, read this guide from WordPress.com.

5. Build a navigation menu

A navigation menu is a key component of any website. It provides an easy way for visitors to move through your site and helps guide their journey. For example, you might include an attractive button that directs people to your email capture or sales page.

While your primary menu typically lives at the top of your site, in the header, there are other options, such as the sidebar, if you want to go with something a bit different. But no matter what location you choose, you’ll want to think through the organization of your menu items. Packing too many links in can be overwhelming to site visitors. If you have a lot of content, you can break your primary navigation menu down into categorized submenus, or even create a highly-visual mega menu. 

To build your navigation menu, go to Appearance → Menus in the WordPress dashboard. Add a name for your menu, then use the checkboxes on the left to add pages, posts, categories, and more. You can then drag and drop each item wherever you’d like, indenting them to create submenus as necessary.

Finally, select a display location for your menu at the bottom of the page — typically “primary menu” — and click the blue Save button. Your menu will now appear on your website!

6. Install a security plugin

Now that the design of your site is ready, it’s time to start thinking about functionality like security and speed. Security is critical, whether you’re running a personal blog or an eCommerce store. It prevents you from losing the hard work you’ve put into your website and protects both you and your visitors’ data from hackers.

While WordPress is a secure platform, there are still some steps you need to take to lock down your site. Here are a few best WordPress security practices:

• Always use strong passwords. Choose credentials that are hard to guess, with a mixture of letters, numbers, and symbols.
• Protect against brute force attacks. These occur when hackers use bots to try and guess your login credentials. They can guess hundreds of combinations per second! Set up a tool that stops them in their tracks.
• Regularly scan for malware. If your site is ever hacked, it’s important to know right away so you can fix the problem and prevent further havoc. But it’s impossible to manually check for malware 24/7. A good malware scanning tool can take care of this automatically and alert you if something is found.
• Update your software often. Make sure that WordPress, themes, and plugins are always updated to their latest version to keep hackers from taking advantage of any vulnerabilities.
• Turn on downtime monitoring. If your site goes down, this could be an indication of a hack. Downtime monitoring helps you know when this happens right away so you can get things back up and running.
• Consider two-factor authentication. Two-factor authentication adds an extra step to your login page, requiring you to enter a one-time-use code that’s sent to your phone. This is extremely effective because it’s unlikely that a hacker would have your login credentials and your phone in their hand.
• Set up automatic, off-site backups. Backups protect you if something goes wrong because they allow you to quickly return your site to its state before the problem occurred. The best WordPress backups are taken automatically and in real-time, saving each and every change as it happens. They’re also stored off-site, separately from your host’s server just in case that server was compromised, too.
• Use an SSL certificate. An SSL certificate protects information transmitted through your website, like credit card details, addresses, and names. There’s no reason not to add this to your site — you can get an SSL certificate for free!

Jetpack is a WordPress security plugin that checks off almost all of the items in the list above, in one fell swoop! From brute force attack protection and malware scanning to real-time backups and more, you can trust that your site is locked down. And it’s all easy to use for beginners and developers alike. For example, backing up your WordPress site takes just a few clicks, and restoring a backup is even faster!

See all of the available features of Jetpack Security.

7. Install a speed optimization plugin

If you want your site visitors to have a top-notch experience, speed should be something you invest time into. The faster your website loads, the more likely it is that people will stick around and take the actions that you want them to take — sign up for an email list, make a purchase, call your company, etc.

The best place to start with site speed is by choosing a high-quality host and a well-coded theme, as we already discussed here. Then, install a speed optimization plugin like Jetpack Boost. 

When you install the plugin, it will analyze your site performance so you get an idea of where you stand. Then, by just toggling on a few settings, you can optimize CSS loading, defer non-essential JavaScript, and turn on lazy loading images. If you’re not sure what this means, that’s okay — you don’t have to! Jetpack Boost takes on all the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to be a developer to ensure your site loads quickly.

(But if you’re curious, that’s okay, too! Read our post about core web vitals for more information.)

You can find additional speed optimization tools with the core Jetpack plugin as well. For example, its content delivery network (CDN) displays your website from high-speed servers around the world, so it’s always shown from the location closest to each individual visitor. It also automatically resizes your images for mobile devices to improve speed when it counts the most.

8. Install a spam protection plugin 

Comments are a powerful way to drive engagement on your site and build a community around your brand. But, unfortunately, when you enable comments in WordPress, you open yourself up to spam — responses that are unrelated, unwanted, and sometimes even malicious. These can impede the discussion, make you look unprofessional, and, in the worst case scenario, cause your visitors to fall prey to hackers’ schemes.

But you shouldn’t have to spend time weeding through comment after comment to determine if it’s spam. Instead, let a WordPress spam plugin like Akismet take care of it for you. 

It can automatically get rid of the worst spam comments on your site so you never even have to see them. It also integrates seamlessly with popular WordPress tools to protect not just your comment section, but also your contact forms. Ultimately, this saves you a lot of time and protects both your site visitors and reputation.

9. Add and configure any extra features

One of the best things about WordPress is the ability to add any functionality you’d like with the help of hundreds of available plugins. The WordPress repository is full of free options, offering everything from extra blocks and contact forms to integrations with your favorite marketing tools. Plus, these are all vetted by Automattic, so you can trust that they’re high-quality and safe.

There are also excellent developers in the WordPress community that sell premium plugins on their own websites or on third-party plugin marketplaces. Take the time to look into the ones that you choose to add, however, to ensure that they’re from a good source. Reviews can be one of the easiest ways to tell a plugin’s legitimacy and quality. Learn more about choosing the best WordPress plugins.

10. Launch your site!

Now that your site looks exactly the way you want, loads quickly, and is secure, it’s time to launch! Give yourself a pat on the back — you’ve put a lot of work in and now you can reap the benefits. 

Frequently asked questions about WordPress

Still have questions? We’ve taken some time to answer some frequently asked questions about WordPress below.

When was WordPress created?

WordPress was created in 2003 by Mike Little and Matt Mullenweg, who built a new personal publishing platform on top of b2/cafelog, which had been discontinued. Its open-source nature created an entire community of supporters, and it eventually turned into the revolutionary CMS that it is today, powering more than 43% of the web. It’s grown to become much more than a blogging tool as well, with everything from eCommerce stores and membership sites to forums and enterprise-level companies building their sites with the software.

Is WordPress free? 

Yes, the core WordPress software is 100% free. And, since it’s licensed under the GNU General Public License, it’s also completely free to use however you’d like, including modifying and customizing it.  

There are a number of WordPress plugins from Automattic that are free as well. These include WooCommerce, Akismet (free for personal use), and Jetpack (free for some plans). 

Is WordPress secure?

Yes, WordPress is a secure content management system. It was built with security in mind and is updated regularly to fix any bugs or vulnerabilities. 

That being said, any website or piece of software can be hacked, no matter how secure it is. You’ll want to take some additional security measures to protect your content and visitor information. A great place to start is with a WordPress security plugin like Jetpack, which implements valuable strategies like downtime monitoring, malware scanning, two-factor authentication, brute force attack protection, and real-time backups. 

You should also take other basic security steps, like using secure passwords and providing login access just to trusted people who absolutely need it.

Does WordPress offer accessibility features?

When it comes to the web, accessibility means making your website usable for every single visitor, including those with physical and mental impairments. WordPress is dedicated to this practice, requiring all new and updated WordPress code to conform to specific accessibility standards. There is also a category of themes available from the theme repository that have been reviewed and marked as “accessible ready.”

You can use plugins to add accessibility features to your website, allowing site visitors to resize fonts, toggle grayscale mode, turn on high contrast, and more.

Where can I download WordPress?

WordPress is available for download directly from the WordPress.org website. Many hosting providers also include one-click WordPress installation, so there’s no need for you to manually download or install the software.

What’s the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com?

If you’re new to WordPress, you might be trying to decide between WordPress.org and WordPress.com. Let’s take a look at the differences.

With WordPress.org, you pick a hosting provider and install the WordPress software on your server. You have complete freedom to do whatever you’d like with your site, though there is a bit more technical know-how required. 

With WordPress.com, everything is taken care of for you. It includes a hosting plan that’s specifically optimized for the WordPress software, and it comes with everything pre-installed. All you have to do is sign up for an account and you can start building! Each plan has limits, however, so while a lot of the technical aspects of managing a site are taken care of for you, there’s also a certain loss of flexibility and freedom.

If you don’t want to worry about the technical aspects of a site and want to just jump in quickly, you may want to choose WordPress.com. If you want to be more involved in site management and building, and have more freedom and flexibility, then WordPress.org is the route to take.

What is a WordPress theme?

A WordPress theme is a set of files that dictate the look and feel of your site. They can be very specific, acting as a template with content you can simply switch out, or more flexible, like a framework that you can build anything on top of.

There’s an entire library of free and premium themes that are vetted by WordPress. You can filter these based on features, like number of columns and subject matter. There are also themes that you can download from third-party marketplaces and developers. When choosing one of these, check the source, read reviews, and ensure that it’s updated regularly.

What is a WordPress plugin?

A WordPress plugin is an add-on that you can install to create additional functionality on your website. Unlike a theme, its focus is on functionality, not design.

You can find a plugin for just about anything — create an online store, market your business, add blocks or block patterns to the WordPress Editor, build contact forms, connect to third-party software, and more. 

There are thousands of free options available in the WordPress plugin repository, along with support forums for each one. You can also find some great premium options in locations like the WooCommerce marketplace, and third-party websites. But, like with themes, take the time to examine each one for security and quality. Learn more about how to choose the best WordPress plugins.

What is a WordPress page builder?

A WordPress page builder is a plugin or theme tool that enables you to build a website without using any code. They speed up the page creation process, typically allowing users to drag and drop elements to design virtually any layout. 

However, thanks to the WordPress block editor, you can create pages and posts without code and without a page builder. Drag any element into place — like paragraphs, headings, images, videos, and columns — and configure settings to get the exact look you want. 

And if you’re using a block theme, with full site editing, you can even apply this same principle to other parts of your site, like headers and footers.

What is a WordPress widget?

In WordPress, widget areas are special reusable areas that contain blocks — the footer and sidebar, for example. You can add blocks to these areas by going to Appearance → Widgets in your WordPress dashboard. 

These can come in handy in a variety of ways. If you have an online store, you might want to add filters, a search bar, and a list of product categories to the sidebar of your Shop page. If you run a service-based business, you might include links to important pages, an email capture, and your company hours in your footer.

Note, however, that if you’re using a theme that supports full site editing, you’ll need to edit these areas by going to Appearance → Editor instead.

What are the most important plugins to have?

The plugins that you choose will vary based on the specific needs of your site, along with the type of website that you run — online store, blog, service-based business, portfolio, etc. However, there are a few types of plugins that nearly every WordPress site will need:

• A backup and security plugin 
• A spam prevention plugin 
• A contact form plugin
• An SEO plugin
• A site speed plugin

For more information, read our post about choosing the right WordPress plugins.

Can WordPress be used for blogging?

Yes, absolutely! WordPress was designed from the start as a blogging platform. And, while it offers so much more, blogging is still at its heart.

WordPress makes it easy to create a blog around any topic that you’d like, add blog posts with text, images, videos, and more, accept and reply to comments, get your posts in front of your audience — the list goes on and on! Any blog functionality you need, you can create with WordPress.

So it’s no surprise that popular sites like the TED blog, WilWheaton.net, the Martha Stewart blog, and TechCrunch all use WordPress as their blogging platform of choice.

Can WordPress be used for a business website?

Of course! WordPress can be used to create absolutely any kind of site you’d like. You can use the platform to showcase your work in a portfolio, write about your services, and create a client portal. Or if you want to sell products or services online, you can use WooCommerce to build an online store, complete with checkout functionality, shipping tools, and more. 

Looking to manage all of your prospects and clients? Jetpack CRM even turns your WordPress dashboard into a customer relationship management tool that will help you grow your business.

Want some examples? The WooCommerce Showcase is chock full of beautiful online stores powered by WordPress. You’ll also find lots of other businesses using the platform, including Gracenote, The Clorox Company, and the Bedford Hotel.  

Is WordPress enterprise-friendly?

Yes, WordPress powers lots of enterprise-level sites and there are no limits on what you can create. You can use it to scale as large as you like, with no restrictions on number of pageviews, products, etc. It also has features that make running an enterprise website simple, like team management capabilities, mobile-friendly and accessible design, and multilingual plugins.

WordPress VIP is also an exclusive option specifically for enterprise businesses. It’s built on a super powerful server foundation, and includes special tools that help you maximize content effectiveness, create a compelling digital experience for all team members, explore in-depth analytics, and build a hyper-agile commerce system. And all of that comes with enterprise-level scalability, reliability, speed, and security. 

See some examples of enterprise WordPress sites, including The New York Post, Venture Beat, and USA TODAY Sports Media.

Why is WordPress considered the most popular CMS?

WordPress is currently used by 43% of all websites online and by 64.3% of websites using a content management system. This, of course, makes it by far the most popular CMS. 

This isn’t shocking. WordPress is a completely free but incredibly powerful tool that enables absolutely anyone to create a beautiful, effective website. It’s easy to use, endlessly flexible and scalable, SEO-friendly, and constantly improving and innovating. 

What are good tutorials on how to use WordPress?

WordPress.org and WordPress.com provide lots of tutorials with instructions for nearly anything you’d like to achieve with WordPress. If you’re building an online store, the WooCommerce blog offers everything you need to know to build and grow your eCommerce site. And there’s also a wealth of information on the Jetpack blog, including posts like:

• How to Log in to a WordPress Site
• WordPress Admin Dashboard: Become an Expert in 15 Minutes
• How to Create, Add, & Edit a Navigation Menu in WordPress
• WordPress Security Guide: 11 Best Practices to Secure Your Site
• How to Back Up a WordPress Site (Manually & Automatically)

Build your dream with WordPress

Now that you know how to use WordPress, it’s time to create! You have all the tools in hand to build anything you can dream up, whether you want to start a blog, open an online store, or launch a service-based business. 

If you get stuck, don’t worry! There’s a whole team of Happiness Engineers ready to help. You can find answers to any of your questions in the WordPress documentation and support forums.