Are you tired of your website emails being marked as spam?
Have you ever wished there was an easy and reliable way to get your website emails delivered to your customer’s inbox WITHOUT the high costs?
If you’re like me and most other smart website owners, then you have at least wished for this solution a couple times in your WordPress journey.
Today, I’m excited to announce my new product, SendLayer, which will level up your website’s email infrastructure.
We built this tool to help you get your website emails into your user’s inbox with maximum deliverability, reliability, and scalability.
What is SendLayer?
SendLayer is a SMTP email service API that helps your website emails get into customer’s inbox without being marked as spam.
It offers blazing fast email delivery while protecting your domain reputation from spam filters and giving you detailed email logs along with open & click analytics.
SendLayer seamlessly connects with WordPress, so you can use it to reliably send website emails like store receipts, confirmation emails, shipping notifications, password reset emails, and other WordPress emails with maximum reliability.
Why Do You Need SendLayer?
If you’re like most users, then you have likely run into the problem of WordPress not sending email issue. This is one of the most commonly asked questions on WPBeginner.
Many of our beginner level users ask us why their contact form plugin is not sending emails, or why they are not seeing any WordPress notifications.
That’s because most WordPress hosting servers are not configured to send emails using the default PHP mail() function.
And even if your hosting server is configured properly, many email service providers like Gmail, Outlook, and others use sophisticated tools to reduce email spam. These tools try to detect if an email is really coming from the location that it claims to be.
Emails sent by WordPress websites often fail the test.
This means that majority of the emails sent by your website will either land in user’s spam inbox or not get delivered at all. This include your website’s contact form plugin emails, your online store receipts, password reset emails, admin notifications, and more.
This is why most smart website owners use SMTP for sending emails in WordPress.
And this is why I created the free WP Mail SMTP plugin which is used by over 3 million websites.
But the problem was that a lot of beginner users still didn’t know how to set up SMTP properly because simply installing the plugin isn’t enough.
You still needed to use a SMTP email service that’s built for maximum deliverability, reliability, and scalability. We integrated with numerous service providers like Amazon, Google, etc, but they were all quite difficult to use for beginners.
So after listening to a lot of our user feedback, I decided to work with my team to finally create a beginner-friendly SMTP service, SendLayer, that works for all types of websites including WordPress.
Whether you’re using WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento, Laravel, Drupal, Joomla, or any other platform, you can use SendLayer to improve your email deliverability.
SendLayer gives you access to:
Awesome email deliverability
Spam Filter protection
Detailed email logs
Open and click analytics
Event-based webhooks to setup custom notifications
SMTP relay API for those that want to use SendLayer inside custom apps
Simple suppression list to protect your delivery reputation
… and a whole lot more.
Basically, if you’re serious about your website and want to grow your online business, then you know that email deliverability is important.
And SendLayer offers you one of the best email infrastructure in the market.
Once connected with your WordPress site, it automatically ensures that all your website emails get delivered in your user’s inbox.
While I’m sharing the SendLayer news with you today, SendLayer has actually been out since April of 2022. After extensively testing it through out 2021, we did a soft-launch earlier in the year and have since onboarded thousands of website owners already using the platform.
We have a really exciting roadmap ahead of us, and I’m really proud of our team.
We are working on building ,pre cutting-edge email delivery tools to help small business owners and online store owners get their emails delivered into their user’s inbox, so you can continue to maximize your revenue growth.
Do you want to know about the history of blogging?
If you are thinking about starting a WordPress blog today, then you might like to know that there are 1.9 billion websites in the world, and the blogging industry makes up one-third of it. But it didn’t start out that way.
In this article, we’ll share the small beginnings of blogging, the powerful blogging platforms that evolved, and how WordPress came to power over 43% of all websites.
1993-1994: The First Blogs Were Published
Blogging was born sometime around 1993 or 1994. No one was expecting the impact it would have on the world, and the word ‘blog’ didn’t even exist. As a result, there were no historians watching out for it, and no one kept careful records.
We know that Rob Palmer started a plain text journal online in late 1993. In an article on how he became the first blogger, Rob explains how costly it was to run a website in those days. The domain name cost him $100, and basic hosting cost over $100 a month (for comparison, it costs $2.69 per month now).
However, it’s more widely recognized that the first blog was created by 19-year-old student Justin Hall. His home page contained hyperlinks to interesting content he found online, and articles he wrote himself. The content included basic HTML text formatting and small images.
Ten years later, the New York Times Magazine named him the “founding father of personal bloggersâ€. You can still find an early version of Justin’s page preserved on links.net.
Three or four years later, the tech blog SlashDot was launched in September 1997.
December 1997: The Term ‘Weblog’ Was Coined
Originally, blogs didn’t have a name. They were thought of as online journals or diaries, or personal home pages.
In December 1997, Jorn Barger came up with the term ‘weblog’. He maintained an internet culture website called Robot Wisdom, and the term reflected his process of ‘logging the web’ as he browsed.
August 1998 was the first time a traditional news site tried blogging. Journalist Jonathan Duke ‘blogged’ about Hurricane Bonnie for the Charlotte Observer, but didn’t use the term itself.
October 1998: The Open Diary Platform Was Launched
Creating websites was technical, so eventually blogging platforms were created that made it easy for users to record their thoughts and experiences online.
One of the earlier ones was The Open Diary, which developed an online community by allowing users to comment on one another’s posts.
Here’s an early screenshot preserved on the Internet Archive. Notice that blogs were designed for much lower-resolution screens back then.
March 1999: RSS Made Blog Subscription a Reality
RSS is an abbreviation for Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary. It was initially released in March 1999 and is a format used for delivering frequently changing web content from websites and other online publishers.
It allows users to keep track of updates to their favorite websites without having to visit each site individually. They are able to read the latest content in an RSS feed reader or their email.
In April 1999, developer Peter Merholz added some humor to his website, Peterme.com. He broke up the word ‘weblog’, into two words, ‘we blog’. This caught on, and the term ‘blog’ was born.
April 1999: LiveJournal, an Early Blogging Platform, Was Launched
In April 1999, programmer Brad Fitzpatrick launched the LiveJournal platform as a way to keep in touch with his high school friends. It quickly grew into a community of people recording their thoughts online.
LiveJournal was easy to use because it provided a single open text area. Its competitors at the time offered form-based text fields.
In January 1995, the blogging company Six Apart purchased the company that operated LiveJournal, and the platform is still operating today. Although a lot of LiveJournal users have switched to WordPress by following our guide on how to move from LiveJournal to WordPress because WordPress is more powerful and easier to use.
In July 1999, another blogging platform called Metafilter was launched. It was known as MeFi, and its members could post entries to be published on the main website.
August 1999: Blogger Was Launched by Para Labs
Blogger is another early blogging platform, first launched in August 1999 by Pyra Labs. It offered a quick and easy way to create a blog for non-tech-savvy users.
Every entry on Blogger was given a permanent and shareable URL or permalink. This made it easy for users to access the content they were searching for and made Blogger the platform of choice for a lot of writers.
Later in 2003, Google acquired Blogger and over time redesigned it into the product we know today. It is WordPress’s largest competitor, and you can learn more in our comparison of WordPress vs Blogger (Pros and cons).
In January 2000, the first known vlog entry was created by Adam Kontras, and also the popular blog Boing Boing was born.
Early 2001: b2/cafelog, the Precursor of WordPress, Was Launched
In early 2001, the French programmer Michel Valdrighi launched a personal publishing system with a new design known as b2 or cafelog.
In contrast with most other blogging systems at the time, the software needed to be installed on the user’s own web server, and it dynamically created pages from the contents of a MySQL database. WordPress users will find this familiar.
b2/cafelog became popular and was eventually installed on about 2,000 blogs. Unfortunately, the project was abandoned, paving the way for its source code to form the basis of WordPress in 2003.
October 2001: The Moveable Type Blogging Platform Was Released
The company Six Apart launched the Moveable Type blog publishing system in October 2001. Like b2, it needed to be installed on a web server. They introduced a trackback system in version 2.2 that has been adopted by other blogging platforms including WordPress.
In February 2002, Heather Armstrong lost her job for writing about her work colleagues on her personal blog, dooce.com. As a result, ‘dooced’ has become a term that means ‘fired for blogging.’
April 2002: TheMommyBlog.com Was Founded
In April 2002, Melinda Roberts started TheMommyBlog.com, one of the first blogs focussing on parenting and family life. This would inspire more than 3.9 million other parenting blogs over the next ten years.
The popular Gizmodo blog was also launched in July 2002.
August 2002: Blogads Allowed Blogs to Be Easily Monetized
Blogads, the first broker of blog advertising, launched in August 2002. This allowed many bloggers to turn their hobby into their primary source of income.
Less than a year later, Google launched AdSense, a competing platform.
November 2002: The Blog Search Engine Technorati Was Launched
Technorati provided a search engine for bloggers in November 2002, allowing blog readers to easily find useful content. In 2008, Technorati also launched an ad network.
Gawker, the first gossip blog, was launched in December 2002. It ceased operations in August 2016 after a legal battle and was later relaunched in July 2021.
February 2003: The Birth of Live Blogging
In February 2003, The Guardian made use of live blogging during the Prime Minister’s question time. They called this ‘live text’ and started to use it frequently for sporting events.
Today live blogging has taken many forms from self-hosted live blogs done on CNN and other blogs, to even real-time tweets which in essence are a form of live blog.
In February 2003, Google acquired Blogger, which was at that time the biggest and most successful blogging platform. It continued to grow in popularity until mid-2010.
However, since then WordPress steadily rose in popularity, and has been beating Blogger and dominating the trends since 2014.
Blogger remains the second most popular platform used by about 0.4% of blogs, while WordPress used is by an astonishing 97%.
In March 2003, an anonymous Iraqi blogger known as ‘Salam Pax’ blogged about the Iraq War to a worldwide audience.
May 2003: WordPress Was Released
In May 2003, Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little released the first version of WordPress. It was based on the code of an earlier blogging platform, b2/cafelog, that they were involved in. The new software retained the best parts of the older platform and added new features.
Like b2/cafelog, the software needed to be installed on a web hosting server, and dynamically created web pages from a MySQL database, just as the current version of WordPress does.
One goal of the platform was to be easy to set up. Here’s a preview of the WordPress 1.0 basic settings screen:
After purchasing Blogger, Google launched its online advertising platform Adsense in June 2003. Its unique feature was to match ads with blog content, and it made it easy for bloggers to start making money.
Jason Calacanis founded Weblogs, Inc. in September 2003. It eventually grew into a portfolio of 85 blogs. In 2005 he sold the company to AOL for $30 million.
TypePad, a commercial blogging platform based on Moveable Type, was released in October 2003 and hosted blogs for major multimedia companies such as the BBC.
February 2004: The Year of the Video Blog
In February 2004, videographer Steve Garfield started to upload one or two short videos each month to his personal blog. These often covered news events such as protests and rallies.
Other video bloggers started doing the same, and this became known as ‘vlogging.’ Steve Garfield dubbed 2004 ‘the year of the video blog.’
This led the way for YouTube to be launched the following year.
In September 2004, Darren Rowse launched ProBlogger.net.
December 2004: ‘Blog’ Was the Merriam-Webster Word for the Year
In 2004, the most looked-up word in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary was ‘blog’. It became their word for the year.
This shows how much blogging was impacting the mainstream world. In fact, 32 million Americans were reading blogs at the time according to one study.
In February 2005, WordPress 1.5 was released, introducing themes.
February 2005: YouTube Was Launched
With the growth of video blogging, YouTube was launched in February 2005. This made it much easy for users to upload video content to the internet.
It would be purchased by Google the following year.
Blogging continued to grow in credibility. In March 2005, Garrett Graff became the first blogger to be granted a press pass for the White House. The popular tech blog TechCrunch was launched in June 2005, and Mashable the following month.
August 2005: Automattic Was Founded
In August 2005, WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg founded a new company, Automattic. The following year, it launched a new blog hosting service known as WordPress.com.
This allowed you to create a WordPress blog for free, but without the advanced features of self-hosted WordPress. You could purchase additional options like a custom domain name, additional storage, and other premium services.
Because of the similarity in names, beginners often start with WordPress.com thinking they are getting the powerful WordPress.org software.
In December 2005, it was estimated that $100 million worth of blog ads were sold that year. Also, WordPress 2.0 was launched, introducing the new admin dashboard.
November 2005: Google Analytics Was Launched
To create a successful blog, it’s helpful to know how users interact with your website, including the blog posts they enjoy and those they don’t. In November 2005, Google Analytics was launched to help website owners track user activity.
It was initially developed from other analytics software acquired by Google, including Urchin on Demand and Adaptive Path, and additional features were added in the following years.
March 2006: Launch of Twitter, the Popular Microblogging Platform
In March 2006, Jack Dorsey co-founded Twitter and sent out the first tweet. This new platform restricted posts to 140 characters or less, introducing the concept of microblogging.
You can use WordPress Twitter plugins to include your recent tweets on your website or encourage visitors to share your blog posts.
Automattic filed for trademark registration for the WordPress name and logo in March 2006. At the time there were 50 million blogs on the internet according to Technorati.
August 2006: The First WordCamp Was Held in San Fransisco
WordCamps are locally-organized conferences covering everything related to WordPress. The first WordCamp was organized in San Francisco by Matt Mullenweg in August 2006.
Since then local communities around the world have organized hundreds of others. If you would like to attend one, you may be interested in our infographic on what a WordCamp is and why you should attend.
October 2006: Wix Hosted Blogging Platform Was Launched
Wix was launched in October 2006. It is a popular hosted platform that offered a drag-and-drop website builder, allowing small businesses to easily build a website without coding skills. However, themes were limited, and you had to pay for every third-party plugin.
Wix currently has over 110 million users across the globe. Learn how it compares with WordPress in our article on Wix vs WordPress.
Google acquired YouTube in October 2006.
February 2007: Tumblr Microblogging Platform Was Released
Tumblr was launched in February 2007. It’s a microblogging platform with social networking features including following other blogs, reblogging, built-in sharing tools, and more.
The platform was purchased by Yahoo in 2013, then acquired by Verizon in 2017. It is currently owned by Automattic.
Posterous, a similar microblogging platform, was launched in May 2008. On an unrelated note, the White House started its own blog in January 2009.
July 2009: WPBeginner Was Launched
In July 2009, the WPBeginner blog was launched by 18-year-old web developer Syed Balkhi. He decided that instead of maintaining his clients’ WordPress websites, he would teach them to do it themselves.
He scoured the web to find a resource that could help his clients and other new WordPress users, but most WordPress tutorials were written by developers for developers. So he created WPBeginner as a resource targeted toward WordPress beginners and DIY users.
Since then, WPBeginner has become the largest free WordPress resource site in the industry.
In June 2010, Automattic donated the ‘WordPress’ trademark to WordPress.org. By the end of the year, there were more than 152 million blogs across all platforms and 11% of bloggers were earning their primary income from blogging.
August 2012: Medium Was Launched
Evan Williams, a co-founder of Pyra Labs which created Blogger, launched a different type of blogging platform called Medium. It works like a social network where you can publish articles.
Medium has grown into a community of writers, bloggers, journalists, and experts. It is an easy-to-use blogging platform with limited social networking features.
April 2013: Ghost Minimal Blogging Platform Was Launched
Ghost is a minimalist blogging platform with features entirely focused on writing blog posts. It was launched in April 2013 and is available as a hosted platform, and also a version that you can host on your own server, though this is tricky.
Ghost now has over 3 million installs with an active monthly user base of over 10,000. You can learn how it compares with WordPress in our WordPress vs Ghost guide.
In April 2013, LinkedIn acquired the Pulse blogging platform, which was rolled out to all users over the next couple of years.
September 2013: OptinMonster Was Launched
In September 2013, Syed Balkhi and Thomas Griffin co-founded OptinMonster, the most powerful conversion optimization software. It was designed to help bloggers grow their email lists in WordPress and convert website visitors into subscribers.
Over the years, Syed had tried numerous techniques to get more email subscribers. He was able to get 70–80 new subscribers each day by adding a sidebar form, contact form, and other landing pages to his site.
When he started using OptinMonster, he started getting 600% more email subscribers even though his blog was getting the same amount of traffic as before.
In April 2015, there were more than 227 million blogs worldwide.
March 2016: WPForms Was Launched
The following year, Syed Balkhi co-founded another product, this time with Jared Atchison. WPForms is a powerful WordPress plugin that makes it easy for bloggers to create forms using templates and drag and drop.
You can easily create a contact form, online survey form, email subscription form, donation form, billing order form, or any other type of form with just a few clicks without hiring a developer or learning how to code.
In April 2016, Syed Balkhi acquired Yoast Analytics, the most popular Google Analytics integration in the world, and rebranded it as MonsterInsights. The plugin allows you to easily install Google analytics in WordPress and shows you helpful reports in your dashboard.
Google Analytics shows you how your audience interacts with your website, which is crucial for a successful blog. The best part about using MonsterInsights is that you can add the Google Analytics tracking code without editing code or hiring a developer.
In May 2016, WordPress introduced the .blog domain extension as an alternative to .com, .net and .org. By February 2017, there were more than 300 million blogs online.
November 2017: Substack Was Founded
Substack, an online newsletter publishing platform, was founded in November 2017. It allows you to easily send newsletter emails to your subscribers.
You can have both paid and free subscriptions, and Substack gets a share of all your paid subscription fees. Apart from newsletters, you also get a basic website and podcast hosting.
However, Substack doesn’t have all the functionality of a typical blogging platform or a content management system. You can learn how it compares with WordPress in our guide on Substack vs WordPress: which one is better?
WordPress 5.0 was released in December 2018 and introduced the block editor, codenamed Gutenberg.
October 2018: SeedProd Joined Awesome Motive
In October 2018, SeedProd, the popular coming soon and maintenance mode plugin for WordPress joined Awesome Motive through a merger, along with the plugin’s founder, John Turner. At the time it was used by 800,000 WordPress sites.
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the WPBeginner blog, the WPBeginner Engage Facebook Group was launched in April 2019. It currently has over 89,000 members and is the largest WordPress group on Facebook.
February 2020: All in One SEO Acquired by Awesome Motive
In January, Awesome Motive acquired All in One SEO (AIOSEO), the original WordPress SEO plugin that was being used by over 2 million websites at the time.
The plugin was released in 2007 by Michael Torbert and allows you to easily optimize your WordPress blog for search engines and social media platforms.
Later that year, PushEngage a leading web push notification software was acquired by Awesome Motive to help more bloggers use push notification to notify their users about new blog posts.
Web push notifications have become one of the most effective way to notify blog subscribers about new content, and it’s used by large news sites and publishers.
July 2021: SearchWP Acquired by Awesome Motive
Awesome Motive made another acquisition in July 2021: SearchWP, the leading search engine plugin for WordPress. It was originally developed in 2013 by Jon Christopher.
Effective site search is important to bloggers. It allows their users to find what they’re looking for, resulting in more sales and page views.
By 2022, 43% of the web was built on WordPress. There were 572 million blogs globally, and over 31 million bloggers in the US alone. For more statistics like this, see our list of blogging statistics, trends, and data.
July 2023: End of Life for Google Analytics UA
Google Analytics 4 is the latest version of Google’s analytics platform. It has many changes, like a new reporting system and metrics. The way GA4 collects and processes data is also different from the previous version known as Universal Analytics (UA).
Google will sunset the old Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023. It’s important to switch your blog over to the new version before then.
We hope this article helped you learn about the history of blogging. If you have additional blogging history facts, please let us know by leaving a comment below.
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.
Are you wondering how to pick the best theme for your WordPress website?
When starting a blog, choosing the right theme is crucial for your success. During the process, you will likely have to decide between free WordPress themes vs premium WordPress themes.
In this article, we will cover how to choose the best premium WordPress theme for your site.
Free WordPress Theme vs Premium WordPress Theme
One of the main reasons why a lot of users choose a premium WordPress theme over a free one is that you get guaranteed support.
Free WordPress themes are often built as a passion project, so you are not guaranteed to get support or updates. These themes can become outdated with new WordPress releases or don’t work with different plugins.
On the other hand, when you pay for a premium WordPress theme, you get good documentation, access to support, and regular updates. Some theme shops even go beyond and offer video tutorials, demo content, and even a free blog setup service.
Aside from that, premium themes make your WordPress website more unique because free themes are being used by everyone.
Having said that, here’s what you need to look for when selecting a premium WordPress theme.
When you select a theme, you will probably be using it on your website for quite some time. This allows users can become accustomed to it and easily consume content.
That’s why you need to choose a theme that is aesthetically pleasing and can be used for a long time without requiring any significant changes.
There are certain elements of design that all good designers use to create beautiful websites. These include:
Good Color Combination
Awesome Typography
Clean Layout
Beautiful Images
Together these elements create a beautiful harmony and consistency that appeals to your users. It not only looks great, but it also helps you achieve your business goals.
Most premium themes come with unlimited color choices and built-in tools to select fonts. You need to make sure that your premium WordPress theme uses better typography out of the box.
For example, Astra offers lomanyustomization options, even in the free version. You can edit different elements like colors, fonts, buttons, and more. Plus, there are options to change the header and footer layout and edit the appearance of your blogs and sidebar.
Don’t just look at the homepage. Go deeper into the theme demo and explore other sections. For example, if you are building a portfolio site, then check the theme’s demo for the portfolio. If you will be adding testimonials, then check out how testimonials look in the theme demo.
Make sure that there are plenty of page templates and layouts to use. Examine the homepage, single pages, posts, and blog sections to ensure they all maintain the same design consistency and appeal.
2. Features vs Presentation
The main difference between WordPress themes and plugins is that themes handle the presentation part of your website, and plugins handle the functionality.
However, the premium WordPress theme market is highly competitive, and sometimes theme developers cannot resist the temptation to add more plugin-like functionality to their themes.
Why is this considered bad practice?
When a WordPress theme crosses over into the plugin territory, it becomes difficult to switch themes. For example, if a WordPress theme is using a custom post type, then switching to another theme would make those custom post types disappear from the admin menu.
Shortcodes defined by a theme would also stop functioning, which also makes switching a difficult and time-consuming process.
On the other hand, there are WordPress themes that behave exactly like a plugin. Offering functionality needed to create very specific niche websites, like real estate themes or hotel themes.
Some of these themes are really useful, but if you use those themes, then you need to understand that it will be difficult to switch themes later because other themes may not have similar functionality.
3. Security and Performance
Many WordPress beginners don’t pay much attention to speed and good coding practices when choosing a premium theme.
In the race to win new customers, theme developers can integrate unsafe and quick solutions that can compromise your site’s security. The insane amount of features can cost you speed and performance issues.
Now the problem is that most beginner-level users do not have the skills to study code. How do you know that the code behind a premium theme is of good quality?
First, you need to buy your premium themes from trusted and well-reputed WordPress theme shops. Some of the theme shops that we trust and recommend are:
Secondly, look around for reviews and customer testimonials. See who else is using themes developed by that particular theme shop or developer. Are there any big websites or blogs using their themes?
Check out the testimonials page on the theme shop or search for their reviews on Google. You can also view the ratings of any theme on WordPress.org website and look at the reviews.
4. Compatibility Check
Before you start browsing for a premium theme, take a few moments to write down all the features you are looking for. For example:
Many premium themes come with built-in templates and support for popular eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce and Easy Digital Downloads.
If a theme you are looking for is not available in your language, then ask the theme developer to see if a translation is in progress.
Some users may want to use veparticularlugins to create niche websites like job boards and question-answer websites. Feel free to ask the theme developers if their theme would work with a specific plugin.
You need to make sure that you are investing your money in the right place.
5. Opt for a Custom Theme
A good premium WordPress theme would help you easily build high-quality websites. However, there are still many things you might want to customize, but it is not possible.
This is where creating a custom WordPress theme can help you out. It provides a lot of freedom and flexibility over the layout and design of your website. That said, the cost of creating a custom theme may vary based on the level of features and customization options you want.
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.
Do you want to create a viral TikTok giveaway in WordPress?
Giveaways can help grow your TikTok channel and get you more views. They’re also a great way to engage with the people who already watch your TikToks and encourage them to watch even more of your videos.
In this article, we’ll show you how to create a viral TikTok giveaway in WordPress.
Set Your Giveaway Goals
First, you need to decide what you want to achieve with your giveaway. For TikTok, you’ll typically either want to gain more followers or get more views on a particular video.
After choosing a goal, you can plan how to get the best value from your giveaway.
If you want to get more views on a particular video, then it’s important to choose the video carefully. For example, if you have a new product, then you might ask visitors to watch a TikTok promoting that product.
If a big TikTok influencer has recently praised your company, then you might ask people to watch their video.
If you’re planning to use ‘Follow us on TikTok’ as an entry method, then it’s smart to review your TikTok profile before launching the contest. New followers may watch your most recent TikToks, so you’ll want to make sure they’re interesting, entertaining, and recent.
You should also add any missing information to your TikTok bio so new followers can learn more about your company. It’s also a good idea to add a link to your website, or you might even make a special ‘link in bio’ page.
By fine-tuning your TikTok page now, your new followers will be more likely to stick around long after the contest is over.
Choose a Prize for your TikTok giveaway
The next step is choosing a prize that will make your target audience want to take part in your TikTok giveaway.
The prize doesn’t have to be expensive, but it should reflect your business niche and your target audience. This will attract relevant followers to your TikTok page, which means they’ll be more likely to engage with your company in the future.
For example, if you run a restaurant, then a discounted or free meal could be a great prize. If you run a skincare blog, then you might offer a bundle of your favorite products.
Once you’ve planned your giveaway, it’s time to set it all up in WordPress.
Install a WordPress Giveaway Plugin
The easiest way to create a viral TikTok is by using RafflePress. It’s the best WordPress giveaway plugin that lets you create all kinds of contests using a simple drag-and-drop editor.
There is a free version of RafflePress that allows you to run giveaways and competitions no matter your budget. However, in this guide, we’ll be using RafflePress pro because it has a ready-made template for running a viral TikTok giveaway.
First, you’ll need to install and activate the RafflePress plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, you’ll see the RafflePress welcome screen in the WordPress dashboard. You can now go ahead and enter your license key.
You’ll find this information in your account on the RafflePress website. Once you’ve done that, click on the ‘Verify Key’ button.
Create a Viral TikTok Giveaway in WordPress
Now you’re ready to create a TikTok giveaway by going to RafflePress » Add New.
On the next screen, give your TikTok contest a name by typing into the ‘Giveaway Name’ field.
This is just for your reference so you can use anything you want.
We’ll be using the Grow Your TikTok template since it already comes with two TikTok entry methods. Simply hover your mouse over the template and then click on ‘Use This Template’ when it appears.
This opens the template in RafflePress’ drag-and-drop builder.
Since it’s so important, let’s start by adding some information about the prize. Just click to select the headline area, which shows ‘My Awesome Prize’ by default.
You can now go ahead and type a title into the ‘Name’ field.
To encourage visitors to enter, you may want to talk about how much the prize is worth, its benefits, and why people will want it.
Once you’ve done that, type in a description, which will appear below the headline.
Here, you may want to add some more information about the TikTok giveaway such as why you’re running the contest, and how people can enter.
It’s also a good idea to add a photo of the prize, so visitors can see exactly what’s at stake. If the product is digital, then you can show the product’s logo instead or create a picture using web design software such as Canva.
To add a picture, simply click on ‘Select Image.’
Then, either choose an image from the media library or upload a new file from your computer.
When you’re happy with how the section looks, click on ‘Done Editing.’
You can close your TikTok giveaway manually at any point, or you can set a date and time when the contest will end automatically.
If you have lots of giveaways planned, then it’s smart to schedule them in advance so your contests always start on time, no matter how busy you get. Scheduling contests in advance also gives you plenty of time to promote and market the contest.
To schedule your TikTok competition, simply enter a date and time into the ‘Giveaway starts…’ and ‘Giveaway ends…’ sections.
By default, RafflePress uses the UTC timezone, but you can change this using the ‘Timezone’ dropdown menu.
Set up your TikTok Giveaway Entry Actions
Your next task is choosing how visitors will enter the giveaway.
The TikTok template already has the ‘Follow us on TikTok’ and ‘View TikTok Post/Video’ actions, so let’s start by configuring these entry methods.
First, click to select the ‘Follow us on TikTok’ action. In the left-hand menu, you’ll see all the settings for this action.
By default, the action uses a ‘Follow us on TikTok’ label but you can change this to anything you want by typing into the ‘Title’ field.
Next, find the ‘TikTok URL’ field and add the link to your own TikTok profile.
Every time someone clicks on this action, they’ll see a ‘Follow us on TikTok’ button and a field where they can type in their TikTok username.
By default, every action is worth one entry. However, you can encourage visitors to choose one entry method over all the others by changing its value. For example, if you want to get more followers, then you might make the ‘Follow us on TikTok’ action worth multiple entries.
To make this change, simply select a new number in the ‘Value’ section.
You can also make the ‘Follow us on TikTok’ action mandatory so visitors can only enter the contest if they follow you on TikTok.
When you’re happy with how the ‘Follow us on TikTok’ action is set up, click to select the ‘View TikTok Post / Video’ action.
You can now change the action’s title and value, and then make it mandatory by following the same process described above.
To get as many views as possible, you may want to enable the ‘Allow Daily Entries’ toggle. This will allow users to earn extra entries by watching your TikTok video multiple times.
After that, it’s time to specify the TikTok video that you want visitors to watch.
RafflePress will embed this video inside the contest, as you can see in the following image.
In a new browser tab, simply visit the TikTok video that you want to add, and then click on the ‘Embed’ button.
In the popup that appears, click on ‘Copy Code.’
After that, switch back to your WordPress dashboard.
You can now paste the code into the ‘TikTok Post Embed Code’ field.
At this point, you’ve configured both of your TikTok entry methods. However, not everyone has a TikTok account or is familiar with the TikTok platform.
Currently, these people can’t enter your competition, so you may want to add some additional entry methods that aren’t related to TikTok.
For example, visitors might enter your competition by joining your email newsletter or following you on Instagram.
Giving visitors multiple choices for entries can get you more participants. Some people may also try to improve their chances of winning by completing several actions. This allows you to achieve multiple goals with a single competition.
To add more entry methods, simply click on the ‘Add Actions’ tab. Then, just click on any action to add it to the competition.
Once you’ve done that, just click on the action in the giveaway editor and then use the settings in the left-hand menu to configure that entry method.
For example, if you add ‘Join an Email Newsletter’ as an entry method then you’ll need to select an email marketing service.
You can add as many actions as you want. However, since our main aim is to create a viral TikTok giveaway you’ll typically want to show your TikTok actions at the top of the entry method list.
To move an action, just hover over that action in the editor and then grab the dotted button when it appears.
You’re now ready to move the entry method using drag and drop.
How to Customize your TikTok Giveaway
When you’re happy with how the giveaway is set up, it’s time to change how it looks by clicking on the ‘Design’ tab.
Here, you can change the fonts, select a new button color, change the layout, add a background image, and more.
By changing these settings you can create a beautiful TikTok giveaway that perfectly compliments your WordPress theme and the rest of your website.
You can even change the TikTok template using custom CSS.
When you’re happy with how the competition looks, click on the ‘Settings’ tab.
Configure the TikTok Contest Settings
RafflePress has lots of settings that you can use to fine-tune how the giveaway runs, including showing and hiding options, setting up tracking, and more.
Most of these settings are self-explanatory, but we’ll quickly cover each section.
In ‘General’ you can set the basic options for the giveaway including showing the contest’s winners, the total number of entries, limiting signups based on IP address, and more.
You can also make money from your TikTok giveaway by joining the RafflePress affiliate marketing program.
Next up, click on the ‘Giveaway rules’ tab.
RafflePress comes with a Rules Generator that you can use to quickly and easily create giveaway rules for your TikTok campaign.
Clicking the ‘Generate Rules’ button will bring up a form where you can enter information about the giveaway.
In most cases, you or your company will be the contest’s sponsor. This means you’ll need to type in the company name, business email address, country, and eligible locations.
RafflePress will then use this information to create some basic rules for your giveaway.
Just be aware that this is a starting point. You’ll still need to make sure your giveaway is following all local laws and TikTok’s advertising guidelines. For example, you shouldn’t ask visitors to watch any videos featuring products that TikTok doesn’t allow on their platform.
If you’re also using the TikTok contest to grow your mailing list or generate leads, then you may want to verify each participant’s email address by selecting the ‘Email Verification’ tab. It’s also a good idea to enable verification if you plan to email the giveaway’s winner.
To make this change, simply click on the ‘Contestant Must Confirm Their Email’ toggle to turn it from ‘No’ to ‘Yes.’
Here, you can add tracking scripts to record when the page loads or the visitor converts. In this example, conversion happens when the visitor successfully enters the TikTok giveaway.
After entering the contest, you may want to redirect visitors to a specific page such as a custom thank you page or your top-performing TikTok.
To set up a redirect, select the ‘Success Redirect’ tab and then click to activate the ‘Enable Success Redirect’ toggle. You can then add the page to the ‘Redirect URL’ field.
You may want to allow visitors to sign into your giveaway using their Facebook accounts. This will make it easier for people to enter your giveaway, which can get you more participants.
To allow logging in with Facebook, simply select the ‘Social Logins’ tab and then click to activate the ‘Allow logging…’ toggle.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European Union (EU) law that aims to give EU citizens more control over their personal information. If you break GDPR then you could get a fine or even jail time, so you’ll want to make sure you’re GDPR compliant.
Thankfully, RafflePress has a checkbox that gets visitors to consent before entering your TikTok giveaway. To add the checkbox, simply select the ‘GDPR’ tab and then click to enable the ‘GDPR Consent’ toggle.
RafflePress has some default text that it’ll show next to the checkbox, but you can change this if you want.
Spam and fake entries can stop you from reaching your goals. With that being said, you may want to protect the giveaway form using an invisible recaptcha.
Unlike standard captchas that ask visitors to complete a puzzle, invisible recaptchas run in the background. This allows them to block spam without hurting the user experience.
To add an invisible recaptcha to your TikTok contest, select the ‘Recaptcha’ tab. Then, click to activate the ‘Enable Invisible Recaptcha’ toggle.
When you’re happy with how your TikTok competition is set up, click on the ‘Save’ button.
Publish and Add the Giveaway to Your WordPress Website
After you’ve done all that, it’s time to make your giveaway live by clicking on the ‘Publish’ tab.
You can add the contest to your site using a shortcode, the RafflePress WordPress block, or by creating a landing page.
We’ll cover each method, but if you want to get as many entities as possible, then we recommend choosing the ‘Giveaway Landing Page’ option. This creates a separate page that you can easily share on social media, which can help your TikTok giveaway go viral.
To get started, click on ‘Giveaway Landing Page’ and then select the ‘Click here’ link.
In ‘Page Permalink,’ type in the URL where you want to publish the giveaway landing page.
Then, go ahead and click on ‘View.’
RafflePress will now publish your giveaway as a landing page.
If you visit the URL, then you’ll see the giveaway live.
Another option is to add the giveaway to a post or page using the RafflePress block.
Simply open the post or page where you want to show your TikTok giveaway in the content editor. Then just click on the ‘+’ button and type in ‘RafflePress.’
When it appears, select the ‘RafflePress’ block.
After adding the block, open the dropdown and choose your TikTok giveaway.
You can then either publish or update the page to make the contest live on your WordPress website or blog.
Another option is to add the contest to any page, post, or widget-ready area.
In the giveaway editor, click on ‘WordPress Shortcode’ and RafflePress will show the shortcode that you can use.
To help your TikTok giveaway go viral, it’s important to promote it so more people can enter.
Wherever possible, it’s a good idea to promote your giveaway before publishing it, so you can create a sense of anticipation and excitement around your contest. Then, when your giveaway goes live you should get a ton of entries straight away.
You’ll want to help visitors find your giveaway by promoting it on your site’s most important pages. To start, we recommend adding the giveaway to your navigation menu or sidebar.
You can also create a floating bar with a link to the giveaway landing page using a plugin such as OptinMonster.
You can ask your push notification subscribers to follow you on TikTok if they haven’t already, or to refer any friends or family members who might want to enter the competition. To learn more, please see our guide on how to add push notifications to your WordPress site.
Another option is to send an email newsletter with a link to your TikTok giveaway.
Promoting the giveaway on your social media profiles is also a great way to get more participants. Since these people already follow you on social media, they may be interested in watching your TikToks and following your account, so this is a great way to get more engagement and grow your channel.
It’s also important to promote the contest to your TikTok audience. They may already be following your TikTok, but contests are a great way to create content and engage with your existing audience. For example, you might create a video announcing the contest or showing off the prize.
RafflePress also has a ‘View TikTok Post / Video’ action, which is perfect for re-engaging your TikTok followers. If you’re using this entry method, then it’s even more important to promote the contest to your existing TikTok audience.
If you’ve enabled daily entries, then you might even create multiple TikTok videos encouraging your followers to enter every single day.
You can also reach out to TikTok influencers and ask them to mention your giveaway to their followers. To help your giveaway go viral, think about the influencer’s fan base and whether they’ll be interested in the prize. For example, if you’re offering a skin care bundle then you might partner with beauty influencers.
How to Choose a TikTok Giveaway Winner
Once your giveaway closes, it’s time to choose a lucky winner at random.
To pick a winner, just go to RafflePress » Giveaways in your WordPress dashboard.
If you didn’t schedule an end date for the contest, then you’ll need to close it manually.
Simply hover over the giveaway and then click on the ‘End Now’ link.
To choose a winner, click on ‘Needs Winners.’
On the following page, RafflePress will show all the people who entered your TikTok giveaway, along with how they entered, their total entries, and more.
Here, just type in the number of winners that you want to pick and then click on ‘Choose Winners Now.’
RafflePress will then show the winner highlighted at the top of the list. Now, you simply need to contact the winner and let them know the good news.
You may also want to announce the winner in a TikTok video. If you’re shipping a physical prize, then you might ask the winner to create their own TikTok showing them receiving or unboxing the prize. This is great content for your followers and also proves that your contests are genuine.
It’s also a good idea to create a TikTok thanking everyone for taking part and encouraging them to join your giveaways in the future.
Wherever possible, we recommend you email all participants as this will help you build a relationship with these new leads and gives you another chance to mention your brand.
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.
We are often asked by users about what is headless WordPress and should they use it?
Headless WordPress separates WordPress’s back-end admin area from the front-end that visitors see. This allows developers to use different technologies for the front-end part of a website while still keeping the stability and security of WordPress.
In this article, we’ll explain what is headless WordPress and if should you use it. We’ll also talk about the pros and cons of a headless WordPress website.
Here is a quick overview of the topics we’ll cover in this guide:
Headless WordPress is a term for any website that uses WordPress as the back-end software to manage data and content, but uses separate technologies to display the data on the front-end.
The back-end is the term used for the admin area of a website. This is where you create content like posts and pages, install plugins, manage comments, and more.
Front-end is the publicly visible area of your website.
This is what the users see when they visit your site their browsers.
WordPress normally takes care of both components in one robust software. You can simply use any WordPress theme to display your website.
However, some developers and website owners may have different requirements where they may need to use others technologies such as React.js, Angular.js, Faust.js, and others to create a custom front-end for their website.
Headless WordPress allows them to use those technologies while still using WordPress in the backend for easier content management.
How Headless WordPress Works?
WordPress comes with an easy-to-use admin area where you create content and manage your website. It also includes a templating engine to display the front-end of your site using themes.
This API provides a programming interface for developers to access WordPress website data in JSON format.
When making a headless WordPress website, developers use the REST API to fetch data from WordPress. After that, they can use it in their apps or other front-end technologies like React.js, Angular.js, Faust.js, and more to create a custom website.
What Are the Advantages of Using Headless WordPress?
Headless WordPress can be beneficial in some specific scenarios. We’ll talk about some of the advantages of using headless WordPress in those.
1. Headless WordPress Can Be Faster Than Regular WordPress Website
Many developers believe that headless WordPress can be used to create a much faster WordPress website.
By separating the front end of the site using technology such as React.js, many developers try to deliver more efficient code than most WordPress themes.
However, in our experience simpler WordPress performance optimization techniques work just as good as headless WordPress for most small business websites and use-cases.
2. Integrate Headless WordPress Data into Other Apps
Let’s say you have a mobile app and now you want to integrate your blog or other section from your WordPress website into that app.
Headless WordPress can help you bring your WordPress data into other apps, and you can use different technologies to create a seamless user experience.
Similarly, if you have a static website, and you need a dynamic section only for a specific section like a blog, reviews, or online store. Then headless WordPress can integrate WordPress data into your static website.
3. Publish on Multiple Platforms via Headless WordPress
Headless WordPress makes your WordPress data portable, so that you can take it anywhere.
You can use the data in your marketing campaigns, post on social media platforms, use it on IoT devices such as smart speakers, feed an artificial intelligence tool, connect to virtual assistants, and more.
4. Headless WordPress is far more affordable than proprietary headless CMS
Headless WordPress is far more affordable and powerful than proprietary “enterprise CMS” solutions like Contentful which will easily cost you tens of thousands in hosting alone (not including development costs).
What Are the Disadvantages of a Headless WordPress Website?
Creating a headless WordPress website may also put your website at certain disadvantages. Let’s take a look at a few of them.
1. Headless WordPress is More Expensive compared to Traditional WordPress sites
You’ll need to hire a developer to make a custom front end for your website. This could easily get into the range of tens of thousands of dollars.
If you are a developer, then you’ll be spending valuable time making a custom front end.
Even if you are using a front-end development framework, it would take more time and effort than using a ready-made WordPress theme with proper caching on server / DNS level.
2. Some WordPress Plugins May Not Work
Plugins are like apps for your WordPress website, and they allow you to add new features to your site and extend its functionality.
A headless WordPress website may not be able to take advantage of some of the WordPress plugins.
For instance, some WordPress plugin data may not be accessible using the REST API, or plugin features may require a WordPress theme to function properly.
With that said, popular WordPress plugins like AIOSEO have a REST API extension that lets you create SEO friendly headless WordPress sites.
3. Maintainance Headaches
You’ll basically be using separate platforms for the front and back end of your site, and you will need to maintain both of them separately.
Occasionally, things may break down on either side. You will need to rely on developers to sort out these issues. Or you will spend your own valuable time fixing them.
The additional complexity will make it harder as your business grows.
Should You Use a Headless WordPress Website?
In our opinion, most WordPress users don’t need to use a headless WordPress website or other types of headless framework.
It is expensive, needlessly complicated, and not suitable for vast majority of website owners, bloggers, small businesses, or online stores.
For instance, if speed and performance is your main concern, then your existing WordPress website can easily beat any headless WordPress website.
All top WordPress caching plugins come with page caching, cache preloading, object caching, and gzip compression features.
Turning on these features can significantly boost your website speed without hiring any developers.
Combine that with a powerful CDN and web application firewall like Cloudflare or Sucuri, and your website will be even faster.
As for integrations, there are more than 59,000+ WordPress plugins offering integrations with almost every third-party platform available.
There are even tools like Uncanny Automator that allow integrations with WordPress websites and third-party tools using Zapier.
If you need an integration that is not available via an existing WordPress plugin, then perhaps you should hire a developer to write a custom plugin.
This will cost a lot less, and you can even make money online by selling it as a digital download to other WordPress users.
Who Should Use Headless WordPress?
We believe that headless WordPress should only be used in very specific scenarios.
First, you need to evaluate if there is a genuine need for headless CMS.
For instance, a company that has built a custom website or an app. They might need WordPress for easier content management features, and in that scenario it makes sense to use headless WordPress.
Secondly, you should either have the budget to hire & retain developers or have the skillset required to maintain a headless CMS.
Remember, a headless WordPress CMS is used for creating a new custom app, or one that uses WordPress for easier content creation and management.
Important Thing to Watch Out for with Headless WordPress
As a non-techy business owner, sometimes it’s hard to know if you truly need headless WordPress.
Some WordPress developers and agencies will try to push headless websites on you, and you must know what you’re getting yourself into. Remember their incentives are to charge you more money.
If the only reason why they propose headless WordPress is speed or SEO, then you must ask them what have they already done to optimize the speed of your website, and how big of the impact will switching to headless WordPress may have. If you don’t get a concrete answer, then you should look for a second opinion.
You will be surprised that for vast majority of websites, the improvements are negligible, but the cost to develop & maintain headless WordPress websites are much higher.
Whatever you do, definitely do not let anyone talk you into switching away from WordPress to something like Contentful because you’ll be highly disappointed.
We have heard numerous business owners switching only to realize what a mistake they had made, and then converting back to WordPress.
What that said, if you’re 100% convinced that you need a headless WordPress website, then below is a quick step by step guide.
How to Make a Headless WordPress Website?
There are many ways to make a headless WordPress website depending on what tools you want to use for the front end.
For the sake of this tutorial, we’ll show you how to create a headless WordPress website using only the static pages generated by WordPress. This is NOT the most flexible way to create a headless WordPress website, but it is the easiest way for beginners.
This needs to be a live website on its own domain name and web hosting account.
We recommend using SiteGround. They are one of the fastest WordPress hosting companies and an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider.
SiteGround servers are powered by Google Cloud and they have many built-in performance optimization tools.
Alternatively if you can spend a little more, then take a look at WP Engine. Their Atlas plan is made for large headless WordPress websites and is targeted towards developers.
Atlas comes with a free sandbox account, custom content modular, pre-configured blueprints to speed up your workflow, and a deeper integration with WPGraphQL plugin.
After that, you can start working on your website by adding posts and pages. You can also choose a WordPress theme for your website and design your website.
Upon activation, you need to visit the Simply Static » Settings page to configure the plugin.
From here, you can choose the URL path you want to use in your static files.
For instance, if you know the URL or domain name where you will host your static files, then you can provide that URL under the ‘Absolute URLs’ field.
If you are unsure, then you can use the ‘Relative URLs’ option.
Next, switch to the ‘Include/Exclude’ tab. From here, you can add additional pages that you want to include or add pages that you want to exclude.
You can also use regex expressions to exclude URLs that match a specific pattern.
Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.
Now, you are ready to generate static files for your headless website. Simply go to the Simply Static » Generate page and click on the ‘Generate Static Files’ button.
The plugin will then start crawling your website and storing static files in a temporary folder. It may take a while depending on how many pages your website has.
Once finished, you will see a success notification with a link to download files to your computer in a zip archive format.
After downloading the zip file, you will need to extract it.
You are now ready to upload the extracted files to your website or the server where you want to host your headless website.
Simply connect to your website using an FTP client or use the file manager app in the hosting control panel.
Once connected, upload the extracted static files you downloaded earlier to your website.
After that, you can visit your static website to see it in action.
Note: To update your static website, you will need to create new content in your WordPress installation and then repeat the whole process again to replace the static files being served to your users.
It’s important to note that this is not the most flexible way to create a static WordPress website.
When you’re using a headless WordPress solution like WP Engine Atlas, it comes with better developer tooling, starter site blueprints, how-to guides, smarter production deployment solutions, and more.
For larger websites and enterprise solutions, we would recommend using WP Engine Atlas along with WPGraphQL to unlock the full power of headless WordPress CMS.
With that said, if you’re a small business owner and read somewhere that you need a headless WordPress site to improve your SEO rankings, that’s just wrong advice. You can get similar results by just improving your website performance by following our guide on how to speed up WordPress.
We hope this article helped you learn what is headless WordPress and if should you use it for your website. You may also want to see our guide on how to create a custom WordPress theme without coding, or see our comparison of best smtp services to improve email deliverability.
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.
Do you want to create a client portal in WordPress?
A client portal is a dedicated area where clients can login and access exclusive documents, files, support, and more.
In this article, we’ll show you how to easily create a client portal in WordPress.
Why Create a Client Portal in WordPress?
A client portal makes it easier to manage client resources online. This can reduce the number of support requests you receive, allow clients to help themselves, and provide them with a better user experience.
For example, if you run a photography website then you might create a dashboard where clients can upload and download images.
Similarly, if you run a graphic design or web design business, then you might create a customer portal where clients can download all the resources you’ve designed for them.
Without a client portal, the customer would need to contact you directly and wait for a response. This is time-consuming and frustrating for both you and the client.
With that being said, let’s see how to reduce your workload and keep your customers happy by creating a client portal in WordPress.
How to Create a Client Portal in WordPress
Each business will need something different from their client portal, so you need a solution that’s flexible, customizable, and works well with other plugins.
It is the best WordPress membership plugin on the market and allows you to easily create a members-only section for your clients. MemberPress also has powerful display rules so you create exclusive posts, pages, and other content for your clients.
First, you need to install and activate the MemberPress plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, go head and visit MemberPress » Settings and enter your license key.
You’ll find this information under your account on the MemberPress website. It’s also in the email you got when you purchased MemberPress.
After entering the key, click on ‘Activate License Key.’
MemberPress supports PayPal and Stripe. If you purchase a MemberPress Pro plan, then you can also accept payments using Authorize.net.
Note: If you plan to add existing clients to your portal without charging a fee, then you can skip this step.
To add a payment method, switch to the ‘Payments’ tab and click on ‘Add Payment Method.’
You can now chose a payment method from the ‘Gateway’ dropdown.
MemberPress will then show all the settings you need to configure before using this payment gateway. For example, in the following image we’re adding PayPal payment to WordPress.
After choosing a gateway, you’ll need to enter some information to configure your account. Once you’ve done that, click on the ‘Update Options’ button to save your changes.
You can add multiple payment gateways to your corporate portal simply by following the same process described above.
After adding one or more payment methods, you’re ready to create a membership plan.
To get started, simply go to the MemberPress » Memberships page and click on the Add New button.
On the next screen, you can type a title for the membership level and set the price. If you’re planning to add clients manually, then you can leave the ‘Price’ field at ‘0.’
However, if you want to make money by selling subscriptions to your client portal, then you can type in a price.
Next, use the ‘Billing Type’ dropdown to create a billing cycle, for example you might charge clients a one-time fee for lifetime access or set up a recurring monthly subscription.
In the following image, we’re charging clients $100 every 6 months.
Next, you need to create access rules. This allows you to create an exclusive, client-only area of your WordPress website.
Simply go to the MemberPress » Rules page and then click on the ‘Add New’ button.
On the next screen, you first need to choose what content you want to restrict.
The ‘Protected Content’ section offers different options. To start, you can restrict access to specific pages and posts, although this may be time-consuming if you have lots of content.
Another option is to restrict access to all child pages of a particular parent page. For example, you might create a ‘Client Portal’ parent page and then restrict access to all its child pages. This can save you lots of time and effort.
Similarly, you can restrict access to all the posts that have a specific category or tag.
Below that, you can specify who can access this content by opening the ‘Access Conditions’ dropdown and choosing ‘Membership.’
In the second dropdown menu, select the membership level you created earlier.
When you’re happy with how the access rule is set up, click on the Save Rule button to store your settings.
You can create more content restriction rules by following the same process described above.
Creating a Client Account Page in MemberPress
Next, you’ll want to create an Account page, which is the page that clients will see then they log into your portal.
First, go to MemberPress » Settings and click on the ‘Pages’ tab.
MemberPress will create an Account page automatically.
To preview the page, click on the ‘View’ button next to ‘MemberPress Account Page.’
The default Account page has a few different tabs where clients can edit their profile, check their subscriptions, and log out of their account.
The Account page is also designed to perfectly integrate with your WordPress theme, as you can see in the following image.
The default Account page should be a good fit for most client portals. However you can edit the page just like you would any other WordPress page.
To make some changes, click on the ‘Edit’ button.
This launches the standard WordPress page editor, so you can do ahead and make your changes. Just be aware that any content you add here will be visible to everyone and not just the client.
When you’re happy with how the account page looks, just scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on ‘Update Options.’
MemberPress will now go ahead and create the Account page.
You can see this page live on your website by adding /account/ to the end of your domain, for example www.example.com/account/.
You can also find this page in your WordPress dashboard by going to Pages » All Pages.
Although MemberPress creates this page automatically, you can also add the Account content to any page or post using the [mepr-account-form] shortcode.
Content protection rules are one way to create exclusive content for your clients. However, sometimes you may want to hide specific content within a page or post, such as the index to your members-only bbPress forum or some bonus documentation you created using a WordPress knowledge base plugin.
In this case, you can wrap the content in shortcode. MemberPress will then hide or show the content inside the shortcode, based on whether the person is logged into your client portal.
To start, you’ll need to know the ID for the client membership level. To get this, simply go to MemberPress » Memberships and look at the value in the ‘ID’ column.
Once you have the ID, go the page or post where you want to hide some content.
You can then create a shortcode block above the content and a block below the content.
In the top block, add the following: [mepr-active membership='162']. Make sure you replace the number with the client membership ID.
Next, add the following in the bottom block: [/mepr-active].
Then, simply update or publish the page and visit your site in incognito mode, or when logged out of your WordPress account.
MemberPress should hide the content inside your shortcode blocks. To see the content, simply log into any client membership account.
Adding Tabs to The Accounts Page in MemberPress
By default, the Account page has Home, Subscriptions, Payments, and Logout tabs.
You may want to add more tabs to help members find content in your client portal. For example, you could create tabs for customer service software such as HelpDesk.com or HelpScout, to help clients contact your support team.
The easiest way to add more tabs to the Account page is by using the MemberPress Nav Tabs add-on.
Simply go to MemberPress »Add-ons and then click on the ‘Install Add-on’ button next to ‘Nav Tabs.’
After that, go to MemberPress »Settings.
Here, click on the ‘Account’ tab.
Next, just scroll to ‘Account Nav Tabs Settings’ and check the ‘Enable Account Nav Tabs’ box.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll see a new editor where you can select either ‘Content’ or ‘URL.’
If you choose ‘Content,’ then you can add images, text, audio, shortcodes, and other content.
This content will appear inside the new tab, as you can see in the following image.
The other option is ‘URL,’ which will take the client to a different page, similar to clicking an item in the navigation menu.
If you do select ‘URL,’ then you can type in a title and the URL that the tab will link to. By default, the link will open in the same tab but you can open it in a new tab by checking the ‘Open URL…’ box.
To add more tabs to the Account page, simply click on ‘Add New Tab’ and repeat the process described above.
After adding all your custom tabs, click on the ‘Update Options’ button to save your changes.
Adding Custom Content for an Individual Client
MemberPress also allows you to show a different message to each client in their Account page. This message is included in the ‘Home’ tab.
By creating a personal greeting, you can make your clients feel more appreciated and valued. You might also include links to resources that the client may find helpful, such as the documentation for a new product they’ve just bought.
To add a custom message, go to MemberPress » Members. You can then hover over any client and click on the ‘Edit’ link when it appears.
After that, scroll to the ‘Custom MemberPress Account Message’ section and add the content that you want to show to this particular client.
This area works like the regular WordPress post editor so you can add images, shortcodes, image galleries, video, audio files, and any other resources that the client may field useful.
Don’t forget to click on the ‘Update User’ button to save your changes.
Adding a Link to Client Area using MemberPress
Next, you need to make it easy for clients to access the portal by adding it to your menu.
Simply go to Appearance » Menus and click to expand the ‘Pages’ section, if it isn’t expanded already.
You can then check the box next to the ‘Account’ page and click on ‘Add to Menu.’
Once you’ve done that, you can change where the Account page appears in the menu using drag and drop.
You can also change the label that’s used for the ‘Account’ page in the menu. The default is ‘Account’ but you may want to use ‘Client Portal’ or similar.
To do this, click to expand the ‘Account’ section and then type a new title into the ‘Navigation Label’ field.
Don’t forget to click on ‘Save Menu’ to store your settings.
Now if you visit your site, you’ll see a link to the Account page in your menu.
Extending Client Portal with MemberPress
By this point, you’ve created a client portal with exclusive, members-only content and even a custom welcome message.
That’s a great start, but let’s look at some other features that you can add to the client portal using MemberPress.
1. File Downloads
Want to allow clients to download files from your site? This might be anything from copies of your invoices, to reports and studies, or the stock images you’ve created for the client.
MemberPress comes with a File Downloads add-on that allows you to offer downloadable content to your clients. After creating the download, you can add it to any page or post using a shortcode.
MemberPress will then show a link that visitors can use to download the file.
You can use content protection to make the file exclusive to your clients, or even create different downloadable files for each client.
The MemberPress course builder is built on top of the WordPress block editor. This means you can add lessons, topics, categories, embed videos, images, and more using the WordPress tools that you’re already familiar with.
By publishing courses to the client portal, you can add more value for your customers and encourage them to renew their membership.
No matter whether it’s a contact form, feedback form, customer testimonial form, or a customer survey, forms are an important way to communicate with your clients.
They can help you get feedback and improve the member experience, while also giving clients a way to ask questions and get support.
Sometimes, clients may need to upload files to your portal, such as a contract that you need to sign or photographs that you plan to publish to your client portfolio.
You can easily create file upload forms using WPForms. You can then embed the form on the Account page, or any members-only page on your website.
4. Selling More Products and Services
As a business owner, you may want to promote other products and services to your clients.
MemberPress works with many of the email marketing services that you may already be using to keep your audience engaged and promote your other products and services. This includes SendinBlue, Constant Contact, Drip, and 1000+ others.
You can also add an online store to your portal using WooCommerce and sell other products to your customers.
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Are you looking for the best team communication tools for your small business?
As businesses move to remote work, they need tools to communicate with team members. Choosing the right tools can boost productivity, enhance morale, build community, and enhance efficiency among your team.
In this article, we have hand-picked some of the best team communication tools for small businesses.
These tools are based on our hands-on experience because we have been a remote company since we started in 2009, and now we have over 200+ team members across 45 different countries. As a remote company, our teams use several of these tools to collaborate.
How to Choose The Best Team Communication Tool for Your Business?
There is a growing need for better team communication tools as more and more businesses adapt remote and hybrid work culture.
For a small business website, these tools improve employee communication and enable them to work more efficiently.
However, there are just so many different communication tools available that it becomes hard to decide which one to choose without spending too much money.
First, you need to decide what kind of tools your team needs to work better.
For instance, if your sales team needs to make calls and follow up on leads, then you need a virtual business phone system like Nextiva and RingCentral.
Similarly, if you need to make sure that teams can collaborate on different projects, track progress, and get work done, then Slack + Asana may be the right tools for your business
You can save money by not opting for separate tools for the same tasks.
For instance, if you are using Google Workspace, then Google Meet is the perfect alternative to Zoom. Similarly, Office 365 with Microsoft Teams will save money on Slack + Zoom.
Nextiva is the best omnichannel communication toolkit for businesses. It combines phone, chat, audio/video meetings, contact management, and more in one communication suite.
Employees can collaborate via chat, SMS, and video calls. Their business phone service offers toll-free numbers and teams can share the same phone numbers to easily manage contacts and leads.
Nextiva offers easy-to-use automated reminders for teams and customers around forgotten tasks, follow-ups, or check-ins to increase workplace productivity.
Plus, it integrates with popular calendars, email, Google Workspace, Microsoft teams, and many more.
We use Nextiva in our own business because it helps us get a virtual business phone number that can be shared across our team members, so we can help our customers. The auto-attendant feature helps guide the call to the right person.
Slack is the most popular small business team communication tool on the market right now.
It is used by many Fortune 500 companies like IBM, T-Mobile, NASA, Target, and more.
Slack offers a digital HQ for businesses and teams. You can organize your virtual workspace in channels. These are chatrooms where your teams can collaborate and post updates. Team members can also do 1:1 chats.
Slack also comes with audio calls, video updates, and integration with almost all top productivity tools, CRM software, virtual phone services, and more.
We use Slack in our management company, Awesome Motive, because it allows for asynchronous communication across teams. Slack has notification features that respect timezones considering we have team members in 45 different countries.
Pricing: Paid plans start from $7.25 per user per month.
Google Workspace is Google’s business productivity suite of applications. It includes Google Drive, Gmail, Calendar, Google Meet, Chat, Forms, Sites, and more.
You can use your own domain name for your Google Workspace account and create a professional business email address for yourself, your teams, and your employees.
Your team space will be hosted on Google’s cloud infrastructure which makes it very fast, reliable, and an extremely secure internal communication tool.
We have been using Google Workspace for over a decade for our business email address. It gives you the familiar Gmail and Google calendar interface which your team will love. We use the Shared Drive feature for cloud storage which is really good for access control on documents & files.
This year the quality of Google Meet calls have improved drastically, so we have cancelled our Zoom subscription and are using Google Meet for our group meetings.
HubSpot is a business communication suite that offers a Sales platform, marketing tools, CRM software, and more.
It allows your teams to easily manage leads and customers using a robust dashboard. Improving communications between team members and customers to ensure that nothing slips through the cracks.
Unlike other communication tools on the list, HubSpot doesn’t offer team chat, audio, or video calls. However, as sales software it allows sales and marketing teams to communicate and work together more efficiently.
We use HubSpot to organize our partnership contacts, and it acts as a single source for our various teams.
Pricing: Limited free account, paid plans for marketing, sales, and customer services software with different pricing for each.
Asana is the best project management software for remote teams on the market.
For remote teams, keeping up with their projects and goals is where most communication takes place. Asana makes it super easy for teams of all shapes, sizes, and industries to collaborate and communicate.
Asana doesn’t have chat, SMS, or video conferencing features. All team communication takes place in comments, tasks, projects, and forms. Each task can have its own thread and nothing slips through the cracks.
You can organize work among teams and projects, set long-term goals, add tasks, and then view them in lists, timeline, or card views.
It comes with brilliant tools like templates, rules, forms, and approvals to automate the workflow.
Plus, it integrates beautifully with other popular productivity tools your organization may already be using.
In our business, Asana is an absolute must have. We have tried many other project management solutions like Basecamp, Trello, etc and nothing comes close to Asana. It has provided us with a great way to streamline our internal workflows while giving greater visibility on the progress of each project.
Pricing: Free and paid plans start at $10.99 per user per month.
Microsoft Teams is the Slack alternative created by Microsoft. It supportss multiple teams, channels, one on one chats, private channels, audio/video calls, and video conferencing features.
It works well with Office 365 and you can get it with Office 365 subscription as well. Team members can open, edit, and view files within teams and projects.
Microsoft Teams have superior video conferencing features baked in. Each team member can view that a video conference is happening with an icon on the top and can join in if they are invited.
Teams also have shift management feature which allows managers to create shift, manage time-offs, assign members to shifts, and more.
Pricing: Free and paid plans start $4 per user per month or $6 per user per month with Office 365.
Zoom is one of the most popular video conferencing software on the market. It allows you to run video meetings with chat feature.
It is widely used in business, education, government, and finance sector. Zoom also offers business phone services, mail, and calendar to connect your teams under one platform.
We were big users of Zoom, but as the quality of Google Meet has improved, we have switched away from Zoom to reduce costs in our business.
The cost of Zoom really adds up once you go above 10 users in your organization, and then again when your organization grows to 100+ users.
What Zoom is really good for is large 100+ people meeting especially if you want to do random breakout rooms. It’s also really good for customer webinars because Zoom calls are very reliable and quality is top-notch.
Pricing: Limited Free plan, paid plans start at $149 per user per year but the per user pricing increases after 10 users.
Ryver is another business communication platform that combines various functionalities into one app.
It comes with messaging, task management, and audio/video calls under one roof. It comes with SSO Single Sign-on which allows team members to sign in with the single account used by your organization.
Integrations are also available for many popular productivity and CRM software.
Pricing: Starting at $69 per month for up to 12 users.
Zoho Cliq is the Slack interactive created by the folks behind Zoho software suite. The company offers Zoho CRM, Notes, Calendar, Email, and several other tools for businesses.
Zoho Cliq offers team chat for real-time collaboration. It includes chats, group chats, project management, video conferencing, voice calls, and more.
It integrates well with other Zoho applications as well as many other third-party software.
Pricing: Limited free plan, paid plans start from $2.7 per user per month.
Dialpad offers a collaboration platform for teams and customer support. It includes VoIP service for calls, messaging, group chat, and video conferencing.
It offers omni-channel customer engagement platform as well. Which comes in handy for sales teams to follow up with leads.
It supports Google Workspace and Office 365 integrations. If you operate in multiple countries then Dialpad offerss local number for upto 70 countries.
GoTo Meeting is a popular webinar software and video conferencing platform. It makes it super easy to conduct video meetings with teams, clients, and customers.
Their GoTo Connect suite provides phone, text, and meetings. It allows teams to follow up with leads, offer customer support, and stay in touch with chat and text.
The company offers several addon solutions for businesses particularly those providing remote IT support to customers.
Pricing: Free trial for some products, for paid plans you’ll have to contact sales.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Unlike most other businesses in the world, we have been remote since we started in 2009. This means we have 13+ years of experience running a distributed team and managing team communication. Over this period, we have helped thousands of users choose the best team communication tools.
Below are the answer to some of the most frequently asked questions.
What communication tools are most effective in working closely with the team?
Whether you’re working closely with a remote-team or an in-house team, here are the best team communication tools.
Google Workspace – Email is essential for working closely with a team. Google gives you gmail, calendar, and Google Drive for file sharing.
What is the most effective communication method for remote teams?
For remote teams, the most effective communication method is a combination of written communication along with verbal face-to-face communication over video calls.
For remote team check-ins, the most effective method is virtual check-in software like Standuply that integrates seamlessly with Slack, and it’s completely asynchronous.
What is the best team communication tool for online collaboration?
For online collaboration, the best team communication tools are Google Workspace and Zoom. With Google Suite, you get Google Doc, Spreadsheet, and Slides all of which allow for collaborative work, and their built-in comment feature is really good.
You can also use Zoom whiteboard which is an excellent virtual communication tool for collaboration.
What is the best team communication tool for asynchronous communication?
The best asynchronous communication tool are:
Slack – great for instant messages and group messages. It gives users full control over their time zones and notification preferences. You can also schedule messages to send at certain time in different team member’s timezone.
Email – great for asynchronous communication.
Loom – allows you to easily record videos and screencasts that can be watched by your team members.
Droplr – allows you to create screenshots or quick screen recording to communicate with team members.
Which is the best team communication tool for small business?
In our opinion, the best team communication tool for small business are Nextiva, Google Workspace, Asana, and Slack.
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.
Do you want to add a services section to your WordPress website?
When potential customers arrive at your site, they want to know what services you offer. A services section can communicate this information in a quick and easy way, so visitors can decide whether they want to learn more about your business.
In this article, we’ll show you how to easily create a services section in WordPress. We’ll also share how to get more leads by adding a quote request form to your services section.
Why Create a Services Section in WordPress?
To get more sales, it’s important to give visitors all the information they need to understand what services you offer.
This can include everything from prices and benefits to detailed technical specifications, depending on the services you sell.
The following image shows an example of a call to action, which appears directly beneath a services section.
That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily create a services section in WordPress and then add it to any page on your website. Simply use the quick links below to jump to the method you want to use.
Method 1. How to Create a Services Section with SeedProd (Recommended)
The best way to create a services section is by using a page builder.
A good page builder plugin will allow you to add as many services as you want, and arrange those services in a nice layout. You can also encourage visitors to learn more about your services by adding CTAs, links, buttons, and more.
SeedProd is the best drag-and-drop page builder for WordPress. It comes with more than 180 professionally-designed templates and ready-made sections that are perfect for promoting your services.
SeedProd also works with many popular third-party tools that you may already be using to get and manage conversions. This includes top email marketing services, WooCommerce, Google Analytics, and more.
First, you need to install and activate the SeedProd plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
After activating the plugin, SeedProd will ask for your license key.
You can find this information under your account on the SeedProd website. After entering the license key, go ahead and click on ‘Verify Key.’
The next step is creating a new page where you will add the services section. To do this, go to SeedProd » Landing Pages in your WordPress dashboard.
Once you’ve done that, click on the ‘Add New Landing Page’ button.
You can now choose any of SeedProd’s ready-made templates.
To help you find the perfect template, SeedProd’s designs are organized into different campaign types, such as ‘squeeze,’ ‘ead,’ and ‘coming soon.’
You can click the tabs at the top of the screen to filter the templates based on campaign type.
If you prefer to start from scratch, then SeedProd also has a Blank Template, which doesn’t have any default content or design elements.
To take a closer look at a design, simply hover your mouse over the template and then click on the little magnifying glass icon.
When you find a layout that you want to use, click on ‘Choose This Template.’ We’re using the ‘Masterclass Sales Page’ template in all our images, but you can use any template you want.
After choosing a template, type in a name for your custom page. SeedProd will create a URL automatically using the title, but you can change this if you want.
A descriptive URL helps search engines understand what a page is about, so they can deliver that page to people who are searching for content just like yours.
To give your page the best chance of appearing in relevant search results, you may want to add some relevant keywords to the URL. When you’re happy with the information you’ve entered, click on the ‘Save and Start Editing the Page’ button.
This loads the SeedProd drag-and-drop page builder. It shows a live preview of your page to the right, and some settings on the left.
Most SeedProd templates already contain some blocks, which are a core part of any SeedProd layout.
To customize any block, simply click to select it. The left-hand menu will then show all the settings you can use to edit the block, such as changing the font size or replacing a stock image.
If you want to remove a block from the design, then simply click on that block.
Next, go ahead and click on the small trash icon in the menu bar that appears.
To add new blocks to your design, just click on the block in the left-hand menu and drag it onto the editor.
You can then click to select the block and make any changes in the left-hand menu.
You can repeat these steps to create any kind of page, such as a homepage or Google Ad landing page. The possibilities are endless.
SeedProd also comes with ‘Sections.’ These are rows and block templates for common web design elements. For example, SeedProd has sections for frequently asked questions, footers, and customer testimonials.
It also has various sections that are perfect for creating a services section in WordPress. To take a look at the different sections, go ahead and click on the ‘Sections’ tab.
These mini templates are organized into different categories, but since we want to create a services section, we recommend taking a look at the ‘Features’ category.
Here, you’ll find sections that use paragraphs, subheadings, and images in a nice layout.
In the following image, you can see the ‘Features 3’ section. To turn this into a services section, you simply need to add your own text and images.
You may also want to look at the ‘Call To Action’ category. This category has lots of different sections, including a few that you can use to advertise your services.
In the following image, you can see the ‘Call To Action 6’ section, which already has space for three services.
To preview a section, just hover your mouse over it and then click on the magnifying glass icon that appears.
When you find a section that you want to use, simply move your mouse over that section and click on the little ‘+’ icon.
This adds the section to the bottom of your page, but you can move sections and blocks around your design using the drag-and-drop feature.
After adding a section, simply can click on any block inside that section to customize it. To start, you’ll typically want to type in some information about your services.
To do this, just click on any ‘Text,’ ‘Headline,’ or similar section. Then type into the text field that appears to the left of the builder.
You can format the text, similar to how you style text in the standard WordPress post editor.
It’s also a good idea to add links to pages where visitors can learn more about each service.
Another option is to use a ‘Call to Action’ button. Even if the section doesn’t come with buttons, it’s easy to add them.
In the left-hand menu, just click on the ‘Blocks’ icon, which looks like a square of small dots.
You can then drag and drop a ‘Button’ block into your section.
If you do ‘Button’ blocks, then you can customize them in exactly the same way you edit any block. Just click on it, and then make your changes in the left-hand menu.
You can add more blocks by following the same process described above.
For example, you might add photos showing each service in action using an ‘Image’ block.
When you’re happy with how the page looks, it’s time to publish it by clicking on the dropdown arrow next to the ‘Save’ button.
Then, select the ‘Publish’ option.
Your page will now go live on your WordPress website and visitors can see all your services at a glance.
Method 2. Creating a Services Section in WordPress using Block Editor
You can also build a services section using the free Service Box Showcase plugin, and then add it to any page or post using shortcode.
You will need to use one of the plugin’s pre-made service section layouts, so this isn’t the most customizable method.
However, the plugin does let you create a service section using the familiar WordPress content editor tools, so it’s quick and easy.
First, you need to install and activate the free Service Box Showcase plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, head over to Service Box » Add New Service Box in your WordPress admin panel.
To start, you’ll need to type in a title for your services section. This will only appear in the dashboard and not on your website, so this title is for your reference only.
After that, find the layout that you want to use and click on its ‘Select’ button.
Next, scroll to ‘Add Service Box,’ which has two services by default.
To add more services to the section, go ahead and click on ‘Add New Service Box.’
Once you’ve done that, you can type in a title for each service and add a description.
This is the text that will appear on the front end of your site, so make sure you give visitors all the information they need.
By default, the plugin adds the same icon to each service. It’s a good idea to change these icons to something that’s unique to each service.
To see the different icons that you can use, click on the ‘Service Icon’ field. This opens a popup where you can scroll through the different pictures and click the one you want to use.
It’s also a good idea to add a link to a page where visitors can learn more about each service, or even a page that has a contact form.
To do this, simply type the link into the ‘Add Your Service Or Read More Link Here’ field.
After adding all this information, you can change how your service section looks using the ‘Service Box Settings.’
Most of these settings are fairly straightforward. For example, you can change the font size and style. You can also change the link color, plus the color of the title, description, and more.
If you don’t want to use any icons in the services section, then you can remove them by clicking on the ‘Display Icon’ switch.
There are lots of different settings and what looks good may vary depending on your WordPress theme. With that being said, you can always come back to the ‘Service Box Settings’ and make some changes if you’re unhappy with how the services section looks on your website.
When you’re happy with how the services box is set up, simply click on the ‘Publish’ button at the top of the page to save your changes.
You can now add the services section to your WordPress blog using a shortcode. Simply scroll to ‘ServiceBox Shortcode’ and copy the code.
Once you’ve pasted the shortcode, just click ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ to push changes live. Then, if you visit your site you’ll see the services section in action.
To make these changes, simply go to Service Box » All Service Box. You can then hover your mouse over the service box and click on the ‘Edit’ link when it appears.
Now, make your changes using the ‘Service Box Settings’ and other sections.
When you’re happy with the changes you’ve made, don’t forget to click on ‘Update.’
Now, if you visit the page or post where you added the services box, you’ll see your changes on the site.
BONUS: Creating Request a Quote Form For your Services
A services section gives visitors an overview of your company and what you offer, so they can decide whether they want to learn more.
Once you’ve caught the visitor’s attention, the next step is turning them into leads and customers. You can do this by adding a ‘Quote Request Form’ to your site.
This is similar to a contact form, but it has an extra area where visitors can type in some information about themselves or what they’re looking for.
This can help you sell more services. For example, you might recommend a particular service, create a unique package for that customer, or send them a personalized email based on the information they’ve entered.
The easiest way to create a quote request form is by using WPForms. It is the best WordPress forms plugin and allows you to add any type of form to your website using a simple drag-and-drop editor.
WPForms even has a ready-made ‘Request a Quote Form’ that has everything you need to turn visitors into leads.
First, you need to install and activate the WPForms plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Note: There is a free version of the WPForms plugin, but we will be using the Pro version because it comes with the ‘Request a Quote’ form template.
Upon activation, head over to WPForms » Settings and enter your license key.
You can find the license key under your account on the WPForms website. It’s also in the email you got when you purchased WPForms.
After entering the license key, click on the ‘Verify Key’ button. After a few moments, you will see a message confirming that you’ve entered the right license key.
Once you’ve done that, go to WPForms » Add New.
Here, type in a name for your form. This is just for your reference so you can go ahead and use any title you want.
Next, type ‘request a quote’ into the search field. This will bring up the ‘Request a Quote Form’ in the results.
You can now go ahead and click on the ‘Use Template’ button.
This will load the WPForms editor, with the form on the right and all of the different settings on the left.
The ‘Request a Quote Form’ template has fields where the visitor can enter their information, such as their name, email address, and phone number.
There’s also a section where they can type in their specific request.
The default form should work well for most websites, but it’s easy to customize the form if you need to.
To edit a field, simply click to select it. The left-hand menu will then show all the settings you can use to customize this field.
For example, you can change the text that appears above any field by changing the text in the ‘Label’ field.
You can also add more fields by selecting the ‘Add Fields’ tab.
Then, simply drag and drop any field block onto the form.
You can also change the order that the fields appear in your form using drag and drop.
When you’re happy with how the form looks, go ahead and click on the ‘Save’ button.
You can now add this form to any WordPress post or page using the WordPress content editor.
Simply open the page where you want to add the form and then click on the ‘+’ button.
Next, type ‘WPForms’ and click on the block to add it to your page.
Finally, open the dropdown menu and select the quote request form.
WPForms will show a preview of the form on the screen. If you’re happy with how the form looks, then you can go ahead and save or publish the page.
The quote request form will now be live for your visitors to use.
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Are you looking for a way to hide certain WordPress blocks from a user role?
The WordPress content editor offers a lot of flexibility in creating content using blocks. However, you may want to disable some blocks for different user roles. This is helpful if you run a multi-author website or don’t want others to access specific blocks.
In this article, we’ll show you how to hide blocks from specific users in the WordPress content editor.
Why Hide Blocks from Specific Users in the Content Editor?
WordPress blocks are content elements you add to your blog post or page. You can add blocks for images, videos, paragraphs, galleries, and more. Many WordPress plugins also add blocks to the content editor.
Since each block lets you edit your article or landing page, it is a good idea to hide or disable some of the blocks based on WordPress user roles. This way, your website content will remain consistent and won’t have unwanted blocks and layouts.
Let’s say you have a multi-author website. You can hide the tables block in the WordPress content editor for author and contributor user roles. This helps streamline your editorial workflow.
Similarly, you can also prevent different user roles from using blocks added by different plugins.
For instance, WPForms lets you embed forms in the content editor using the WPForms block. Stopping other users from accessing the block can help you stay in control and only display forms where you think is necessary.
That said, let’s see how to hide or disable blocks for specific users in WordPress.
Hiding Blocks for Specific Users in WordPress Editor
The best way to hide blocks based on user roles is by using the PublishPress Blocks plugin. It gives you more control over the WordPress block editor and adds more blocks like an image slider, search bar, pricing table, and more.
First, you’ll need to install and activate the PublishPress Blocks plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, you can head to the Blocks item in your WordPress dashboard and click on the ‘License’ tab.
Next, you can enter your license key and click the ‘Activate License’ button. You can find the license key in your PublishPress account area.
After that, head to the ‘Block Access’ tab in the plugin. Here, you can choose a user profile from the dropdown menu at the top.
To hide any WordPress block from the selected user role, simply click the toggle to disable it.
For example, in the image below, we’ll disable the ‘table’ and ‘quote’ blocks for any user iwth the Author role.
Don’t forget to click the ‘Save Block Access’ button when you’re done.
That’s it! You’ve successfully disabled the WordPress block for a user role on your website. Now, you can repeat this to hide blocks for other user roles.
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Do you want to create a custom homepage for your WordPress site?
By default, the WordPress homepage displays your blog posts, but you can edit it to show something different. For example, your homepage could be a landing page that highlights your products and services.
In this article, we’ll show you how to easily edit and customize your WordPress homepage.
What Is the WordPress Homepage?
Your homepage is the ‘front page’ of your WordPress website. It’s the first page that shows up when a user visits your domain name.
For instance, if you type in www.wpbeginner.com into your browser, the page you land on is our website’s homepage, where you can see our latest blog posts:
Why Edit the WordPress Homepage?
If you’ve decided to create a blog, then it makes perfect sense to just show your blog posts on the homepage.
But what if you’re using WordPress to build a small business website or even to run an online store? In those cases, you may prefer to highlight your products or promotions on your homepage.
Here’s a business website homepage example from OptinMonster, the best WordPress popup plugin out there. Their site has a great blog, but that isn’t the focus of their homepage. Instead, they’ve got a really clear call to action.
If that’s the case, then you’re in the right place.
We’re going to take you step by step through setting up a homepage and customizing it to match your needs. That way, you can make a great first impression and encourage your visitors to take the actions that are most important to your site’s mission.
Some of the best WordPress themes will create a homepage design for you, and provide options so you can easily edit it.
You can find these options by visiting Appearance » Customize on the admin sidebar. This will launch the WordPress theme customizer with a live preview of your theme.
The Theme Customizer will have different options for different themes. Your preview and the available options may look different depending on the theme you are using. We’re using the free Hestia theme in this example.
To edit any part of the homepage, simply click the blue pencil icon next to it. Here, we’re editing the image, text, and button at the top of the homepage.
Note: As soon as you make edits, they’ll be shown in the preview of your site. Those changes won’t be live on your site until you publish them.
If you want to remove a section from the homepage, then you just need to click the blue eye icon in the top left corner of that section.
You can also remove sections and add them back in using the ‘Frontpage Sections’ tab.
Once you’re happy with your homepage, you need to click the ‘Publish’ button to make it live.
Here’s how our homepage looks, live on the website:
Using your theme’s built-in options is the quickest way to set up your homepage. However, some themes may not have many options, or you may not be satisfied with how your homepage looks.
Don’t worry, there are plenty of other ways for you to edit your homepage and give it the look you want.
Editing Your Homepage With the Block Editor
The WordPress block editor is a simple way to create a custom homepage, although it’s limited by your theme’s design.
To use the block editor, simply go to the Pages » All Pages screen and edit the ‘Home’ page that you created earlier.
Now you can start creating the content for your page.
In this part of the tutorial, we’ll be using a few simple blocks to create a basic homepage.
First, we’ll add a welcome message to the page. You can do this by simply clicking on the page to start typing. WordPress will automatically create a paragraph block for you.
If you want to make the text larger, then it’s easy to do that in the block settings on the right hand side. Just click on one of the preset sizes, or you can click on the ‘Set custom size’ icon and type any size you like.
You can also change the color of your text, using the ‘Color’ options for the text or background.
Next, we’ll add an image to the page. You can do this by clicking the (+) symbol and then selecting the Image block.
You’ll find it in the Media section, or you can search for it using the search bar.
You can pick an image from your media library or upload a new one.
Next, we’ve added another paragraph block, with the text ‘Check out our latest posts here’.
We’ve then added a ‘Latest Posts’ block, which we’ve set to show the post excerpt and featured images, as well as the post titles. You can find out more about the Latest Posts block in our tutorial on displaying recent posts in WordPress.
You can add as many blocks as you want to your homepage. You may also want to use a ‘full width’ or ‘no sidebars’ template for your page if your theme has one.
For example, when using the Astra theme, you can customize the layout of the page from the Astra Settings pane. Other themes may provide a section in the Document settings pane.
Once you’re happy with your homepage, you should click the ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ button on the top right of the screen to push your changes live.
Here’s how our finished homepage looks:
What if you want to go further with your homepage? One option is to try some of these best block plugins for WordPress to add new functionality, such as a contact form, testimonials, reviews, and more.
The easiest way to edit your homepage is by using SeedProd. It’s the best WordPress theme builder plugin and can create beautiful website layouts and custom templates without writing any code.
You can use SeedProd to create a fully custom WordPress theme, including a custom homepage template.
Note: There is a free version of SeedProd, but you will need the Pro version to access the theme builder and edit the homepage template.
Upon activation, you need to enter your license key. You can find this information under your account on the SeedProd website.
After that, you can use SeedProd to easily create a WordPress theme, including a completely custom homepage from scratch.
Creating a Custom WordPress Theme
You can create a new theme in SeedProd by navigating to the SeedProd » Theme Builder page. Here, you’ll use one of SeedProd’s ready-made themes as a starting point. This will replace your existing WordPress theme with a new, custom design.
You can do that by clicking the ‘Themes’ button.
You will be shown a list of professionally designed themes that are designed for different types of websites. For example, there are templates called ‘Modern Business’, ‘Marketing Agency’, and ‘Mortgage Broker Theme’.
Take a look through the options and select one that best matches your needs by clicking the checkmark icon. For this tutorial, we’ll choose the ‘Digital Strategy’ theme.
Once you have chosen a theme, SeedProd will generate all the theme templates you need. It will include a template for your static homepage, as well as one for your blog’s index page.
Editing the Homepage Template
SeedProd makes it easy to edit any of these templates using a drag and drop page builder.
Simply click the ‘Edit Design’ link found under the ‘Homepage’ template. This will open the template in SeedProd’s visual editor.
This simple drag and drop builder will show a live preview of your page to the right and a toolbar on the left. You can add new blocks by dragging them onto the page, rearrange them by dragging them up and down with your mouse, and customize any block by clicking on it.
Notice that the template has already provided an attractive layout and added plenty of relevant content on the page. Now you just have to edit it to suit the purpose of your website.
When you hover your mouse over a block, a toolbar will appear.
If you click on the block, then you can adjust its settings in the left pane.
For example, when you click on the headline, you can edit the text, change the alignment, alter the font size, and more.
When you change a setting, you can immediately see it in the preview on the right.
For example, we’ll change the text to ‘All About WordPress’.
Once you’ve done this, you can click the ‘Blocks’ icon near the top of the settings page. This will return you to the Blocks view.
Next, we’ll edit the button text. You can click on the button labeled ‘What we do’ and edit the text to say ‘See the courses’.
Now we’ll scroll down our homepage until we come to the list of bullet points about the products and services you offer.
You can edit these in the same way, by clicking on a block and editing the text.
Your homepage should now look something like the screenshot below.
If you need to add more detail, then you can add another row of bullet points by clicking the blue ‘+’ icon at the bottom.
The SeedProd template may have included more sections than you can use. You can easily delete any blocks or sections you don’t need by simply clicking the trash icon.
For example, you can hover your mouse over the ‘Trusted By’ section of the homepage. Once the toolbar appears, you can click on the Trash icon to delete that section.
Near the bottom of the homepage there is a FAQ section. This was created using an Accordion block, which makes it simple to customize the questions and answers you want to include on your homepage.
When you click on the block, you are able to edit the text for each question and answer.
Once you have finished customizing your homepage, make sure you click the ‘Save’ button at the top of the screen. Then you can return to the list of templates by clicking the ‘X’ icon.
As you can see, SeedProd’s templates, drag and drop interface, and useful blocks make it ideal for editing your website’s homepage. For even more ideas, take a look at our guide on how to create a landing page with WordPress.
Using Method 2, you should scroll down to the section on customizing your blog page. Here you’ll learn how to add new blocks using drag and drop, and how to change the settings for each block on the page.
We’ll show you how to edit the Posts block to list your posts in multiple columns and display or hide the featured image for your posts.
There are settings for how many posts to display, and whether to show a post excerpt. You can also filter the index by post type, category, tag, or author, and change the sort order.
Enabling the SeedProd Theme
Once you have finished customizing the theme templates, you will need to publish the new custom theme. Simply toggle the ‘Enable SeedProd Theme’ setting to the ‘YES’ position.
If you haven’t already changed your WordPress Home and Blog page settings, then you’ll see a notification message. When you click the ‘OK’ button these settings will be changed for you.
You can now visit your website to view your new home page.
Editing Your Homepage With a Page Builder Plugin
Divi is a popular WordPress page builder plugin. It comes with a WordPress theme and a page builder plugin with dozens of gorgeous templates.
You can use the Divi page builder with any theme. For this tutorial, we’re going to use it with the Divi theme.
First, you’ll need to download, install, and activate the Divi theme from Elegant Themes. This includes the Divi builder, so you don’t need to install it separately. You will need to enter your username and API key under Divi » Theme Options » Updates in order to access the layout packs.
Once you’ve got the Divi theme and page builder up and running, you can set up your homepage. First, go to the Pages menu in your WordPress dashboard and then edit the homepage we created earlier.
Before you start editing your homepage, it’s a good idea to switch to the ‘Blank Page’ template under the ‘Template’ panel on the right. That way, your homepage won’t have a sidebar, title, menu, or any other default elements.
Next, you can click the ‘Use The Divi Builder’ button at the top of the screen.
Now, you’ll need to click the ‘Edit With The Divi Builder’ button in the center of the screen.
You should now see the Divi Welcome Screen. It includes a video tutorial on how to use Divi, a brief description of how to get started, and buttons to either start building your page or take a tour of Divi’s features.
We’ll click the ‘Start Building’ button at the bottom of the page.
Next, you’ll see a range of options you can use to create your page. We suggest using a premade layout as the basis for your homepage. This makes it really quick and easy to get your homepage set up.
Divi has an impressive range of different layouts to choose from. There are hundreds of different layout packs, and each of these has several different page layouts including homepages.
You can search through these by typing in a search term, or you can check the boxes to view only layouts that fit certain categories.
We’re going to use the ‘Travel Blog’ layout pack to create our homepage.
First, click on the pack that you want to use:
Next, you’ll see a description of the layout pack, plus the different page layouts that are available. You’ll probably want to use the ‘Home’ page or ‘Landing’ page for your homepage. We’re going to pick the ‘Home’ option.
Once you’ve chosen your layout, click the ‘Use This Layout’ button at the bottom of the page.
Divi will automatically import the layout for you. You’ll then see it live on your page, exactly as it’ll appear on your site. To edit any part of it, simply click on it.
Divi uses a system of rows (split into columns) and modules to create your page. With text modules, you can click on the text and type in whatever you want straight onto the screen.
Here, we’ve changed the header and the text below it:
With other modules, you can bring your mouse cursor over them and click the ‘Module Settings’ icon to edit them.
Here, we’re editing one of the number counters:
You can delete modules and rows in the same way, using the trash can icon.
You’ll likely want to use your own images on your homepage. You can change these by editing the module settings.
Note that the image at the top is set as the Background for a Fullwidth Header Module, so you’ll need to change it under Content » Background for that module:
Once you’re happy with the changes you’ve made to your page, you can click ‘Save’ at the bottom of the screen.
Sometimes the bottom row of buttons will be hidden.
If you can’t see them, then you’ll need to click the purple “…” button to open them up.
Here’s how our page looks live on the website:
Setting Your Homepage in WordPress
By default, WordPress displays your blog posts on the homepage.
That means that after creating and customizing your homepage, you’ll need to tell your WordPress site to display that page when someone visits your domain.
Let’s take a look at how to set a separate homepage and blog page in WordPress.
Pro Tip: Do you already have visitors to your site? Then you might want to put your site into maintenance mode while you’re setting up your homepage. Alternatively, you could set up a staging site where you can create your homepage before publishing it live.
First, simply go to Pages » Add New and name your new page Blog. After that, you can go ahead and publish the blank page.
Once your homepage and blog page are ready, you need to tell WordPress to start using these pages.
You can do this by going to Settings » Reading page in your WordPress admin area. You need to select ‘A static page’ option under the ‘Your homepage displays’ section. After that, go ahead and select your home and blog pages.
Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.
That’s it! You’ve created a great looking homepage in WordPress and set it up successfully.
We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to edit a WordPress homepage. You might also want to take a look at our guide on the must have WordPress plugins and our tips on how to improve WordPress SEO.
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