Tag: Beginners Guide

Checklist: 10 Things To Add To The Footer on Your WordPress Site
Are you wondering what to add to the footer of your WordPress site?

The footer is the area at the bottom of your website. Although it’s easy to overlook, the footer can improve the user experience on your site in lots of significant ways.

In this checklist, we will share the top things that you should add to the footer of your WordPress website.

What is the Footer in WordPress?

The footer is the area that appears below the content part of your website. It is a common website design feature used by millions of websites.

‘Footer’ can also refer to the footer code area. Third-party services like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and many others may ask you to add code snippets to your website’s footer.

This sort of footer code doesn’t appear to visitors but it allows you to add features, services, and other content to your WordPress website.

With so many options, beginners may struggle to decide what to add to the footer area. As a result, many website owners miss out on opportunities to improve their sites and provide a better visitor experience.

That being said, let’s take a look at some of the things to add to the footer of your WordPress site, and how to make it more useful.

Here are all the things we’ll add, so feel free to jump straight to the items that interest you.
1. Adding Links to The Footer of Your WordPress Site

Many websites add links to the footer area. This helps visitors find your site’s most important content such as the about page, products page, checkout, contact form, and more.

All popular WordPress themes come with a footer widget area where you can add different content and elements.

To add links to the footer area, go to the Appearance Â» Menus page and click on the â€˜create a new menuâ€™ link.

After that, type in a name for the menu. This is just for your reference so you can use anything you want.

With that done, click on the ‘Create Menu’ button.

Now, check the box next to each item that you want to add to the menu.

Then, click on ‘Add to Menu.’

When you’re happy with how the menu is set up, click on the ‘Save Menu’ button to store your changes. For more help, see our guide on how to create navigation menus in WordPress.

Now you’ve created a menu, let’s add it to the footer area of your website by going to Appearance Â» Widgets. Here, click on the blue ‘+’ button.

In the ‘Search’ field, type in ‘Navigation Menu.’

When the right block appears, drag and drop it onto the ‘Footer’ or similar area.

After that, open the Select Menu’ dropdown and choose the footer menu you created earlier.

You may also want to type in a title, which will appear above the links in your website’s footer.

With that done, click on the ‘Update’ button.

Now, if you visit your website you’ll see all the links in the footer area.

You can also add links to the footer using a drag-and-drop page builder plugin like SeedProd. You can even create different footers for individual WordPress pages.

For step-by-step instructions, check out our guide on how to edit the footer in WordPress.

Adding a Menu to Your Footer with the Full-Site Editor

If you’re using a block-based theme such as ThemeIsle Hestia Pro or Twenty Twenty-Three, then the process of adding a menu to the footer is slightly different.

Simply create a navigation menu following the same process described above. Then, go to Themes Â» Editor in the WordPress dashboard to open the full-site editor.

Here, click on the downwards-pointing arrow in the toolbar and select the ‘Footer’ template.

In the footer area, go ahead and click on the ‘+’ button to add a new block.

In the ‘Search’ bar, type in ‘Navigation.’

When the right block appears, click to add it to the footer area.

The full-site editor will show one of your navigation menus by default.

If you want to show a different menu instead, then open the ‘Select menu’ dropdown in the right-hand panel and choose the menu you want to use.

When you’re happy with how the menu looks, click on ‘Save’ to make your changes live.

2. Adding Code in WordPress Footer

Sometimes you may need to add snippets to your WordPress blog or website’s footer.

You could edit your theme files directly and paste the new code in the footer.php template. However, this isn’t recommended as the custom code will disappear if you change the WordPress theme, or update that theme.

Editing your theme files directly can also be risky. Even a simple typo or mistake could cause lots of common WordPress errors.

The best way to add code in the WordPress footer is by using a code snippets plugin. WPCode is the best code snippets plugin for WordPress. It makes it easy to insert code into your WordPress siteâ€™s headers and footers without needing to edit your theme files.

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

Upon activation, go to Code Snippets Â» Header & Footer. From here you can paste your code snippet into the ‘Footer’ box.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your changes. For more detailed instructions, please see our article on how to add header and footer code in WordPress.

3. Adding Privacy Policy Link in WordPress Footer

To comply with GDPR and other privacy-related laws in different countries, you need to add a privacy policy page in WordPress and then link to it from all the other pages.

Since the footer appears across your entire website, it’s the perfect place to add this URL.

First, you need to go to Settings Â» Privacy in the admin area. Youâ€™ll notice that WordPress has already created a Privacy Policy page draft for you.

To use the default Privacy Policy page, simply click on ‘Use This Page.’ If you want to use a different page instead, then open the dropdown menu and choose a new page from the list.

You can also create a new privacy policy page from this screen. Simply click on the ‘Create’ button and WordPress will generate a new post with some basic privacy policy text.

No matter how you create the privacy policy page, you can edit it just like any other page in WordPress. For example, you can add more information about your requirements, and terms and conditions.

When you’re happy with the information you’ve entered, click on the ‘Publish’ button to make the privacy policy live.

With that done, you’ll need to add a link to your website’s footer. To add a navigation menu to the footer area, simply follow the same process described above.

4. Adding Copyright Date in WordPress Footer

You may also want to add a copyright date in the WordPress footer area to let visitors know that your content is copyrighted. One way to do this is by simply adding the text to your theme settings.

Many top WordPress themes allow you to add text in the footer area, so it’s worth checking whether your theme has this setting.

Simply go to the Appearance Â» Customize page and look for any footer settings in the left-hand menu. These are usually labeled ‘Footer Options,’ ‘Footer Settings’ or similar.

To add the copyright symbol, simply paste the following into the ‘Footer Credits,’ ‘Copyright Text’ or similar section.

© Copyright 2016-2023. All rights reserved.

The WordPress Theme Customizer will update automatically so you can see how the copyright text will look on your website.

Depending on your theme, you may also be able to change the font size and text alignment using the theme settings.

If you’re happy with how the copyright notice looks, then click on the ‘Publish’ button to make your changes live.

Pro Tip: With this approach, you’ll still need to update the copyright notice every year. To add the new year automatically, see our guide on how to add a dynamic copyright date in the WordPress footer.

Adding a Copyright Date to Your Footer with the Full-Site Editor

If you’re using a block-enabled theme, then it’s easy to add a copyright date to the footer. Simply go to Themes Â» Editor to open the full-site editor.

Then, scroll to the footer section and click on the ‘+’ to add a new block. You can now start typing in ‘Shortcode’ and select the right block when it appears.

In the shortcode block, add the following:

© Copyright 2016-2023. All rights reserved.

After that, simply click on the ‘Save’ button to make the copyright notice live.

5. Remove Powered by Links from Footer in WordPress

Some free WordPress themes add links to the footer area. Typically this is a ‘Powered by WordPress’ disclaimer that links to the official WordPress website, but some theme developers also include links to their own websites.

These outgoing links encourage visitors to leave your website and can have a negative effect on your WordPress SEO. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to remove them from the footer area by going to Appearance Â» Customize.

Some themes make it difficult to remove these links so you may have to spend time looking through the different settings.

To start, we recommend looking for any settings labeled ‘Footer Options,’ ‘Footer & Copyright Options,’ or similar.

Here, you should be able to delete the links or even replace them with your own URLs.

Some themes hard-code the links in the theme files and don’t give you the option to remove them using the WordPress Customizer.

In that case, you can remove these links by editing the footer.php file. For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to remove the powered by WordPress footer links.

Removing Powered By Links with the Full-Site Editor

To remove the ‘Powered By’ links in a block-enabled theme, simply open the full-site editor by following the same process described above.

In the editor, find the ‘Proudly powered by WordPress’ or similar text. You can replace this with your own text by typing into the ‘Paragraph’ block.

If you want to remove the text completely, then simply click to select the ‘Paragraph’ block. After that, click on the three-dotted ‘options’ button.

Finally, click on ‘Remove Paragraph’ to delete the block.

You can then go ahead and click on ‘Save.’ Now, if you visit your website you’ll see that this text has been removed.

6. How to Add Instagram Feed in WordPress Footer

Do you regularly post beautiful photos and videos to Instagram?

People wonâ€™t see your Instagram content if they just visit your website. With that in mind, you may want to show recent Instagram photos in your website’s footer.

This is an easy way to promote your social media page and encourage more people to follow you on Instagram.

The easiest way to add a photo feed in the WordPress footer is by using Smash Balloon Instagram Feed. It is the best Instagram plugin for WordPress and allows you to easily add a photo feed to your website.

After adding the social media feed to your footer, Smash Balloon will fetch new Instagram photos automatically. In this way, your footer will always show your latest Instagram photos to the people who visit your website.

If you run an online store, then you can even get more sales by adding Instagram shoppable images to the WordPress footer.

Smash Balloon has all the tools you need to fine-tune how the Instagram feed looks in your footer. For example, you can choose between different layouts, add a ‘Follow’ button, optimize your feed for mobile devices, and more with the user-friendly Smash Balloon editor.

For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to how to easily embed Instagram in WordPress.

When you’re happy with how the feed looks, it’s time to add it to your website’s footer. Simply go to Appearance Â» Widgets and click on the blue ‘+’ button.

In the search field, type in ‘Instagram Feed’ to find the right block. Just be aware that WordPress has a built-in Instagram Feed button, so make sure you use the block that has the official Instagram logo.

You can now drag and drop the block onto your site’s footer.

With that done, simply click on ‘Update.’ After that, you can visit your website to see your Instagram feed in the footer.

Adding an Instagram Feed with the Full-Site Editor

It’s easy to add the Smash Balloon Instagram feed to a block-enabled WordPress theme.

Simply open the full-site editor following the exact same process described above, and then click on the ‘+’ button in the footer template.

With that done, type in ‘Instagram Feed’ and select the right block when it appears to add it to the footer.

The full-site editor will automatically show the Instagram feed you created.

With that done, simply click on ‘Save’ to make the Instagram feed live.

7. Add a Sticky Footer Bar in WordPress

Want to show special offers or notifications in the footer area?

You can create a footer bar that stays stuck to the bottom of the screen as the visitor scrolls.

To create this kind of sticky footer bar, you’ll need OptinMonster. It is the best conversion optimization software in the market and allows you to turn website visitors with a high bounce rate into users and customers.

OptinMonster also comes with powerful display rules so you can show personalized custom messages in your website’s footer.

First, you’ll need to sign up for an OptinMonster account.

After that, install and activate the OptinMonster plugin on your WordPress website. Upon activation, select Connect Your Existing Account.

You can now type in the email address and password for your OptinMonster account.

Once connected, go to the OptinMonster Â» Campaigns page and click on the â€˜Create your first campaignâ€™ or ‘Add New’ button.

On the next screen, choose ‘Floating Bar’ as your campaign type and then select a template.

To preview an OptinMonster template, simply hover your mouse over it and then click on the ‘Preview’ button.

When you find a template you like, click on its ‘Use Template’ button.

You can then type in a name for the campaign. This is just for your reference so you can use any title you want.

With that done, click on Start Building.

This will take you to OptinMonster’s drag-and-drop campaign builder where you can design the footer bar. Simply click on any element you want to edit, or drag and drop new blocks from the left-hand column.

When you’re happy with how the campaign looks, simply click on the ‘Publish’ button.

Then, select ‘Publish’ to make the campaign live.

You can now select the ‘Save’ button to store your changes and then click on the ‘X’ in the upper-right corner to close the OptinMonster campaign builder.

Back in the WordPress dashboard, open the ‘Status’ dropdown and select ‘Published.’

Finally, click on ‘Save.

Now, visit your WordPress website to see the floating footer bar in action.

You can use OptinMonster to create all kinds of high-converting campaigns including slide-in footer popups, countdown timers, and targeted footer notifications that can help you recover abandoned cart sales.

8. Add Social Buttons in WordPress Footer

Another good way to use the footer space in your WordPress theme is by displaying social media icons. This is an easy way to promote your different profiles and get more followers on Twitter, Facebook, and other popular platforms.

The best way to add these buttons is by using the Social Icons Widget plugin. This plugin supports all the major social networks and comes with multiple icon styles that you can choose from.

After activating Social Icons Widget, go to the Appearance Â» Widgets page. You can then click on the ‘+’ button and search for ‘Social Icons Block.’

When the right block appears, drag and drop it onto the footer area.

By default, the Social Icons Block already has a few social media icons built-in.

To link any of these icons to your own social profiles, simply give it a click. In the little bar that appears, type in the URL of the page you want to promote.

Want to use a different icon for this social media platform?

Then simply click on the ‘Edit Details’ link. This opens a window where you can choose a new image for the social icon.

Simply repeat this process for each built-in social media icon.

If you want to remove one of these default icons, then click on the ‘Delete icon.’

There are countless social media platforms and other websites that you may want to add to the footer area.

To do this, click on the ‘+’ button.

You can now choose a social media icon and add a link by following the same process described above.

When you’re happy with how the social media icons are set up, click on ‘Update.’ Now, simply visit your website and scroll to the footer area to see the social buttons in action.

Bonus: Want to add more social features to your website? Take a look at our expert pick of the best social media plugins for WordPress to grow your audience.

Adding Social Buttons with the Full-Site Editor

Are you using a block-enabled theme? Then you can add social icons to the footer by going to Themes Â» Editor.

In the footer, click on the ‘+’ button and then type in ‘Social Icons block.’

When the right block appears, click to add it to the footer.

This adds a block with the default social icons.

You can now customize these icons and add new social buttons, by following the same process described above.

When you’re happy with how the buttons look, simply click on the ‘Save’ button. Now if you visit your website you’ll see the social icons in the block-enabled footer.

9. Add a Phone Number in WordPress Footer

If you offer customer support over the phone, then adding your phone number in the WordPress footer area can help users contact you.

For this, you’ll need a business phone number. We recommend using Nextiva, which is the best business phone service for small businesses.

Nextiva allows you to make cheaper calls and use advanced features like call forwarding, unlimited free domestic calling, voicemail to email and text, and more. You can also use the same number on multiple devices and handsets, and manage calls from any device that has an internet connection.

Once you have a business phone number, you’ll need to add it to your website. The easiest way is by using the WP Call Button plugin, which adds a click-to-call button to your WordPress site.

After activating the plugin, go to Settings Â» WP Call Button in the WordPress dashboard.

Here, click on the ‘Call Now Button Status’ switch so it shows ‘Active.’

Next, type your business phone number into the ‘Phone Number’ field.

By default, the button shows ‘Call Us’ text but you can replace this with your own custom messaging by typing into the ‘Call Button Text’ field.

After that, scroll to the Call Button Position section and choose where you want to show the button on your website. For example, you can show the button in the bottom-right corner, or create a banner that covers the whole footer area.

When you’re happy with how the button is set up, click on ‘Save Changes.’ After that, simply head over to your website to see the call-to-click button in action.

Don’t want to use a click-to-call button? Then see our guide on how to add clickable phone numbers in WordPress for some different options.

10. Add a Contact Form in WordPress Footer

Your website’s footer doesn’t have to be a dead-end. If you’ve added a navigation menu following the process described above, then you’re off to a great start. However, you can also encourage customers to connect with you by adding a contact form to the footer area.

This is where WPForms comes in.

WPForms is the best WordPress contact form plugin and comes with a ready-made Simple Contact Form template that allows you to create a contact form with just a few clicks.

After activating the plugin, go to WPForms Â» Add New and type in a name for the contact form. This is just for your reference so you can use anything you want.

Simply find the ‘Simple Contact Form’ template and click on its ‘Use Template’ button.

WPForms will now open the template in its form builder. The template already has all the fields you’ll typically need, but you can add more fields by dragging them from the left-hand menu and dropping them onto your form.

You can also click on any field to edit it, and rearrange them in the form using drag and drop.

To delete a field, simply hover your mouse over it and then click on the small trash can icon when it appears.

When you’re ready, click on the ‘Save’ button to store your changes.

To add the contact form to your footer, head over to the Appearance Â» Widgets page in the WordPress dashboard.

Here, click on the ‘+’ button and search for ‘WPForms.’ When the right block shows up, drag and drop it onto your theme’s footer area.

After that, open the ‘Form’ dropdown and select your contact form.

You can also add an optional title, which will appear above the contact form.

Once you’ve done that, click on the ‘Update’ button.

Now, if you visit your website you’ll see the new contact form in the footer.

Adding a Contact Form with the Full-Site Editor

Want to add a contact form to the footer of a block-enabled theme?

Then you’ll need to head over to Themes Â» Editor. Here, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on the ‘+’ in the footer area.

With that done, type in ‘WPForms’ to find the right block.

Give this block a click to add it to the footer area.

In the WPForms block, open the ‘Select a Form’ dropdown and choose the contact form we just created.

When you’re ready to make the contact form live, simply click on the ‘Save’ button.

We hope this article helped you decide which things to add to your WordPress footer to make it more useful. Next, you can see our guide on how to improve your WordPress website speed and performance, and our expert pick of the best WordPress plugins to use on your site.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to ourÂ YouTube ChannelÂ for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us onÂ TwitterÂ and Facebook.

The post Checklist: 10 Things To Add To The Footer on Your WordPress Site first appeared on WPBeginner.
08.02.2023
Beginnerâ€™s Guide: How to Center Align a Video in WordPress
Do you want to center-align a video in WordPress?

By default, if your video’s width is less than your article area, then WordPress automatically aligns it to the left, leaving extra white space on the right side.

In this article, we will show you how to easily center align a video in WordPress.

Why Center Align Videos in WordPress?

When you embed a video in WordPress, it automatically aligns them to the left by default. This is because videos are external content embedded in the content, so WordPress is unable to guess how you would like to display it.

As a best practice, it automatically aligns it to the left, leaving it up to you to adjust the alignment if needed.

By aligning the video to the center, users will have a better experience viewing your content. This way, you won’t have noticeable blank space on the one side of the page, which could give an unprofessional look.

Besides, if you upload videos directly to WordPress, the same thing will happen to them if their width is less than your content area. WordPress will align them to the left by default.

That being said, let’s see how you can easily center-align a video in a WordPress website. We’ll cover both the block editor and classic editor, so you can click the links below to jump ahead to any section.
- How to Center Align Video in WordPress Content Editor
- How to Center Align Video in the Classic Editor
How to Center Align Video in WordPress Content Editor

If you want your video to fill the width of your content area, then the best way to do this is by adding a YouTube or Vimeo video URL directly in the WordPress content editor.

First, you’ll need to edit a post or a page or add a new one. Once you are in the content editor, simply paste the link to the video. WordPress will embed the video automatically.

Next, select the video block and then click the Change Alignment option. From the dropdown menu, you can choose the position of the video.

WordPress lets you choose from the following alignments:
- wide width
- full width
- align left
- align center
- align right.
Go ahead and select the ‘Align center’ option.

After that, you can preview and publish your page or post.

The video will now be center-aligned.

However, sometimes for one reason or another, you may need to use the embed code. In that case, you will need to add some simple HTML around your video’s embed code.

First, you need to click the 3 dotted icons in the video block. After that, you can select the ‘Edit as HTML’ option from the dropdown menu.

Next, you can enter the following piece of HTML code around the embed code of the video:
```
<div style="text-align:center;">

/// your video embed code goes here

</div>
```
Here’s what your embed code would look like with the custom HTML.

You can now save your changes and preview the post or page. Your video will be neatly aligned in the center of your content area.

Another approach is to manually increase your video’s width to fit the content area. To achieve this, you need to add or change the ‘width’ parameter in your embed code.
```
<iframe width="760" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4YpyiJ05YOg" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
```
How to Center Align Video in the Classic Editor

If you’re using the Classic editor, then you can center align videos by editing a post or creating a new one.

Once you’re in the editor, switch to the Text view. Now enter the following HTML code:
```
<div style="text-align:center;">

/// your video embed code goes here

</div>
```
Just make sure to replace ‘your video embed code goes here’ with your video’s embed code.

Once that’s done, it will look something like this:

You can now preview and publish your page.

Simply visit your website to see the center-aligned video.

We hope this article helped you learn how to center align a video in WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on how to start a WordPress blog and must-have WordPress plugins.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to ourÂ YouTube ChannelÂ for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us onÂ TwitterÂ and Facebook.

The post Beginnerâ€™s Guide: How to Center Align a Video in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.
06.02.2023
Image Alt Text vs Image Title in WordPress â€“ Whatâ€™s the Difference?
A lot of content on the web includes images. However, not many website owners optimize their images for speed or better search rankings.

Even though WordPress comes with the option to add alt text and an image title, often beginners do not understand the difference and how to use them.

In this article, we will share the difference between image alt text vs image title in WordPress, so you can improve your image SEO.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this tutorial:
What’s the Difference Between Alt Text and Image Title?

‘Alt text’ is short for ‘alternate text’ and is an attribute that is added to an HTML image tag. The text describes the image, so visitors who can’t see the image and search engine bots will understand what the image is about.

If an image on your WordPress website can’t be found or displayed for some reason, then the alt text will be shown instead, as you can see in the following screenshot.

Alt text is different from the image’s title. The title will be displayed in a small popup box when you bring your mouse cursor over the image.

Alt text and image titles are also used to improve the accessibility of your website for those with poor vision and who use screen reader devices to read your site’s content.

When the screen reader comes to an image, it will read the alt text. Depending on the user’s settings, it may also read the title text.

For both accessibility and search engine optimization (SEO), alt text is more important than title text. This is why we strongly recommend including alt text for all your images.

How to Add Alt Text to an Image in WordPress

WordPress allows you to easily add alt text to your images. You can do this from the block editor, the classic editor, or the WordPress Media Library.

Adding Alt Text in the Block Editor

Simply create a new post or page or edit an existing one, and add an Image block.

If you’re not sure how to add a block or you need some extra help with the block editor, then just check out our tutorial on how to use the WordPress block editor.

Now you need to upload your image or drag and drop it into the Image block. You can then set the alt text on the right-hand side of the page.

Adding Alt Text in the Classic Editor

If you’re still using the classic WordPress editor, then you can add image alt text when adding the image.

First, click on ‘Add Media’ above the posting box.

After that, you should either upload the image from your computer or click the ‘Media Library’ tab to view images you’ve already uploaded.

Next, click on the image you want in order to select it, and then type the alt text you want into the ‘Attachment Details’ of your image.

Adding Alt Text in the Media Library

You can also add alt text to an image by going to Media Â» Library and clicking on the image to edit it.

Remember, this won’t change the alt text for any instances of that image that you’ve already inserted into posts or pages. However, if you add the image to a post or page after adding alt text here, then the alt text will be included with it.

How to Add Image Titles in WordPress

It’s important to understand that there are two types of titles that you can add to your images.

First, there is the default image title WordPress uses internally to identify media files in the Media Library and attachments pages. Second, there is the HTML image title attribute added to images in your posts and pages.

Let’s take a look at how to add both types of titles.

Adding the WordPress Image Title in the Media Library

You can add WordPress media titles to your images using the Media Library. When you edit an image in the Media Library, you will see a ‘Title’ field.

This title is used by WordPress to identify the image. When you click the ‘View attachment page’ link at the bottom of the screen, you’ll see the title is used as the title on that page.

The WordPress media title isn’t necessary for image SEO or for users with screen readers. While it may be helpful in some cases, it’s not as useful as the image’s HTML title attribute. So how do you create that?

Pro Tip: Would you like to automatically use the WordPress media title as the image’s title attribute in your posts and pages? Take a look at the section below where we show you how to do this using All in One SEO Pro.

Adding an HTML Image Title Attribute in the Block Editor

It’s easy to add a title attribute in the block editor. Simply click the image and then click the down arrow next to ‘Advanced’ to show the advanced image options.

Now you can simply type the title in the ‘Title Attribute’ field.

Adding an HTML Image Title Attribute in the Classic Editor

Adding a title attribute using the old classic editor is similar. You can add the title attribute by clicking on an image and then clicking the pencil icon.

You’ll then see the ‘Image Details’ screen. To set the image title attribute, you need to click the little down arrow next to ‘Advanced Options’ at the bottom.

You can then set the image’s title attribute. Make sure you click the ‘Update’ button at the bottom of the screen when you’re done.

How to Automatically Set Alt Text and Image Titles Using AIOSEO

All in One SEO (AIOSEO) is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market. It will add a proper image sitemap and other SEO features to improve your SEO ranking. It also lets you automatically set your alt text and image titles, and more.

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the All in One SEO plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin. To use the Image SEO feature, you will need the Plus plan or above.

Upon activation, the plugin will launch the setup wizard automatically. You can learn how to configure the plugin in our guide on how to set up All in One SEO correctly.

Now you need to navigate to All in One SEO Â» Search Appearance and then click on the ‘Image SEO’ tab. After that, you’ll have to click the ‘Activate Image SEO’ button to enable the premium image SEO features.

Setting Image Titles Using All in One SEO

Make sure that you are looking at the ‘Title’ tab of the Image SEO page. Here you can choose tags that will set the format used to automatically generate title attributes for your images.

For example, if you include the ‘+ Image Title’ tag, then each image in your posts and pages will automatically use the WordPress media title in the HTML title attribute.

You can also add other tags, such as your website title, to your image title attribute. All in One SEO can even strip punctuation from the title and change its capitalization.

Setting Alt Text Using All in One SEO

Next, you need to click the ‘Alt Tag’ tab on the AIOSEO’s Image SEO page. Here you can automatically format the alt text of your images.

By default, AIOSEO will simply use the image’s alt text. If you like, you can also add your website’s title and other information to the alt text of each image on your website.

Why Use Alt Text and Image Titles in WordPress?

We strongly recommend using alt text for all images. Here on WPBeginner, we also add a title to all images. However, this is less important than the alt text.

Alt text is important because Google focuses on it as a ranking factor for images. It is also used by screen readers to help visitors with impaired vision to fully engage with your content.

You should never just stuff keywords into alt and title tags. It’s important that you make them descriptive and helpful so that they’re useful for visitors who need them. You can use your keywords where relevant, but don’t overdo it.

For example, if you’re writing an article about the best WordPress hosting, then your target keyword could be “best WordPress hosting”.

You might also have a screenshot in your article showing users how to set up an account with a popular web host like Bluehost. Let’s take a look at some good and bad examples of alt text for that image:
- “Account setup” is not very descriptive and also doesn’t include anything related to your keyword.
- “Best WordPress hosting, WordPress hosting, best web hosting for WordPress” doesn’t describe the image and is stuffed with keywords.
- “Setting up a WordPress hosting account” is much better as it’s descriptive and uses part of the keyword in a natural and appropriate way.
We hope this article helped you understand the difference between image alt text and image title in WordPress. You may also want to learn how to optimize images for the web, and check out our list of the best WordPress SEO plugins and tools.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to ourÂ YouTube ChannelÂ for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us onÂ TwitterÂ and Facebook.

The post Image Alt Text vs Image Title in WordPress â€“ Whatâ€™s the Difference? first appeared on WPBeginner.
02.02.2023
How to Create and Sell Ebooks in WordPress from Start to Finish
Did you know that you can create an ebook from your WordPress blog posts?

Offering ebook downloads on your WordPress website is a good way to make money online or grow your email list. Writing a book is a big job, but you may discover that youâ€™ve already written enough content for a book on your blog.

In this article, weâ€™ll show you a smart way on how to create an ebook from your WordPress blog posts.

Why Create an Ebook From Your WordPress Blog Posts?

If you publish regular blog posts on your WordPress website, then you have a lot of content that you can repurpose or monetize. One of the best ways to repurpose your content is to turn your blog into an ebook.

Writing an ebook can build your siteâ€™s credibility. You can use it to grow your email list, offer it as exclusive content on a membership site, or sell it to make money from your blog.

However, writing a book is difficult, and 97% of people who start to write a book never finish.

The good news is that you may have already written a book. Your most popular blog posts may already contain enough quality content to repurpose as a successful ebook. Or you can use your blog to write a new book one post at a time.

With that being said, letâ€™s take a look at how to create an ebook from your WordPress blog posts. Here’s what weâ€™ll cover in this tutorial:
Choosing Which Blog Content to Use in Your Ebook

Your first job is to decide which blog posts should be included in your ebook. If your blog is about a certain topic or niche, then you may just need to find your most popular blog posts. Each post will become a chapter of your ebook.

However, if you wish to create multiple ebooks, then you should choose blog posts that cover more specific topics, such as popular posts in a specific category. You can even consider future ebook ideas when you are planning the content to write about on your blog.

How to Find Your Most Engaging Content to Include in an Ebook

You want to create an ebook that people actually want to read. A good starting point is to find your most engaging and popular blog posts. That way, you already know that your readers are interested in these topics.

If you are not already tracking user engagement on your WordPress blog, then the best way to get started is by using MonsterInsights. Itâ€™s the best Analytics plugin for WordPress and helps you configure Google Analytics without writing code.

There’s also a free version of MonsterInsights that you can use as well.

When you install and activate MonsterInsights, you will also set up Google Analytics tracking in WordPress. Once your blog has been tracked for some time, you will be able to view important user engagement metrics such as your most popular content.

You just need to visit the Insights Â» Reports page in your WordPress admin area and go to the â€˜Overviewâ€™ report. You can scroll down to see different reports, and you will find your most popular content under the â€˜Top Posts/Pagesâ€™ section.

You’ll find detailed instructions about how to set up and use MonsterInsights in our guide on how to track user engagement in WordPress with Google Analytics.

Now that you know what your most popular posts are, you need to choose which ones to include in your ebook. They should contain evergreen content that will stay fresh and also fit together logically as chapters to form a complete ebook.

Writing a Series of Blog Posts to Create Content for an Ebook

Another way to come up with blog content for an ebook is to write a series of articles on a particular topic. These blog posts can then be compiled into an ebook.

We do something similar on WPBeginner, where we regularly compile a series of posts into a new article. Here are some examples of articles we have compiled with repurposed content from our existing articles:
In fact, whenever you are writing about a complex topic, it is almost always better to write a series of posts that break the topic up into smaller parts.

You can learn more in our guide on how to efficiently manage post series in WordPress.

Quickly Updating the Posts You Choose for Your Ebook

Once you have chosen the blog posts you wish to include in your ebook, take some time to quickly update them if necessary. By doing that now, you will make sure that both the blog post and ebook are free from errors and contain all of the necessary information.

You can start by making sure there are no spelling or grammar errors in the post. Most likely you did this before publishing each post, but itâ€™s worth checking this again in case something was missed.

You can learn the best ways to proofread your posts in our guide on how to check grammar and spelling mistakes in WordPress.

Also, take time to check the comments on each post. They may identify areas where the blog post isn’t clear enough or is missing important information. Take time to address those issues.

Later in this article, you will make further edits that will be needed in the ebook but not the blog posts.

Creating Professional-Looking Cover Art for Your Ebook

One of the best ways to create an ebook that looks professional is to use a well-designed ebook cover. Your readers will actually judge your book by its cover.

You could hire a graphic designer using websites such as 99designs or Fiverr. Or you can use graphic design software or web services to do it yourself even if you don’t have design skills.

Before you create the cover art for your book, make sure you first finalize the ebook title. It should be clear and concise, grab the readerâ€™s attention, and describe what the book is about. You may also want to create a subtitle and book description.

One of the easiest ways to create cover art is with Canva, a free online graphic design tool. It comes with easy-to-use tools that allow you to create a book cover from a template.

The basic Canva account is free and gives you access to dozens of ready-made templates. To get the full power of Canva, you may want to sign up for a Pro account. This lets you upload your own fonts, set your brand colors, and more.

After creating your account, simply type â€˜book coverâ€™ into the search box and then click on the â€˜Book Coverâ€™ search result.

Canva will display a list of thousands of book cover templates. These have the correct width ratio of 1.6 and also a high-quality resolution of 1410 x 2250 pixels.

You can filter the list by clicking the genres at the top of the screen, or by checking one of the styles or themes on the left. This will help you find the most suitable templates quickly.

Once you find a template you want to use for your cover art, you should click it to preview it. You will also see whether it is a free, paid, or pro template. After that, you should click the â€˜Customize this templateâ€™ button.

Canva will now load its drag-and-drop editing interface. You can point and click on any item in the template to edit it. Make sure you type the correct title, subtitle, and author. You can rotate, resize, crop, and delete items.

You can also add more text, icons, shapes, patterns, and backgrounds to your design from the left column. However, you will often get the best result by making simple changes.

When you have finished creating your cover art, you will need to save it to your computer. Simply select File Â» Download from the menu at the top of the screen.

You can select a variety of file types from the drop-down menu, including PDF, JPG, and PNG. For this tutorial, we will choose PNG and then click the â€˜Downloadâ€™ button.

Method 1: Turning Blog Posts Into an Ebook Using Google Docs (Free)

You can create an ebook from your blog posts using Google Docs. This requires a little more manual work than our second method, but itâ€™s free and makes it easy for you to edit and customize your ebook.

You need to start by creating a new Google Doc and naming it with your ebookâ€™s title.

After that, make sure that under the View menu, â€˜Show Print Layoutâ€™ is checked. This will allow you to see how each page of your ebook will look.

Inserting Your Ebook Cover Art

The first thing you need to do is insert the cover art you created earlier.

You can either use drag and drop to place it on the first page, or select Insert Â» Image from the menu and upload it to your computer.

Once youâ€™ve done that, you should select Insert Â» Break Â» Page break from the menu to start a new page.

Creating a Title Page and Table of Contents

On the new page, you should type the title of your ebook. Before you press enter, make sure you format it as a title by selecting â€˜Titleâ€™ from the Styles drop-down menu.

If you wish to center the title, then you need to select Format Â» Align & Indent Â» Center.

You can now press the Enter key several times and type the ebookâ€™s subtitle if you have one, as well as your name or your blogâ€™s name as the author.

You might like to format them using a larger font and center them. Donâ€™t use a heading style, or these lines will be included in your table of contents. You can also use the enter key to space these lines appropriately down the page.

Once youâ€™re done, you should select Insert Â» Break Â» Page break from the menu again to start another new page.

On the next page, you will add the table of contents. Google Docs will populate this with headings as you add content to the document.

Start by typing the heading â€˜Table of Contentsâ€™ and format it with the Heading 1 style.

Tip: If your text is still being centered, then you will need to select Format Â» Clear formatting from the menu to return to the default formatting.

Now you can press Enter and select Insert Â» Table of Contents from the menu. You can choose from a version with page numbers and a version with hyperlinks.

At the moment, the table of contents will be quite empty, but it will be updated as you add blog posts to your ebook.

Pasting the Your Blog Post Contents

Now itâ€™s time to start pasting the content from your blog posts into Google Docs. Before you paste each blog post, make sure you insert a new page break (Insert Â» Break Â» Page break) so each ebook chapter starts on a new page.

Then, just head to your WordPress website and navigate to your blog post.

Simply highlight the entire post, copy it to the clipboard, and then paste it into Google Docs. After that, insert another page break and repeat until all the blog posts have been copied.

You may also want to set the title of the posts to Heading 2 in Google Docs so they’re included as chapters in your Table of Contents and document outline.

For our demo ebook, we pasted the contents of 7 blog posts into Google Docs to produce a 167-page ebook. Selecting Tools Â» Word count from the menu shows that the document contains almost 25,000 words.

Editing Your Ebook Contents

Now you should work through your ebook content and make any changes that are necessary. Some things that work well in a blog post wonâ€™t belong in an ebook.

For example, you may need to tweak the title of each blog post so it works better as a chapter heading. And if you added a call to action at the bottom of each blog post, then you may need to remove it from each chapter in your ebook.

You may need to replace references to â€˜postsâ€™ with â€˜chaptersâ€™. Also, you should replace internal links to your blog with links to the chapters in your ebook if they are included.

You should also work on the transitions between chapters so your book flows better, otherwise, it might read like a collection of separate blog posts. You might also want to add a stronger introduction and conclusion to the book.

You might also like to add additional material to the book, such as sections on:
- How to use this book
- What youâ€™ll find in this book
- About the author
- Contact information
- Copyright information
- Disclosures
- Resources and links
- Footnotes and sources
Finally, make sure you correct any spelling and grammar errors you find while editing.

Customizing Your Ebookâ€™s Design

Before you export your ebook from Google Docs, consider whether you can improve the design of your ebook.

For example, you can customize the appearance of your headings or normal text.

This is easy to do in Google Docs. You can start by changing the format of a particular heading directly. Just select the font you want, if you want it bold or underlined, or other design choices.

After that, with that text still highlighted, select Heading 1 Â» Update Heading 1 to match from the drop-down menu to automatically change all other headings to match.

You can also add a header or footer that includes your ebook title and page numbers.

Just select Insert Â» Headers & Footers and then click â€˜Headerâ€™ or â€˜Footerâ€™ in the menu. You can set up page numbers by clicking the â€˜Optionsâ€™ menu from the header.

When you are happy with the way your ebook is formatted, then itâ€™s time to export it in an ebook format.

Exporting Your Ebook as a PDF

Now that you have finished creating your ebook, you can save it to your computer as a PDF. Simply select File Â» Download Â» PDF Document from the menu.

Tip: Before exporting your ebook, we recommend you update the table of contents to include any new chapters you have added. When you click on the table of contents, you will find a button labeled ‘Update table of contents’ at the top.

Google Docs also allows you to download the ebook as an EPUB Publication. This format should be used if you want to make the book available in a marketplace such as Amazon’s Kindle Store.

Method 2: Turning Blog Posts Into an Ebook Using a Plugin

You can also create an ebook from your blog posts using a plugin. MPL-Publisher is the best ebook creator plugin because it covers everything you need to do in an easy-to-use interface.

You will need to use the premium version to export your ebook as a PDF file. This costs $49 per WordPress site and also offers a cover editor and the ability to store the settings for multiple books. The free version can export in EPUB and Microsoft Word formats, and more.

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the MPL-Publisher plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you will need to enter the license key that was emailed to you. Simply navigate to MPL-Publisher Â» Publish eBook on the admin sidebar, then click on the â€˜Premiumâ€™ tab. Now you can paste the license key into the field provided.

Entering the Book Details

Next, you need to enter some details about your book. Make sure you are looking at the â€˜Detailsâ€™ tab of the MPL-Publisher Â» Publish eBook page.

From here, you can fill in the book details such as the title, subtitle, author, and description.

Next, you should click on the â€˜Metaâ€™ tab where you can enter metadata about the book.

You will find fields where you can fill in the bookâ€™s ISBN (or some other unique identifier), language, publication date, publisher name, and copyright information.

You can scroll to the bottom of the page and click the â€˜Saveâ€™ button to store the book details and metadata.

Inserting Your Ebook Cover Art

Now you can move to the â€˜Coverâ€™ tab. Here you can add the cover image that you created earlier.

Simply click the â€˜Select Imageâ€™ button and you will be taken to your siteâ€™s Media Library. From there, you can upload the cover art and then click the â€˜Selectâ€™ button.

If you havenâ€™t already created your cover art, you can use the pluginâ€™s Cover Editor to create a book cover right from the WordPress dashboard. Note that this is one of the plugin’s premium features.

Customizing Your Ebookâ€™s Design

Now you can switch to the pluginâ€™s â€˜Designâ€™ tab to choose how your book will be formatted. Several themes are available, and you simply click on the theme you wish to use.

When you scroll down the page, you can choose whether to include the postâ€™s featured images in the ebook and whether to insert or embed the images in the ebook.

Make sure you choose the second or third option. We recommend you avoid the first option, which is to link the images from your website.

Advanced users can also format their books using custom CSS.

Make sure you scroll down and click the â€˜Saveâ€™ button to store your progress.

Selecting the Posts to Include in Your Ebook

On the left of the screen, you will see a list of posts on your website. To include a post in the ebook, simply click its checkbox.

If you have a lot of posts on your website, then you make it easier to find the posts you wish to include by filtering the list. You will find filters for type, status, category, month, and year.

For this tutorial, weâ€™ll filter the list to include only posts (not pages) that have been published. Weâ€™ll also filter the list by the â€˜Bloggingâ€™ category.

Simply select the desired criteria from the drop-down menus and then click the â€˜Filter contentâ€™ button.

Next to each post, you will see a word count and how long the chapter will take to read.

Once you check the posts you wish to include, you can reorder them by dragging and dropping the hamburger icon. That’s the icon that looks like three horizontal lines.

When creating your ebook, MPL-Publisher will automatically create a table of contents containing these chapters.

Editing Your Ebook Contents

You can edit a post by clicking the â€˜Editâ€™ link that appears under the post when you hover your mouse over it. The changes will be seen in both your ebook and the post on your website.

If you want to edit the ebook contents only, leaving the post on your website as it is, then you need to click the â€˜Duplicate and Editâ€™ link. This will create a duplicate of the post with the ‘Book Chapter’ custom post type.

Once you update the book chapter, you will need to uncheck the original post, then locate and check the new book chapter you just created. Book chapters display a book icon beside the title.

If you want to add a new chapter to your book that doesnâ€™t appear on your blog, then you can click the â€˜Add New Book Chapterâ€™ button.

This will create a new blank book chapter that will be found only in your book, and not on your blog.

In Method 1 above, we provide a list of additional material you might like to add to your ebook, such as contact information, disclaimers, and more.

Exporting Your Ebook as a PDF

Once you have finished setting up the ebook, you can export it. You need to scroll down to the â€˜Output formatâ€™ and choose â€˜Adobe File (PDF)â€™ as the file type.

Alternatively, you could select â€˜Microsoft Word (DOCX)â€™ if you plan to continue editing the book or sending it to a professional editor, or â€˜EPUB 3.0â€™ if you plan to make the book available in an online ebook store.

If you like, you can check the â€˜Validate content before downloadâ€™ box. This ensures that the ebook will not contain HTML errors.

Finally, simply click the â€˜Download eBookâ€™ button, and MPL-Publisher will compile your ebook and download it in the format you specified.

How to Promote and Monetize Your eBook in WordPress

Now that you have created an ebook from your blog posts, you need a way to promote it, so more visitors can get your ebook. There are a few ways to do this.

The method you choose depends on your business goal. You can giveaway the ebook for free to raise awareness, use ebook as a lead magnet to get more email subscribers, or sell your ebook to make money online.

1. Allowing Free Ebook Downloads in WordPress

You can offer your ebook as a free download using the WordPress file block.

Simply edit the post or page where you want to add your ebook download and then add a ‘File’ block.

This will allow you to upload the ebook to your site, and it will be displayed in the post in a small PDF viewer by default.

For step-by-step instructions, see Method 1 in our guide on how to add ebook downloads in WordPress.

Tip: Want your visitors to be able to search for your ebookâ€™s content on your website? WordPress doesnâ€™t do this by default, so we wrote a guide on how to add PDF indexing and search in WordPress.

2. Using Ebook Downloads to Get More Subscribers

If youâ€™re using your ebook to grow your email list or capture leads, then youâ€™ll want to make sure your visitors canâ€™t access the ebook until they share their email addresses.

You can set that up using OptinMonster, the best lead generation plugin for WordPress. We use it on WPBeginner and have increased our conversions by over 600%.

For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to add content upgrades in WordPress.

3. Selling Ebook Downloads in WordPress

Selling digital products like ebooks is one of the best ways to earn money from your WordPress website.

To sell ebooks, youâ€™ll need a plugin like Easy Digital Downloads, one of the best eCommerce WordPress plugins. This beginner-friendly plugin makes it super easy to sell any type of digital product including ebooks.

Once installed and activated, you can easily add new downloads to your website. Itâ€™s easy to add a title and description for your ebook, as well as categories and tags.

The plugin also handles pricing. You can choose variable pricing with multiple options. You may have one option to sell just the ebook and another that includes an additional product. Using EDD, they will both show on the same product page.

You can also simply set a single price for your ebook purchase.

After that, you can upload your ebook and add a cover image that will be displayed on your website.

You can find more detailed instructions in Method 3 of our guide on how to add ebook downloads in WordPress.

Bonus Tips to Promote Your Ebook

The easiest way to promote your ebook is to your existing audience. Both email newsletters and push notifications are an excellent way to spread the word about your new ebook launch.

You can use PushEngage to setup push notification for your blog readers. This has among the highest engagement rates.

For email marketing services, we recommend either Constant Contact or Sendinblue since they’re affordable for new users.

Another proven technique you can use to promote your ebook is giveaways. These help you leverage the power of social media to bring more new users to your blog.

We recommend using RafflePress plugin to create a viral giveaway since it seamlessly connects with all major social media platforms.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to create an ebook from your WordPress blog posts. You may also want to learn how to start your own podcast, or check out our comparison of the best WordPress SEO plugins to grow your traffic.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to ourÂ YouTube ChannelÂ for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us onÂ TwitterÂ and Facebook.

The post How to Create and Sell Ebooks in WordPress from Start to Finish first appeared on WPBeginner.
01.02.2023
How to Limit or Disable Automatic Empty Trash in WordPress
Do you want to change how often your trash is emptied on your WordPress website, or stop WordPress from emptying the trash automatically?

By default, WordPress will automatically delete anything that has been in the trash for 30 days. However, some users might like the trash to be emptied more or less often, or prefer to empty the trash manually.

In this article, we will show you how to limit or disable the trash being automatically emptied in WordPress.

What Is Trash in WordPress?

WordPress added a trash feature way back in version 2.9. It works just like the recycle bin or trash on your computer.

In other words, your deleted posts arenâ€™t removed permanently but are sent to the trash instead so they can be recovered for a time. Anyone can delete a post accidentally. That’s why WordPress makes it easy to restore deleted posts and pages.

You can view them by going to Posts Â» All Posts from your WordPress dashboard and then clicking the ‘Trash’ option.

Your WordPress website will automatically delete anything in the trash after 30 days so that it doesn’t pile up.

What if you donâ€™t want WordPress to automatically delete items from the trash? Or you’d prefer it to be emptied more or less often than once a month.

Letâ€™s have a look at how you can have it automatically emptied as often as you like. We’ll cover three methods below. The first method is the easiest for most users. You can use the links below to jump to your preferred method.
Method 1: Changing when WordPress Trash Is Emptied with a Plugin

First, you need to install and activate the Change Empty Trash Time plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you should visit the Settings Â» General page of your admin dashboard. Once there, scroll to the bottom of the page, and you will find a new â€˜Time to empty trash (in days)â€™ setting.

Simply type in the number of days that WordPress should take to empty the trash. For example, you can type 1 for daily, 7 for weekly, or 30 for monthly.

If you type 0, then deleted posts and pages will be deleted permanently instead of being placed in the trash.

Note: Be very careful about setting the time to empty to 0. It can be difficult to recover permanently deleted posts and pages. Make sure you’re using a backup plugin, just in case.

Donâ€™t forget to click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

Method 2: Changing when WordPress Trash Is Emptied with Code

You can also configure how regularly the trash is emptied by the use of a code snippet. This method is not recommended for beginners, so if youâ€™re not familiar with code, then you should use Method 1 instead.

For this method, you’ll have to edit your wp-config.php file.

If you haven’t edited the wp-config.php file before, then take a look at our guide on how to edit wp-config.php file in WordPress.

You can simply add the following line of code to your wp-config.php file.
```
define('EMPTY_TRASH_DAYS', 1 ); //Integer is the amount of days
```
You should paste it near the end of the file, just before the line that says, ‘That’s all, stop editing! Happy blogging.’

If you leave this code snippet as it is, then your trash will be emptied every day. Feel free to change the number 1 to some other number, and the trash will be emptied after that number of days.

If you donâ€™t wish to use the trash feature at all, then you should set the number to 0. Deleted posts and pages will then be deleted permanently without being placed in the trash.

Make sure you have a backup plugin set up first, just in case you need to restore any accidentally deleted pages.

Donâ€™t forget to save the wp-config.php file once you have made your changes.

Method 3: Stopping WordPress from Automatically Emptying Trash

Do you want to stop WordPress from automatically deleting items from the trash?

Simply add the little code snippet below into your theme’s functions.php file. If you’re not used to editing your core WordPress files, check out our guide on copying and pasting code snippets from the web.

Now, we don’t generally recommend editing your site’s theme files directly. The slightest mistake can break your website. A better way of adding code snippets is by using WPCode.

First, you’ll need to install and activate the free WPCode plugin. For more details, please see our guide on how to install a plugin.

After that, you can go to Code Snippets Â» + Add Snippet from your WordPress dashboard and then select the ‘Add Your Custom Code (New Snippet) option.

Next, you will need to enter a title for your code snippet.

Then, copy this snippet and paste it into the box labeled ‘Code Preview.’
```
function wpb_remove_schedule_delete() {
    remove_action( 'wp_scheduled_delete', 'wp_scheduled_delete' );
}
add_action( 'init', 'wpb_remove_schedule_delete' );
```
This code simply removes the action that deletes trashed items when their time is up.

Don’t forget to click the ‘Code Type’ dropdown menu and select the ‘PHP Snippet’ option.

After that, you can scroll down to the ‘Insertion’ section to view more options, such as how and where you’d like to insert the code.

We recommend using the default options. The plugin will Auto Insert the code and run it everywhere on your site.

You can then click the toggle to make your code snippet Active.

Once that’s done, simply click the ‘Save Snippet’ button at the top.

Now when you send an item to the trash, it will remain there until you view your trashed files.

From here, you can manually click on the ‘Empty Trash’ button to delete any post.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to limit or disable automatic empty trash in WordPress. You may also want to learn how to get a free SSL certificate or check out list of must have plugins to grow your site.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to ourÂ YouTube ChannelÂ for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us onÂ TwitterÂ and Facebook.

The post How to Limit or Disable Automatic Empty Trash in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.
31.01.2023
10 Website Marketing Data You Must Track on Every WordPress Site
Are you wondering which marketing data you should be tracking on your WordPress website?

After launching a website, most small business owners rely on their best guesses to make important marketing decisions. Not only does that add huge risk, but it also significantly slows down growth.

In this guide, we will share the top website marketing data that you must track on every WordPress site, so you can make data-driven decisions to grow your business.

Why Do You Need to Track Marketing Data in WordPress?

We believe it’s easy to double your traffic and sales when you know exactly how people find and use your website. Most business owners do not realize how easy it is to track important marketing metrics on your WordPress site.

For example, with a few clicks, you can find out who your visitors are, where they are coming from, and what they do on your website. You can learn which of your articles are getting more visits and which pages on your site are not getting any views.

If you run an online store, then you can see what’s your website conversion rate, which page drives the most sales, what are your top referral sources, and more.

You can use all this marketing data to make informed business decisions and grow your business with confidence.

That said, let’s take a look at the top website marketing stats that you must track on every WordPress site. You can click the links below to quickly jump to any section you’re interested in:
1. Set Up Google Analytics in WordPress

The best way to track marketing data on your WordPress website is by using Google Analytics. It is the most popular website analytics software in the world and is loved by businesses, bloggers, and marketers because it provides a treasure trove of information.

For example, you can use Google Analytics to learn:
- The number of visits and pageviews on your website
- Who is visiting your website (visitor location, browser, operating system, screen size, and more)
- How they found your website
- How users interact with your website
- And a whole lot more
Google Analytics is an essential tool in our own business. However, you’ll need to add a tracking code to your website, which requires editing code. This can be tricky for beginners, and the slightest mistake can mess up your tracking.

An easier way of setting up Google Analytics is using MonsterInsights. It is the best WordPress Analytics plugin and helps you set up advanced tracking in WordPress without editing code.

See our step-by-step tutorial on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.

2. Track Outbound Links Using Google Analytics

Any link that takes users away from your website is called an outbound link. If you use affiliate marketing to make money from your website, then those outbound links are also known as affiliate links.

Tracking these outbound links help you see how much traffic you are sending to other sites, and you can use this data to build stronger partnerships with those sites.

As a blogger, you can see which affiliate links are clicked more often by your visitors. This information can help you make a proper affiliate marketing strategy and boost your referral earnings.

The easiest way to track affiliate links in WordPress is by using MonsterInsights. It tracks outbound links and affiliate links on your site out of the box.

You also get easy-to-understand reports inside your WordPress dashboard, including your top affiliate and outbound links.

For detailed instructions see our guide on how to track outbound links in WordPress.

3. Enhanced Ecommerce Tracking with Google Analytics

If you run an online store, then you need to enable enhanced eCommerce tracking in Google Analytics. This would allow you to track the following customer information on your online store.
- Shopping behavior of your customers
- Checkout behavior and tracking the abandoned cart information
- Product lists performance
- Uncover top conversion sources
- Sales performance
Setting up enhanced eCommerce tracking on your WordPress store can be difficult. However, MonsterInsights makes it easy for you and it literally takes a few clicks to configure with no coding needed.

It works seamlessly with the best eCommerce plugins for WordPress, like WooCommerce, Easy Digital Downloads, LifterLMS, MemberPress, and more.

The best part is that you get to see eCommerce reports in your dashboard. It shows how your online store is performing, which products are getting the most sales, where your customers are coming from, and more at a glance.

For details, see our guide on how to enable customer tracking in WooCommerce with Google Analytics.

4. Track User Engagement Data with Google Analytics

User engagement shows you what users do when they arrive on your website. It helps you identify patterns of highly engaged user behavior which leads to more conversions and sales.

For example, you may find out that users visiting a specific page are 10 times more likely to make a purchase. You can then use this insight to send more users to that page, or replicate a similar experience on other pages of your website.

Basically, you will be tracking data about how users interact with your website. For example:
- Tracking your most popular content
- Form submission tracking
- Ecommerce tracking
- Ads tracking to understand how users interact with ads on your website
- Monitoring engaged users
- Time users spend on your website
For detailed instructions, follow our step-by-step guide on how to track user engagement in WordPress.

5. Track Campaign Links with UTM Codes

Google Analytics is really good at tracking where your website traffic comes from. It can even categorize your traffic based on their source, including organic search, organic social, referral, email, and more.

However, when you’re running paid ad campaigns, email marketing campaigns, or social media promotions, you need detailed campaign tracking.

That’s where UTM tracking comes in.

Campaign-level tracking allows you to see exactly which email, ad, or specific call-to-action link helped you get the most traffic or sales.

To make it easy for you to generate UTM links, MonsterInsights comes with a free campaign URL builder, so you can get more detailed reports. You can enter custom campaign parameters like the source, medium, campaign name, and more to create a custom URL.

These tags include native analytics parameters which are tracked by Google Analytics and are included in your reports. You can then see exactly which link users clicked and how your campaigns are performing.

6. Track and Improve Facebook Retargeting Campaigns

Did you know that Facebook allows you to display targeted ads to people who have visited your website in the past? Yes, it’s called retargeting.

You can install a Facebook pixel and display targeted ads to anyone who visits your website. However, if you install Facebook retargeting pixel today, then you will only be able to show your ads to people who visited today and onward.

Even if you are not running a Facebook advertising campaign right now, we recommend installing the retargeting pixel, so you have a built-in audience when you’re ready to get started.

For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to install Facebook remarketing/retargeting pixel in WordPress.

7. Tracking Google AdSense Campaigns

If you run pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns using Google AdSense, then you can easily see how your ads are performing in the AdSense dashboard. However, these reports only tell you how users interact with your ads not what they do after that.

For that, you’ll need Google Analytics which comes with built-in integration with your AdSense account. This integration enables you to easily track your paid traffic conversions.

You can see our guide on how to properly add Google AdSense to your WordPress site.

8. Monitor Your Site with Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a set of free tools offered by Google to give publishers a look at how their website is seen by the search engine.

It provides immensely useful information like how your pages rank for different keywords (more on this later), the overall performance of your site in search engines, and any errors Google crawler found on your website.

Keeping an eye on Google Search Console can help you boost your site’s search engine visibility. To learn more, see our guide on tips for using Google Search Console to grow your traffic.

For example, here is a report showing errors that occur when a user views the site on their mobile devices. Without Google Search Console, it will be very difficult to pinpoint such issues and quickly resolve them.

For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to add your WordPress site to Google Search Console.

9. Track Your Keyword Rankings

Keywords are the phrases users enter in search engines to find what they’re looking for. To get more traffic from search engines, you need to know exactly which keywords are bringing you the most traffic to your website, so you can focus on what’s working.

We have a complete WordPress SEO guide that you can use to learn how to optimize your content for specific keywords.

Normally, beginners rely on manually entering keywords in Google search to see if their site is ranking. This is highly inefficient as you would miss out on thousands of keywords where your site can be easily ranked.

Google Search Console is a free tool that provides you with valuable keyword data with the average position. You can see which search terms are ranking high, search impressions, and how many average clicks you get.

If you’re using MonsterInsights, then you can view the Search Console report inside your WordPress dashboard.

However, it only allows you to see your own site’s keyword data. If you want to research your competitors, then you’ll need SEMRush. This incredibly powerful SEO tool allows you to view in-depth keyword data for any website.

For more on this topic, please take a look at our guide on how to track keyword rankings for your WordPress site.

10. Track Your Email List Growth and Performance

Most popular email marketing services come with stats and insights that you can track. These reports provide useful data like open rate, click-through rate, unsubscribe rate, and more.

You can also see the traffic coming from your email campaigns to your website in your Google Analytics 4 reports under Acquisition Â» Traffic acquisition.

From here, you can see how well your email newsletter traffic converts, and what you can do to improve.

Tracking email marketing data helps you grow your email list. You can create new email forms, change form placements, and use popups to boost subscribers.

While there are definitely other marketing metrics that you can track, we believe these are the top marketing data that every business owner must track on their WordPress site.

We hope this article helped you track the right website marketing data on all your WordPress sites. You may also want to see our step-by-step guide to boost WordPress speed and performance, and our comparison of the best business phone services for small business.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to ourÂ YouTube ChannelÂ for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us onÂ TwitterÂ and Facebook.

The post 10 Website Marketing Data You Must Track on Every WordPress Site first appeared on WPBeginner.
31.01.2023
How to Properly Change, Move and Delete WordPress Categories
Do you want to change, move, or delete WordPress categories?

Categories help organize your content and make it easy for visitors to find interesting posts. However, as your website grows and you learn more about your audience, you may need to change your categories.

In this article, we will show you how you can easily change, move, and delete the categories on your WordPress website.

Why Change, Move or Delete WordPress Categories?

Categories help sort your blog posts and make it easier for users to find what they are looking for. This will keep them on your website for longer and encourage them to convert.

However, it can be difficult to plan all your categories in advance. This is especially true if youâ€™re just getting started with WordPress, or arenâ€™t sure which direction to take your new blog, online store, or small business website.

You may also want to try out different categories and content, and then analyze what works the best by installing Google Analytics in WordPress. You can then use this insight to fine-tune your categories.

With that being said, at some point, you may need to change your WordPress categories. This might involve renaming a category to include the keywords that got the most clicks during A/B split testing, or fixing a spelling mistake.

You might even organize your categories and subcategories into new parent-child relationships to help visitors discover new content.

If you donâ€™t make these changes carefully, then it could hurt the visitor experience, damage your SEO, and make it more difficult for visitors to navigate your website.

With that being said, letâ€™s see how you can properly change, move, and delete WordPress categories. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the change you want to make.
How to Rename or Edit a WordPress Category

To start, you can change a categoryâ€™s name, assign it to a different parent category, or display a category description to help other authors understand how to use that category.

To make any of these changes, head over to Posts Â» Categories.

Here, find the category that you want to change and hover the mouse over it.

When the â€˜Editâ€™ link appears, give it a click.

This will take you to a screen where you can rename the category, add a parent or subcategory, or write a category description. For example, if youâ€™ve used a keyword research tool to find some new keywords or phrases, then you may want to change the categoryâ€™s name to include these words.

To rename a category, simply type the new title into the â€˜Nameâ€™ field.

When youâ€™re happy with the changes you’ve made, donâ€™t forget to click on â€˜Updateâ€™ to store your settings.

After that, WordPress will automatically update all the posts within this category.

How to Properly Move a WordPress Category (Without Causing Broken Links)

Every category has an archive page in WordPress, as you can see in the following image. These pages help visitors find related content, which can increase your pageviews and reduce the bounce rate in WordPress.

Sometimes you may want to change where this archive page is located. For example, if youâ€™ve renamed a category, then you might also change its archive URL to avoid confusing visitors.

However, changing the slug means that anyone who tries to visit the original URL will get a 404 error.

This is a bad user experience and can impact your WordPress SEO. Thankfully, you can easily fix this problem by creating a redirect.

With that in mind, go ahead and change the slug by going to Posts Â» Categories. Then, find the category that you want to edit and hover the mouse over it.

When the â€˜Editâ€™ button appears, give it a click.

In the â€˜URLâ€™ field, youâ€™ll see the current slug for this categoryâ€™s archive page.

Simply type in the new URL that you want to use. Just be aware that you can only use lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens in the URL.

When youâ€™re happy with how the slug looks, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on â€˜Updateâ€™ to store your changes.

Now, youâ€™ll see the archive page if you visit the new URL, but youâ€™ll get an error if you type in the original link.

The easiest way to redirect from the old URL to the new link is by using AIOSEO.

AIOSEO is the best SEO plugin for WordPress and can help you get more visitors from search engines like Google. It even has a setup wizard that will help you choose the best SEO settings for your website and improve your rankings, even if youâ€™re completely new to search engine optimization.

For this guide, weâ€™ll be using the AIOSEO Pro version because it has the Redirection Manager that youâ€™ll need to set up a redirect. However, there is also a free version of AIOSEO that you can use to optimize your website no matter what your budget.

First, youâ€™ll need to install and activate the plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, AIOSEO will automatically launch the setup wizard. You can simply click on â€˜Letâ€™s Get Startedâ€™ and then follow the onscreen instructions to improve your siteâ€™s search engine rankings.

To learn more, please see our step-by-step guide on how to set up All in One SEO for WordPress correctly.

Since we want to use the pluginâ€™s premium features, youâ€™ll need to enter a license key when asked. You can find this information under your account on the AIOSEO website.

After entering the license key, click on the â€˜Finish Setupâ€™ button to save your settings and close the setup wizard.

With that out of the way, head over to All in One SEO Â» Redirects in the WordPress dashboard. You can then go ahead and click on Activate Redirects.

Now youâ€™ve activated the Redirection Manager, you can start by typing in the source URL. This is the category archiveâ€™s original web address, and will usually start with /category/ followed by the original category name.

Here, weâ€™re redirecting anyone who tries to visit /category/search-engine-optimization.

After typing in the source URL, make sure you click on the small cog icon to see some extra settings that you can configure.

Youâ€™ll need to check the box next to â€˜Regex.â€™

Now, itâ€™s time to move to the target URL, which is our new category archive page.

In the following image, visitors will be redirected to /category/seo.

Your next task is choosing the type of redirect that AIOSEO should use. There are various types of redirects that are identified with numbers such as 301, 302, and 307.

If youâ€™re permanently moving the archive to a new location, then youâ€™ll want to use a 301 redirect as this tells search engines that the page will always be at this new location. This way, all the old archiveâ€™s traffic and backlinks are transferred to the new page.

Simply open the â€˜Redirect Typeâ€™ dropdown and choose â€˜301 Moved Permanently.â€™

If youâ€™re only temporarily moving the category archive page to a new URL, then you should choose â€˜307 Temporary Redirectâ€™ instead.

When youâ€™ve done that, go ahead and click on the â€˜Add Redirectâ€™ button.

Now, if you try to visit the original category archive page, AIOSEO will automatically redirect you to the new target URL.

How to Properly Delete a WordPress Category

Sometimes you may no longer need a particular category. For example, you may have accidentally created two very similar categories or changed the direction of your WordPress blog so you no longer cover the same content.

Before deleting a category, itâ€™s important to think about how this will affect your WordPress website. Firstly, WordPress will remove the deleted category from all your posts. Any posts that no longer have a category, will be marked as â€˜uncategorized.â€™

Lots of uncategorized content will make it more difficult for visitors to explore your website. With that being said, you may want to look through all the posts within the category you plan to delete, to make sure they have at least one alternate category.

You can also set up a redirect for that categoryâ€™s archive page by following the same process described above. This can help you fix any broken links before they hurt your search engine rankings or the visitor experience.

When youâ€™re ready to delete the category, simply go to Posts Â» Categories. You can then hover the mouse over the category and click on the â€˜Deleteâ€™ link when it appears.

How to Change the Default Uncategorized Category

If you donâ€™t assign a category to a post, then WordPress will assign one automatically. By default, this is â€˜uncategorizedâ€™ but you may want to change this to an alternative category.

Another option is to continue using the ‘uncategorized’ category, but give it a more descriptive and useful name.

This change is particularly important if you run a WordPress multi-author blog or accept guest contributions, as these people may forget to add a category to their posts.

Changing the default category can also improve your WordPress SEO by making sure that every post has a descriptive category.

Let’s start by renaming the uncategorized category by going to Posts Â» Categories.

Here, find ‘Uncategorized’ and hover your mouse over it. When the ‘Edit’ link appears, give it a click.

You can now type a new title into the ‘Name’ field.

After that, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on ‘Save.’

Another option is to change the default category. This can be useful if you’ve already created a general category, and now want to use it as your default.

To make this change, head over to Settings Â» Writing in the WordPress dashboard. You can then open the â€˜Default Post Categoryâ€™ dropdown and choose any category from the list.

After that, donâ€™t forget to click on â€˜Save Changesâ€™ to store your settings.

How to Add a Subcategory in WordPress

WordPress allows you to add category hierarchy, so you can add sub categories as needed.

You can do this easily by using the Parent category dropdown on the Add New Category screen.

For more details, see our step by step guide on how to add subcategories in WordPress.

How to Easily Convert Categories into Tags

Categories and tags are both important ways to organize and group your posts. However, to help visitors find their way around your site, you should use them in slightly different ways.

Categories are great for broadly grouping your posts, while tags are meant to describe the specific details of each post.

Visitors can use categories to quickly find the type of content theyâ€™re interested in, or their favorite subject. They can then use tags to pinpoint the exact post within that category.

At WPBeginner we have a Beginnerâ€™s Guide category, which is aimed at new WordPress users. Each post in the Beginnerâ€™s Guide has different tags, such as custom taxonomy, SEO, and sorting your content.

Itâ€™s easy to get categories and tags mixed up, especially if you’re just getting started with WordPress. Your website may also change over time, to the point where one of your tags would now work better as a category.

You can easily turn categories into tags, using the Categories to Tags Converter plugin. For example, you can turn a ‘Beginner’s Guide’ category into a ‘Beginner’s Guide’ tag with the click of a button. Even better, all posts that were categorized as ‘Beginner’s Guide’ will be assigned the new ‘Beginner’s Guide’ tag automatically.

This can save you a ton of time and let you test different ways of organizing your content.

First, youâ€™ll need to install and activate the Categories to Tags Converter plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, go to Tools Â» Import. Here, find â€˜Categories and Tags Converterâ€™ and click on its â€˜Run importerâ€™ link.

Youâ€™ll now see all the different categories and tags youâ€™ve created for your website, organizied into tabs.

To convert a category into a tag, simply check the box next to it. You can then click on the â€˜Convert Categoriesâ€™ button.

After a few moments, youâ€™ll see a â€˜Converted successfullyâ€™ message. To turn more categories into tags, simply repeat the process described above.

To turn a tag into a category, select the â€˜Tagsâ€™ tab. You can now check the box next to the tag that you want to change, and click on the â€˜Convert Tagsâ€™ button.

We hope this article helped you learn how to properly change, move, and delete WordPress categories. You can also go through our guide on the best email marketing services and proven ways to make money online blogging with WordPress.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to ourÂ YouTube ChannelÂ for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us onÂ TwitterÂ and Facebook.

The post How to Properly Change, Move and Delete WordPress Categories first appeared on WPBeginner.
17.01.2023
How to Create Your Own Customized Short URL for Your Blog
Do you want to create your own customized short URL for your blog?

Customized short URLs are often branded short URLs that are easy to remember and share. We use wpbeg.in for our own branded custom short URLs.

In this article, we’ll show you how to easily create your own customized short URLs for your blog.

Why Use a Branded Customized Short URL in WordPress?

You may have noticed how popular websites like The New York Times, Twitter, Facebook, and TechCrunch use branded short URLs on social media.

The New York times uses nyti.ms, TechCrunch uses tcrn.ch, and WPBeginner uses wpbeg.in domain name for shorter customized URLs.

These branded domain names are called domain hacks.

They are created by combining the brand name and a domain TLD to cleverly spell a brand name.

Since most websites use .com as their primary domain, this is a good way to create a short url for your WordPress site. See our tips on picking the best domain for your blog.

Using your own customized short URL improves brand recognition among your users. It also allows you to create shorter URLs for easy sharing on social platforms.

Most importantly, you can easily track these URLs to see how many clicks you got when you shared a URL.

Having said that, let’s see how to create your own branded customized short URLs in WordPress.

Note: If you’re just looking to create memorable short URLs using your main domain, then we recommend using the Pretty Links plugin. This is what top podcasters and YouTubers use to mention short links in their videos.

Step 1: Buy a Short URL or Short Domain Name

Most of us do not have a short URL as our primary domain name. This means you will need to register a new domain name that is much shorter than your current domain.

For example, when choosing a branded shorter domain for WPBeginner.com we registered WPBeg.in. This made our short URL 6 characters shorter than our primary domain.

There are many free domain name generators that allow you to automatically generate domain name suggestions. See our list of 14 best free domain name generators.

Domainr is the one that specializes in helping you find short domains using domain hacks.

Try different combinations and explore creative ways to spell your brand name.

Once you have found a domain name that meets your needs and is available, you can register it on any of the top domain registrars.

We recommend using Domain.com. They are the best domain registrar on the market and you can get a 25% discount using our Domain.com coupon code.

Other domain registrars that we recommend include Network Solutions and GoDaddy.

The cost of domain name registration depends on which TLD you select. Country-specific TLDs cost a little more than some other new TLDs.

Once you have registered your domain name, you will be able to manage it from your domain registrar’s control panel.

Step 2: Setup Your Custom Domain in Bitly

Bitly is a popular URL shortner service that allows you to manage and track links. We use it to shorten our WordPress URLs and manage them.

First, you will need to create a Bitly account. You’ll need at least Basic plan to use your own custom domain name for link shortening.

After completing the sign up, you’ll reach your Bitly account dashboard.

From here, you need to click on Account settings Â» Custom domains menu and then click on the Add a domain button.

On the next screen, you’ll see options to buy a new domain name or use your own domain name.

Go ahead, and click on the ‘I want to use my own domain name’ option to continue.

Next, enter the domain name you recently purchased.

Below that, select ‘No, this is an unused domain name’ option and click Next.

Now you will see the option to choose a group.

Bitly allows you to organize your links, domains, and users into groups. This allows you to limit certain domains to specific users.

Choose All groups to make your custom domain available for all groups.

Next, you will be asked to add DNS records to your branded domain name before continuing.

You can leave this window open and proceed to the next step.

Step 3: Set DNS A Record to Point to Bit.ly

In order to create your own branded custom short URLs, you need to point your domain to Bitly servers.

To do that, you will need to add DNS records to your custom domain name. DNS records are kind of instructions that point domain name to proper servers.

You can find the DNS records that you need to add on Bitly website.

There are two types of DNS records that you can add.

For root domain names (e.g. wpbeg.in), you’ll need to enter A records.

However, If your custom domain is a subdomain (e.g. on.wsj.com), then you’ll need to enter the CNAME records.

To add the records, simply visit the domain management area on your domain registrar’s website and look for DNS records.

If you took our advice and registered your domain with Domain.com, then you will find the DNS & Nameservers settings under the left column.

Switch to the DNS Records tab and then click on the Add DNS Record button.

This will bring up a popup where you need to enter the following information
- Hostname under the Name field
- Choose A as the Type
- Copy and paste the Bitly IP address
- Choose 1 hour under the TTL
Click on the Add DNS button to save your settings.

If you are using a subdomain for example on.wsj.com, then you need to set a CNAME record and point it to cname.bitly.com

After adding DNS records you can switch back to Bitly website and click on the Add Domain button.

Now, you will see a notification that your domain settings are being verified.

Bitly will check your domain for DNS records and if everything looks ok you’ll recieve an email notification.

Step 4: Set up Short URL on Your WordPress Site

The best part about using Bitly is that you can easily manage, share, and track your short URLs directly from your WordPress site.

First, thing you need to do is install and activate the Bitly’s WordPress Plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to visit Settings Â» Writing page and scroll down to the ‘WP Bitly Shortlinks’ section.

Simply click on the Authorize button and then Allow Bitly to connect your WordPress site.

Once connected, you can choose which post types you want to generate shortlinks for. Below that, you can choose the default domain that you added earlier.

Don’t forget to click on the Save changes button to store your settings,

The plugin will now start generating your custom branded short URLs. You can see them by visiting your Bitly dashboard.

WP-Bitly plugin will also show you BitLy stats for each post. You can see those stats by editing a post and look for WP Bitly metabox.

This will allow you to track how many times your short URL for this post has been clicked and from which websites.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create your own customized short URLs in WordPress. You may also want to see our complete WordPress conversion tracking guide or see our pick of the best social media plugins for WordPress.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to ourÂ YouTube ChannelÂ for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us onÂ TwitterÂ and Facebook.

The post How to Create Your Own Customized Short URL for Your Blog first appeared on WPBeginner.
15.01.2023
What is rel=â€noopenerâ€ in WordPress? (Explained)
Have you been wondering what rel="noopener" means in WordPress?

When you add a link that opens in a new tab, WordPress will automatically add the rel="noopener" attribute to the link.

In this article, we will explain what rel="noopener" means in WordPress and how it affects your website.

What Is rel=”noopener” in WordPress?

When you add links to your WordPress website, you can use HTML attributes to control what happens when you click the link.

For example, when you create a link, there is a toggle switch that allows you to open it in a new tab.

The HTML code generated by WordPress for this link looks like this:
```
<a href="http://example.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">external link</a>
```
Notice that some HTML attributes have been added to the link, rel="noopener" and rel="noreferrer". These attributes are added to address a security vulnerability.

The problem is that JavaScript code can be used to allow a new tab to get control of its referring window. If you link to an external website affected by the malicious code, then that website can use the window.opener property in JavaScript to change the original page (your website) to steal information and spread malicious code.

WordPress adds rel="noopener" to prevent the new tab from taking advantage of this JavaScript feature. Similarly, the rel="noreferrer" attribute prevents passing the referrer information onto the new tab.

How Does rel=”noopener” Affect Your WordPress SEO?

It doesn’t.

Even though the rel="noopener" attribute improves WordPress security, some users avoid using it because they think it will impact their WordPress SEO.

But that’s just a myth.

It has no impact on your site’s SEO rankings or your overall WordPress performance.

What’s the Difference Between “noopener” and “nofollow”?

It’s easy to confuse rel="noopener" with rel="nofollow". However, they are completely separate attributes.

The noopener attribute prevents your website from cross-site hacking and improves WordPress security.

On the other hand, the nofollow attribute prevents your website from passing on SEO link-juice to the linked website.

Search engines look for and consider the nofollow attribute when following a link on your website. However, they do not give any consideration to the noopener tag.

By default, WordPress does not allow you to add nofollow to your external links. If you want to add nofollow in WordPress, then you will need to use a plugin.

To learn more, see our article on how to add title and nofollow to links in WordPress.

Does rel=”noreferrer” Affect Affiliate Links in WordPress?

The rel="noreferrer" does not affect affiliate links in WordPress. Some users believe that it does because rel="noreferrer" prevents the referrer information passing to the new tab.

However, most affiliate programs provide you with a unique URL that has your affiliate ID. This means your affiliate ID is passed along as a URL parameter for the other website to track.

Secondly, most affiliate marketers use a link cloaking plugin for their affiliate links.

With link cloaking, the affiliate link that your users click on is actually your website’s own URL, which then redirects users to the destination URL.

How Do You Disable rel=”noopener” in WordPress?

There is no need to remove rel="noopener" from links on your website. It is good for your website’s security and has no performance or SEO impact on your website.

However, if you must remove it, then you will have to disable the Gutenberg block editor in WordPress and use the old classic editor.

That’s because if you remove rel="noopener" from the link manually, the block editor will automatically add it back in to keep your website safe.

Once the block editor is disabled, you will need to add a code snippet to your theme’s functions.php file or to the WPCode plugin (recommended). You can learn how to use the WPCode Free Plugin in our guide on how to easily add custom code in WordPress.

Simply copy the following code into a new PHP snippet:
```
add_filter('tiny_mce_before_init','wpb_disable_noopener');
function wpb_disable_noopener( $mceInit ) {
    $mceInit['allow_unsafe_link_target']=true;
    return $mceInit;
}
```
Make sure you change the ‘Active’ toggle on and then click the ‘Save Snippet’ button.

This will stop WordPress from adding rel="noopener" to new links. You will also need to manually edit any old links to remove the attribute.

Want even more control over which rel attributes get added to your links in WordPress? We recommend using the AIOSEO plugin because it lets you add title, nofollow, and other link attributes right inside the WordPress editor.

We hope this article helped you learn about rel="noopener" in WordPress. You may also want to learn how to get a free email domain, or see our list of tips to speed up WordPress performance.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to ourÂ YouTube ChannelÂ for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us onÂ TwitterÂ and Facebook.

The post What is rel=â€noopenerâ€ in WordPress? (Explained) first appeared on WPBeginner.
14.01.2023
Is It Safe to Use Outdated WordPress Plugins?
Are you wondering whether it’s safe to install and use an outdated WordPress plugin?

Sometimes when you are searching for a plugin to add a new feature to your website, you may find one that looks perfect, but it hasnâ€™t been updated for a while or hasnâ€™t been tested with your version of WordPress. Often times this leads to beginner readers asking the question can I use it without breaking my website?

In this article, weâ€™ll discuss how to determine whether or not you can safely install outdated WordPress plugins.

How Do WordPress Plugins Become Outdated?

A WordPress plugin can become outdated if it hasn’t received any updates for a while, or if it hasn’t been tested by the plugin author to ensure it’s compatibility with the latest 3 major releases of WordPress.

We always recommend our readers to keep the plugins in your WordPress website up to date. These updates keep the plugin compatible with changes made to WordPress core, add new features, fix bugs, and address security vulnerabilities.

But what if a plugin that you are using or want to use hasnâ€™t been updated for some time? Or what if it hasnâ€™t been tested with the latest version of WordPress? Is it still safe to use?

The short answer is, it depends on the plugin.

Sometimes outdated plugins simply will not work correctly with newer versions of WordPress. Or the plugin may have even been abandoned by the developer, so that no new features will ever be added.

The biggest concern with outdated plugins is that there may beÂ security issues that can come up. If the plugin isnâ€™t maintained or updated, it might become a target for hackers.

However, just because a plugin is outdated doesnâ€™t mean that it has any of those issues. Some outdated plugins are perfectly safe to use. However, we recommend that you thoroughly test the plugin before installing it on your live site.

With that being said, letâ€™s take a look at how to tell if a WordPress plugin is outdated, and how you can decide whether it is safe to install.

Checking Whether a Plugin Is Outdated

The WordPress Plugin Directory displays a lot of useful information about each plugin. For example, it clearly shows the date each plugin was last updated, and the latest version of WordPress it was tested with.

If a plugin has not been tested for several versions of WordPress, then a warning will be displayed at the top of the plugin page, similar to this one:
```
This plugin hasnâ€™t been tested with the latest 3 major releases of WordPress. It may no longer be maintained or supported and may have compatibility issues when used with more recent versions of WordPress.
```
Where does WordPress get this information? Plugin authors are required to provide it in a readme file whenÂ submitting plugins to the WordPress plugin directory.

Unfortunately, busy developers donâ€™t always update the readme file when a new WordPress update is released. Sometimes a plugin was tested more recently than its plugin page shows.

Now that you know how to check if a WordPress plugin is outdated, let’s take a look at how to tell whether it is safe to install.

Checking Whether an Outdated Plugin Is Safe to Install

Just because a plugin hasn’t been updated or tested recently doesn’t mean that it won’t work. How can you tell if the plugin is safe to install on your WordPress site?

Check User Ratings and Reviews

You can click on the â€˜Reviewsâ€™ tab on the WordPress Plugin Directory to see user opinions and complaints about the plugin. If there is a compatibility problem with a recent version of WordPress, then other users may have mentioned it on this page.

You can also check the user ratings. If the reviews are recent and five stars, then itâ€™s safe to assume that you can use the plugin on your website.

Check the Plugin Support Page

When you click the â€˜Supportâ€™ tab, you will be taken to the support forum for the plugin. Here you can see any issues that users have been having with the plugin.

You will also see how responsive the pluginâ€™s developer is, and whether they successfully solve issues in a timely manner.

If you decide to install the plugin, this is where you should come if you need support. You can learn more in our guide on how to properly ask for WordPress support and get it.

Check the Plugin Development Page

Another way to check whether itâ€™s safe to install the plugin is by going to the plugin development page. This shows you how active the plugin developer is.

Simply go to the WordPress plugin page and click on the â€˜Developmentâ€™ tab.

In particular, take a look at the â€˜Changelogâ€™ section to see how often the plugin is being updated and what recent changes and improvements have been made.

If the developer is actively updating the plugin, then it usually means the plugin is high quality and safe to use on your WordPress website.

On the other hand, if a plugin hasnâ€™t been updated in more than two years, then it may mean the plugin has been abandoned. In that case, you shouldnâ€™t install the plugin since the developer is not actively maintaining it.

Check for WPBeginner Tutorials on the Plugin

You can also check whether the plugin is safe to install on the WPBeginner blog. You can look for tutorials on the plugin by navigating to the Blog Â» WordPress Plugins page or by using the search feature.

If we recently published a tutorial on a plugin, then this means the plugin was compatible with the latest version of WordPress when we tested it.

Testing the Plugin on a Staging Site or Local WordPress Installation

Letâ€™s say that youâ€™ve gone through the steps above and decided that an outdated plugin looks safe to install. What should you do next?

Instead of immediately installing the plugin on your live site, you may wish to first test it on a staging site or local WordPress installation.

A WordPress staging site is a test site that you can use to safely test a plugin for problems before going live.

The staging site lives on your web hosting server, so you can be confident that if the plugin works there, you wonâ€™t encounter problems on your live site.

Some of the best WordPress hosting companies such as Bluehost, SiteGround, and WP Engine offer one-click staging websites. You can also create a staging site manually or by using a plugin.

You can learn how in our guide on how to easily create a staging site for WordPress.

As an alternative to a staging site, you can install WordPress on your own computer and test the plugin there. You can follow our guides on how to install WordPress locally on Mac or Windows, or using XAMPP.

If the plugin works fine on your test site, then it’s safe to install it on your live website.

Final Thoughts

While it’s not a good idea to use outdated plugins, sometimes the plugin you’re looking for is the only one that does what you need. In that case, you will need to do your due diligence as we mentioned in our guide.

Other things you can look for is author’s reputation. If it’s a popular plugin author, then you can email them and ask whether they have plans to update the plugin.

Some plugins are so simple that they don’t need any updates, and this is why the author may not push out an update because they know it still works. The popular Page Links To plugin is a good example of that.

It’s written by one of WordPress core contributors, Mark Jaquith, and the plugin has been around for a long time. It doesn’t need any active development because it does one thing and does it well. So even though it shows the outdated error on WordPress.org, this plugin would be something that you can safely install.

The downside though is that if you were hoping to have more advanced redirection features, then it’s going to be lacking in the plugin which is why many users switch to the All in One SEO plugin because it includes this feature and many more powerful SEO features in the plugin.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn whether itâ€™s safe to use outdated plugins with WordPress. You may also want to learn how to register a domain name for free, or check out our expert pick of the must-have WordPress plugins to grow your site.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to ourÂ YouTube ChannelÂ for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us onÂ TwitterÂ and Facebook.

The post Is It Safe to Use Outdated WordPress Plugins? first appeared on WPBeginner.
09.01.2023