Do you want to enable your website visitors to upload files on your contact form?
Maybe you are hiring employees and want to collect resumes, or perhaps you are running a photography contest where you need the applicant to attach files.
In this article, we will show you how to easily create a file upload form in WordPress.
Why Create a File Upload Form in WordPress?
If you want to collect any kind of file from your users on your WordPress website, then a file upload form is a great idea.
You can let users upload images, PDF files, Word documents, or other types of files.
Using a file upload form makes life easy for you and your users. Instead of the email back-and-forth, you can create a form that includes all the fields you need, so you can collect all information at once.
First, you will need to install and activate the WPForms plugin. For more detailed instructions, check out our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Note: WPForms also offers a free version. However, you will need the Pro version of the plugin to unlock the file upload form template.
Upon activation, head to the WPForms » Add New page from the WordPress admin sidebar.
This will take you to the ‘Search Template’ page, where you can start by naming your form. You need to also look for the file upload form template in the search box on the left.
Next, simply click the ‘Use Template’ button under the ‘File Upload Form’ option.
You will now be taken to the WPForms builder, where the File Upload Form will be automatically created for you.
You can use the file upload form template without making any changes, or you can also drag and drop form fields from the ‘Add Fields’ sidebar.
Next, click on the ‘File Upload’ field in the form to open up its settings in the left column.
By default, you can upload different types of files in the form, including:
Image files: .png, .gif, .jpg
Documents: .doc, .xls, .ppt, .pdf
Audio: .wav, .mp3, .mp4
Video: .mpg, .mov, .wmv
All you have to do is type the file formats that you want to accept into the ‘Allowed File Extensions’ box.
For this tutorial, we are going to allow the image formats .png, .gif, and .jpg. Make sure to separate each file format with a comma.
Note: WordPress limits the types of files that can be uploaded to the site for WordPress security reasons. You can add additional file types to WordPress if you want to allow users to upload file types that aren’t normally allowed.
You can also set a maximum file size and a maximum number of files. For our tutorial, we are going to allow people to submit up to 3 photos of up to 50MB each.
If you want to prevent people from submitting the form without attaching their file(s), you can toggle on the ‘Required’ switch. This means the form can’t be submitted unless at least 1 file has been uploaded.
Next, simply switch to the ‘Advanced’ tab from the top.
By default, the File Upload Field uses a modern format that lets users drag and drop their files.
However, if you have limited space for your form, or you prefer a classic upload field, you can change this. Simply select the ‘Classic’ option from the ‘Style’ dropdown menu.
Tip: The classic upload field only allows one file to be uploaded. If you want users to be able to submit more than one file, you will need to add multiple File Upload Fields to your form.
You can also choose to store the submitted files in the WordPress Media Library by toggling on the ‘Store file in WordPress Media Library’ switch. This makes it easy for you to add the uploaded files to a post or page.
For instance, if we are running a photography competition, then we may want to include the best photos when we announce the winner.
Note: The uploaded files will still be saved in your WordPress database, even if you don’t check this box. They are just stored in a separate folder in your WordPress hosting account.
If you want to edit any of the other fields on your form, you can click on them to open the field’s settings in the left column.
You can also add other fields to your File Upload form.
For example, you may want to add a Website/URL field to the form so that users can give you the link to their website.
Once you are happy with your form, click the ‘Save’ button in the top right corner of the screen to store your settings.
Setting Up Your File Upload Form’s Notifications
To change the notification settings for the form, you need to open the ‘Settings’ tab in the left corner. Once you are there, simply click on the ‘Notifications’ tab.
By default, the form sends an email notification to {admin_email}.
If you created your WordPress site by yourself, then this will be your email address. If not, then you can delete {admin_email} and type your own email address here instead.
If you are not sure if {admin_email} is your email address, simply visit the Settings » General page from your WordPress admin dashboard.
Once you are there, look for the Administration Email Address. You can now change the admin email address from here.
Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.
You can also change the confirmation message that users see after the form is submitted.
To do this, you need to visit the Settings » Confirmations page from the left column. Then, simply type the message into the ‘Confirmation Message’ box. You can also add formatting like bold and italics.
Finally, don’t forget to save your form once you have made the changes.
You can exit the form builder by clicking the ‘X’ in the top right.
Adding the File Upload Form to Your Website
Once you have finished creating your form, you will need to add it to your website.
To do this, you must open an existing or new post or page from the WordPress admin sidebar. For this tutorial, we are going to add the File Upload form to a new page.
Once you are there, click on the Add New Block ‘(+)’ button in the top left corner of the screen and find the WPForms block.
Upon adding the block, you will see a WPForms dropdown menu displayed on the page.
Go ahead and select the File Upload form that you just created.
Finally, click the ‘Publish’ or ‘Update’ button to save your changes.
You can now visit your website to see the File Upload form in action.
You can also make changes to your form anytime by visiting the WPForms » All Forms page from the admin sidebar.
From here, simply click on the name of the form, or hover your mouse over it and click the ‘Edit’ link to open up the form builder.
When you edit your form, it will be automatically updated on your website, so you don’t need to add it to your page again.
Tip: It’s a good idea to test your form to make sure it’s working as expected. If you don’t get an email notification after creating a form entry, then you can read our step-by-step guide on fixing the WordPress not sending email issue.
Viewing or Downloading the Uploaded Files
When someone sends a file using your file upload form, you can see it in your email inbox or your WordPress dashboard.
With each form entry, you will get an email like this:
Just click the links to view or download the files themselves.
You can also easily find the files in your WordPress dashboard. Simply go to the WPForms » Entries page and then click on the name of your form.
You can see the uploaded files in the table of form entries.
Alternatively, you can click the ‘View’ link to see the full details for each form entry.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Do you want to create a custom password reset page in WordPress?
The default WordPress reset password form has the standard WordPress branding and doesn’t change to match your theme. This isn’t the best experience, especially if you run a membership site or client portal.
In this article, we’ll show you how to customize the WordPress reset password page.
Why Customize the Reset Password Page in WordPress?
By default, these pages show the WordPress branding and logo. Sometimes, this isn’t a major problem especially if you or your team are the only people logging into the admin area.
However, if you’re running an online store or membership site, then your customers may also need to log in.
You can provide a much better user experience by customizing these pages to match your website’s design and branding. You might also add extra content such as your logo, or a list of recent posts.
You may have already followed our other guides on how to add a custom user registration form and login page. Now let’s take a look at how to customize the reset password page. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use.
Method 1: Customizing the Reset Password Page Using Formidable Forms (Easy)
The easiest way to replace the WordPress password reset page is by using Formidable Forms. This plugin lets you replace the default password reset page using a shortcode.
This method doesn’t allow you to edit the password reset form, but you can add your own content around it. For example, you can add text, images, and other content using the standard WordPress post editor.
First, you need to install the Formidable Forms plugin. To learn more, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, you’ll also need to install Formidable Forms Lite. This free plugin provides the core foundation for the premium plugin’s more advanced features.
Once you’ve done that, go to the Formidable Forms » Global Settings page in your dashboard and select ‘Click to enter a license key manually.’
You can find the license key under your account on the Formidable Forms website. After entering this information, go ahead and click the ‘Save License’ button.
Next, you will need to install the User Registration addon by going to Formidable » Add-Ons. On this screen, find the User Registration addon and click on its Install button.
Now you’re ready to create a custom reset password page by going to Pages » Add New.
To start, give the page a title and then click on the + button. In the popup that appears, start typing ‘Shortcode.’
Simply click on the right block to add it to the page.
You can now add the following shortcode: [frm-reset-password].
At this point, you can add any other content you want to show on the password reset page.
When you’re happy with how the page is set up, click on the ‘Publish’ button to make it live.
Finally, you need to tell WordPress to use this page, rather than the default password reset page. To do that, head over to Formidable » Global Settings and then click the ‘Registration’ tab in the menu.
From here you just need to open the ‘Reset Password Page’ dropdown and choose the page you just created.
Don’t forget to click the ‘Update’ button at the top of the screen to store your settings.
You can now visit your WordPress website to see the custom reset password page in action.
Method 2: Customize All Membership Pages Using ‘Theme My Login’
To provide a consistent user experience, it’s a good idea to use the same styling on all your membership pages. Theme My Login is a free plugin that allows you to replace the built-in WordPress dashboard, login, logout, registration, forgot password, and reset password pages.
It’s not the most customizable solution, but all its pages will use your WordPress theme.
The first thing you need to do is install and activate the Theme My Login plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, Theme My Login automatically creates URLs for your custom login, logout, registration, forgot password, and reset password screens. You can see these URLs by going to the Theme My Login » General page.
To replace any of these pages, you simply need to create a new page with this exact URL.
To create a custom password reset page, go to Page » Add New. Here, click on the ‘+’ icon and start typing ‘Shortcode.’
When the right block appears, give it a click to add it to the page.
You can now add any extra content you want to show on the password reset page, such as your logo. When you’re happy with how the page is set up, click on ‘Save draft.’
After that, go to Pages » All Pages and find the password reset page you just created.
Simply hover your mouse over the page and click on the ‘Quick Edit’ button when it appears.
In the ‘Slug’ field, type in ‘lostpassword.’
After that, open the ‘Status’ dropdown and select ‘Published.’
With that done, go ahead and click on ‘Update.’ Now, if you visit your WordPress blog you’ll see the lost password page live.
To replace the other built-in WordPress membership pages, simply follow the steps described above, but make sure you use the right URL slug and shortcode.
For example, if you wanted to create a custom password reset page, then you’d need to use the [theme-my-login action="resetpass"] shortcode. You’ll also need to change the ‘URL slug’ to resetpassword.
Method 3: Create a Password Reset Page Using WPForms (Completely Customizable)
If you want to replace the default password reset page with a completely custom form, then we recommend using WPForms.
This plugin has a ‘User Password Reset Form’ template that you can customize with your own text, images, and branding. You can even add and remove fields, to collect exactly the information you want from members.
Upon activation, head over to WPForms » Settings and enter your license key. You can find this information under your account on the WPForms website.
After entering the license key, you’ll need to install the User Registration addon, which allows you to create custom user registration, password reset, and login forms for your site.
In the dashboard, go to WPForms » Addons and find the User Registration Addon.
Simply click on ‘Install Addon’ to download it, and then click on ‘Activate’ to make it live.
You are now ready to create your own custom password reset form by going to the WPForms » Add New page. Here, type in a title for the new form.
With that done, scroll to the ‘User Password Reset Form’ template and click on its ‘Use Template’ button.
WPForms will now load the User Password Reset Form template.
To customize any field with your own text, label, or description, simply click to select it and then use the settings to make your changes.
For example, the template has a ‘Submit’ button. To show a different button label, simply click to select the field and then type a new message into ‘Submit Button Text.’
You can also change what happens when a user submits their password reset request by going to Settings » Confirmations.
Here, open the ‘Confirmation Type’ dropdown and choose whether to redirect the user to a different page or URL, or simply show a message asking them to check their inbox for a password reset email.
You can also customize the message by typing it into the small text editor. For example, you might remind users to check their spam folders.
Pro Tip: If your emails are regularly getting sent to spam, then we recommend using an SMTP service provider to improve your email deliverability rates.
When you’re happy with how the form is set up, click on the ‘Save’ button at the top right corner of the screen.
To replace the default WordPress password reset page, we’ll need to place the form on a page with the slug ‘onepassword.’ The easiest way to do this is by clicking on the ‘Embed’ button. Then, select ‘Create New Page.’
You can now type in a title for the new page. We’ll be changing the slug in a later step so you can use anything you want.
With that done, click on ‘Let’s Go.’
This takes you to the WordPress page editor, with the form already added to the new page. You can now make any changes to this page, such as adding more text, a custom logo, or categories and tags.
When you’re happy with how the page looks, click on the ‘Save draft’ button.
After that, go to Pages » All Pages and find the password reset page you just created.
Simply hover your mouse over the page and click on the ‘Quick Edit’ button when it appears.
In the ‘Slug’ field, type in ‘lostpassword.’
After that, open the ‘Status’ dropdown and select ‘Published.’
Now, we need to set up a redirect that will send visitors to our custom password reset page, rather than the built-in WordPress page. The easiest way to do this is by using the free WPCode plugin.
WPCode is the best code snippets plugin used by over 1 million WordPress websites. It makes it easy to add custom code in WordPress without having to edit the functions.php file.
With WPCode, even beginners can edit their website’s code without risking mistakes and typos that can cause many common WordPress errors.
The first thing you need to do is install and activate the free WPCode plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, head over to Code Snippets » Add Snippet.
Here, simply hover your mouse over ‘Add Your Custom Code.’
When it appears, click on ‘Use snippet.’
To start, type in a title for the custom code snippet. This can be anything that helps you identify the snippet in the WordPress dashboard.
After that, open the ‘Code Type’ dropdown and select ‘PHP Snippet.’
In the code editor, add the following code snippet:
add_filter( 'lostpassword_url', 'my_lostpassword_url' );
function my_lostpassword_url() {
return site_url('/lostpassword/');
}
Next, scroll to the ‘Insertion’ section. WPCode can add code to different locations, such as after every post, frontend only, or admin only.
We want to use the custom PHP code across our entire site, so click on ‘Auto Insert’ if it isn’t already selected. Then, open the ‘Location’ dropdown menu and choose ‘Run Everywhere.’
After that, you’re ready to scroll to the top of the screen and click on the ‘Inactive’ toggle, so it changes to ‘Active.’
Finally, click on ‘Save Snippet’ to make the PHP snippet live.
Now, try visiting the built-in WordPress login screen.
If you click on the ‘Lost your password?’ link, then you’ll be redirected to the custom password reset page you just created.
Depending on how your site is set up, you may need to update the password reset links on other pages.
If you’ve created a custom login page for WordPress using a plugin such as WPForms, then we also recommend adding the new password reset link to this form.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Are you looking for easy and smart ways to automate tasks and increase sales in your WooCommerce store?
By automating tasks in your online store, you can save time and money while growing your business and increasing sales.
In this article, we will show you how to use WooCommerce automations to increase sales.
Why Automate Your WooCommerce Store?
If you are running a WooCommerce store, then you probably spend a lot of your time performing repetitive tasks. These can be anything from sending marketing emails for your online store to processing customer invoices.
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could automate all of those tasks and focus on growing sales and your business instead?
Luckily, you can use the best WordPress automation tools and plugins to automate WooCommerce tasks. By doing this, you will save time, offer a better user experience to your customers, and ultimately increase sales.
With that being said, here are 15 WooCommerce automations to increase sales:
1. Use Automation to Personalize Your Email Marketing
Are you keeping in touch with your customers using an email newsletter? You may not be taking advantage of all the automation tools available in your email marketing software.
For example, the best email services like Constant Contact, Sendinblue, and Omnisend all have integrations with WooCommerce. They allow you to personalize your emails by adding the customer’s name and more.
They also let you set up a Welcome email series using a drip campaign. This is a sequence of automated emails that will go out automatically to new customers.
You can learn how to get started by scrolling down to the automated drip emails section of our guide on how to send automated emails in WordPress.
Additionally, if you are looking for a complete tool that offers WooCommerce email customization and automation, then we highly recommend using FunnelKit Automations.
Apart from letting you fully customize your WooCommerce emails, it also lets you set up smart, automated follow-up emails and workflows to boost your sales.
You can get started with FunnelKit Automations by selecting an automation from a library of handy templates.
For example, you can automatically send an email series to new customers, recover abandoned carts, send promotional emails to selected audiences, and more.
There is also an option to create your own WooCommerce automation from scratch. You will then see a visual email automation builder where you can make any customizations that you need.
For example, the screenshot above shows the workflow for sending out a thank you email after a customer makes their first order. You can even see in-line analytics for each email.
Tip: We recommend combining FunnelKit Automations with an SMTP service like WP Mail SMTP. This will make sure your emails are delivered to your customers and won’t get lost or end up in the spam folder.
2. Set Up an Automated Marketing Campaign With Push Notifications
You can also run an automated marketing campaign using push notifications instead of emails. These notifications go directly to the user’s web browser or mobile device. This means they have a much higher engagement rate, similar to SMS messages.
The easiest way to set up automated push notifications is with PushEngage. It is the best web push notification software for WordPress, and over 10,000 businesses use it to send targeted messages.
For each notification, you can change the title, message, URL, icon image, and more by expanding it.
There is also a preview of how your notifications will look in the browser.
PushEngage also lets you choose when to send each notification. For example, you can immediately send the first notification and select a different time for the following one.
3. Let Customers Track Orders With Automated Transactional Emails
WooCommerce will need to send different transactional emails to your customers. These help them get order confirmations, track their order status, get invoices, and find out more information about your online store.
The FunnelKit Automations dashboard makes it easy to create a new automation. You can simply click on one of the plugin’s many templates.
You can filter the list to quickly find the WooCommerce automation you wish to use. For example, you might want to send automatic thank-you emails to repeat customers.
You can then customize the automation using the visual automation builder, including the content of the email.
SMS messages are an effective way to keep your customers up to date. They have a 98% average open rate, with 95% of messages being read in the first 3 minutes!
You can send automatic texts to your customers when their orders are dispatched or their status changes. You can automatically send SMS notifications to your customers or let them opt in at checkout.
As a business owner, there is a lot to manage. If you are still creating invoices manually, then you can switch to professional invoicing software that automates all invoicing and payment processes. Then, you will be free to focus on growing your business.
A plugin like WooCommerce PDF Invoices makes it easy to automatically generate invoices, collect orders, and manage your finances.
With automatic recurring payments, you don’t have to spend time manually sending invoices and waiting for payments from your customers.
Plus, adding subscription payments to your eCommerce business will give you a more consistent cash flow, fewer payment errors, and fewer payment delays.
6. Use Automated Store Activity Notifications to Boost Sales
Automated FOMO and social proof notifications can also increase sales in your WooCommerce store.
FOMO, short for fear of missing out, is a marketing technique used to create excitement about a product. It uses psychology to encourage customers to make buying decisions faster.
Plus, social proof shows visitors that other customers have purchased your products. This can convince users that your online store is trustworthy.
TrustPulse automatically monitors activity on your site. When potential customers are close to buying something, they will see a notification showing that another customer has just made a purchase.
By simply displaying social proof, you will give your visitors a small push to complete their purchase. To learn more, see Method 1 of our guide on how to use FOMO to increase conversions.
7. Automatically Display Your Best Product Reviews
Would you like to automatically display the best reviews of your products from across the internet? You could copy and paste them manually, but that is a lot of work. Plus, there would be a delay before they appear on your website.
Luckily, Smash Balloon has a Reviews Feed Pro plugin that lets you automatically show off your best reviews from platforms like Google Reviews, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and more.
It comes with pre-designed templates, so you can display your reviews in different layouts, including showcases, carousels, grids, and more.
The Reviews Feed automatically copies your website’s design so that the reviews look like a natural part of your website rather than content embedded from another platform.
8. Use an Automated Sales Funnel to Boost Sales Conversions
A sales funnel is the path a user takes on your website to become a customer. It is made up of the specific pages a user may visit before making a purchase.
For example, a new visitor might land on a blog post, then view a product page, then go through your checkout flow.
Unfortunately, only 10% of shoppers, on average, will add anything to their carts. After they do, 60-80% of them abandon their carts without completing the purchase.
Luckily, you can use FunnelKit, the best WooCommerce sales funnel plugin, to change that. You can use the plugin to optimize each step, offer a better user experience, reduce distractions, and nudge users toward completing their purchases.
For example, it comes with a one-click Upsells feature, which allows users to add products to their carts on their way to the checkout.
FunnelKit also lets you customize the user journey with pre-checkout offers, custom checkout form layouts, beautiful templates, and more.
For instance, the FunnelKit Funnel Builder lets you add order bumps to boost profits if someone adds $X to their cart. You can also add one-click order bumps to your checkout page.
9. Reduce Cart Abandonment With Popups and Push Notifications
As we said earlier, 60 to 80% of people who add items to their cart don’t actually buy them. This means if you have an online store, then you are losing out on a lot of sales.
Luckily, you can use automatic push notifications to reduce cart abandonment rates. For example, you can pop up a notification when a user is about to leave your website and offer a coupon or free shipping.
Or, if the customer already has discounted items in their cart, they may just need some reassurance that they are making the right decision. Push notifications like these can help you recover 3 to 8% of abandoning cart sales.
But what if the customer leaves your site before they see the popup? Push notifications can also help you connect with your visitors after they leave your website. These messages will display in your subscriber’s browser even when they are not actively browsing your store.
The easiest way to do this is with PushEngage. It is the best web push notification software on the market, and it is used to send over 15 billion push messages every month.
You can also significantly reduce cart abandonment by simply improving your online store and checkout process. We share plenty of proven tips with real examples in our guide on how to recover WooCommerce abandoned cart sales.
10. Send Automated Coupons to Bring Back Customers
It costs 5 times more to get a new customer than to keep an old one. Over time, people may lose interest in your website, forget about your products, or start shopping with a competitor.
One way to bring those customers back is to automatically send them a coupon code via email. You can use automation tools to send a coupon to customers who have become disengaged, such as when they don’t place an order for 2 months or have stopped opening emails.
Another good use for automated coupons is recognizing and rewarding customers when they engage with your online store. For example, you might send a coupon after a customer reviews one of your products.
This builds loyalty to your store and can get you more sales. It also encourages shoppers to review more products in the future.
You can also schedule coupons in advance so that they go out automatically on popular holidays like Black Friday, Christmas, New Year’s, Mother’s Day, and Valentine’s Day. This will leave you free to focus on promoting your offers and getting as many sales as possible.
Additionally, as we mentioned earlier, you can also offer a coupon in a popup. Showing a coupon at the right time makes a huge difference in converting your website visitors into paying customers.
You can also use automation to post your online store content to your social channels. This lets you keep your social followers engaged with fresh content.
Uncanny Automator has integrations with all popular social platforms. It will let you publish new blog posts on Facebook, show off your latest product images on Instagram, advertise your sales on Twitter, and more.
You can learn how to do this step-by-step by following our guides on how to automatically post to Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
12. Automatically Display Social Media Content in WooCommerce
Are you looking for ways to show fresh content without doing any extra work? One way to do that is to automatically display your latest social media activity in your WooCommerce store.
This can save you time and keep your website content fresh and engaging for visitors. Plus, it can boost social proof by displaying your social media followers, comments, and like counts.
Smash Balloon automates your website content by displaying your latest social media activity. It is a popular social media feed plugin for WordPress that is used by over 1.4 million websites.
For example, you can add a Facebook feed to WordPress, and new posts will automatically appear in real time. Your customers can also like, share, and comment on your WordPress posts, which is a great way to get more engagement on Facebook.
You can change the feed’s color scheme, design a custom header, add ‘like’ and ‘load more’ buttons, and much more.
If you are posting beautiful photos and engaging videos to Instagram, then it makes sense to post that content to WordPress too.
You can even show other people’s photos on your site by creating a hashtag feed or displaying the posts that other people have tagged your account in.
In the following image, you can see an example of an online store that uses a custom Instagram feed to show user-generated content.
The best thing is that WPForms easily integrates with many other tools and plugins, so you can easily automate any action after someone fills out your form.
For example, when someone fills in an order form, you can use conditional logic to send an email notification to the correct department, depending on the product that was purchased.
You can also send a confirmation email to the customer who filled in the form to let them know you will be in contact soon. This a nice gesture that lets your users know that you have received their information.
In addition, by using the Google Sheets Addon, you can send any form fields you want to a spreadsheet. This will allow you to use spreadsheet features to analyze the data and collaborate with others in your team.
To automate your forms further, Uncanny Automator will let you connect WPForms and other form plugins to 100+ third-party services without having to pay fees to services like Zapier.
For example, you can create an Uncanny Automator recipe to send customer form data to Airtable. Then, your team will be able to access and use the data easily.
14. Automate Live Chat Using Artificial Intelligence
Automated chatbots are the future of live chat software because they allow you to engage with your customers 24/7. They can free up time by automatically answering common customer questions, generating leads, improving user experience, and making more sales.
Chatbot.com is the best AI chatbot software for WordPress. It lets you easily automate live chat on your website by setting up your own chatbot using a drag-and-drop builder. You don’t need to do any coding or have any special technical skills.
It even comes with pre-built templates that you can use as a starting point to quickly get your AI chatbot up and running. These templates include different scenarios like selling products, customer service, recruitment, bookings, and more.
For example, you can use the eCommerce bot template to walk your customers through the entire buying process. There are even templates for specific industries, including a coffee shopbot, recruitment bot, and restaurant bot.
If visitors want to communicate with a real person, then you can easily forward them to your customer support agent, phone support, or any of ChatBot’s live chat software integrations, such as LiveChat.
15. Use Uncanny Automator for Even More WooCommerce Automations
This article contains many specialist tools that do specific automation jobs very well. By contrast, Uncanny Automator is a Swiss army knife that allows you to create all types of automation workflows without having to write any code.
It acts as a bridge so that you can get different WordPress plugins talking to each other, as well as loads of third-party services.
You create automation by building Uncanny Automator recipes, consisting of triggers and actions. The action will be automatically run when a user or WooCommerce triggers an event.
Here are some of the WooCommerce triggers you can use to run a recipe:
A customer viewing a product
A customer adding a product to their cart
A customer paying for a product
A payment failing
A customer reviewing a product
And much more
Then the recipe can automatically run any of these WooCommerce actions:
Creating an order with a product
Changing the price of a product
Generating and emailing a coupon code
Giving an order a specific status
There are dozens of recipes that you can create, allowing you to save hundreds of hours while running your online store more efficiently.
For instance, you can use Uncanny Automator to automatically create a new customer account when someone submits a contact form on your website, or send notifications to Slack.
Bonus: Track Conversions to Learn How to Increase Sales
To use any marketing automation platform effectively, you will need easy-to-understand reports that tell you exactly what is working for your business and what isn’t.
MonsterInsights is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. It lets you get a clear picture of what is happening on your site and what you can do to bring in more sales.
It comes with WooCommerce conversion tracking, form submissions, outbound link tracking, and user tracking.
Its Reports page has an ‘eCommerce’ tab that shows your most important conversion metrics, including the conversion rate, transactions, revenue, and average order value. Below that, you will see a list of your top products with quantity, sale percentage, and total revenue.
You will also see your top conversion sources. You can use this report to attract more customers and offer exclusive discounts for customers from specific sources.
You can also connect Google Sheets with WooCommerce to easily record and manage your orders and customer data. Once the information is in a Google Sheet, you can easily filter it based on factors like the order total, the customer’s location, coupons used, and more.
You can then share this information with your team, even if they don’t have access to the WordPress dashboard. For example, you can easily send this data to your suppliers, marketing departments, or other team members.
You are even able to turn this data into charts and graphs. All of this makes it easier to analyze the information and then use these insights to fine-tune your business and get more sales.
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Are you looking for a comparison between WPForms, Gravity Forms, and Formidable Forms?
These three are the best WordPress form plugins in the market. However, picking the right form builder can be challenging for many website owners.
In this article, we’ll compare WPForms vs Gravity Forms vs Formidable Forms and show which is the best.
Introduction to WordPress Form Plugins
WPForms, Gravity Forms, and Formidable Forms are among the most popular WordPress form plugins that you can use. Each of them offers unique features and allows you to add different forms to your website.
WPForms was launched in 2016 by Syed Balkhi (founder of WPBeginner) and Jared Atchison. Since its launch, over 5 million WordPress sites have been using the plugin. The goal of creating WPForms was to offer an easy and powerful form plugin. It takes the pain out of creating online forms by making the process beginner friendly.
Gravity Forms is created by the team at Rocketgenius. It is a WordPress plugin that lets you add forms to your WordPress site. The plugin also specializes in helping developers build complex form-related solutions.
Formidable Forms is another powerful WordPress form builder created by Steph Wells and Steve Wells. You can use it to create a wide range of forms from simple contact forms to advanced solutions-focused forms like mortgage calculators, directories, listing forms, and more. Formidable Forms is part of WPBeginner Growth Fund companies.
That being said, let’s compare these WordPress form plugins and find out which is the best for your use case. In our research, we tried dozens of WordPress form plugins, and have decided to compare these top 3 form plugins in the following criteria:
When it comes to picking a WordPress form plugin, it is essential to choose a tool that is easy to use. The form builder should allow users to easily customize their forms without the need to edit code or hire a developer.
Let’s see how the 3 plugins compare to each other for ease of use.
WPForms – Ease of Use
WPForms is a beginner-friendly form plugin for WordPress. It offers a drag-and-drop form builder that is very super simple to use.
You can easily customize any form by adding multiple form fields from the menu on your left. All you have to do is drag the field and drop it onto the form template.
WPForms also makes it very easy to add your forms anywhere on the WordPress website. The best part, you can do all this within the form builder. You can click the embed button, and WPForms will show you options for adding your form.
For instance, you can create a new page or select an existing one to embed your forms.
You can also manually add your form to any page or post using the WordPress block. Besides that, the plugin lets you use shortcodes to add a form to your WordPress website.
Gravity Forms – Ease of Use
Gravity Forms also offers a drag-and-drop form builder, and it lets you create all types of forms without editing code.
You can quickly rework your form from inside the WordPress dashboard. The form builder offers different form fields that you can add by simply placing them onto the template.
After creating a form, Gravity Forms also lets you easily embed it on your website. Just like WPForms and Formidable Forms, you get an option inside the drag-and-drop builder to add your form.
Gravity Forms also offers a WordPress block to easily embed your forms on any page or post. Plus, you can use shortcodes or add the forms manually anywhere on your site.
Formidable Forms – Ease of Use
Formidable Forms is a user-friendly plugin that to lets you customize your forms using a drag-and-drop form builder, just like WPForms and Gravity Forms.
You can simply drag any form field from the options on your left and place them on the template. The plugin also lets you rearrange the order of the fields by simply moving them up or down or side to side.
Formidable Forms makes it very easy to embed your forms anywhere on your website. You can use the Formidable Forms block to add the form to any post or page. Or click the embed button in the form builder to embed your forms.
Winner – Tie
When it comes to ease, all 3 plugins perform equally well. Each of them offers a drag-and-drop functionality, which lets you edit and customize forms with editing code easily. Plus, each plugin makes it very easy to embed the forms anywhere on the website.
WPForms has a slight edge because it leans on decisions over options by giving you over 600+ form templates and easy-to-use choices whereas Gravity Forms and Formidable Forms are built more for developers.
Form Templates
Form templates are another important factor to consider when choosing a form plugin for WordPress.
Templates help save time as you don’t have to create a form from scratch. You can quickly edit it according to your requirements or simply use the default template to add a form to your website.
Let’s see how WPForms vs Gravity Forms vs Formidable Forms stack up in terms of form templates.
WPForms – Form Templates
With WPForms, you get over 600 prebuilt form templates. Whether you’re looking to create a simple contact form, feedback form, request a quote form, payment form, or registration form, WPForms has you covered.
The plugin categorizes form templates into different categories in the form builder. For instance, you can find different templates for business operations, customer service, education, entertainment, event planning, feedback, health and wellness, and more.
Even in the free version of WPForms, you get a lot of form templates to get started.
Gravity Forms – Form Templates
Gravity Forms offers limited prebuilt form templates compared to WPForms and Formidable Forms.
You only get 15 form templates in the form builder. Some of these include a simple contact form, advanced contact form, donation form, eCommerce form, event registration form, survey, newsletter signup form, and more.
Formidable Forms – Form Templates
Formidable Forms offers over 175 WordPress form templates and examples you can use for your website.
What makes it different is that you get templates for advanced forms. For instance, you can create an advanced mortgage calculator form, net promoter score (NPS) survey form, car payment calculator form, life insurance calculator form, doctor visit form, signature forms, and more.
Besides that, you can find forms for payment collection, health and wellness, customer service, education, donations, event planning, and more.
Winner – WPForms
WPForms is a standout winner compared to Gravity Forms and Formidable Forms. You get the largest form template library in WPForms, with over 600 choices available. There are prebuilt templates for just about any type of form you want to create for your website.
Customization Options
A WordPress form plugin should allow you to edit and customize your form with ease. When selecting the right tool, you should look at the customization options the plugin offers.
Here’s a look at the different features offered by WPForms, Gravity Forms, and Formidable Forms.
WPForms – Customization Options
WPForms offers lots of customization options for your form. For starters, it offers different form fields that you can simply drag and drop from the menu on your left onto the template.
For instance, it offers standard fields like paragraph text, multiple choice, checkboxes, and more. Plus, you can add fancier fields like phone number, address, file upload, date/time, website, and more.
If you click on an existing form field, then you’ll see more options for customization.
You can edit the label of the field, make it a mandatory field, add smart logic, and more. For example, you can choose which payment methods to show in an order form and rearrange their order.
Instead of asking multiple questions at once, you can take the one-question-at-a-time approach. It will look like having a conversation face to face with a human, and boost form conversions.
Similarly, you can also use the lead forms addon to increase form conversions. It basically allows you to embed conversational forms on any page on your WordPress site.
WPForms offers more customization features like custom form landing pages similar to Google forms. You can create a distraction-free landing page for your form and get more conversions.
The plugin lets you add a title and description for the page, a header logo, and edit the page URL. You also get to change the background color of the page and choose a style to make your forms more appealing.
Other customization options offered by WPForms include a save and continue feature. This lets your users save the progress while filling out a form and continue later to complete it. You can allow users to sign your online forms using their mouse or touchscreen.
If you have lengthy forms, then you can use the multi-page feature to split them into different pages. Or you can use conditional logic to show different form fields based on the user’s responses.
Besides that, you can also customize the notification and confirmation settings for your form. In the notification settings, you can edit details like email addresses, subject lines, names, messages, and more.
Similarly, you can also edit the confirmation message a user will see when they submit a form. You can show a thank you message, show a page, or redirect people to a specific URL.
Gravity Forms – Customization Options
Gravity Forms offers different form fields to customize your form template.
These include standard fields, advanced fields, post fields, and pricing fields.
Just like WPForms and Formidable Forms, you can click on existing form fields to edit them further.
However, you’ll see a slight difference in the customization options. There are general settings for a field where you can change its label and add a description.
Other than that, you can edit the appearance of the field, change advanced settings like enabling field autocomplete, and add conditional logic.
Other than that, you also get control over different form settings. For example, you can edit the notifications and confirmations settings in the form builder.
You can also configure ‘Personal Data’ settings similar to WPForms. These allow you to prevent the storage of IP addresses during form submission. Plus, you can enable integration with other tools for exporting and erasing personal data, which is helpful in complying with data regulations like GDPR.
Formidable Forms – Customization Options
With the Formidable Forms drag-and-drop builder, you can easily customize your form with options such as prebuilt form fields that you add to your template.
What makes the plugin different from others is that it offers multiple form fields that will help you create advanced forms. For instance, you can add a user ID field, captcha, hidden field, appointments, lookup field, and more.
Besides that, you can easily edit each existing field in the template.
There are general options to change the label, add a CSS class, and more. Or you can view the advanced options to add a placeholder text, and description, edit the field size and allow maximum characters.
What’s different about Formidable Forms compared to WPForms and Gravity Forms is that it also offers different styles for your forms.
You can use the default style or choose from various options. This way, you can change the appearance of your forms without having to enter CSS code.
Other than that, you can also customize the form settings. For instance, the plugin lets you change the notification settings, and form permissions, and also allows form scheduling.
Winner – WPForms
After comparing all 3 plugins, we found WPForms to be the clear winner. It offers more customization features compared to Formidable Forms and Gravity Forms.
You can add different form fields, change their settings, rearrange them, and more using the drag-and-drop builder. Besides that, WPForms offers tons of features to make your form more appealing and boost conversions.
Additional Features and Integrations
Now that we’ve covered ease of use, templates, and customization options, let’s see how WPForms, Formidable Forms, and Gravity Forms compare in terms of additional features and integrations.
As a website owner, you’d want a WordPress plugin that easily works with third-party tools, payment services, and email marketing services. Here’s what each plugin has to offer.
WPForms – Additional Features and Integrations
WPForms offers lots of premium addons and integrations that extend its functionality and benefits.
For instance, you can accept file uploads with its post-submission addon. This way, users can easily submit content on the front end of your site without requiring access to the WordPress dashboard.
Similarly, you get addons for geolocation data and see where your form users are from. The user journey addon can show you the pages and posts people visited before submitting a form.
The plugin also offers a form abandonment addon that captures partial entries for a form. You can then recover those entries and encourage users to complete a form.
Aside from this, WPForms provides more addons for creating custom Captcha, allowing digital signatures, locking WordPress forms, creating interactive form layouts, and more.
Another advantage of using WPForms compared to other plugins is that it easily integrates with different tools and plugins. For example, you can use it with popular email marketing tools like Drip, Mailchimp, and Constant Contact.
The plugin also supports payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, Square, and Authorize.Net. You can also integrate WPForms with CRMs such as Salesforce and HubSpot.
Gravity Forms – Additional Features and Integrations
Gravity Forms also offers different addons that can help you get the most out of the plugin. However, the list is not as expansive as WPForms, and you’d have to pay extra to use third-party extensions.
You get additional features for setting up user registrations, creating surveys and polls, tracking users’ geolocation, collecting partial form entries, allowing signatures, and more.
Besides that, Gravity Forms also offers integrations with different tools and plugins.
You can easily integrate email marketing tools like AWeber, Constant Contact, Mailgun, and more. Plus, you can add anti-spam solutions like Akismet and reCAPTCHA.
Other integrations include Google Analytics, Dropbox, Zapier, Trello, ActiveCampaign, HelpScout, PayPal Checkout, 2Checkout, and Stripe.
Formidable Forms – Additional Features and Integrations
Formidable Forms offers different addons and integration features. Most of the additional features are similar to WPForms and Gravity Forms.
However, what makes Formidable Forms different is that you get several powerful features to create advanced forms, set up web applications, show stats on the front end, and more.
For instance, the plugin offers a form action automation feature to schedule email notifications, SMS messages, and other actions. It also offers API webhooks that let you send submissions to REST APIs.
It also offers a visual views addon that lets you display data from form entries on the front end of your website. You can create web apps to display form submissions in tables, grids, calendars, and other views.
This is great for showing testimonials and product reviews, adding a user-submitted events calendar, and displaying useful statistics.
Besides that, Formidable Forms also lets you create applications for your website. It offers prebuilt templates that include different forms, views, and pages for your application. Simply select a template, and the plugin will take care of the rest.
You can create different applications, such as product reviews, real estate listings, testimonials, restaurant menus, certificates, and more.
For example, you can offer professional certificates in just a few clicks. Simply choose the certificate application template, and Formidable Forms will automatically add a form with a certificate generator on your website.
It will also add views for the certificate and certificate of completion, which users can see on the front end.
Other advanced features offered by Formidable Forms include converting WordPress forms to PDF, mapping form fields to PDF form fields, quizzes, repeater fields, SMS voting, front-end editing, and more.
Other than that, you can also integrate Formidable Forms with different payment services, email marketing tools, CRMs, and third-party plugins. It even works with Uncanny Automator and Zapier, so you can connect Formidable Forms to services like Asana, Slack, and Dropbox.
The best part about using Formidable Forms is that you get all the advanced features in one place, with everything included in a single pricing plan. If you were to use Gravity Forms, then you’d need to subscribe to multiple third-party addons.
For example, you’d need the basic Gravity Forms plan along with other extensions like Gravity PDF, File Upload Pro, Gravity View, Gravity Math, and so on. This can add to your overall cost and make it very expensive to use Gravity Forms.
Winner – Formidable Forms
While each plugin offers multiple additional features and integrations, Formidable Forms is the standout winner. It offers more advanced features that you can use to display form results on the front end, create complex forms, convert forms to PDF, create web applications, and use various addons to help users create form solutions for any scenario.
WPForms gets an honorary mention for marketing-related features, like form abandonment and digital signatures. It also integrates with popular email services, CRM software, tracking tools, payment gateways, and other plugins.
Pricing Plans
The next parameter we will compare WPForms vs Gravity Forms vs Formidable Forms is that of pricing. Let’s see which plugin offers the most value for money.
WPForms – Pricing
WPForms offers 4 different pricing plans suitable for all types of businesses. These include a Basic plan, which costs $49.50 per year, and you can use it for 1 website. It also offers all the essential features like premium templates, entry management, and file uploads.
If you want to use the plugin on more websites and require marketing integrations, then WPForms offers a Plus plan for $99.50 per year.
On the other hand, there is a Pro plan that includes everything from the Basic and Plus plans. It includes payment addons, conversion tools, and other advanced form features. This will close you $199.50 per year.
Lastly, there is an Elite plan for $299.50 per year, which has everything. You get to use it on unlimited websites and get all the features and integrations WPForms has to offer. Each premium plan comes with 14-day money back guarantee.
The best part, there is also a WPForms Lite version you can use for free. You get multiple form templates, standard fields for customization, spam protection, and other features.
Gravity Forms – Pricing Plans
Gravity Forms offer 3 premium plans, which include the Basic License, Pro License, and Elite License.
With the Basic License plan, you can use the plugin on 1 website. You also get addons for email marketing tools and spam protection services. This plan will cost you $59 per year.
Next, there is a Pro License plan that offers more addons. For instance, you get to integrate more email marketing services, CRMs, payment gateways, and third-party services. This plan will cost $159 per year.
Lastly, Gravity Forms offers an Elite License plan that includes all the features from the Basic and Pro plans. In addition to that, Elite plan users also get access to features like polls, quizzes, digital signatures, surveys, geolocation, and more. The Elite plan is available for $259 per year.
That said, Gravity Forms doesn’t offer a free version, like WPForms or Formidable Forms. You’d also need to pay extra to use different third-party addons and extensions.
Formidable Forms – Pricing Plans
Formidable Forms lets you choose from 4 pricing plans. It starts with a Basic plan, costing $39.50 per year. You get 50+ form templates and basic features like conditional logic and file uploads.
Besides that, there is a Plus plan for $99.50 per year, and it offers more form templates and features. For instance, you get the Formidable Views feature, landing pages, and integration with Mailchimp, MailPoet Newsletters, and AWeber.
Next, it offers a Business plan that includes over 150 form templates, premium addons, more integrations, and additional features. This plan will cost you $199.50 per year.
Lastly, there is an Elite plan for $299.50 per year, and it includes all the features and integrations. You get all the templates and support for third-party tools like Salesforce, ActiveCampaign, and HubSpot.
Formidable Forms also offers a free version. You can get started for free and get features like drag and drop form builder, basic form templates, and standard form fields for customization.
Winner – WPForms and Formidable Forms
When it comes to offering the most value for money, both WPForms and Formidable Forms clearly stand out when compared to Gravity Forms.
Both of them offer 4 different pricing plans for businesses of all sizes. Plus, you get a free version, which helps small website owners, bloggers, and others to create WordPress forms without a considerable investment. You also don’t have to pay more to use multiple addons and advanced features.
Which is the Best WordPress Form Plugin?
WPForms, Gravity Forms, and Formidable Forms are some of the best WordPress form plugins you can get your hands on today.
However, we believe that WPForms is the best plugin for creating forms for your WordPress website. It is super easy to use and offers tons of features.
You get over 600 form templates, a drag-and-drop form builder, multiple form fields for customization, and additional settings to edit your form. Plus, there are different premium addons that allow you to expand the functionality of WPForms.
Not to mention, there is a WPForms Lite version available for free. It also includes lots of form templates and customization features. You can quickly create forms for your website using the free plugin.
On the other hand, if you’re a developer looking to save time on developing complex and advanced WordPress forms, then Formidable Forms is the perfect solution. You can create calculators and web applications, convert forms to PDF, and much more without editing code.
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Do you want to allow users to submit content and upload files on the front end?
Using a front-end posting plugin, you can allow people to upload different types of files without giving them access to the WordPress dashboard. They can submit documents, images, videos, PDFs, guest posts, and more.
In this article, we will show you the best front-end posting plugins for WordPress.
Why Use a Front-End Posting Plugin for WordPress?
By default, WordPress doesn’t allow users to upload or submit content on the front end.
This means if you want to accept guest posts from a user, or want them to upload files on your site, then you would have to give them access to the admin area of your website.
This can be a time-consuming process and a security risk, as unknown users could then view your WordPress dashboard.
That’s where a front-end posting plugin can help. It allows you to collect user-generated content and accept all types of files without editing code or giving anyone access to the admin area.
For example, you can allow guest post submissions, real estate listing submissions, create a multi-vendor marketplace, collect testimonials from users, and more.
That being said, let’s look at the best front-end posting plugins for WordPress.
WPForms is the best WordPress form builder plugin in the market used by over 5 million websites. It offers a drag-and-drop interface that you can use to create any type of form.
They have a post-submission addon that lets you collect user-generated content without creating an account. Your visitors can easily submit content on the front end. Plus, you can accept payments for a post submission, like property listings or business directories.
WPForms also gives you full control over which content to accept, and how you’d like to receive it. For example, you can map certain fields in your form to a new WordPress post such as Post Title, Content, and Featured Image.
You can also create a file upload form to collect user-generated content. It comes with a file upload form field that lets people submit guest posts, upload images, share presentations and documents, and more.
Besides that, WPForms offers other powerful features such as spam protection, conditional logic, form abandonment, online signatures, locking specific forms, tracking user journeys, and more.
Formidable Forms is another powerful form builder plugin for WordPress that you can use to allow front-end posting.
It offers a user-submitted posts and pages feature that allows front-end publishing. Your visitors can create new posts using the plugin, and they don’t require admin access. This way, you can gather community content, guest posts, resources, databases, listings, and other user-generated content.
Formidable Forms also offers a file upload feature that lets users submit different files without the need to log in to the admin area.
When a user submits a file using the form, it is automatically stored in your WordPress media library. From here, you can easily browse, view, and filter different submissions.
With Formidable Forms, you can also create advanced forms, like mortgage calculators, payment forms, quote calculators, surveys, and more. The plugin offers a drag-and-drop form builder, pre-built templates, and powerful integrations.
Easy Digital Downloads offers a frontend submissions extension that lets you create websites that work like Amazon, AirBnB, and eBay.
The EDD extension allows you to create a multi-vendor marketplace where users can register as vendors from the front end, and then they can use your site to upload and sell digital products.
Users can create new products, update existing products, access earning details, communicate with customers, and more from the front end.
Besides that, you can use Easy Digital Downloads to track and record vendor commissions, review new vendor registrations, and get email notifications when a vendor adds a new product.
The best part is that you get a drag-and-drop form builder to create forms for vendor registration, product submission, and vendor profiles.
On top of that, EDD also integrates with payment services like PayPal and Stripe. You can connect the plugin with email marketing tools and other third-party software.
MemberPress is the best membership plugin for WordPress that is super easy to use. You can create unlimited premium memberships and restrict access to pages, content, and files for subscribers only.
Using MemberPress, you can create a membership site to get user-generated content. For instance, you can set up members-only associations like Young Entrepreneur Council. This way, premium members submit guest posts for the site itself. In addition, they can get access to forum discussions, share other content, and more.
MemberPress offers a file upload option that you can show in the account area. This way, subscribers can share different content on your membership site.
The plugin also offers powerful content restrictions and access controls. You can lock premium forums and upload content for members only. Other than that, MemberPress easily integrates with different payment providers, email services, WordPress plugins, and third-party tools.
Testimonials are incredibly powerful for driving sales and getting new users, and this plugin makes it super easy to gather reviews and feedback from existing customers.
It has an autopilot feature that automates the process of asking for feedback from customers.
Besides that, you can use Thrive Ovation to convert WordPress comments into testimonials with a single click. It also helps convert social media comments into testimonials for your website.
The plugin offers a testimonial library where you can easily manage user-submitted content, WordPress comments, and other imported feedback from your WordPress dashboard.
WordPress File Upload is the next free front-end posting plugin on our list. It allows users to submit content from any page, post, or sidebar on your WordPress site.
You can simply use a shortcode to add a file upload form to your website or use the sidebar widget. The plugin also lets you manage the uploaded content from your WordPress dashboard. The uploaded files can be added to the media library or stored in an FTP location.
Besides that, you can set up file upload filters for multiple WordPress user roles, add file size limits, and control which file extensions users can upload.
WordPress File Upload also offers different customization options and lets you show an upload progress bar. However, if you’re looking for more options to edit your forms, then you can use other plugins on our list, like WPForms and Formidable Forms.
WP User Front-end is a flexible and beginner-friendly WordPress plugin for accepting front-end submissions.
The plugin comes with a drag-and-drop form builder and offers multiple customization options. You can place the form anywhere on your site to allow users to create a new post and submit guest posts, images, and other content.
It also lets users edit their profiles from the front end. This is great as you don’t have to give access to the main dashboard for users to set up a profile.
Besides that, you can use the WP User Front-end plugin to create subscriptions and membership packs. It lets you add pay-per-post, manage transactions, and easily receive payments.
User Submitted Posts is a simple and free WordPress plugin that you can use to allow file upload on the front end of your website.
It is a great solution to accept guest posts, customer reviews, testimonials, images, and other user-generated content. The plugin offers basic form fields like name, email, URL, post title, content, post category, post images, and agree to terms.
You can display the front-end posting form anywhere on your site using a shortcode. The User Submitted Posts plugin also offers a login and registration form, so users can create a profile without requiring access to your site’s dashboard.
That said, the plugin doesn’t offer a lot of customization options, form templates, and features to control file upload compared to other plugins like WPForms.
AccessPress Anonymous Post is another free WordPress plugin you can use to accept guest posts and allow front-end posting. It offers a responsive form that is easy to customize and place anywhere on your website.
Users can simply use the form to upload content, add a title, and enter tags, categories, URLs, images, and more. All the submitted content is stored in the WordPress database, and you can access it from your dashboard.
Besides that, you can also add a captcha for verification, receive emails when someone uploads a file, and make different form fields required.
File Upload Types by WPForms is a free WordPress plugin that lets you accept different file extensions on your WordPress site. By default, WordPress only allows a handful of file types that users can upload to the media library.
If someone is submitting a post for the site on the front end, but uploads a file that has an extension not supported by WordPress, then they’ll see a ‘Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security reasons’ error message.
This is where the File Upload Types by WPForms plugin comes in handy. It allows users to post any type of file. For instance, you can accept file extensions like .zip, .xml, .ai, .csv, .svg, and more.
An important thing to note is that the plugin will let you accept additional file types, but it doesn’t have a feature to accept front-end posting. That’s where you’ll need another plugin like WPForms or any other on our list.
Which is the Best Front-End Posting Plugin for WordPress?
In our research, we found that WPForms is the best front-end posting plugin. It allows you to allow file upload and accept guest posts, images, quotes, and other user-generated content.
On top of that, you get over 600+ pre-built from templates, a drag-and-drop form builder, and lots of customization options to edit your form. You can add a file upload form field and display your form anywhere on the website.
Plus, its field-mapping feature makes drafting and editing on the front-end a breeze and is perfect for sites that have user-submitted content like real-estate listings or guest posts.
If you want to create complex and advanced forms like mortgage calculators, then you can use Formidable Forms. It also comes with a file upload feature and allows easy front-end posting.
On the other hand, you can use Easy Digital Downloads if you’re selling digital products. The plugin offers an upload file extension that allows users to submit documents, images, and other content on the front end. And their front-end submissions extension allows you to create a multi-vendor marketplace.
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Vlogging is a powerful way to connect with people and build a personal brand. However, if you simply upload vlogs to third-party platforms like YouTube, then you may struggle to grow your audience, make money, and become a successful vlogger.
In this article, we will show you how you can start a vlog and make money.
Which Is the Best Website Builder for Your Video Blog?
There are many website builders that can help you create a vlog site, but we recommend using WordPress and a separate video hosting platform.
To learn more about why WordPress is such a good choice, please see our complete WordPress review with pros and cons.
There are two types of WordPress software: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. We recommend using WordPress.org, also called ‘self-hosted WordPress.’ This will give you full ownership and control of your site.
Using WordPress.org allows you to install third-party plugins and themes, including plenty that are designed specifically for vloggers.
Also, while you can upload videos to WordPress, it’s far better to use a separate video hosting platform such as YouTube or Vimeo.
Videos take up a lot of your hosting resources, which will slow down your website. Instead, we recommend uploading your vlogs to a separate hosting platform such as YouTube or Vimeo, which has all the server resources you need.
After uploading your vlogs to one of these sites, you can then embed your vlog in a WordPress page or post by simply copying and pasting a link. WordPress has built-in support for most major video hosting platforms.
If you really want to save time and impress your viewers, then you can use a plugin like Smash Balloon to create a video feed that will update automatically every time you post a new vlog.
If you don’t already have a video hosting platform in mind, then don’t worry. Later in this guide, we’ll help you find the perfect platform for your vlogs.
Step 1. Setting Up Your Video Blog Website
To create a video vlog, you’ll need a domain name and web hosting.
Although the WordPress software is free, hosting and domain names are where the costs can really start to add up.
A domain name typically costs $14.99/year and hosting costs start from $7.99/month. This is a lot for hobby vloggers, new creators, or anyone who is working with a tighter budget.
Thankfully, Bluehost has agreed to offer our users over 60% off on web hosting and a free SSL certificate as part of this deal. This is absolutely essential if you plan to sell premium videos and make money from your vlogs. You will also get a free domain name when you sign up!
Simply click the link below to create a vlogging website for as little as $2.75 per month.
Because you get a free domain when you sign up with Bluehost, you’ll need to be sure it’s the right fit for your video blog. For expert tips, check out our guide on how to choose the best domain name.
Once you’ve completed the purchase, you’ll get an email with instructions on how to log in to your web hosting control panel. This is your hosting account dashboard where you can manage your vlog, including setting up email notifications and asking for WordPress support if you need it.
It’s also where you’ll install the WordPress software, so let’s do that now.
Step 2. Install WordPress on Your Video Blog
When you sign up with Bluehost using our link, you’ll get access to a one-click WordPress installer. Simply log into your Bluehost account and click on ‘One Click Install.’
You can now follow the onscreen instructions to set up WordPress.
Once WordPress is set up, you’re ready to start customizing your vlog site.
Step 3. Select a Video Theme
WordPress themes are professionally designed templates that change how your vlog looks and acts.
There are lots of different premium and free WordPress business themes to choose from. You can generally categorize these as multipurpose WordPress themes, or niche industry themes. However, most WordPress themes are designed to show text.
Since we’re starting a vlog, we need a theme that’s designed specifically for videos.
Even if you’re using a separate video hosting platform, embedded videos still take time to load. With that in mind, it’s important to find a lightweight theme that won’t slow down your website. Wherever possible, we also recommend using a theme that has built-in lazy loading.
On top of that, vlogs often need special features such as parallax scrolling, lightbox popups, and fullscreen video backgrounds.
That’s a lot to keep in mind, so you may want to look at our expert pick of the best WordPress video themes.
After installing a theme, you may want to customize it by going to Appearance » Customize in the WordPress dashboard. This will launch the theme customizer where you can fine-tune the theme settings and see your changes in the live preview.
If you’re using one of the newer full-site editing themes, then you’ll need to go to Appearance » Editor instead.
Here, you can fine-tune the theme using blocks.
Just remember that you can customize your theme at any point. You can even completely change your WordPress theme, if you realize it doesn’t quite meet your needs.
This means you don’t need to finalize your site design now. In fact, it may be easier to fine-tune your vlog once you’ve added some content.
Step 4. Create a Custom Homepage
WordPress comes with two content types called posts and pages.
You’ll typically use posts to create articles and blogs, while pages are static “one-off†types of content. For example, you might publish an about page, a privacy policy, or a custom archive page.
There are a few different ways to show videos in WordPress. However, since we’re creating a video vlog you’ll typically embed one or more videos in a blog post.
By default, the WordPress homepage shows your posts in reverse chronological order, so your latest vlog appears at the top of the homepage.
However, you may want to move this blog list to another page, and use a custom homepage instead. This custom homepage can introduce your vlog to visitors and let them know what you have to offer.
You might even create a YouTube gallery of all your best videos, which is a great way to catch a visitor’s attention and make them want to watch more of your content.
Smash Balloon allows you to create all kinds of galleries, including showing a specific YouTube playlist or favorites feed, a single video, or even your latest live stream.
Once you’re happy with the design, it’s time to set it as your homepage. To do this, go to Settings » Reading in the WordPress dashboard.
Here, scroll to ‘Your homepage settings’ and select ‘A static page.’
Next, open the ‘Homepage’ dropdown and choose the page that you want to use.
After that, simply scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on ‘Save Changes.’ Now, if you visit your website you’ll see the new homepage in action.
With that done, make sure you create a separate blog page to display your vlogs.
Step 5. Set Up Your Video Hosting Platform
Before you can start adding videos to your WordPress website, you’ll need to upload them to a separate video hosting platform. In this way, you can show countless high-resolution videos on your website without affecting its performance.
There are lots of different video hosting platforms that you can use, but we recommend YouTube as it’s the most popular choice.
It’s free to create a YouTube account and you can upload as many videos as you want.
YouTube even has a Partners Program that you can join to make money from your videos. This program also offers more benefits like analytics, longer videos, and editing tools.
If you don’t want to use YouTube, then there are many other popular platforms including Vidyard, Wistia, and SproutVideo. For a closer look at all the top video sites, please see our expert pick of the best video hosting sites for bloggers.
After choosing a platform, you’ll need to create an account and upload all the vlogs that you want to show on your WordPress website.
For instructions on how to do this, check out the online documentation for your chosen video hosting platform.
Step 6. Create Your First Vlog
To create your first vlog, simply go to Posts » Add New in your WordPress dashboard.
WordPress has a block-based editor that allows you to create beautiful content layouts for your vlogs. Here, you can add text, images, audio clips, and more.
The easiest way to add vlogs to WordPress is by using the built-in auto-embed feature. If you’re using one of the big video hosting platforms, then you can simply paste the video’s URL into the WordPress content editor, and WordPress will handle the rest.
Just head over to your chosen video hosting platform and find the vlog that you want to show on your WordPress blog. You can then simply copy the video’s URL.
After that, switch back to the WordPress dashboard and paste the URL in the content area. If you paste it into a standard Paragraph block, WordPress will automatically try to place it in the correct block, such as the YouTube block.
Even if you don’t see the platform-specific block, it will use the Embed block and display the video inside the content editor.
As you’re working on the vlog, you can see how it’ll look to visitors by clicking on ‘Preview.’
This will open the page in a new tab.
The WordPress post editor also has sections for Categories and Tags. You can use these to organize your vlogs so it’s easier for visitors to find interesting content. To learn more, please see our guide on how to add categories and tags in WordPress.
When you’re happy with how the vlog looks, go ahead and click on the ‘Publish’ button in the top-right corner of the screen.
To add more vlogs to your website, simply follow the same process described above.
Step 7. Add a Contact Form to Your Vlog
Some viewers might want to contact you directly. This may include affiliate marketers, sponsors, advertisers, and other brands who are looking to build relationships with creators, or other vloggers who want to collaborate.
These people could ring your phone number or send a message to your business email address, but we always recommend adding a contact form to your website.
This makes it easier for potential partners to contact you, so you don’t miss out on any opportunities to grow your brand and make money from your vlogs.
The easiest way to add a contact form to your WordPress website is by using the free WPForms plugin. WPForms comes with a built-in Simple Contact Form template that you can customize using the drag-and-drop editor.
You can then add the form to any page, post, or widget-ready area using the ready-made WPForms block.
Once you’ve added some content to your vlog, it’s a good idea to add a navigation menu so visitors can find their way around the different videos.
The exact location of your menu will depend on your WordPress theme. Most themes have several options, so you can create multiple menus and then show them on different areas of your vlog.
Whether you create a single menu or multiple menus, it’s easy to add navigation to your vlog. For a complete guide, please see our post on how to add a navigation menu.
Menus encourage people to explore your site, but sometimes visitors may want to search for a specific vlog. WordPress comes with a built-in search feature, but it’s quite basic and not very good at finding relevant content.
It is very easy to use and gives much more accurate search results. It allows visitors to search for a keyword in the post or page title, content, URL slug, categories, tags, taxonomies, WordPress excerpts, and even comments.
All of this can help visitors find interesting vlogs, fast.
If you want to get more viewers, then you’ll need to optimize your vlog for SEO. This will help search engines understand your content and show it to people who are looking for videos just like yours.
AIOSEO is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market and has everything you need to get your vlogs onto the first page of Google, without having to learn any complicated SEO jargon.
AIOSEO comes with the easiest setup wizard that helps you choose the best SEO settings for your business. AIOSEO will even scan your vlogs and show an actionable checklist on how you can optimize that specific vlog.
Additionally, AIOSEO has a video sitemap feature that you can use to show search engines what’s the most important content to index.
Did you know that 70% of people who leave your site will never come back? Thankfully there are lots of ways to turn abandoning visitors into loyal viewers.
To start, it’s smart to create an email newsletter so people who enjoy your vlogs can subscribe. After that, you can email these subscribers every time you post a new vlog.
You can also keep them engaged with your brand by sending them fun surveys and polls, notifying them about any giveaways and contests you’re running, or even simply asking them for feedback on your latest vlog.
All of this can help you create a sense of community and build a stronger relationship with your viewers.
If you do build an email list, then you’ll want to make sure your messages arrive safely in the subscriber’s inbox and not in their spam folder. With that in mind, we recommend using an SMTP service provider to improve your email deliverability rates.
Another option is to use push notifications with software like PushEngage to send targeted, personalized messages to viewers after they leave your vlog.
Push notifications are short, clickable notifications that appear as a popup on the user’s desktop or mobile devices. Some of the biggest websites in the world use push notifications to keep users engaged, including Facebook.
These notifications go directly to the user’s web browser or mobile device so they have a high chance of getting the person’s attention, which makes them perfect for notifying viewers when you post a new vlog.
Creating lots of quality, engaging vlogs takes a lot of time and effort, so you may want to make money from your videos.
If you’ve created a contact form, then potential sponsors and partners already have a way to contact you, which is a great start. However, there are lots more ways to make money online with WordPress.
Here are some of the best ways to make money from your vlog.
Google AdSense
There are many reasons why it’s smart to embed videos on your own website, rather than simply uploading them to platforms like YouTube.
One major benefit is that you can show Google AdSense ads next to your videos.
When you sign up for Google AdSense, Google acts as a middleman between you and the advertiser. Instead of you having to find the right partners for your vlog, Google allows advertisers to bid for keywords matching your content. This allows you to get the best possible rates for the ads on your vlogging website.
Many vloggers make money by recommending products and services to their viewers. For example, many lifestyle vloggers film daily routine videos showing off their favorite skincare or fitness products.
By using affiliate links, you can earn money every time a viewer buys a product or service based on your recommendation.
For the best results, it’s a good idea to only recommend quality items that you already use and trust. If you encourage viewers to buy poor-quality or scammy products, then you’ll damage your band and almost certainly lose viewers.
If you build a strong, positive relationship with your viewers then they may want to support your work as a vlogger. This is particularly true if you’re a hobby vlogger or someone who is just starting out.
Although they’re mostly used by non-profits, some vloggers use donation forms so that viewers can support their work. These forms are often presented as ‘buy me a coffee’ or ‘buy me a beer.’
Most of the time, you’ll want your vlogs to be publicly available so you can get as many views as possible and build your audience.
However, some vloggers may want to create a video membership site in WordPress. This allows people to pay for different perks, such as early access to the latest vlogs, exclusive live streams, or premium members-only videos.
You can also offer perks that don’t involve videos, such as a members-only forum, blog posts, or the ability to chat with you directly on channels like Discord.
The easiest way to create a membership site is by using MemberPress. It is the best WordPress membership plugin on the market and allows you to accept payments, create unlimited subscription levels, restrict access to video pages based on levels, and more.
Sell Your Videos as Digital Downloads
Depending on the kind of vlogs you create, you may decide to sell some of your premium videos as digital downloads. For example, if you’re a health and fitness vlogger then you might create videos teaching your followers different exercise routines.
For some niches, this can be a way to monetize the audience you’ve built from your vlogs.
With Easy Digital Downloads, you have complete control over how you distribute your videos. You can allow customers to download files as many times as they want or restrict file downloads by time or attempt.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
In today’s digital age, having a website is crucial for any business or individual looking to establish a strong online presence. However, having a website alone is not enough. If you want to monetize your website, you need to have a payment system in place. Fortunately, WordPress offers a variety of payment plugins that can help you easily process transactions and make the checkout process a breeze for your customers.
In this article, we’ll take a look at the top payment plugins for WordPress in 2023, so you can choose the one that’s best suited for your website and business needs.
What are Payment Plugins for WordPress?
A payment plugin for WordPress is a software add-on that enables website owners to accept payments from customers directly on their WordPress website. It integrates with payment processors and gateways like PayPal, Authorize.net, or Stripe to securely process payments and provides a seamless and easy payment experience for customers.
WordPress payment plugins can come with a variety of features and functionalities that allow site owners to accept payments for different types of products and services, such as physical goods, digital downloads, subscriptions, bookings, or donations.
Using a payment plugin on a WordPress site can benefit both site owners and customers. Site owners can accept payments directly on their site without requiring customers to leave the site to complete their transactions, improving the overall user experience. It also makes payment processing more efficient and provides better tracking and reporting capabilities.
Customers, on the other hand, want a seamless payment experience with a variety of payment options to choose from. Payment plugins also offer greater confidence in the security of their payment information, as a good plugin will ensure that sensitive data is encrypted and protected during the payment process.
9 Best Payment Plugins for WordPress in 2023
If you’re running an e-commerce site on WordPress, you’ll need a reliable payment plugin to process transactions. The good news is that there are many great options out there. In this article, we’ll highlight the 9 best payment plugins for WordPress in 2023, each with its unique features and benefits.
1. WPForms
WPForms isn’t just a powerful drag-and-drop form builder. It can also make it easy for website owners to create payment forms that integrate with payment gateways like PayPal and Stripe.
WPForms integrates seamlessly with Divi, one of the most advanced WordPress page builders. The integration enables users to add WPForms to their Divi layouts quickly and easily using a dedicated WPForms module.
One of the coolest features of WPForms is the ability to add conditional logic, which allows users to create dynamic payment forms that change based on customers’ previous selections, providing a more personalized payment experience.
Best For:
WPForms is best for WordPress users who want to create customized forms, including payment forms, with ease. It is also an excellent choice for businesses that offer subscription-based products or services, as it supports recurring payments. However, you’ll need to upgrade to the premium version to access the payment forms ability.
Pricing: Free, with premium licenses starting at $39.50/yr ($199.50/yr for the tier that offers Stripe integration)
MemberPress is a popular membership plugin for WordPress that enables users to create sites that require memberships, restrict access to content, and accept payments. It offers a variety of membership features, including drip content, content access rules, membership levels, and more.
Users can create and sell digital products, physical products, and subscription-based services with ease. It offers a range of payment options, including one-time payments, recurring payments, and free trials. Users can also customize their checkout pages with their branding and logos, making it easy to provide a seamless user experience for their customers.
Key Features for MemberPress:
Easy membership setup and management
Content access rules and drip content
Payment gateway integrations (PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net)
Automated email notifications and reminders
One of MemberPress’ key features is its easy membership setup and management. Users can quickly create and customize membership levels and restrict access to content based on a paywall system.
MemberPress integrates with popular payment gateways such as PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net, enabling users to accept payments online securely. It also provides automated email notifications and reminders, making it easy for users to communicate with their members and keep them engaged.
Best For:
MemberPress is best for WordPress users who want to create a membership site and restrict access to content and accept payments for paywalled pages.
Other payment plugins for WordPress include:
Restrict Content Pro: A plugin that offers similar features to MemberPress, including content restriction and payment processing.
Paid Memberships Pro: A plugin that enables users to create membership sites and restrict access to content, with a focus on integration with other plugins and services.
Pricing: MemberPress pricing starts at $179.50 per year for the Basic plan
3. Stripe Pro Payment Gateway- Easy Digital Downloads
Looking to maximize your Stripe integration while selling digital downloads? Look no further than the Stripe Pro Payment Gateway for Easy Digital Downloads. It allows users to accept payments with a Credit Card, Bank Card, Google Pay, Apple Pay, or Stripe and supports over 100 currencies, making it a great option for businesses operating internationally.
Key Features for Stripe Pro Payment Gateway- Easy Digital Downloads:
Support for multiple payment methods, including credit cards and Apple Pay
Easy setup and integration with Easy Digital Downloads
Customizable checkout page to match your brand and website design
Supports subscriptions
Supports pre-orders
A great feature of this plugin is the way they handle refunds. Although refunds are generally unpleasant, Stripe makes the process easier. You no longer need to spend time logging into your Stripe account to initiate refunds for your customers. Instead, you can simply access your site’s dashboard, edit the relevant payment record, and change its status to “refunded”. Easy Digital Downloads will take care of the rest with just one click.
Best For:
Stripe Pro Payment Gateway- Easy Digital Downloads is best for businesses that are looking for an easy and secure way to accept payments through their Easy Digital Downloads platform. It is ideal for businesses selling digital products or services such as software, e-books, and online courses. For businesses selling physical products or services, WPForms may be a better fit.
GiveWP is a widely-used WordPress plugin with over 100,000 active users. The plugin enables you to collect one-time and recurring donations using PayPal and Stripe payment gateways.
With GiveWP, you can also monitor donor information and track analytics from the donor database. This helps you to stay informed about your revenue and identify your most valuable donors. In addition to donor management and payment history tools, GiveWP provides custom templates and supports plugins like Mailchimp for email marketing.
Key Features for GiveWP:
Custom goals and templates.
Donation subscription services.
Full analytics reporting system.
Recurring Donations
GiveWP allows you to set up recurring donations, which can help increase your donor retention rates and predict your revenue better. Plus, it has seamless integration with Divi; you can use Divi’s drag-and-drop builder to create beautiful donation forms and embed them on your website effortlessly.
Best For:
GiveWP is perfect for non-profits, charities, and organizations looking to raise funds and donations on their WordPress websites. If you’re looking for a payment plugin for eCommerce, you may want to consider other plugins like Easy Digital Downloads.
Pricing:Â Free. The Basic Package starts at $149/yr
WP Simple Pay is a great payment plugin for WordPress due to its ease of use, security, and support for various payment methods. It comes with payment form templates that can be set up without any technical skills.
With WP Simple Pay, website owners can easily accept payments on their website without the need for a third-party payment gateway, reducing cart abandonment and increasing conversion rates.
Key Features for WP Simple Pay:
Online payments and donations
One-time or recurring payments
Option to add coupon codes
Multi-language compatible
Extensive support documentation
WP Simple Pay supports payments through credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Stripe, and more. With this plugin, you can create payment forms with whatever custom fields you need without needing a shopping cart plugin for your website.
Best For:
WP Simple Pay is best for small to medium-sized businesses and website owners who want to accept payments directly on their website without the need for a third-party payment gateway. For those looking for more advanced features, consider Easy Digital Downloads.
Quick Paypal Payments is a simple and lightweight plugin that allows you to accept payments through PayPal. With this plugin, you can create a single PayPal payment form and showcase it on any part of your website by utilizing the [qpp] shortcode. It’s a much more barebones solution than other plugins, but it can suffice for smaller businesses.
Key Features for Quick Paypal Payments:
Create custom payment buttons
Add payment buttons to posts, pages, or widgets
Choose from multiple button styles and sizes
Quick Paypal Payments allows you to easily add PayPal payment buttons to your WordPress website. With its user-friendly interface, you can create and customize payment buttons and embed them in posts, pages, or widgets. You can also choose from multiple button styles and sizes to match your website’s design.
Best For:
Quick Paypal Payments is best for individuals or small businesses who want to accept payments quickly and easily through PayPal without having to go through a complicated setup process. However, if you need more advanced payment options such as recurring payments or the ability to accept credit cards, you may want to consider other plugins like WPForms.
Pricing:Â Free, with premium licenses starting at $14.99 per year.
There are situations where an e-commerce plugin with extensive capabilities for managing numerous products may not be necessary. In such cases, a more suitable alternative would be a solution that allows customers to add specific products or services to their carts and make payments via PayPal. This is exactly what the WordPress Simple Shopping Cart brings to the table.
Using shortcodes, you can create personalized “add to cart” buttons that can be added to any page on your site. You can generate multiple buttons, each with a unique price, and set up a cart and checkout section to complete the purchase process.
Key Features for Simple Shopping Cart:
Create custom “add to cart†buttons
Add cart and checkout sections to any part of your site
Configure shipping and payment settings for your cart
Offer coupons to your customers
Sell media files like ebooks and mp3s
WordPress Simple Shopping Cart offers a simple and effective way to sell products or services on your website. With this plugin, you can easily accept payments through PayPal, customize your Add to Cart button, and sell media files. It’s a simple, lightweight solution for e-commerce.
Best For:
WordPress Simple Shopping Cart is ideal for small businesses or individuals who want to sell products or services online but don’t need a complex e-commerce solution. If you’re looking for more advanced features or need to sell digital products, you may want to consider Easy Digital Downloads.
The Stripe Payments Plugin for WooCommerce allows you to accept payments from customers using credit cards, debit cards, and other payment methods. It’s created by and maintained by Payment Plugins, who are a verified partner of Stripe. This plugin is designed to integrate seamlessly with WooCommerce and Stripe, so you can be sure that it’s secure
Stripe WooCommerce payment plugins offer advanced fraud protection and compliance with industry standards such as PCI DSS.
Key Features for Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce:
Accept payments via Stripe
Seamless integration with WooCommerce
Secure and reliable payment processing
Supports WooCommerce Subscriptions
The Stripe Payments Plugin for WooCommerce offers a secure and reliable way to accept payments on your website. It’s relatively lightweight and only takes minutes to set up; however, it only supports payments made through Stripe, so if you want to offer other payment methods, such as PayPal or Amazon Pay, you will need to use additional plugins or extensions.
Best For:
The Stripe Payments Plugin for WooCommerce is ideal for businesses that are familiar with Stripe. If you need additional features, such as recurring billing, you may want to consider WP Simple Pay.
Payment Button for PayPal is a WordPress plugin that connects your website to PayPal and allows you to create various types of buttons to accept payments from your users. With simple shortcodes, you can create buttons for Add to Cart, Buy Now, Donation, or Subscriptions. This plugin allows for both one-time and recurring subscription payments, making it easy to run your online store.
Key Features for Payment Button for PayPal:
Easy integration with PayPal Payments Standard API
Various types of buttons, including Add to Cart, Buy Now, Donation, or Subscription
Supports one-time and recurring subscription payments
With the Payment Button for PayPal, you can add a secure payment button to your website with one simple shortcode. This button lets you accept credit card, debit card, and PayPal payments from any mobile device, tablet, or PC. The plugin also includes a built-in IPN (Instant Payment Notification) system that notifies you when payments are made and allow you to track your sales.
Best For:
Payment Button for PayPal is an ideal solution for individuals looking for a hassle-free way to accept payments on their website without the need to set up a complicated e-commerce platform. However, if you require more advanced e-commerce features, we suggest WPForms.
When it comes to choosing the best payment plugin for your WordPress site, there are a lot of options available. However, two plugins that stand out from the rest are WPForms and MemberPress.
WPForms offers a user-friendly interface, customizable payment forms, and integration with popular payment gateways such as PayPal and Stripe. On the other hand,
MemberPress offers robust membership features, content access control, and seamless integration with payment gateways.
Both plugins provide excellent support and have a strong track record of positive user reviews. Ultimately, the best payment plugin for your needs will depend on your specific requirements and budget, so be sure to think about what your needs are before making a choice.
Do you want to create a restaurant website with WordPress?
A restaurant website can help attract new customers and grow your business. It can also provide a better experience for your existing customers and keep them coming back to your restaurant, cafe, takeaway, or similar business.
In this article, we will show you how to create a restaurant website with WordPress.
Why Create a Restaurant Website?
A website is one of the best ways to market your restaurant to new customers and provide a better experience for your existing clients.
By creating an online presence for your restaurant, you can introduce your business to people who are looking for venues and food just like yours.
After a potential customer discovers your business, a professionally-designed and helpful restaurant website will tell them everything they need to know about your business. They can then decide whether your restaurant is right for them.
Even if you have lots of loyal customers and a positive reputation in the local area, a restaurant website can help you improve the customer experience.
For example, it can allow customers to book a table online, send you questions using a convenient contact form, check out the latest menu, and much more.
In this way, a restaurant website can keep your customers happy, so they carry on visiting you for months, or even years to come.
That said, let’s see how you can easily create a restaurant website with WordPress.
Which Is the Best Website Builder for Your Restaurant?
There are many website builders that can help you create a restaurant website but we recommend using WordPress.
According to our blogging research statistics, WordPress is the most popular website platform in the world. It powers nearly 43% of all websites on the internet including many top restaurant websites.
WordPress is also open-source and free. For more on this topic, see our article on why WordPress is free.
However, it’s important to realize that there are two types of WordPress software, so you don’t choose the wrong one.
First, there is WordPress.com, which is a blog hosting platform. Then, there is WordPress.org which is also known as self-hosted WordPress.
For a restaurant website, we recommend using WordPress.org because it gives you complete ownership of your site and allows you to install third-party plugins, including plenty that are designed specifically for restaurant owners.
To learn more about why we recommend WordPress to all our readers, please see our complete WordPress review with pros and cons.
A domain name is your website’s address on the internet. This is what customers will type into their browsers to reach your website, such as justeat.com or tacobell.com.
Web hosting is where your website lives online. To help you out, we’ve hand-picked some of the best WordPress hosting that you can buy for a restaurant website.
Although the WordPress software is free, hosting and domain names are where the costs can really start to add up.
A domain name typically costs $14.99/year and hosting costs start from $7.99/month. This is a lot for restaurants that already have bills and expenses to pay.
Thankfully, Bluehost has offers a free domain name, and our readers can get 60% off on web hosting. Bluehost is one of the largest hosting companies in the world, and an official WordPress-recommended hosting partner.
They’re also offering our readers a free SSL certificate. If you want to accept payments online, then an SSL certificate will help keep the customer’s credit and debit card information safe.
You can click the button below to get started for as little as $2.75 per month.
Once there, you will need to go to the Bluehost website in a new tab and click on the green ‘Get Started Now’ button.
This will bring you to a pricing page where you can choose a hosting plan for your website.
We recommend choosing a Basic or Plus plan, as they’re the most popular web hosting plans among our readers.
After selecting a plan, click on ‘Continue.’
On the next screen, you’ll need to choose a domain name.
Ideally, the domain name will be easy to pronounce and spell, easy to remember, and related to your business. The name of your restaurant is a great place to start, but sometimes that domain may already be taken by another business.
In that case, you can try extending the domain name by adding your restaurant’s location, your own name, or the type of food you serve.
After choosing a name, click on the ‘Next’ button to continue.
Now you’ll need to provide your account information such as your name and email address. After that, you’ll also see optional extras that you can purchase.
We generally don’t recommend purchasing these extras straight away, as you can always add them later on if you need them.
After that, simply type in your payment information to complete the purchase.
Once you’ve done that, you’ll get an email with instructions on how to login to your web hosting control panel. This is your hosting account dashboard where you can manage your restaurant website, including setting up email notifications and asking for WordPress support.
It’s also where you’ll install the WordPress software.
Step 2. Create a New WordPress Website
When you signup with Bluehost using our link, Bluehost installs WordPress on your domain name automatically.
If you want to create a different WordPress website, then you can simply click on the ‘My Sites’ tab in the Bluehost dashboard.
Next, just click on the ‘Add Site’ button and select ‘Create New Site.’
The Bluehost wizard will now guide you through the setup process.
First, you’ll need to type in a site title and optional tagline.
Click on the ‘Next’ button to continue.
After that, Bluehost will ask you to select a domain name and path for your restaurant website. If you’ve already purchased a domain name, then you can simply select it from the dropdown menu.
If you don’t have a domain name then you can buy one by visiting the ‘Domains’ page inside the Bluehost dashboard.
After choosing a domain name, you can leave the directory path blank and let Bluehost fill it in for you. The installer will also show a few must-have WordPress plugins that you may want to install on your restaurant website including OptinMonster.
After that, click on the ‘Next’ button and the installer will set up your restaurant site.
Once it’s finished, you’ll see a ‘WordPress installed successfully’ message with information about your new website. You can now go ahead and click on the ‘Log into WordPress’ button.
This will take you to your site’s admin area.
You can also log in to the WordPress dashboard by simply going to yoursite.com/wp-admin/ directly from your browser.
Your typical restaurant website needs special features, like the ability to show a menu, photos, location information, business hours, and more.
With that in mind, it makes sense to look for a theme that’s designed for the food or hospitality industry. To help you out, we’ve collected the best WordPress restaurant themes.
You can also use a website and landing page builder plugin such as SeedProd.
After installing your theme, you may want to customize it by going to Appearance » Customize in the WordPress dashboard.
This will launch the theme customizer where you can fine-tune the theme settings and see your changes in the live preview.
If you’re using one of the newer full site editing themes, then you’ll see the option for Appearance »Editor, which uses blocks similar to the content editor to customize your site.
Pro Tip: No matter what theme you’re using, neither the default WordPress customizer nor the full site editing offers a user-friendly drag and drop customization experience. For that reason, we recommend using a page builder like SeedProd to customize your theme.
Just remember that you can always return to this screen and continue customizing your theme. You can even completely change your WordPress theme at any point.
Step 4. Create a Custom Home Page
WordPress has two two default content types called posts and pages.
You’ll typically use posts to create articles and blogs. By default, the home page shows these posts in reverse chronological order, so the newest content appears at the top of the list.
You might use a blog to build a stronger relationship with their customers, improve your WordPress SEO, and get more traffic to your restaurant website. For example, you could write about recipes, share cooking tips, or blog about the latest restaurant industry news.
However, even if you plan to publish blog posts, you typically won’t show these on the home page. Instead, we recommend creating a custom home page that introduces your business to new visitors.
Once you’re happy with the page’s design, it’s time to set it as your home page. To do this, go to Settings » Reading in the WordPress dashboard.
Here, scroll to ‘Your homepage settings’ and select ‘A static page.’
Next, open the ‘Homepage’ dropdown and choose the page that you want to use.
Then, simply scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on ‘Save Changes.’ Now, if you visit your website you’ll see the new home page in action.
If you are going to write blogs, then make sure you create a separate blog page to display your posts. If you don’t, then customers will struggle to find your latest WordPress blogs.
Step 5. Create an Online Restaurant Menu
Even long-term, loyal customers may want to look at your menu from time to time. By publishing your menu online, customers can look at it any time of day or night.
Publishing a menu can also help convince new customers to visit your restaurant.
It is possible to upload PDF files to your WordPress website. However, downloading a PDF menu can be difficult depending on the customer’s data plan and internet connection, and they’re non-responsive so they can be hard to read on some devices.
Plus, if you add new dishes or change your pricing, then you’ll also need to upload a completely new PDF.
For that reason, we recommend using SeedProd to add an online menu to your WordPress website. SeedProd also allows you to create a mobile responsive menu that looks great on every device.
You can also easily update the menu as you add new dishes, change the prices, remove dishes, and more.
SeedProd even comes with a ‘Menu Sales Page’ template that’s perfect for creating a menu.
Many restaurants allow customers to order food online. For example, you might give customers the option to pre-order their meal or place an order for delivery.
It may sound technical, but you can easily add online food ordering to your website using the WPForms plugin.
WPForms is the best WordPress form builder that allows you to create online order forms for all kinds of products and services.
It even comes with a ready-made ‘Takeout Order Form’ that you can customize to suit your restaurant website.
Every time someone completes the form, WPForms will notify you automatically so you can start working on that order straight away.
If you don’t want to accept cash on delivery, then WPForms supports all of the best payment gateways including PayPal and Stripe. This allows you to accept payments securely online, which is quick and convenient for your customers.
Today, most people expect to be able to book appointments through an automated system.
By adding a booking form to your restaurant website, you can accept reservations at any time of the day or night. You’ll never lose another customer just because you weren’t around to answer the phone.
Booking forms can also automate a lot of the booking process. This includes collecting payments and emailing your customers to remind them about their upcoming booking.
You can easily add a restaurant booking form to your website using WPForms. This plugin has a ready-made dinner reservation form template that you can customize for your restaurant.
WPForms also integrates with all of the top email marketing providers. This makes it easy to send reservation confirmation emails to your customers.
As their booking approaches, you can even send the customer a reminder email, ask them to share any dietary requirements, send a pre-order form, and more.
While visitors could ring your phone number or send a message to your business email address, we always recommend adding a contact form to your website.
Most of the best contact form plugins come with built-in spam protection, so you won’t get any contact form spam. A form will also collect consistent information from visitors, so you’ll have all the data you need to write a helpful reply.
The easiest way to add a contact form to your WordPress website is by using the free WPForms plugin.
This free plugin comes with a built-in Simple Contact Form template that you can quickly customize using the drag and drop editor.
Then, simply add the form to any page, post, or widget-ready area using the ready-made WPForms block.
Once you’ve added some content to your restaurant website, you’ll want to help visitors find their way around those pages and posts by adding a navigation menu.
No matter what theme you’re using, WordPress makes it really easy to add menus and sub-menus to your restaurant website.
Step 10. Add Social Proof to Your Restaurant Website
Social proof is one of the best ways to earn customer trust, and convince new people to visit your restaurant. After all, we’re more likely to try things that we see other people buying, using, or recommending.
Using this plugin, you can create a hashtag feed and show photos that customers have tagged your account in. This includes photos of your food, venue, and shots of customers having fun at your restaurant.
Customer reviews and testimonials can provide visitors with more information, and may even solve any question or worries customers have about visiting your restaurant.
If you want to show reviews from other platforms like Yelp or Google My Business, then there’s also plenty of customer review plugins for WordPress that you can use.
These plugins will collect reviews automatically and then organize them into a nice layout on your restaurant website.
We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to create a restaurant website with WordPress. You may also want to see our ultimate WordPress security guide and our expert pick of the must have WordPress plugins that you should install on all business sites.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
WP101 is one of the most trusted premium WordPress video training providers in the market. Over 3 million users have learned WordPress from their WordPress video tutorials. The WP101 Plugin allows WordPress agencies and service providers an easy way to offer white-labeled professional WordPress training videos to their clients.
Introduction to WP101 – Quick Overview
WP101 offers professionally-produced WordPress training videos to help you learn WordPress, fast. It’s a perfect solution for small businesses owners, large corporations, and government agencies who want to offer professional WordPress training videos in their employee onboarding process.
With WP101, you get access to over 200+ WordPress training videos that cover everything you need to learn the WordPress user interface in a university style format.
In addition to the popular WordPress 101 series for both Gutenberg and the Classic Editor, the current library also includes video tutorials for top WordPress plugins including WooCommerce, WPForms, Elementor, Beaver Builder, and more.
The WP101 Plugin makes it easy for WordPress developers and agencies to offer white-label training videos to their clients, right inside the WordPress dashboard.
It gives you the ability to add your own custom videos as well as selective show / hide videos based on client’s needs.
Whether you’re a small business owner or large corporation, I highly recommend adding WP101 training to your employee onboarding process.
If you’re a WordPress freelancer or agency, then you should consider adding the WP101 Plugin to your client and build a recurring revenue stream.
Background Story – Why WP101?
Both WPBeginner and WP101 started around the same time with a similar mission: making it easy for people to learn WordPress.
At WPBeginner, we did it with our easy to understand written tutorials, while Shawn at WP101 offered premium video training.
I have been friends with Shawn Hesketh, founder of WP101 for a long time, and we have enjoyed over a decade of coopetition. I have a lot of admiration and respect for the massive impact he’s had in the growth of the WordPress community.
After 14+ years of creating WordPress training videos, when Shawn was ready to move on to the next chapter of his life, we started talking about the future of WP101 and carrying his legacy forward.
Given my experience running the largest WordPress resource site, it made perfect sense for us to be the future custodian of the WP101 brand.
It gives me great joy to be there for a friend and offer him the exit that he deserves as he pursues the next chapter of his career. At the same time, it’s an honor and a privilege that Shawn trusted us to carry the mission forward.
Note: Want to join our remote team to work on something awesome & make an impact? We’re hiring. Come work alongside me and help shape the future of the web.
What’s Coming Next?
Our work is just starting.
My goal is to create the best class-room style WordPress training videos to help WordPress grow in enterprise, government agencies, as well as at the school and collegiate level.
I’m really excited about the latter because I believe that education helps level the playing field, and that’s the mission of my Balkhi Foundation.
WordPress is an open source platform, and open source is one of the greatest ideas of our generation. It has the power to transform the lives of so many people across the world, like it did for me when I first immigrated to the US.
While talent is everywhere, opportunities are not. I want to use the WP101 training platform to bring opportunities everywhere, so we can help shape the future of the web for billions worldwide.
This is a big mission, and I need your help. If you have experience with instructional design or higher-ed, I would love to chat with you to see how we can work together to bring WordPress to classrooms and universities. Please send me a message via WPBeginner contact form.
If you’re passionate about teaching WordPress and want to be a part of our mission, we’re hiring content creators and trainers. While the listings for these roles aren’t public, just send me a brief message via our contact form with your resume, and I’ll get in touch with you.
As always, I want to thank you for your continued support of WPBeginner.
Every time I share an announcement like this, I realize that I’m only able to do what I love every day because of you, our amazing readers, and I’m extremely grateful for your support throughout the years.
WPBeginner and Awesome Motive would not be here without YOU, and I just want to say how much I appreciate all of you.
I look forward to continuing serving you, and the larger WordPress / web ecosystem for years to come.
Yours Truly,
Syed Balkhi Founder of WPBeginner
P.S. Want us to acquire or invest in your WordPress business? Learn more about the WPBeginner Growth Fund.
Are you looking for a plugin to set up age verification on your WordPress site?
Setting up age restrictions allows you to limit users from seeing content due to legal requirements or the nature of the content. You can set up age verification with the right WordPress plugin without editing any code.
In this article, our expert team have researched and picked the best age verification plugins for WordPress.
Why Do You Need an Age Verification Plugin?
If you’re selling products or promoting goods that are age sensitive, then it is important to verify the user’s age before allowing them access.
For example, many countries have laws and regulations that require websites to verify users’ age. This is common if you’re in the business of selling alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, vape, tattoos, and other similar goods.
Similarly, different videos and games are not appropriate for minors and require an age gate. You can also add age verification on your membership website if it contains sensitive content.
A simple way of adding age verification to a WordPress site is by using a plugin. You don’t have to edit any code or hire a developer.
Plus by using a plugin, you can show a confirmation form or a popup where users can enter their age before accessing the content or buying a product.
That being said, let’s look at the best age-verification WordPress plugins for different business needs.
WPForms is the best WordPress contact form plugin that is beginner friendly and lets you create all types of forms. It offers a drag-and-drop form builder and comes with over 500+ pre-built form templates.
WPForms offers a Form Locker addon that allows you to set up age restrictions on your online forms. You can pick age as the verification type for your form and define the age limit. Users will then have to enter their date of birth before they can submit a form on your site.
Using WPForms, you can create forms for all kinds of situations. For instance, the plugin lets you create a login form or a registration form and only allows logged-in users to view the content.
If you’re looking for feedback about your company from a specific age group, then you can create a survey form and add an age restriction. Similarly, you can add an order form on your website with age verification to sell concert tickets or alcohol.
Besides that, WPForms also offers other features and addons. You can integrate payment services like Stripe and PayPal to accept online payments, allow file uploads, connect email marketing services, and more.
Pricing: You will need the WPForms Pro version to access the Form Locker addon and set up age verification in WordPress. This will cost you $199.50 per year. There is also a WPForms Lite version you can use for free.
OptinMonster is the best lead generation and popup plugin for WordPress. It helps you get more leads, grow your email list, and boost conversions.
You can create stunning campaigns for your site, including age verification popups. The plugin offers a drag-and-drop campaign builder, pre-built templates, and lots of customization options. You can add different elements like images, buttons, videos, and more to your popup.
For instance, you can create a simple age verification lightbox popup with Yes/No options or show a popup where visitors need to enter their date of birth.
OptinMonsters also offers fullscreen campaigns, which are great for restricting access to your website or a page until users confirm their age.
The plugin provides powerful display rules that let you choose when and where to show your campaigns. For instance, you can show your age verification campaigns on selected pages or hide the popup for users that have already verified their age on your website.
Age Gate is a free age verification WordPress plugin that is very easy to use. Using the plugin, you can easily restrict content based on the user’s age.
It offers 3 input options to add age verification in WordPress. You can show a dropdown menu and let visitors select an age, allow users to enter their date of birth, or simply offer a Yes/No option to verify age.
Other than that, you can choose whether to restrict the entire website or select pages based on age. Plus, there is also an option to set different age restrictions for individual content using the plugin.
With Age Gate, you get multiple customization options to edit the appearance of your age restriction message. For instance, you can add a logo, change the background color, add blur, add a background image, and more.
With MemberPress, you can add age restrictions to your WordPress site. Let’s say you don’t want members under 18 signing up for a particular membership or course. By setting up an age limit, you can prevent access to content.
Besides that, MemberPress offers other powerful features. It gives you full control over who can access content, release paid content over time, add payment gateways, and more. You can also create and sell online courses using MemberPress’s course builder.
WooCommerce Age Verification Popup is the next plugin on our list. It is a paid extension for WooCommerce stores. If you have a WooCommerce store and you’re selling products like tobacco, vaping, medicines, fireworks, or items that require age verification, then this plugin is for you.
The plugin offers 4 verification methods where users can simply enter their age, select their date of birth, click a checkbox, or simply select from a Yes/No option.
Besides that, you can choose which pages the popup should appear on. For instance, you can enable it on your entire website or specific pages like cart, checkout, my account, and shopping page.
There are also different customization options you can use to edit your popup. These include adding a background image, selecting a color, adjusting the border height, and text size, and more.
However, if you want more options like prebuilt templates and the ability to add different elements to the popup, then you can use OptinMonster. It also works seamlessly with WooCommerce and offers more powerful display rules.
Pricing: WooCommerce Age Verification Popup is available for $29 per year.
Age Verification for WordPress is a free WordPress plugin that you can use to add an age limit to your WordPress site. The plugin is beginner friendly and offers basic features.
It adds an age verification popup to your site and restricts access to content for visitors that don’t meet the age requirements. Once a user verifies their age, a cookie is saved for 30 days, so they don’t have to verify their age again.
The plugin offers limited options to edit your age verification box. For instance, you can only add a background image, logo, title text, message text, and edit the yes/no button text using the Age Verification plugin.
However, there are other plugins on our list, like WPForms and OptinMonster, that offer more customization options. Plus, you get to choose from pre-built templates and drag-and-drop builders.
Pricing: The Age Verification plugin is free to use.
AgeChecker.Net is a third-party age verification platform for eCommerce websites. It uses identity networks and a proprietary database to verify customer’s age at checkout.
The plugin is compatible with different eCommerce platforms, including WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, and more.
It adds age verification on checkout pages and instantly verifies 90% of the user’s age in the United States.
If the data isn’t available in the data sources, then it will ask for the customer’s ID verification. Once a customer submits the required documents, AgeChecker.Net’s 24/7 live team manually verifies it for you. If the customer is underage, they will disable their access to the product or service.
Other than that, you can customize the minimum age, digital signature requirements, and order blocking based on the customer’s location. Plus, the plugin is compliant with Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and other federal and state regulations in the US.
Pricing: AgeChecker.Net has a free WordPress plugin that connects with WooCommerce. However, you will need to signup for their premium plan, which will cost you $25 per month + 50¢ per accepted verification.
AgeVerify is another WordPress age verification plugin that is free to use. The plugin is super simple to use and lets you create an age-verification message for your website.
It comes with prebuilt templates that you can use for different types of businesses. Plus, you can edit the age verification text, change the text and color of the button, and more.
What makes this plugin different from others on our list is that it lets you edit the cookie duration (in hours) for the age verification message. This way, your visitors won’t have to verify their age each time they visit your website.
Easy Age Verify is an age verification plugin for WordPress that comes with pre-built verification settings and messages for alcohol, vape, and adult businesses.
The plugin is super easy to use and doesn’t require complex configuration. All you need to do is enable age verification, select your industry, and the plugin will take care of the rest. It also gives you the option to exclude age verification for logged-in users.
On the downside, you cannot customize the appearance of your age verification message in the free version. However, you can use WPForms as an alternative. It helps display a custom age verification form anywhere on your website.
Pricing: Easy Age Verify is free to use. There is also a premium version that unlocks customization features, and it costs $8.25 per month (billed annually).
Which is the Best Age Verification WordPress Plugin?
Our top picks for the best age verification plugin for WordPress are WPForms and OptinMonster.
WPForms offers a Form Locker addon that allows you to add an age gate on any type of form and display it anywhere on your site. It offers a drag-and-drop form builder, prebuilt templates, and lots of customization options.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to add an age verification popup on your WordPress site, then OptinMonster is the best option. It lets you create age verification popups, offers powerful targeting rules to show and track that campaign, and easily integrates with eCommerce platforms.
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