An email blast or broadcast sends a single email message to many subscribers in your mailing list. This can be highly effective strategy to get more sales, and bloggers use these blasts to get more website traffic.

In this article, we will explain how to do an email blast the proper way and share some examples.

What Is an Email Blast?

An email blast is a single email message that is sent to an entire email list, a large segment of that list, or many email lists at the same time.

These emails target most or all contacts in your mailing list, making an email blast a broad reach-out campaign.

Email blasts are also known as broadcast emails, mass emails, bulk emails, e-blasts, and email campaigns. Most people use the term ’email campaigns’ to avoid the aggressive feeling associated with the term ’email blast’.

Email blasts are mainly used for sending promotional content and newsletters. At WPBeginner, we use email blasts to promote our premium WordPress plugins and share our helpful tutorials.

For example, look at the email campaign All in One SEO for WordPress sent on their birthday sale event.

If you want to let all your subscribers know about special offers, then email blasts are the most reliable and efficient form of communication.

Are Email Blasts Outdated?

Although email blasts are great for delivering any message to a large number of people, some consider them an outdated communication method.

That’s because email blasts are bulk emails sent to everyone regardless of their choice, priorities, and needs. At times, blast emails can feel irrelevant and useless to the recipients.

Due to this, the email recipients may ignore the message, mark the email as spam, or even unsubscribe from your email list.

Here are the top reasons why users don’t like email blasts:

1. Unsegmented: Email blasts often use the entire mailing list without segmentation. Your email subscribers are usually very different, and they may be interested in different products or services.

2. Untargeted: The email blasts send the same message to everyone without considering their interests, past interactions, or needs. Users often unsubscribe from your mailing list after receiving these unwanted emails.

3. Not personalized: We all love reading a message that addresses us personally. Email blasts that don’t personalize the emails are often marked as spam.

4. Unexpected: Broadcast emails are usually unexpected, so there can be a natural feeling of resistance from the recipients.

Unlike 10 or 15 years ago, many new marketing methods are available, like social media, pay-per-click advertising, and more. However, none are as effective as email.

So, you might be wondering: is email blast dead? The answer is NO.

Email is still the most reliable form of communication in the world. With new technology, there are better ways to do an email blast to get higher results.

We will explain how to do an email blast the RIGHT way in the following section.

How to Do an Email Blast “the Right Way” – Step by Step

Marketers from big and small companies alike are still using email blasts to promote their product launches, discount offers, and more.

And the results are brilliant. That’s because they are using email blasts the right way.

If you are not a professional marketer, you can follow the steps below to run an email blast successfully:

Step 1: Choose the Best Email Blast Service

First, you need a robust email marketing service to create an email blast. An email marketing service lets you create a mailing list, segment that list, and send bulk emails.

There are dozens of email marketing services in the market. Among them, Constant Contact, Brevo, Drip, and ConvertKit are the most popular companies.

We have tried and tested all of the above email marketing services, and we believe they are great at what they offer. However, we recommend Constant Contact because they provide the best deal.

Constant Contact is the most beginner-friendly email blast software. It has dozens of pre-made email templates to help you quickly get started. You can choose a template and easily customize that using their drag and drop editor.

It has simple options for collecting emails, automation features to send/trigger emails based on user actions, and more. Plus, it lets you segment your subscribers and send targeted email campaigns.

To get started, you need to visit the Constant Contact website and sign up for a new account.

You can quickly create a Constant Contact account as they offer a free trial account (no credit card required).

Once done, you will see your Constant Contact dashboard, where you can manage your email lists, see subscribers, and send email blasts.

Alternatively, you can also use Brevo, which offers a free email marketing plan.

Step 2. Create Your Email List

An email list is simply a list of email addresses you can send messages to. It is like your contact book containing the email addresses of your subscribers and prospective customers.

To create an email list in Constant Contact, just go to the ‘Contacts’ menu at the top and click on the ‘Create List’ button.

An email list is where you store all your email contacts.

Clicking on the button will bring up a popup where you need to enter a name for your email list and click the ‘Save’ button.

Constant Contact will now create your email list.

The next step is to add contacts to your list. Just open your new email list, and click the ‘Add Contacts’ button.

Constant Contact lets you add contacts in multiple ways. You can type in a contact, upload from a file, or import from Gmail, Outlook, and other apps.

If you want to grow your email list faster, then you can see our guide on easy ways to grow an email list.

Step 3: Segment Your Email List

Once you have an email list, the next step is to segment it. Email segmentation is the most important part of doing a successful email blast.

Email segmentation divides your email subscribers into smaller groups or segments to send highly-targeted emails.

You can segment your email subscribers based on gender, age, geographical location, interests, purchase history, contact activity, and more.

For example, a bookstore may create different segments for arts, physics, and maths students to send targeted emails.

Email segmentation is a crucial task that must be done with a clear goal. You need to be clear on which subscribers should be included in a segment.

For more details, you can see this guide on smarter ways to segment your email list.

To create segments in Constant Contact, you need to go to the ‘Contacts’ menu and click on the ‘Segments’ tab. After that, click on the ‘Create Segment’ button.

Constant Contact offers a bunch of criteria you can choose from.

In the next screen, you can create a segment by choosing the criteria you want.

You can create a segment by contact activity like emails sent, opened, clicked, or did not open. You can also include email subscribers by contact details, including job title, city, country, etc.

Once you are finished, simply click on the ‘Save and Preview’ button.

Then, you can repeat the process if you need to create more segments.

Step 4: Create a Targeted Email Campaign

After creating segments, the next task is to create a targeted email campaign or an email blast.

You can create an email campaign in different ways depending on the email marketing software you use.

To design an email campaign in Constant Contact, you must go to the ‘Campaigns’ menu and then click the ‘Create’ button.

This will bring up a popup showing a bunch of campaigns you can make with Constant Contact.

You need to choose the Email option to continue.

After that, you will see dozens of pre-made email templates ready for use.

You can preview the templates individually or simply type keywords to search for a template.

Simply click to choose a template as a starting point.

After that, the email campaign builder page will open. First, you need to name your campaign.

Next, click the ‘Email Settings’ link to edit the email subject line, sender name, and more.

Then, you need to click on the ‘Personalize’ option.

Here, you can choose the first name or any other contact details to insert in your subject line.

You can also enter a generic name like Customer, User, or Friend to address users whose names are unavailable. Once done, simply click on the ‘Insert’ button.

You will see some text with large brackets added in your subject line.

For example, you can see [[FIRSTNAME OR “customer”]] in the screenshot below.

After that, you can edit your email preheader From Name (company or organization name) and From Address.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save’ button to store your changes.

The next step is to customize the email body.

You can simply point and click on any element in the email to edit or delete it.

You can also drag and drop elements and layouts from the left sidebar.

Once your email design is complete, you can preview your email. If it looks good, just click on the ‘Continue’ button in the top right corner.

Next, you will see email send (blasting) options on the screen.

From here, you can select recipients from email lists or segments. For example, we will choose the segment that we created earlier.

In the right sidebar, you will see options to send your email campaign now or schedule it for later.

Step 5: Measure Results and Improve Email Deliverability

Sending an email campaign doesn’t mean that your work is done. After posting your email blast, you will need to measure your results and see how the recipients interact with your messages.

Top email marketing services like Constant Contact have built-in email stats features.

To view your email campaign stats, just click on the ‘Reporting’ menu item at the top.

You can also see the performance of your email campaigns individually by clicking on them.

You will see the email open rate, the total sent emails, bounces, and successful deliveries. The reports will also reveal click rate, did not open, unsubscribes, and marked spam stats.

The biggest challenge of email blasting is email deliverability. A lot of the time, your emails don’t get delivered at all or are sent to the spam box directly.

Here are some proven techniques to improve email deliverability:

• Update your email list occasionally to remove fake email addresses, deleted emails, and more.
• Maintain the frequency of your emails (no spikes).
• Avoid misleading subject lines.
• Make your emails useful with valuable and engaging content.

Best Email Blast Examples

There are two main types of emails used for marketing: Broadcast Emails (Email blasts) and Triggered Emails.

Triggered emails are automated emails that are sent to your users following their actions. For example, you can send a welcome email after a user subscribes to your list.

Email blasts are different because you will manually create campaigns and send them to a large segment at once. Email blasting is done with the belief that the single message will be helpful to every subscriber in a list or segment.

You can’t broadcast a welcome email to your entire email list, which may also include old customers. So, email blasts can be used only for specific purposes.

Here are the best email blast examples:

1. Flash Sale

If you are offering a flash sale, you can send mass emails in bulk to inform all of your subscribers.

Here are a couple of subject line examples for a flash sale email blast:

• [FLASH SALE] Fashion Shoes 40%-60% off!
• [LAST CHANCE] 40%-60% off sale ends today!

2. Event Information like Webinars

You can send mass emails if you run online courses and webinars for your users.

Here are a couple of email subject lines for an event information email blast:

• LIVE Training: 10 steps to create a winning email campaign
• Join us LIVE tomorrow at 5 PM for a FREE marketing class

3. New Products

You can send an email blast when you launch a new product. It’s best to segment your list into already purchased customers and new subscribers so that you can send different campaigns to them.

4. Newsletters

Newsletters are the most common type of broadcast email. News, magazine websites, blogs, as well as business or non-profit organizations send newsletters to inform their subscribers about the latest news.

You can see our tutorial on starting an email newsletter to learn more about best practices to make it more successful.

We hope this article helped you to learn what is an email blast and how to do an email blast the right way. You may also want to see our guide on how to get a free business email address or our expert picks for the best free autoresponder tools for businesses.

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

The post What Is an Email Blast? How to Do an Email Blast “the RIGHT Way” first appeared on WPBeginner.

This error is only seen when visiting a website that uses an SSL certificate. It is caused by out-of-date or misconfigured software on either the website or the user’s computer.

In this article, we will show you how to fix the ‘ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH’ error in WordPress.

What Is the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH Error?

We recommend that everyone with a WordPress website install an SSL certificate. This can help keep your website data secure.

An SSL certificate is required if you want to accept payments in your online store, and it also protects your users in other ways.

SSL stands for ‘Secure Sockets Layer’, and TLS stands for ‘Transport Layer Security’ protocol. These protocols rely on certificates that tell the user the identity of the website they are communicating with.

When visiting a secure website, your browser will automatically check for an SSL certificate to see if it is valid and up to date. It also checks the version of the protocols being used.

If there’s an issue, then you’ll see an SSL error like ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH.

This error message appears when your browser doesn’t recognize the version of the SSL protocol being used or when the SSL certificate is not configured correctly.

This can happen when the user is using an out-of-date web browser that doesn’t recognize the latest TLS protocols. It can also be caused if the website’s SSL certificate or software is out of date or mismatched.

With that being said, let’s take a look at some steps you can take to fix the ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error in WordPress:

Scanning Your Website for SSL Errors

The first thing you need to do is scan your WordPress website for SSL errors. This will help you identify problems that can cause the ‘ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH’ error.

The easiest way to check is by using an online tool like the Qualys SSL Labs SSL Server Test. Simply type in the website’s domain name and then click the ‘Submit’ button.

This will perform a thorough test on the website that takes a few minutes to finish. After that, you will see a very detailed report about the site’s SSL certificate.

In the screenshot below, you will find the results of a scan on wpbeginner.com. You can see that the WPBeginner SSL certificate is valid and trusted and supports the latest TLS protocol, which is TLS 1.3. This is an example of a great SSL test result.

You can scroll down to the Configuration section of the report.

This will show you which versions of the TLS protocol are supported. In this case, both currently used versions are supported, which are TLS 1.2 and TLS 1.3.

It’s also important that the other protocols are not being used because they have known security issues.

If your test result looks similar to this, then the ‘ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH’ error is not being caused by the website. You can scroll down to the last section of this tutorial to learn how to troubleshoot the software on your computer.

On the other hand, here is a screenshot from a scan that found SSL errors. The errors are summarized at the top of the report, and more details are given below.

You can go to a page with detailed notes about an error by clicking the ‘MORE INFO »’ link.

If the SSL test report for your website lists some SSL errors, then you can follow these guidelines to fix them.

Your Site Uses Outdated TLS 1.0, TLS 1.1, or RC4 Cipher Suite

Old TLS protocols like TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 should never be run because they have security issues, and modern web browsers have stopped supporting them.

The same goes for the RC4 cipher suite. A cipher suite is a set of algorithms used to secure your website with TLS. However, the RC4 version has been found to be insecure and should never be used.

Reputable WordPress hosting companies never use insecure versions of the TLS protocol or cipher suite.

However, if your website is using any of these outdated versions, then you should contact your hosting provider and get them to enable TLS 1.2 or TLS 1.3. You will also need to switch to AEAD cipher suites (AES-GCM).

Alternatively, you can move to a reliable hosting provider like Bluehost or SiteGround.

Your Site Has an SSL Certificate Name Mismatch

Because an SSL certificate proves that your website is what it claims to be, the domain name on your certificate must match your site’s domain name. When they are not the same, this is called an ‘SSL certificate name mismatch’.

When you see this error in your SSL report, it will list the potential reasons:

• The website does not use SSL but shares an IP address with some other site that does.
• The website no longer exists, yet the domain name still points to the old IP address, where some other site is now hosted.
• The website uses a content delivery network (CDN) that does not support SSL.
• The domain name is an alias for a website whose main name is different, but the alias was not included in the certificate by mistake.

This error is likely caused by a problem with your SSL setup.

You can take a look at our beginner’s guide on how to properly move WordPress from HTTP to HTTPS for details on how to set up SSL correctly.

In particular, make sure you have set up your SSL certificate to work with all of the variations (or aliases) of your domain name that will be used, including www and non-www URLs.

Another solution is to redirect your website visitors to the correct variation of your domain name.

For example, if your SSL certificate has the URL ‘https://www.example.com’, then you can redirect ‘https://example.com’ to that address. See our article on how to set up redirects in WordPress for more details.

This error could also appear if you have recently moved your website to a new domain name or server. You will need to update your SSL certificate with the new details.

If you are using a CDN service, then you should also make sure that it supports SSL. If you need to upgrade, then you can see our expert picks of the best WordPress CDN services for recommendations.

If you need help with any of these issues, then don’t hesitate to reach out to your hosting provider’s technical support team.

When the Website Is Not the Problem

If the website is not the problem, then the error is caused by software on your computer. Most likely, you have an out-of-date web browser, or your antivirus software is causing the error.

You can follow these steps to troubleshoot the problem.

Update Your Web Browser to the Latest Version

If you are using an outdated web browser such as Internet Explorer or an old version of a modern web browser, then you may see this error. This happens because the old software was written before the latest versions of the TLS protocols and doesn’t recognize them.

In that case, all you need to do is switch to the latest version of a modern web browser like Google Chrome.

If, for some reason, you can’t update to a later version of your browser, like if you are stuck using Microsoft Windows XP, then you may be able to enable a later version of TLS in your browser.

For example, on Google Chrome, you can type chrome://flags in the address bar, search for ‘TLS 1.3’ and enable the option.

Or if you are using Firefox, then you should type about:config in the address bar, search for TLS, and then set the security.tls.version.max value to 4.

Clear Your Browser Cache and SSL Cache

If you still see the error message after doing this, then there are a few more troubleshooting steps you can take. The first thing is to delete your browser cache and cookies.

You can see our guide on how to clear your cache in all major browsers, which also covers how to clear your cookies.

On Windows, you can also clear the SSL cache. This may be storing out-of-date SSL information about the website you are trying to access.

You can open ‘Internet Options’ by searching for it in the Start menu. Now switch to the Content tab and click on the ‘Clear SSL state’ button.

Temporarily Disable Your Antivirus Software

Finally, it’s possible that your antivirus software or firewall software may be configured incorrectly. This can sometimes cause the ‘ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH’ error to appear when it shouldn’t.

If your software has an automatic SSL scanning feature, then you can try turning it off. Otherwise, you will need to temporarily disable your antivirus software. Once you have done that, you can try accessing the website again.

If you can access the software with your antivirus software disabled, then you can contact the antivirus company’s technical support team about the error or switch to a more reputable application.

We hope our tutorial helped you fix the ‘ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH’ error in WordPress. You may also want to see our complete guide to WordPress security or our expert picks for the best WordPress security plugins to further protect your website.

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

The post How to Fix ’ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR _CIPHER_MISMATCH’ in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

Google Domains helps you register a domain name for your website. However, the service is shutting down and migrating to Squarespace. That has sent many customers looking for a new place to register or transfer their old and new domain names.

In this article, we will show you the best Google Domains alternatives.

Why Do You Need a Google Domains Alternative?

Google launched a domain registration service in 2015 to help users find, buy, and manage a domain for their business.

However, the Google Domains service will close down, and Squarespace will take over the business and assets. Squarespace is a popular website builder that also provides hosting services.

With Google Domains ending, all the existing customers and their domains will be migrated to the Squarespace platform.

One of the drawbacks of transitioning to Squarespace will be domain renewal costs. Squarespace has said it will honor all existing Google Domains customers’ renewal prices for at least 12 months. However, you can expect higher renewal costs after that.

Besides that, many other domain registration services in the market offer free domain names with hosting plans. Plus, the hosting plans are often much cheaper than Squarespace.

That said, let’s look at some of the best Google Domains alternatives you can get your hands on today.

1. Domain.com

Domain.com is the best Google Domains alternative in the market and one of the most popular domain registrars. You get top-level domain name extensions (TLDs) and lots of country code top-level domains (ccTLDs).

It makes it very easy to search for and manage a domain name. For instance, you can access tools like WHOIS privacy protection, bulk registration, private registration, DNS management, renewals, and more.

Domain.com also easily integrates with Google Workspace (formerly known as G Suite). You can use your Gmail for business emails and access other tools like Google Drive for storage. You also get file-sharing tools and can communicate with others using Google Meet.

Besides that, Domain.com offers web hosting services, website builder and web design services, email marketing services, and more. There are different security features, including SSL certificates, daily malware scans, DDoS protection, blacklist monitoring, and more.

While these additional services are beneficial, Domain.com is the perfect solution for registering a domain without hosting and using it as an alternative to Google Domains.

For WPBeginner readers, Domain.com is offering a 25% off discount on domain products. Simply use our Domain.com coupon code to get your hands on the offer.

2. Hostinger

Hostinger is another popular WordPress hosting service that also offers free domain registration. You can choose from top-level domain name extensions (TLDs) and get free WHOIS privacy protection.

What makes Hostinger a great Google Domains alternative is that you get a variety of web hosting types to choose from. For instance, you can share hosting, cloud hosting, managed WordPress hosting, and VPS hosting.

Plus, it offers affordable hosting prices compared to Squarespace, which will be the domain hosting platform once Google Domains shuts down.

Besides that, Hostinger offers free CDN, a 1-click WordPress install, automatic updates, enhanced security features, 24/7 live chat support, free email, free SSL, unlimited bandwidth, WordPress acceleration, and more.

You can check out our Hostinger coupon to get exclusive discounts and also read our expert Hostinger review for complete details.

3. GoDaddy

GoDaddy is the next Google Domains alternative on our list. It is one of the oldest and most popular domain registrars.

GoDaddy offers over 84 million domains to choose from, with over 500 domain extensions. It is a great place to search and register a domain.

It is an excellent alternative to Google Domains because it is a one-stop solution. You can buy a domain of your choice, choose a web hosting plan, and start to build a WordPress website. It also offers one of the cheapest domain registration services, with prices starting from $0.99 per year.

If you can’t find the domain you’re looking for, then GoDaddy also offers a WHOIS search feature and domain broker service. You can hire GoDaddy to find, negotiate, and purchase a domain in the broker service.

There is also an auction section on GoDaddy where you can see domains up for sale. Simply bid for a name you’re looking for before the auction ends.

Besides that, you get other features like beginner-friendly domain management facilities. This includes domain name changes, bulk domain renewals, and more. GoDaddy also offers WordPress hosting, website builder, email marketing service, and other tools.

4. Network Solutions

Network Solutions is another Google Domains alternative and one of the largest domain registrars in the market, with over 7 million domains registered.

It offers domain features such as domain transfer, forwarding, private registration, expiration protection, WHOIS search, trademark protection, and more.

With Network Solutions, you can register a wide variety of domain extensions, like .com, .org, .net, .biz, .info, and other niche TLDs. This makes it a create Google Domains alternative as you can choose from different domain extensions.

Aside from that, it also offers web hosting, website builder, SSL certificate, cybersecurity solution, email marketing tools, SEO tools, and more.

5. Bluehost

Bluehost is the best web hosting service and the official WordPress hosting partner. They offer fast and affordable hosting services along with domain name registration services.

If you’re looking for a Google Domains alternative that also offers web hosting and free SSL, then Bluehost is one of the best solutions.

With Bluehost, you get a free domain name and a free SSL certificate with each hosting plan. This means you don’t have to pay extra to purchase a domain or get an SSL certificate.

Another benefit of choosing Bluehost is that WordPress comes pre-installed. It also has a beginner-friendly interface, and you can easily manage everything from a single dashboard. Plus, you can use Google Workspace to set up your business emails.

WPBeginner readers can enjoy a 60% off discount on Bluehost. This means you can start with a domain name and web hosting for only $2.75 per month.

6. Namecheap

Namecheap is another attractive Google Domains alternative. It is a popular domain registrar that offers a powerful domain search tool. Plus, Namecheap provides suggestions for different domains if the preferred name or extension isn’t available.

Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) is free with every purchase of a domain name. This provides an extra layer of security by checking the DNS address and keeps your domain secure from cyber threats.

Namecheap also provides different types of hosting services. You can choose from shared, WordPress, VPS, dedicated servers, and reseller hosting.

Besides that, you get 24/7 customer support, a free 2-month email address trial, privacy protection, domain transfer, SSL certificates, and more.

7. Hover

Hover is a beginner-friendly domain name registrar service and a great alternative to Google Domains.

It makes it very easy to find a domain name of your choice and purchase it. You can also choose from popular domain extensions and other niche TLDs. You can also transfer domains, and renew them.

The best part of using Hover is getting WHOIS and 2-factor authentication for free with every purchase. This is something that makes it different from Google Domains and worth checking out as a replacement for the service.

Hover also offers tools like custom emails and Realnames emails to create a personal touch for your readers. The Realnames email lets you turn your name into an email address in the format of firstname@lastname.

8. DreamHost

DreamHost is another great Google Domains alternative. Like many other options on the list, it also helps you register a domain and get web hosting for your website.

You get a free domain name, SSL certificate, and domain privacy with any hosting plan. However, you can purchase a domain name for your business using DreamHost.

There are over 400 domain extensions to choose from. Besides that, DreamHost provides a variety of hosting options.

For instance, you can select shared hosting, managed WordPress hosting called DreamPress, dedicated server hosting, cloud hosting, VPS hosting, and more. You can see our details DreamHost review to learn more.

It also easily integrates with Google Workspace. Plus, DreamHost offers email hosting, a website builder option, custom web design, SEO marketing, social media marketing, and other website management services.

9. HostGator

HostGator is the last Google Domains alternative on our list. It is another popular hosting provider for WordPress that offers a free domain name.

What makes it an attractive option compared to Google Domains is the pricing plans. You get affordable plans that include free one-year domain registration, SSL certificate, easy WordPress install, and more.

HostGator also offers a domain transfer feature. You can migrate a domain from another platform, such as Google Domains, to HostGator.

Aside from that, the hosting service provides other features like website builder, shared and dedicated hosting, Google Workspace integration, web design facility, SEO and pay-per-click (PPC) consultation, and more.

Which Google Domains Alternative is the Best?

After reviewing multiple services, our top picks are Domain.com, Hostinger, GoDaddy, and Network Solutions.

Domain.com makes it super easy to find a domain name with multiple domain extensions. It also offers some of the best domain management and security features.

On the other hand, if you want a domain name with web hosting, we highly recommend Hostinger. With each hosting plan, you get a free domain name and SSL certificate for one year.

If you’re in the market to just register a domain name, then GoDaddy and Network Solutions are excellent alternatives to Google Domains. Both offer powerful domain search tools.

FAQs about Google Domains Alternatives

Here are some frequently asked questions about choosing a Google Domains alternative.

1. Is Google good for buying domains?

Google launched Google Domains in 2015 to help users buy a domain name for their websites and offer competitive prices compared to other domain registration services. However, Squarespace acquired Google Domains in 2023. Once the migration is complete, you can purchase domains on Squarespace, and Google Domains will no longer be available.

2. Why is Google Domains better than GoDaddy?

One of the reasons why people liked Google Domains is because it offered cheaper domains compared to GoDaddy. However, with Google Domains transitioning to Squarespace, GoDaddy is a more attractive option than Squarespace. You get more features, web hosting, a website builder, and more in GoDaddy.

3. What is the lowest cost of a domain?

The cost usually depends on the domain name and extension you’re looking for. Domain.com offers domain names starting from $11.99. On the other hand, Hostinger offers a domain for free with its WordPress starter and higher plans. GoDaddy lets you register a domain for as low as $0.99.

4. Can I sell my Google domain?

Yes, you can sell your Google domain. There are many domain registrars and marketplaces where you can sell your domain. For example, GoDaddy lets you select domains from your portfolio and list them for sale. Besides that, you can also use marketplaces like Flippa and Efty to sell your domain or website.

We hope this article helped you pick the best Google Domains alternative. You may also want to see our guide on what’s the difference between a domain name and web hosting and must-have WordPress plugins for 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.

The post 9 Best Google Domains Alternatives for 2023 (Compared) first appeared on WPBeginner.

Custom fields are a handy WordPress feature that allows you to add extra data and information to your WordPress posts and pages. A lot of popular WordPress plugins and themes use custom fields to store important data.

In this article, we will show you how to use WordPress custom fields with some tips, tricks, and hacks.

Since this is a long article, we have added a table of contents for easier navigation. Just use the quick links below to jump to the section you want to read:

What Are WordPress Custom Fields?

WordPress custom fields are metadata used to add extra information to the post or page you are editing.

By default, when you write a new post, page, or any other content type, WordPress saves that content in two different parts.

The first part is the body of your content that you add using the WordPress content editor.

The second part is the information about that content. For example, the title, author, date, time, and more. This information is called metadata.

A WordPress website automatically adds all the required metadata to each post or page you create. You can also create and store your own metadata by using custom fields.

By default, the custom fields option is hidden on the post edit screen. To view it, you need to click on the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of the screen and select ‘Preferences’ from the menu.

This will open a popup where you need to switch to the ‘Panels’ tab and then enable the ‘Custom fields’ option.

After that, simply click on the ‘Enable & Reload’ button to reload the post editor.

The post editor will reload, and you will be able to see the Custom Fields panel below the content editor.

Custom fields can be used to add any information related to the post, page, or other content type. This meta information can then be displayed in your theme.

However, to do that, you will need to edit your WordPress theme files.

Having said that, let’s take a look at how to add and use custom fields in WordPress.

Adding Custom Fields in WordPress

First, you need to open a post or page in the block editor so that you can add custom fields. Then, you must go to the Custom Fields meta box.

Next, you need to provide a Name for your custom field and then enter its Value. Click on the ‘Add Custom Field’ button to save it.

The field will be stored and displayed in the Custom Fields meta box like this:

You can edit this custom field any time you want and then just click on the ‘Update’ button to save your changes. You can also delete it if you don’t want to use it anymore.

Now, you need to save your post to store your custom field settings.

Displaying Custom Fields in WordPress Themes

To display your custom field on your website, you will need to edit your WordPress theme files and code snippets.

We don’t recommend directly editing the theme files because the slightest mistake can break your website. An easier way to do this is by using WPCode.

It is the best code snippet plugin for WordPress that lets you add custom code and manage snippets from your WordPress dashboard.

If you haven’t done this before, then we also recommend reading our guide on how to copy and paste code in WordPress.

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

Upon activation, you will need to go to Code Snippets » + Add Snippet from the WordPress dashboard and select the ‘Add Your Custom Code (New Snippet)’ option.

Now you need to copy this code to add to your theme files:

<?php echo get_post_meta($post->ID, 'key', true); ?>

Don’t forget to replace key with the name of your custom field.

Next, you must enter the code into the ‘Code Preview’ area and change the Code Type to ‘PHP Snippet’.

For example, we used this code in our demo theme:

<p>Today's Mood: <?php echo get_post_meta($post->ID, 'Mood', true); ?></p>

From here, you can scroll down to the Insertion section.

Here, you can select where the code will run. By default, WPCode will Auto Insert the code and run it everywhere on your website.

However, you can change this and select where you would like the custom field to appear.

For example, we will choose the ‘Page Specific’ tab and select the ‘Insert Before Post’ option. This way, the custom field will appear at the beginning of the blog post.

You can now save your changes and visit the post where you added the custom field to see it in action.

You can use this custom field in all your other WordPress blog posts as well.

You can also easily adjust the custom field for different blog posts. Simply create a new post or edit an existing one.

Then, go to the Custom Fields meta box and select your custom field from the dropdown menu and enter its Value.

Once you are done, simply click the ‘Add Custom Field’ button to save your changes and then publish or update your post.

Troubleshooting: Can’t Find Custom Field in Dropdown on Post Edit Screen

By default, WordPress only loads 30 custom fields in the dropdown menu on the post edit screen.

If you are using WordPress themes and plugins that already use custom fields, then those might appear first in the dropdown menu, and you won’t be able to see your newly-created custom field.

To fix this issue, you will need to add the following code to your theme’s functions.php file or by using WPCode (recommended):

add_filter( 'postmeta_form_limit', 'meta_limit_increase' );
function meta_limit_increase( $limit ) {
    return 50;
}

The above code will change that limit to 50. If you still can’t see your custom field, then you can try increasing that limit even further.

Creating a User Interface for Custom Fields Using Advanced Custom Fields

As you can see, once you add a custom field, you will have to select the field and enter its value each time you write a post.

If you have many WordPress custom fields or multiple authors writing on your website, then this is not an ideal solution.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could create a user interface where users can fill in a form to add values to your custom fields?

In fact, this is what so many popular WordPress plugins already do.

For example, the SEO title and meta description box inside the popular All in One SEO plugin is a custom meta box:

The easiest way to create a user interface for adding custom fields is by using the Advanced Custom Fields plugin.

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

Upon activation, you need to visit the ACF » Field Groups page and click on the ‘Add New’ button.

A field group is like a container with a set of custom fields. It allows you to add multiple panels of custom fields.

Now, you need to provide a title for your field group and click the ‘+ Add Field’ button in the top-right corner.

You can now select a field type.

Advanced Custom Fields allows you to create all sorts of fields, including text, image upload, number, dropdown, checkboxes, and more.

Next, you can scroll down to see other options for that particular field, like field name, field label, and default value. You can change them to your own requirements.

You can also add multiple fields to your field group if you want. Once you are finished, just click on the ‘Save Changes’ button.

Next, edit a post or create a new one, and you will see a new panel with your WordPress custom fields below the content editor.

For detailed step-by-step instructions, you can see our guide on how to add custom meta boxes in WordPress posts and post types.

How to Hide Empty Custom Fields With Conditional Statements

So far, we have covered how to create a custom field and display it in your theme.

Now let’s see how to check that the custom field is not empty before displaying it. To do that, we will modify our code to first check if the field has data in it:

<?php 

$mood = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'Mood', true);

if ($mood) { ?>

<p>Today's Mood: <? echo $mood; ?></p>

<?php 

} else {
// do nothing;
}

?>

Don’t forget to replace Mood with your own custom field name.

Adding Multiple Values to a Custom Field

Custom fields can be reused in the same post to add multiple values. You just need to select the field again and add another value to the ‘Value’ box.

However, the code we have used in the above examples will only be able to show a single value.

To display all values of a custom field, we need to modify the code and make it return the data in an array. You will need to add the following code to your theme file:

<?php 
$mood = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'Mood', false);
if( count( $mood ) != 0 ) { ?>
<p>Today's Mood:</p>
<ul>
<?php foreach($mood as $mood) {
            echo '<li>'.$mood.'</li>';
            }
            ?>
</ul>
<?php 
} else { 
// do nothing; 
}
?>

Again, don’t forget to replace Mood with your own custom field name.

In this example, you will notice that we have changed the last parameter of get_post_meta function to false. This parameter defines whether the function should return a single value or not. Setting it to false allows it to return the data as an array, which we then displayed in a foreach loop.

How to Search Posts by Custom Field in WordPress

WordPress’s default search doesn’t work with any custom fields on your website. It only uses the content to find the post you or your visitors are looking for on your site.

However, SearchWP changes that by improving your WordPress search. It’s the best WordPress search plugin that goes beyond using the post content and indexes everything, including WordPress custom fields, PDF documents, custom tables, text, files, and more.

You can adjust the search algorithm without editing code using SearchWP. Simply install the plugin and then head over to SearchWP » Algorithm from your WordPress admin area.

After that, you need to go to the ‘Engines’ tab and then adjust the Attribute Relevance slider. This will change the importance given to each attribute during a search.

For instance, you can set the Custom Fields slider to maximum and adjust sliders for other attributes accordingly. This way, SearchWP will give preference to data in custom fields when searching for content in WordPress.

Another advantage of using SearchWP is that works with some of the most popular custom field plugins, including Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), Meta Box, and Pods.

For more details, you can read our beginner-friendly guide on how to improve WordPress search with SearchWP.

Displaying Posts With a Specific Custom Key

WordPress allows you to display posts with custom keys and their values. For example, if you are trying to create a custom archive page to display all posts with specific custom keys, then you can use the WP_Query class to query posts matching those fields.

You can use the following code as a starting point:

$args = array(
    'meta_key'   => 'Mood',
    'meta_value' => 'Happy'
);
$the_query = new WP_Query( $args );
 
<?php 
// the query
$the_query = new WP_Query( $args ); ?>
 
<?php if ( $the_query->have_posts() ) : ?>
 
    <!-- the loop -->
    <?php while ( $the_query->have_posts() ) : $the_query->the_post(); ?>
        <h2><?php the_title(); ?></h2>
        <?php the_content(); ?>
 
    <?php endwhile; ?>
    <!-- end of the loop -->
 
    <!-- pagination here -->
 
    <?php wp_reset_postdata(); ?>
 
<?php else : ?>
    <p><?php _e( 'Sorry, no posts matched your criteria.' ); ?></p>
<?php endif; ?>

Don’t forget to replace meta_key and meta_value parameters with your own values.

How to Add Guest Author Name Using Custom Fields

Do you want to add a guest post but don’t want to add a new user profile just for that post? An easier method is adding a guest author name as a custom field.

To do this, you will need to add the following code to your theme’s functions.php file or use WPCode (recommended):

add_filter( 'the_author', 'guest_author_name' );
add_filter( 'get_the_author_display_name', 'guest_author_name' );
function guest_author_name( $name ) {
global $post;
$author = get_post_meta( $post->ID, 'guest-author', true );
if ( $author )
$name = $author;
return $name;
}

For more details, please see our guide on pasting snippets from the web into WordPress.

This code hooks a function to the_author and get_the_author_display_name filters in WordPress.

The function first checks for the guest author’s name. If it exists, then it replaces the author’s name with the guest author’s name.

Now you will need to edit the post where you want to display the guest author’s name. Go to the Custom Fields meta box, add your guest author name, and finally click on the ‘Add Custom Field’ button.

For more details, see our article on how to rewrite guest author names with custom fields in WordPress.

How to Display Contributors to an Article Using Custom Fields

On many popular blogs and news sites, many authors contribute to writing a single article. However, WordPress only allows a single author to be associated with a post.

One way to solve this problem is by using the Co-Authors Plus plugin. To learn more, see our guide on how to add multiple authors to a WordPress post.

Another method is adding contributors as a custom field.

First, you need to edit the post where you want to display co-authors or contributors. Then, scroll down to the Custom Fields meta box and add author names as co-author custom fields.

Now, you need to add this code to your theme files where you want to show co-authors:

<?php 
 
$coauthors = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'co-author', false);
if( count( $coauthors ) != 0 ) { ?>
<ul class="coauthors">
<li>Contributors</li>
<?php foreach($coauthors as $coauthors) { ?>
           <?php echo '<li>'.$coauthors.'</li>' ;
            }
            ?>
</ul>
<?php 
} else { 
// do nothing; 
}
?>

To display author names separated by commas, you can add the following custom CSS:

.coauthors ul { 
display:inline;
}
.coauthors li { 
display:inline;
list-style:none;
}
.coauthors li:after { 
content:","
}
.coauthors li:last-child:after {
    content: "";
}
.coauthors li:first-child:after {
    content: ":";
}

This is how it looked on our demo site.

How to Display Custom Fields Outside the Loop in WordPress

What if you need to show custom fields in the sidebar of a single post?

To display the custom fields outside the WordPress loop, you can add the following code to your theme files:

<?php
global $wp_query;
$postid = $wp_query->post->ID;
echo get_post_meta($postid, 'key', true);
wp_reset_query();
?>

Don’t forget to replace key with your custom field name.

Display a Custom Header, Footer, Sidebar Using Custom Fields

Usually, most WordPress themes use the same header, footer, and sidebar on all pages.

There are also many ways to show different sidebars, headers, or footers for different pages on your website. You can see our guide on how to display a different sidebar for each WordPress post or page.

One way to do this is by using custom fields. Just edit the post or page where you want to show a different sidebar and then add the sidebar as a custom field.

Now you need to edit your WordPress theme file, such as single.php, where you want to display a custom sidebar. You will be looking for the following code:

<?php get_sidebar(); ?>

Replace this line with the following code:

<?php
global $wp_query;
$postid = $wp_query->post->ID;
$sidebar = get_post_meta($postid, "sidebar", true);
get_sidebar($sidebar);
wp_reset_query();
?>

This code simply looks for the sidebar custom field and then displays it in your theme. For example, if you add webpage as your sidebar custom field, then the code will look for a sidebar-webpage.php file to display.

You will need to create the sidebar-webpage.php file in your theme folder. You can copy the code from your theme’s sidebar.php file as a starting point.

Manipulating RSS feed Content With Custom Fields

Want to display additional metadata or content to your RSS feed users? Using custom fields you can manipulate your WordPress RSS feed and add custom content into your feeds.

First, you need to add the following code to your theme’s functions.php file or use WPCode (recommended):

function wpbeginner_postrss($content) {
global $wp_query;
$postid = $wp_query->post->ID;
$coolcustom = get_post_meta($postid, 'coolcustom', true);
if(is_feed()) {
if($coolcustom !== '') {
$content = $content."<br /><br /><div>".$coolcustom."</div>
";
}
else {
$content = $content;
}
}
return $content;
}
add_filter('the_excerpt_rss', 'wpbeginner_postrss');
add_filter('the_content', 'wpbeginner_postrss');

Now, just create a custom field called ‘coolcustom’ and add any value you like. You can use it to display advertisements, images, text, or anything you want.

For more details, please see our guide on how to copy and paste code from the web into WordPress.

How to Manipulate RSS Feed Title With Custom Fields

Sometimes you may want to add extra text to a post title for RSS feed users. For example, this can be handy if you are publishing a sponsored post or a guest post.

First, you need to add the following code to your theme’s functions.php file or use WPCode to add the custom code snippet without breaking your website:

function wpbeginner_titlerss($content) {
global $wp_query;
$postid = $wp_query->post->ID;
$gpost = get_post_meta($postid, 'guest_post', true);
$spost = get_post_meta($postid, 'sponsored_post', true);

if($gpost !== '') {
$content = 'Guest Post: '.$content;
}
elseif ($spost !== ''){
$content = 'Sponsored Post: '.$content;
}
else {
$content = $content;
}
return $content;
}
add_filter('the_title_rss', 'wpbeginner_titlerss');

Next, you need to edit the post where you want to display the extra text in the title field.

Then, add guest_post and sponsored_post as custom fields.

If either of these two custom fields is found with a value “true”, then the code will add the appropriate text before the title. This technique can be used in many ways to fit whatever you like.

Want to learn more cool RSS feed hacks? See our guide on how to add content and manipulate your WordPress RSS feeds.

How to Set Expiration Date for Posts in WordPress Using Custom Fields

Want to set an expiration date for some posts on your WordPress site? This comes in handy when you want to publish content only for a specific period like running surveys or limited-time offers.

One way to do this is by manually removing the post content or by using a plugin like Post Expirator.

Another option is using custom fields to automatically expire posts after a specific time. You will need to edit your theme files and modify the WordPress loop like this:

<?php
if (have_posts()) :
while (have_posts()) : the_post();
$expirationtime = get_post_meta($post->ID, "expiration", false);
if( count( $expirationtime ) != '' ) {
if (is_array($expirationtime)) {
$expirestring = implode($expirationtime);
}

$secondsbetween = strtotime($expirestring)-time();
if ( $secondsbetween >= 0 ) {
echo 'This post will expire on ' .$expirestring.'';
the_content();
} else {
echo "Sorry this post expired!"
}
} else {
the_content();
}
endwhile;
endif;
?>

Note: You will need to edit this code to match your theme.

After adding this code, you can add the expiration custom field to the post you want to expire. Make sure you add the time in this format mm/dd/yyyy 00:00:00.

How to Style Individual Posts Using Custom Fields

Want to change the look of an individual post using CSS? WordPress automatically assigns each post its own class, which you can use to add custom CSS.

However, by using custom fields, you can add your own custom classes and then use them to style posts differently.

First, you need to edit a post that you would like to style differently. Go to the Custom Fields box and add the post-class custom field.

Next, you need to edit your WordPress theme files and add this code at the beginning of the WordPress loop:

<?php $custom_values = get_post_meta($post->ID, 'post-class'); ?>

Now you need to find the line with the post_class() function.

Here is how it looked in our demo theme:

<article id="post-<?php the_ID(); ?>" <?php post_class(); ?>>

You must change this line to include your custom field value, like this:

<article id="post-<?php the_ID(); ?>" <?php post_class($custom_values); ?>>

Now if you examine the post’s source code using the Inspect tool, then you will see your custom field CSS class added to the post-class.

You can now can use this CSS class to add custom CSS and style your post differently.

We hope this article helped you learn more about WordPress custom fields. You may also want to see our guide on how to add custom meta fields to custom taxonomies in WordPress and the best WordPress page builder plugins to help you design your website the way you want.

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

The post WordPress Custom Fields 101: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks first appeared on WPBeginner.

Express checkout helps streamline the checkout process and improves the overall shopping experience for your customers. It can also boost conversions and reduce cart abandonment.

In this article, we will show you how to add express checkout buttons in WooCommerce.

Why Add Express Checkout in WooCommerce?

Adding express checkout to your WooCommerce store provides a better shopping experience for your customers.

It allows customers to go directly to the payment page and skip the shopping cart or checkout pages. They also won’t have to go to a payment provider page or fill out a checkout form to complete their purchases.

Express checkout buttons make the entire buying process quicker. Customers can simply click the buttons and log in to pay for the products they wish to buy in an instant. As a result, you may see a boost in conversions and fewer abandoned carts.

Adding express checkout also helps mobile users where their screen sizes are small. Customers will just tap the buttons to quickly purchase the products.

However, WooCommerce doesn’t offer an express checkout option by default. You will need to use a WooCommerce plugin to add the feature to your online store.

That said, let’s see how you can add express checkout buttons in WooCommerce.

Setting Up FunnelKit on Your WooCommerce Store

FunnelKit is the best WooCommerce sales funnel plugin on the market. It lets you add express checkout buttons and create different funnel pages for your online store.

The best thing about using the plugin is that it works with Stripe, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal Express, Amazon Pay, and other payment gateways for express checkout. This way, you don’t have to add each payment provider to your online store using third-party plugins or extensions.

FunnelKit also provides user-friendly templates and lets you do A/B testing. You can easily customize your funnels using different drag-and-drop page builders. Plus, there are multiple pre-built templates and automation features for your marketing campaigns.

First, you will need to install and activate the FunnelKit plugin. If you need help, then you can follow our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you will see the FunnelKit setup wizard. Go ahead and click the ‘Get Started’ button.

After that, you will need to enter your license key. You can find the key in the FunnelKit account area.

Simply click the ‘Activate’ button after entering the license key.

Next, FunnelKit will ask you to install essential plugins. These include WooCommerce, Stripe, FunnelKit Automations, and FunnelKit Cart.

The best part is that you just have to click the ‘Install and Activate’ button, and FunnelKit will take care of the rest.

After the plugins are active, the final step is to enter your email address.

Once that’s done, simply click the ‘Submit & Finish’ button.

You will now see a success message. You are ready to create funnels using the plugin and add express checkout buttons to your WooCommerce store.

Go ahead and click the ‘Go to Funnels’ button to continue.

Enabling Payment Gateways in WooCommerce

Before moving forward, make sure you have set up at least one payment service in your WooCommerce store.

To do that, simply go to WooCommerce » Settings from your WordPress dashboard and click on the ‘Payments’ tab.

After that, you can click the toggle to enable the payment gateway of your choice and click the ‘Finish set up’ button to complete the configuration.

To learn more, you can follow our guide on how to allow users to choose payment methods in WooCommerce.

Adding Express Checkout Buttons to WooCommerce

Once you have enabled your preferred payment gateways, you can head to the FunnelKit » Store Checkout page from your WordPress admin panel.

From here, simply click the ‘Create Store Checkout’ button.

On the next screen, FunnelKit will show you professionally-designed templates for your checkout page. It will also let you create a checkout page from scratch.

However, we recommend using a template and quickly customizing it according to your requirements.

Simply hover over a template you’d like to use and click the ‘Preview’ button.

For this tutorial, we will use the Livewire template.

Next, go ahead and click the ‘Import This Funnel’ button at the top.

Depending on the template you use, FunnelKit may ask you to install additional plugins like Elementor to edit the checkout page.

Next, you will need to enter a name for your store checkout and click the ‘Add’ button.

After that, you will see all the steps that are included in the template.

You can simply click the ‘Edit’ button for the Checkout page to continue.

Next, you can switch to the ‘Optimizations’ tab. From here, simply enable the ‘Express Checkout Buttons’ option.

FunnelKit will also let you choose the position of the buttons from the following options:

• Top of the checkout page
• Before/after the product switcher
• Before/after the order summary
• Above the payment gateways

When you are done, simply click the ‘Save Changes’ button.

That’s it, you have successfully added express checkout buttons to your online store.

If you want to edit the appearance of the checkout page, then you can switch to the ‘Design’ tab and click the ‘Edit Template’ button.

You can learn more by following our guide on how to customize the WooCommerce checkout page.

Once you have made your changes, simply visit your online store to view the express checkout buttons in action.

Additionally, FunnelKit helps you upsell products in WooCommerce. This way, you can boost sales by encouraging users to buy more products.

You can also set up automated emails in WooCommerce using FunnelKit Automations, a sister product of FunnelKit. This plugin lets you create automated workflows and send email campaigns to customers.

We hope this article helped you learn about how to add express checkout buttons in WooCommerce. You may also want to see our list of the best WooCommerce plugins for your store and how to create a WooCommerce popup to increase sales.

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

The post How to Add Express Checkout Buttons in WooCommerce first appeared on WPBeginner.

Screenshots allow you to share an image snapshot of your desktop or mobile screen in your blog posts. This makes it easier for your audience to follow the steps in a tutorial and better understand your content.

In this article, we will show you how to take a screenshot for your WordPress blog posts.

The Benefits of Taking Screenshots for Your Blog Posts

Adding screenshots to your WordPress blog can make your content more engaging. These are screen captures or snapshots of whatever is on your mobile or desktop screen.

You can use screenshots for a tutorial and guide users step by step. This way, people will know exactly where to click and what to enter when setting up software or plugins.

Similarly, you can use screenshots for a roundup or list post. For example, let’s say you are writing about the top 10 best email marketing tools. You can take screenshots of each tool’s homepage and show them in your content.

Since there are so many different ways to take a screenshot, we have created a step-by-step guide on how to take a screenshot on different devices and apps.

To make it easy for you, we have also created a table of contents below, so you can quickly find the method that’s applicable to you.

How to Take a Screenshot Using Droplr

Droplr is a popular screen capture app. It allows you to easily take a screenshot on your computer and share it.

Droplr automatically saves the screenshot and screen recordings to the cloud and provides a link to share with others. Plus, you can manage all your screenshots from a dashboard and share them on any platform, including WordPress.

It works great with Mac, Windows, and Chromebook devices to quickly capture a selected area or entire screen. There is also a Chrome extension, so you can quickly take screenshots from your browser.

Droplr also integrates with popular apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Gmail, Adobe Photoshop, and more.

Taking Screenshots Using Droplr Desktop App

To take a screenshot using Droplr, you will first need to install the app for your preferred device. After that, you can click the Droplr icon in the Mac menu bar or the Windows Taskbar.

From here, simply click the ‘Screenshot’ option.

If you are a Mac user, then you can also press ‘Option + Shift + 4’ to capture the screenshots. You can press ‘Alt + Shift + 4’ on Windows to take a screenshot with Droplr.

Next, you need to select the area you’d like to take a screenshot of.

Droplr will open the screenshot in a browser window as soon as you are done. Here, you can download the image or share the link with others.

If you click the ‘Markup’ button at the top, then you will find options to edit the screenshot.

For instance, you can add arrows to point at a button or an important feature. You can also draw shapes, add emojis, blur different parts of the image, add text, and more.

Once you are done, simply save the image or download it.

Taking Screenshots Using Droplr Chrome Extension

You can also use the Droplr Chrome extension to take screenshots and screen recordings. The extension works just like the desktop app, and you can easily access it from the Chrome extension toolbar.

First, you will need to install the Droplr extension by visiting the Chrome web store.

Then, click on ‘Add to Chrome’.

Once the extension is added, you can click on the Droplr icon from the toolbar at the top of your browser.

Next, you can screenshot a selected area, application window, full screen, or entire page.

After taking a screenshot, Droplr will open the image in a new tab with a link that you can share.

Droplr also allows you to create a video screencast to create quick tutorials with audio. Simply click the Droplr icon in your browser’s menu bar and select the TV icon to record your screen.

If you choose the ‘Full desktop’ option, then you will need to select which window to record. On the other hand, you can use the ‘Current tab’ option and screencast your browser tab.

How to Take a Screenshot on Mac

If you are using a Mac device and want to take a screenshot, then there are several options.

On Mac devices, you can capture the entire screen, a selected portion of your screen, a specific window, and more.

To take a screenshot of the entire screen on a Mac device, simply press ‘Shift + Command + 3’, and it will capture your screen.

If you want to capture a selected portion, then press ‘Shift + Command + 4’. Next, click and drag the crosshair (pointer) to take a screenshot of the selected area.

If you want to take a screenshot of a specific window, then press ‘Shift + Command + 4’ and also press the ‘Space bar’ on your keyboard.

You will see that the pointer will change into a camera icon. Simply drag the camera icon on a window to highlight and capture it.

Note: Not all apps will allow you to take a screenshot of their window. In that case, you can take a screenshot of the selected portion and crop it.

By default, all the screenshots will be saved on your desktop with the capturing time/date as the filename and .png as the file extension.

How to Take a Screenshot on Windows

To take a screenshot on Windows devices, you will need to press the ‘PrtSc’ keys. This will capture the entire screen.

Next, you can open this screenshot in an image editing software like Adobe Photoshop or Affinity Photo to crop the required area and save it on your computer.

Another way of taking screenshots is by using the Snipping tool. The tool lets you capture a specific part of your screen and automatically save it to a clipboard.

Another way to take screenshots in Windows is by pressing the ‘Windows + Shift + S’ keys to start taking screenshots with the Snipping tool.

Next, click and drag the pointer to select an area on your screen. It will capture the screenshot automatically when you release the right click.

Since the screenshot is saved to a clipboard, you can paste it into any image editing software like Adobe Photoshop for further changes and then save it on your computer.

How to Take a Screenshot on Chromebook

In Chromebook, you can simply click the Screenshot key with a camera icon. This will take a screenshot of your entire screen or a selected area.

Besides that, you can click the Quick Settings option in the right corner and then select the ‘Screen Capture’ option.

After that, you need to choose whether you’d like to capture the entire screen or a selected area.

Once you have taken a screenshot, it will be automatically copied to the Clipboard.

If you are using Chrome OS 64.0.3282.134 or later, then you can simply press the ‘Power + Volume Down’ buttons to capture your entire screen.

To take a screenshot of a selected area, you need to press the ‘Ctrl + Shift + Switch Window’ keys. Then, click and drag the crosshair (pointer) to select the area that you want to capture.

Upon releasing the click, you will see a notification in the bottom right corner of your screen that shows your screenshot is saved in the ‘Downloads’ folder.

If you are using a Chromebox with an external (general) keyboard attached to it, then press ‘Ctrl + F5’ to take a screenshot. The F5 key will function the same as the ‘Switch Window’ key on a Chromebook.

How to Take a Screenshot on iPhone

Taking a screenshot on iPhones and other smartphones is actually quite simple.

If you are using an iPhone X or higher, then you need to open your blog post or the app on the screen. After that, simply press the ‘Side’ button on the right side and the ‘Volume Up’ button on the left side of your phone.

Make sure that you press both buttons at the same time. This will take a screenshot of the screen and save it to the ‘Screenshots’ folder on your phone.

If you are using an iPhone 8 or earlier model, then open the screen that you want to capture. Then, simply press the ‘Power + Home’ buttons at the same time to take a screenshot.

How to Take a Screenshot on Android Phone

There are many different phone manufacturers that sell smartphones with Android OS (such as Samsung Galaxy, Motorola, Google Pixel, etc). However, most new devices follow the same universal process to take a screenshot.

On your Android phone, you need to open the screen that you want to capture. Next, press the ‘Power + Volume Down’ buttons together.

This will take the screenshot and save it in your photo gallery.

We hope this article helped you learn how to take a screenshot for your blog posts. You may also want to see our expert picks for tools to create better images for your blog posts and our beginner’s guide to image SEO.

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

The post How to Take a Screenshot for Your Blog Posts (Beginner’s Guide) first appeared on WPBeginner.

Using FAQ plugins can improve the customer experience by making it easier for users to find answers to their questions without leaving your website. It can also boost your search engine rankings and help more people find your content.

In this article, we will share some of the best WordPress FAQ plugins that can help add an attractive FAQ section to your website.

Why Use a WordPress FAQ Plugin?

FAQ plugins create a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section on your WordPress website with a list of some commonly asked questions and their answers.

This helps build trust and credibility with your customers by letting them know that you understand their questions and worries. FAQs can even increase conversion rates.

FAQs also allow users to find an answer to their questions without needing to contact customer service. This saves time and enables your customer support team to focus on other issues.

Additionally, using these plugins can also improve your search engine rankings because most FAQs often contain long-tail keywords that users commonly search for using search engines.

That being said, let’s look at some of the best WordPress FAQ plugins that can help improve user experience on your website.

1. All in One SEO for WordPress

All in One SEO is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market. It allows you to easily optimize your website to improve search engine rankings.

The plugin comes with an FAQ block that helps you create an attractive FAQ section in the block editor. Within the block, you can enter questions and answers for your FAQ section.

You can also customize your FAQ section from the block panel, including its text color, background color, typography, and title wrapper.

Moreover, All in One SEO even allows you to add FAQ schema to your WordPress website. This schema markup can increase your visibility on Google and bring more traffic to your website.

To activate the FAQ schema, you need to scroll down to the AIOSEO section in the block editor and switch to the ‘Schema’ tab.

After that, click the ‘Generate Schema’ button to open up a prompt.

Once the Schema Generator opens up, click on the ‘FAQ’ option to add the schema.

Next, you can add questions and answers to the schema template. For more detailed instructions, please see our tutorial on how to add FAQ schema in WordPress.

Apart from FAQs, AIOSEO has custom sitemaps, advanced redirects, SEO titles and descriptions, multiple keyphrases, and more. These features make it the ultimate toolkit for improving SEO on your website.

2. Heroic FAQs

Heroic FAQs is a premium WordPress plugin that comes with a drag-and-drop interface to organize, reorder, or group related questions together.

It offers 5 pre-designed FAQ templates and a visual editor that lets you insert images, blockquotes, lists, videos, and more into your FAQ content.

You can display the FAQs in accordion or toggle format. You are also able to choose from 15 different FAQ icon styles to match your website’s design.

Using the Heroic FAQs plugin can also improve your website visibility and search engine rankings because it has a built-in FAQ schema.

Some of its other features include fast loading, FAQ search, analytics reports, mobile responsiveness, and page builder integrations. It is the perfect solution if you are looking for an all-in-one FAQs management kit.

3. SeedProd

SeedProd is the best WordPress landing page builder on the market. It makes it super easy to create landing pages and custom themes in WordPress without using any code.

It also comes with an Accordion block that lets you create FAQs by adding text sections that expand and collapse to any part of your page.

First, you will need to choose a template and start building your page with SeedProd. For detailed instructions, you may want to see our guide on how to create a landing page in WordPress.

Then, you can drag and drop the ‘Accordion’ block onto the landing page from the block panel on the left side of the screen.

You can now add a question and an answer in the text box to start creating an FAQ section.

After that, you can also customize the font size, icon image, typography, text color, and background color for your FAQs.

You can even add custom CSS and animation effects to your FAQs.

SeedProd also comes with built-in SEO features that will allow you to optimize your landing pages for search engines and increase visibility.

4. Thrive Architect

Thrive Architect is another powerful drag-and-drop page builder that helps you easily create custom landing pages, layouts, and content for your WordPress site.

It comes with a Toggle element that lets you add an FAQ section in an accordion style to your landing pages. Once you drag and drop the Toggle onto your page, its settings will open up in the settings menu on the left.

You can now add content to the toggle headlines. To expand the toggle and add an answer to the question, click the ‘Expand’ button in the block toolbar above each toggle.

You are able to customize the FAQ section by adjusting the columns, width, vertical space, and dropdown animations.

With Thrive Architect, you can also further customize the FAQs section by changing the icons, typography, layout, background color, borders, adding HMTL attributes, and more.

For more details on how to use Thrive Architect, you can see our guide on how to create a custom page in WordPress.

5. YITH WooCommerce Questions And Answers

YITH WooCommerce Questions And Answers is not your typical FAQs plugin because it is specifically designed for WooCommerce.

It allows you to create an FAQ section for your product pages and also enables customers to submit their own questions that can be answered by the support team.

This can help increase user engagement in your WooCommerce store and provide a better customer experience.

It is a highly customizable plugin with a category filter and search feature to make it easier for users to find the answers to their questions.

With YITH WooCommerce Questions and Answers, you can even implement a voting system, activate the email notification process, hide inappropriate questions, and encourage users to post their own answers in the FAQs section.

6. Ultimate FAQ

Ultimate FAQ is a popular WordPress plugin that provides shortcodes and blocks in the Gutenberg editor to add an FAQ section to your website.

It comes with unlimited support for categories and tags and even lets you add an unlimited number of FAQs to a single section.

By default, the plugin comes with accordion and toggle styles. However, you can also use custom CSS to style your FAQs according to your liking.

Other than that, it lets you import FAQs in bulk by using Google Sheets and even offers a search and filtering feature that customers can use to find the answers to their questions.

The plugin is super easy to use and helps create SEO-friendly FAQs to improve your search engine rankings.

Moreover, Ultimate FAQ also integrates with WooCommerce, so you can easily add an FAQ section for your online store.

Some of its other features include email support, social sharing, custom fields, multiple FAQ layouts, video/image support, and more.

7. Easy Accordion

Easy Accordion is a powerful FAQ builder plugin that provides a drag-and-drop interface to create an accordion-style FAQ section.

It’s lightweight, fast, and SEO-friendly, helping you quickly optimize your website content for search engines.

The plugin offers more than 16 pre-designed templates and other customization options, including typography, icon sets, font colors, themes, animation effects, padding, color schemes, and more.

This makes it the perfect choice if you want to create a highly customizable FAQ section.

Besides that, Easy Accordion has a responsive layout that works on various devices, including mobile phones, iPads, desktops, and tablets.

8. Helpie FAQ

Helpie FAQ comes with a user-friendly interface that allows you to easily create and manage FAQ pages.

It also offers a built-in FAQ schema that increases your search visibility and can improve your website rankings.

The plugin provides you with complete flexibility to add an FAQ section to your pages, posts, or WordPress sidebar.

Some of the other features of Helpie FAQ include an AJAX search feature, basic sorting, color themes, import/export, user submissions, and more.

You can also integrate this plugin with WooCommerce to create an FAQ section for your online store.

9. WP Responsive FAQ With Category

WP Responsive FAQ with Category is a simple WordPress plugin that uses shortcodes to add FAQ sections to your pages or posts.

If you are looking for a beginner-friendly and easy-to-use solution to create FAQs, then this plugin is for you.

It comes with a drag-and-drop interface and 15+ pre-designed templates that will help you create an aesthetically-pleasing FAQ section for your website.

Other than that, WP Responsive FAQ also offers WooCommerce support and makes it super easy for you to display an FAQ section in your online store.

Some of its other features include image/video support, customization settings, accordion animation adjustments, and more.

Which Is the Best WordPress FAQ Plugin?

In our expert opinion, All in One SEO is the best WordPress FAQ plugin because it allows you to easily add FAQ sections and schema to your pages and posts.

However, if you want to create an FAQ section on a landing page, then you can also use SeedProd or Thrive Architect. They are the best WordPress page builders on the market that come with built-in features to help create an attractive FAQ section.

You can also use the Heroic FAQs plugin if you are looking for an all-in-one solution. Its user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface allows you to easily build FAQs and FAQ schema.

If you have an online store, then we recommend using YITH WooCommerce Questions and Answers or the Ultimate FAQ plugin because they are designed to integrate with WooCommerce.

We hope this article helped you find the best WordPress FAQ plugins for your website. You may also want to see our beginner’s guide on how to choose the best domain registrar in WordPress and our top picks for the best accordion plugins.

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

The post 9 Best FAQ WordPress Plugins (Expert Pick) first appeared on WPBeginner.

Cloudflare is one of the best WordPress CDN services available in the market. They offer a free CDN that speeds up your website along with a suite of powerful security features for small business websites.

The challenge is that many entry-level users are not able to use Cloudflare because they think it is hard to set up.

In this guide, we will walk you through a complete Cloudflare setup in WordPress to help you improve your website speed.

What Is a CDN?

A CDN or content delivery network is a system of distributed servers that helps deliver your website files faster to users based on their location.

Typically, a web hosting service serves your website visitors from a single location. All the users access the same server, no matter where they are located.

This can cause a delay in content delivery for users living further away from your website’s central hosting server.

That’s why CDNs set up multiple edge servers in different locations around the globe.

These CDN servers cache static content from your website’s origin server and present it to users when they visit your WordPress website.

When there is a user request, the CDN server closest to the user’s location will handle it.

For example, if someone in the USA wants to access a UK-hosted website, then a CDN server in the USA will serve that request, not the main server in the UK.

With a CDN, all the user requests are handled by the nearest CDN servers. This reduces the physical distance between the visitors and your website’s server.

As a result, a CDN improves your website performance and speed for all users regardless of their geographic location.

A faster website also improves the user experience and can give your website a slight boost in SEO rankings. Using a CDN also reduces the load on your primary server and protects it from crashing during traffic spikes.

If you want to learn more, then see our guide on why you need a CDN for your WordPress blog.

What Is Cloudflare CDN?

Cloudflare is one of the most popular free CDN providers available on the internet. It is a large network of globally-distributed servers that automatically cache static content and deliver dynamic content quickly.

On top of a CDN service, Cloudflare is also a cloud-based website firewall and a distributed proxy server. It monitors all incoming traffic to your website and blocks suspicious traffic even before it reaches your server.

They offer a free basic plan that’s suitable for small business websites and blogs. They also offer paid plans starting at $20 per month.

Cloudflare is an excellent choice for small businesses looking for a free CDN. However, if you want to fully utilize all of Cloudflare’s features, then you will need the Business plan, which costs $200 per month.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how to set up Cloudflare Free CDN in WordPress. You can use the quick links below to jump to the different parts of the tutorial:

Setting Up Cloudflare CDN in WordPress

To begin, you need to visit the Cloudflare website and click on the ‘Sign Up’ button.

On the next page, you need to enter your email address and password to create a Cloudflare account.

Simply enter the information required, and then click on the ‘Sign up’ button.

When you finish signing up, you will see a thank you page confirming that your Cloudflare account has been set up.

The next step is to add your website to Cloudflare. You should click the ‘Add a website or application’ button to get started.

You can now enter your website into the ‘Enter your site’ field.

Make sure you only type your site’s domain name, such as example.com. You don’t need to type the full URL or any extra characters.

On the next screen, you will be asked to choose the type of Cloudflare plan you want.

For this tutorial, we will choose the free Cloudflare plan. Then, click the ‘Continue’ button.

After that, Cloudflare will show you a list of all DNS records their systems found. These will include your subdomains as well.

The DNS records you want to be passed through Cloudflare should have an orange cloud icon. The DNS records that will bypass Cloudflare will have a gray cloud icon.

You need to review the list to make sure that your primary domain is active on Cloudflare with an orange cloud icon. Simply click the ‘Proxy status’ toggle to change the status.

Once you have verified your DNS records, just click on the ‘Continue’ button at the bottom.

During the next step of your setup, Cloudflare will ask you to update your nameservers. You will be asked to change your nameservers and point them to Cloudflare nameservers.

You can change nameservers from your domain registrar account, like Domain.com.

Or, if you got a free domain from your web hosting provider like Bluehost, then you will have to change the name server by logging in to your hosting account.

For the sake of this tutorial, we will be showing you how to change the nameservers from the Bluehost control panel.

While the process is similar across hosting companies, you can always ask your hosting provider for detailed instructions for their control panel.

Once you are logged in to your Bluehost cPanel dashboard, go to the ‘Domains’ section, and select your domain name. After that, click on the ‘Name Servers’ tab and the ‘Edit’ button.

Next, you need to select ‘Custom’ and enter the nameservers provided by Cloudflare.

Then, click the ‘Save’ button.

After that, you need to go back to the Cloudflare setup page, and click the ‘Done, check nameservers’ button to finish the setup.

It will now check your new nameservers automatically.

That’s it! It will take a few minutes to update your domain nameservers and activate Cloudflare.

Once activated, you will see the success message in your Cloudflare dashboard.

In the meantime, the Cloudflare Quick Start Guide will open automatically, and you can use it to customize your Cloudflare settings. We will show you how in the next section.

Configuring Cloudflare With the Quick Start Guide

The Cloudflare Quick Start Guide should have opened automatically after you clicked on the ‘Done, check nameservers’ button above. This setup wizard will help you improve the security and performance of your website.

The first setting is ‘Automatic HTTPS Rewrites’.

This will help you avoid the mixed content error in WordPress. It does this by automatically changing ‘http’ to ‘https’ in the URLs of all resources and links on your site that can be served with a secure ‘https’ URL.

This setting is on by default. We recommend you leave it on and click the ‘Save’ button.

The next setting is ‘Always Use HTTPS’.

Some users have reported issues when using this setting with Cloudflare. This setting is disabled by default, and we recommend you leave it that way. We will show you how to redirect from HTTP to HTTPS using the All in One SEO plugin later in this article.

Now you can click the ‘Save’ button to move on to the next option.

The next setting is Brotli compression.

Cloudflare can use Brotli compression to unlock 15-20% speed improvements. This setting is on by default, and we recommend you leave it on.

Make sure you click the ‘Save’ button to store this setting.

Now you will see a summary of what you have configured with the Quick Start Guide.

You should see:

• Automatic HTTPS Rewrites: ON
• Always Use HTTPS: OFF
• Brotli: ON

You have now completed the Quick Start Guide and can click the ‘Finish’ button. However, there are still some additional important settings that need to be configured.

Configuring Additional Important Cloudflare Settings

Your basic Cloudflare setup is complete, but there are a few essential settings you need to configure to keep your WordPress site secure.

1. Secure Your WordPress Login Page

You can set up page rules to customize how Cloudflare works on specific pages on your site. This is especially useful for securing critical pages such as the login page and wp-admin area.

The Cloudflare free account allows you to set up 3 page rules. If you want to add more page rules, then you need to pay $5 per month for 5 extra rules.

First, you need to click the ‘Rules’ option in the menu on the left of the page. After that, you can click the ‘Create Page Rule’ button.

Now you can set up 3 different page rules. You can start by creating a rule that secures your WordPress login page.

Simply add the following settings below to secure your website:

• Page URL: example.com/wp-login.php*
• Settings: Security Level – High

When you are done, just click ‘Save and Deploy’ to store and activate the rule.

2. Exclude the WordPress Dashboard from Cloudflare

You will be returned to the Page Rules page, where you can see your first rule listed.

Now you can create a second rule to exclude the WordPress dashboard from Cloudflare caching and enable high security.

You’ll need to click on the ‘Create New Rule’ button to create your second rule.

After that, you need to type the following settings into the rule. You can click the ‘+ Add a Setting’ button to add new rows for additional settings:

• Page URL: example.com/wp-admin*
• Settings: Security Level – High
• Cache Level – Bypass
• Disable Performance
• Disable Apps

When you are done, make sure you click ‘Save and Deploy’ to add the new rule.

3. Configure SSL Certificate Settings

Another important setting is the SSL certificate available in the ‘SSL/TLS’ menu on the left.

Make sure to click the ‘Full’ radio button if you are already using SSL.

If you don’t have an SSL certificate, then see our guide on how to get a free SSL certificate for your website.

Once you are done, Cloudflare will provide the essential green padlock in your visitors’ address bar to signify that your website is secure.

4. Redirect from HTTP to HTTPS Using All in One SEO

We mentioned earlier that we don’t recommend using Cloudflare’s ‘Always Use HTTPS’ feature. A great alternative is to use the All in One SEO plugin. It’s the best SEO plugin for WordPress, used by over 3 million sites.

The first thing you need to do is activate and install the All in One SEO plugin. For more details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

After that, navigate to All in One SEO » General Settings and then enter your license key into the ‘License Key’ box and click ‘Connect’.

You can find your license key in your account profile on the All in One SEO website.

Next, navigate to All in One SEO » Redirects and then click the ‘Full Site Redirects’ menu navigation option.

You will need to scroll down the page until you find the ‘Canonical Settings’ toggle. You should click this toggle so that it turns blue.

Next, turn on the ‘Redirect from HTTP to HTTPS’ toggle. This will create a redirect from HTTP to HTTPS, making sure that your visitors always have a secure connection to your website.

When you are done, make sure to click the ‘Save Changes’ button at the bottom or top of the screen to store this setting.

Optimizing Cloudflare for WordPress Using a Plugin

Cloudflare offers a dedicated WordPress plugin for one-click WordPress-optimized settings.

The plugin lets you quickly set up Cloudflare on your WordPress site, add web application firewall (WAF) rulesets, automatically purge the cache, and more.

To get started, install and activate the Cloudflare plugin on your website. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once done, you need to visit Settings » Cloudflare in your admin panel to configure the Cloudflare settings.

On the settings page, you will see a ‘Create Your Free Account’ button and a sign-in option for existing accounts. Simply click the ‘Sign in here’ link.

On the next screen, you will need to enter your Cloudflare email and API key.

Click the ‘Get your API key from here’ link.

This will bring up a popup for your account area on the Cloudflare website.

Make sure you are on your ‘My Profile’ page, and then click on the ‘API Tokens’ tab in the left sidebar.

After that, go to the ‘Global API Key’ section and click on the ‘View’ button.

This will open a popup and display your API key.

Simply click on the key to copy it.

Next, you need to come back to your WordPress dashboard and enter your email address and API key.

Then, click the ‘Save API Credentials’ button.

After that, the Cloudflare settings will appear on your dashboard.

From here, you can apply a single-click WordPress optimization, purge the cache, enable automatic cache, and more.

To optimize your WordPress site, just click the ‘Apply’ button next to ‘Apply Default Settings’.

Next, click on the ‘Settings’ menu option.

Here you will find more site optimization settings.

You can scroll down on this screen to find the ‘Security’ section.

By default, the security level is medium. To improve your website’s security, you can select ‘High’ from the dropdown list.

We hope this article helped you to learn how to set up Cloudflare free CDN in WordPress. You may also want to see our ultimate WordPress security guide and our expert picks for the best WordPress security plugins to further protect your website.

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

The post How to Setup Cloudflare Free CDN in WordPress (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.

It is a best security practice to regularly back up your site and store it in a separate location, like Dropbox. This way, you can easily restore your content, plugins, databases, and important settings if there is a security breach or something goes wrong.

In this article, we will show you how to back up a WordPress site to Dropbox.

Why Back Up a WordPress Site to Dropbox?

Whether you are running a small WordPress website, an eCommerce store, or any other type of website, then creating regular backups is essential.

A backup is a copy of your website that includes important files, folders, databases, site content, themes, plugins, and other information.

With backups, you will have a copy of your website or ready in case of a fatal error or security vulnerability. Then, you can restore your website to its previous state in just a few clicks.

Storing your WordPress backups on your computer’s hard disk or website server can be risky. If your hard disk fails or the website server gets compromised, you will lose all your backups.

That’s why storing backups in multiple locations is a good practice, including cloud storage services like Dropbox.

Dropbox is a popular file-hosting service that lets you store and back up files to the cloud. The best part is that you can access, save, and share these files from anywhere.

That being said, let’s see how to back up WordPress to Dropbox.

Connecting Your WordPress Site to Dropbox

The easiest way to create WordPress backups and save them in Dropbox is by using the Duplicator plugin. It is the best WordPress backup plugin that is beginner-friendly and helps you to back up, migrate, and clone your website.

Plus, the Duplicator plugin easily integrates with different cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon S3, OneDrive, FTP, and SFTP – SSH.

First, you will need to install and activate the Duplicator Pro plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to head to Duplicator Pro » Settings from the WordPress admin panel and click the ‘Licensing’ tab.

Next, you will need to enter your license key and click the ‘Activate’ button. You can easily find the license key in your Duplicator account area.

Next, you will need to connect your Dropbox account with Duplicator.

Simply go to Duplicator Pro » Storage from your WordPress dashboard. Here, you will see your local storage option, where the backups will be stored by default.

Go ahead and click the ‘Add New’ button to add Dropbox.

After that, you can enter a name for your new storage option so it is easily recognizable. For example, we will name it ‘Dropbox’.

Next, you must click the ‘Type’ dropdown menu and select the ‘Dropbox’ option.

From here, you will see new settings for your storage option.

Go ahead and click the ‘Connect to Dropbox’ button.

After clicking the button, more settings will appear in the Authorization section.

First, you will need to click the ‘Authorize Dropbox’ button.

Next, a new window or tab will open. Simply log in to your Dropbox account.

You can use your Google or Apple account to sign in or enter the email and password you used when signing up for Dropbox.

Once you are logged in, you will need to allow access to your Dropbox account.

Go ahead and click the ‘Allow’ button.

Next, Dropbox will show you an authorization code.

Simply copy this code.

You can now return to the browser tab or window where you are configuring the Duplicator Pro storage settings.

Go ahead and enter the code into the ‘Step 2: Paste code from Dropbox authorization page’ field.

Once that’s done, simply click the ‘Finalize Setup’ button.

You have now successfully added Dropbox as a cloud storage option to save your WordPress backups.

Creating a Dropbox Backup of Your WordPress Website

The next step is to create a backup of your WordPress blog or website and save it to Dropbox.

To start, go to Duplicator Pro » Packages from the WordPress admin panel and click the ‘Create New’ button.

Next, you will need to enter a name for your package.

Duplicator will also give you the option to select a template. We recommend keeping it as ‘Unassigned’ because it will keep the settings from the last scan/build.

After that, you can expand the ‘Storage’ section.

Here, you will need to select ‘Dropbox’ as the storage option to store your WordPress backup.

You can also change the ‘Archive’ settings before backing up your site. By default, the plugin will package your site’s content, plugins, themes, databases, and all other files.

However, you can customize your backup by selecting which part of your site to back up. For instance, you might archive only the WordPress database.

When you are done, simply click the ‘Next’ button at the bottom.

On the next screen, Duplicator will scan your website and check if everything is fine before creating a backup. You will see a notice or a warning for any issues that need to be resolved before backing up your site.

Once everything checks out, simply click the ‘Build’ button.

The plugin will take a few seconds or minutes to create a backup package. The time will depend on the size of the files and folders.

Once the package is ready, it will be saved in Dropbox. You can view the Dropbox location by clicking the ‘Storage’ icon.

A new window will now open with the location.

You can simply click on the link to view your WordPress backup in the Dropbox dashboard.

Scheduling WordPress Backups to Dropbox (Pro Plugin Only)

With Duplicator Pro, you can schedule regular website backups and store them in Dropbox.

First, you will need to go to Duplicator Pro » Schedules from the WordPress dashboard and click the ‘Add New’ button.

On the next screen, you can enter a name for your backup schedule and select a template. We recommend using the default template so that all your website files, folders, and databases are backed up.

After that, select ‘Dropbox’ as the storage location for your backups.

Next, you will need to scroll down and choose when the plugin should automatically create a backup.

You can select whether you’d like to build a package hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly. For instance, if you select the weekly option, then you can choose which day to schedule the backup.

There is also an option to choose the start time for your schedule. Lastly, make sure that the ‘Enable This Schedule’ option is checked so that your schedule is active.

Once you are done, simply click the ‘Save Schedule’ button.

Restoring a WordPress Backup From Dropbox

Now that you have scheduled regular backups, you will always have a copy of your site in Dropbox. This way, you can easily restore the backup if there is a fatal error, data loss, or security breach.

To restore your site, you will first need to open your Dropbox account and head to the Duplicator Pro folder.

Next, select the website backup you would like to download.

Simply click the 3 dotted icons and then select the ‘Download’ option.

From here, you can save the zip file on your computer.

After that, you must go to your WordPress dashboard and head to Duplicator Pro » Import. Go ahead and click the ‘Select File’ button.

Next, you can select the zip file from your computer to restore the website backup.

Once the file is uploaded, you can scroll down to see the package details. Simply click the ‘Continue’ button.

On the next screen, you will see an overview of your package. For instance, it will show the number of posts, pages, media files, plugins, and more that are in the backup.

Go ahead and click the ‘Launch Installer’ button.

Once you click the button, the Duplicator installer wizard will launch.

First, you will need to choose an Install Type for your package. Go ahead and select the ‘Restore single site’ option.

Next, you can scroll down to view the Validation checkpoints and make sure the system is ready to install the backup. If there are any warnings or notices, then you must resolve them before restoring the backup.

Once that’s done, click the checkbox for ‘I have read and accepted all terms & notices’ and click the ‘Next’ button.

A popup will now open with install confirmation details.

You can click the ‘OK’ button to move forward.

The plugin will now extract archive files from the package.

Once the extraction is finished, you will see the install results. To complete the backup, you must click the ‘Admin Login’ button and log back in to your site to finalize the installation.

You have now successfully restored your website backup from Dropbox.

We hope this article helped you learn how to back up a WordPress site to Dropbox. You may also want to see our guide to WordPress security and our expert picks for the best live chat software for small businesses.

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

The post How to Back up a WordPress Site to Dropbox (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.

Using the right lead generation tools can help you get more customers and sales faster so that you can grow your business.

In this article, we will share some of the best lead generation WordPress plugins to help you improve your marketing.

What Is Lead Generation, and Why Does It Matter?

Lead generation means getting the interest of prospective customers. It can be done in several different ways.

On your website, lead generation might mean getting visitors to:

• Join your email newsletter.
• Submit a contact or inquiry form on your website.
• Contact someone at your company through live chat.
• Talk to a chatbot (automated chat).
• Call your sales team, or book a call with them.

Lead generation is essential for all online businesses. Of course, it’s also important to have a strong process for converting the leads into customers. However, most businesses struggle to get enough leads in the first place.

Even if you run a nonprofit, lead generation matters. It can help you get more donations and more support.

Our goal with this list is to share the absolute best WordPress lead generation plugins that you can use to grow your business faster.

Unlike other best lead generation tool lists, we are not just sharing a list of plugins that do the same thing. Instead, we’re focusing on lead generation from a holistic point of view.

For each lead generation solution category, we share an expert pick along with one alternative option for that category. This will help us keep this list comprehensive without causing choice paralysis.

With that said, here are the best lead generation plugins for WordPress.

1. WPForms

WPForms is the best contact form plugin on the market. Over 6 million website owners use the beginner-friendly, drag-and-drop builder to create any kind of online form for their WordPress sites.

It comes with over a hundred pre-built form templates you can use as a starting point. After that, you can customize the form to match your needs using the drag-and-drop form builder interface.

Here are just some of the lead generation forms you can create:

• Email newsletter signup form
• Content download form
• Online event registration form
• Request a quote form
• Contest entry form
• Neighborhood events questionnaire form
• Personal trainer signup form

WPForms also integrates with your favorite email marketing services and CRM providers. This lets you automatically add leads to your email list.

Each time someone submits the form, you will automatically get an email notification. You can easily turn this off if you prefer not to receive email alerts. WPForms will store each completed form entry in your WordPress database too.

It’s also possible to send notifications to multiple recipients using WPForms. For example, you might want to send a customer inquiry notification to a specific person in the sales team and their supervisor.

Price:

WPForms pricing starts at $49.50/year. There’s also a free version of the plugin, which has limited features.

Alternative:

Formidable Forms ($39.50 per year) is a good alternative to WPForms. It has powerful tools that let you create different forms, including lead generation calculators. However, it’s not as beginner friendly as WPForms.

2. OptinMonster

OptinMonster is a powerful lead generation and popup plugin that you can use on your WordPress site.

It lets you create high-converting popups and email signup forms that help you turn abandoned website visitors into subscribers and customers.

It has lots of useful features, including Exit Intent® technology. This lets you show your popup at the exact moment when someone is about to leave your site.

You can combine it with their page targeting feature to show customized popup messages for each page on your site, which is proven to increase conversions.

With OptinMonster, you even get special popups like spin the wheel popups and Yes/No optins. These can boost your conversion rate even further.

There are lots of different professionally designed templates included in the app. This makes it quick and easy to create your lead forms using the drag-and-drop builder.

You can also use OptinMonster to generate leads in other ways. For instance, you might use the content-locking feature to ask visitors to join your email list before they can read your full content.

You don’t necessarily need to use it to generate email leads, either. You could add a click-to-call button to your popup, use it to show special discount codes, and more.

Price:

OptinMonster starts at $9/month when billed annually. To get advanced features like Exit Intent technology and Yes/No forms, you need the Pro plan from $29/month.

Alternative:

Thrive Leads ($99 per year) is a good alternative to OptinMonster. It offers a range of different types of lead generation forms and popups. It also has a built-in template library to speed up the building process.

3. SeedProd

SeedProd is the best WordPress website and theme builder on the market. It’s used by over a million website owners to easily create any type of website without writing any code.

It has dozens of professional templates you can customize easily with the drag and drop builder.

SeedProd also provides you with a beginner-friendly landing page builder. And you will find a ready-made sales page, opt-in page, webinar registration, coming soon page templates, and more.

All of these landing page templates can be completely customized to help you start generating leads as quickly and easily as possible.

It includes dozens of blocks designed to help you build better landing pages, like testimonial blocks, countdown timers, CTA buttons, pricing tables, and so much more.

You will find a searchable stock photo library with over 2 million photos that you can add to your pages to improve conversions.

It also has powerful integrations with the top email marketing software and thousands of third-party apps via Zapier. This lets you easily send your leads to your lead management tool of choice.

For online store owners, you can use the WooCommerce blocks to build custom WooCommerce product pages easily, thank you pages, and more to collect leads and sell more products.

Price:

SeedProd starts from $39.50 per year (only $3.29 per month). Plus, there’s a free version you can try to see how the plugin works.

Alternative:

Instapage offers similar page builder features but is more expensive and starts at $199 per month (billed annually).

4. LiveChat

LiveChat is the best live chat software for WordPress websites. It’s very easy to set up, and you can integrate it with dozens of other marketing services.

By adding live chat support to your WordPress website, you can build a better relationship with your users and convert more visitors into customers.

This plugin places a chat button in the bottom right-hand corner of your website. Visitors can click on this to chat with your team in real time.

Plus, your support team members don’t need to log in to WordPress to use LiveChat. Instead, they can use the LiveChat app on their laptop or mobile devices.

LiveChat will create a support ticket if a visitor contacts your team outside of support hours.

LiveChat is fast and easy to use for your visitors and your support team. It lets you quickly turn leads into customers by answering pre-sales questions straight away.

Price:

LiveChat starts at $20 per month when billed annually with a 14-day free trial. Our LiveChat coupon gives you an extended 30-day free trial plus a 30% discount.

Alternative:

Brevo (Previously Sendinblue) offers a simple, free live chat feature that you can use on your website. It also offers email, SMS, and a CRM tool that integrate with live chat.

5. ChatBot

ChatBot is one of the best AI chatbot software options on the market and lets you use automated live chat to connect with your potential customers and respond to questions 24/7.

To help you get started quickly, ChatBot has lots of pre-designed templates. For instance, you can use the lead generation bot to book calls. Meanwhile, the sales bot template allows you to sell products directly from the chat window.

ChatBot can be used in Facebook Messenger as well as on your website. That makes it a great option for companies and organizations that get a lot of inquiries through Facebook.

It’s easy to integrate it with other apps, such as LiveChat. A live agent can step into the conversation seamlessly if needed.

Price:

ChatBot pricing starts at $52 per month. There’s a 14-day free trial available.

Alternative:

Hubspot offers a suite of business CRM tools, including a chatbot builder and live chat. You can get started free, and paid plans start at $30 per month.

6. RafflePress

RafflePress is one of the best WordPress giveaway plugins on the market. It allows you to easily create viral giveaways and contests that you can use to grow your website traffic and email list.

You can use the drag and drop builder to quickly create giveaway campaigns in minutes without writing any code. Plus, there’s a built-in template library to help make giveaway creation even faster.

A unique refer-a-friend feature lets you do word-of-mouth marketing by letting users share your contest on their social media profiles.

This helps to build engagement and can get you a lot of new visitors to your WordPress blog.

You will find many other powerful features that help improve your campaigns, like email verification, fraud protection, social logins, giveaway landing pages, success tracking, and more.

Plus, your giveaways will run on mobile devices, so you can reach your visitors no matter where they happen to be.

For more details, see our guide on how to run a giveaway/contest in WordPress.

Price:

RafflePress has a free version of the plugin you can use to get started. Paid plans start at $39.50 per year for the starter plan.

Alternative:

Gleam is an advanced giveaway platform you can use to run contests and giveaways. However, it’s not as beginner friendly, and you will need at least the $97 per month Pro plan to unlock useful features.

7. PushEngage

PushEngage is the best web push notification software on the market, used by over 10,000 companies, including Harvard, Dominoes, and Business Insider.

It lets you easily send targeted push messages to visitors after they leave your website.

We use push notifications here at WPBeginner, and they are consistently a top 5 source of our traffic. They are a highly-effective way to convert website visitors into loyal followers and customers.

Visitors simply give their permission to receive push notifications by clicking a button:

You can set up push notifications to automatically send out to your subscribers whenever you publish a blog post or use them to send completely custom messages.

It’s a very easy-to-use solution for beginners to advanced users. You will find powerful features like A/B testing, custom-triggered campaigns, interactive messages, custom drip campaigns, and so much more.

Plus, you can use the marketing automation features to create abandoned card sequences, scheduled messages, and more.

You will be able to see a detailed breakdown of your subscriber engagement and even the transactional revenue generated from your push campaigns.

Price:

PushEngage starts at $9 per month and gives you support for 100,000 subscribers and unlimited campaigns. There’s also a free plan available that gives you 30 campaigns per month for 200 subscribers.

Alternative:

OneSignal has a free plan for unlimited notifications on mobile. For advanced features like delayed notifications, pricing starts at $99 per month.

8. FunnelKit

FunnelKit, formerly known as WooFunnels, is the best sales funnel builder for WordPress.

You can use it to create lead-generation funnels, sales funnels, high-converting checkout pages, one-click upsells, and more.

It’s essentially a ClickFunnels alternative that helps you convert website visitors into leads and customers.

FunnelKit comes with a built-in library of beautiful funnel templates that you can import in one click.

You can easily customize the templates using the WordPress block editor as well as popular page builder plugins like Elementor, Divi, and others.

FunnelKit offers in-depth analytics so that you can see how your funnels are performing in real time. Plus, it comes with A/B testing that lets you experiment with different versions of your funnels to find out which one converts best.

In addition, FunnelKit has a marketing automation solution called FunnelKit Automations. It allows you to set up automated email and SMS campaigns for lead nurturing, welcome series, abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase upsell, and more.

Price:

FunnelKit starts at $99.50 per year. To access FunnelKit Automations, you need at least the Professional plan, which costs $249.50 per year.

Alternative:

SeedProd, which we mentioned earlier in this list, can also be used to easily create lead generation pages, sales pages, custom WooCommerce checkout pages, and more.

9. WP Call Button

WP Call Button allows you to easily add a ‘click to call’ button on your WordPress website or WooCommerce store. Visitors can simply click or tap the button to call you straight away.

If your customers need to call you before purchasing a service or booking an appointment, adding a click-to-call button on your website will increase your leads and sales.

It can also be used to easily set up business call forwarding.

WP Call Button makes adding your button to any post or page easy. You can include it in your WordPress sidebar, too. It’s also easy to create a sticky floating call button that stays visible all the time.

Price:

WP Call Button is free and works with all top business phones and business VoIP providers.

Alternative:

You can also create a click-to-call link using the manual method covered in our article on adding a click-to-call button in WordPress.

10. AffiliateWP

AffiliateWP is one of the best affiliate tracking and management solution for WordPress. It lets you simply create your own fully featured affiliate program on WordPress.

By creating an affiliate program, you can have your own team of affiliates promoting your products in exchange for a commission.

This can help you get more visibility online, traffic, and of course, make more sales. You can even create your very own WooCommerce affiliate program using this plugin.

It comes with everything you need to manage your program, including accurate affiliate tracking, integrated payouts, real-time reporting, affiliate coupon tracking, and so much more.

With manual affiliate approval and top-performing affiliate data, you can build lasting partnerships with your most valuable affiliates for years to come.

Price:

AffiliateWP starts at $149.50 per year and has everything you need to run a successful affiliate program.

Alternative:

Easy Affiliate is another popular WordPress plugin for creating and managing an affiliate program. The basic plan starts at $99.50 per year.

11. All in One SEO

All in One SEO is the best WordPress SEO plugin used by over 3 million websites. It’s the most comprehensive SEO toolkit that makes it easy to improve your SEO rankings without learning any complicated SEO jargon.

Doing WordPress SEO is an important part of lead generation. You need to bring people to your website before they can join your email list, call you, subscribe to push notifications, or do anything else on this list.

Once you install and activate the plugin, an easy-to-use setup wizard will help you choose the best SEO settings for your business, so you can start getting more traffic.

It has a TruSEO score, which offers detailed on-page SEO analysis and gives you an actionable SEO checklist to help you easily optimize your posts and pages.

All in One SEO can help you improve your post SEO titles and meta descriptions, generate rich snippet schema markup and create smart XML sitemaps and RSS sitemaps.

Plus, there are built-in WooCommerce SEO settings, like individual product optimizations, product image SEO, and more, to help your online store get more visitors from the search results.

Price:

AIOSEO starts at $49.60 per year for access to advanced SEO features. You can also try out the free version to begin optimizing your site for SEO.

Alternative:

Yoast SEO is another popular SEO plugin for WordPress that will help you optimize your site. There is a free version and a premium version that starts at $99 per year.

12. MonsterInsights

MonsterInsights offers a powerful way to add Google Analytics to your WordPress website. It lets you quickly and easily see crucial statistics about your site and find your most important pages.

This means you can easily find out what’s working and what’s not, focusing on the areas that really matter.

For instance, you might use MonsterInsights to enable author tracking and see which writers for your site are producing the best-performing posts.

Or you could use MonsterInsights to track link clicks and button clicks. This lets you figure out which links and buttons are getting clicked and which ones aren’t, letting you pinpoint areas for improvement.

MonsterInsights is quick and easy to set up and gives you real-time stats. It can even track things like your eCommerce data, form completions, and file downloads. This gives you more insights into your lead generation efforts.

Price:

MonsterInsights starts at $99.50/year. There’s also a free version available for WordPress with limited features.

Alternative:

ExactMetrics offers similar features to MonsterInsights and starts at $99.50 per year.

Bonus: Nextiva

Nextiva is the best business phone service for small business owners in terms of features and ease of use.

If your business relies on phone calls for lead generation, then Nextiva can help you improve your business communication across the board.

It has a web-based admin panel that will let you manage your entire unified communications platform in one place.

You will find business phone features like call routing, voicemail to text and email, SMS messaging, unlimited domestic calling, online faxing, and so much more.

Every new account can get a free local or toll-free number. Plus, you get all standard features like caller ID, call forwarding, routing, custom greetings, and more.

You can even integrate your business phone with powerful features like live chat and CRM services.

We use Nextiva at WPBeginner for our business phone service. It works well for our remote team since they can receive business calls on their cell phones while still keeping their numbers private.

Price:

Nextiva starts at $14.95 per month per user for all your business phone needs. The Enterprise plan costs $26.95 per month per user and includes video conferencing, call recording, and more.

Alternative:

RingCentral is another popular business phone provider that’s packed with features. Paid plans start at $20 per month per user.

What Is the Best Lead Generation Plugin for WordPress?

We believe you need multiple plugins for a robust lead-generation strategy on your site.

With that said, WPForms is the best lead generation plugin for WordPress. You can use their drag-and-drop form builder to create any online form.

If you are looking for a live chat solution to improve leads and support, then LiveChat and ChatBot are both great options.

If you want to improve your overall conversion rate on your website, then nothing beats the powerful features that OptinMonster has to offer.

If you want to improve your existing website and product pages to generate more leads and make more sales, then SeedProd is a must-have plugin.

With any lead generation strategy, attracting leads is only the first part. You have to ensure a proper sales process to close the deal.

If you rely on phone calls, then we recommend using Nextiva. It comes with auto-attendant, call-routing, CRM, and powerful sales features that you can use to increase your sales.

To summarize, our top lead generation tools are:

1. WPForms
2. OptinMonster
3. SeedProd
4. LiveChat.com
5. ChatBot.com
6. Nextiva

We hope this article helped you learn about the best lead-generation plugins and tools for WordPress.

You might also want to see our other guides that can help you generate new leads and turn them into customers.

Best WordPress Guides for Lead Generation

• How to Add a CRM on Your WordPress Site and Get More Leads
• How to Generate More Leads with Free Online Calculators (Pro Tip)
• How to Perform an SEO Audit and Generate Free SEO Repor
• How to Create an Alert Bar in WordPress (3 Easy Ways)

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.

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