Category Archives: Tutorials

How to Easily Add a Sliding Side Cart in WooCommerce

06.04.2023cart for woocommerce by funnelkit, funnelkit, funnelkit builder, shopping cart, sliding side cart, Tutorials, woocommerceEditorial Staff

Do you want to add a sliding side cart in WooCommerce?

This allows shoppers to see their shopping cart from any page on your online store. Customers can then add items to their basket, remove products, and add coupons without ever having to visit a separate cart page.

In this article, we will show you how you can easily add a sliding cart in WooCommerce.

How to add a sliding side cart in WooCommerce

Why Add a Sliding Side Cart in WooCommerce?

A sliding side cart is a panel that appears when a customer adds an item to their basket.

Customers can also open the cart at any time by clicking on the cart icon. This allows them to check their shopping basket without having to visit a separate WooCommerce cart page.

An example of a sliding cart in WooCommerce

Depending on how the cart is set up, shoppers may also be able to add and remove items as well as apply coupons directly from the sliding panel. You can even add call to action buttons such as a link to your WooCommerce checkout page.

Sliding carts can improve the customer experience by removing friction from the shopping process, and help shoppers keep track of how much they’ll pay at checkout. This can reduce cart abandonment rates, while also possibly increasing the average order value.

With that being said, let’s see how you can add a sliding side cart in WooCommerce. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use.

Method 1. How to Add a Sliding Side Cart in WooCommerce Using a Free Plugin

The quickest and easiest way to create a sliding side cart is by using Cart For WooCommerce By FunnelKit. This free plugin allows you to add a cart icon to your online store.

Shoppers can click the button to open the sliding side cart.

You can change the cart’s colors, borders, buttons, messaging, and more.

There are a ton of options to make it perfectly fit your WordPress theme.

You can show the cart button across your entire site, limit it to WooCommerce pages only, or add the button to specific pages and posts using a shortcode.

How to Setup the Cart For WooCommerce Plugin

First, you’ll need to install and activate the FunnelKit Cart for WooCommerce plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, go to FunnelKit » Cart. You’ll see a preview of the sliding slide cart towards the right of the screen.

You can now customize the cart to better suit your needs.

To start, you can decide whether to show the cart icon across your entire website or on WooCommerce pages only.

If you select ‘Entire Site’, then shoppers can open the sliding cart from any page, so this is a good choice for online marketplaces and stores.

Adding a cart icon to your WordPress website

However, some WooCommerce sites have lots of non-ecommerce content. For example, you might run a popular WordPress blog, but use WooCommerce to sell merchandise to your fans.

Showing a cart button on every single blog post may become annoying. In that case, you can check the ‘WooCommerce Pages’ radio button.

Adding a cart icon to your WooCommerce pages

Another option is ‘None,’ which hides the cart icon completely.

If you select the ‘None’ option, then you can add the icon to any page, post, or widget-ready area using a shortcode. You can also add the icon to your navigation menu.

We’ll show you how to do this later in the post, but for now, select ‘None’ if you plan to add the cart icon manually.

After making this decision, select ‘Bottom Left’ or ‘Bottom Right’ depending on where you want to show the cart button. Here, it may help to check how the button will look on your online store by selecting ‘Preview on Page.’

By default, the plugin shows ‘Review Your Cart’ at the top of the sliding side cart.

You can replace this with your own messaging by typing into the ‘Cart Heading’ field.

Adding a heading to your online store's cart

If you don’t want to show a heading, then simply leave the field empty.

By default, FunnelKit shows the cart icon before the shopper adds any items to their basket.

If you prefer, then you can hide the icon until the visitor starts adding items. Simply click on the ‘Hide Cart Icon’ toggle so that it turns blue.

This is all you need to create a basic sliding side cart, but there are settings that can get you even more sales. With that in mind, let’s take a look at FunnelKit’s more advanced features.

Accept Coupons in the WooCommerce Sliding Side Cart

Coupons are a great way to get more sales and build customer loyalty.

If you’ve created any smart WooCommerce coupons using the Advanced Coupons plugin, then shoppers can type them directly into the sliding cart page.

Adding coupon codes to a sliding side cart in WooCommerce

When the customer clicks on ‘Apply,’ the sliding cart will show how much they’ve saved.

Since customers can see the discount straight away, this will encourage them to add more items to their basket and may reduce your cart abandonment rates.

How to accept coupon codes in a sliding side cart

You can create these codes using the built-in WooCommerce coupon feature or by using a coupon code plugin.

To add the coupon field, click on the ‘Enable Coupon Box’ toggle, which turns it from grey (disabled) to blue (enabled).

After that, you can switch between ‘Minimized’ and ‘Expanded’ layouts. Minimized takes up less space so it’s less distracting, but shoppers will need to expand the coupon section before they can type in any codes.

In the following image, you can see the minimized layout.

An example of a minimized layout for coupon codes and discounts

After choosing a layout, you can change the text that FunnelKit uses for the coupon box heading, discount placeholder text, and button text.

Customize the Cart Summary

The cart summary shows customers how much their purchase will cost. This helps reduce cart abandonment rates since there are no nasty surprises at checkout.

Customizing the WooCommerce cart summary

For that reason, we recommend leaving the ‘Show Subtotal’ toggle enabled.

However, if you want to simplify the side cart, then you can click to disable the ‘Show Subtotal’ toggle.

Showing the subtotal on your eCommerce cart page

You can also show any savings the customer has qualified for, including discounts from any coupons they’ve applied.

In this way, you can use FOMO to increase conversions, especially if the savings are time-sensitive. For example, you might schedule coupons in WooCommerce so the customer can only use them for a limited time.

Showing savings and discounts on your e-Commerce site

If you prefer to hide this information from the sliding side cart, then you can disable the ‘Display Savings’ toggle.

You can also replace the ‘Saving Text’ and ‘Shipping Text’ with your own custom messaging.

Customizing the message on a sliding side cart screen

Customize the WooCommerce Cart’s Call To Action

The sliding side cart has a default checkout button, but you can customize this call to action button to get more conversions. To start, you can add a checkout icon using the ‘Enable Button Icon’ toggle.

This can be particularly useful if you’re creating a multilingual WordPress site.

You can also add the cart price to the checkout button using the ‘Enable Cart Price’ toggle.

Customizing the WooCommerce checkout button

This may help shoppers keep track of how much the cart will cost, especially if you’ve removed the subtotal from the cart summary section.

By default, FunnelKit adds a ‘Continue Shopping’ link at the bottom of the sliding side cart. You can replace this text with your own messaging by typing into the ‘Continue Shopping Text’ field.

Customizing the 'Continue shopping' text

After that, choose whether this link will simply close the side cart panel or redirect the shopper to your WooCommerce store page.

Most shoppers will expect to exit the sliding cart, so we recommend selecting the ‘Close Side Cart’ button.

Closing the sliding side cart in WooCommerce

If you select ‘Redirect to Shop,’ then you may want to change the ‘Continue Shopping Text’ text so it’s clear what will happen when customers click the link.

Create a Custom Empty Cart Screen

It is possible to hide the cart button until the shopper adds at least one item to their basket, following the process described above.

However, if you don’t hide the button then customers may sometimes see an empty cart screen.

You can change the title, description, and button text using the settings in the ‘Empty Cart’ section. Typically, you’ll want to encourage customers to start shopping. For example, you might talk about things you offer such as free shipping or a money-back guarantee.

You might even give the shopper a coupon code such as a buy one get one free (BOGO) discount.

You can also choose whether clicking on the ‘Shop Now’ button will take the customer to the WooCommerce store page, or simply close the side panel.

We recommend selecting ‘Redirect To Shop’ as this will make it easier for shoppers to start adding items to their carts.

Enabling 'redirect to shop' in the FunnelKit WordPress plugin

Add The Cart Icon Anywhere on your Site

If you want more control over where the cart icon appears, then you can add it to any page, post, or widget-ready area using a shortcode. You can also add it to your site’s menu.

This is a great choice if you selected ‘None’ in the ‘Icon Visibility’ settings following the process described above.

However, if you selected ‘WooCommerce Pages’ then this method allows you to add the cart icon to other important areas of your site. For example, you might add the icon to your custom home page or contact form.

To start, select ‘Cart Menu’ and then click on the ‘Enable Cart Menu’ toggle.

You can now change how the icon looks by selecting one of the icon templates, and choosing whether to show the product count and cart total as part of the icon. This information can help visitors keep track of their carts.

You can also change the icon size and text size. As you make changes, the small preview will update automatically so you can try different settings to see what looks the best.

How to create a custom cart icon for WordPress

When you’re happy with how the sliding side cart icon looks, click on the ‘Save’ button.

You can now add the icon to any page, post, or widget-ready area using the code next to ‘Embed Shortcode.’

For more information on how to place the shortcode, please see our guide on how to add a shortcode in WordPress.

Another option is to add the icon to your site’s navigation menu. In this way, the sliding side cart is always within easy reach, without distracting from the main page content.

To do this, open the ‘Add to Menu’ dropdown and choose the menu you want to use.

After that, click on the ‘Save’ button.

Adding a cart icon to the WordPress menu

Now if you visit your WordPress website, you’ll see the cart icon in the navigation menu.

Add Your Own Colors and Branding

You may want to change the sliding side cart’s colors to better match your WooCommerce theme or branding. To change the text color, button color, link color, and more, go ahead and click on ‘Styling.’

Adding your own branding to a WooCommerce cart

To change any of the default colors, simply give it a click. This opens a popup where you can try out different colors.

For example, in the following image, we’re customizing the border.

How to add custom colors to a WooCommerce store

Another option is to type a hex code into the ‘Hex’ field. This is perfect if you already have a specific shade in mind.

If you don’t know what hex code to use, then it may help to use a site like HTML Color Codes. Here, you can explore different colors and then get a code that you can simply paste into the FunnelKit plugin.

How to Create a Responsive Sliding Side Cart

Many people buy products and services using a mobile device. With that in mind, you’ll want to make sure the sliding side cart looks just as good on smartphones and tablets, as it does on desktop computers.

Here, it may help to change the cart’s width so it doesn’t completely fill the small screen of a mobile device. To do this, click on ‘Styling’ and then look at the ‘Cart Preview Mobile Width.’

You may want to try typing different values into this field. If you do change the default settings, then it’s a good idea to check the mobile version of your WordPress site from the desktop to make sure you’re happy with the results.

While you’re on this screen, you can also change the width of the sliding side cart on desktop. To do this, simply change the number in the ‘Cart Preview Desktop Width’ field.

How To Publish Your Sliding Side Cart

When you’re happy with how the sliding side cart is set up, it’s time to make it live. Simply click on the ‘Draft’ button next to ‘Cart’ and then choose ‘Publish.’

Adding a sliding side cart in WooCommerce

Now if you visit your online store, you’ll see the sliding cart live.

If you want to remove the sliding side cart at any point, then just head back to FunnelKit » Cart in the WordPress dashboard. Then, click on the ‘Publish’ button and select ‘Draft.’

Method 2. Add an Advanced Sliding Side Cart (With Upsells, Cross-Sells, and Rewards)

If you want to increase the average order value on your store, then you can upgrade to FunnelKit Cart Pro. This advanced sliding side cart plugin adds powerful upsell, cross-selling, and reward features to the FunnelKit sliding side cart.

With this plugin, you can recommend related products every time a customer adds an item to their cart.

Get more sales with upselling and cross-selling promotions

You can also create unique rewards such as coupon codes and free gifts, and then promote them inside the sliding cart.

FunnelKit can even track how much more the customer needs to spend, in order to unlock the next reward.

To add these powerful features, you’ll need to upgrade to FunnelKit Funnel Builder Pro. Just be aware that you’ll need the Plus or higher plan.

After buying a plan, log into your FunnelKit account. Here, you’ll find the FunnelKit Funnel Builder Pro plugin, plus FunnelKit Funnel Builder and FunnelKit Cart. You’ll need to install all three plugins to unlock the advanced sliding cart features.

First, you’ll need to install and activate the three plugins. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, go to FunnelKit » Settings and add your license key to the ‘FunnelKit Funnel Builder Pro’ field.

You can find this information by logging into your account on the FunnelKit website. With that done, click on ‘Activate.’

After that, simply go to FunnelKit » Cart.

Adding an advanced sliding side cart to an online store

You can now configure and customize the side cart by following the same process described in method 1. When you’re happy with how the sliding side cart is set up, you’re ready to add upsells, cross-sells, and rewards.

Get More Sales By Upselling and Cross-Selling WooCommerce Products

When a customer opens the sliding side cart, you can show them unique upsell and cross-sell promotions based on the items in their shopping basket.

Adding upsell and cross-sell promotions to WooCommerce

Upselling is where you encourage shoppers to buy a higher-priced product instead of the one they already have in their shopping cart.

For example, imagine a customer adding a waterproof jacket to their cart. You might suggest a higher-quality jacket that’s more durable, versatile, and comes in different colors.

Cross-selling is where you promote a product that’s related to something the customer is already buying. For example, if they add a greeting card to their cart, then you might encourage them to buy chocolates or flowers too.

WooCommerce has a linked product feature that allows you to create upsells and cross-sells. For more information, please see our guide on how to upsell products in WooCommerce.

However, you can also create upsells and cross-sells directly from the FunnelKit dashboard. This is the quickest option, so it’s the one we’ll be using in this guide.

To start, click on the ‘Upsells’ option and then select ‘Enable Cart Upsells.’

How to add upsells and cross-sells to WooCommerce

After that, scroll to the ‘Upsells and Cross-Sells’ section.

Here, you’ll see all the products on your online store.

How to create WooCommerce linked products

Simply click on the item where you want to add one or more linked products.

Then, click on either ‘Add Upsell’ or ‘Add Cross Sell’ depending on the kind of promotion you want to create.

FunnelKit's advanced conversion features

In the popup, start typing the product that you want to use as the upsell or cross-sell. When the right product appears, give it a click.

To offer multiple products, simply follow the same process described above.

Adding a linked product on your online store

With that done, simply click on the ‘Add’ button.

You can now create unique cross-sell and upsell campaigns for every product in your store, simply by following the same process described above.

An example of a high-converting eCommerce sliding cart

Now, you’re ready to customize how the upsell and cross-sell promotions will look on your sliding side cart.

To start, try switching between different styles by clicking the radio buttons next to ‘Display.’

Customizing the upsell and cross-sell promotions in WooCommerce

The live preview will update automatically so you can try different styles to see which one you like the best.

By default, FunnelKit will show both upsells and cross-sells in the sliding side cart. If you prefer then you can show only upsells, or only cross-sells using the radio buttons in ‘Product Recommendation Type.’

FunnelKit's product recommendation settings

Next, you can change the heading that FunnelKit shows above the upsell or cross-sell promotion by typing it into the ‘Heading’ field.

Just be aware that FunnelKit will use the same heading for both types of promotion.

Adding promotions to your sliding side cart

After that, you can set the maximum number of suggested products that FunnelKit will show, by typing into the ‘Show Maximum Upsells’ field.

Wherever possible, it’s a good idea to create unique upsell and cross-sell promotions for every product. However, if your online store has lots of items then this might not be possible.

With that in mind, you can set a default upsell product that FunnelKit will promote when no linked products are available. To do this, simply type the name of a product into the ‘Default Upsells’ field. When the right product appears, give it a click.

When you’re happy with the upsell and cross-sell promotions you’ve created, don’t forget to click on ‘Save’ to store your changes.

Offer Free Shipping, Discounts, and Free Gifts

You can often increase the average order value by giving customers a reason to spend more. With that in mind, FunnelKit allows you to create various rewards and then promote them as unlockable bonuses in the sliding side cart.

For example, you might offer free shipping if the customer exceeds a minimum spend. FunnelKit will even show customers how much more they need to spend to unlock their prize.

This is an easy way to get more sales and build customer loyalty with gamification.

FunnelKit allows you to offer three different rewards: free shipping, a discount, and a free gift.

To offer free shipping, you’ll need to have already set up shipping in your WooCommerce store. For step-by-step instructions, please see our complete WooCommerce made simple guide.

Meanwhile, the ‘discount’ reward auto-applies a coupon when the customer reaches the minimum spend. If you want to offer this reward, then you’ll need to create a percentage discount coupon using either the built-in WooCommerce coupon feature or a WordPress coupon plugin.

For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to create smart coupons.

After that, you’re ready to create a reward by selecting ‘Rewards’ in the FunnelKit settings and then clicking on ‘Create Reward.’

You can now open the ‘Type’ dropdown and choose the kind of reward you want to create.

No matter whether you choose free gift, free shipping, or discount, you can change the text that FunnelKit shows to customers by typing into the ‘Message’ field.

If you do make any changes, then be careful not to edit {{remaining_amount}} as this allows FunnelKit to show how much more the customer needs to spend.

Adding incentives to your WooCommerce store

If you’re offering a discount, then make sure you change the message to show how much the customer will save.

With that done, type a number into the ‘Amount to Get Reward’ field. This is how much shoppers must spend, in order to unlock the reward.

Offering your customers rewards and incentives

If you’re offering a percentage discount, then you need to specify which coupon FunnelKit should auto-apply.

In the ‘Coupon’ field, start typing the coupon that you want to use. When the right code shows up, give it a click.

Adding a discount offer to your eCommerce site

Now, FunnelKit will auto-apply the coupon when someone meets the minimum spend.

Offering a free gift instead? Then start typing the name of the gift into the ‘Product’ field.

When the right product shows up, give it a click.

Now, FunnelKit will add this item to the customer’s shopping cart as soon as they meet the minimum spend.

To add more rewards, simply click on ‘Create Another Reward.’

You can now configure the discount, free gift, or free shipping reward by following the same process described above.

Get more sales by offering shoppers a reward

By default, FunnelKit will show the following message once a customer qualifies for all the awards: ‘Congrats! You have unlocked all the rewards.’

To show a different message instead, simply type into the ‘When All Rewards Unlocked’ field. You might even offer the customer a special bonus for unlocking all your rewards, such as an exclusive coupon code to use on their next purchase.

When you’re happy with how your rewards are set up, click on the ‘Save’ button.

How To Publish Your Sliding Side Cart

When you’re ready to make the sliding side cart live, simply select the ‘Draft’ button next to ‘Cart.’ You can then click on ‘Publish.’

If you want to remove the sliding side cart at any point, then simply head back to FunnelKit » Cart in the WordPress dashboard. Then, click on the ‘Publish’ button and select ‘Draft.’

We hope this article helped you add a sliding side cart in WooCommerce. You may also want to check out our guide on how to create a WooCommerce popup to increase sales and the best WooCommerce plugins for your store.

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The post How to Easily Add a Sliding Side Cart in WooCommerce first appeared on WPBeginner.

How Does WordPress Search Work (+ Tips to Make It Better)

03.04.2023ajax powered search in wordpress, ajax search, searchwp, Tutorials, woocommerce, wordpress search, wordpress search results, wpcodeEditorial Staff

Do you want to learn how WordPress search works, and how you can make it better?

By understanding and improving the built-in WordPress search, you can help visitors find what they’re looking for. This can get you more conversions while keeping people on your site for longer.

In this article, we’ll look at how the default WordPress search works, and share tips on how to make it better.

How Does WordPress Search Work?

WordPress comes with a search system that will look for content within your website.

How the search bar looks and where it appears will vary depending on your WordPress theme, but most themes show the search bar in the top right corner.

Note: If your theme doesn’t show the WordPress search bar by default, then skip ahead to our FAQs, where we’ll show you how to add it.

Visitors can type a search query into this field, and WordPress will search:

Page titles
Page content
Single-image titles and captions
Image alt text
File names

As you can see, it doesn’t search widgets, user comments, categories, tags, WooCommerce products, or PDF documents. It also doesn’t search image gallery titles, captions, or alt text, although you can search this content using a search engine plugin like SearchWP.

WordPress performs this search using the WP_Query class. It will start by displaying any posts that have the search term in the post title, arranged in reverse-chronological order, meaning that the newest entries will be displayed at the top of the results.

After that, it’ll show any posts that have the matching term in the post content.

For example, imagine you’ve just published a post about cats titled ‘My Favorite Pet’, and you also have an older post titled ‘Best Cat Photos.’ In this case, searching for ‘Cat’ will display the older ‘Best Cat Photos’ post first, since it has the search term in the title.

This may not a problem for WordPress blogs or websites that only have small amounts of content. However, this ordering logic will often show inaccurate or confusing results for bigger blogs, online stores, or business websites.

The built-in system is also missing some of the features that people expect from modern search engines. This includes autocomplete, live Ajax search, filtering, and spellcheck.

Why Improve the Default WordPress Search?

An advanced, fast, and accurate on-site search can help visitors find interesting and relevant content, which will keep them on your website for longer. This can increase pageviews and reduce bounce rate in WordPress.

Since visitors are spending more time on your site, this will send positive signals to the search engines. This can improve your WordPress SEO, which means search engines like Google will show your content to more people and drive more visitors to your website.

For more information, please see our guide on how to increase your blog traffic.

People who are using your site’s internal search are already highly engaged. They’re actively looking for specific content, which may mean they’re ready to take actions such as buying a product, signing up to your WordPress membership site, or booking an appointment.

If these people can’t find what they’re looking for, they may give up and go to a different website. This means you’re losing out on visitors who were ready to convert.

A search results page is also an example of personalized content since you’re showing the visitor results that match their unique search query. By providing personalized content that’s accurate and helpful, you can improve the visitor experience. Once again, this can encourage them to convert.

Performance is another reason why it’s a good idea to replace the default WordPress search with a better alternative.

The larger your WordPress website gets, the longer it’ll take WP_Query to scan your database and get the results. This means your site’s search will get slower, as your website gets bigger.

How to Make the WordPress Native Search Better

On-site search helps visitors find what they’re looking for, including products to buy and interesting blogs to read. Since it’s such an important part of your site, it’s a bad idea to rely on the limited built-in WordPress search.

With that being said, let’s see how you can improve the native WordPress search.

Show Instant Results With Live Ajax Search

Live Ajax search adds a dropdown and autocomplete feature that’s common in search engines like Google.

As the user types, live search guesses what they want to search for and then shows them results without even reloading the page.

How to improve WordPress search with live ajax results

This can help visitors find the right content, without having to manually press the ‘Search’ button or wait for the page to reload.

The easiest way to add Ajax live search to WordPress is using the free SearchWP Live Ajax Lite Search plugin. It enables instant search automatically and there are no settings for you to configure, so it’s very easy to set up.

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

Upon activation, the default WordPress search form will automatically use the Ajax live search feature. If you visit your site and start typing into the search bar, then you’ll see the instant search in action.

Change the Default Search URL Slug

By default, WordPress search URLs typically look something like this:

http://example.com/?s=search-term

The extra ?s= characters make this URL more difficult to read and understand, which can confuse visitors who are trying to find their way around your site.

Even worse, these URLs aren’t optimized for search engines which can stop them from correctly indexing your site’s contents.

The easiest way to change these URLs is by adding custom code to WordPress using a plugin such as WPCode .

You can go ahead and use the following custom code to replace the ‘/?s=search-term’ characters with ‘search.’ Your slug will look something like this when finished: http://example.com/search/wordpress

To use something other than ‘search’ in your URL, simply customize the code snippet below.

function wpb_change_search_url() {
    if ( is_search() && ! empty( $_GET['s'] ) ) {
        wp_redirect( home_url( "/search/" ) . urlencode( get_query_var( 's' ) ) );
        exit();
    }
}
add_action( 'template_redirect', 'wpb_change_search_url' );

For detailed instructions on how to insert this code to your WordPress website, please see our guide on how to change the default search URL slug in WordPress.

Make PDF Files Searchable in WordPress

By uploading PDFs to your WordPress website, you can share information about your services and products in a format that works on all devices. They’re also perfect for offering your visitors ebooks, user manuals, menus, and more.

However, WordPress only searches the contents of its database by default, so it will only look at the title and description of your PDF files, and not their contents. As a result, your visitors may struggle to find the best PDF for their search query.

The good news is that you can use a custom search plugin to improve the default WordPress search experience. If your PDFs are unencrypted, then the right search plugin will index the contents and metadata of your PDFs and add them to the search results.

For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to add PDF indexing and searching in WordPress.

Add a Search By Category Feature to WordPress

If you have multiple categories of content on your website, then you might want to let users restrict their search to a specific category. This can help visitors find the right content, faster.

An example of search by category on a WordPress website

For example, if you have an online store then it often makes sense to let customers search within a particular product category.

If you run a membership site, then you might use search by category to help visitors find other members, groups, forums, online courses, and other specific kinds of content. For more information, please see our guide on how to add search by category in WordPress.

Make a Smart WooCommerce Product Search

WooCommerce has its own built-in search, but it doesn’t look for matches in product attributes, reviews, or product descriptions. This omission can stop shoppers from finding products they want to buy on your online store, so you get fewer sales.

Luckily, there are some excellent WooCommerce plugins that can show more helpful search results, and fetch them faster. To learn more, please see our guide on how to make a smart WooCommerce product search.

To get even more sales, you may want to fine-tune the kind of products WooCommerce includes in its search results. For example, you might only show products that are on sale or come with free shipping.

To learn more, please see our guide on how to customize WooCommerce product search results page.

Create a Search Form for Custom Post Types

Custom post types allow you to go beyond posts and pages and create different content types for your website. Custom post types can have different custom fields and their own custom category structure.

For example, if you run a movie review website, then you would probably want to create a ‘movie reviews’ post type that has fields for the director, release date, and more.

At WPBeginner, we use custom post types for our Glossary section to keep it separate from our blog posts.

How to improve your WordPress search with searchable categories

If you use custom post types, then you may want to create a form that allows visitors to search only that content.

For example, we also have a form that only searches WPBeginner’s coupon codes.

Searching coupons and deals on the WPBeginner website

This can help visitors find the right content faster, even when you have lots of different content types. For step-by-step instructions, check out our guide on how to create advanced search forms in WordPress for custom post types.

You can also make custom fields searchable in WordPress, which is ideal if you’ve added extra metadata to your pages and posts.

Exclude Content From WordPress search

By default, the built-in WordPress search will include all posts and pages in its search results.

However, you may want to exclude certain pages and posts from the search results. For example, if you’re running a WordPress membership website or selling online courses, then you’ll typically want to exclude your premium content from public search results.

If you’re running an online store, then you may want to hide content like your account page, checkout page, and thank you page. To help you out, we’ve created a guide on how to exclude pages from the WordPress search results.

Do you want to exclude posts, authors, custom post types, categories, tags, or even custom taxonomies? Then you can take a look at our guide on how to exclude specific pages, authors, and more from WordPress search.

WordPress Search FAQs

In this guide, we’ve explored how the default WordPress search works and shared lots of tips on how to improve it.

However, you may still have some questions about this important feature. That said, here are some of the most frequently asked questions about WordPress search.

How Do I Improve WordPress Search?

The best way to improve the built-in WordPress search is by using SearchWP.

SearchWP is the best custom search plugin for WordPress and allows visitors to search any content on your site including documents, WooCommerce products, custom fields, tags, comments, and more.

It also lets you customize the WordPress search algorithm, so you can control exactly where the content appears in the search results.

For more information, please see our guide on how to improve WordPress search.

Does WordPress Search Include Tags?

By default, WordPress search doesn’t include tags. The easiest way to make tags searchable is by using a custom search plugin like SearchWP.

SearchWP also has a relevancy slider, so you can control exactly how much tags influence where an item appears in the search results.

How Do I Add Search to My WordPress Theme?

If your theme doesn’t have a built-in search form, then we recommend adding a search bar to the WordPress navigation menu.

Since the main navigation menu typically appears across your entire site, visitors will be able to search for pages, posts, products, and more, from any page of your website.

An example of a search bar, in a navigation menu

If you’re using a block-based theme such as ThemeIsle’s Hestia Pro or Twenty Twenty-Three, then you can add a search bar to your theme using the full-site editor (FSE).

To do this, go to Appearance » Editor in the WordPress dashboard.

Opening the WordPress full site editor (FSE)

By default, the editor will show your theme’s home template. If you want to add the search bar to a different template, then click on the small arrow icon in the toolbar.

Then, select ‘Browse all templates.’

How to browse all FSE templates in WordPress

You’ll now see all the templates that make up your WordPress theme. Simply find the template where you want to add the search bar, and then click on its title.

For example, if you wanted to add a search form in your WordPress posts then you’d select the ‘Single’ template.

How to add the search bar to a single template in WordPress

You will now see this template in the full-site editor.

To go ahead and add a search bar, click on the blue ‘+’ icon.

Adding widgets to a single template in WordPress

In the popup that appears, type in ‘Search’ to find the right block.

You can then drag the block to the location where you want to show the search bar.

Adding a search block to a block-enabled theme template

To customize the block title or placeholder text, simply type it into the search block where it says ‘search’ or ‘optional placeholder.’

When you’re happy with how the block looks, click on ‘Save’ to make the search bar live.

Publishing a block-enabled template with a search bar

How Do I Add Search to a WordPress Page or Post?

You can add a search bar to a specific page or post using the built-in Search block.

This is a good choice if you want to control exactly where the search bar appears on every page and post, or you only need to offer search on specific areas of your website.

How to improve the default WordPress search

To get started, simply open the page where you want to add a search form and then click on the + icon.

In the popup that appears, type ‘Search’ to find the right block. Once you click on the Search block, it will add the block to your page.

Adding the Search block to a WordPress page or post

By default, the block uses ‘Search’ for both its label and the button text.

This will be visible to visitors, so you may want to replace it with something more descriptive by typing into the text fields.

You can also add some placeholder text to the search bar. This text will disappear automatically when the visitor starts typing.

To add a placeholder, simply click on ‘Optional placeholder…’ and then start typing.

When you’re happy with how the Search block looks, you can go ahead and either publish or update the post.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how WordPress search works, and how to make it better. You may also want to learn how to make money online blogging with WordPress, or check out our list of the best email marketing services 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 Does WordPress Search Work (+ Tips to Make It Better) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Password Protect Your WordPress Admin (wp-admin) Directory

28.03.2023.htaccess password for wp-admin, password protect wordpress admin directory, password protect wp-admin directory, Tutorials, wordpress securityEditorial Staff

Do you want to learn how to password-protect your WordPress admin directory?

Adding another layer of password protection to your WordPress admin directory can be a great way to improve your WordPress security.

In this article, you’ll learn how you can password-protect your wp-admin directory easily.

How to Password Protect Your WordPress Admin (wp-admin) Directory

Why Password Protect Your WordPress Admin Directory?

By password-protecting your WordPress admin directory, you improve the security of the most important entry point to your WordPress website.

Your WordPress admin dashboard is the central hub of your site. It’s where you’ll publish posts and pages, customize your theme, install WordPress plugins, and more.

Often, when hackers try to get into your website, they’ll do it through the wp-admin screen. You can help to protect your website against potential attacks by using a secure password and limiting login attempts.

To be even more secure, you can also password-protect the wp-admin directory. Then when someone attempts to access your admin area, they’ll need to enter a username and password before they ever make it to the WordPress login screen.

With that said, let’s take a look at how you can password-protect your WordPress admin directory step by step.

The first method is recommended for most users, and you can use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use.

Method 1: Password-Protect wp-admin Using Directory Privacy (Recommended)

The easiest way to password-protect your WordPress admin directory is by using your WordPress hosting provider’s Directory Privacy app.

First, you need to log in to your hosting account dashboard and click on the ‘Directory Privacy’ option in the Files section of your website’s advanced settings.

Note: Most web hosts using cPanel, like Bluehost, will have similar steps. However, your dashboard might be slightly different from our screenshots depending on your hosting provider.

This brings you to a screen that lists all of the different directories on your server. You need to find the folder that contains your website files.

For most website owners, this can be found by clicking on the ‘public_html’ folder.

This brings up all of the website files you’ve installed on your server.

Next, you’ll need to click on the folder with your website’s domain name.

In that folder, you’ll see a ‘wp-admin’ folder.

Instead of clicking the folder name, you’ll need to click the ‘Edit’ button next to that folder.

This brings you to a screen where you can turn on password protection.

Simply check the box that says ‘Password protect this directory’. If you like, you can also give your directory a name like ‘Admin Area’ to help you remember.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll need to click the ‘Save’ button.

This will take you to a page where the confirmation message will appear.

Now you’ll need to click the ‘Go Back’ button and you’ll be taken to a screen where you can create a user that will be able to access this directory.

You will be asked to enter a username and password, and then confirm the password. Make sure to note your username and password in a safe place, such as a password manager app.

Make sure you click the ‘Save’ button when you’ve done that.

Now, when someone tries to access your wp-admin directory, they will be prompted to enter the username and password you created above.

Password protect WordPress admin example

Method 2: Password-Protect wp-admin Using Code

You can also password-protect your WordPress admin directory manually. To do this you’ll need to create two files called .htpasswd and .htaccess.

Note: Adding any code to your website can be dangerous. Even a small mistake can cause major errors on your site. We only recommend this method for advanced users.

Creating the .htaccess File

First, open up your preferred text editor and name the new file .htaccess.

After that, you need to copy the following code snippet and add it to the file.

AuthName "Admins Only"
AuthUserFile /home/user/public_html/example.com/wp-admin/.htpasswd
AuthGroupFile /dev/null
AuthType basic
require user yourusername

Make sure you change the ‘AuthUserFile’ path to the location where you’ll upload the .htpasswd file and change ‘yourusername’ to the username you want to use to log in.

Don’t forget to save the file when you’re finished.

Creating the .htpasswd File

Once you’ve done that, you need to create a .htpasswd file.

To do this, open up a text editor and create a file called .htpasswd. This file will list your username along with your password in an encrypted format.

The easiest way to generate the encrypted password is with a htpasswd generator.

Simply enter your username and password, select the encryption format, and click the ‘Create .htpasswd file’ button.

The htpasswd generator will display a line of text that you need to paste into your .htpasswd file. Make sure you save the file once you’ve done that.

Uploading .htaccess and .htpasswd to the wp-admin Directory

The last step is to upload both of the files you created to your website’s wp-admin folder.

You will need to connect to your WordPress hosting account using an FTP client or the online file manager tool provided by your hosting provider. For more details, see our beginner’s guide on how to use FTP to upload files to WordPress.

For this tutorial, we’ll use FileZilla because it’s free and works on both Mac and Windows.

Once you have connected to your website, you will see the files on your computer in the left window, and the files on your website in the right. On the left, you need to navigate to the location where you saved the .htaccess and .htpasswd files.

Then on the right, you need to go to the wp-admin directory for the website you wish to protect. Most users will need to double-click the ‘public_html’ folder, then the folder with their domain name, then the ‘wp-admin’ folder.

Now you can select the two files on the left and click ‘Upload’ from the right-click menu or simply drag the files onto the left window.

Uploading the Files to Your Website's wp-admin Directory

Now your ‘wp-admin’ directory will be password protected.

Troubleshooting wp-admin Password Protection

Depending on how your server and website are set up, there’s a chance you might run into errors. These errors can be fixed by carefully adding code to your .htaccess file.

Note: This is the .htaccess file located in your main website folder, not the one you uploaded to the ‘wp-admin’ folder. If you’re having trouble finding it, then see our guide on why you can’t find .htaccess and how to locate it.

Fixing the Ajax Not Working Error

One of the most common errors is that Ajax functionality may stop working on the front end of your site. If you have WordPress plugins that require Ajax, such as live Ajax search or Ajax contact forms, then you will notice that these plugins won’t work anymore.

To fix this, simply add the following code to the .htaccess file that’s located in your ‘wp-admin’ folder.

<Files admin-ajax.php>
    Order allow,deny
    Allow from all
    Satisfy any 
</Files>

Fixing the 404 Error and Too Many Redirects Error

Two other errors you might run into are the 404 error and the too many redirects error.

The simplest way to fix them is to open up your main .htaccess file located in your website directory and add the following line of code before the WordPress rules.

ErrorDocument 401 default

We hope this article helped you learn how to password-protect your WordPress admin (wp-admin) directory. You may also want to see our expert picks of the best email marketing services for small businesses and our guide on how to get a free email domain.

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 Password Protect Your WordPress Admin (wp-admin) Directory first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Easily Import Google Docs to WordPress (4 Ways)

27.03.2023google docs, grammarly, import google docs, Tutorials, wordableEditorial Staff

Are you looking for a way to easily import Google Docs to WordPress?

You may prefer to write your posts in Google Drive, but importing that content into WordPress isn’t straightforward. If you try to copy and paste a Google Doc into WordPress, then you might get lots of unwanted HTML tags, and sometimes you may even lose all the original formatting.

In this article, we will show you how you can easily add Google Drive documents to your WordPress website.

How to easily import Google Docs to WordPress

Why Import Google Docs to WordPress?

You may prefer to write blogs in Google Docs, rather than in the WordPress post editor.

If you accept guest posts in WordPress, then you might even ask authors to send their work as a Google Doc, rather than giving them access to the dashboard by allowing user registration in WordPress.

However, when it’s time to import the document from Google Drive to WordPress, you may run into some problems. If you copy/paste the Google Doc’s text directly into the WordPress editor, then it can add extra tags, particularly <span> and <font tags> tags.

You may also get unwanted line breaks and lose some of the original Google Doc formatting. This means you’ll need to manually go through each post and fix these problems, which can take a lot of time and effort.

Unwanted HTML tags and WordPress in the code editor

With that being said, let’s see how you can easily import Google Docs to WordPress without any formatting problems or extra code.

Simply follow the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use.

Method 1. Using the Copy/Paste Method (Quick and Easy)

If you regularly import Google Docs to WordPress, then we recommend taking the time to set up a WordPress plugin mentioned in our other methods.

However, if you simply want to import a single document, then you can always use another web tool to help make sure the document is clean and ready to go.

This typically involves copying the text from your Google Doc into a third-party app or online service. Often, this removes the unwanted tags and formatting errors.

You can then go ahead and copy the text from the middleman app or online service, and paste it into the WordPress block editor.

This is a workaround rather than a fix, and the results can sometimes be unpredictable. There’s always a chance your chosen middleman might remove some errors, and not others. It may also add its own code, which can cause common WordPress errors.

However, you won’t need to set up a new plugin or service. With that in mind, this is a good option if you simply want to import a small number of Google Docs into WordPress.

There are lots of different services you can use, but we recommend using Grammarly.

Grammarly does a great job of preserving the formatting from Google Docs, while removing unwanted HTML tags. It’s also an online service, so you can access it from any place that has an internet connection.

As an added bonus, Grammarly will highlight any spelling mistakes, typos, and punctuation errors. It can also suggest ways to improve your writing by changing the tone, clarifying confusing text, and much more.

In this way, you can improve the quality of your writing before importing it into your WordPress website. Just be aware that Grammarly doesn’t support images, so you’ll need to upload any image files separately using the WordPress media library.

If you don’t already have a Grammarly account, then you can head over to the website and click on the ‘Get Grammarly It’s Free’ button.

You can then sign up for Grammarly using an existing Google, Facebook, or Apple account. Another option is to type in your email address, and then create a password and username.

After creating an account, you’ll be taken to the the Grammarly dashboard. To import a Google Doc, go ahead and click on ‘New.’

This opens the Grammarly editor.

In a new tab, open the Google Doc that you want to import into WordPress and copy all of its text. You can then paste this content into the Grammarly editor.

Pasting a Google Doc into the Grammarly writing assistant

Grammarly will highlight any problems with your text and show its recommendations in the right-hand menu. It’s a good idea to read through this feedback and optimize your post before moving onto the next step.

When you’re ready to import the Google Doc into WordPress, go ahead and copy the text in the Grammarly editor.

How to copy Google Drive content into an online middleman

Now, switch over to the WordPress dashboard and open the post or page in where you want to import the Google Doc.

After that, simply go ahead and paste the content into the content editor.

Importing a Google Doc into WordPress using copy and paste

Grammarly does a good job of removing unwanted HTML tags while preserving the Google Drive formatting. However, we still recommend looking through the page’s code, to make sure there aren’t any problems.

This is very easy to do using the WordPress code editor, that’s built right into Gutenberg.

To access it, just click on the three-dotted icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, and then select ‘Code editor.’

You can now delete any unwanted HTML tags or errors from the post.

When you’re happy with how the page looks, go ahead and click on the ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ button to make the content live.

Removing HTML tags from an imported Google Doc

There are other tools that you can use for this such as StripHTML, but this tool and many others you can find on line will remove all code and return plain text.

That’s why we recommend using Grammarly for the best results at preserving rich formatting.

Method 2. Download the Google Doc as a Web Page (Imports Text and Images)

Copying and pasting Google Drive documents into a middleman service like Grammarly is quick, but it can give unpredictable results. Another option is to download the Google Doc as a web page, and then import the file into WordPress.

This tends to be more predictable, and once again you don’t have to configure a separate plugin or service.

This method also pastes any images from the original Google Doc into the page or post, along with the text.

However, we recommend ignoring this feature and instead adding any image files separately using the WordPress media library. This allows you to set the image caption and image alt text for each file, which makes it easier to re-use the images across your website.

To download a Google Doc as a web page, open the document in your Google Drive account. Then, click on ‘File’ in the toolbar, followed by ‘Download’ and ‘Web Page.’

This will save the Google Doc as a zip archive. The document itself will be an HTML file, and each image will be included as its own file.

If you’re a Mac user, then simply find the file on your computer, and then either right-click or Control-click it. In the menu that appears, select ‘Open With’ and then ‘Google Chrome.’

An example of a Google Drive document, downloaded as a zip file

If you don’t see ‘Google Chrome’ as an option, then click on ‘Other…’ and then choose Google Chrome in the popup that appears.

If you’re on a Windows computer, then right-click on the folder and select ‘Extract All.’ You can then right-click on the .html file and select ‘Open,’ followed by ‘Google Chrome.’

This will open a HTML version of your Google Doc in a new tab, with all the correct formatting and images. You can now go ahead and copy this content.

Importing a Google Drive document into a WordPress website

With that done, go to the WordPress dashboard and open the page or post where you want to add the content.

You’re now ready to paste the Google Doc into WordPress.

Pasting a Google Doc into a WordPress blog or website

Most of the time, this should keep all the formatting in place, but it’s still a good idea to look through the post’s code for any errors. You can open the WordPress code editor by following the same process described above.

If you want to use any images in the page or post, then you can now add them manually using the WordPress media library. For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to add images in the WordPress block editor.

When you’re ready to make the document live on your WordPress blog, simply click on the ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ button.

Method 3. Using the Mammoth .docx Converter Plugin (Recommended)

If you need to import lots of Google Docs into WordPress, then it’s well worth installing a separate plugin.

We recommend Mammoth .docx converter as it takes all the formatting and images from a Google Doc and converts it into error-free HTML code.

If the Google Doc has any images, then Mammoth will import them into WordPress automatically, so this is also a great choice if you want to transfer images.

Just be aware that Mammoth uses the image’s original filename, so you may want to rename the images before adding them to the Google Doc and starting the import.

With that done, you’ll need to install and activate the Mammoth plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

To import a document using Mammoth, start by opening it in your Google Drive. In the toolbar, select ‘File.’

In the dropdown menu that appears, click on ‘Download’ and then ‘Microsoft Word (.docx).’ You won’t need to open this document, so you don’t need Microsoft Word.

Google will now download the file to your computer as a .docx file.

In the WordPress dashboard, open the page or post where you want to import the Google Doc. Directly beneath the editor, you’ll see a new Mammoth .docx converter section.

You can now go ahead and click on the ‘Choose file’ button.

In the popup, select your .docx file and then click on ‘Open.’

Mammoth will now import all the content from the Google Doc. By default, Mammoth will display this content in its ‘Visual’ view, which is similar to how it will look on your website.

Importing the content from a Google Doc into WordPress without errors

If you want to check the code for errors, then simply click on the ‘Raw HTML’ button.

You can now make any changes to the post’s HTML.

Importing a Google Drive document using HTML code

When you’re happy with how the content looks, you can add it to the page or post by clicking on the ‘Insert into editor’ button.

Mammoth will now go ahead and add the content to the main post editor. If you’re happy with how it looks, then click on ‘Publish’ or ‘Update’ to make the content live on your website.

Method 4. Using Wordable (Import Google Docs With a Single Click)

Do you want to import lots of Google Docs into WordPress?

You might have a team of writers who all use Google Drive, or accept posts from guest bloggers. You might even have an entire catalog of Google Docs that you want to import into a new WordPress website.

If you need to transfer dozens or even hundreds of documents, then you can use Wordable. This service lets you fine-tune how Wordable imports the Google Doc’s text, images, videos, and more.

After creating the first import, you can save your settings as a template. This allows you to transfer any future Google Docs with a single click, which will save you a ton of time.

You can import 5 documents per month using the free Wordable plan, so you can try the service before you buy. If you need to move more documents, then you can upgrade to any of the premimum Wordable plans.

Connect Wordable to Your WordPress Website

The easiest way to connect Wordable to your WordPress website is by installing and activating the Wordable plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, go to Settings » Wordable in the WordPress dashboard.

Connecting Wordable to your WordPress website

If you already have a Wordable account, then you can go ahead and select ‘Click here to connect to your Wordable account.’ This opens a popup where you can type in your Wordable email address and password.

If you don’t have a Wordable account, then click on the ‘Sign up now’ link instead. This opens a new browser tab where you can select ‘Signup with Google Drive.’

Wordable needs permission to see, edit, create, delete, and download your Google Drive files. To grant these permissions, simply check all the boxes on the ‘Wordable wants access to your Google Account’ page.

After that, click on the ‘Continue’ button.

Giving Wordable access to your Google Drive

After creating an account, Wordable will send an email to your Google address.

Open the email, and then click on the following link: ‘Please confirm your account email now to get started.’

Confirming your Wordable Google Doc account

After that, go to Settings » Wordable in the WordPress dashboard and select ‘Click here to connect to your Wordable account.’

Then, simply refresh your WordPress dashboard. You should now see an ‘Export Your First Document’ button, which means WordPress is connected to your Wordable account.

Connecting a Wordable account to a WordPress website

Select a Google Drive Document or Folder

To import a document, go ahead and click on the ‘Export Your First Document’ button. This opens your Wordable account in a new browser tab.

Your next task is finding the document or folder that you want to import.

If you select a folder, then you can still choose exactly which Google Docs to transfer, and which to ignore, so you won’t be forced to import the entire folder.

If you want to search for a folder, then simply open the dropdown menu next to your email address and select ‘Folders.’

Searching for a Google Doc using Wordable

After that, type the name of the file or folder into the ‘Search’ field. Another option is to paste the item’s link directly into the ‘Search’ field.

To add a document to the import queue, go ahead and click on its ‘Import’ button.

Importing a Google document into WordPress using Wordable

After a few moments, the file will appear in the ‘Documents’ section. To add more documents to the queue, just repeat the same process described above.

If you want to add a folder to the import queue, then click on its ‘+ Source’ button.

Choosing a source folder in your Google Drive account

You’ll now see all the Google Docs that are inside that folder.

After that, it’s time to choose exactly which files you want to export from your Google Drive account. For each file, simply click on its ‘Export’ button, which adds the document to the export queue.

How to import Google Docs into WordPress

Configure the Google Doc Export

When you’re happy with the export queue, it’s time to configure your export. For example, Wordable can turn YouTube links into embedded videos, optimize images, add nofollow attributes to the Google Doc’s links, and more.

To get started, click on the ‘Export Options’ button.

Importing Google Docs into WordPress with a single click

Wordable does a good job of importing Google Docs into WordPress, but it’s still smart to manually check the imported content before publishing it.

With that being said, we recommend setting the ‘Publish Status’ to ‘Save as Draft.’

Importing a Google Doc into WordPress as a draft

The plugin uses the Classic WordPress editor by default.

However, we recommend using the modern block-based editor instead, so open the ‘Editor’ dropdown and choose ‘Gutenberg.’

Importing Google Docs into the WordPress block-based editor

Note: If you leave this set to ‘Classic’ then Wordable will import the document into a new Classic block within the block editor, unless you completely disable it. For more information on this topic, please see our guide on how to keep the classic editor.

By default, Wordable does some basic cleanup, which typically removes most of the HTML tags and errors. However, there are lots more options you can customize.

In this guide, we’ll cover some of the major settings, but you can learn more about any setting by hovering your mouse over it, and then reading the tooltip that appears.

If you write longer documents with lots of headings, then you may want to start by enabling the ‘Table of Contents’ slider. This creates a table of contents using the headings in the Google Doc.

After enabling this slider, you can choose which headings Wordable will add to its table of contents, using the ‘Depth’ dropdown menu. You can also choose between the numbered and bullet list styles using the ‘List Style’ dropdown.

Turning a Google Drive document into a table of contents automatically

If you’re running an affiliate marketing website or regularly link to external websites, then it’s usually a good idea to mark these links as no-follow. A nofollow link tells search engines not to pass any link authority to the website you’re linking to.

To mark all the Google Doc links as nofollow, enable the following slider: ‘Apply nofollow Attribute to All Links.’ You may also want to enable the ‘Open Links in New Tab’ slider, as this will help keep visitors on your website.

If your document has links to Instagram or YouTube content, then Wordable can try to convert this content into embedded media.

To use this feature, enable the ‘Replace Embeddable Links’ slider.

If your Google Doc contains any images, then we recommend scrolling to the ‘Images’ section. Here, you can change how Wordable shows those images.

For example, you can open the ‘Default Image Alignment’ dropdown and change how Wordable aligns images in the WordPress block editor.

Wordable can also use the post’s first image as the featured image, which is the post’s primary graphic. Featured images often appear next to the heading on your home page, and may also appear on social media.

Most popular WordPress themes come with built-in support for featured images, so it’s a good idea to enable the ‘Use Featured Image’ and ‘Default to the First Image’ slider.

Automatically setting the featured image for an imported Google Doc

If you prefer to set the featured image manually, then you can disable the ‘Use Featured Image’ slider instead.

Large images can slow your website, which will have a negative effect on the visitor experience and can even damage your search engine rankings. With that in mind, it’s a bad idea to import images from Google Drive without optimizing them.

For the best results, we recommend optimizing your images before adding them to your Google Docs. This gives you complete control over the process, so you can reduce the size of your images without losing quality.

For more information, please see our guide on how to optimize images for web performance.

If you prefer, then Wordable can optimize your images during the import process. If you want to try this automatic optimization, then click to enable the ‘Compress Images’ slider.

You can then choose whether Wordable should perform lossless or lossy compression. Lossless is a better choice if you want to preserve image quality, while lossy will save you more space but may lose some quality.

Optimizing images automatically using Wordable

There are more settings you can look at, but this should be enough to configure the import.

When you’re happy with the changes you’ve made, go ahead and click on ‘Export Now.’

Exporting text and images from your Google account

At this point, you can save the settings as a template that you can apply to future imports.

In the following image, we simply need to click ‘One Click Export’ to apply the template and import the document.

Importing Google documents into WordPress using a single click

This can save you a ton of time, especially if you use the same settings over and over.

To create a template, type a title into the ‘Template name’ field and then click on the ‘Enable One-Click Exports’ button.

Creating a template for your imported WordPress pages and posts

If you don’t want to use templates, then click on the following link instead: ‘I prefer seeing this screen every time.’

No matter what you click, Wordable will start exporting the Google Document.

After a few moments, go to Posts » All Posts in the WordPress dashboard and you’ll see the Google Doc as a new draft.

An example of an imported Google Drive document in WordPress

To import more Google Drive documents into WordPress, simply follow the same process described above.

We hope this article helped you learn how to easily import Google Docs to WordPress. You may also want to check out how to create a file upload form in WordPress and our list of 24 expert tips to speed up WordPress performance.

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 Easily Import Google Docs to WordPress (4 Ways) first appeared on WPBeginner.

54 Best ChatGPT Prompts for Bloggers, Marketers, and Social Media

24.03.2023ai content, ai tools, aioseo, artificial intelligence, chatgpt, chatgpt prompts, TutorialsEditorial Staff

Are you looking for ChatGPT prompts ideas to improve blog and marketing strategy?

ChatGPT prompts are the instructions that you type in ChatGPT AI to speed up your workflow. You can use ChatGPT to draft social media posts, come up with blog post ideas, and so much more. The key to getting best results with AI is to make your ChatGPT prompts better and more specific.

In this article, we’ll share the best ChatGPT prompt ideas for bloggers, marketers, and social media, so you can improve your marketing results.

This article will cover a lot of topics, so you can click on any of the links below to jump to a particular section that best suits your needs.

What is a ChatGPT Prompt?

A ChatGPT prompt is the starting point of a conversation in the form of a question or instruction given to an AI language model like ChatGPT.

ChatGPT is an AI-based software that uses machine-learning technology called Natural Language Processing.

To see it in action, you need to sign up for ChatGPT by visiting the OpenAI website.

After that, you’ll see a simple chatroom. At the bottom, you can input your prompt in plain language.

For instance, ‘How old is the Universe?’ and hit the send button.

ChatGPT AI will then respond to your question in plain language.

The answer length and style may vary based on the prompt you entered.

Writing better prompts allows AI to narrow down its approach and provide you with more specific details.

If you want to start a blog, then ChatGPT can help you find article ideas, the article outline, rough drafts, SEO optimization, proofreading, research, and more.

Many bloggers and marketers are exploring opportunities to generate content ideas using AI.

By learning some quick prompt ideas, you can speed up the process and unlock maximum benefits from ChatGPT AI to improve your workflow.

Note: ChatGPT and other AI apps are usually not able to create content that can be simply copied and pasted without any human edits. When you use an AI tool, be sure to go through the results thoroughly to be sure that all information is correct and that the messages are appropriate for your audience.

How to Write Better ChatGPT Prompts?

ChatGPT uses natural language processing which means you can write your prompts in a plain conversational style.

For instance, instead of typing a smaller sentence, you can instruct GPT on how to respond, which style to use, length limitations, ask for examples, and more.

Instead of asking ‘What is Marketing?’ a better prompt would be:

‘Write an essay on marketing for beginners, in a 1 3 1 format, emphasize the role of social media and search engine marketing, and persuade users to have a positive image of search engine marketing.’

While writing your prompts in natural language might seem really simple, many beginners may still be unsure about where to start. It can take a lot of practice to find a style of prompt that works best for your projects.

That being said, let’s take a look at some easy and quick ChatGPT prompt ideas bloggers and marketers and marketers can use to succeed.

Using AIPRM Extension to Generate ChatGPT Prompts

The easiest way to generate ChatGPT prompts is by using AIPRM for ChatGPT.

It is a Google Chrome browser extension with a curated list of ChatGPT prompts for SEO, blogging, content creation, and marketing.

Go to the AIPRM for ChatGPT extension page on the Chrome web store and then click the Add to Chrome button.

Once the extension is added to your browser, it will automatically take you to the ChatGPT website.

If it doesn’t, you can click on the extensions button in your browser menu and click on the AIPRM for ChatGPT to launch it in a new tab.

You’ll need to sign in to your OpenAI account. After that, you will see a curated list of ChatGPT prompts.

At the time of writing this article, AIPRM had 1600+ ChatGPT prompts.

You can browse the prompts by Topic and Activity, sort them, or search for specific prompts from the top toolbar.

To use a prompt, simply click on it and it will appear in the prompt toolbar below.

If the prompt you are using requires user input, then you can provide it in the chatbox.

For instance, here it wants us to enter a keyword that we would like to target to make a content calendar.

You can also choose language, style, and tone for your response.

Hit the enter button after entering your input and ChatGPT will respond to the prompt.

You can regenerate a response or ask ChatGPT to modify or extend it by adding your instructions into chat.

You won’t be able to see the prompt that AIRPM uses at first. However, refreshing the page or switching back and forth between chats will reveal the actual prompt at the beginning of the chat.

AIPRM makes it extremely easy to find detailed, tested, and well-written prompts that you can use on your WordPress website.

Best ChatGPT Prompt Ideas for Bloggers and Marketers

With so many prompt ideas available with AIPRM extension, it could still be a bit overwhelming for users to find or use a prompt.

Here is our top pick of the most useful ChatGPT prompt ideas for blogs, SEO, and marketing.

Blogging ChatGPT Prompts

1. Generate a month-long content calendar targeting specific keywords.

“Make me a month-long calendar for the following keywords [Enter Keywords here]. Add [number of articles] articles each week, and use persuasive SEO-friendly titles for each article.”

2. Generate Blog Post Ideas

“Create a list of at least 10 blog post ideas on the following topics: [Enter topics separated by commas]. Suggest SEO-Friendly title for each post, and use an emotional and persuasive tone in post titles.”

3. Generate SEO title and meta description for a blog post

“Suggest at least 5 SEO-friendly titles and meta descriptions for the following blog post [Enter your blog post text here]. Use a persuasive and intriguing tone.”

4. Suggest tags for a blog post

“Suggest at least 5 tags for the following blog post [Enter your blog post text here].”

5. Generate related long-tail keywords for a blog post

“I want you to generate a list of long-tail keywords that are related to the following blog post [Enter blog post text here].”

6. Create an article outline

“Write an article outline for the following topic [Enter topic or blog post title here].”

7. Write an article on a specific topic

“Write an article on the following topic [Enter topic here]. The article should be at least [number of words] words in length. Use a persuasive tone and pretend to be an expert on the topic.”

8. Outrank a competitor for a specific keyword

“Write an article based on the topics covered in the following article [Enter competitor URL here]. Make the article more comprehensive than the URL provided by adding details that the source URL has missed or didn’t cover. Answer the most commonly asked questions about the topic at the end of the article.”

9. Write a motivational blog post

“I want you to write a motivational blog post about overcoming [fear/failure/challenge goes here].”

10. Generate call-to-action ideas

“I want you to come up with 5 effective call-to-action button ideas based on the contents of the following URL [Your website or landing page URL goes here].”

11. Generate a pros and cons outline for a topic

“Write down an essay on the pros and cons of [Your topic goes here].”

12. Write questions for an interview blog post

“Write interview questions for a blog post with [Guest Name] who is an expert in [Guest profession or area of expertise].”

13. Proofread a text and optimize it for the focus keyword

“I want you to act as SEO editor and copywriter. I need you to proofread and analyze the following text and optimize it for the focus keyword. I also need you to correct any grammar mistakes you find in the article. Ask me to provide you with the article text and focus keyword.”

14. Reuse a blog post for social media content

“I want you to act as a topic authority and social media influencer. I will provide you with the text or URL of an article. You need to summarize it and create content for social media platforms. Ask me to provide you with the text or URL of the article.”

15. Generate a list of tools to mention in a blog post

“Create a list of the most popular tools used by the [Field of Interest] professionals with the pros and cons of each tool.”

16. Write a conclusion for a blog post

“I want you to pretend to be a topic expert, and write a persuasive conclusion for the following blog post. [Your blog post text goes here].”

17. Come up with best practices for using something

“Pretend to be a topic expert and write down an essay on the best practices to follow when using [mention the tool or topic here].”

18. Write a comparison blog post

“I want you to pretend to be a topic expert and compare [Item 1] vs [Item 2] with pros and cons. I need you to show that [item 1] is better than [item 2] and persuade the reader to have a positive feeling about [item 1].”

19. Build reader personas to learn more about a target audience

“Build a reader persona for a blog post titled “[Your blog post title goes here].”

20. Polish your content to look more creative

“Analyze and improve the following content to make it more creative. Use an [Select tone style] tone and write in a casual and conversational style. “[Your content goes here]”

21. Generate captions for Instagram posts, reels, and reels.

“Write an Instagram post description or caption using a few sentences for the post about “[Enter a description of what your Instagram post is about]”. Start the caption with an intriguing sentence and don’t make the first sentence a question. Use emojis in each sentence and add a paragraph after two sentences to make it more readable. Add the most popular hashtags related to the post.”

22. Write an Instagram post about a product / service

“Write an Instagram post promoting [product/services] using a few sentences. Start the post with a captivating sentence and end with a sentence including a call to action to check the link in bio. Use emojis and add the related hashtags at the bottom.”

23. Generate Instagram carousel ideas with slide descriptions

“Write me an Instagram carousel topic idea example. Also, write slide by slide with titles. Explain each slide with the exact content example I should use, not instructions. Also, give me images for every slide that explain all the titles for [Your Instagram Carousel Topic Here]. Do not include content instructions, instead, only write me an actionable text that I can just copy and paste.

After writing the carousel slides. Write me the Instagram post description/caption in just a few sentences. Format every new sentence with new lines so the text is more readable.

Include emojis and the best Instagram hashtags for that post.
The first caption sentence should be intriguing and captivating to the readers.”

24. Write Twitter Bio

“I want you to write an interesting Twitter bio for a [Your brand niche and industry / Profession ].”

25. Suggest Twitter Header Image Ideas

“Give me at least 5 ideas to create a Twitter header image for a [Profession/Industry niche].”

26. Generate Tweets for a specific profession, niche, or business

“I want you to act as a social media manager and come up with at least 20 Tweets for a [Profession/ Business niche or industry] include popular hashtags in each tweet.”

27. Generate a viral Twitter thread

“I am looking for a Twitter thread idea that will go viral and showcase [mention your service, product. or blog] to the ideal customer persona in a creative and engaging way. Include hashtags and emojis in each tweet.”

28. Generate a Twitter content strategy

“I need you to act as my social media manager promoting [Describe your business or brand and what it does]. Generate a Twitter content calendar for the next two weeks. Generate at least three tweets for each day targeting relevant customer persona. Include hashtags and emojis in each tweet.”

29. Generate YouTube Video Description

“Write a unique and intriguing description for a YouTube video titled [Enter your video title here]. Pretend you are an expert on the niche and give your personal best advice in 1st person. Explain why you thought sharing this video would be useful and what users will get out of watching this video.”

30. Generate an entire YouTube video script

“Create an attractive and captivating YouTube video script that is informative. I want you to create a persuasive headline, write a video description repeating keywords used in the headline, cite relevant keywords and tags, create the youtube video script and suggest ideas for a persuasive thumbnail to use for the video, from the following description: [Your video description].”

31. Create thumbnail Ideas for Your YouTube video

“Give me at least 3 ideas for creating an interesting and persuasive thumbnail for a YouTube video using the following description: [Enter your video description].”

32. Generate a YouTube content strategy with video ideas

“I want you to act as my social media manager promoting [mention your brand and what services or products it offers] and come up with a content calendar for our YouTube channel. Give me a monthly calendar of posts with at least one video each week. Suggest video ideas with detailed descriptions of what that particular video will be about. Include keywords and hashtags for each video.”

33. Generate a LinkedIn content calendar with post ideas

“I want you to act as my social media manager for my [Explain your business, brand, profession, and what you typically write about]. I need you to create a month-long content calendar with at least one post each day. Write the post for me including the relevant hashtags and use emojis. Write posts specifically for LinkedIn. My target audience is [companies/professionals interested in my brand product or services].”

34. Write a LinkedIn About section

“I want you to act as my social media manager for my [Explain your business, brand, or profession and what you usually post about]. Give me at least 5 examples of an interesting About section for my LinkedIn profile.”

35. Write a caption for Facebook Photo

“I want you to act as my social media manager and write at least 5 captions for a Facebook photo about [explain what the photo is about]. Use hashtags and emojis in the caption.”

36. Write a Facebook Ad Copy

“I want you to act as a professional copyrighter with experience in writing high-converting Facebook ads. I want you to write a Facebook ad copy for the following products/services [Describe your brand name, products and services you offer]. Produce ad copy that is between 100-150 words, with an attention-grabbing headline and a strong call to action that persuades users to take action. I want you to research the potential target audience and optimize the ad copy so that it appeals to that particular target audience.”

37. Plan a Facebook content strategy

“I want you to act as my social media manager promoting [explain your business brand and what you offer]. I need you to provide me with a two-week content calendar for Facebook posts that are highly engaging and generate emotional responses from the readers. Add one post for each day, using hashtags and emojis.”

E-Commerce ChatGPT Prompts

38. Write an eCommerce product description

“I want you to pretend that you are an eCommerce SEO expert who writes compelling product descriptions. I will provide you with one product title and I want you to come up with three distinct content sections for product description, each section should have its own headline.”

39. Write an eCommerce product short description

“I want you to pretend that you are an eCommerce SEO expert who writes compelling product descriptions. I will provide you with one product title and I want you to come up with a short product description of between 250-300 characters.”

40. Generate product ideas for your eCommerce store

“I want you to pretend as a product specialist for an eCommerce store with a specialty in finding and sourcing products to sell online. My store sells [define your store industry and product types] and I need you to come up with a list of [number of product ideas] product ideas that I can sell on my online store.”

41. Write an SEO Optimized landing page copy for a product

“I want you to pretend as a copywriter specializing in writing landing page copy for better SEO rankings and higher conversions. I need you to write the landing page copy for [Your product name]. I want you to start with an intriguing headline to captivate the target audience followed by a call to action button. Below that I want you to add three content sections with different headings each targeting a specific keyword for the product. I need you to end the landing page copy with a FAQ section answering at least 5 customer questions about the product.”

42. Create and sort products into product categories

“I need you to sort the products into product categories. Ask me to provide you with a list of products. Use hierarchal categories and create child categories as needed. Products can be placed into multiple categories. Show which products are placed under a category. Write a catchy short description for each category. Use this product list [enter your product list].

43. Create an ad strategy for an eCommerce product

“I want you to act as an advertiser. You will create a campaign to promote a product or service. You will choose a target audience, develop key messages and slogans, select the media channels for promotion, and decide on any additional activities needed to reach your goals. The product you will be promoting is: [Enter your product title and description here].”

ChatGPT Prompts for Businesses

44. Polish an email text to be more effective and professional

“Fix this email to write it in a human voice in perfect English, as someone with a charismatic personality, that is extremely professional and concise with their language. Also, give at least three samples to use as the email subject. [Enter your email text here].”

45. Write a job posting ad for hiring

“I want you to act as a recruitment manager specializing in finding talented professionals for a job. I need you to write a job posting for [job title] we are offering the following benefits [mention benefits here] and we are looking for [job requirements such as experience and skills].”

46. Generate a business model canvas

“I need you to help me create a business model canvas for a [explain what your business is about] company. Organize your answers in a table that reproduces the original format used in consulting. I want you to write detailed answers that are focused on adding value and act as an expert consultant in digital marketing.”

47. Generate logo design ideas

“I want you to act as a graphic designer specializing in brand identity development. I want you to come up with detailed ideas for unique and interesting logos for a business. Come up with at least 3 ideas and mention what is unique about each idea and how it is different from the other two ideas. The business name is [Enter your company name] and it offers [mention products/services]. I need you to present your ideas in a format that can be given to a professional graphic designer as initial instructions.”

48. Instantly generate domain name ideas

“I need you to help me find domain name ideas for a business. My company name is [enter business name] and it offers [products/services/industry]. Only give .com domain name ideas. domain name should not be more than 8 characters long.”

49. Write an email to terminate an employee

“Write an email to an employee informing them that they are being fired for the following reason [mention the reason for firing]. Make the email text sound professional and polite. Use a sympathetic and kind tone and thank the employee for their work.”

50. Write a job offer email

“I want you to write a job offer email using the following parameters:
1. Candidate name
2. Job position
3. Company name
4. Salary offered
Ask me to input these parameters one by one before writing the email.”

Miscellaneous ChatGPT Prompts

51. Generate a cover letter for a job application

“I need you to write me a professional cover letter to send with a job application using the following parameters:
1. Job Title
2. Years of Experience
3. Skills to mention
Ask me to input each parameter one by one before writing the cover letter.”

52. Plan your day

“I need you to help me plan my day. Starting at 9 am and ending at 5 pm. Ask me to input the task I will be performing and then ask me for the start time and end time for that particular task. Repeat until the end time of a task is 5 pm. Create a table and add one row for each task with start time, end time, and task detail as columns.”

53. TL:DR Summarize a text or article

“I want you to act as a very proficient researcher. I want you to pretend that you can extract all relevant information from a text or a URL I give you. Your task is to extract all facts and summarize the text in all relevant aspects, presented in bullet points and a 1-liner summary, pick a good matching emoji for each bullet point, and then add it after the 1-liner summary. Ask me to input text or provide you a URL.”

54. Generate a list of popular websites on any topic

“I want you to act as a topic expert. I will provide you with a topic and you will provide me with a list of at least 10 most influential websites on that particular topic. Present the websites in a table with serial number, website name, website URL, 1-liner website summary as columns. Ask me to provide you with a topic.”

Bonus WordPress AI Plugins & Tools Using ChatGPT

AI usage is becoming increasingly popular among marketers and bloggers. As the most popular blogging platform, WordPress has tons of add-ons and plugins that you can use to speed things up.

1. All in One SEO for WordPress

As the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market, All in One SEO comes with built-in ChatGPT integration to generate SEO-friendly headlines and meta descriptions.

2. Uncanny Automator

Uncanny Automator is the best WordPress automation plugin on the market. It allows your WordPress plugins to talk to each other.

It comes with OpenAI integration that allows you to connect your WordPress website to ChatGPT.

You can then use ChatGPT with WordPress or your plugins to automatically perform certain tasks.

For instance, when a user submits a contact form you can use ChatGPT to create a new post in WordPress.

3. GPT AI Power

Allows you to generate content inside your WordPress admin area. It allows you to choose the writing style, tone, call to action, and more.

You can then copy the content and paste it into the block editor to create a new post or page and further editing.

For details, see our tutorial on how to write content using AI in WordPress.

4. Imaajinn AI

Finding royalty-free images for blog posts is always a challenge for bloggers. Similar to Dall-E, Imajinn AI uses text prompts to generate images using machine learning AI.

All the images generated by the plugin are copyright-free and you can use them in your blog posts.

To learn more, see our tutorial on how to use AI to generate images in WordPress.

We hope this article helped you find some useful ChatGPT prompt ideas for your blog and marketing campaigns. You may also want to see our pick of some more useful AI-powered WordPress plugins or take a look at our guide on how to grow your business online.

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 54 Best ChatGPT Prompts for Bloggers, Marketers, and Social Media first appeared on WPBeginner.

Internal Linking for SEO: The Ultimate Guide of Best Practices

21.03.2023aioseo, google search console, internal linking, internal linking plugins, monsterinsights, seo best practices, Tutorials, wordpress seo, wordpress seo plugin, wordpress seo tipsEditorial Staff

Are you looking for the best practices to maximize the SEO benefits of internal links?

Internal links play an important role in search engine optimization (SEO). They help search engines discover your content and rank them higher in search results.

In this article, we’ll list the best practices to use for internal linking for SEO.

Internal Linking for SEO: The Ultimate Guide of Best Practices

How Does Internal Linking Improve SEO in WordPress?

Internal links are links between posts on your own website. Having internal links is important for your WordPress SEO. They help search engines like Google crawl your website and discover new content to index and rank.

Generally, the more links a page has pointing to it, the more likely it is to rank higher in search results. That means that you can use internal links to point to important pages on your site as a way to increase their traffic.

Internal links also help your visitors easily find related articles and provide a better user experience overall. This can also help increase pageviews and reduce your bounce rate.

That being said, let’s take a look at the best practices for improving SEO by adding internal links in WordPress. Since this is a comprehensive guide, we have included a table of contents for easier navigation.

1. Make Internal Linking a Habit

We recommend that you make a habit of linking to your older articles from your new articles.

It’s a great way to develop a contextual relationship between your new and old posts. It also allows you to pass relevant link juice to your older articles.

Because internal links play such an important role in SEO, we have even made it part of our pre-publish blog post checklist for WPBeginner writers.

You can also edit your older articles to add links to your newer content whenever you publish. Many successful bloggers dedicate time to adding internal links that point to new articles on a weekly or monthly basis.

This will help you boost your pageviews, increase the time users spend on your site, and ultimately will improve the SEO score of your individual blog posts and pages.

WordPress makes it easy to search for your old posts right inside the post editor. Simply select the text you want to link and click on the link button in the toolbar that appears.

A text pop-up will appear below your highlighted words. Then, you can start typing to search for the older articles you want to link to.

To learn more, see our beginner’s guide on how to add a link in WordPress.

2. Monitor Your Internal Link Performance in WordPress

It’s helpful to see your website’s SEO performance in terms of links by using a tool such as the Links Report in Google Search Console. This is a helpful starting point for working out how to improve internal linking on your site.

The Links Report will show you how many pages are linking to this page. You can compare it with other pages and see whether pages with more internal links are ranking higher than posts with many internal links.

If you find that posts with more links do rank higher, then you can go ahead and start adding internal links to pages that you want to rank higher. For the details, see our guide on using Google Search Console to effectively grow your website traffic.

Just make sure you are only linking to the article when it makes sense. Adding links where they don’t make sense creates a bad user experience.

Another way to monitor the impact of internal linking is to see which keywords are gaining or losing position. All in One SEO makes this extremely easy with the Search Statistics feature.

Once you connect the plugin with Google Search Console, All in One SEO will fetch your Google Search Console data and present it under All in One SEO » Search Statistics.

The keyword positions chart shows a graph of your site’s keyword positions.

Below this, you’ll see the Keyword Rankings overview box. This shows your top 10 keywords, and if you use them for internal links they are very likely to be clicked.

3. Improve Your WordPress Site’s Internal Linking With a Plugin

If you’re not sure which posts you want to link to, then you will often find it faster to add internal links in WordPress using an internal linking plugin.

We recommend using All in One SEO. It includes a unique Link Assistant feature that lets you add links to your old and new content without having to open up the post. Plus, it provides link recommendations, detailed link reports, and much more.

To set up the plugin, see our guide on how to set up All in One SEO for WordPress correctly. After that, simply navigate to All in One SEO » Link Assistant in your WordPress dashboard.

Link Assistant will crawl every link on your website and then show a comprehensive list report.

The report will show you an overview of the links with total counts for internal, external, and affiliate links. It will also show you the number of orphaned posts that have not yet been linked to from another post or page.

You can switch to the Links Report tab for detailed information on all your links. Here you’ll see a list of all your posts and pages with columns for internal, external, and affiliate links.

It will also show a number of suggestions where you can add links.

For more details, you can click on the right arrow button next to a post or page. This will show all links organized in different tabs. From the suggestions tab, you can quickly view link suggestions and add links without directly editing a post or page.

Link Assistant also helps you discover more internal linking opportunities.

You can switch to the ‘Linking Opportunities’ tab to see suggestions about how to improve the internal linking on your website, and also see the list of orphaned posts so you can add links to them.

Another plugin useful for internal linking is Semrush SEO Writing Assistant because it can help you keep track of links inside your article.

For example, it lets you know when your article has too many or too few internal links and also suggests ways you can improve your links.

SEO Reporting Assistant Reports Issues With Links

This tool also comes in handy if you have other authors working on articles. Editors can quickly see if the article includes internal links to other posts on your website.

We show you how to use this plugin step-by-step to improve your SEO in our guide on how to use the SEO Writing Assistant in WordPress.

You can use a WordPress popular posts plugin to point users toward the articles that other users have already found helpful. These plugins automatically create a list of internal links to your most popular content.

Popular posts are usually your most successful content, which means they are more likely to increase user engagement, conversions, and sales. They are also a good opportunity for internal linking to your other less popular articles.

For example, MonsterInsights has a feature that allows you to show your popular articles anywhere on your WordPress site. You can use also use inline popular posts to show articles inside your content.

If you want to show articles in the sidebar or at the end of your content, then you can select the Popular Post Widget. MonsterInsights even lets you display your top-performing products anywhere on your eCommerce store.

You can learn more in our guide on how to display popular posts in WordPress.

5. Create List Posts That Roundup Other Articles in WordPress

Another way to increase the number of internal links on your WordPress blog is to create roundups of your existing content. You do this by creating a new post that mentions your best articles on a certain subject to give a detailed overview of the topic.

In fact, you’re reading a post like that now.

Luckily, there are some plugins that make this job easy. For example, WP Tasty Roundups allows you to quickly repurpose your existing content into beautiful roundup posts that rank in search results.

All you need to do is type one or two keywords into the built-in search functionality, and the plugin will automatically pull images, titles, descriptions, and links from relevant posts into your roundup list.

6. Get Google Sitelinks for Your WordPress Site

Sitelinks are a feature on Google search engine results pages (SERPs) where additional sub-pages appear under a website in the search results.

These are often internal links to the most popular pages of that website.

The top 3 spots on Google get the most clicks. When sitelinks are shown for a website, it takes up the same amount of space as three regular search listings.

Having this much screen space dedicated to your site significantly increases your overall click-through rate. Simply put, more visitors will visit your website from the keyword.

While there is no guaranteed way to get Google to show sitelinks for your website, it certainly helps to create lots of internal links to your most important posts and pages.

You can learn more in our guide on how to get Google sitelinks for your WordPress site.

7. Preload Links in WordPress for Faster Loading Speeds

Link preloading is a browser technology that will load links in the background before a site visitor clicks them. This makes your website seem faster, which can improve SEO.

Because loading speed is one of the top indicators for search engine rankings and user engagement, when your internal pages are preloaded, your visitors are more likely to stay on your website longer.

They are more likely to view more pages because they’re loading instantly.

The easiest way to preload links is by using the Flying Pages plugin. It simply adds intelligent preloading to make sure preloading won’t crash your site or even slow it down.

Flying Links settings set the preloader delay

We show you how to set up the plugin step-by-step in our guide on how to preload links in WordPress for faster loading speeds.

8. Find and Fix Broken Links in WordPress

Broken links are bad for your website’s SEO. Search engine crawlers find new content on your website by following internal links, so a broken link can stop them from indexing a new post.

They also negatively impact user experience because broken links will return a 404 error. If a visitor clicks on a link and is unable to find a page they’re looking for, then they may leave.

The MonsterInsights custom 404 error design

You can easily find and fix broken links on your WordPress website using All in One SEO.

AIOSEO offers a powerful redirection manager that helps track 404 errors on your website and lets you set up permanent 301 redirects to fix broken links.

To learn more, see our detailed guide on how to find and fix broken links in WordPress.

9. Update Internal Link URLs When Moving a Site to a New Domain

If you ever move your WordPress site to a new domain name, then it is important to update all internal link URLs. Otherwise, you will have lots of broken links.

You should start by changing the WordPress address and site URL by visiting the Settings » General page from your WordPress dashboard.

Change the WordPress Address and Site URL to Your New Domain

But you will also need to change the URLs of every internal link added to your posts and pages.

You’ll find the simplest way to do this in our step-by-step guide on how to easily update URLs when moving your WordPress site.

10. Use MediaWiki Syntax to Quickly Add Internal Links to WordPress

If you want to make internal linking a habit, then it helps to use the most efficient method. Since WordPress 6.0, WordPress has supported standard MediaWiki syntax to quickly add internal links when creating or editing a post.

You can now quickly add links by adding two square brackets followed by the post title. The animated gif below shows you how easy this feature is to use inside WordPress.

The link will automatically add the correct URL to the post, and use the post title as an anchor link.

If you know the title of a post (or even just part of it), then using the double square bracket method is the fastest way of creating an internal link.

11. Track Which Internal Links Are Clicked in WordPress

One of the best ways to uncover how users interact with your website is to track which internal links your visitors are clicking. Tools such as MonsterInsights can help you see which internal links your visitors are the most interested in.

You can then use these insights to improve the way you add internal links to your posts and pages.

We offer detailed instructions on tracking different types of links in our guide on how to track link clicks and button clicks in WordPress.

You might also like to see our guide on how to track user engagement in WordPress.

12. Enable Breadcrumbs in WordPress or WooCommerce

Breadcrumb navigation is a term used to describe a hierarchical navigation menu presented as a trail of links.

It’s often used as a secondary navigation that allows users to go up in the website’s hierarchy of pages.

Navigational links preview in WPBeginner

Breadcrumbs are great for internal linking because they define a clean path or trail to the page you are on.

These breadcrumbs also appear in search results giving your site an extra advantage in rankings.

Breadcrumb Navigation Links in Search Results

We cover two ways to add breadcrumbs in our guide on how to display breadcrumb navigation links in WordPress. Most users will find Method 1 easier, using All in One SEO.

You can also use All in One SEO to enable breadcrumbs for your WooCommerce products. For details, see the fifth tip in our guide on WooCommerce SEO made easy.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how the best internal linking practices for SEO. You may also want to see our ultimate WordPress security guide, or check out our list of tips on how to increase your blog traffic.

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 Internal Linking for SEO: The Ultimate Guide of Best Practices first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Sell Audiobooks Online (3 Simple & Easy Ways)

20.03.2023audiobooks, Easy Digital Downloads, ecommerce, memberpress, online store, selling digital products, Tutorials, woocommerce, wordpress ecommerceEditorial Staff

Do you want to sell audiobooks online?

By selling your books as downloadable audio files, you can make money without having to pay for shipping or printing. You can also sell the same audio file an unlimited number of times.

In this article, we will show you how to easily sell audiobooks online using WordPress.

Why Sell Audiobooks Online?

There are lots of ways to share your experiences or knowledge online. You can create an online course, record a webinar, or even start a podcast.

Another option is recording that information as an audiobook. This is a great way to collect everything you want to say into a single, downloadable file that’s easy to distribute and sell to other people.

Unlike traditional printed books, you don’t have to pay printing or shipping fees for your audiobooks. You also don’t have to worry about physical storage, supplies, or managing your inventory. All of this means lower costs and bigger profits, which makes audiobooks the perfect way to make money online with WordPress.

If you have an ebook, then there are plenty of services that can help you turn it into an audiobook including ACX. Every audiobook you make on ACX will be available on Audible.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes, but it’s also a good idea to add the audiobook to your own website.

With that in mind, let’s see how you can sell audiobooks online. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use.

Method 1. How to Sell Audiobooks With Easy Digital Downloads (Recommended)

The easiest way to sell audiobooks online is by using Easy Digital Downloads. Easy Digital Downloads is one of the best eCommerce WordPress plugins, and it’s designed specifically to sell digital products.

How to sell an audiobook in WordPress using Easy Digital Downloads

Unlike general eCommerce plugins, Easy Digital Downloads has the specific features you need to promote, sell, and distribute digital products with ease. This means you don’t have to waste time and effort with unnecessary settings, such as configuring your store’s shipping.

Even better, if you’re using SiteGround then Easy Digital Downloads already comes pre-installed on their EDD plan, so you can start using it straight away.

If you’re using a different hosting provider, then you’ll need to install and activate the Easy Digital Downloads plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, go to Downloads » Settings in the WordPress dashboard.

The Easy Digital Downloads plugin's settings

Even though you’re selling audiobooks, you’ll need to set your store’s location. This allows Easy Digital Downloads to auto-fill some fields in the order form, which will help improve the customer experience.

Easy Digital Downloads also uses your location to calculate sales tax.

To add your location, simply open the ‘Business Country’ dropdown menu. You can then choose where your business is based.

Setting the location for your audiobook store

Next, find the ‘Business Region’ field.

Here you can open the dropdown and choose the region where your store operates from.

Setting the region for your online audiobook store

After making these changes, go ahead and click on Save Changes to store your settings.

Next, you’ll need a way to accept credit card payments in WordPress by clicking on the ‘Payments’ tab. Then make sure the ‘General’ tab is selected.

Adding payment gateways to your WordPress website

In the Payment Gateways section, check the box next to each gateway that you want to add to your WordPress blog or website.

If you add more than one payment method, then you’ll need to choose a default gateway.

Adding multiple payment gateways to an online store

You can use any gateway you want, but Stripe can accept credit cards as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay. This is why we recommend using Stripe as the default payment gateway.

With that done, click on the ‘Save Changes’ button.

You’ll now see some new tabs where you can configure each payment method.

Configuring payment gateways including Stripe

Configuring the payment gateway will be slightly different depending on which gateway you’re using, but Easy Digital Downloads will walk you through the process.

Once you’ve set up at least one payment gateway, you’re ready to start uploading audiobooks to your WordPress website.

To create a digital product, select Downloads from the left-hand menu. Then, click on the ‘Add New’ button.

Adding a downloadable audiobook to your WordPress website

You can now type a name for the product into the ‘Enter download name here’ field. This will appear on the audiobook’s page, so you’ll want to use something that catches the visitor’s attention and accurately describes the book.

Next, type out the description that will appear on the ebook’s product page. You’ll want to give visitors all the information they need to decide whether this book is right for them.

Adding a title to a downloable audiobook

Many online stores use product categories and tags to help shoppers find what they’re looking for. If you’re selling lots of audiobooks, then these categories and tags help visitors find related audiobooks, which can get you more sales.

You can create new categories and tags in the Categories and Tags boxes.

Adding categories and tags to a downloadable ebook

For more information, see our step-by-step guide on how to add categories and tags for WordPress pages.

Next, you’ll want to set a price by scrolling to the Download Prices section. Here, type in how much visitors will pay to download the audiobook.

Adding prices to an audio book in WordPress

You’re now ready to upload the audio file that you want to sell. When it comes to audio, WordPress supports mp3, ogg, and wav. It also supports m4a, although this format may not work on all browsers.

Pro Tip: If you want to sell audiobooks in a file type that WordPress doesn’t support, then see our guide on how to allow additional file types in WordPress.

To add an audio file, simply scroll to the Download Files section.

How to upload a downloadable audiobook to WordPress

In the File Name field, type a name for the file that shoppers will get when they buy the audiobook. Then, simply click on ‘Upload a File.’

You can now choose any audio file from the WordPress media library, or you can upload a new audiobook from your computer.

Finally, you’ll need to add a product image, which will usually be your audiobook’s front cover. Simply scroll to the Download Image section and then click on the ‘Set Download Image’ link.

Adding a featured image to your audiobook

This launches the WordPress media library where you can choose an image or upload a new file from your computer.

When you’re happy with your digital download, click on the Publish button to make it live.

Easy Digital Downloads will now create the audiobook as a downloadable product, but visitors still need a way to access the product page.

This might mean adding the page to your website’s menu, creating a sales page where you advertise all your audiobooks, or even adding the book to a custom home page.

No matter what method you choose, you’ll need to know the audiobook’s URL.

To get this link, simply go to Downloads » Downloads. Then, find the audiobook you just created, and click on its ‘Edit’ link.

How to get a link to a downloadable audiobook product

You will then find the URL directly below the product title.

Now, you can link to this product page from any area of your website, simply by using its URL. To learn more, see our step-by-step guide on how to add a link in WordPress.

Easy Digital Downloads also creates a ‘Purchase’ button for this particular audiobook. Visitors can click this button to add the audiobook to their cart.

Adding an audiobook purchase button to an online store

You can add the button for this book to any page, post, or widget-ready area. This allows visitors to start the purchasing process without even Needing to visit the individual product’s page.

To get the audiobook’s shortcode, simply scroll to its Download Settings section. You can then copy the text in the ‘Purchase Shortcode’ field.

Adding an audiobook to your site using a product shortcode

For more information on placing the shortcode, please see our guide on how to add a shortcode in WordPress.

Every time someone buys an audiobook from your website, Easy Digital Downloads will send them an email and download link.

While this email has everything the customer needs to access their download, it’s a good idea to customize it. For example, we recommend adding your own logo and branding.

To customize the default email, simply go to Downloads » Settings. Then click on the ‘Emails’ tab.

Customizing the Easy Digital Download emails

When you’ve finished making changes, you may want to send a test email so you can see how the message will look to your customers.

To do this, simply click on the ‘Send Test Email’ button and Easy Digital Downloads will send an email to your admin email address.

Sending a test email for your downlodable audiobook

Have you clicked on the ‘Send Test Email’ button, but haven’t got a test email? If your site isn’t sending emails correctly, then customers won’t be able to download your audiobook.

With that in mind, you can follow our guide on how to fix the WordPress not sending email issue. You can use WP Mail SMTP to make sure the purchase confirmation emails arrive safely in the customer’s inbox.

When you’re happy with how the email looks, you can go ahead and click on the ‘Save Changes’ button.

This is all you need to start selling audiobooks online. However, Easy Digital Downloads has lots more advanced features that can help you sell audiobooks.

For more information on Easy Digital Downloads, please see our guide on how to sell digital downloads on WordPress.

Method 2. How to Sell Audiobook Memberships (Best for Recurring Revenue)

Another option is using your audiobooks to create recurring revenue streams.

For example, you might offer members unlimited monthly or annual access to all your audiobooks for a membership fee. In this way, you can get reliable recurring revenue over a longer period of time.

How to add an audiobook to your site using MemberPress

A membership site is also a great choice if you’re releasing your audiobooks as a series.

If you want to get recurring revenue, then MemberPress is the best WordPress membership plugin. It allows you to accept payments, create an unlimited number of membership levels, restrict access to audiobook pages based on membership subscription, and more.

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

Upon activation, go to the MemberPress » Settings page to configure the plugin settings.

To start, you’ll need to set up a payment gateway.

Out of the box, MemberPress supports PayPal (Standard, Express, and Pro), Stripe, and Authorize.net. You simply need to select the payment method you want to use and then type in the required credentials, such as your PayPal email address.

Adding a payment gateway to a membership site

You may want to add multiple methods, so members can use their preferred gateway. When that’s done, don’t forget to click on the Update Options button to save your settings.

With the setup out of the way, it’s time to create one or more membership levels. These are the subscriptions that visitors will buy to access your audiobooks, or other content.

MemberPress allows you to offer different content for different membership levels. For example, you might create Bronze, Silver, and Gold memberships and then give members access to different audiobooks.

To create the first membership plan, go to the MemberPress » Memberships page and then click on the ‘Add New’ button.

Adding a membership level to your audiobook website

On the next screen, you’ll need to provide a title for the membership plan and then add details in the post editor.

After that, you can set the pricing, billing type, interval, and expiration under the ‘Membership Terms’ section.

How to sell audiobooks online using MemberPress

Next, scroll to the Membership Options box below the editor.

Here, you can customize the plan permissions and membership options.

Adding a membership level to your WordPress blog or website

When you’re happy with how the plan is set up, go ahead and click on ‘Publish.’ To create more membership levels, simply repeat the same process described above.

Once you’ve created all the membership levels, it’s time to add some access rules. These allow you to restrict access to your audiobooks based on the user’s membership plan.

Just go to MemberPress » Rules and then click on the Add New button.

Adding a new rule to your WordPress membership site

Here, you can create all kinds of access rules, but you’ll typically start by selecting the audiobook that you want to restrict access to.

Under ‘Protected Content,’ open the dropdown menu and choose an option from the list. This might be the specific page where you embedded the audio file, content that has a particular tag, or any other option from the list.

Creating content restriction rules in WordPress

After that, open the ‘Access Conditions’ dropdown and choose ‘Membership.’

In the second dropdown menu, select the membership level people will need in order to access this content.

Creating subscriptions for your audiobooks

There are more settings that you can configure, but this is all you need to create a simple access rule.

When you’re happy with how the rule is set up, click on ‘Save Rule.’ To create more access rules, simply follow the same process described above.

Now that everything is set up, you’ll need to make sure visitors can buy memberships and log into their accounts. Thankfully, MemberPress comes with ready-made forms that you can add to your site.

We recommend adding the MemberPress login widget to a widget-ready area, so members can log in from any page.

Simply head over to Appearance » Widgets and add the ‘MemberPress login’ widget to the sidebar or similar section.

Adding a MemberPress login widget to WordPress

To learn more, please see our guide on how to add and use widgets in WordPress.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Update’ button to save your widget settings.

There are a few different ways to add a signup page to your website, but MemberPress automatically creates a registration page for each membership level. This means you can simply add these pages to your main navigation menu.

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance » Menus. In the left-hand menu, simply click to expand the ‘Memberships’ section.

Adding membership subscriptions to your WordPress website

You’ll now see a list of all the different MemberPress levels.

To add a membership to the navigation menu, simply check the box next to it and then select ‘Add to menu.’

For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to add a navigation menu.

When you’re happy with how the menu is set up, click on ‘Save Menu.’

At this point, you’ve created a website where visitors can buy audiobook subscriptions. However, MemberPress has lots more settings you can use to sell audiobooks, grow your brand, and get more members.

For more information about MemberPress, check out our ultimate guide to creating a WordPress membership site.

Method 3. How to Sell Audiobooks With WooCommerce (Best For Online Stores)

Easy Digital Downloads makes it easy to sell audiobooks on any WordPress blog or website, without you having to configure lots of unnecessary settings like shipping and handling.

However, if you’ve already created a WooCommerce store, then you can sell digital products like audiobooks using this popular eCommerce plugin.

How to sell an audiobook online using WooCommerce

Although it’s mostly used to sell physical products, you can add support for digital products by going to WooCommerce » Settings and then clicking on the ‘Products’ tab.

Here, click on the ‘Downloadable products’ link.

Creating downloadable WooCommerce products

You can now open the ‘File download method’ dropdown and choose an option from the list.

When you’re selling digital downloads, there is a risk that customers may share the direct link with other people. This allows people to download your audiobook without paying.

‘Force Downloads’ helps to protect your site from direct linking, so it’s the recommended method. However, just be aware that very large files may result in a timeout, especially if your server has limited resources.

If this happens, then you may need to change your WordPress hosting plan or select a different file download method.

You may also want to enable the checkbox next to ‘Allow using redirect mode (insecure) as a last resort.’ If WooCommerce encounters any problems, then this setting will deliver the audiobook via an unsecured redirect link rather than showing an error.

This is a much better customer experience.

WooCommerce's downloadable product settings

The second option is ‘X-Accel-Redirect/X-Sendfile,’ which serves the file directly to the customer. This protects the audiobook from unauthorized downloads without impacting your site’s performance.

However, this method requires you to install and enable the X-Accel-Redirect/X-Sendfile module on your server, so it’s not very beginner-friendly. Depending on your plan, you may also need to speak to your WooCommerce hosting provider.

The final option is ‘Redirect only,’ which uses a direct link to the file. This means your audiobook isn’t protected and anyone can access it using the URL. That said, we don’t recommend the ‘Redirect only’ method.

After selecting a download method, you can choose whether visitors must be logged into an account in order to download the audiobook.

Allowing guest checkout can get you more sales and downloads, but requiring users to register with your online store can help you do lead generation.

To make this decision, either enable or disable the ‘Downloads require login’ checkbox.

How to disable guest checkout for audiobooks in WooCommerce

By default, customers can download the audiobook while their order is processing.

If you want to wait until the order is complete, then uncheck the following box: ‘Grant access to downloadable products after payment.’

By default, WooCommerce will download the audiobook to the customer’s computer.

Most of the time this is the best customer experience, but you can set the file to open in a new tab instead. The customer can then decide whether they want to save the file.

There are some use cases where this may be the better option. For example, if you’re showing the customer a free sample, or your audiobooks are short enough to enjoy in one sitting.

In this case, you may want to check the box next to ‘Open downloadable files in the browser.’

How to set up downloadable files in WooCommerce

When you’re happy with the settings you’ve entered, click on ‘Save Changes.’

With that done, you’re ready to add the audiobook as a downloadable product by going to Products » Add New. Here, you can type in a title, add a description, upload a product image, and set the price as normal.

Creating a downloadable WooCommerce product

Then, scroll to ‘Product Data’ and check the box next to ‘Downloadable,’ which adds some new settings.

To start, click on ‘Add File.’

Adding a downloadable audiobook to a WooCommerce online store

You can now either choose the audiobook from your media library or upload a new file from your computer.

After that, type in a filename for the audiobook.

Adding a downloadable audiobook in WooCommerce

By default, customers can download the audiobook as many times as they want, for as long as they want.

If you want to limit the number of downloads per customer, then type a number into the ‘Download limit’ field.

Adding a download limit for your audiobook

If you want the download link to expire after a certain number of days has passed, then type a number into the ‘Download expiry’ field.

When you’re happy with how the audiobook is set up, click on the ‘Publish’ button. The audiobook will now appear as a downloadable product on your online store.

We hope this article helped you learn how to sell audiobooks online. You may also want to check out our expert pick of the best WordPress plugins to grow your site, and our comparison of the best email marketing services 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 Sell Audiobooks Online (3 Simple & Easy Ways) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Fix the 500 Internal Server Error in WordPress

18.03.2023.htaccess, common errors, deactivate plugins, error establishing database connection, html 500 error, increase memory limit, internal server error, Tutorials, white screen of death, wordpress white screen of deathEditorial Staff

Are you seeing a 500 internal server error in WordPress?

The internal server error is one of the most common WordPress errors. Since the error doesn’t give any other information, many beginners find it quite frustrating.

In this article, we will show you how to easily fix the 500 internal server error in WordPress.

Fixing the internal server error in WordPress

Here is a quick overview of the topics we’ll cover in this article.

What is The 500 Internal Server Error?

The 500 internal server error is a common web server error. It is not specific to WordPress websites and can happen with any website.

The 500 in the error message is technically an HTTP error code. Looking up this code will only show its standard description.

“500 Internal Server Error response code indicates that the server encountered an unexpected condition that prevented it from fulfilling the request.“

This is a generic catch-all error message which means that the server was unable to assign a better more helpful error message when it encountered the issue.

The error page looks different depending on which web server software (Nginx or Apache) your website is using and which browser you are using.

Here is how the Apache error page may look.

It may look different if you are using Nginx and Google Chrome.

It will also look different if Google chrome is unable to find an error page to display:

For beginners, this can be incredibly frustrating. There is no clue or message that would point them in the right direction to quickly fix it.

Asking how to fix an internal server error is like asking your doctor how to fix the pain you’re experiencing without telling them where the pain is.

However, if we know the common causes that trigger this error, then we can try fixing them one by one to resolve the error without breaking anything.

What Causes The Internal Server Error in WordPress?

Internal server error in WordPress is often caused by a corrupt .htaccess file, poorly coded plugins, or your active WordPress theme.

Other possible causes of the internal server error in WordPress that we know of are: PHP memory limit or corrupt core WordPress files.

In some conditions, the internal server error may only show up when you are trying to access the WordPress admin area while the rest of the site works fine.

That being said, now let’s take a look at how to go about troubleshooting the internal server error in WordPress.

Video Tutorial

If you prefer written instructions, then continue reading.

Fixing The 500 Internal Server Error in WordPress

Before you begin troubleshooting, make sure that you have a complete WordPress backup of your website on hand.

If you have access to the WordPress admin area, then you can a WordPress backup plugin to create a complete backup of your website. We recommend using Duplicator to handle this.

On the other hand, if you don’t have access to the WordPress admin area, then you can manually create a WordPress backup using phpMyAdmin and an FTP client.

After that, you can follow the following steps to troubleshoot and fix the internal server error on your website.

Clear WordPress and Browser Cache

Browsers and your WordPress caching plugins can sometimes mistakenly store a cached copy of an error page.

The easiest way to fix this is by first clearing your browser cache.

After that, if you have access to the WordPress admin area of your website, then you can empty the WordPress cache by visiting your caching plugin’s settings page.

For details, see our tutorial on how to clear WordPress cache.

Checking for Corrupt .htaccess File

The .htaccess file is a server configuration file that is also used by WordPress to set up redirects.

One of the most common causes of the internal server error is the corrupt .htaccess file.

The easiest way to fix this is by simply visiting the Settings » Permalinks page in the WordPress admin area and then clicking on the ‘Save Changes’ button without making any changes at all.

Update permalinks to regenerate .htaccess file

WordPress will now try to update your .htaccess file or generate a new one for you. You can now visit your website to see if this has resolved the internal server error.

If you can still see the error, then you need to make sure that WordPress was able to generate or write to the .htaccess file.

Sometimes, due to file and directory permissions, WordPress may not be able to create or write to your .htaccess file.

You can now try to manually replace the .htaccess file. First, you need to login to your website using FTP or the File Manager app under your hosting account control panel.

Next, you need to rename your main .htaccess file to something like .htaccess_old. This lets you keep the file as a backup, but WordPress won’t recognize it.

To rename the .htaccess file, you will need to login to your site using FTP or File Manager app in your hosting account’s cPanel dashboard.

Once you are connected, the .htaccess file will be located in the same directory where you will see folders like wp-content, wp-admin, and wp-includes.

Simply, right-click on the .htaccess file and rename it to .htaccess_old.

Next, you need to create a new .htaccess file.

Inside your site’s root folder, right-click and then select ‘Create new file’ option in your FTP client or File Manager app.

Name this new file .htaccess and click OK to save it.

Now, this .htaccess file is currently empty and you need to add default WordPress rewrite rules to it.

Simply right-click on the file and then select View/Edit in your FTP client or File Manager app.

The empty file will open in a plain text editor like Notepad or TextEdit. Now, you need to copy and paste the following code inside it.

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress

This code is the default rule set used by WordPress. Don’t forget to save your changes and upload the file back to the server.

You can now visit your website to see if this has resolved the internal server error.

If it did, then give yourself a pat on the back because you fixed the internal server error.

Important: Before you move on with other things, make sure that you go to Settings » Permalinks page in the WordPress admin area and click the save button without making any changes. This will regenerate the .htaccess file for you with proper rewrite rules to ensure that your post pages do not return a 404 error.

If checking for the corrupt .htaccess file solution did not work for you, then you need to continue reading this article.

Increasing the PHP Memory Limit

Sometimes the internal server error can happen if a script is consuming all the PHP memory limit.

The easiest way to increase the PHP memory limit is by editing the wp-config.php file. Be careful when you do this if you’re a beginner. You want to follow these instructions carefully because even small mistakes in WordPress core files can break your site.

To begin, simply connect to your WordPress website using an FTP client or the File Manager app under your hosting account control panel.

You’ll find wp-config.php file inside the main folder of your website. Right-click on it and select ‘Download.’ This will ensure that you have a backup of the file in case something goes wrong.

When you’ve saved that, you can right-click on it and select ‘View/Edit.’

Inside the wp-config.php file, you need to add the following code just above the line that reads ‘That’s all, stop editing! Happy publishing’.

define( 'WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '256M' );

For more details, see our tutorial on how to increase PHP memory limit in WordPress.

If you are seeing the internal server error only when you try to log in to your WordPress admin or upload an image in your wp-admin, then you should increase the memory limit by following these steps:

Create a blank text file on your computer and name it php.ini
Paste this code in there: memory=256MB
Save the file
Upload it into your /wp-admin/ folder using FTP

If increasing the memory limit fixed the problem for you, then you have only fixed the problem temporarily. You still need to find the cause that is exhausting your memory limit.

This could be a poorly coded plugin or even a theme function. We strongly recommend that you ask your WordPress web hosting company to look into the server logs to help you find the exact diagnostics.

If increasing the PHP memory limit did not fix the issue for you, then you are in for some more troubleshooting.

Deactivate All WordPress Plugins

If none of the above solutions worked for you, then this error is most likely being caused by a specific plugin installed on your website.

It is also possible that it is a combination of plugins that are not playing nice with each other.

If you can access the WordPress admin area of your website, then you can simply go to the plugins page and deactivate all WordPress plugins.

However, if you are unable to access the WordPress admin area, then you can deactivate all WordPress plugins using FTP.

Simply connect to your WordPress website using an FTP client or the file manager app under your hosting account control panel.

Once connected, navigated to the /wp-content/ folder and rename the plugins folder to plugins.deactivated.

WordPress looks for plugins in the plugins folder. If the plugins folder is not found, then it will automatically deactivate all plugins.

You can now try visiting your website to see if this resolved the internal server error on your website.

To restore all your plugins, you can simply rename the plugins.deactivated folder back to plugins.

Your plugins will now be restored but they will still be deactivated.

You can now activate plugins one by one and visit your website to figure out which plugin is causing the internal server error.

For more details, see our guide on how to deactivate all WordPress plugins without WP-Admin.

If deactivating all plugins didn’t fix the internal server error on your website, then continue reading.

Switch to a Default WordPress Theme

One possible cause of the internal server error could be some code in your WordPress theme.

To find out if this is the case, you need to switch your theme to a default WordPress theme.

If you have access to the WordPress admin area, then simply go to the Appearance » Themes page. If you have a default theme already installed then you can simply click on the Activate button to switch theme.

If you don’t have a default theme installed, then you can click on the Add New button at the top and install a default theme (Twenty Twenty-Three, Twenty Twenty-Two, etc).

Now in case you don’t have access to the WordPress admin area, you can still switch to a default theme.

Simply, connect to your WordPress website using an FTP client and navigate to the /wp-content/ folder.

Right-click to select the themes folder and download it to your computer as a backup.

Next, you need to delete the themes folder from your website. Once it is deleted, go ahead and create a new themes folder.

Your new themes folder will be completely empty which means you don’t have any WordPress themes installed at the moment.

Next, you need to visit the WordPress themes directory and download a default WordPress theme to your computer.

Your browser will then download the theme as a zip file to your computer.

Locate the file on your computer and then unzip it. Windows users can unzip file by right-clicking on it and then selecting Extract All. Mac users can double-click on the zip file to extract it.

You’ll now see a folder containing your WordPress theme.

Switch back to your FTP client or File Manager up and upload this folder to the empty themes folder.

Once uploaded, WordPress will automatically start using the default theme.

You can now visit your website to see if this resolved the internal server error.

If this didn’t work, then you can reupload your WordPress themes from the backup or switch back to the theme you were using.

Don’t worry there are still a few more things you can do to fix the error.

Re-uploading Core Files

If the plugin and theme options didn’t fix the internal server error, then it is worth re-uploading the /wp-admin/ and /wp-includes/ folders from a fresh WordPress install.

This will NOT remove any of your information, but it may solve the problem in case any file was corrupted.

First, you will need to visit the WordPress.org website and click on the Download button.

This will download the WordPress zip file to your computer.

Go ahead and extract the zip file. Inside it, you will find a wordpress folder.

Next you need to connect to your WordPress website using an FTP client.

Once connected go to the root folder of your website. It is the folder that has wp-admin, wp-includes, wp-content folders inside it.

In the left column open the WordPress folder on your computer.

Now you need to select all files inside the wordpresss folder and upload them to your website.

Your FTP client will now transfer those folders to your server.

It will ask you whether you would like to overwrite the files. Select ‘Overwrite’ and then select ‘Always use this action’.

Your FTP client will now replace your older WordPress files with new, fresh copies.

If your WordPress files were corrupted, then this step will fix the internal server error for you.

Enable Debug Logs in WordPress

WordPress comes with a built-in system to keep logs for debugging.

You can turn it on by using the WP Debugging plugin. For more details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once activated, the plugin will turn on debugging logs on your WordPress website.

If you don’t have access to the admin area of your WordPress website, then you can turn on debugging by adding the following code to your wp-config.php file.

define( 'WP_DEBUG', true);
define( 'WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);

Once you have turned on debug logs, you can view these logs by using an FTP client and navigating to the /wp-content/ folder.

You can open the debug log file in a text editor and it will show you a list of errors and warnings that occur on your website.

Some of these errors and warnings can be harmless incidents that may not need fixing. However, if you are seeing an internal server error on your website then these may point you in the right direction.

Ask your Hosting Provider

If all methods fail to fix the internal server error on your website, then it is time to get some more help. Contact your web hosting support team and they will be able to check the server logs and locate the root cause of the error.

If you want to continue troubleshooting on your own, then see our ultimate WordPress troubleshooting guide for beginners.

We hope this article helped you fix the internal server error in WordPress. You may also want to see our complete list of the most common WordPress errors, and our guide on how to choose the best web hosting provider.

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 the 500 Internal Server Error in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Create a Welcome Mat for Your WordPress Site (+ Examples)

17.03.2023create a welcome mat, fullscreen optin, fullscreen popup, optinmonster, Tutorials, welcome mat, welcome mat examplesEditorial Staff

Do you want to add a full-screen welcome mat to your website?

A welcome mat is a full-screen, dynamic overlay that can help you get more newsletter subscribers, eBook downloads, sales to your products, and more.

In this article, we’ll share how to create a welcome mat for your WordPress site, along with some great welcome mat examples to learn from.

Why a Welcome Mat Can Boost Your Conversions

More than 70% of visitors leaving your WordPress website will never return unless you convert them into email subscribers or customers.

A welcome mat is a large, full-screen interstitial that blocks the view of the rest of your website’s content to capture the user’s attention.

That might sound like a bad idea, but it’s a great way to get your message in front of visitors straight away.

If visitors don’t want what you’re offering, then they can simply close the welcome mat.

Of course, you’ll want to give people a good reason to sign up if you’re showing a welcome mat instead of an exit-intent popup, such as a discount code or even a freebie.

For example, you may have seen popular eCommerce stores offer a special discount using a full-screen welcome mat with gamification.

In other cases, you may have seen popular bloggers using a full-screen welcome mat to grow their email newsletter.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily add a welcome mat to your website.

How to Create a Welcome Mat for Your Website

The easiest way of creating a welcome mat in WordPress is using OptinMonster. It is the best lead generation software in the world and allows you to easily create optin forms, including welcome mats.

First, you’ll need to visit the OptinMonster website and signup for an account. You will need at least the Basic plan to create fullscreen overlays.

Next, you’ll need to install and activate the OptinMonster WordPress plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

The plugin connects the OptinMonster app to your website. Once you’ve activated the plugin, you’ll see the setup wizard in your WordPress dashboard. Go ahead and click the ‘Connect Your Existing Account’ button.

Connecting an OptinMonster account to WordPress

Next, a new window will open.

Simply click the ‘Connect to WordPress’ button.

Now, you’re ready to create your welcome mat.

Creating a Welcome Mat for Your Website

You can head to OptinMonster » Campaigns to create a new campaign.

Go ahead and click the ‘Create Your First Campaign’ button to start creating your welcome mat.

A new window will now pop up where you can select pre-built templates or choose ready-to-use campaigns and lead magnets, inspired by successful brands. OptinMonster also gives you the option to hire a specialist to customize your campaigns.

For this tutorial, we will use the ‘Templates’ option.

This will take you to the OptinMonster campaign builder.

Next, choose ‘Fullscreen’ for your campaign type.

You’ll need to choose a template for your campaign. We will use the ‘Entrance’ template, but you can pick a different one if you want.

Once you’ve selected a template, go ahead and enter a name for your campaign and click the ‘Start Building’ button.

Next, you can customize your campaign using the drag-and-drop builder. You can change anything you like here.

There are different blocks that can be added to the campaign, like images, text, buttons, and more. You’ll also want to edit the text to correspond to your offer.

Simply click on any element, and you’ll see that you can edit it in the left-hand pane.

For instance, we will change the headline of the full-screen welcome mat for our demo campaign.

The next step is to let your welcome mat slide in. You can do this by clicking the Settings gear icon on the bottom left-hand side.

From here, you need to toggle the ‘Display a Page Slide?’ option to enable it.

This means your welcome mat will slide down from the top of the screen instead of fading into view.

Next, you need to switch to the ‘Success’ view of your welcome mat. This is what your users will see after they perform the desired action. If you want, you can customize the success view or use the default template.

View the success view of welcome screen mat

Once you’re happy with your welcome mat, you can set up how it will display on your site.

Displaying the Welcome Mat on Your WordPress Site

You can set how to display your welcome mat popup by switching to the ‘Display Rules’ tab in OptinMonster.

There are lots of personalization and targeting options like users’ location, what items they have in their eCommerce cart, what they have done previously on your site, exit intent, and more.

By default, OptinMonster campaigns display on all pages of your site after the visitor has been there for 5 seconds.

Since this is a welcome mat, you’ll probably want it to display immediately. Just change this value to 0 seconds.

By default, the welcome mat will display on every page of your site. You can easily include or exclude specific pages by using OptinMonster’s personalization rules.

You can click the ‘Next Step’ button when you’re done.

Next, you’ll see more options for displaying your campaign. For instance, you can add an effect or play a sound when the campaign appears on a user’s screen.

For this tutorial, we’ll use the default settings and click the ‘Next Step’ button.

On the next screen, you will see a summary of your display rules settings.

You can edit the settings before publishing the campaign.

Once you are ready to make your welcome mat live, simply go to the ‘Publish’ tab at the top of the screen.

Go ahead and change the Publish Status from ‘Draft’ to ‘Publish.’

Don’t forget to click ‘Save’ to store your changes and close the campaign builder.

Next, you will see WordPress Output Settings for your campaign. Make sure that your campaign is published.

If it isn’t, then simply click the Status dropdown menu and select the ‘Published’ option. Don’t forget to click the ‘Save Changes’ button when you’re done.

Change the status of welcome mat campaign

To check out your campaign, you can visit your website in a new incognito browser window.

You should see your welcome mat slide in seamlessly from the top of your screen.

Examples of Great Welcome Mats

Let’s take a look at some welcome mat examples from different industries. For each, we’ll go through what they’re doing well, plus any minor changes we might suggest.

1. Singularity

This welcome mat from Singularity prompted users to sign up and watch the livestream of the Singularity University Global Summit. It was hugely successful and captured over 2,000 new email signups in under 9 days.

We particularly like the great use of the logo, the clear fonts, and the bright “Remind Me!” button.

2. Goins, Writer

This welcome mat from Goins, Writer offers a free guide. It’s a clear, simple offer, and the minimalist design is in keeping with the rest of the website.

We feel that the “Yes” and “No Thanks” buttons are clear and easy to use, and the use of numbers in the headline makes for a compelling offer.

3. AVweb

This welcome mat has a large, clear image of a small airplane. It’s instantly eye-catching.

We like the great image, and the clear “Sign Me Up!” call to action. One small possible tweak would be to shorten the tagline to avoid having it cover the top of the image.

4. Loaded Landscapes

This welcome mat from Loaded Landscapes is a little different from other examples. The background is slightly transparent.

We like the clear offer and the enthusiasm of the red call to action button. The background of the site beneath the welcome mat could be a little distracting, so it might be worth changing it to be fully opaque, however.

5. OptimizeMyBnb

This welcome mat was used on a specific page, which was included as a clickable link inside a book the website owner sold through third-party retailers. These retailers didn’t pass on customers’ details, though. Using a welcome mat in this way helped capture customers’ email addresses.

We feel the very clear headline, subheading, and call-to-action text all worked well, and that the ‘no, thanks’ button is used well to give the user sense of FOMO.

There are dozens more full-screen welcome mat examples that you can see, but we didn’t add them all in this guide.

If you’re looking for more inspiration, here are some things you can do with a fullscreen welcome mat:

Present a targeted offer or coupon
Showcase new products and services
Let visitors know what to expect from the site
Win new subscribers by highlighting their best content
Point visitors to their social media profiles
Collect email subscribers as part of a prelaunch phase

If you’re serious about improving your website conversions, then welcome mat and even exit fullscreen interstitials are some of the highest converting elements you can add to your website.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create a welcome mat for your website and that you found the examples inspiring. You may also want to take a look at our comparison of the best email marketing services, and our list of the must-have WordPress 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 How to Create a Welcome Mat for Your WordPress Site (+ Examples) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Start a Video Blog (Vlog) And Make Money in 2023

16.03.2023aioseo, Easy Digital Downloads, memberpress, pretty links, pushengage, searchwp, seedprod, smash balloon, thirstyaffiliates, Tutorials, wpformsEditorial Staff

Do you want to start a video blog and make money?

Vlogging is a powerful way to connect with people and build a personal brand. However, if you simply upload vlogs to third-party platforms like YouTube, then you may struggle to grow your audience, make money, and become a successful vlogger.

In this article, we will show you how you can start a vlog and make money.

How to start a video blog (vlog) and make money

Which Is the Best Website Builder for Your Video Blog?

There are many website builders that can help you create a vlog site, but we recommend using WordPress and a separate video hosting platform.

To learn more about why WordPress is such a good choice, please see our complete WordPress review with pros and cons.

There are two types of WordPress software: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. We recommend using WordPress.org, also called ‘self-hosted WordPress.’ This will give you full ownership and control of your site.

Using WordPress.org allows you to install third-party plugins and themes, including plenty that are designed specifically for vloggers.

Also, while you can upload videos to WordPress, it’s far better to use a separate video hosting platform such as YouTube or Vimeo.

Videos take up a lot of your hosting resources, which will slow down your website. Instead, we recommend uploading your vlogs to a separate hosting platform such as YouTube or Vimeo, which has all the server resources you need.

After uploading your vlogs to one of these sites, you can then embed your vlog in a WordPress page or post by simply copying and pasting a link. WordPress has built-in support for most major video hosting platforms.

If you really want to save time and impress your viewers, then you can use a plugin like Smash Balloon to create a video feed that will update automatically every time you post a new vlog.

An embedded YouTube feed, created using Smash Balloon

If you don’t already have a video hosting platform in mind, then don’t worry. Later in this guide, we’ll help you find the perfect platform for your vlogs.

Step 1. Setting Up Your Video Blog Website

To create a video vlog, you’ll need a domain name and web hosting.

Although the WordPress software is free, hosting and domain names are where the costs can really start to add up.

A domain name typically costs $14.99/year and hosting costs start from $7.99/month. This is a lot for hobby vloggers, new creators, or anyone who is working with a tighter budget.

Thankfully, Bluehost has agreed to offer our users over 60% off on web hosting and a free SSL certificate as part of this deal. This is absolutely essential if you plan to sell premium videos and make money from your vlogs. You will also get a free domain name when you sign up!

Simply click the link below to create a vlogging website for as little as $2.75 per month.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←

Because you get a free domain when you sign up with Bluehost, you’ll need to be sure it’s the right fit for your video blog. For expert tips, check out our guide on how to choose the best domain name.

Once you’ve completed the purchase, you’ll get an email with instructions on how to log in to your web hosting control panel. This is your hosting account dashboard where you can manage your vlog, including setting up email notifications and asking for WordPress support if you need it.

It’s also where you’ll install the WordPress software, so let’s do that now.

Step 2. Install WordPress on Your Video Blog

When you sign up with Bluehost using our link, you’ll get access to a one-click WordPress installer. Simply log into your Bluehost account and click on ‘One Click Install.’

You can now follow the onscreen instructions to set up WordPress.

If you’re using a different WordPress website host like SiteGround, Hostinger, HostGator, or WP Engine, then you can see our complete guide on how to install WordPress for all the top hosting providers.

Once WordPress is set up, you’re ready to start customizing your vlog site.

Step 3. Select a Video Theme

WordPress themes are professionally designed templates that change how your vlog looks and acts.

There are lots of different premium and free WordPress business themes to choose from. You can generally categorize these as multipurpose WordPress themes, or niche industry themes. However, most WordPress themes are designed to show text.

Since we’re starting a vlog, we need a theme that’s designed specifically for videos.

Even if you’re using a separate video hosting platform, embedded videos still take time to load. With that in mind, it’s important to find a lightweight theme that won’t slow down your website. Wherever possible, we also recommend using a theme that has built-in lazy loading.

On top of that, vlogs often need special features such as parallax scrolling, lightbox popups, and fullscreen video backgrounds.

That’s a lot to keep in mind, so you may want to look at our expert pick of the best WordPress video themes.

Another option is to use a landing page builder plugin such as SeedProd. SeedProd is the best drag-and-drop WordPress page builder and comes with more than 180 templates.

This includes an entire section of ‘Webinar’ templates that are designed specifically to show videos on your WordPress website.

SeedProd's professionally-designed vlog templates

SeedProd also has a ready-made ‘Video’ block that you can drag and drop onto any page.

For more information, please see our guide on how to create a landing page with WordPress.

Once you’ve chosen a video theme, please see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress theme.

After installing a theme, you may want to customize it by going to Appearance » Customize in the WordPress dashboard. This will launch the theme customizer where you can fine-tune the theme settings and see your changes in the live preview.

Customizing a WordPress video blog theme

If you’re using one of the newer full-site editing themes, then you’ll need to go to Appearance » Editor instead.

Here, you can fine-tune the theme using blocks.

Customizing a WordPress vlogging theme using the FSE

Just remember that you can customize your theme at any point. You can even completely change your WordPress theme, if you realize it doesn’t quite meet your needs.

This means you don’t need to finalize your site design now. In fact, it may be easier to fine-tune your vlog once you’ve added some content.

Step 4. Create a Custom Homepage

WordPress comes with two content types called posts and pages.

You’ll typically use posts to create articles and blogs, while pages are static “one-off” types of content. For example, you might publish an about page, a privacy policy, or a custom archive page.

There are a few different ways to show videos in WordPress. However, since we’re creating a video vlog you’ll typically embed one or more videos in a blog post.

By default, the WordPress homepage shows your posts in reverse chronological order, so your latest vlog appears at the top of the homepage.

However, you may want to move this blog list to another page, and use a custom homepage instead. This custom homepage can introduce your vlog to visitors and let them know what you have to offer.

You might even create a YouTube gallery of all your best videos, which is a great way to catch a visitor’s attention and make them want to watch more of your content.

Smash Balloon allows you to create all kinds of galleries, including showing a specific YouTube playlist or favorites feed, a single video, or even your latest live stream.

Adding a YouTube vlog feed to your WordPress website

For step-by-step instructions on how to create an attention-grabbing homepage for your video blog, please see our guide on how to create a custom homepage in WordPress.

Once you’re happy with the design, it’s time to set it as your homepage. To do this, go to Settings » Reading in the WordPress dashboard.

How to set a custom homepage in WordPress

Here, scroll to ‘Your homepage settings’ and select ‘A static page.’

Next, open the ‘Homepage’ dropdown and choose the page that you want to use.

Changing the homepage on a WordPress video blog

After that, simply scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on ‘Save Changes.’ Now, if you visit your website you’ll see the new homepage in action.

With that done, make sure you create a separate blog page to display your vlogs.

Step 5. Set Up Your Video Hosting Platform

Before you can start adding videos to your WordPress website, you’ll need to upload them to a separate video hosting platform. In this way, you can show countless high-resolution videos on your website without affecting its performance.

For more on this topic, see our post on why you should never upload a video to WordPress.

There are lots of different video hosting platforms that you can use, but we recommend YouTube as it’s the most popular choice.

It’s free to create a YouTube account and you can upload as many videos as you want.

YouTube even has a Partners Program that you can join to make money from your videos. This program also offers more benefits like analytics, longer videos, and editing tools.

Since it’s such a popular platform, there are lots of great WordPress plugins for YouTube. For example, you can use plugins to quickly and easily embed a YouTube playlist in WordPress.

Adding a YouTube playlist to a vlog using Smash Balloon

If you don’t want to use YouTube, then there are many other popular platforms including Vidyard, Wistia, and SproutVideo. For a closer look at all the top video sites, please see our expert pick of the best video hosting sites for bloggers.

After choosing a platform, you’ll need to create an account and upload all the vlogs that you want to show on your WordPress website.

For instructions on how to do this, check out the online documentation for your chosen video hosting platform.

Step 6. Create Your First Vlog

To create your first vlog, simply go to Posts » Add New in your WordPress dashboard.

WordPress has a block-based editor that allows you to create beautiful content layouts for your vlogs. Here, you can add text, images, audio clips, and more.

For an in-depth look at the editor, please see our WordPress block editor tutorial.

The easiest way to add vlogs to WordPress is by using the built-in auto-embed feature. If you’re using one of the big video hosting platforms, then you can simply paste the video’s URL into the WordPress content editor, and WordPress will handle the rest.

Just head over to your chosen video hosting platform and find the vlog that you want to show on your WordPress blog. You can then simply copy the video’s URL.

After that, switch back to the WordPress dashboard and paste the URL in the content area. If you paste it into a standard Paragraph block, WordPress will automatically try to place it in the correct block, such as the YouTube block.

Even if you don’t see the platform-specific block, it will use the Embed block and display the video inside the content editor.

For more information, please see our detailed guide on how to easily embed videos in WordPress blog posts.

As you’re working on the vlog, you can see how it’ll look to visitors by clicking on ‘Preview.’

This will open the page in a new tab.

The WordPress post editor also has sections for Categories and Tags. You can use these to organize your vlogs so it’s easier for visitors to find interesting content. To learn more, please see our guide on how to add categories and tags in WordPress.

When you’re happy with how the vlog looks, go ahead and click on the ‘Publish’ button in the top-right corner of the screen.

To add more vlogs to your website, simply follow the same process described above.

Step 7. Add a Contact Form to Your Vlog

Some viewers might want to contact you directly. This may include affiliate marketers, sponsors, advertisers, and other brands who are looking to build relationships with creators, or other vloggers who want to collaborate.

These people could ring your phone number or send a message to your business email address, but we always recommend adding a contact form to your website.

This makes it easier for potential partners to contact you, so you don’t miss out on any opportunities to grow your brand and make money from your vlogs.

The easiest way to add a contact form to your WordPress website is by using the free WPForms plugin. WPForms comes with a built-in Simple Contact Form template that you can customize using the drag-and-drop editor.

Adding a contact form to a WordPress vlogging site

You can then add the form to any page, post, or widget-ready area using the ready-made WPForms block.

For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to create a contact form in WordPress.

Step 8. Help Visitors Find Interesting Vlogs

Once you’ve added some content to your vlog, it’s a good idea to add a navigation menu so visitors can find their way around the different videos.

Adding a navigation menu to a video blog (vlog)

The exact location of your menu will depend on your WordPress theme. Most themes have several options, so you can create multiple menus and then show them on different areas of your vlog.

Whether you create a single menu or multiple menus, it’s easy to add navigation to your vlog. For a complete guide, please see our post on how to add a navigation menu.

Adding a navigation menu to a WordPress vlog

Menus encourage people to explore your site, but sometimes visitors may want to search for a specific vlog. WordPress comes with a built-in search feature, but it’s quite basic and not very good at finding relevant content.

That’s why we recommend using SearchWP, which is the best search plugin for WordPress.

It is very easy to use and gives much more accurate search results. It allows visitors to search for a keyword in the post or page title, content, URL slug, categories, tags, taxonomies, WordPress excerpts, and even comments.

All of this can help visitors find interesting vlogs, fast.

How to improve WordPress search with SearchWP

For step-by-step instructions on SearchWP, please see our guide on how to improve WordPress search.

Step 9. Optimize Your Vlog for SEO

If you want to get more viewers, then you’ll need to optimize your vlog for SEO. This will help search engines understand your content and show it to people who are looking for videos just like yours.

WordPress SEO is a huge topic that can be confusing for new vloggers. With that in mind, we recommend using All in One SEO for WordPress (AIOSEO).

AIOSEO is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market and has everything you need to get your vlogs onto the first page of Google, without having to learn any complicated SEO jargon.

AIOSEO comes with the easiest setup wizard that helps you choose the best SEO settings for your business. AIOSEO will even scan your vlogs and show an actionable checklist on how you can optimize that specific vlog.

An actionable checklist for improving SEO

Additionally, AIOSEO has a video sitemap feature that you can use to show search engines what’s the most important content to index.

To help you get started, please see our ultimate guide on how to set up All in One SEO for WordPress correctly.

Step 10. Notify Users About New Vlogs

Did you know that 70% of people who leave your site will never come back? Thankfully there are lots of ways to turn abandoning visitors into loyal viewers.

To start, it’s smart to create an email newsletter so people who enjoy your vlogs can subscribe. After that, you can email these subscribers every time you post a new vlog.

You can also keep them engaged with your brand by sending them fun surveys and polls, notifying them about any giveaways and contests you’re running, or even simply asking them for feedback on your latest vlog.

All of this can help you create a sense of community and build a stronger relationship with your viewers.

If you do build an email list, then you’ll want to make sure your messages arrive safely in the subscriber’s inbox and not in their spam folder. With that in mind, we recommend using an SMTP service provider to improve your email deliverability rates.

Another option is to use push notifications with software like PushEngage to send targeted, personalized messages to viewers after they leave your vlog.

Push notifications are short, clickable notifications that appear as a popup on the user’s desktop or mobile devices. Some of the biggest websites in the world use push notifications to keep users engaged, including Facebook.

These notifications go directly to the user’s web browser or mobile device so they have a high chance of getting the person’s attention, which makes them perfect for notifying viewers when you post a new vlog.

To learn more, see our guide on how to add web push notifications to WordPress.

Step 11. How to Make Money From Your Video Vlogs

Creating lots of quality, engaging vlogs takes a lot of time and effort, so you may want to make money from your videos.

If you’ve created a contact form, then potential sponsors and partners already have a way to contact you, which is a great start. However, there are lots more ways to make money online with WordPress.

Here are some of the best ways to make money from your vlog.

Google AdSense

There are many reasons why it’s smart to embed videos on your own website, rather than simply uploading them to platforms like YouTube.

One major benefit is that you can show Google AdSense ads next to your videos.

When you sign up for Google AdSense, Google acts as a middleman between you and the advertiser. Instead of you having to find the right partners for your vlog, Google allows advertisers to bid for keywords matching your content. This allows you to get the best possible rates for the ads on your vlogging website.

For more details, please see our article on how to properly add Google AdSense to your WordPress blog.

Affiliate marketing

Many vloggers make money by recommending products and services to their viewers. For example, many lifestyle vloggers film daily routine videos showing off their favorite skincare or fitness products.

By using affiliate links, you can earn money every time a viewer buys a product or service based on your recommendation.

For the best results, it’s a good idea to only recommend quality items that you already use and trust. If you encourage viewers to buy poor-quality or scammy products, then you’ll damage your band and almost certainly lose viewers.

There are plenty of affiliate marketing plugins and tools for WordPress that can help you make money by promoting affiliate products, but we highly recommend PrettyLinks or ThirstyAffiliates to all vloggers.

To get started, please see our step-by-step affiliate marketing guide for beginners.

Ask for Tips and Donations

If you build a strong, positive relationship with your viewers then they may want to support your work as a vlogger. This is particularly true if you’re a hobby vlogger or someone who is just starting out.

Although they’re mostly used by non-profits, some vloggers use donation forms so that viewers can support their work. These forms are often presented as ‘buy me a coffee’ or ‘buy me a beer.’

To learn more, please see our guide on how to create a donate form in WordPress.

Create a Membership Site

Most of the time, you’ll want your vlogs to be publicly available so you can get as many views as possible and build your audience.

However, some vloggers may want to create a video membership site in WordPress. This allows people to pay for different perks, such as early access to the latest vlogs, exclusive live streams, or premium members-only videos.

You can also offer perks that don’t involve videos, such as a members-only forum, blog posts, or the ability to chat with you directly on channels like Discord.

The easiest way to create a membership site is by using MemberPress. It is the best WordPress membership plugin on the market and allows you to accept payments, create unlimited subscription levels, restrict access to video pages based on levels, and more.

Creating video memberships with the MemberPress plugin

Sell Your Videos as Digital Downloads

Depending on the kind of vlogs you create, you may decide to sell some of your premium videos as digital downloads. For example, if you’re a health and fitness vlogger then you might create videos teaching your followers different exercise routines.

For some niches, this can be a way to monetize the audience you’ve built from your vlogs.

Easy Digital Downloads is the best platform to easily sell digital products. You can get started in minutes and accept credit card payments with Stripe, PayPal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay.

The Easy Digital Downloads WordPress eCommerce plugin

With Easy Digital Downloads, you have complete control over how you distribute your videos. You can allow customers to download files as many times as they want or restrict file downloads by time or attempt.

To start selling your premium videos, please see our complete guide on how to sell digital downloads on WordPress.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to start a video vlog and make money. You may also want to learn how to increase your blog traffic or check out our list of the best email marketing services.

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 Start a Video Blog (Vlog) And Make Money in 2023 first appeared on WPBeginner.

Why Add a Sliding Side Cart in WooCommerce?

Method 1. How to Add a Sliding Side Cart in WooCommerce Using a Free Plugin

Method 2. Add an Advanced Sliding Side Cart (With Upsells, Cross-Sells, and Rewards)

How Does WordPress Search Work?

Why Improve the Default WordPress Search?

How to Make the WordPress Native Search Better

WordPress Search FAQs

Why Password Protect Your WordPress Admin Directory?

Method 1: Password-Protect wp-admin Using Directory Privacy (Recommended)

Method 2: Password-Protect wp-admin Using Code

Troubleshooting wp-admin Password Protection

Why Import Google Docs to WordPress?

Method 1. Using the Copy/Paste Method (Quick and Easy)

Method 2. Download the Google Doc as a Web Page (Imports Text and Images)

Method 3. Using the Mammoth .docx Converter Plugin (Recommended)

Method 4. Using Wordable (Import Google Docs With a Single Click)

What is a ChatGPT Prompt?

How to Write Better ChatGPT Prompts?

Using AIPRM Extension to Generate ChatGPT Prompts

Best ChatGPT Prompt Ideas for Bloggers and Marketers

Blogging ChatGPT Prompts

Social Media ChatGPT Prompts

E-Commerce ChatGPT Prompts

ChatGPT Prompts for Businesses

Miscellaneous ChatGPT Prompts

Bonus WordPress AI Plugins & Tools Using ChatGPT

How Does Internal Linking Improve SEO in WordPress?

1. Make Internal Linking a Habit

2. Monitor Your Internal Link Performance in WordPress

3. Improve Your WordPress Site’s Internal Linking With a Plugin

4. Display a List of Your Most Popular Posts in WordPress

5. Create List Posts That Roundup Other Articles in WordPress

6. Get Google Sitelinks for Your WordPress Site

7. Preload Links in WordPress for Faster Loading Speeds

8. Find and Fix Broken Links in WordPress

9. Update Internal Link URLs When Moving a Site to a New Domain

10. Use MediaWiki Syntax to Quickly Add Internal Links to WordPress

11. Track Which Internal Links Are Clicked in WordPress

12. Enable Breadcrumbs in WordPress or WooCommerce

Why Sell Audiobooks Online?

Method 1. How to Sell Audiobooks With Easy Digital Downloads (Recommended)

Method 2. How to Sell Audiobook Memberships (Best for Recurring Revenue)

Method 3. How to Sell Audiobooks With WooCommerce (Best For Online Stores)

What is The 500 Internal Server Error?

What Causes The Internal Server Error in WordPress?

Video Tutorial

Fixing The 500 Internal Server Error in WordPress

Clear WordPress and Browser Cache

Checking for Corrupt .htaccess File

Increasing the PHP Memory Limit

Deactivate All WordPress Plugins

Switch to a Default WordPress Theme

Re-uploading Core Files

Enable Debug Logs in WordPress

Ask your Hosting Provider

Why a Welcome Mat Can Boost Your Conversions

How to Create a Welcome Mat for Your Website

Creating a Welcome Mat for Your Website

Displaying the Welcome Mat on Your WordPress Site

Examples of Great Welcome Mats

Which Is the Best Website Builder for Your Video Blog?

Step 1. Setting Up Your Video Blog Website

Step 2. Install WordPress on Your Video Blog

Step 3. Select a Video Theme

Step 4. Create a Custom Homepage

Step 5. Set Up Your Video Hosting Platform

Step 6. Create Your First Vlog

Step 7. Add a Contact Form to Your Vlog

Step 8. Help Visitors Find Interesting Vlogs

Step 9. Optimize Your Vlog for SEO

Step 10. Notify Users About New Vlogs

Step 11. How to Make Money From Your Video Vlogs