When they say it’s a whole new world, the creators of Youzer aren’t kidding. This is a new-era management solution for WordPress front-end user profiles, and it will change your author page into something that really fits that description. Integrated with BuddyPress, it will open up hundreds of options for you to play with, letting ... Read moreYouzer Plugin Review – The New Era of User Profiles
Do you want to add an interactive map in WordPress? Interactive maps allow your users to discover routes, journeys, and itineraries by clicking on markers in the map or moving the mouse around. In this article, we will show you how to easily add an interactive map in WordPress.
Method 1: Adding an Interactive Map in WordPress using Google My Maps
This method is simpler and doesn’t require you to install a plugin on your WordPress site.
First, you need to visit Google My Maps website and click on the ‘Create a new map’ button.
This will bring you to the edit map page. On this screen, you can create your map by selecting a base map, adding points of interest, layers, and more.
Using the toolbar at the top, you can draw lines on the map, add routes, use rulers, and select items.
All your map items are saved in layers to the left. You can add, edit, rename, or even delete layers. You can also click on any item in your layer to add description, change title, or add photos / videos.
Once you are done editing your map, you need to make it public so that you can use it on your website. You can do this by clicking on the share button in the edit panel.
This will bring up the sharing center where you need to click on ‘Change’ under ‘Who has access’ section.
Next, you need to select ‘On – Public on the web’ and then click on the save button.
After that click on ‘Done’ to close sharing center.
On the edit panel click on the menu icon next to map name and then select ‘Embed on my site’.
You will now see the embed code that you need to copy.
Next, head over to the post or page where you want to add your interactive map in WordPress. On the post edit screen, you need to switch to the text editor and paste the map embed code you copied earlier.
You can now save your changes and preview your post to see your interactive map in action.
Method 2: Add an Interactive Map in WordPress Using Plugin
While you can create and add interactive maps using Google Maps, it still lacks certain features and is limited to Google Maps.
If you want to use Open Street Maps, Bing, or other mapping services, then this method is for you.
Upon activation, you need to visit Maps Marker Pro page to create your interactive map. To start, you need to click on the ‘Add New Layer’ button.
Next, you need to provide a name for your layer and click publish.
Now that you have created a layer, you are ready to add map markers on it. Go to Maps Marker Pro » Add New Marker page to add your first marker.
First you will need to enter a title for the marker, and then search for the location and select it.
You will also need to place your marker on the layer you created earlier. You can do this by typing the name of the layer in the layers field and select it.
Don’t forget to click on the ‘Publish’ button to save your marker.
Repeat the process to add other markers to the layer.
Once you are done adding markers, you can edit any WordPress post or page where you want to add the map.
On the post edit screen, click on ‘Add Map’ button.
This will bring up a popup displaying all your map markers and the layer you created earlier. You need to select the layer and click on insert map button.
The plugin will add the required shortcode in your post editor area. You can now save or publish your post and preview it to see your interactive map.
You can always edit your main layer to adjust the map size and dimensions.
Maps Marker Pro is a powerful plugin with tons of options like multi-layer maps, custom markers, directions, GPX support, export map in multiple formats, and more. You can explore these options to make your maps even more interactive.
We hope this article helped you lean how to add an interactive map in WordPress. You may also want to see our list of the best Google Maps plugins for WordPress.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Are you having trouble sending emails from your WordPress site? One easy way to solve this is by sending WordPress emails using the Gmail SMTP server. In this article, we will show you how to send emails from your WordPress site using the Gmail SMTP server.
Why and When You Need Gmail SMTP Server for WordPress Emails
By default, WordPress uses the PHP mail function to send out email notifications. However, this function does not work as expected due to a number of reasons.
Most WordPress hosting companies restrict usage of this function to prevent abuse and spam.
Spam filters on popular email service providers check incoming emails to monitor if they are sent from authentic mail servers. Default WordPress emails fail this check and sometimes may not even make it to the spam folder.
SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) is the industry standard for sending emails. Unlike PHP mail function, SMTP uses proper authentication which increases email deliverability.
Gmail provides SMTP service that you can use to send out emails from your WordPress site. If you just want to send WordPress notification emails to yourself and few users on your site, then Gmail SMTP servers are the best option.
However, if you are planning on sending newsletter emails using WordPress, then you should use a mass emailing service provider, like MailGun or SendGrid.
Free vs Paid Gmail SMTP Service for WordPress
You can use your free Gmail account to send out WordPress emails. However, for better deliverability, we recommend using paid Google Apps for Work with Gmail.
Google Apps require you to add MX records to your domain name which means that your emails will appear to be coming from your own domain name boosting authenticity and ensuring better deliverability.
We use Google Apps for Work for WPBeginner and can honestly say it’s the best.
How to Send WordPress Emails Using Gmail SMTP Server
If you don’t see the blue button to create a project, then you can also click on select a project drop down and create a new project.
You’ll be asked to provide a name for your project. Give it a memorable name, so that you can easily recognize it in the future.
After that, click on the create button to continue.
Developer console will now create your project and take you to its dashboard. Google offer developers access to many of their APIs and services. You need to enable the APIs that you will be needing for this project.
Click on Enable APIs and services button to continue.
This will bring you to the APIs library page. Next, you need to type Gmail in the search box to quickly find the Gmail API and click to select it.
You will now see an overview of the API and what it can do. Simply click on the ‘Enable’ button to continue.
Now that your API is enabled, the next step is to create credentials that you can use in your WP Mail SMTP plugin settings.
Click on the create credentials button to continue.
On the next screen, you will need to select ‘Web browser JavaScript’ in ‘Where you’ll be calling the API from’ field. After that click on the ‘User Data’ option.
To continue, click on the ‘What credentials do I need?’ button.
You will now be asked to provide a name for your OAuth client name. You can enter ‘WP Mail SMTP’ here.
Under JavaScript origins field, you need to add your website’s domain name. Next, you need to copy and paste the authorized redirect URL from WP Mail SMTP plugin settings.
After that click on the ‘Create client ID’ button to continue.
Next, you need to enter a name for OAuth consent screen. You can put the plugin’s name here.
After entering the details, click on the continue button and the developer console will show your client ID. You can copy and paste this in the WP Mail SMTP plugin’s settings page. However, you will still need to add your client secret key.
Go ahead and click on the Done button to move on.
You will now be taken to your project’s credentials page. You will see your recently created credentials listed there. You need to click on the edit icon next to your credentials to continue.
This will bring you to the edit credentials page where you will be able to see your client secret key. You need to copy and paste the key in your plugin’s settings page.
Return back to plugin’s settings page in your WordPress admin area. Now that you have both client ID and client secret keys, you need to click on the save settings button to continue.
The plugin will now store your settings and reload the page. After that you need to scroll down to the bottom of the settings page and click on the ‘Allow plugin to send emails using your Google account’ button.
This will take you to your account on Google, and you will be asked to give the website permission to send emails on your behalf.
Click on Allow button to give permissions.
After that, you will be redirected back to your website where you will see a success message.
Method 2: Setting up Gmail SMTP as SMTP Sender
This method allows you to manually connect to Gmail’s SMTP servers to send your WordPress emails.
First, you need to visit Settings » WP Mail SMTP page to configure the plugin settings.
You need to start by providing the Gmail address you want to use in the From email field, and your name in the name field.
Next, you need to select ‘Other SMTP’ as your mailer and check the box next to return path.
After that, scroll down to the Other SMTP section to configure more settings.
Here is the exact configuration you need to add in the plugin settings:
Once you are done, click on the save changes button to store your settings.
That’s all, you have successfully setup WP Mail SMTP to use Gmail SMTP servers.
Testing Your WP Mail SMTP Settings
WP Mail SMTP plugin allows you to test your email settings, so you can make sure that everything is working properly.
You need to visit Settings » WP Mail SMTP page and click on the ‘Email Test’ tab. Simply provide an email address that you can access in the send to field and click on the send email button.
You will see a success message. You can now check your inbox to see a message with the subject line ‘WP Mail SMTP: Test Email to…’.
That’s all, you have successfully setup your WordPress site to send emails using Gmail SMTP servers.
Troubleshooting Gmail SMTP Not Working Issues
We have seen users encounter few issues when using Gmail SMTP with certain shared hosting configurations.
Take the following steps to fix the Gmail SMTP issue:
Login to your cPanel account and create an email account that matches your Google apps email address. This might seem strange because you’re not using your server for emails. This step basically tricks your server into believing that you’re sending the email through the server.
In your cPanel account, go to the MX Records and change the MX routing from automatic to remote. It might be a little tricky to find since each host now has custom cPanel interface. You need to look for a small link next to MX that says Email Routing: Remote Mail Exchanger.
After that log back into your WordPress site and send a test email.
We hope this article helped you learn how to send email in WordPress using the Gmail SMTP server. You may also want to see our list of the 5 best contact form plugins for WordPress.
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.
When you’re running a website, you should always be seeking out ways to get your visitors more engaged. I mean, you spend so much time finding ways to get traffic to your website, it’s a shame to let people get away after they read a single piece of content, right? There are all kinds of ... Read moreBibblio Review: Maybe The Best WordPress Related Posts Plugin [Update Fall 2018]
WordPress shortcodes are great in the moment. But if you ever do something to deactivate those shortcodes (like change themes or disable a plugin), they can totally ruin your site’s content. See, when you deactivate a shortcode, it doesn’t just disappear. Instead, you get left with a nasty mess of [naked_shortcodes] polluting your content. In ... Read moreShortcode Cleaner Review: How To Hide Broken Shortcodes On WordPress
Do you want to allow your customers to book an appointment directly from your WordPress site? Many businesses need an appointment booking form which allows customers to easily book an appointment online. In this article, we will show you the best WordPress appointment and booking plugins.
What Kind of Appointment and Booking Form Plugin To Choose?
You may want to customize your appointment booking form to meet your business requirements. However, there are few common things that you should look for in your WordPress booking form plugin.
Your appointment booking form should be able to accept customer requests for available time slots divided into your business hours.
It should work on mobile phones, so that your customers can easily book appointments from their phones as well as computers.
A good appointment booking form will save appointments in your WordPress database or a calendar app like Google Calendar. You may also want to send an automatic email notification to customers once their booking is accepted.
That being said, let’s take a look at the best appointment and booking plugins that you can use on your WordPress site.
BirchPress is a comprehensive WordPress booking plugin. It allows you to add a professional online booking management system into your WordPress site. Your users can book appointments from your website and pay for it using their PayPal account or credit card.
BirchPress syncs your booking calendar with your other calendars such as Google Calendar, iCal, Android, Outlook, etc. It has a customizable email notification and reminder system to keep you, and your clients informed about the booking.
Booking Calendar is one of the best free WordPress booking plugins in the market. It is simple, easy to use, and well documented. It comes with a calendar view for both you and your website visitors. You can easily add your booking / appointment form into any WordPress post or page.
While it is simple enough for beginners, it is also very powerful and includes a whole range of options that can be configured from the plugin’s settings page. It comes with built-in captcha to prevent spam, email notifications, jQuery effects, and more. You can even customize the booking form with your own custom fields.
WP Simple Booking Calendar is another straightforward WordPress booking plugin. Simply create a calendar and then add it to a post or page using the shortcode. It only allows users to book an entire day. This means there are no hourly time slots.
If you were looking for something very simple and basic for rooms, accommodation, or other per day offerings, then this plugin will do the job. For more complex items, look at the plugins we mentioned above.
Easy Appointments is a flexible and free WordPress appointment booking plugin. It allows you to easily add multiple locations, services, and workers. After that you can create flexible connections with granular control of the calendar. It also allows you to customize the booking form by adding custom form fields.
You can easily add appointment booking form to any page or post using the shortcode. You can also customize the notification emails plugin sends to clients, workers, and website administrator.
WPForms is the best WordPress contact form plugin. It comes with a beginner friendly drag and drop form builder that allows you to easily create any kind of form within minutes.
WPForms can be integrated with Google Calendar through Zapier but it doesn’t allow you to set working hours. However, if you already have WPForms installed, then you can easily use it to create a custom booking form. You will have to manually approve and confirm each appointment.
We hope this article helped you find the best WordPress appointment and booking plugins. You may also want to see our list of the must have WordPress plugins for business websites.
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.
When it comes to WP performance optimization, the word that usually comes first to mind is a cache plugin. You’ve probably already heard about WP Super Cache, WP Comet Cache or WP Rocket. The page caching can significantly improve the page generation time that affects the overall page loading time and it is essential letting ... Read moreReducing Your Page Load Time With WP Accelerator
Are you looking for a way to translate a WordPress plugin into your language?
By translating a WordPress plugin into another language, you will make it accessible to a broader audience. This allows users from different countries to use the plugin in their native languages.
In this article, we will show you how to easily translate a WordPress plugin into your language.
Similarly, most of the top WordPress plugins are also translation-ready. All you have to do is ask the plugin author if you can help by contributing translations in other languages.
By translating the plugin, you can increase its reach and create a larger user base. This can lead to more installs, feedback, and exposure for the plugin.
It can also help you establish yourself in the WordPress community and provide you with new networking opportunities with other developers, translators, and businesses in the industry.
You can even add the translation to your portfolio and demonstrate your skills and contributions to the WordPress community.
That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily translate WordPress plugins in your language. We will cover a few different methods in this post, and you can use the quick links below to jump to the method you want to use:
Method 1: Translate a WordPress Plugin Into Your Language for Everyone
If you want to translate a WordPress plugin in a way that helps other people use the plugin in their languages, then this method is for you.
WordPress.org currently hosts a web-based translation tool that allows anyone to contribute translations for plugins within the WordPress repository.
First, you will need to visit a plugin’s page on the WordPress.org website. Once you are there, just switch to the ‘Development’ tab at the top.
Here, you will see a link asking you to help translate the plugin into your language.
You can simply click on it to start contributing to the plugin translation.
However, if the link isn’t available, then you can visit the Translating WordPress website.
Once there, you will see a list of languages on the screen. From here, find your language and simply click the ‘Contribute Translation’ button under it.
This will take you to a new screen, where you need to switch to the ‘Plugins’ tab.
After that, search for the plugin you want to translate using the search field and then click the ‘Translate Project’ button under it.
This will direct you to the plugin translation page, where you must select the ‘Stable (latest release)’ sub-project from the left column.
If you want to translate the plugin’s development or readme files, then you can choose those sub-projects from the list instead.
Finally, you will be taken to a new page where you will see the original strings in one column and the translations in another.
Keep in mind that you will need to be logged in to your WordPress.org account to contribute translations.
From here, just click on the ‘Details’ link in the right column to open up the string you want to translate.
Once you have done that, a text field will open where you can add a translation for the original string.
Once you are done, simply click the ‘Save’ button to submit your translations.
Method 2: Translate a WordPress Plugin for Your Own Website
If you only want to translate a WordPress plugin for your own website, then this method is for you.
Upon activation, head over to the Loco Translate » Plugins page from the WordPress admin sidebar.
Here, you will see a list of plugins that are currently installed on your website. Just click on the plugin you want to translate.
This will take you to a new screen, where you will see a list of languages available for the plugin, along with the translation progress status for each language.
If the language you want to translate the plugin into is listed there, then simply click on the ‘Edit’ link under it.
If not, then you need to click the ‘New language’ button at the top.
This will direct you to a new page where you can start by selecting a language.
From here, you can pick the ‘WordPress language’ option and then choose your language from the dropdown menu under it.
This option will automatically start using the language file if a user sets the WordPress admin area in this language.
If you don’t want to use a WordPress language, then you can select the ‘Custom Language’ option.
Next, you have to choose where you want to store the translation files. By default, Loco Translate will recommend saving the translation files in its own folder.
However, you can easily change that to save the files in WordPress languages or the plugin’s own languages folder.
Once you have done that, just click the ‘Start translating’ button to continue.
This will take you to a new screen, where you will see a text source section along with a translation field.
You can now start by adding a translation for the source string and then select the next string to translate.
Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save’ button at the top to store your settings.
Method 3: Translate a WordPress Plugin on Your Computer
If you want to translate a WordPress plugin on your computer using gettext translation apps, then this method is for you.
Keep in mind that you can also submit these translations to plugin authors so that they can include them in their plugins.
First, you need to download the plugin you want to translate on your computer. Next, double-click the plugin zip file to extract it.
Once you have done that, you need to open the plugin’s folder and then find and click on the ‘languages’ folder.
You should find a .pot file inside this folder. This is the translation template file that you will need to translate the plugin.
If the plugin doesn’t have a .pot file or a languages folder, then it is most likely not translation-ready.
In that case, you can contact the plugin author and ask if they have any plans for their plugin translation. For more details, please see our guide on how to ask for WordPress support and get it.
Once you have the .pot file, you are ready to translate the plugin into any language.
Next, you need to download and install the Poedit app on your computer, which is a free translation app for Mac and Windows.
After you have the app installed, go ahead and open it up. This will launch the Poedit home screen, where you must click the ‘Create New’ option.
You will now be directed to your computer’s file manager. From here, simply find and select the .pot file for the plugin that you want to translate.
Once you have done that, Poedit will ask you to choose a language for translation from the dropdown menu.
After that, click the ‘OK’ button to continue forward.
Poedit will now show the translation interface, where you will see the list of strings available.
All you have to do is click on a string to select it and provide a translation in the ‘Translation’ field.
Once you are done translating the plugin, go to File » Save from the menu bar at the top and name your file after the language name and country code.
For example, if you are saving a French translation for the plugin, then you should save the file as ‘fr_FR’ for French and France.
Poedit will save your translation as .po and .mo files.
Now, all you need to do is place these files in your plugin’s languages folder to start using the translated plugin on your website.
Raise your hand if you can tell me the next upcoming event in the WordPress Events and News dashboard widget… That’s what I thought. While I’m sure there are some people who appreciate it, and other dashboard widgets, I’m not one of them, nor are a bunch of other people if I had to make ... Read moreUltimate Dashboard Review: Simplify The WordPress Dashboard
Do you want to add a Trello-like Kanban board to your WordPress website? Keeping track of your team’s projects, monitoring sales progress, and staying in touch with existing customers can be challenging if you are not organized. In this article, we will share how you can streamline your workflows by creating a Trello-like Kanban board in WordPress.
What is a Kanban Board?
A Kanban board is a workflow visualization tool that helps you optimize your processes and track progress of each task, no matter how complex they are.
Simple Kanban boards consist of three columns labeled To Do, In Progress, and Done. Each column represents a different stage in the workflow process. You can add individual tasks in the respective column.
The individual task item moves horizontally across the board as each stage is performed until it reaches the Done column. This is where the workflow ends and the project is considered complete.
Why Use a Kanban Board in WordPress?
There are several reasons why you might want to add a Kanban board to your WordPress website. For example, they offer an easy way to organize workflows, boost productivity amongst teams, and create a way for people to focus on what needs to be done and in what order.
More specifically, you might consider using a Kanban board in WordPress for the following reasons:
Project Management. If you work with a team and each member is responsible for separate tasks, then using a Kanban board helps organize those tasks and keep everyone productive. You can visually see the status of every project, at every stage, at any time.
Track Sales Goals. If you run a business that relies on sales revenue, then using a Kanban board allows you to work smarter, not harder. You just need to determine individual steps for attracting new customers, pitching sales, and securing transactions. From there, watch your sales team perform and see where improvements are needed.
Editorial Calendar.Publishing consistent content on your WordPress website is crucial for driving traffic to your site, engaging visitors, and converting readers into customers. You can plan ahead with a Kanban board and assign tasks to your team so content is ready to go when you need it.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management). Staying on top of existing customer relationships, as well as garnering new ones, is important for any business to succeed. You can add a Kanban board in WordPress with tasks related to reaching out to old customers, addressing questions and concerns of potential customers, and generating more leads that can help close additional sales and boost revenue.
As you can see, using a Kanban board for your WordPress website is a great way to become more productive all around, no matter what your end goals are.
While there are several third-party Kanban board solutions available like Trello, Jira, and Asana, some people prefer to keep everything in their WordPress site.
It helps keep things centralized and saves money on third-party services.
Having that said, let’s take a look at how to create a Trello-like Kanban board in WordPress.
Upon activation, you will be prompted with an option to choose which type of Kanban board you plan to set up.
You have the option to choose from Project Management, Editorial Calendar, Job Applicant Tracking, Sales Pipeline, Basic, and Custom. Each option comes with their own set of statuses, which can be customized to your liking.
Once you decide which one you would like to use, select Set it up!. For this example, we are going to use the Basic Kanban board option which has the statuses of To Do, Doing, and Done.
Configure Your General Settings
After you choose which pre-designed Kanban board you want to use, you need to navigate to the Settings tab to configure your plugin settings.
Under the General tab, you will have the option to determine which increments of time you want users to track their progress in. For instance, we have chosen to track hours.
In this section, you will also decide things such as:
Whether to hide the time tracking
If you want to display task IDs
If you want all columns to display
Whether to use the default login screen or not
Configure Your User Settings
Under the Users tab, you will first define who is allowed to make changes to the Kanban board. In addition, you need to determine who you want to assign new tasks to.
For example, assign tasks to the user that creates the task, the first user to move the task, or a single user. You also have the option to assign new tasks to no one.
Once configured, go ahead and click on Save your Settings.
If you scroll down a bit, you will notice the section for creating new users. You can create a user by adding information such as their username, email, and first/last names.
Once you have entered the information, click on the Add a user button and they will be immediately added to your Kanban board.
Configure Your Statuses Settings
Next, under the Statuses tab, you will customize your Kanban board in terms of column title, color, WIP, and whether to auto-archive.
WIP or Work in Progress, is the allotted number of tasks in each column on your Kanban board. By pre-setting how many WIPs you want allowed per column, you prevent bottlenecking of work into one column and keep the workflow moving smoother.
For instance, if you would only like 3 new To Do tasks assigned at any one time, then you would configure that column’s WIP to be 3. Until one of those tasks is moved to the next column on the Kanban board, no one will be allowed to add another To Do task to that column.
Once you are done, click on Save your Settings.
Configure Your Estimates Settings
Lastly, under the Estimates tab, you will decide the set points users will be allowed to choose from when deciding how long a particular task will take.
For instance, the default estimate settings include 2 hours, 4 hours, 1 day, 2 days, and 4 days.
You can, however, change those estimates to whatever you want. You can also add another estimate by selecting Add another estimate.
Keep in mind, all estimates you define will show in your Kanban board in the order they are set.
After making any necessary changes, click on Save your Settings.
Add Tasks to Your Kanban Board
After all of your plugin’s settings have been configured, click on the Go to your board button.
Since your Kanban board is brand new, it will look very empty at first. That’s because you need to start the workflow process by defining tasks in the To Do column.
You will also be able to estimate how long each task will take the assigned user.
From there, team members assigned tasks will be able to move them into the appropriate column labeled Doing, track the time it takes to complete the tasks, and lastly, move them into the Done column, signaling the task as complete.
We hope this article helped you learn how to easily add a Trello-like Kanban board to your WordPress website. You may also want to see our list of must have WordPress plugins for every website.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook .
