Category Archives: WordPress Plugins

Will Gutenberg Kill WordPress Page Builders? Not So Fast…

Back in November 2017, the team behind Tailor Page Builder made the hard decision to bow out of the page builder market because of, in part, the incoming WordPress Gutenberg editor. Will other companies soon be following suit? Does Gutenberg signal the end of WordPress page builders? Well – spoiler alert – I don’t think ... Read moreWill Gutenberg Kill WordPress Page Builders? Not So Fast…

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How to Remove Parent Slug From Child Page URL in WordPress

Do you want to remove the parent page slug from child page url in WordPress? By default, WordPress adds parent page’s slug as a prefix to child page URLs which is good for SEO. However, some people may not want parent page slug in the URL. In this article, we will show you how to remove parent page slug from child page URL in WordPress.

Remove parent page slug from child page URL

What is a Parent Page Slug in WordPress?

WordPress comes with two main content types called posts and pages. Pages are hierarchical which means they can have child pages. By default, the URL of a child page in WordPress will have its parent page’s slug in the URL like:

http://example.com/parent-page/child-page/

This is a better way to organize content if you are using hierarchical page structure on your website. It is considered best practice for WordPress SEO, and it makes sense for your users as well.

Removing the parent page slug can potentially break the URL, but in some expert opinion, it also makes it less SEO friendly. Sometimes it may cause conflicts with the WordPress permalink structure.

In our experience, if you don’t want parent page slug in your child page URL, then the best approach is to not create a child page at all. Instead, you can simply create a page and use navigation menus to show that it belongs under this page.

Adding child items to a menu

However, we understand that some users may still want to use child-pages for their own reasons.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily remove parent page slug from child page URL in WordPress.

Removing Parent Page Slug from Child Page URL in WordPress

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

Upon activation, you need to edit the child page you want to change. Under the page title, you will see the option to change the child page URL.

Change child page URL

The placeholder area will show your page’s current default URL. You need to click on it and enter the custom URL you want to use for your child page.

Custom page URL

Don’t forget to save your page to store your URL changes.

After saving your changes, you can click on the view page button to view your child page URL without parent page slug.

We hope this article helped you learn how to remove parent page slug from child page URL in WordPress. You may also want to see our list of the best drag and drop page builder 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.

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How to Bulk Upload WordPress Media Files using FTP

Do you want to bulk upload WordPress media files using FTP? By default, WordPress does not allow you to upload media files via FTP which can be annoying for users who want to bulk upload files at once. In this article, we will show you how to easily bulk upload WordPress media files using FTP.

How to Bulk Upload WordPress Media Files using FTP

Why Bulk Upload WordPress Media Files Using FTP

The default WordPress media uploader allows you to upload multiple files at once. You can do so by clicking on the ‘Add Media’ button while writing posts or by visiting Media » Add New page.

Uploading multiple files via Media uploader in WordPress

You can select multiple photos, images, audio, and even video files to upload and WordPress will do the rest.

However, this method may not work sometimes. You may see a maximum file upload size limit issues or the files may take forever to upload.

An easier alternative is to upload the files using FTP. However, WordPress doesn’t recognize files uploaded via FTP, and it will not show them inside admin area.

Luckily, there’s a way around that. Let’s take a look at how to easily bulk upload WordPress media files using FTP, and how to make them available inside WordPress.

Bulk Uploading Media Files in WordPress via FTP

First, you need to connect to your WordPress site using a FTP client. If you haven’t done this before, then see our guide on how to upload files to your WordPress site via FTP.

Once you are connected to your website via FTP, go to /wp-content/uploads/ folder.

WordPress uploads folder

Inside the uploads folder, you will see folders for years and months. That’s how WordPress stores media files by default. You can upload your media files to the current year and current month folder.

If it doesn’t exist, then you can create it. For example, 2018 for current year and inside that folder you can create a new folder 01 for the month of January.

Uploading your files may take a while depending on file size and your internet speed.

Once you have uploaded all your images, audio, video, or any other media files supported by WordPress, you are ready to import them into WordPress.

Making Your FTP Media Uploads Visible in WordPress

Even though you have uploaded the files to your website’s server, WordPress doesn’t automatically recognize them.

When you upload a file using the default WordPress media uploader, WordPress saves the file information inside the database. It then displays those files by fetching the information from your WordPress database.

Since these files were not uploaded via media uploader, WordPress does not have them stored in the database.

Let’s fix this.

First thing you will need to do is install and activate the Media from FTP plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to visit Media from FTP » Search & Register page. By default, the plugin will look into /wp-content/uploads/ folder and display all the media files it finds inside it.

Media from FTP settings

You can also browse folders by clicking on the /wp-content/uploads/ drop down menu. It allows you to sort files by type or by extension.

Once you have located the files you uploaded using FTP, simply click the checkbox next to them and then click on the ‘Update Media’ button.

The plugin will start registering your imported media into the WordPress media library. You will see the progress on the screen as it goes through each file.

Import and register progress

Once it is finished, you can visit Media » Library page to see all your imported files.

Media files uploaded via FTP to WordPress

You can now go ahead and add these images, audio, and other media files to your WordPress posts and pages.

We hope this article helped you learn how to easily bulk upload WordPress media files using FTP. You may also want to see our guide on how to optimize images in WordPress for better speed and 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.

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16 Best Alternatives to the WordPress Jetpack Plugin

Are you looking for the best alternatives to the Jetpack plugin? Jetpack is a powerful WordPress plugin suite that adds various features to your WordPress website. Recently one of our readers asked us to share possible Jetpack alternatives for WordPress. In this article, we will show you the best alternatives to the WordPress Jetpack plugin.

Best Jetpack alternatives for WordPress

What is Jetpack WordPress plugin?

Jetpack is a plugin suite which combines essential WordPress features into one large plugin. It allows you to manage the features you want to use, and you can turn off the features you don’t need.

However as your website grows, you may want to expand beyond Jetpack. You might need advanced functionalities that are offered in other third-party WordPress plugins.

In these cases, it makes sense to look at Jetpack alternatives for specific features that you need.

Pros and Cons of Jetpack Plugin

Pros and cons of using WordPress Jetpack plugin

Like all things in life, Jetpack plugin comes with its own advantages and disadvantages that you need to keep in mind when choosing Jetpack alternatives.

Pros of Using Jetpack Plugin

These are the advantages of using Jetpack plugin on your WordPress website.

  • One plugin to rule them all. You get all essential features in one easy to manage package.
  • Jetpack is highly optimized for performance with Automattic’s (company behind Jetpack and WordPress.com) powerful infrastructure running in the background.
  • It has a nicer user interface than your typical WordPress plugins.

Cons of Using Jetpack Plugin

Following are the disadvantages of using WordPress Jetpack plugin on your website.

  • Using Jetpack requires you to create a WordPress.com account.
  • The Jetpack core is free but many of its features require a paid subscription.
  • It has limited email functionality. You cannot email your subscribers without publishing a blog post.
  • Your website becomes dependent on one plugin which makes it harder to replace in the future.

That being said, let’s take a look at the best Jetpack alternatives that you can install on your website.

1. WPForms Lite

WPForms

WPForms Lite is the best alternative to Jetpack’s feedback form. WPForms is the best WordPress contact form plugin, and it comes with a free lite version that allows you to easily add contact form in your WordPress website.

WPForms comes with a beautiful drag and drop form builder and ready-made form templates. Adding form into your blog posts and pages is simple with shortcode or by using the Add form button in post editor.

We built WPForms to make it beginner friendly while offering advanced functionalities like email subscription, payments, user registration, and more in the Pro version.

2. MonsterInsights

MonsterInsights

Jetpack comes with a built-in stats module. However it’s no where near as powerful as Google Analytics. If you want Google Analytics integration in Jetpack, then you have to upgrade to the professional plan which costs $299/year.

MonsterInsights is the top Google Analytics plugin for WordPress with more than 1+ Million active installs, and it has a free version available for all WordPress users.

MonsterInsights allows you to easily install Google Analytics in your WordPress website. It comes with beautiful reporting tools that make it easy for beginners to see where their users are coming from and what they are viewing.

3. UpdraftPlus

UpdraftPlus

Jetpack offers automated daily backups, but they are only available for paid plans. UpdraftPlus is one of the best WordPress backup plugins in the market and a free alternate to Jetpack’s backup feature.

It allows you to easily set up automatic backups for your entire WordPress website.

You just need to set it up once, and then it will automatically create backups. Your backups are stored in remote locations such as Google Drive, Dropbox, and more. You can also restore your website from any previous backups with few clicks.

For details, see our guide on how to How to backup and restore your WordPress site with UpdraftPlus.

4. Akismet

Akismet

Jetpack has spam filtering feature for paid plans, but you will need at least the personal plan to access basic spam filtering.

Akismet is the best WordPress spam filtering plugin in the market. It automatically filters all your WordPress comments to catch spam. This significantly reduces the number of spam comments that you’ll have to moderate.

For complete set up instructions, see our Akismet guide for WordPress beginners.

5. Sucuri Scanner

Sucuri

Jetpack only scans for malware if you have professional or premium subscription plans. Sucuri scanner provides free malware scanner, blacklist monitoring, file integrity check, post-hacks security actions, and security hardening.

Sucuri is the industry leader in WordPress security and website monitoring. It also offers the best WordPress firewall which blocks suspicious activity even before it reaches your website.

6. Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO

Jetpack offers limited SEO functionality even for premium plan users. You will need at least professional plan to access all of Jetpack’s SEO features. Yoast SEO is the perfect alternative to Jetpack’s SEO features, and it is the most popular SEO plugin in the market.

The free Yoast SEO plugin gives you complete WordPress SEO tools including site verification, XML sitemaps, SEO preview, Facebook and Twitter preview images, title and meta descriptions, and more.

For complete step by step instructions, see our guide on how to install and set up Yoast SEO plugin.

7. WP to Buffer

WP to Buffer

WP to Buffer plugin allows you to connect your WordPress site to Buffer and automatically schedule your WordPress posts to share on your social media profiles. It is the best alternative to Jetpack’s publicize feature, which does the same thing.

Buffer is a social media management platform that allows you to schedule your social media posts throughout the day. This saves you time you would otherwise spend on sharing your articles manually on social media.

8. Yet Another Related Posts Plugin

Yet Another Related Posts Plugin

Yet Another Related Posts plugin is the best WordPress related posts plugin in the market and the perfect alternative to Jetpack’s related posts feature.

It offers more customization options and full control on how and where you display related posts on your website. It even supports custom post types and can add related posts in RSS feeds as well.

9. De:Comments

De:comments

Decomments is a paid WordPress plugin, which allows you to transform your WordPress comment area by adding more social features to it. Your users can rate comments, share comments on social media, login with their social profiles, earn badges, and more.

This offers a very engaging user experience for comments on your WordPress site. For detailed instructions see our article on how to improve WordPress comments with De:comments.

10. Envira Gallery Lite

Envira Gallery

WordPress comes with a default way to easily add image galleries. However, the default WordPress gallery is quite limited in functionality. If user clicks on a image it loads in a new page.

Envira Gallery Lite offers the free alternative to Jetpack’s responsive galleries. It allows you to easily create responsive image galleries with carousel popups.

11. Pingdom

Pingdom

Pingdom is not a plugin but a website monitoring tool that you can use as an alternative to Jetpack’s monitoring tool. Pingdom’s free account allows you to monitor 1 website.

It sends instant email notification when your website is down and notifies you when it is up again. You can also monitor your website’s historic uptime by logging into your account.

12. MailChimp

MailChimp

Email marketing is one of the best ways to reach out to your audiences. If you haven’t started it yet, then see our guide on why you should start building your email list right away.

MailChimp is one of the best email marketing services in the world and the perfect alternative to Jetpack’s email subscriptions. The downside of Jetpack’s subscriptions is that it only emails users when you publish a new post. Unlike a real email list, where you can send users weekly or monthly newsletters.

MailChimp is a paid service but they offer a free forever plan for upto 2000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month.

13. Cloudflare

Cloudflare

Cloudflare is one of the best CDN services that offers free CDN and basic protection against DDOS attacks.

It improves your website’s speed and performance by serving static content through their global CDN. Cloudflare is the perfect replacement for Jetpack’s CDN service which serves your images through their CDN server to optimize performance. It also provides a free alternative to Jetpack’s brute force attack protection.

For detailed instructions see our guide on how to setup free Cloudflare CDN in WordPress.

14. Easy Updates Manager

Easy Updates Manager

Easy Updates Manager allows you to replace Jetpack’s automatic plugin update feature. It helps you easily manage all WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates.

From a single dashboard, you can enable or disable automatic updates. You can set specific or all plugin updates to be automatically installed. It can also automatically install theme updates.

For more details, see our guide on how to better manage automatic WordPress updates.

15. WordPress Infinite Scroll

Load More - Infinite scroll for WordPress

WordPress Infinite Scroll is the perfect alternative to Jetpack’s infinite scroll feature. Just like Jetpack, you will need to add a little code snippet into your theme.

It allows you to add a button that users can click to load more posts, you can also choose to automatically load posts as user scrolls down a page.

For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to add load more posts button in WordPress.

16. EA Share Count

EA Share Count

EA Share Count is one of the best social media plugins for WordPress. It is super fast and only loads a limited number of top social networks: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Stumbleupon, Pinterest and LinkedIn.

It has three button styles, social share count, and total share count feature. It is available on GitHub (see our guide on how to install WordPress plugins from GitHub)

We hope this article helped you find the best alternatives for the Jetpack plugin on your WordPress site. You may also want to see our list of essential WordPress plugins to find other must-have plugins for your website.

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

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How to Create and Manage Ads.txt files in WordPress

Do you want to create and manage an ads.txt files in WordPress? Ads.txt file protects publishers from ad fraud, and it can potentially increase your ad revenue. In this article, we will show you how to easily create and manage ads.txt file in WordPress.

How to create and manage Ads.txt file in WordPress

What is Ads.txt File?

Ads.txt file allows publishers to declare who can sell ads on their website. It is an initiative created by IAB Tech Lab, a non-profit focused on improving digital advertising standards.

The initiative is supported by Google’s advertising platforms like Google Adsense, Doubleclick, and Ad Exchange. It is also supported by many other leading digital advertising platforms.

Why is Ads.txt file important?

Ad fraud cost millions of dollars in damages to online advertisers and publishers each year. People with malicious intent continuously try to trick ad platforms with domain spoofing, fake clicks, fake impressions, and more.

Ads.txt file improves transparency in online advertisement by allowing publishers to declare who can sell their ad inventory. Here is how it works:

If you are an advertiser and someone tells you that they can display your ad on a particular website, then you can go and checkout that website’s ads.txt file. It will show you if the company you are dealing with has the permission to sell advertising space on that particular website or not.

Since this data is publicly available, it can be crawled, stored, and searched by advertisers, publishers, and resellers.

If you are displaying ads on your website using Google Adsense, DoubleClick, or Ad Exchange, then adding Ads.txt file is recommended.

Many other advertising platform and software also support or require ads.txt file to be declared.

How to Create and Manage Ads.txt Files in WordPress?

First thing you need to do is install and activate the Ads.txt Manager plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to visit the Settings » Ads.txt page to configure plugin settings.

Ads.txt manager settings

The plugin provides a simple text area where you can add lines to declare each individual platform or reseller. For example, you can add the following line to declare Google Adsense.

google.com, pub-0000000000000000, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0

Don’t forget to replace pub-0000000000000000 with your own publisher ID.

As you can see, this line has four fields separated by comma. The first field is the domain of the company allowed to sell or resell your ad inventory. After that it has your publisher ID which corresponds to your account ID in the advertising platform.

The third field declares relationship type DIRECT or RESELLER. The last field is optional, and it represents an ID of the advertising platform. For all Google advertising programs, you’ll use the same unique ID.

Troubleshooting Earnings at risk Error in Adsense

A missing declaration in your ads.txt file may result in the following warning message in your Google Adsense account.

Earnings at risk – One or more of your ads.txt files doesn’t contain your AdSense publisher ID. Fix this now to avoid severe impact to your revenue.

This message indicates that your ads.txt file doesn’t have your publisher ID. To fix this message, simply go to Settings » Ads.txt page to make sure that you have correct publisher ID in plugin settings.

Note: Since ads.txt file is supposed to be in the root directory of a domain name, this plugin currently only works for root level domain like example.com. It does not work for WordPress installed in subdomain, subdirectory, or a single site in a multi-site network.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create and manage ads.txt file in WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on legit ways to make money online blogging with 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.

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WP Speed of Light Review: A Quality WordPress Performance Plugin

If you’re running a WordPress website, you should always be on the lookout for ways to speed up your site. As I harp on in every post that I write, page speed has far-reaching effects on your site. I’m talking about important issues like user experience, conversion rates, and organic Google rankings. But page speed ... Read moreWP Speed of Light Review: A Quality WordPress Performance Plugin

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How to Add a Mega Menu on Your WordPress Site (Step by Step)

Do you want to add a mega menu on your WordPress site?

Mega Menus allow you to arrange dozens or even hundreds of links into user-friendly columns and rows. You can then add rich content like images and videos, to make your mega menus even more helpful.

In this article, we will show you how you can add a mega menu to your WordPress website, step-by-step.

How to add a mega menu on your WordPress site (step by step)

Why Add a Mega Menu on Your WordPress Site?

WordPress comes with a drag-and-drop builder you can use to create a dropdown menu, header menu, and more. There are even plugins that allow you to create custom navigation menus in WordPress themes.

If your site has lots of content then you may need to create a mega menu instead. These mega menus allow you to add multi-column dropdowns to the WordPress navigation.

You can use mega menus to organize your content under different headings and subheadings, so visitors can find exactly the page they’re looking for. For example, if you create an online marketplace then you might arrange all your product categories and subcategories in a mega menu.

An example of an eCommerce mega menu

This helps shoppers find the exact product category they want, and make a purchase.

Mega menus can also show rich content to your visitors, such as videos, text, search, and recent posts.

Many websites use images, too, because they make mega menus easier to scan. Even if you’re showing dozens of menu items, dividing them into columns and then adding a relevant image can help visitors find exactly the content they’re looking for in seconds.

An example of a mega menu with rich content

That said, let’s see how you can easily add a mega menu to your WordPress website.

How to Create a Mega Menu for Your WordPress Site

The easiest way to add a mega menu on your WordPress site is by using Max Mega Menu. This plugin allows you to add rich content to your mega menus, including images, text, galleries, and more.

In this way, you can create more engaging and helpful menus.

An example of a mega menu on a WordPress website

You can also style every part of the mega menu by adding different colors, changing the font size, and using different icons.

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

Enable Mega Menus on Your WordPress Website

Upon activation, go to Mega Menu » Menu Locations to see all the different areas where you can add a mega menu.

You may see different options depending on your WordPress theme.

Enabling mega menus on different areas of a WordPress website or blog

To start, you’ll need to enable mega menus in every location where you want to use them.

To do this, simply click to expand a location and then check its ‘Enabled’ box.

Enabling the mega menu feature in WordPress

After that, you can change the ‘Event’ that’ll open the mega menu.

The default setting is ‘Hover intent,’ which means the visitor must hover their mouse over the mega menu for a few seconds. This works well for most WordPress websites, but you can also open the ‘Effect’ dropdown and choose ‘Hover’ or ‘Click’ instead.

If you choose ‘Click’ then the visitor will need to click to explore the mega menu. This can be useful if you’re worried visitors might trigger the menu by accident, which can be frustrating.

Meanwhile, ‘Hover’ will open your mega menu as soon as the visitor moves their mouse over it. This can encourage visitors to explore different areas of your site, so you may want to use ‘Hover’ on landing pages or your website’s homepage.

Changing the mega menu trigger event

After making this decision, you can change how the menu opens using the ‘Effect’ settings.

Max Mega Menu has different animations you can try, including fade and slide up. You can also change the animation’s speed. By trying different animations, you can create a mega menu that grabs the visitor’s attention.

Changing the animation effects on a mega menu

If you don’t want to use any animations, simply open the first dropdown and select ‘None.’

By default, Mega Menu doesn’t use animations on mobile devices to prevent performance issues. If you want to create a unique animation for mobile visitors, then you can use the settings in the ‘Effect (Mobile)’ area.

If you want to test your mega menus on mobile, then check out our guide on how to view the mobile version of WordPress sites from desktop.

Also, if you set the ‘Event’ dropdown to ‘click,’ then make sure you select the ‘Advanced’ tab next.

Here, you can use ‘Click Event Behavior’ to define what happens when the visitor clicks your mega menu. For example, the second click might close the menu or open a new link.

Changing the event click behavior in a mega menu

There are more settings you can look through, but this should be enough for most WordPress blogs and websites.

When you’re happy with how the plugin is configured, click on ‘Save Changes.’

To enable mega menus for more locations, simply follow the same process described above.

Enabling mega menu for multiple locations

Customize How the Mega Menus Looks on Your Website

The next step is configuring how the mega menus will look on your website.

You can do this by selecting the ‘Menu Themes’ tab to the left of the screen.

Creating a custom theme for a mega menu

On this screen, you can change the direction of the arrow icons, use a different line height, and add a shadow.

When you’re happy with your settings, don’t forget to click on ‘Save Changes.’

Customizing how the mega menu looks on your WordPress website

If you want to remove these changes at any point, then simply check the ‘Reset Widget Styling’ box and then click on ‘Save Changes.’

Next, you can customize the menu bar, which is the bar visitors see when the menu is in its default, collapsed state.

An example of a menu bar, in a WordPress mega menu

To make these changes, click on the ‘Menu Bar’ tab and then use the settings to change its background color, padding, border radius, and more.

You can even create a color gradient by selecting two different colors in the ‘Menu Background’ section.

Adding custom colors to a WordPress megamenu

If you scroll down, then you can change how the top-level menu looks.

This is the first row of items, which is visible when the mega menu is in its collapsed state.

Customizing how the top level menu items look

Since they’re so important, you might want to make the top-level menu items stand out.

For example, in the following image, we’re using a different background color.

An example of a website mega menu

In the ‘Hover State’ section you can highlight the currently-selected top-level menu item.

For example, in the following image, we’re using an underline effect.

Adding a hover state to a WordPress mega menu

This can help the visitor see where they are in the menu, which makes it particularly useful for sites that need to have large mega menus.

If you do add a hover state, then scroll to the bottom of the screen and check the ‘Highlight Current Item’ box.

Highlight the current item in a mega menu

After that, you can change how the submenu looks.

This is the menu that appears under a top-level parent, as you can see in the following image.

An example of a website sub menu

To customize the submenu, click on the ‘Mega Menus’ tab.

You can now use these settings to change the submenu’s background color, increase the radius to create curved corners, add padding, and more.

Customizing the sub menu on a website or blog

You add content to your mega menus using widgets. For example, you might add a Gallery widget and display your most popular WooCommerce products, or embed a tag cloud inside the mega menu. These widgets can provide extra information, or encourage visitors to click on certain menu items.

You can customize how these widgets will look by scrolling to the ‘Widgets’ section. For example, you might change the color of the widget’s title, increase the font size, add padding, and adjust the alignment.

How to add a mega menu on your WordPress website, step by step

On this screen, you can also customize how the second-level menu items and third-level menu items will look on your website. These are the children of the top-level menu items.

When building your menus, it’s possible to add four or even more levels to create a nested mega menu. If you do this, then WordPress will simply use the third-level styling for all the subsequent levels.

You can see this in action in the following image. The second level has red text, and both the third and fourth levels use the same yellow text.

A nested menu with multiple levels

When you’re happy with how the menu is set up, don’t forget to click on ‘Save Changes.’

How to Add a Mega Menu on Your WordPress Site

Once you’ve finished customizing the mega menu using Max Mega Menu, it’s time to add it to your website.

Simply head over to Appearance » Menus.

Editing a menu on your WordPress website

If you want to turn an existing menu into a mega menu, then open the ‘Select a menu to edit’ dropdown and choose it from the list. Just be aware the menu you choose must be assigned to a location where you’ve enabled the mega menu feature.

If you want to start from scratch, then click on ‘Create a new menu’ and then type in a title for your new mega menu.

Creating a navigation menu in WordPress

You can then select the location you want to use, and click on ‘Create Menu.’ Once again, this must be a location where you’ve enabled mega menus.

Add Content to Your WordPress Menu

After that, add all the pages, posts, and any other content you want to include in the menu. For step-by-step instructions, please see our beginner’s guide on how to add a navigation menu in WordPress.

Next, you’ll need to arrange your items into parents and submenus. To create a submenu, drag an item below the parent, and then drag it slightly to the right before releasing it.

Arranging pages and posts into a parent and child layout

To create multiple levels, simply keep dragging items to the right so they appear indented below one another. This is similar to creating a dropdown menu in WordPress.

No matter whether you’re creating a new menu or updating an old one, at this point you’ll have all the items you want to include in the mega menu.

Enable the Mega Menu Feature

With that done, click to expand the ‘Max Mega Menu Settings’ and check the box next to ‘Enable.’

Enabling the mega menu feature

In this box, you can also override the default mega menu settings. This allows you to create unique mega menus for different areas of your site, so go ahead and make any changes.

After that, click on ‘Save.’

Create the Mega Menu Layout

Now, hover your mouse over the first top-level item and you’ll see a new ‘Mega Menu’ button. Go ahead and give the button a click.

Configuring the Max Mega Menu settings

You will now see all the settings for this top-level item.

By default, Max Mega Menu will use the flyout style, where the submenus ‘flyout’ from the side. To create a mega menu instead, open the ‘Sub menu display mode’ dropdown and choose either ‘Standard Layout’ or ‘Grid Layout.’

Standard layout shows all the submenus in columns.

Using the Standard Layout on a WordPress website or blog

Meanwhile, grid layout allows you to organize submenu items into columns and rows.

This is ideal if you want to show lots of content, or have a very specific layout in mind.

Arranging menu items into rows and columns

After selecting the standard or grid layout, you’ll see all the submenus assigned to this parent.

Now, you can go ahead and change how these items are arranged in the mega menu.

Adding a Standard Layout to a navigation menu

If you’re using the standard layout, then you can change the number of columns using the dropdown menu in the top right corner.

If you’re using a grid layout, then you can add columns and rows using the ‘+Column’ and ‘+Row’ buttons.

Adding a grid layout to a WordPress menu

When you’re happy with the layout, you can arrange the submenu items into different columns and rows using drag and drop.

After that, it’s time to change how much space each item takes up in the column. Max Mega Menu shows the current size as a fraction of the total available width.

For example, in the following image, both columns take up half the available space.

Creating a custom layout for a WordPress menu

To make an item bigger or smaller, simply click on its arrow buttons to increase or decrease the fraction.

Create a Mobile-Friendly Mega Menu (Grid Layout Only)

By default, Max Mega Menu will show the same content on desktop and mobile devices. This can be a problem with grid layouts, as smartphones and tablets typically have smaller screens, and scrolling horizontally can be difficult.

If you’re using the grid layout, then you can create different mega menus for mobile devices. For example, you might use fewer columns so users don’t have to scroll horizontally.

You can hide entire columns or rows using the ‘Hidden on mobile’ icon, which looks like a small mobile phone.

How to create a mobile-responsive menu in WordPress

Simply toggle the icon on and off, to hide and show different content on desktop and mobile.

Add Rich Content with Mega Menu Widgets

With that done, you can start adding widgets to the mega menu. This allows you to show extra content in the submenu, such as WordPress galleries, text, videos, recent comments, and more.

For example, you might use images to promote a sale on your online store, or highlight your latest products.

Rich content in an online store menu

To add a widget, simply click to open the ‘Select a widget….’ dropdown.

You can now choose a widget from the list.

Adding rich, multimedia content to a website's navigation

WordPress will add the widget to a column or row automatically, but you can move it to a new location using drag and drop.

To configure the widget, go ahead and click on its little wrench icon.

Configuring widgets in your mega menu

This opens a popup where you can add content to the widget and change its settings.

You’ll see different options depending on the kind of widget you’re creating.

Adding images to a WordPress navigation menu

For example, if you added an Image widget, then you can click on ‘Add Image’ and either choose a picture from the media library or upload a file from your computer.

If you add a ‘Text’ widget then you’ll see a small editor where you can type in your text.

Adding extra text to a navigation menu

All widgets have a ‘Title’ field where you can add text that will be displayed above the widget.

When you’re finished, click on ‘Save’ to store your changes and then select ‘Close.’ To add more widgets to the mega menu, simply follow the same process described above.

Arranging pages and posts into a grid layout

Review the Default Mega Menu Settings

Next, just click on the ‘Settings’ tab.

Here, you can use checkboxes to hide or show different content in the submenu.

The Max Mega Menu settings

You can also hide or show the submenu on mobile devices and desktop, and change the alignment so the submenu opens to the left or right of the top-level parent.

If you make any changes to the default settings, then don’t forget to click on ‘Save Changes.’

Add Image Icons to the WordPress Mega Menu

Image icons help visitors understand what a menu item is about, without even having to read the navigation label. This is particularly useful for large menus where a visitor may prefer to scan the content quickly rather than reading each navigation label.

A mega menu with image icons

You can use icons to make the most important content stand out. For example, you might encourage visitors to complete their purchase by adding a cart icon to the ‘Checkout’ menu.

To add image icons to your navigation menu, click on the ‘Icon’ tab.

Adding dashicons to a WordPress menu

You can now choose any dashicon from the built-in library. If you upgrade to Max Mega Menu pro, then you’ll also have access to other icon fonts, Genericons and FontAwesome, or you can choose a file from your WordPress media library.

Finish Configuring the Mega Menu on Your WordPress Site

After working your way through all these settings, you can close the popup window to return to the main Appearance » Menus page.

You can now repeat this process for each top-level parent.

When you’re happy with how the mega menu is set up, click on the Save Menu button to make it live.

Publishing a mega menu to your WordPress site

Now, simply visit your website to see the mega menu in action.

We hope this article helped you learn how to add a mega menu on your WordPress site. You can also go through our guide on the best drag and drop WordPress page builders and 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 How to Add a Mega Menu on Your WordPress Site (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Export WordPress Users Data to a CSV File

Do you want to export WordPress users data to a CSV file? Sometimes you may need the user data to add into a new website or to use in other marketing campaigns. The default WordPress export tools do not let you export user accounts. In this article, we will show you how to easily export WordPress users data to a CSV file.

Export WordPress users data to CSV file

When and Why Export WordPress Users Data to a CSV File

The default WordPress export tool does not include user accounts. It allows you to create user accounts during the import, only if those users have content. This excludes user roles with no writing privileges like subscribers or customers in an ecommerce store.

If you are moving a WordPress website, then user data will already be included in your WordPress database backup. What if you just wanted to move user data and not the whole website?

Many businesses and site owners may want to use the user data in their CRM platforms, email lists, or other marketing campaigns.

This is when you’ll need a tool to easily export user data in a CSV file. These are plain text files where each user data field is separated by a comma. CSV files can be opened in any spreadsheet software like Google Sheets, Microsoft Excel, etc.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily export WordPress users data to a CSV file.

Exporting WordPress User Data to a CSV File

First thing you need to do is install and activate the Export Users to CSV plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to visit Users » Export Users to CSV page to configure plugin settings.

Export to CSV settings

Select the user role you want to export or select ‘Every role’. The plugin also allows you to select a date range to download only users who joined between that period.

Once you are finished, click on the export button to continue.

The plugin will prepare a CSV file containing user data and send it to you as a download. Once downloaded, you can open that file in a spreadsheet program or import it into other programs.

That’s all, we hope this article helped you export WordPress users data to a CSV file. You may also want to see our mega list of handy WordPress tips, tricks, and hacks for beginners.

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 Export WordPress Users Data to a CSV File appeared first on WPBeginner.

13+ Best WPBakery Page Builder Add-ons – Formerly Visual Composer

In the past few weeks, we’ve been diving into add-ons for popular WordPress page builders. These are essentially “plugins for plugins” that add additional functionality to your favorite page builder. In those weeks, we’ve already looked at Elementor add-ons, Beaver Builder add-ons, and some Divi extensions. Now, we’re going to round things out with a look ... Read more13+ Best WPBakery Page Builder Add-ons – Formerly Visual Composer

The post 13+ Best WPBakery Page Builder Add-ons – Formerly Visual Composer appeared first on Learn WordPress with WPLift.

How to Use Contact Form to Grow Your Email List in WordPress

Did you know that you can use your WordPress contact form to grow your email list? Users are most engaged when they are trying to reach out using the contact form on your website. In this article, we will show you how you can use contact forms to grow your email list in WordPress.

How to use Contact Forms to Grow Your Email List

Why Use Contact Forms for Email List Building in WordPress?

Email marketing is the most cost effective way to reach your audience. If you haven’t started it yet, then you need to see our article on why you should start building your email list right away.

You will need to combine different tools and methods for encouraging users to signup. Offering multiple choices to sign up helps you quickly get more subscribers.

Many users focus on adding email signup forms to their websites, which is good start but you need to get more creative. Contact forms, in fact any kind of forms on your website are the perfect place to add an email signup option.

Here is why:

  • Your users have already entered their email address in the contact form.
  • They are already interested in what you have to offer, that’s why they are filling the form. Why not ask them to subscribe as well?
  • Many users feel that their chances of getting a response will increase if they opted in for your email list
  • You can use it in a variety of ways not just contact forms, but surveys, quizzes, ebook downloads, and more.

That being said let’s see how to easily integrate your email list to your WordPress forms and use contact forms to boost your email subscribers.

Connecting Your Email List to WordPress Contact Forms

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

It is a paid plugin, and you will need at least the Plus plan to access email marketing addons.

You can use this WPForms Coupon: WPB10 to get 10% off your purchase on any WPForms plan.

Upon activation, you need to visit WPForms » Settings page to enter your license key. This will enable automatic updates and give you access to respective addons.

WPForms license key

Next, head over to WPForms » Addons page to install the addon for your email marketing service.

WPForms comes with integration addons for the top email marketing services including Constant Contact, MailChimp, AWeber, and more.

Install addon

Once you have installed and activated the Addon, you need to visit WPForms » Settings page and click on the integrations tab. You will see your email service provider listed there.

Click on your email service provider name and enter the required credentials. You can find this information from your email service account.

Connect your email service provider to WPForms

Now that you have connected WPForms to your email marketing service, you can easily add email optins into your forms and add them anywhere on your website.

Adding Email Signup Checkbox to Your Contact Forms

First you need to create a simple contact form for your website. See our detailed instructions on how to easily create a contact form in WordPress.

Once you have created your form, the next step is to add an email sign up option into the same form. Click on the checkbox field from the fields column.

Add checkbox to your form

You will notice a new field added to your form with three checkboxes. Clicking on the field will open its settings. You need to remove the two checkboxes and change the field label to something appropriate like ‘Signup for our Email List’.

Edit checkbox

You can check the box next to the choice field. Doing so, your email signup field will be checked by default.

Now your form is ready, we just need to tell it what to do when someone fills up the form.

You can do this by clicking on the ‘Marketing’ tab in the form builder. Here you need to select your email service provider and then click on the ‘Add New Connection’ button.

Add new email connection

You will be asked to provide a name for this connection.

Next, WPForms will fetch your email service account. It will show the label you added for the account when you added it in the integrations.

It will also fetch email lists available under your email service account. You need to select the email list where you want to add users.

Mapping form fields to email list fields

In the next section, you will be asked to map the form fields to your email service fields. After that you need to click on the checkbox next to ‘Enable conditional logic’ option.

Enable conditional logic

Select ‘Process’ this form if condition and then select your checkbox field and the checked reply.

Your contact form with email signup optin is now ready. You need to click on the Save button at the top bar and then exit form builder.

You can now add this form into any WordPress post or page. Simply click on the Add Form button when editing a post and then select your contact form.

Add form button

Here is a preview of a contact form on our demo website with email sign up optin.

A contact form with email subscription optin

Adding Email Subscription Checkbox to Other Forms

You can add email subscription checkbox to any form you create with WPForms. Here are a few creative ways to display forms and then you can add email subscription option to all these forms.

We hope this article helped you learn how to use contact forms to build your email list in WordPress. You may also want to see our ultimate guide on how to do lead generation in WordPress like a pro.

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 Use Contact Form to Grow Your Email List in WordPress appeared first on WPBeginner.