Do you want to add a YouTube video gallery on your WordPress website?
You can add YouTube videos to WordPress blog posts using the built-in Embed block. However, you can’t easily arrange these videos in a nice gallery layout.
In this article, we will share the best YouTube video gallery plugins for WordPress so you can show your videos in an organized and eye-catching way.
This plugin allows you to hand-pick specific videos from your account, or automatically show all the latest videos from your YouTube channel. You can even combine multiple YouTube channels into a single feed.
Smash Balloon has a ready-made gallery layout so you can organize your videos with the click of a button. After creating a gallery, you can control exactly how the videos look by choosing whether to show the YouTube description, title, comments, the total number of likes, and much more.
You can even encourage visitors to join your YouTube channel, by adding a ‘Subscribe’ button to the gallery.
By default, the gallery layout also has a ‘Load More’ button so visitors can scroll through your entire YouTube channel without leaving your website.
When a visitor clicks on a video, Smash Balloon will start playing it in an embedded video player. In this way, you can get more YouTube views and engagement without driving visitors away from your website.
By default, the player shows related videos when the playback finishes, or the visitor pauses the video. Smash Balloon lets you replace these suggested videos with a custom call to action, so you can promote a specific post, page, or even the most popular WooCommerce products from your online store.
You can also use Smash Balloon to embed YouTube playlists, favorites, and livestreams on your WordPress website.
The best part about Smash Balloon is that it doesn’t slow down your site. The plugin’s built-in YouTube caching feature will make sure your site always loads fast, which is great for SEO.
The other nice thing about Smash Balloon is that you can combine social content from Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube into a single social wall. If you’re serious about growing your online presence, then we highly recommend the Smash Balloon All Access Bundle, which gives you access to the social wall feature.
Note: If you’re just getting started or have a limited budget, then there’s also a free version of the YouTube feed plugin. Although this plugin is missing the more advanced features, it still has everything you need to embed YouTube videos on your WordPress website.
Pricing: Smash Balloon YouTube Feed Pro licenses start at $49 per year. If you want to embed Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube content on your WordPress website, then you can grab the All Access Bundle for $299 per year.
However, there’s also an Envira Gallery Videos Addon that allows you to create a YouTube gallery. Simply enter the URL for each YouTube video and then specify the thumbnail that you want to show in the gallery. The Videos Addon will then fetch the video automatically.
After adding all your videos, Envira Gallery lets you fine-tune the playback experience. You can make the video autoplay, open it fullscreen by default, hide the playback controls, and much more.
Envira Gallery can also embed entire YouTube playlists, although you’ll need to get a YouTube API from the Google Cloud Console and then add it to the plugin’s settings first.
As well as YouTube, Envira Gallery supports other popular video hosting services such as Vimeo, Wistia, Twitch, VideoPress, and Dailymotion.
One major drawback is that Envira Gallery won’t automatically fetch new YouTube videos from your channel. If you want to update the gallery, then you’ll need to add each new video manually using its URL.
Pricing: To get Envira with the Video Gallery addon, you’ll need to either buy a Pro license ($89 per year) or a Lifetime license ($209).
With the YouTube Showcase plugin, you can add a YouTube video gallery or grid to your WordPress website.
After activating the plugin, you can add any YouTube video to your site using the 11-digit alphanumeric video key shown at the end of the video’s URL.
To help visitors find what they’re looking for, YouTube Showcase lets you add categories and tags to your videos. These work in exactly the same way as the built-in WordPress categories and tags, so they’re very easy to use.
Once you’ve done that, you just need to add the plugin’s shortcode to any page, post, or widget-ready area. YouTube Showcase will then show all your videos in a nice gallery layout.
YouTube Showcase automatically adds a row of video thumbnails below the gallery, so visitors can easily move between the different videos. For visitors who are using a smartphone or tablet, YouTube Showcase replaces these thumbnails with more mobile-friendly ‘Prev’ and ‘Next’ icons.
The plugin uses pagination by default, so your gallery should load quickly no matter how many videos you add.
The default gallery layout should be a good fit for most websites. However, if you want to make changes then the plugin has a straightforward settings page.
While it isn’t as customizable as some of the other gallery plugins, YouTube Showcase does have a section where more advanced users can add custom CSS and custom JavaScript.
If you don’t like the gallery layout, then YouTube Showcase also has a video grid shortcode. This shows all your YouTube videos in a 4-column grid layout.
Pricing: You can download YouTube Showcase for free from the official WordPress repository.
YourChannel is one of the easiest ways to create a YouTube gallery. It allows visitors to look through your entire YouTube channel feed and watch any video without leaving your website.
YourChannel also comes with a built-in WordPress caching system, to help keep your website running smoothly.
To set up YourChannel, simply enter your YouTube username or channel ID. After that, the plugin will automatically fetch banner images, video thumbnails, your subscriber count, and your total number of views.
The plugin’s settings are straightforward and user-friendly, so you can create a beautiful-looking gallery simply by checking a few boxes and typing some numbers.
You can change how many videos YourChannel shows when the gallery page first loads, and set a maximum number of videos that visitors can scroll through. This is particularly useful for creating a mobile-friendly video gallery.
YourChannel also helps you stay GDPR compliant by showing an ‘Allow Cookies’ message when a visitor first clicks the ‘Play’ button. This message includes a link to your privacy policy.
When you’re happy with how the gallery looks, you can add it to any page, post, or widget-ready area using a shortcode provided by the plugin.
Pricing: Simply visit the WordPress repository and download the YourChannel plugin for free.
According to our marketing statistics research, 70% of people visit YouTube on a smartphone or tablet. If you run an online store using a plugin such as WooCommerce, then you’ll be interested to learn that 90% of consumers watch videos on a mobile device.
With that in mind, you’ll want to make sure your YouTube gallery looks just as good on mobile, as it does on desktop. With Photo Gallery by 10Web, you can create a mobile responsive image and video gallery within minutes.
Despite the name, Photo Gallery supports all the best video hosting sites including Vimeo, Dailymotion, and YouTube. Simply copy the video’s URL, and Photo Gallery will add that video to your website.
After that, you can fine-tune how the gallery looks by choosing different layouts, switching between dark and light themes, adding pagination, and more. You’ll also have complete control over the content that appears in your gallery, including adding or removing the video title, description, tag box, and more.
Visitors can watch each video directly on your website, using the Photo Gallery lightbox popup. The lightbox comes with built-in social share buttons, which make it easy for visitors to share your videos on Facebook and Twitter. This can help you create a buzz on social media, get more engagement, and grow your social media following.
Pricing: You can download Photo Gallery for free from the official WordPress repository. If you need more advanced features, then there’s also a premium version of Photo Gallery.
Embed Plus for YouTube allows you to create a YouTube gallery using videos, playlists, shorts, and livestreams.
This plugin has a few unusual features, such as ‘Modest Branding’ which reduces the amount of YouTube branding in your video gallery.
Another unique feature is ‘facade mode,’ which aims to make your WordPress website faster by loading a lighter version of the video player initially, and then downloading the rest of the player when the visitor clicks a video.
To make your pages load even faster, Embed Plus can defer JavaScript while serving minified CSS and JavaScript.
Embed Plus can even convert non-HTTPs videos to HTTPS. Since Google uses HTTPS/SSL as a ranking factor in its search results, this can improve your search engine rankings.
To keep people on your website for longer, Embed Plus can automatically play the next video in the gallery, which is particularly useful if you’re adding playlists to your WordPress blog.
This plugin has in-depth and detailed settings that cover several tabs. This gives you complete control over how the YouTube gallery looks and acts, but it can be confusing when you first activate the plugin.
Thankfully, Embed Plus has a built-in setup wizard that asks questions about the kind of gallery you want to create and then changes the default settings based on your answers.
Pricing: You can download Embed Plus YouTube for free from the official WordPress repository. If you need more advanced features then there’s also a Pro YouTube plugin.
Automatic YouTube Gallery lets you create unlimited video galleries on your site. As the name suggests, this plugin automates most of the setup process so you can create a YouTube video gallery in minutes.
With this plugin, you can create a YouTube gallery using a channel ID, username, playlist, search terms, or even by entering specific video URLs. You can also embed live streams on your WordPress website.
After choosing your videos, Automatic YouTube Gallery lets you fine-tune how the gallery looks. This includes changing the number of columns in the gallery layout, changing the ratio, adding or removing the video titles, and more.
Automatic YouTube Gallery also has some settings to help keep visitors on your website for longer, such as autoplaying the next video and looping a single video. To make your YouTube gallery more accessible, you can also activate closed captions by default or change the language used by the video player’s interface.
With Automatic YouTube Gallery, you don’t have to worry about videos slowing down your site. The plugin has a caching feature that can reduce page loading times and boost your WordPress speed and performance.
You can use All-in-One Video Gallery to show videos from YouTube, Vimeo, Dailymotion, Rumble, and more in an HTML5 video player.
Unlike other plugins that have their own editors, All-in-One Video Gallery integrates with the familiar WordPress page and post editor. It also has video categories and tags that work exactly the same as the built-in WordPress categories and tags.
With this in mind, it’s very easy to get started with the All-in-One Video Gallery.
After adding your videos, All-in-One Video Gallery lets you customize the player controls, playback options, and video quality levels. This plugin also aims to make your videos more accessible by supporting WebVTT subtitles and showing the subtitles automatically.
The plugin is GDPR compliant and will get the visitor’s consent before loading YouTube, Vimeo, or embedded videos from third-party websites. If you prefer, then you can also disable the plugin’s cookies for added privacy.
When you’re ready, you can either show all your videos in a single gallery or create different galleries using the plugin’s categories feature. This allows you to create lots of different galleries, with different content.
Another option is embedding the built-in All-in-One Video Gallery search form. This allows visitors to search through all your videos, to find exactly the content they’re looking for.
Pricing: You can download All-in-One Video Gallery for free from the WordPress repository.
Video Gallery by Total Soft can add an unlimited number of professionally-designed video galleries to your website. This plugin supports YouTube plus other major video platforms such as Vimeo and Wistia.
When building a gallery, you can choose between 16 different themes and 9 layouts. If your YouTube channel has lots of videos, then you can use pagination to spread the content across multiple pages.
This plugin puts a strong focus on gallery thumbnails. Every time you add a video to a gallery, you can replace the default YouTube thumbnail with an image of your choice.
After that, Video Gallery will play different hover effects when the visitor moves their mouse over the thumbnail. This includes some advanced hover effects that animate the video’s title, description, and other elements. In this way, your gallery can catch the visitor’s attention before it starts playing videos.
Video Gallery allows you to show videos from different online platforms, and even self-hosted videos, in the same gallery.
After building a gallery, you can add it to any page, post, or widget-ready area using a shortcode. Video Gallery also provides a code snippet that adds the gallery to your WordPress theme. For more information, please see our guide on how to easily add custom code in WordPress.
Pricing: You can download Video Gallery for free from the official WordPress repository.
What is the Best YouTube Video Gallery Plugin for WordPress?
If you’re looking for the easiest way to add a gallery to WordPress, then Smash Balloon Youtube Feed Pro is our top pick.
This plugin guides you through the process of connecting YouTube and WordPress and then makes it easy to build a professionally-designed gallery. It also lets you fine-tune every part of the gallery so it perfectly suits your WordPress theme.
When you’re happy with how the gallery looks, you can add it to any page, post, or widget-ready area using either a shortcode or the plugin’s Feeds for YouTube block.
Unlike some other plugins on the list, your Smash Balloon gallery will update automatically as you publish new videos to YouTube. This means visitors will always see the latest videos, and you don’t have to worry about updating your gallery manually.
While Smash Balloon YouTube Feed Pro is our top choice, it is a premium plugin. If you’re looking for a free YouTube gallery plugin, then you may want to take a look at Feeds for YouTube instead.
While this plugin is missing some of Smash Balloon’s advanced features, it still has everything you need to create a YouTube video gallery for your WordPress website.
This makes Feeds for YouTube our top pick for anyone who is just getting started, has a limited budget, or just wants to embed a small number of videos in their WordPress website.
We hope this article helped you choose the best YouTube gallery plugins for WordPress. You may also want to see our list of best drag-and-drop WordPress page builders to create custom designs and our tutorial on how to create an email newsletter to keep your visitors updated with your new videos.
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.
By embedding PDF files in your website, you can make sure those files always have the same layout, no matter what device the visitor is using. These files can also keep people on your website for longer and add value for your uses.
In this article, we will show you how to add a PDF viewer in WordPress.
Why Do You Need a PDF Viewer in WordPress?
Many websites use PDF files to share information about their services and products. For example, restaurant owners often publish their menu as an online PDF.
However, this isn’t the best user experience for people who want to quickly look at a PDF document. For example, someone who is planning to visit your restaurant may prefer to read the PDF menu on your website rather than downloading a copy to their computer.
Instead, you can add a PDF viewer in WordPress and then show the PDFs directly on your website. This allows visitors to see the document without downloading it to their computer, which is often quicker and easier. This is particularly true for visitors who are using smartphones or tablets.
With that being said, let’s see how you can easily add a PDF viewer to WordPress. Simply use the quick links to jump straight to the method you want to use.
Method 1. Add a PDF Viewer Using the Block Editor (Easy)
The easiest way to show PDFs on your WordPress website is by using the built-in File block.
This method doesn’t require a special plugin, but you can only customize the viewer in a few ways. If you want more advanced customizations and features, then we recommend using a plugin instead.
To get started, simply open the page or post where you want to add the PDF viewer in the content editor and then click on the ‘+’ button to add a new block.
After that, start typing in ‘File’ and select the right block when it appears.
If you’ve already uploaded your PDF to the WordPress media library, then click on the ‘Media Library’ button. You can then select the PDF that you want to embed.
If you haven’t already uploaded the PDF, then click on ‘Upload’ and then choose a file from your computer.
WordPress will automatically choose a size for the embedded PDF.
Note that the default view may not show the full document, but the ‘File’ block includes a toolbar that allows visitors to zoom in and out of the document. They can also scroll through the PDF to see more content.
If you prefer, then you can change the PDF viewer’s height to show more or less of the embedded document.
To do this, simply use the ‘Height in pixels’ slider in the right-hand menu.
Sometimes, visitors may want to download a PDF so they always have it close by. For example, customers may want to download the user manual for your most popular product or the programming schedule for an upcoming event or conference.
By default, WordPress shows a ‘Download’ icon in the toolbar and a button below the PDF.
The ‘Download’ button beneath the PDF is useful for visitors who are unfamiliar with the different PDF toolbar icons. By showing a ‘Download’ button, visitors will immediately understand that this file is not tied to your site alone.
With that in mind, you may want to leave the ‘Download’ button enabled. However, if you don’t want to include this duplicate content then you can click to disable the ‘Show Download Button’ toggle.
When you’re happy with how the PDF is set up, either click on ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ to make your changes live.
Now if you visit your WordPress website you’ll see the PDF viewer in action.
Method 2. Add a PDF Viewer in WordPress Using a Plugin (More Customizable)
The built-in WordPress File block should be a good fit for websites that simply want to embed a few PDFs. However, if you want more control over the viewer then it often makes sense to use a plugin instead.
It also comes with a fullscreen mode, which is perfect for showing longer documents such as ebooks and user manuals.
First, you’ll need to install and activate PDF.js Viewer. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, go to Settings » PDFjs Viewer to configure the plugin’s settings.
Most of the time, you can override these default settings when embedding each PDF. For example, you can change an individual PDF’s settings for size or scale.
However, we still recommend changing the default settings to better match your own requirements, as this can save you a lot of time and effort.
By default, the plugin includes Download, Print, and Search buttons in the PDF toolbar. If you want to remove any of these buttons, then simply uncheck the box next to it.
You can also change the default embed height and width, and the ‘Viewer Scale.’
Out-of-the-box, PDF.js Viewer shows the PDF without any sidebar so visitors can see the full document when they arrive on the page. They can open the sidebar at any point by clicking on the ‘Toggle Sidebar’ button, as you can see in the following image.
If you plan to include longer documents or multi-page PDFs then it may be helpful to show the sidebar by default.
To do this, simply open the ‘Page Mode’ dropdown menu and select either Thumbs, Bookmarks, or Attachments.
PDF.js Viewer allows visitors to open the PDF in fullscreen mode. By default, visitors can open this mode by clicking on a ‘View Fullscreen’ link above the embedded PDF.
To replace the text with your own custom messaging simply type into the ‘Fullscreen Link Text’ field.
You can also choose whether the link opens in a new tab using the ‘Fullscreen Links in New Tabs’ box.
Launching a new tab will help to keep visitors on your website, but it can be annoying for mobile and tablet users.
Fullscreen mode makes it easier to read long documents so we recommend leaving this feature enabled. However, if you don’t want to use it then you can uncheck the box next to ‘Show Fullscreen Link.’
When you’re happy with how the plugin is set up, click on ‘Save Changes.’
You’re now ready to add a PDF viewer in WordPress. Simply open the page or post where you want to show the PDF and then click on the ‘+’ button.
You can now start typing in ‘Embed PDF.js Viewer’ and select the right block when it appears.
After that, click on ‘Choose PDF’ to open the WordPress media library.
You can now either choose a PDF from the library or upload a file from your computer.
The plugin will use your default settings, but you can fine-tune how this PDF looks and acts using the settings in the right-hand menu.
Here, you can change the PDF’s height, width, and scale. You can also remove or customize the ‘View Fullscreen’ link.
Finally, you can choose to remove or show the ‘Download’ and ‘Print’ buttons.
When you’re happy with how the PDF is set up, simply click on ‘Update’ or ‘Publish.’ You can now visit your WordPress blog or website to see the embedded PDF viewer.
After embedding a PDF document in your website, you can turn that page or post into exclusive members-only content. Visitors will then need to buy a membership to access that page or post, and see the embedded PDF.
The easiest way to turn WordPress into a membership site is by using MemberPress. It is the best WordPress membership plugin and allows you to turn any page or post into exclusive subscriber-only content, including embedded PDFs.
We also suggest using Easy Digital Downloads to manage and sell PDFs on your website. You can sell all kinds of digital goods easily and embed PDFs in the product pages as previews, too.
Do you want to add a multilingual search in WordPress?
If you have a multilingual WordPress site, then adding a multilingual search feature can help users find information more quickly by searching in their own language.
In this article, we’ll show you how to easily add multilingual search in WordPress and delight your users with a better user experience.
Why Should You Add Multilingual Search in WordPress?
Often users have trouble finding information on multilingual websites because either there is no search feature that they can use, or the search feature shows them content in the wrong language.
Adding a multilingual search feature helps users easily find the content they are looking for. This improves user experience which means users will stay longer on your website.
Research shows that engaged users are more likely to convert, subscribe, or make a buying decision.
That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily add a multilingual search in WordPress without breaking your website or writing any code.
Note: Keep in mind that the free version of TranslatePress only allows you to translate your website into one other language. So if you want to add multilingual search in WordPress for more than two languages, then you’d need to buy the TranslatePress Premium version.
Once you have translated some content on your WordPress website. It is time to add the search form.
Add a Search Block to your WordPress Site
WordPress comes with a built-in search block that you can add anywhere on your website.
If you’re using a block-based theme like Ultra, then you’ll be using the full site editor to add the search block.
Simply visit the Appearance » Editor page from the WordPress dashboard.
This will launch the full site editor which looks a lot like the block editor you use for writing posts and pages.
Now, click on the add block button (+) to add the Search block.
You can move the search block up and down to display it anywhere on the page.
Search block also comes with a few style options that you can choose from the block toolbar or settings.
Once you are finished, don’t forget to click on the Save button to save your changes.
You can now visit your website to see the search form in action.
On the other hand, if you’re using a theme that does not support the full-site editor, then you can add a search form as a widget.
Simply go to the Appearance » Widgets page from the WordPress admin dashboard.
Here, click the Add widget block button (+) and add the Search block to your widget area.
Once the ‘Widget Block Menu’ opens up, locate the ‘Search’ block and add it to your WordPress sidebar.
Don’t forget to click the ‘Update’ button at the top to save your changes.
Once you’ve saved the changes, visit your site and see the search box in action.
Method 2: Adding Multilingual Search Using SearchWP (Recommended)
The default WordPress search feature used by TranslatePress is not very good. It is quite basic and only looks for search terms in certain places.
It is the best WordPress search plugin on the market and allows you to easily replace the default WordPress search with a more powerful search feature.
SearchWP automatically builds a search index and matches search keywords in content, title, categories, tags, shortcodes, documents, products, and more.
Plus, it automatically replaces the default search form upon activation so you don’t need to replace it if you were already using it on your site.
That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily add a better multilingual search to your WordPress site.
After that, go to the SearchWP » Settings page and then click on the ‘License’ menu option to enter your license key.
You can get the license key from your ‘SearchWP Accounts’ page. Simply copy the license key from there.
After that, paste it into the ‘License Key’ field and then click on the Activate button.
Now, you are ready to create your first custom search engine.
Simply go to the SearchWP » Settings page from the dashboard.
From here, you will see SearchWP’s first default search engine for you. It is pre-configured to work for most websites including multilingual websites.
You’ll see all your post types with different attributes. Next to each attribute there will be a slide that you can move to assign weight for that attribute.
You can also click on the Add/Remove Attributes button to include more areas in the search.
For instance, you can add custom fields and taxonomies to the attributes as well.
If you are unsure about a setting, you can leave it as it is. The default options would work for more use cases.
Finally, click on the Save Engines button to store your settings.
SearchWP will now start building your search index in the background.
Now, all you need to do is add the search form to your site.
Add a Search Block to your WordPress Site
SearchWP replaces the built-in search feature, which means you can use the default WordPress search form and it would still use SearchWP to show the results.
If you haven’t already added a search form to your website, then here is how you would add it.
If you’re using a block-based theme, then you’ll be adding a search block using a full-site editor.
Simply go to the Appearance » Editor page from the admin dashboard.
On the edit screen, click on the add block button (+) at the top and add the search block.
You can move the search block to the area where you want to display the search form by moving it up or down.
Finally, don’t forget to click on the Save button to save your changes.
If you’re using a theme that doesn’t support the full-site editor, then you’ll need to add a search widget to your website’s sidebar or widget-ready area.
For that, head over to the Appearance » Widgets page from the dashboard.
Now click on the add block button (+) at the top to open up the ‘Widget Block Menu’.
From here, locate and add the Search widget to your preferred widget area.
Don’t forget to click the ‘Update’ button at the top to save your changes.
Next, simply visit your website and use your improved search box.
Have you ever wanted to white label the WordPress admin dashboard for your clients or users?
WordPress comes with a nice user interface, but sometimes you may need to customize it for your own needs or simplify it for clients.
In this article, we will show you how to white label your WordPress admin dashboard.
What is White Labeled WordPress and When Do You Need it?
WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) in the world as it powers more than 43% of the website on the internet. However, many people still don’t know about it.
When working on a client project, it is possible that they may not be familiar with WordPress. Clients are interested in an easy way to update their website. They don’t want to struggle with themes, plugins, updates, security, and learning how to use WordPress.
White labeling a WordPress admin dashboard allows you to customize the WordPress admin area. You can replace the default WordPress branding with your own and hide unnecessary items to create a more streamlined interface for your clients or users.
Having said that, let’s take a look at how you can white label the WordPress admin dashboard without much effort.
White Labeling WordPress Admin Dashboard
The best way to white label your site’s admin area is by using the White Label CMS plugin. It’s a free WordPress plugin that lets you customize the login page, add your branding, edit the dashboard, control which menus your clients can see, and more.
The first thing you need to do is install and activate the White Label CMS plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, you need to visit Settings » White Label CMS from your WordPress dashboard to configure the plugin settings.
The plugin offers a simple setup wizard that you can use to get started. In the wizard, you can add a developer name that will appear in the footer and alt text.
Other than that, there are options for adding a developer URL, footer text, and RSS feed. After adding these details, you can click the ‘Next’ button.
The White Label CMS setup wizard also lets you add your client’s business name and upload a login logo for customization.
There’s also an option to enable a Retina login logo and upload your image.
Once you’re done, simply click the ‘Save’ button to exit the setup wizard.
Besides that, the settings page for the plugin allows you to control and customize every aspect of WordPress administration screens.
It is divided into these 5 sections:
Branding
Login
Dashboard
Menus
Settings
Let’s dive deeper into the different options available under each section and how to properly configure them.
Replace WordPress Branding With Your Own Brand
This is where you will replace the default WordPress site’s branding with your own custom branding.
The first option under the branding is to show or hide the WordPress logo and links in the admin bar. You can also hide the WordPress version from the footer.
Next, you can scroll down and upload your own custom logo to replace the WordPress logo that will appear in the admin bar.
The plugin also lets you replace the Howdy text from the admin bar and the WordPress.org URL with your own custom link.
After that, you can scroll down and change the side menu branding in your WordPress admin panel.
The plugin offers options to add a side menu image, an image that appears when the menu is collapsed, side menu link URLs, and alt text.
Lastly, you can also change the Gutenberg exit button and replace it with an exit icon, admin bar logo, and use a custom logo.
Besides that, there are options to brand the footer of your WordPress admin panel. The plugin lets you add a footer image, text, URL, and your own HTML code.
When you’re done, simply save your changes.
Here’s a preview of what these changes would look like in the WordPress dashboard.
White Label the WordPress Login Page
Next, you can go to the ‘Login’ tab in White Label CMS and change what the login screen will look like.
To start, you can upload a login logo and a retina login logo. There are also options to define the logo’s width, height, bottom margins, and add background color.
If you scroll down, there are more settings to change the background image and its position.
You can also enable the option to make the background image appear as a full screen on the login page for your WordPress website.
After making these changes, you can click the ‘Live Preview’ button at the bottom.
This will show you what your changes will look like in real-time. Once you’re satisfied with the edits, simply save your changes.
The White Label CMS plugin gives you some simple options to customize the login page. However, if you’d like more control over its design, then we recommend using a drag and drop page builder like SeedProd.
The main WordPress admin screen is called the dashboard. This is what users usually see when they login to WordPress.
It contains default panels showing different information about the website.
There is usually quite a lot of information, and many users don’t know what they are supposed to do with it.
White Label CMS allows you to customize this section and make it look cleaner. To start, simply click on the ‘Dashboard’ tab, and you will see options to show and hide each panel.
You can add dashboard icons, change the heading for the dashboard, and select WordPress user roles that can view the dashboard panel.
If you scroll down, there are more options.
For instance, you can enable the ‘Add Your Own Welcome Panel’ option.
When you’re done, don’t forget to save your changes.
Hide Specific Menu Items in the WordPress Admin
Next, you can head over to the ‘Menus’ tab in White Label CMS.
If you are using a bunch of plugins on the site, then those plugins will probably add their own menus as well. This could make your admin menu quite long. Many of your clients or users will probably not need these menus.
Using the plugin, you can hide these menus by enabling the ‘Want to hide menus for your clients’ option.
After that, you can scroll down and see different menus to hide.
For each menu, there are sub-menu items that you can see by clicking the blue downwards arrow icon.
To hide a menu, simply click the toggle, and it will be hidden for different user roles in WordPress.
There are also admin bar menus that you can hide using the plugin.
When you’re done, go ahead and save your changes.
Customize WordPress Admin Settings
Lastly, you can go to the ‘Settings’ tab in the White Label CSS plugin.
In this section, you’ll get options to hide the front-end admin bar, help box, and other screen options.
You can also turn off nag messages that appear at the top of the page in your WordPress dashboard. These are messages like rating the plugin or upgrading to a pro plan.
By removing them, you can keep your admin panel clean and clutter-free for your clients.
Other than that, the plugin lets you add custom CSS for admin and custom editor stylesheet.
Once you’ve made the changes, simply click the ‘Save’ button.
Note: If you’re doing work-for-hire and will not be managing your client’s sites on a regular basis, then we DO NOT recommend hiding admin menus or disabling the admin nags.
Only do that if you’re going to be regularly updating and managing the website.
Do you want to show Google, Facebook, or Yelp reviews in WordPress?
Customer reviews encourage people to trust your website and buy from your business. There are lots of third-party sites where potential customers can see your reviews, but it’s also a good idea to show this content on your own website.
In this article, we will show you how to display business reviews from Google, Facebook, and Yelp in your WordPress site.
Why You Should Display Business Reviews in WordPress
There are lots of different websites where customers can review your company such as Google, Yelp, and Facebook. However, potential customers will need to visit these third-party websites in order to see the reviews.
With that being said, it’s a good idea to add Google, Yelp, and Facebook reviews to your WordPress website so that everyone can see them. For example, you might show positive reviews on your WooCommerce product pages, or your About Us page.
These reviews can convince customers to trust your company, even if they haven’t bought from you before.
With that said, let’s see how you can easily add Yelp, Google, and Facebook reviews to WordPress. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the platform you want to use.
How to Show Google, Facebook, and Yelp Reviews in WordPress
You could simply copy and paste the best reviews into your site, and then show them using a customer review plugin. However, depending on the plugin you use, you may need to add new reviews manually, which can take a lot of time and effort.
There will also be a delay between customers posting on sites like Yelp and Facebook, and those reviews appearing on your WordPress website.
With that in mind, it’s a good idea to create a review feed that updates automatically using the Reviews Feed Pro plugin.
This single plugin allows you to show reviews from all the biggest review platforms.
It also comes with pre-designed templates, so you can display your reviews in different layouts including showcases, carousels, grids, and more.
The Reviews Feed automatically copies your website’s design so the reviews look like a natural part of your website, rather than content embedded from another platform.
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.
Upon activation, click on Reviews Feed in the left-hand menu. You can then add your Reviews Feed Pro license key and click on the ‘Activate’ button.
You’ll find the license key under your account on the Smash Balloon website.
After activating the plugin, you’re ready to show reviews from Google, Facebook, or Yelp.
Method 1. How to Show Yelp Reviews in WordPress
Yelp is a popular website where visitors can review restaurants, brands, services, products, and more.
If your business already has some positive Yelp reviews, then adding them to your website can get you more sales, members, appointments, and more.
Since Yelp is a public site, you can show reviews from any business that has a Yelp listing. For example, if you own a business listing blog or membership site, then you could show Yelp reviews for different local businesses on your website.
To add reviews to your website, you’ll need to create a Yelp API key. Simply go to the Yelp Developers page and type in your email address.
Then, click on the ‘Send Login Link’ button.
Note: If you don’t already have an account, then go to the Yelp signup page and follow the onscreen instructions to register.
After a few moments, Yelp will send a one-time login link to your email address. Simply open the email and use the ‘Click to Log in’ button.
This takes you to the Yelp Developer Portal.
In the toolbar, click on Manage API Access.
On this screen, type a name for your Yelp app into the ‘App Name’ field. This is just for your reference so you can use anything you want.
After that, open the ‘Industry’ dropdown and choose the industry that best reflects your website or business.
After that, type in your email address and add a description.
With that done, read the terms and conditions. If you’re happy to go ahead, then check the terms and conditions box, decide whether you want to get email updates from Yelp, and pass the captcha.
Finally, click on the ‘Create New App’ button.
After a few moments, you’ll see the following message ‘Great, your app has been created! Check your App ID and API Key below.’
Simply go to Reviews Feed » Settings in the WordPress dashboard.
Then, scroll to Manage API Keys and click on the small pencil icon next to ‘Yelp.’
In the popup, add your Yelp API key.
Then, click on the ‘Add’ button.
With that setup out of the way, you’re ready to add Yelp reviews to your website.
Simply go to Reviews Feed » All Feeds. Then, click on the ‘Add New’ button.
On the next screen, click on ‘Add New’ again.
In the popup that appears, select ‘Yelp’ and then click on the ‘Next’ button.
You can now add the URL of the Yelp page that you want to use. This can be a page that you own or any public third-party page.
After that, click on ‘Finish’.
Smash Balloon will now show this Yelp page as a possible source.
To go ahead and create the feed, simply check the box next to the Yelp page and then click on ‘Next.’
You can now choose a template to use for the review feed, such as a showcase carousel, grid carousel, or even a single review template.
After choosing a design, click on the ‘Next’ button.
Smash Balloon will now show the Yelp review feed in its editor, ready for you to fine-tune.
For instructions on how to customize the feed and then add it to your site, skip to the end of this guide.
Method 2. How to Show Google Reviews in WordPress
Google Reviews is another place where customers can review your business online. Once again, positive reviews are important for building trust and getting conversions, but these reviews can also affect where your site appears in the search results.
Lots of positive Google reviews and high rankings may improve your business’s search ranking, especially in local search results.
Google also shows your reviews on relevant search engine result pages.
By adding these reviews to your website, you can encourage people to visit your Google listing and leave you a positive review.
This may improve your WordPress SEO and the overall star rating that appears in relevant search engine results.
With that being said, let’s see how you can add Google reviews to your WordPress website.
To start, you’ll need to create a Google API key, so head over to the Google Console and sign in using your Google account.
Once you’re logged into the console, click on ‘Google Home.’
If you’re logging into the Google Console for the first time then you’ll need to accept the terms and conditions.
With that done, click on ‘New Project.’
You can now type in a name for the project. This is just for your reference so you can use anything you want.
Once you’ve done that, click on the ‘Create’ button.
After that, click on the lined icon in the upper-left corner to open the menu.
In the menu, select ‘APIs and services’ and ‘Credentials.’
You will now see all your Google projects.
Simply find the project we just created and give it a click.
In the search field, start typing ‘Places API.’
When the right API appears, give it a click.
This takes you to a screen where you can activate the key for making Places API requests.
To do this, simply click on the ‘Enable’ button.
With that done, press the backwards arrow to return to the main Google Cloud Console dashboard. Here, click on ‘Create Credentials.’
Go ahead and select ‘API key’ from the dropdown menu.
After a few moments, you’ll see an ‘API key created’ popup.
You’ll need to add this information to your WordPress blog or website, so make a note of it.
By default, all of Google’s API keys are unrestricted. To stop other people from using the API key, you’ll need to restrict it by clicking the ‘Edit API Key’ link inside the popup.
This opens a screen showing all your Google API keys. Simply find the key you just created, and give it a click.
Note: If you closed the popup by accident, then don’t worry. You can reach the same screen by selecting ‘Credentials’ in the left-hand menu.
Under ‘Application restrictions,’ click on ‘HTTP referrers (websites).’
Under ‘Website Restrictions,’ click on ‘Add.’
You can now type in the address of your WooCommerce store or WordPress website, and then click on ‘Done.’
To make sure Smash Balloon can access the Places API, you’ll also need to type in www.googleapis.com and click on ‘Done.’
Under ‘API restrictions,’ select the button next to ‘Restrict key.’
With that done, click on the ‘Select APIs’ dropdown menu and check the box next to ‘Google Places API.’
Now we’re ready to click on ‘OK.’
The next step is adding the API key to your site. In the WordPress dashboard, go to Reviews Feed » Settings.
Under ‘Manage API Keys,’ click on the pencil icon next to ‘Google.’
In the popup, add your Google API key.
After that, click on the ‘Add’ button.
Now you’ve added an API key, you’re ready to create a feed showing all your Google Reviews.
To do this, go to Reviews Feed » All Feeds, and click on the ‘Add New’ button.
On the next screen, click on ‘Add New.’
In the popup that appears, click on ‘Google’ and then select ‘Next.’
Now you’ll need to enter the Place ID of the cafe, restaurant, or other venue that you want to use in your feed.
To get the ID, go to Google’s Place ID page and scroll to ‘Find the ID of a particular place.’
In the Google Maps search bar, start typing the address or name of the place that you want to feature. When the right place appears, give it a click.
Google will now show the place ID in a small popup.
Go ahead and copy the place ID.
Now, switch back to the WordPress dashboard and paste the ID into the ‘Enter Place ID’ field.
With that done, click on ‘Finish.’
To go ahead and create the feed, you need to check the box next to the Google place you just added, and then click on ‘Next.’
You can now choose the template you want to use for the review feed, and click on ‘Next.’
Smash Balloon will now create a feed showing all your Google reviews.
Do you want to change how the feed looks? Skip to the end of this post for a detailed step-step guide on how to fine-tune the Google Reviews feed, and then add it to your website.
Method 3. How to Show Facebook Reviews in WordPress
Many businesses, websites, and online stores use Facebook to connect with their audience. Facebook also has its own built-in review system, so you may want to add these reviews to your website.
Unlike Yelp and Google, your Facebook page belongs to you, so this is also a way to promote your profile and get more social media followers.
To create a Facebook review feed, go to Reviews Feed » All Feeds.
Then, click on the ‘Add New’ button.
On the next screen, click on ‘Add New’ again.
In the popup that appears, click on ‘Facebook’ and then select ‘Connect with Facebook.’
On the next screen, select the radio button next to ‘Page.’
Once you’re done with that, click on ‘Connect to Facebook.’
This opens a popup where you can log into your Facebook account and choose the pages where you’ll get the reviews from.
After that, we’re ready to click on ‘Next.’
Facebook will now show all the information that Smash Balloon will have access to and the actions it can perform.
To restrict Smash Balloon’s access to your Facebook page, just click any of the switches to turn it from ‘Yes’ to ‘No.’ However, be aware that this can affect the content that appears on your website.
With that in mind, it’s a good idea to leave all the switches enabled.
When you’re happy with how the Facebook permissions are set up, click on ‘Done.’
After a few moments, you should see a message confirming that you’ve connected your WordPress website and your Facebook page.
That done, click on the ‘OK’ button.
Smash Balloon will automatically take you back to the WordPress dashboard, where you’ll see the Facebook page you just connected to your website.
Simply select the checkbox next to the Facebook page and then click on the ‘Next’ button.
You can now choose the template you want to use for the Facebook reviews feed.
After making the decision, click on ‘Next.’
Smash Balloon will now create a feed showing all your Facebook reviews.
Customizing Your Google, Facebook, or Yelp Review Feed
Smash Balloon automatically copies your WordPress theme so any reviews feed you create will fit perfectly with your site’s design. However, Smash Balloon also has an advanced feed editor so you can fine-tune every part of the feed.
No matter whether you create a feed using Google, Facebook, or Yelp, Smash Balloon will open its feed editor automatically.
Note: If you accidentally closed the editor then don’t panic. Simply go to Reviews Feed » All Feeds in the WordPress dashboard, and then click on the ‘Edit’ icon next to the feed.
Smash Balloon shows a live preview of your review feed to the right. On the left is a menu that shows the different settings that you can use to change how the feed looks.
To see what changes you can make, start by clicking on ‘Layout’ in the left-hand menu. Here, you can choose from a Grid, Masonry, or Carousel layout.
As you click on the different layouts, the live preview will automatically update to show the new layout. This makes it easy to try different layouts and find the one you prefer.
You can also change the spacing, how many reviews you include in the feed, and the number of characters WordPress shows from each review.
As you make changes, remember that the feed may look different on smartphones and tablets, compared to desktop computers.
With that being said, it’s a good idea to test the mobile version of your feed using the row of buttons in the right-hand corner. In this way, you can create a review feed that looks just as good on smartphones and tablets, as it does on desktop computers.
Finally, if you select the Carousel layout then you can change how the reviews scroll using the ‘Pagination’ settings.
For example, you can enable autoplay so the reviews scroll automatically or increase the interval so visitors have more time to read each review.
When you’re happy with these changes, click on the small arrow next to ‘Customize.’
This takes you back to the main Smash Balloon review feed editor.
The next setting you can explore is ‘Header,’ which controls the text that appears at the top of your feed.
By default, Smash Balloon shows a ‘Review’ headline, your average star rating, and a ‘Write a review’ button.
This header helps visitors understand the content, while also encouraging them to leave their own review. However, if you prefer then you can remove the header using the ‘Enable’ toggle.
If you do show the header, then you can add or remove content using the Heading, Button, and Average Review Rating checkboxes.
To change the padding and margins, simply use the settings under ‘Element Header Spacing.’
If you want to change any of the text that appears in the header, then simply click on either Heading, Button, or Average Review Rating. This takes you to an area where you can change the text color, size, and more.
You can also replace the standard text with your own custom messaging by typing into the ‘Content’ field.
When you’re ready to return to the main editor screen, just click on the ‘Customize’ link at the top of the left-hand menu.
The next setting you can look at is ‘Reviews,’ so give this option a click. Here, you can choose between ‘Post Style’ and ‘Edit Individual Elements.’
If you select ‘Post Style,’ then you can change how the individual reviews look inside the feed. For example, you can switch to a boxed layout, add a shadow, and change the corner radius to create curved edges.
As you make changes, the preview updates automatically so you can try different settings to see what looks the best on your website.
If you choose ‘Edit Individual Elements,’ then you’ll see all the different content that Reviews Feed Pro includes in each review such as rating, author and date, and the review text.
To remove a piece of content, just click to uncheck its box.
You can also customize how each type of content looks by clicking on it.
For example, in the following image, we’ve changed the color and size of the review content, known as the ‘Review Paragraph.’
When you’re happy with how the review feed looks, click on ‘Customize’ to return to the main Smash Balloon editor.
You can now move to the next settings screen by selecting ‘Load More Button.’
The ‘Load More’ button allows visitors to scroll through more reviews, so the plugin adds it by default. Since it’s such an important button, you may want to help it stand out by changing the background color, hover state, label, margins, and more.
You can also replace the default ‘Load More’ text with your own messaging by typing into the ‘Text’ field.
If you prefer, then you can remove the button completely by clicking the ‘Enable’ toggle.
When you’re happy with how the review feed looks, don’t forget to click on ‘Save.’ With that out of the way, you’re ready to add Google, Facebook, or Yelp reviews to your site.
How to Add Reviews on Your WordPress Website
Now you can add the review feed to your site using a block, widget, or shortcode.
If you’ve created more than one feed using Reviews Feed Pro, then you’ll need to know the feed’s shortcode if you’re going to use a widget or block.
To get this information, go to Reviews Feed » All Feeds and then look at the value under ‘Shortcode.’ You’ll need to add this code to the block or widget, so make a note of it.
In the following image, we’ll need to use [reviews-feed feed=2]
If you want to embed the feed in a page or post, then you can use the Reviews Feed block.
Just open the page or post where you want to show your Yelp, Google, or Facebook reviews. Then, click on the ‘+’ icon to add a new block and start typing ‘Reviews Feed.’
When the right block appears, click to add it to the page or post.
The block will show one of your review feeds by default. If you want to show a different feed, then find ‘Shortcode Settings’ in the right-hand menu.
Here, simply add the shortcode you got earlier, and then click on ‘Apply Changes.’
If you’re happy with how the review feed looks, then you can go ahead and publish or update the page.
Another option is to add the Reviews Feed widget to your website. This is a great way to show positive customer reviews on every page of your site. For example, you might add the widget to the sidebar or WordPress footer.
To add the Reviews Feed widget to your site, head over to Appearance » Widgets. You can then click on the blue ‘+’ icon towards the top of the screen.
In the panel that appears, type in ‘Reviews Feed’ to find the right widget.
Then, simply drag the widget onto the area where you want to show the reviews, such as the sidebar or similar section.
The widget will automatically show one of the feeds you created using the Reviews Feed plugin. If this isn’t the feed you want to display, then type the feed’s shortcode into the ‘Shortcode Settings’ box.
After that, click on ‘Apply Changes.’
You can now make the widget live by clicking on the ‘Update’ button. For more information, please see our step-by-step guide on how to add and use widgets in WordPress.
Another option is embedding the Google, Facebook, or Yelp reviews on any page, post, or widget-ready area using the shortcode.
Simply go to Reviews Feed » All Feeds and copy the code in the ‘Shortcode’ column. You can now add this code to any Shortcode block.
Are you using a block-enabled theme? Then you can use the full-site editor to add the Reviews Feed block anywhere on your website.
In the WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance » Editor.
By default, the full-site editor will show the theme’s home template. If you want to add the Google, Facebook, or Yelp feed to a different template, then click on the arrow next to ‘Home.’
You can then choose any design from the dropdown, such as the footer template.
After choosing a template, simply hover your mouse over the area where you want to show the reviews.
Then, click on the ‘+’ button.
Once you’ve done that, type in ‘Reviews Feed.’
When the right block appears, click to add it to the template.
As always, Reviews Feed will show a feed by default. You can change this feed by adding a shortcode following the same process described above.
If you have been reading WPBeginner for a while, then you know that we believe All in One SEO is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market.
It is our #1 recommendation as the must-have SEO toolkit, and this is the exact tool that we use on our website. For beginners, All in One SEO provides the most comprehensive SEO features in one plugin.
In this article, we’ll share some of the AIOSEO power hacks that will help you take your WordPress SEO to the next level.
What Makes All in One SEO The Best SEO Toolkit for WordPress Users?
Currently over 3 million websites use AIOSEO including WPBeginner, and it is one of the top 20 most installed WordPress plugins of all time.
There’s also a free version of AIOSEO available that you can use if you’re just getting started.
All in One SEO was first released in 2007, just a few years after WordPress introduced the ability to install plugins to extend WordPress functionality.
In 2020, AIOSEO was acquired by Awesome Motive (the management company of WPBeginner). Since then, it has evolved into the most powerful and modern WordPress SEO plugin.
We use it on all our websites to improve our WordPress SEO rankings, including WPBeginner. That’s because the features are unmatched by any other SEO plugin on the market.
That being said, let’s take a look at some of the coolest things that you can do with All in One SEO.
Here is a list of topics we’ll cover in this guide.
1. Ability to Add Dynamic SEO Title and Descriptions
SEO titles and descriptions are highly important when optimizing your content for SEO. Search engines assign them slightly more weight than other parts of your content.
The SEO title also appears in search results and can help you get more clicks and bring more traffic to your site.
Many site owners often go back to old posts and edit their SEO titles to help optimize them. For instance, you may have mentioned the Current Year or pricing in the title which may become outdated.
All in One SEO allows you to use smart tags in SEO title and description fields. These tags dynamically update to match the conditions they are used for.
For instance, you can add the ‘Post Title’ tag, and it will automatically use your post or page’s title as the SEO Title.
Similarly, you can use the ‘Current Year’ or ‘Current Month’ tags, and it will automatically display the current year or month in your post title.
AIOSEO comes with the following smart tags that you can select by clicking on ‘View all tags’.
Author First Name: The first name of the post author.
Author Last Name: The last name of the post author.
Author Name: The display name of the post author.
Categories: All categories that are assigned to the current post, comma-separated.
Category Title: Current or first category title.
Current Date: The current date.
Current Day: The current day of the month.
Current Month: The current month.
Current Year: The current year.
Custom Field: A custom field from the current post.
Permalink: The permalink for the current post.
Post Content: The content of your post.
Post Date: The date when the post was published, localized.
Post Day: The day of the month when the post was published, localized.
Post Excerpt: The excerpt defined in your post settings.
Post Excerpt Only: The excerpt defined in your post.
Post Month: The month when the post was published, localized.
Post Title: The original title of the current post.
Post Year: The year when the post was published.
Separator: The separator is defined in the search appearance settings.
Site Title: Your site title.
Tagline: The tagline for your site, set in the general settings.
Taxonomy Name: The name of the first term of a given taxonomy that is assigned to the current post.
Want to make your SEO title even more attention-grabbing?
How about adding emojis into your post title or description? All in One SEO makes it super easy to use Emojis in your SEO title and descriptions.
Simply click on the emoji button to search and add an emoji.
2. Helps You Write Good Headlines and SEO Titles
Now you might already know that CTR (click through rate) plays an important role in SEO rankings.
This means that you have to write good headlines and SEO titles that encourage users to click when your site appears in search results.
All in One SEO comes with a built-in headline analyzer tool. It will automatically show you a score for your post title or headline.
Plus, it will also show you practical tips to improve the effectiveness of your title.
For instance, it may recommend using power words or removing stop words from your SEO title.
3. Comes with a Dynamic and Customizable Table of Contents Block
Reading longer articles can be difficult for your users, and they may lose interest in scrolling down while looking for the information they need.
This is where the Table of Contents block comes in.
It creates a list of topics covered in an article, and you may have seen them in articles here at WPBeginner. In fact, this post has an AIOSEO table of contents at the top!
Clicking on an item in the list takes you to that section in the article.
Not only does a table of content help users, but it also improves SEO.
Search engines like Google may display your table of content items as ‘Jump to section’ links in search results.
A table of contents can also make your website appear as the featured snippet for a search keyword.
Google may display it above all results with a much larger excerpt.
Previously, WordPress users had to use a separate plugin to generate tables of contents or manually create them.
All in One SEO comes with a dynamic Table of Contents block. Simply add the Table of Contents block to your post or page, and it will automatically generate a table of content based on the headings present in your article.
You can edit any item in the table by simply clicking on it or hide an item by clicking on the hide button.
You can also reorder items by clicking on the Reorder button. This only adjust the order of the list, not the placement of content in your article.
Optionally, you can choose a list style for your table of contents.
Currently, it allows you to choose from a plain bulleted list or a numbered list style.
4. Easily Add NoFollow Attribute to External and Referral Links
Links or backlinks are an important search engine ranking factor.
When you link to an external website, search engines consider that as a ranking signal. They will pass a small portion of your domain authority (link juice) to the other website.
Many SEO experts believe that they can rank higher in search results by adding the nofollow attribute to external and referral/affiliate links.
All in One SEO makes it super easy to add the nofollow attribute to links in your posts and pages.
Simply select the text that you want to link to and then click on the link button in the block toolbar.
You’ll see the option to add the link URL and a check box to add the nofollow attribute.
All in One SEO gives the most comprehensive and practical SEO score to your content.
It appears as a button on the top right corner of the post editor, clicking on it will bring up the TruSEO panel.
You will see a snippet preview and below that, you’ll find tips divided into the following areas:
Focus Keyphrase and Additional Keyphrases
Basic SEO
Title
Readability
You can click on any of them to expand and view the suggestions.
Errors will be highlighted in red with helpful descriptions to fix them.
SEO score is just a recommendation tool and does not guarantee search rankings. Any score above 70 is good for most types of content.
7. Comes with The Most Comprehensive Schema Markup Support
Schema markup is a special type of HTML code that you can add to your WordPress website to tell search engines more about your content.
For instance, you can tell the search engines that a particular page is a blog post, a recipe, a FAQ page, a news article, or a product page. Search engines can then use this data to display rich results.
Other WordPress SEO plugins only ship with limited schema markup support. Users had to install separate plugins to add proper schema markup for different content types.
All in One SEO solves this problem by adding the most comprehensive Schema markup support available.
It allows you to easily add schema markup in WordPress and WooCommerce. You can set the default Schema markup for different content types from plugin settings.
You can also change schema markup for individual posts and pages.
This comes in handy if you want to use your blog posts for different types of content such as recipes, product reviews, articles, and more.
Apart from content, All in One SEO also adds structured data required to be listed in Google My Business and Google Maps searches.
This allows your business to appear in Google Maps and business searches. Your listing gets an extended information panel with directions, phone numbers, business hours, and more.
Simply switch to the All in One SEO » Local SEO page and provide your business information.
If your business has multiple locations, then you can turn on the Multiple Locations option.
After that, the plugin will add a new Locations menu item to your WordPress admin sidebar.
You can now go to the Locations » Add New page to add a business location.
This will bring you to the Location editor page. First, you need to provide a title for your location and then add a little description.
You can also review options in the left column to set the location category and featured image.
After that scroll down to the AIOSEO Local Business section.
From here, you can add structured data for your location such as business name, logo, address, phone number, opening hours, and map.
Once you are finished, go ahead and click on the Publish button to save your location settings.
You can now repeat the process to add more business locations as needed.
Social media platforms are a big source of traffic for many website owners.
All in One SEO comes with super easy and extensive social media integration.
1. Easily Add Social Network Profiles and Default Settings
First, you can go to the All in One SEO » Social Networks page. From here, you can provide social media profile URLs.
If you use the same handle in all your social media profiles then you can simply check the ‘Use the same username for multiple social networks’ option.
After that, provide your username and All in One SEO will fill in the URLs for you.
The plugin also allows you to easily configure your website for popular social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
These options allow you to enable Open Graph metadata and provide default information that social media platforms can use when someone shares your content.
For instance, you can choose which image to use when someone shares a post. All in One SEO provides a bunch of options to automatically pick an image for Facebook and Twitter.
You can choose the featured image, the first image in the content, any attached image, the author image, any first available image, and more.
After configuring Facebook and Twitter, you can switch to the Pinterest tab. From here, you can also easily add the Pinterest verification code to verify your website on Pinterest.
2. Social Settings for Individual Posts and Pages
Once you have finished the default social networks setup, All in One SEO also provides you options to override these settings for individual posts and pages.
Simply edit a post or page and switch to the Social tab under the AIOSEO Settings section.
From here, you’ll see a preview of how your post will look on Facebook and Twitter.
Below that, you can override the default settings and change the post title, description, and social image.
If you change the data for Facebook, then you can use it for Twitter as well.
Simply switch to the Twitter tab and toggle the ‘Use Data from Facebook Tab’ option.
3. Add Social Profiles for Authors
You can also let search engines know which profiles are associated with an author or user on your website.
This allows search engines to discover and display social media profiles when someone searches for a specific person.
To add this, administrators can go to the Users » Profile page and other users can simply click on the Profile menu from the WordPress admin sidebar.
From here, switch to the social profiles tab and enter your social media profile URLs.
9. Add New Links or Cleanup Bad Links with AIOSEO Link Assistant
Links play a significant role in a website’s SEO rankings. However, as your website grows, you may add more internal links to some older posts than newer posts.
Going back to individual posts and adding links can become a tedious task. Particularly, if you have hundreds of articles.
All in One SEO solves this problem with the Link Assistant. It allows you to easily add links or clean up bad links with one click.
Here is how it works.
First, it automatically crawls your website and shows you a comprehensive link report.
From here, you can see an overview of the links with total counts for orphaned posts (posts that are not linked from any other post or page), external links, internal links, and affiliate links.
You can switch to the Links Report tab for detailed information on all your links.
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.
Want to discover more internal linking opportunities?
Switch to the ‘Linking Opportunities’ tab for more internal linking suggestions or check out the orphaned posts and add links to them.
Clean up Bad Links with 1-Click
You can view all external links that your website links to by clicking on the Domains Report tab.
From here, you can select a domain and delete all links to it with a single click.
This makes it super easy to clean up your website if it has been affected by malware that has added links to spam websites.
It also comes in handy when you no longer wish to link to a third-party website and immediately want to remove all links pointing to it.
10. Comes with Extensive XML Sitemaps with Powerful Customization Options
An XML sitemap is a file that lists all your website content in an XML format, so search engines like Google can easily discover and index your content.
WordPress comes with built-in XML sitemaps, but these are too basic and you don’t have any tools to customize them.
All in One SEO comes with extremely powerful XML sitemaps.
These custom XML sitemaps are highly customizable. For instance, you can easily include or exclude individual post types or taxonomies.
Plus, you can disable sitemaps for date and author archives.
Below that, you can add any standalone page to your sitemap under the Additional Pages option.
News results may not only appear prominently on the main search page but can also appear on the News tab or in Google Discover on mobile devices.
All in One SEO allows you to easily create a News Sitemap which is a requirement for Google News results.
Simply switch to the News Sitemap tab and turn it on.
After that, you can provide a title for your news publication.
Next, you need to choose which post types you want to include in your news sitemap.
Need even more control over your news sitemap?
All in One SEO allows you to easily exclude specific items from your news sitemap.
Simply toggle the Advanced Settings switch to show more options. From here, you can search for the post or page you want to exclude and click on the + button to add it.
12. Easily Create Customizable HTML Sitemaps
HTML Sitemaps are sitemaps for your users and can be added anywhere on your website.
They help users easily navigate a website and find the information they need. Many organizations, government websites, and small businesses find them quite helpful.
All in One SEO lets you easily create HTML sitemaps.
Simply go to the All in One SEO » Sitemaps page and switch to the HTML Sitemap tab.
From here, you can switch to the toggle next to Enable Sitemap to turn on HTML sitemap.
Below that, you can choose how you want to display the sitemap by choosing one of the following options.
Dedicated Page
Gutenberg Block
Shortcode
Widget
PHP Code
Click to select your option and it will tell you how to use it.
For instance, choosing the Dedicated Page option, you will be asked to provide URL for a page where you want to display the Sitemap.
Below that, you can choose which post types and taxonomies to include, sorting options, and enable compact archives.
Want to exclude some posts or pages from your HTML sitemap?
No worries, you can simply click on the Advanced Settings section to exclude any content from your HTML sitemap.
13. Appear in Video Results with Video Sitemaps
Videos are the most engaging type of content and for some search keywords, Google may automatically include video results at the top.
Now, if you regularly publish video content or add video embeds to your posts, then this gives you a huge opportunity to rank higher.
Research shows, that users are more likely to click on a result with a video thumbnail than just plain text.
All in One SEO’s Video Sitemaps help you get ready to appear in video search results.
Simply go to All in One SEO » Sitemaps page and switch to the Video Sitemap tab.
From here you can turn on Video Sitemap and choose which post types or taxonomies to include.
By default, the plugin will divide your sitemap into indexes. These are smaller files containing a limited number of links.
You can also adjust how many links you want to include in a sitemap.
Just like any other sitemap, you can click on the Advanced Settings section to exclude any content that you don’t want to appear in video sitemaps.
14. Get Indexed Faster with RSS Sitemaps
Unlike regular XML sitemaps which have a complete set of links to your content, RSS sitemaps provide search engines links to recent changes on a website.
This helps search engines more easily discover recent changes on a website. Google recommends using both XML sitemaps and RSS sitemap for optimal crawling.
All in One SEO allows you to easily generate an RSS sitemap for your website.
Simply go to the AIOSEO » Sitemaps settings page and switch to the RSS Sitemap tab.
From here, toggle the Enable Sitemap switch to turn on the RSS sitemap.
Below that you can choose the number of posts and which post types to include.
15. Easily Add Your Site to Webmaster Tools & Google Search Console
All top search engines provide website owners with easier tools to see how their website is performing in search and get alerts if something goes wrong.
Once you sign up for them, you will be asked to verify your ownership by adding a code snippet to your website.
All in One SEO makes it super easy to add the verification code for all webmaster tools under one place.
Simply go to the All in One SEO » General Settings and switch to the Webmaster Tools tab.
Now simply click on a search engine, and then add the verification code.
Below that you will also find a text field called Miscellaneous verification. This allows you to add verification codes from any other third-party platforms to your website.
SEO crawl budget is the number of times search engines like Google will crawl pages on your website.
Google sets a crawl budget for different domains based on its own algorithms. However, sometimes this budget is wasted if search bots spend most of the budget crawling less important pages on your site.
All in One SEO helps you fix that problem with the Crawl Cleanup feature. Simply go to the All in One SEO » Search Appearance page and switch to the Advanced tab.
From here, you need to scroll down to the bottom and switch the toggle next to the Crawl Cleanup option.
This will expand the section and will show you a bunch of options that you can exclude from crawling.
For instance, each WordPress category, tag, comments, archive, and author pages has its own RSS feeds. These get crawled, too, but are not highly important.
You can Disable them so that they are excluded from the crawl budget.
A 404 error occurs when a user visits a page on your website which is not there anymore. Perhaps it was deleted, the user entered an incorrect URL, or followed an incorrect link.
These errors create a bad user experience and can negatively impact SEO rankings.
Often, they go unnoticed by website owners until a user reports them.
All in One SEO fixes this problem by keeping a log of 404 errors on your website.
Simply go to the All in One SEO » Redirects page and switch to the 404 logs page to view them.
Now some of these links may be misspelled URLs with few hits, you can safely ignore those. Others would be links to posts that you may have deleted or changed their URLs.
In that case, you can simply click on the Add Redirect button and point that URL to the new location or any other relevant page.
21. Easy Full Site Redirects when Moving Site to Different Domains
Are you moving your WordPress website to a new domain name and worried about the SEO consequences?
All in One SEO’s redirect manager comes with super easy Full Site Redirects.
Basically, you can just paste the URL of your new domain name and it will redirect all users coming to your old domain to the exact pages on your new domain name.
This helps your new domain to rank quickly in search engines and also reduces the negative SEO consequences of moving to a new domain name.
WordPress comes with a built-in redirects system written in PHP. Many redirect plugins take advantage of it, including All in One SEO.
WordPress is used on many different types of servers and they can have different configurations that may affect redirects. Using PHP avoids dependency on server settings and makes sure that redirects work.
However, these PHP redirects are a bit slower. It is a small compromise and for most users, it is not even noticeable.
Still, some users may want to use the server to set up redirects for improved performance and speed.
All in One SEO gives those users an option to use faster redirects using the web server instead of PHP.
Note: This is a method for advanced users only, as you will need to edit not only your .htaccess file, but also your server configuration files for Apache or NGINX.
To use this method, you’ll need access to your server’s configuration files. You’ll also need to know how to safely make changes to those files.
To set it up, you can go to the All in One SEO » Redirects page and switch to the Settings tab. From here, you can click on the Web Server option under Redirect Method.
The plugin will then detect your web server and will show you an option to export redirect rules files for your web server which you can then manually place in your .htaccess file or your Nginx config file.
Next, click on the save change button to store your settings.
After that, the plugin will display a line of code that you need to add to your server’s configuration file.
If you’re using Apache as your web server, then the line should be included in the Apache virtual hosts file. You will then need to restart Apache.
If you’re using NGINX as your web server, then the line should be included in your nginx.conf file. You will then need to restart NGINX.
Keep in mind, too, that using server redirects will prevent AIOSEO from keeping logs of all redirects that occur.
23. Easily Import / Export Redirects
Want to import redirects you set up earlier using some other redirects plugin? Or perhaps you want to export your All in One SEO redirects to use elsewhere?
All in One SEO’s redirects manager can magically import redirects from other popular redirects and SEO plugins.
Simply go to All in One SEO » Redirects page and then switch to the Import / Export tab.
From here, you can import redirects from other plugins. All in One SEO can automatically import redirects from the following plugins:
Redirection
Yoast SEO Premium
Simple 301 Redirects
Safe Redirect Manager
301 Redirects Pro
30 Redirects
Page Links To
SEOPress Pro
It can also import redirects from All in One SEO as well.
In the right column, you’ll see options to export All in One SEO redirects data. You can choose to export different types of redirects or export all of them.
Lastly, the plugin also allows you to export your 404 error logs in CSV format. This comes in handy if you want to analyze the data in spreadsheet software like Google Sheets.
24. Advanced Yet Easiest Breadcrumb Navigation
Breadcrumb navigation is a navigational aid that provides users links in relation to where they are on a website’s navigational layout.
It’s like a path to show them how to get back to earlier parts of the website they may have visited before landing on their current page or post.
This provides users context, helps them discover more sections of your website, and improves user experience.
Search engines also use this information in the result snippet next to the URL.
All in One SEO comes with the easiest and most customizable breadcrumb navigation settings of any WordPress plugin on the market.
First, it automatically adds markup required by search engines to display breadcrumbs without you having to do anything.
It also gives you a full set of tools to customize breadcrumbs and display them on your website.
Simply go to the All in One SEO » General Settings page and switch to the Breadcrumbs tab.
From here, you’ll see different ways to easily display breadcrumbs on your website.
You’ll also see a link that will show you how to use these methods to display breadcrumbs.
Scroll down a little and you’ll find customization options for your breadcrumbs navigation links.
For instance, you can choose which separator you want to use, include a home link, set a prefix, and more.
Want to edit the Breadcrumbs template?
Scroll down to the Breadcrumbs template section. There you’ll see tabs for content types, taxonomies, and archives sections.
For instance, under Content Types, you can change templates for posts, pages, products, and attachments.
To edit the template switch the toggle next to ‘Use a default template’ option to reveal the settings.
You can then edit the default breadcrumbs template by switching toggles to show or hide the homepage or taxonomy links.
You can also use smart tags and even some HTML if needed. Simply insert the smart tags inside the HTML code anywhere you would put the same static information.
All in One SEO allows you to turn on REST API for headless WordPress development.
Simply go to the All in One SEO » Feature Manager page and activate the REST API feature.
This allows you to use the All in One SEO metadata and output it into the front end of your website.
See the notes on All in One SEO website on how to fetch SEO data with REST API and output it in your source code.
26. Control Which Users Have Access to SEO Features and Settings
Want to hire an SEO expert to work on your website? All in One SEO gives you powerful access control features so that you can control which parts of your website they can access.
Simply go to the All in One SEO » General Settings page and switch to the Access Control tab.
First, you’ll see access control options for default WordPress user roles such as Editor, Author, and Contributor.
By default, they will have access to SEO settings for the content that they are allowed to edit in WordPress. To learn more see our WordPress user roles and permissions guide.
Editors also have permission to access SEO settings for General Settings, Search Appearance, Social Networks, and Redirects.
You can change options for each user role by switching the User Default Settings toggle next to a user role.
All in One SEO also adds two new custom user roles that you can use.
SEO Manager – By default, they can access SEO settings for General Settings, Sitemaps, Link Assistant, Redirects, Local SEO, and individual pages and posts.
SEO Editor – By default, they can access SEO settings for individual pages and posts.
You can also change their access by switching the Use Default Settings toggle.
To assign a user an SEO role on your website, you will need to add them as a new user in WordPress and set their user role to SEO manager or SEO Editor.
All in One SEO will then immediate apply the right permissions for them to do their job and boost your site’s rankings.
27. Seamless E-commerce Integration
All in One SEO provides the easiest WooCommerce SEO features. It allows you to add an SEO title, description, and product image which is then used by search engines.
It automatically applies schema markup which gives search engines more information to display in rich results for your products.
Plus, it includes product sitemaps, breadcrumbs, image SEO, and local SEO features. This makes All in One SEO the most comprehensive toolkit for eCommerce stores.
Google image search can be a major source of traffic for many websites.
However, many users forget to add image alt and title tags when uploading images. If you have multiple authors then it becomes harder to notice if someone has missed those tags.
All in One SEO comes with an extensive image SEO addon that allows you to fix this by automatically generating these tags. To keep the software lightweight, it is not enabled by default.
You’ll need to activate it by visiting the All in One SEO » Feature Manager page.
After that, you need to visit the All in One SEO » Search Appearance page and switch to the Image SEO tab.
The first option here is to redirect attachment URLs.
All in One SEO automatically redirects attachment URLs back to the attachment because the attachment page itself only contains an image and does not have any SEO benefit.
Below that, you will find options to set up Image SEO settings. The two most important options here are the Title and Alt tags.
Under the Title tab, you can choose a default title scheme using the smart tags. AIOSEO will use your image file name as the title.
You can choose to remove punctuation like dashes or underscores. This allows you to convert your image title from ‘our-family-picnic’ to ‘our family picnic’.
Below that, you can also choose the casing for the tags. For instance, you can use all lowercase, title case, or sentence case.
Optionally, you can exclude posts, pages, or terms where you don’t want the plugin to automatically generate from image titles.
Next, you need to switch to the Alt tag tab and repeat the process.
Similarly, you can also generate captions and descriptions and modify filenames upon upload in a similar manner.
29. Safely Edit Robots.txt and .htaccess Files From WordPress Admin
You may sometimes come across tutorials asking you to edit your robots.txt or .htaccess file.
Editing these files can be difficult for beginners. Not to mention that a mistake there can break your website or affect its SEO.
To make this easier and safer for beginners, All in SEO comes with a built-in file editor where you can edit your robots.txt and .htaccess files without using FTP.
You can do that by visiting the All in One SEO » Tools page. For the robots.txt file, you can click on the button to view your current robots file.
You can also enable a custom robots.txt file and create an all new one.
Below that, you can allow or deny any user agents, and they will be added to robots.txt.
The .htaccess Editor tab will display the contents of your current .htaccess file.
You can simply edit it right there.
Note: You need to be very cautious about editing these files. A tiny mistake can break your website or damage its SEO.
30. Perform a Quick SEO Audit for Your Site
A lot of businesses hire SEO specialists and pay them to perform SEO audits for their websites.
All in One SEO helps you save money by allowing you to do a quick SEO audit for your website. This allows you to save money by fixing important SEO issues on your own.
Simply go to the All in One SEO » SEO Analysis page and the plugin will show you an SEO score of your website.
Below that, it will show you a checklist of SEO recommendations.
From here, you can see the issues that it found. Clicking on them will display a description of how to fix them.
As you can see in the image above, AIOSEO often has a button directly on the audit screen for you to use and fix the issues immediately.
31. Compare Competition with Built-in Competitor Analysis
Want to see how your competition is doing in terms of SEO?
All in One SEO can perform a quick SEO audit of your competitor’s websites too.
You can simply go to the All in One SEO » SEO Analysis page and switch to the Analyze Competitor Site tab.
32. Easily Add No Index to Content You Want to Exclude from Search Engines
Want to exclude some posts or pages from search engine?
All in One SEO makes it super easy to No Index any content on your website with a click.
Simply edit the post, page, product, custom post type, or taxonomy that you want to remove or exclude from search engines and scroll down to the AIOSEO settings section.
From here, you need to switch to the Advance tab and toggle the switch next to the Use Default Settings option. This will reveal a bunch of options.
You can check No Index and No Follow to make sure that search engines don’t include this item in search results.
Additionally, you can block any archival of this page, translation, image index, snippet, or no ODP (open directory project). You can also set Max video preview to -1 to ensure that no embedded video preview is displayed.
33. Easily Import SEO Data from Other SEO Plugins
Want to switch from your old WordPress SEO plugin to All in One SEO for WordPress?
The good news is that All in One SEO comes with a built-in SEO data importer tool that fetches SEO data from your old plugin and imports it into All in One SEO.
Once you install and activate the All in One SEO plugin it will launch the setup wizard. During this, it will detect your old SEO plugin and give you the option to import SEO data from that plugin.
It will automatically detect your old SEO plugin when you run the setup wizard and offers to import your SEO data.
You can also manually import SEO data by visiting the All in One SEO » Tools page and switching to the ‘Import/Export’ tab.
Find the ‘Import Settings From Other Plugins’ section and select your old SEO plugin from the drop-down list and then select the items you wish to import.
After that, simply click on the ‘Import’ button to fetch the data.
All in One SEO can fetch the following SEO data.
Your plugin’s SEO settings
Post meta such as SEO title and description
Term meta such as SEO title and descriptions for your categories and tags.
Bonus: Getting Started with All in One SEO for WordPress
Did you know that getting started with All in One SEO for WordPress is super easy?
We hope this article helped you discover unique things that you probably didn’t know about All in One SEO. You may also want to see our complete WordPress SEO handbook for beginners or take a look at our pick of essential WordPress plugins for all 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.
Do you want to add shoppable Instagram images to your WordPress site?
Instagram shoppable images have links that people can easily click on to buy your products. This is a powerful way to showcase your products and drive more sales from Instagram.
In this article, we’ll show you how to easily add Instagram shoppable images in WordPress.
What is Instagram Shopping?
Instagram shopping allows you to tag products in your Instagram photos.
After tagging one or more products, users who are looking at the post will see a ‘View Products’ icon in the bottom-left corner.
They can simply click on that icon to see the product’s name, description, and price.
This makes it easier for shoppers to learn more about the products featured in your social media posts.
Visitors can tap the screen again to go to your Instagram store, where they can buy the product featured in the social media post.
This is great user experience, but it isn’t easy to set up.
You will need to get approval from Instagram to use their shopping features, and some of these requirements are vague. For example, you’ll need to “have demonstrated trustworthiness, including through an authentic, established presence.” You’ll also need to maintain a “sufficient follower base.”
In addition, you’ll have to set up a Facebook catalog, a product catalog, and a Facebook business page.
In other words: it’s a lot.
Because of that, many Instagram users are looking for an easier way to help shoppers buy products. That’s where shoppable Instagram images come in.
Why Add Shoppable Instagram Images in WordPress?
A shoppable Instagram feed is a series of photos that have a link to a product or service on your site. These URLs aren’t clickable when viewed on Instagram, as you can see in the following image.
However, when you embed the shoppable feed on your WordPress website, these links do become clickable. In this way, an Instagram shoppable feed encourages the people who visit your website to look at specific products.
Any likes and comments you get on those posts can also act as social proof, and encourage people to click on the product’s link.
As you post new shoppable images to Instagram, they’ll appear on your site automatically, so visitors will always see the latest posts without you having to add them manually.
If visitors like what they see, they may even decide to follow you on Instagram. This can get you more followers, and gives you another way to promote directly to that person.
Even better, since these shoppable links appear on your website, you have complete control over them. This means you don’t have to follow Instagram’s strict shoppable policies, or set up a Facebook product catalog.
With that being said, let’s see how you can easily add Instagram shoppable images to your WordPress website using Smash Balloon Instagram Pro.
Creating a Shoppable Feed on Instagram
First, you need to upload the images that you want to use on your Instagram account.
Smash Balloon has a shoppable feature that allows you to link each image to a URL inside the plugin settings. With this feature enabled, visitors can click on a shoppable image on your website, and its link will open in a new tab.
These links won’t appear on Instagram.
Another option is adding the link to your Instagram captions. These links will show up on Instagram, but they won’t be clickable.
However, these links will be clickable on your WordPress website. If you want to use this method, then you’ll need to spend some time adding a URL to each shoppable image on your Instagram account.
If you’re planning to use Smash Balloon’s shoppable feature, then you can skip this step as we’ll be adding each link inside the plugin’s settings.
How to Install an Instagram Photos Plugin With Shoppable Support
In this guide, we’ll be using the premium version of Smash Balloon as it has the advanced features you need to add shoppable images in WordPress. However, there’s also a free version that allows you to embed Instagram in WordPress.
Before getting started, you’ll need to connect your Instagram account to a Facebook page. If you have a personal Instagram account, then you may also want to turn it into a business account as this allows Smash Balloon to show your Instagram bio and header automatically.
When you’re ready, go ahead and install and activate the Smash Balloon Instagram Pro plugin. For more details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, head over to Instagram Feed » Settings and enter your license key into the ‘License Key’ field.
You’ll find this information under your account on the Smash Balloon website.
After entering the key, click on the ‘Activate’ button.
How to Connect an Instagram Account to WordPress
After activating the plugin, your first task is connecting your Instagram account to WordPress. Simply go to Instagram Feed » Settings and then click on ‘Add New.’
With Instagram Feed pro, you can create feeds from tagged posts and hashtags, or even create a social wall with content from lots of different social media websites.
We want to show shoppable images from our Instagram timeline, so simply select ‘User Timeline’ and then click on ‘Next.’
Now, choose the Instagram account where you’ll get the shoppable images from.
To get started, click on the ‘Add Source’ button.
After that, choose whether you want to show shoppable images from a personal or business Instagram account.
If you check the box next to ‘Personal’ then Smash Balloon won’t include the Instagram avatar and bio in your header by default. However, you can always add the Instagram avatar and bio manually in the plugin’s settings.
After choosing ‘Personal’ or ‘Business,’ click on ‘Login with Facebook.’
You can now select the Instagram account that you want to feature on your WordPress website, and click on ‘Next.’
After that, check the box next to the Facebook page that’s linked to the Instagram account with your shoppable images.
Once you’ve done that, click on the ‘Next’ button.
You’ll now see a popup with all the information Instagram Feed Pro will have access to and the actions it can perform.
To restrict the plugin’s access to your Instagram account, simply click any of the switches to turn it from ‘Yes’ to ‘No.’ Just be aware that this may affect the photos that you can show on your WordPress blog or website.
With that in mind, we recommend leaving all the switches enabled. When you’re happy with the settings, click on ‘Done.’
You’ll now see a popup with the Instagram account you just added to your website.
Simply check the box next to that account and then click on ‘Add.’
Instagram Feed Pro will now take you back to the Instagram Feeds » All Feeds screen.
To create a feed, just check the box next to the Instagram account that you want to use. Then, click on ‘Next.’
The plugin will now create an Instagram photo feed that you can add to any page, post, or widget-ready area.
However, before you can show shoppable images there are a few extra settings to configure.
How to Enable Smash Balloon’s Shoppable Feature (Optional)
As we already mentioned, there are two ways to make your Instagram photo feed shoppable. If you’ve added the URLs to your captions on Instagram, then simply skip to the next step.
Another option is to open shoppable links in a new tab as soon as the visitor clicks on a post. To do this, you’ll need to enable Smash Balloon’s shoppable feature.
To start, select the ‘Settings’ tab and then click on ‘Shoppable Feed.’
On this screen, go ahead and toggle the ‘Enable’ slider so that it turns blue.
Smash Balloon will now show an ‘Add’ button on every photo or video in your Instagram feed.
Simply find the first post that you want to make shoppable, and click on its ‘Add’ button.
You can now type the product or service’s URL into the ‘Product Link’ field and click on ‘Add.’
Now, clicking on this photo will open the linked URL in a new tab.
Simply repeat these steps to make every image shoppable.
If you need to change a post’s URL at any point, then just hover your mouse over it and click on ‘Update.’
Once you’ve added all your links, don’t forget to click on the ‘Save’ button.
How to Filter Your Shoppable Instagram Feed
By default, Smash Balloon shows all the images and videos from your Instagram account. However, since we’re creating a shoppable feed you may want to filter your posts, and only show photos that link to a product or service.
This can help shoppers find products to buy, without getting distracted by other photos and videos in your Instagram feed.
With Smash Balloon, it’s easy to filter Instagram posts based on their captions. You can simply add a keyword or hashtag to your shoppable images on Instagram, and then create a matching filter in Smash Balloon.
For example, in the following image we’re using the #ordernow hashtag for all the images we want to make shoppable.
To create a filter in Smash Balloon, select the ‘Settings’ tab.
Then, go ahead and click on ‘Filters and Moderation.’
In the ‘Only show posts containing’ box, type in the hashtags or keywords that you want to use in the filter.
If you want to use multiple words in the filter, then simply separate each hashtag or keyword with a comma.
When you’re happy with how the filter is set up, click on the ‘Save’ button.
Just be aware that the preview won’t update straight away, so you’ll need to refresh the page to see the filter in action.
How to Customize Your Shoppable Instagram Feed
When you’re happy with the photos and videos that appear in your shoppable feed, you may want to change how the feed looks.
To customize your shoppable Instagram feed, simply click on the ‘Customize’ tab. On the left-hand side are all the settings you can use to change how the shoppable feed looks.
Most of these settings are self-explanatory, but we’ll quickly cover some key areas that can help you get more sales.
Let’s start at the top, by selecting ‘Feed Layout.’ Here, you can choose different layouts for your shoppable feed, such as carousel and highlight.
As you make changes, the preview will update automatically so you can try different settings to see what looks the best.
Depending on the layout, you’ll get some extra settings that you can use to fine-tune your feed. For example if you choose ‘Highlight’ then you can tell Smash Balloon to highlight posts based on a pattern, post ID, or a specific hashtag. This is great for highlighting your most popular products.
By 2025, it’s estimated that US consumers will spend $710 billion every year shopping on their mobile devices. With that in mind, you’ll want to make sure the shoppable Instagram feed looks just as good on smartphones and tablets, as it does on desktops.
By default, Smash Balloon will show the same number of photos on desktop computers and mobile devices.
You can preview how the shoppable feed will look on desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones using the row of buttons in the upper-right corner.
You can show fewer shoppable photos on mobile devices by changing the settings in the ‘Number of Posts’ and ‘Columns’ sections.
After making any changes, click on the ‘Customize’ link. This will take you back to the main Smash Balloon editor, ready for you to explore the next option, which is ‘Color Scheme.’
By default, Smash Balloon uses a color scheme inherited from your WordPress theme, but it also has ‘Light’ and ‘Dark’ themes that you may want to use for the shoppable feed instead.
By default, Smash Balloon adds a header to the shoppable feed, which is your profile picture and the name of your page.
To change how this section looks, click on ‘Header’ in the left-hand menu and then use the settings to change the size of your header, add Instagram bio text, and more.
You can also add a different bio. For example, you might encourage people to buy your products, or offer visitors an exclusive coupon code.
To create a unique Instagram bio, simply type into the ‘Add custom bio’ box.
With that done, click on ‘Customize’ to return to the main Smash Balloon editor.
Then, select ‘Posts.’
This takes you to a screen that has a few different options.
You can look through these settings and make any changes you want, but we’re going to focus on ‘Caption.’
If you added shoppable links to your captions, then it’s important to make the text stand out. For example, you might make the caption bigger.
You might even use a different color for the caption.
With that done, click on ‘Posts’ to go back to the previous screen.
Here, you’ll also see a ‘Hover State’ option, which is the overlay that Smash Balloon adds to a post when you hover over it.
This allows visitors to see any links in your captions without opening that Instagram post first.
On this screen, you can use the settings to create an eye-catching colored overlay.
After selecting ‘Hover State’ you’ll be able to change the background color and text color that appears when you hover over each post.
Under ‘Information to display,’ you’ll see all the different information that Smash Balloon can show as part of the overlay. Simply check the box next to each piece of information that you want to show.
If the caption contains shoppable links, then make sure you leave ‘Caption’ enabled.
When you’re happy with your changes, click on ‘Customize’ to return to the main Smash Balloon editor screen. You can now select the next option, which is ‘Load More Button.’
By default, Smash Balloon adds a ‘Load More’ button to the bottom of your Instagram feed so visitors can scroll through your shoppable posts.
Here, you can change the button’s background color, text color, and hover state.
You can also add your own messaging to the button by typing into the ‘Text’ field.
While we recommend leaving the ‘Load More’ button enabled to get more sales, you can remove it. For example, you might encourage people to visit your Instagram page by limiting the number of photos they can see on your site.
To remove the button, simply click on the ‘Enable’ slider to turn it from blue to grey.
If shoppers like what they see, they may decide to follow you on Instagram using the ‘Follow on Instagram’ button that appears below the shoppable feed.
Since it’s such an important button, you may want to help it stand out by selecting ‘Follow Button’ from the main Smash Balloon editor screen.
Here, you can change the button’s background color, hover state, and text color.
You may also replace the default ‘Follow on Instagram’ text with your own messaging.
As always, when you’re finished with these settings, click on ‘Customize’ to return to the main editor screen.
If you’ve enabled the Smash Balloon shoppable feature, then clicking on any post in the Instagram feed will open a new tab and take them straight to the linked product page.
However, if you haven’t enabled the shoppable feature then you may want to take a look at Smash Balloon’s lightbox feature.
This feature allows visitors to open the image or video in a lightbox popup, without leaving your WordPress website. They can then click on any shoppable links in the captions.
To enable or disable the lightbox, simply select ‘Lightbox’ from the left-hand menu.
Here, you can remove or add this feature using the ‘Enable’ slider.
You can also change how many comments Smash Balloon will show in the lightbox. Lots of positive comments can be a powerful form of social proof, which will often help you sell more products and services.
However, they can also be distracting so you may want to type a maximum number into the ‘No. of comments’ box.
Another option is to hide comments completely, by clicking on the ‘Comments’ toggle.
When you’re happy with how the Instagram feed looks, don’t forget to click on ‘Save’ to store your changes. You’re now ready to add the shoppable Instagram feed to your website.
How to Embed Instagram Feed in WordPress
You can add the shoppable feed to your website using a block, widget, or shortcode.
If you’ve created more than one feed using the Smash Balloon plugin, then you’ll need to know the feed’s code if you’re going to use a widget or block.
To get this code, go to Instagram Feed » All Feeds and then copy the value in the ‘Shortcode’ column.
If you want to embed the Instagram feed in a page or post, then we recommend using the Instagram Feed block.
Just open the page or post where you want to embed your shoppable photo and video feed. Then, click on the ‘+’ icon to add a new block and start typing ‘Instagram Feed.’
When the right block appears, click to add it to the page or post.
The block will show one of your Smash Balloon feeds by default. If you want to show a different Instagram feed instead, then find ‘Shortcode Settings’ in the right-hand menu.
Here, simply add the shortcode and then click on ‘Apply Changes.’
The block will now show all the photos and videos from your Instagram feed. Just publish or update the page to make the feed live on your website.
Another option is to add the feed to any widget-ready area, such as the sidebar or similar section. This allows visitors to shop using your Instagram feed from any page of your site.
Simply go to Appearance » Widgets in the WordPress dashboard and then click on the blue ‘+’ button.
In the search bar, type in ‘Instagram Feed’ and select the right widget when it appears.
Just be aware that WordPress has a built-in Instagram widget, so make sure you choose the one that shows the official Instagram logo.
Next, simply drag the widget onto the area where you want to show the shoppable Instagram feed, such as the sidebar or similar section.
The widget will automatically show one of the feeds you created using Smash Balloon. If this isn’t the shoppable Instagram feed you just created, then type the feed’s code into the ‘Shortcode Settings’ box.
After that, click on ‘Apply Changes.’
You can now make the widget live by clicking on the ‘Update’ button. For more information, please see our step-by-step guide on how to add and use widgets in WordPress.
Another option is embedding the Instagram feed on any page, post, or widget-ready area using a shortcode.
Finally, if you’re using a block-enabled theme, then you can use the full-site editor to add the Instagram Feed block anywhere on your website.
In your dashboard, simply go to Appearance » Editor.
By default, the full-site editor will show the theme’s home template. If you want to add the shoppable feed to a different template, then click on the arrow next to ‘Home.’
You can then choose any design from the dropdown, such as the footer template.
If you don’t see the template in the list, select ‘Browse all templates.’
The full-site editor will now show a list of all the templates you can edit. Simply click on the template where you want to show the shoppable Instagram feed.
After choosing a template, just hover your mouse over the area where you want to add the shoppable Instagram feed.
Then, click on the ‘+’ button.
After that, start typing in ‘Instagram Feed.’
When the right block appears, click to add it to the template.
As always, Smash Balloon will show a feed by default. You can change this feed by adding a shortcode following the same process described above.
Picture this: You’re shopping for a smartphone cover and stumble across a beautiful online shop. This shop has the cover for your specific smartphone model, but it’s only in one color—yellow—and has no design. You prefer to have it in red and feature a quote, but don’t see an option to personalize the product. And [...]
Do you want to track your WordPress widget history to monitor changes made to the widgets on your site?
Widgets are blocks of content that you can add to your website. They allow you to add different elements to your sidebars such as signup forms, images, recent posts, and more. Tracking widget history allows you to easily monitor changes and undo them as needed.
In this article, we’ll show you how to easily track your WordPress widget history.
Why Should You Track WordPress Widget History?
By default, WordPress comes with a feature called revisions for content types like posts and pages. Revisions make it easier to what changes were made by which user, and allow you to easily undo those changes if needed.
However, there is no built-in revisions feature for WordPress widgets.
Tracking widget history will allow you to keep track of changes made to widgets on your WordPress website. You can see which user added, removed, or changed a widget, and then you can keep those changes or undo them by editing your widget.
Similarly, if something in a widget has stopped working, then you can pinpoint which changes caused the problem and fix them manually.
That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily track widget history in WordPress.
How to Easily Track WordPress Widget History
The easiest way to track WordPress widget history is by using the Simple History plugin.
Keep in mind that plugin will only track changes made after the plugin is activated.
After installing the plugin, let’s make a few changes to your WordPress widgets. Simply go to the Appearance » Widgets page and make some changes to your existing widgets.
Don’t forget to click on the Update button to save your widget changes.
After that, you can go to the Dashboard » Simple History page inside WordPress admin area.
You’ll see the changes you made to your widgets appear at the top.
Apart from widget changes, Simple History will also be able to track the following changes and user activity on your website:
theme updates
plugin installation
sidebar widget history
Comments history
user logins
user profiles
If you want to change the settings of the plugin, then you can simply head over to Settings » Simple History from the WordPress admin dashboard.
From here, you can modify the plugin settings according to your needs.
If you want to track the widget history of your WordPress site directly from the dashboard, then you can check the ‘On the dashboard’ option beside the ‘Show History’ option.
This will allow you to access Simple History by simply heading over to Dashboard » Simple History from the WordPress admin panel.
You can also select the number of items you want to show on your log page as well as your dashboard page.
Additionally, you can enable the RSS feed option by checking the box next to it if you want to receive daily log updates about your website.
Don’t forget to click the ‘Save Changes button at the bottom once you’re satisfied.
Next, you may want to switch to the Debug tab. From here, you can view all the log events displayed as Loggers.
Plus, you will also be able to see the names of tables that plugin has created in your WordPress database.
The plugin also allowss you to easily downoad the logs file to your computer.
Siply switch to the Export tab on the plugin’s settings page and choose which format you want to use for the export.
You can choose either JSON or CSV format. We recommend using the CSV option as you can open the CSV files in any spreadsheet software like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel.
After that, click on the Download Export File button and plugin will send a download file to your browser.
Here is how it would look when you open it in a spreadsheet software.
Final Thoughts
Having an activity log is very important as it helps you keep your website safe. Simple History does that for widgets and many other plugins.
Other plugins like WPForms have added revisions to WordPress form building, and WPCode has also added version control for custom code snippets.
Lastly, if you’re looking for a comprehensive activity log solution for WordPress security, then we recommend taking a look at WP Activity Log plugin.
We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to easily track your WordPress widget history. You may also want to check out our guide on how to start a podcast, and our top picks of the best WooCommerce plugins for your store.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Do you want to change the default sender name and email address for outgoing WordPress emails?
By default, WordPress uses ‘WordPress’ as the sender name for all outgoing WordPress notification emails. This doesn’t look very professional, and you may want to change that to your business name.
In this article, we will show you how to easily change the default sender name and email address in outgoing WordPress emails.
Why You Should Change the Default Sender Information in WordPress?
WordPress sends several email notifications to the site administrator as well as other users on your website.
This includes important email notifications such as forgot password emails, website error and recovery emails, new user registration, and more.
By default, it uses ‘WordPress’ as the sender’s name and a non-existent email address ([email protected]) as the sender’s email.
Many spam filters block your WordPress emails, believing them to be junk. Sometimes it does not even make it to the spam folder, but is deleted immediately due to filters.
The outgoing email notifications are important, and you should use your own brand and email address. This increases the authenticity of your brand and increases name recognition among your users.
For instance, if you run an online store, then you would want customers to get email notifications with your store name as the sender.
Let’s see how to change the default sender name and email address in outgoing WordPress email notifications.
Method 1. Changing Default Sender Name and Email using WP Mail SMTP
This method is easier and recommended for all WordPress users.
For this method, we’ll be using the WP Mail SMTP Pro plugin. It is the best WordPress SMTP plugin, used by over 3 million website owners.
This plugin allows you to easily change the default sender name and email address for outgoing WordPress emails. It also helps you fix the WordPress email deliverability problem.
Upon activation, you need to visit WP Mail SMTP » Settings to configure plugin settings. Under the Mail section, you can simply enter the email address and the name you want to use to send WordPress emails.
Below, you can find the options to set up an SMTP server to send WordPress emails. By default, the plugin will use the PHP method provided by your WordPress hosting company which is less reliable.
We recommend using any of the listed SMTP services to properly send WordPress emails for higher guaranteed deliverability.
If you choose an SMTP service, then follow the on-screen instructions to connect the plugin with your SMTP service provider.
Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Settings’ button to save your changes.
Test Your WordPress Emails
WP Mail SMTP Pro also allows you to test your WordPress email settings. Simply go to the WP Mail SMTP » Tools page and switch to the ‘Email Test’ tab.
From here, you just need to provide an email address that you can access and then click on the ‘Send Email’ button.
The plugin will now send a test email to the address you provided. You can check your inbox to make sure that you can receive WordPress emails and that it has the correct sender name and sender email address.
WP Mail SMTP works with all popular WordPress plugins like WooCommerce, WPForms, and more.
Method 2: Changing Default Sender Name and Email using WP Change Email Sender
This method is only recommended if you don’t use an SMTP service or if the first method is not working.
Using this method does not improve your WordPress email deliverability or make it easier to troubleshoot email issues. However, if your WordPress emails are working, then it will allow you to change the sender name and email address.
Upon activation, you need to go to Settings » General in your WordPress admin area. There you’ll find the ‘Email Sender Name’ and ‘Sender Email Address’ fields.
You will need to enter the name and email address you want to be used for outgoing WordPress emails.
Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.
That’s all. Your WordPress notification emails will now show the name and email address you entered in the plugin settings.
There is no method provided by the plugin to test your email settings. You can do that by performing actions that generate WordPress notification emails, like creating a new user, requesting a password reset, and more.
Method 3: Changing Sender Name and Email Address using WPCode
Another excellent way to change your sender name and email address are by adding a code snippet. And we recommend WPCode, the easiest and safest way to add code to WordPress.
You usually need to add code to your functions.php file, but WPCode makes it simple and easy to add this code snippet with just a few clicks.
Not only that, but WPCode has many other snippets available to help customize your site. Plus, you can easily add your custom snippets.
Next, click on Code Snippets »Add Snippet to your WordPress admin dashboard. Simply type ‘sender’ into the search bar and press the ‘Use snippet’ button under ‘Change Outgoing Email Sender’.
Then you’ll be taken to the Edit Snippet page.
Here you need to update the sender’s email and name in the code snippet.
And then, switch the toggle to ‘Active’ and click on the ‘Update’ button.
One of the benefits of using WPCode is that it comes with a library filled with pre-made snippets. There’s a good chance you can find some to replace other plugins on your site, such as disabling automatic updates, allowing SVG files to be uploaded, or even using the Classic editor instead of the default block editor.
You don’t have to use the library, either. You can also add any other code you ever need by selecting ‘Add Your Custom Code (New Snippet)’ button instead of searching the library.
Then, all you have to do is just paste your own code in and decide where it should run on your site.
For example, you can copy and paste this snippet below into the WPCode’s custom code snippet and customize it to change the sender name and email.
// Please edit the address and name below.
// Change the From address.
add_filter( 'wp_mail_from', function ( $original_email_address ) {
return '[email protected]';
} );
// Change the From name.
add_filter( 'wp_mail_from_name', function ( $original_email_from ) {
return 'Tim Smith';
} );
We hope this article helped you learn how to change the sender’s name and email address in outgoing WordPress emails. You may also want to see our guide on the best bulk email marketing services to bulk send emails to all your users and our comparison of the best WordPress page builder plugins to customize your site without any code.
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.