How to Easily Add Icon Fonts in Your WordPress Theme

22.02.2023how to add font awesome in wordpress, icon fonts, Themes, wordpress icon fonts, wordpress icon fonts pluginEditorial Staff

Do you want to add icon fonts to your WordPress site?

Icon fonts allow you to add resizable vector icons that are loaded like web fonts, so they don’t slow down your website. You can even style them using CSS to get exactly the look you want.

In this article, we will show you how to easily add icon fonts in your WordPress theme.

What are Icon Fonts and Why You Should Use Them?

Icon fonts contain symbols or small pictures instead of letters and numbers.

You can use these icon fonts to show common images. For example, you can use them with your shopping cart, download buttons, feature boxes, giveaway contests, and even in WordPress navigation menus.

Most visitors will immediately understand what a commonly-used icon means. In this way, you can help visitors find their way around your website and engage with your content.

These pictures can also help you create a multilingual WordPress website, since most people can understand icon fonts no matter what language they speak.

Compared to image-based icons, font icons load much more quickly so they can boost WordPress speed and performance.

There are several open-source icon font sets that you can use for free such as IcoMoon, Genericons, and Linearicons.

In fact, the WordPress software comes with free dashicon icons built-in. These are the icons you can see in the WordPress admin area.

In this guide, we’ll be using Font Awesome as it is the most popular open-source icon set. We use it on WPBeginner, and in all our premium WordPress plugins.

With that said, let’s look at how you can easily add icon fonts in your WordPress theme. Simply use the quick links to jump straight to the method that you want to use.

Method 1. Adding Icon Fonts Using a WordPress Plugin (Easy)

The easiest way to add icon fonts to WordPress is by using the Font Awesome plugin. This allows you to use icon fonts in your pages and posts without modifying your theme files. You’ll also get any new Font Awesome icons automatically every time you update the plugin.

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

Upon activation, you can add a Font Awesome icon to any shortcode block. Simply open the page or post where you want to show the icon font, and then click on the ‘+’ icon.

You can now search for ‘Shortcode’ and select the right block when it appears.

Adding a font icon to WordPress using shortcode

With that done, you can add any Font Awesome icon using the following shortcode:

[icon name="rocket"]

Simply replace “rocket” with the name of the icon that you want to show. To get this name, head over to the Font Awesome site and click on the icon that you want to use.

Choosing an icon font for your WordPress website

In the popup that appears, go ahead and click on the icon’s name.

Font Awesome will now copy the name to your clipboard automatically.

With that done, simply paste the name into the shortcode. You can now click on ‘Publish’ or ‘Update’ to make the icon font live.

Sometimes you may want to show an icon font inside a block of text. For example, you may need to display a ‘copyright’ symbol after a brand name.

To do this, simply paste the shortcode inside any Paragraph block.

You can then use the settings in the right-hand menu to customize the icon, similar to how you customize options for text blocks. For example, you can change the font size.

WordPress will turn the shortcode into a Font Awesome icon for visitors and show it alongside your text.

Another option is to add the shortcode to any widget-ready area.

For example, you can add a Shortcode block to your site’s sidebar or similar section.

For more information, please see our guide on how to use shortcodes in your WordPress sidebar widgets.

You can even add the icon shortcode to columns and create beautiful feature boxes.

An example of a features box on a WordPress website

For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to add feature boxes with icons in WordPress.

Many websites use icon fonts in their menus, to help visitors find their way around. To add an icon, either create a new menu or open an existing menu in the WordPress dashboard.

For step-by-step instructions, check out our beginner’s guide on how to add a navigation menu in WordPress.

Then, click on ‘Screen Options’ and check the box next to ‘CSS Classes.’

Adding CSS classes to a WordPress navigation menu

With that done, simply click to expand the menu item where you want to show the icon.

You should now see a new ‘CSS Classes’ field.

To get an icon’s CSS class, simply find the icon font on the Font Awesome website and give it a click. If you want, then you can change the icon’s style by clicking on the different settings.

In the popup, you’ll see an HTML code snippet. The CSS class is simply the text between the quotation marks. For example, in the following image, the CSS class is fa-solid fa-address-book.

Simply copy the text inside the quotes, then switch back to the WordPress dashboard.

You can now paste the text into the ‘CSS Classes’ field.

To add more icon fonts, simply follow the same process described above.

When you’re happy with how the menu is set up, click on ‘Save.’ Now if you visit your WordPress website you’ll see the updated navigation menu.

An example of icon fonts in a WordPress navigation menu

Method 2. Using Icon Fonts with SeedProd (More Customizable)

If you want more freedom over where you use font icons, then we recommend using a page builder plugin.

SeedProd is the best drag-and-drop WordPress page builder in the market and has over 1400 Font Awesome icons built-in. It also has a ready-made Icon box that you can add to any page using drag and drop.

With SeedProd, it’s easy to create custom pages in WordPress and then show Font Awesome icons anywhere on those pages.

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

Note: There is a free version of SeedProd, but we’ll be using the Pro version since it comes with the Icon box.

Upon activation, go to SeedProd » Settings and enter your license key.

You can find this information under your account on the SeedProd website. After entering the license key, go ahead and click the ‘Verify Key’ button.

Next, you need to visit SeedProd » Pages and click on the ‘Add New Landing Page’ button.

Choosing a custom design for your WordPress page

Now, you can choose a template to use as the basis for your page. SeedProd has over 180 professionally-designed templates that you can customize according to your WordPress blog or website’s needs.

To select a template, hover your mouse over it and then click the ‘Checkmark’ icon.

Choosing a professionally-designed template

We’re using the ‘Ebook Sales Page’ template in all our images, but you can use any design you want.

Next, go ahead and type in a name for the custom page. SeedProd will automatically create a URL based on the page’s title, but you can change this URL to anything you want.

When you’re happy with the information you’ve entered, click on the ‘Save and Start Editing the Page’ button.

Adding a title to a SeedProd page design

Next, you’ll be taken to the SeedProd drag-and-drop page builder, where you can customize the template.

The SeedProd editor shows a live preview of your design to the right and some block settings on the left.

Customizing a SeedProd WordPress page template

The left-hand menu also has blocks that you can drag onto your design.

You can drag and drop standard blocks like buttons and images or use advanced blocks such as the contact form, countdown, social share buttons, and more.

Adding blocks a page or post design in WordPress

To customize any block, simply click to select it in your layout.

The left-hand menu will now show all the settings you can use to customize that block. For example, you can often change background colors, add background images, or change the color scheme and fonts to better match your brand.

Creating a custom layout for a WordPress website

To add an icon font to the page, simply find the ‘Icon’ block in the left-hand column and then drag it onto your layout.

SeedProd will show an ‘arrow’ icon by default.

To show a different Font Awesome icon instead, simply click to select the Icon block.

In the left-hand menu, hover your mouse over the icon and then click on the ‘Icon Library’ button when it appears.

You’ll now see all the different Font Awesome icons that you can choose from.

Simply find the font icon that you want to use and give it a click.

SeedProd will now add the icon to your layout.

After choosing an icon, you can change its alignment, color, and size using the settings in the left-hand menu.

You can continue working on the page by adding more blocks and customizing those blocks in the left-hand menu.

When you’re happy with how the page looks, click the ‘Save’ button. You can then select ‘Publish’ to make that page live.

Publishing a custom page layout with a font icon

We hope this article helped you learn how to add icon fonts in your WordPress theme. You can also go through our guide on the best popup plugins compared and how to choose the best web design software.

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

The post How to Easily Add Icon Fonts in Your WordPress Theme first appeared on WPBeginner.

13 Common WordPress Block Editor Problems and How to Fix Them

22.02.2023Beginners Guide, block editor, block editor issue, content editor, Gutenberg Editor, wordpress block editor, wordpress block editor guide, wordpress content editorEditorial Staff

Are you running into errors when using the WordPress block editor?

WordPress replaced the old classic editor in 2019 with a brand new content editor called Gutenberg. This new editor uses blocks to create content in WordPress. However, sometimes you may come across annoying issues when using it.

In this article, we’ll share how to fix the most common WordPress block editor problems, so you can improve your workflow.

Common block editor issues and how to fix it

What is WordPress Block Editor?

WordPress block editor, or Gutenberg, is a new content editor introduced in the WordPress 5.0 release. Since then, WordPress has improved the editor and added new features and functionalities.

It provides more customization features compared to the Classic Editor. You get different blocks to add different elements to your content and don’t have to edit code to change the appearance and style.

It tries to show how your blogs and pages will look in real time by mimicking the same font and colors of your WordPress theme.

For example, you can use an image block to add pictures to your blog posts. Plus, you get options like image style, size, alignment, and more using the block.

Besides that, many WordPress plugins add their blocks to the content editor. This makes it super easy to embed things like forms, social media feeds, and tables of content in just a few clicks.

That said, the block editor isn’t perfect. Like any other WordPress plugin, you may come across different errors or bugs. Here are a few common issues in the content editor. You can click the links below to see your preferred section.

1. Fix WordPress Block Editor Not Working Error

One of the most common issues users face is the ‘WordPress block editor not working.’

There are multiple reasons why this error occurs. For instance, it could be because of an old outdated theme, a faulty plugin, or other technical errors.

The WordPress block editor may also not work if you have a misconfigured setting on your site, like disabling the visual editor when creating a user profile.

You can check this by going to Users » Profile from your WordPress dashboard. From here, just ensure that the ‘Disable the visual editor when writing’ option is not selected.

If the problem still persists, then you can try deactivating all the plugins on your site. This should help rule out any conflicts a plugin might be causing and stop the block editor from working.

Another way to fix this is by updating your WordPress theme. An outdated theme can cause the block editor not working error. You can see our guide on how to update WordPress theme without losing data and customization.

2. WordPress Block Editor Keeps Crashing

Another common issue that some users face is the WordPress block editor would crash unexpectedly.

When it crashes, you would see a ‘The editor has encountered an unexpected error’ error message. WordPress would then show 3 options, including attempt recovery, copy post text, and copy error.

There could be multiple reasons for this issue. For instance, a plugin could break the block editor and show this error, or your WordPress version isn’t up to date.

You can fix this by deactivating all the plugins and reactivating them one by one. Another fix is to change your WordPress to a default theme, like Twenty Twenty-Two, and see if the problem persists.

If you’re still facing this issue after checking the WordPress plugins and theme, then try updating the WordPress version and clearing the WordPress cache.

3. Remove The Invalid JSON Error in the Content Editor

When you’re editing a blog post or page, a ‘The response is not a valid JSON response’ error may occur when you click the Update button in the block editor.

WordPress is in continuous communication with the website server in the background when you’re editing a post on your WordPress blog. This error is caused when WordPress fails to receive a response from the server or the response is not in the JSON format.

Here are a few reasons why you would get an invalid JSON error and how to fix them:

Check WordPress URLs in Settings – You will need to ensure that the WordPress Address and Site Address in your site’s settings are correct. Simply go to the Settings » General page and check if the URLs are the same. The JSON error could be triggered if the Site Address is different.

Ensure WordPress and site address are same

Fix Permalink Settings in WordPress – In WordPress, you can set up SEO-friendly URLs for your pages and posts. However, incorrect settings can make it hard for the block editor to get a valid JSON response. Just make sure to select the right permalink format.
Check WordPress .htaccess File Settings – The .htaccess file is used as a configuration file in WordPress to manage SEO-friendly URLs (permalinks). Usually, WordPress will automatically regenerate and update it. However, incorrect settings or out-of-date .htaccess files can cause JSON errors.
See REST API Debug Logs – The REST API is a set of techniques WordPress uses to communicate with your site’s server. A JSON error can also mean that REST API encountered an error. You can check this by viewing the REST API logs on the Site Health page in WordPress.
Try Deactivating All The Plugins – A conflict between different WordPress plugins can also result in an invalid JSON error. Try deactivating all the plugins on your website and see if the error reoccurs.
Switch to the Classic Editor – If you’re still unable to resolve the JSON error, then you can switch back to the Classic Editor in WordPress. The old content editor doesn’t rely on REST API to get a JSON response from the website server.

To learn more about each of these tips in detail, please see our guide on how to fix the invalid JSON error in WordPress.

4. Resolve Updating Failed / Publishing Failed Error

Another error you might see when updating or publishing a blog post or page in the WordPress block editor is: ‘Updating failed. You are probably offline.’

This issue occurs when WordPress REST API cannot communicate with the WordPress database.

If the block editor fails to send and receive requests from the WordPress hosting database, then different parts of your site won’t function. This includes the block editor.

The REST API may stop working if you’re not connected to the internet or have lost connectivity. To fix this issue, please make sure that your internet connection is working properly, and then try to update or publish your page.

Aside from that, you can go to Tools » Site Health from your WordPress dashboard and view the REST API logs. If there is an issue with REST API, then you will see it under the ‘recommended improvements’ section.

The error log will show what happened to the REST API and may give you clues about what might have caused the issue.

For information on fixing this issue, you can take a look at our guide on how to fix WordPress updating failed errors.

5. Add or Remove Blank Spaces between WordPress Blocks

When creating custom pages and posts using the WordPress block editor, you may notice too much or too little space between blocks.

Usually the spacing is controlled by your WordPress theme. However, there are options in the block editor that also let you control the layout of your page and offer a better user experience.

For instance, you can add a Spacer block to add blank spaces. Simply click the ‘+’ button and add the Spacer block anywhere in the content.

This way, you can add additional space between blocks.

WordPress also lets you adjust the size of the spacer block. You can make it bigger or smaller by dragging the block up or down.

If you want to remove extra blank space between blocks, then you will need to enter custom CSS into your WordPress theme or use a CSS plugin like CSS Hero.

The plugin lets you edit your website’s CSS without editing the code. It offers different spacing options that you can use to adjust the blank space between blocks.

You can also use SeedProd to create a custom page in WordPress and have full control over the design.

To learn more, please see our guide on how to add or remove blank space between WordPress blocks.

6. Copy and Paste Content without Formatting Issues

Have you ever noticed that when you copy and paste content from a desktop app or a web page into the block editor, you end up pasting unwanted formatting as well?

You’ll see that the font and colors of the pasted content don’t match your WordPress theme. This is very common if you’re using Microsoft Word or Google Docs to write the content and then enter it in the block editor.

Some simple tips for keeping the original formatting include using Word and Google Docs heading styles. This way, WordPress automatically picks the headline level when you paste the content into the block editor.

Besides that, you should check the HTML code of your page or post after pasting the content. In the WordPress content editor, you can select a block and then click the 3 vertical dots option. From the dropdown menu, simply select the ‘Edit as HTML’ option.

Switching to the HTML View of a Block in the WordPress Block Editor

This way, you should be able to find any formatting errors, like incorrect bolds and italics, unwanted text, and more.

For more details, you can see our guide on how to copy and paste in WordPress without formatting issues.

7. Fix the Image Upload Issue in WordPress

Next, you might see an error when uploading images in the WordPress block editor. It is one of the most common image issues in WordPress.

The main reason for this error is due to incorrect file permissions. All your website files are stored on your web hosting service and require specific file and directory permissions to work.

If these permissions are incorrect, it can prevent WordPress from reading and uploading files onto the hosting server. As a result, you will notice that images will disappear from the media library when uploaded, or you may see an error that says:

‘Unable to create directory wp-content/uploads/2019/04. Is its parent directory writable by the server?’

To fix this issue, you’ll need to edit the file permissions. You can use an FTP client and access the /wp-content/ folder. From here, you can right-click the folder and change the file permissions.

Check the File Permissions of the WP-Content Folder

Follow our step-by-step guide on how to fix image upload issue in WordPress for more information on this fix.

8. Fixing the HTTP Image Upload Error

Another issue you may encounter when uploading images in the WordPress block editor is the HTTP error.

WordPress will show a generic ‘HTTP’ error’ when you upload images in the Media Library and you won’t be able to see a preview of the picture.

There are several things that could cause this issue. The frustrating part is that the error message doesn’t give many clues to the actual cause.

To fix this, you can try a bunch of things. First, you can simply wait a few minutes and try reuploading the image. At times, your website server could encounter a problem like unusual traffic and low server resources.

Besides that, you can increase WordPress memory limit and prevent lack of memory from causing the HTTP error. Other things you can try include changing the image editor library used by WordPress and editing the .htaccess file.

Also, your login might have expired, and this error will sometimes go away by going to your login screen and entering your username and password again.

You can read about each of these tips in detail in our guide on how to fix the HTTP image upload error in WordPress.

9. Remove Missed Schedule Post Errors in WordPress

Did you know that WordPress offers a built-in option to schedule blog posts?

In the WordPress content editor, you can change the date and time for publishing your blog posts. However, sometimes your scheduled content may not get published at the set time.

Posts Can Be Published Immediately or Scheduled to Go Live in the Future

The main reason for this error is due to the WordPress hosting environment or plugin conflicts. WordPress uses a technology called ‘cron’ to automatically publish your post at a later time.

If a plugin or the website hosting server is affecting the cron jobs, then it will lead to missed schedule post error in WordPress.

You can fix this issue by checking the timezone of your WordPress site. It is possible that your site’s timezone doesn’t match the timezone you’d like to use for scheduling your blogs.

Simply head to Settings » General from the WordPress admin panel and scroll down to the Timezone section.

You can also try to fix this issue by clearing the WordPress cache and increasing the WordPress memory limit.

Please see our guide on how to fix the missed scheduled post error in WordPress.

10. Fixing Alignment Issues in WordPress Block Editor

Another common WordPress block editor you might face is that your content and images may not be properly aligned.

For example, let’s say you added a bullet list to a blog post and center-aligned it. However, the list appears left-aligned in the block editor when editing the post. Similarly, a center-aligned image block may appear aligned to the left or right.

If you have the Gutenberg plugin installed and active on your WordPress site, then it can cause block alignment issues. We recommend that you deactivate the Gutenberg plugin and see if it resolves the problem.

Another solution is to add the following custom CSS code for the text you’d like to center-align:

.has-text-align-center {
text-align: center;
}

You can also see our guide on how to add and align images in the WordPress block editor.

11. Resolve Facebook Incorrect Thumbnail Issue

Have you ever noticed that when you share an article on Facebook, the post thumbnails are incorrect?

The problem can be caused by conflicting plugins, content delivery network (CDN) issues, or missing open graph meta tags for Facebook.

Now, this isn’t an issue that you will see in the WordPress block editor. However, you can specify an open graph image for Facebook using the content editor.

You can use the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin to quickly fix the issue. It is the best SEO plugin for WordPress and helps you optimize your site for search engines and social media.

Upon activation, you will see an AIOSEO Settings meta box in the WordPress content editor. Simply head to the ‘Social’ tab.

Next, you can scroll down to the ‘Image Source’ section.

From the dropdown, you can select which image to show on Facebook and other social media sites when the article is shared.

You can follow our guide on how to fix Facebook incorrect thumbnail issue in WordPress and learn about other ways of resolving this issue.

12. Fixing Facebook and Instagram oEmbed Issues

Another social media-related block editor issue you will face is adding Facebook and Instagram content to WordPress.

In the past, you could easily embed posts from Instagram or Facebook in WordPress. However, Facebook has changed the way oEmbed works now.

You can no longer embed videos, images, updates, and other content in WordPress. It will instead show a plain URL of the content.

An example of an oEmbed error in WordPress

You can easily fix this issue using a social media WordPress plugin like Smash Balloon. It helps you embed content from Facebook and Instagram easily using oEmbed, and you can also show social media feeds on your website.

For more details, please see our guide on how to fix the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed issues in WordPress.

13. Unable to See Embedded Content Preview in Block Editor

This is an issue that was raised in WordPress 5.7 version. Whenever you embedded a video from YouTube and Vimeo or added audio from Spotify and SoundCloud, the preview wouldn’t appear in the block editor.

Instead, you would simply see ‘Preview is not available’ written in the blocks. The main cause of this problem was the default lazy loading feature.

In WordPress 5.5, iFrames were lazy-loaded by default, which meant embedded content like pictures would not load until a visitor scrolled down to the location of the content.

A simple fix to this issue is updating your WordPress version. This bug has since then been resolved. If you’re using version 5.7 or lower, then we highly recommend updating your WordPress to the latest version.

We hope this article helped you learn about the common block editor issues and how to fix them. You may also want to see our guide on common WordPress errors and how to fix them, and the ultimate guide to WordPress SEO for beginners.

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

The post 13 Common WordPress Block Editor Problems and How to Fix Them first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Open a WordPress Popup Form On Click of Link or Image

21.02.2023on click popup form, optin popup on click, trigger popup form on click, TutorialsEditorial Staff

Do you want to create a popup that appears when visitors click on a link or an image on your site?

This is a proven way to grow your email list. It is more effective since it starts with an action taken by a user. Popular sites often use it to offer an optin incentive to get even more subscribers.

In this article, we’ll show how to open a WordPress popup on click of a link or an image, step by step.

What Is an ‘On Click’ Popup Form?

On-click popup forms are lightbox popups that open when a user clicks on a link, button, or image on your WordPress website.

Normally, popups appear on websites when a user arrives or when they are about to leave. On-click popup forms are triggered by user interaction.

We also use on-click popups on WPBeginner to grow our email list. For instance, a popup will appear when a user clicks the email icon in the sidebar next to all social icons.

Why Are On-Click Popup Forms So Effective?

On-click popup form is effective because it uses the powerful Zeigarnik effect. This is a psychological principle that states users who start an action themselves are more likely to finish it.

When someone clicks a link or button to trigger your popup, they’ve already shown interest. When the form popup appears, they’ll be more likely to use it.

For example, you can use an on-click popup to offer a lead magnet. This could be a free downloadable resource like an ebook or PDF file that users can get in exchange for their email address.

However, there are other ways to use on-click popups on your website. For instance, you can ask users to claim a coupon code, learn more about a product, fill-out surveys, and more.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily make an on-click lightbox popup for your website.

Creating an On-Click Popup in WordPress

The easiest way to create an on-click popup is by using OptinMonster. It is the popup plugin for WordPress and lead generation software.

First, you’ll need to sign up for an OptinMonster account. You’ll need the Pro account (or higher) because it includes the MonsterLinks™ feature that lets you create on-click popups.

Simply visit the OptinMonster website and click the ‘Get OptinMonster Now’ button to get started.

Next, you need to install and activate the OptinMonster plugin on your WordPress website. For help, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

This lets you connect your OptinMonster account to your WordPress site.

Once you’ve activated the plugin, you’ll need to connect your account. You should be taken to the Welcome page automatically in your WordPress dashboard.

Go ahead and click the ‘Connect Your Existing Account’ button.

After that, a new window will open.

You can click the ‘Connect to WordPress’ button to add your site to OptinMonster.

Once you’ve connected your OptinMonster account to your WordPress site, you can create your on-click popup.

Simply go to OptinMonster » Campaigns from your WordPress dashboard and click the ‘Create Your First Campaign’ button.

You’ll be taken straight to the OptinMonster website.

The Campaign Type should already be set to Popup. If not, just click on Popup to select it. Next, you’ll need to choose a campaign template.

You’ll be able to modify the template exactly how this looks later. We’re going to use the ‘Basic’ template for this tutorial.

Simply run your cursor over the template and click the ‘Use Template’ button.

Now, you’ll be prompted to enter a name for your campaign. This is just for you. The users will not see it.

Simply enter a name and click the ‘Start Building’ to create your popup.

OptinMonster will automatically load up the template in the drag-and-drop campaign builder.

You can edit the default text and add or remove elements from your template. Simply drag blocks from the menu on your left and drop them on the template.

You can also remove any element in the form by clicking on it and using the menu options to the left. For instance, we will remove the ‘Name’ field from the form.

First, you’ll need to click on the ‘Optin’ tab at the bottom of the screen. After that, click on the field to select it, and you’ll see the available options in the left column, including the option to remove it.

Once you have designed the popup, the next step is to design the Success view, which people see after filling out the form.

Simply switch to the ‘Success’ view at the top of the screen.

You can edit the success view just like you edited the optin view. For instance, you may want to change the text or include a link to download a lead magnet.

Connecting Your Popup to Your Email List

Once you’re happy with your popup, click on the Integrations tab at the top of the screen. You’ll need to link OptinMonster to your email marketing service so that you can add people to your email list.

From here, click the ‘+ Add New Integration’ button on the left-hand side of the screen.

Next, you can select your email provider from the dropdown list.

From here, simply follow the instructions to connect it to OptinMonster.

Setting Your Popup to Appear On Click

Now, you need to configure your popup to appear when the user clicks a link.

Go ahead and click on the Display Rules tab at the top of the screen.

The default display rule set by OptinMonster is ‘time on page.’ This means that the default pop-up will appear after the user has been looking at that page for a certain amount of time.

However, you can click the dropdown and select the ‘MonsterLink™’ (On Click)’ option instead.

After that, you should see your MonsterLink™ in the display rules.

You can click the button to copy your MonsterLink™ Code. You’ll need this in a moment.

Making Your On-Click Popup Live

Next, you can go to the ‘Published’ tab at the top of the page and change your campaign’s status from ‘Draft’ to ‘Publish.’

Once you’ve done that, click the ‘Save’ button at the top of the screen and close the campaign builder.

Next, you’ll see the ‘WordPress Output Settings’ for your campaign. You can click the ‘Status’ dropdown menu and change it from ‘Pending’ to ‘Published.’ When that’s done, click the ‘Save Changes’ button.

Adding Your MonsterLink to Your WordPress Website

Now, you need to add the special MonsterLink™ to your site. If you didn’t copy this earlier, you can get it by going back to the ‘Display Rules’ setting for your campaign.

First, you’ll need to create a new post or page, or edit the one where you want to add your link.

The MonsterLink™ is HTML code, so you need to paste it into a custom HTML block.

When you’re in the WordPress content editor, click the (+) button to add a Custom HTML block.

Now, copy your MonsterLink™ into that block. It should look something like this:

<a href="https://app.monstercampaigns.com/c/mcqdabfqzia6zdiosiz0/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Subscribe Now!</a>

You can change the words ‘Subscribe Now!’ to whatever text you want to use for your link.

Once you’ve placed the link, you can preview your page or post to ensure it’s working.

Here’s our link in action. Note we’ve applied some styling to the text to create a box with larger text to help promote the lead magnet:

Tip: You’re not limited to just text links using MonsterLinks™. You can also use MonsterLink with call-to-action buttons, images, banners, or navigation menus on your website.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to trigger a WordPress popup form on click. You may also want to see our tutorial on how to speed up your WordPress site and our ultimate WordPress SEO guide.

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

The post How to Open a WordPress Popup Form On Click of Link or Image first appeared on WPBeginner.

Research: The Truth Behind Make Money Online Videos on YouTube and TikTok (We Analyzed 344 Videos)

21.02.2023affiliate marketing, make money blogging, making money online, online business statistics, Research, TikTok, youtubeEditorial Staff

Have you ever wondered whether those YouTube and TikTok influencers teaching how to make money online are telling the truth?

We analyzed 354 videos from YouTube and TikTok to see whether the business model or earning potential they share is realistic for an average person.

Here’s what we found out.

While a lot of these make money online influencer videos paint a rosier picture than the truth of online entrepreneurship, there are still a lot of options to earn consistent income through the internet.

Below are our findings on online business statistics along with the original research data that we collected from YouTube and TikTok.

How online entrepreneurs make money according to YouTube and TikTok

The Trend of Online Work: An Overview

The COVID-19 pandemic showed millions of people that they could work from anywhere and at any time. As offices closed and all but the most essential services shut down, many jobs moved onto the internet.

This trend towards flexibility has persisted: even as most of the world has returned to normal, people still like working remotely. In fact, 45% of employees said they were likely to look for a new job if their employer required them to report to work in person.

Online work can also open up new opportunities for people who lost their jobs during the financial crises spurred on by the pandemic, said Haiyi Zhu, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute who studies gig work. These workers might “turn to online, virtual work as either a transitional job or to find additional income sources” as they look for new full-time employment, she explained.

At the same time, social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok have made it easier than ever for people to learn about online work opportunities. Searches for online gig work or investment opportunities can lead a user to hours upon hours of content, explaining potential business ideas and suggesting how much an aspiring worker could earn.

At WPBeginner, we’ve summarized the money-making advice from hundreds of top videos, exploring the trends in business options and earning potential.

Of course, some videos might paint a rosier picture than the truth of online entrepreneurship. But, there are still a lot of options for earning consistent income through the internet.

For this report, our team used 177 videos from YouTube and 177 videos from TikTok, available in this repository.

On YouTube, we selected videos that came up at the top of a search for “how to make money online.” While on TikTok, we used hashtags like #makemoneyonline and #entrepreneurship to select videos with this theme. We analyzed the videos based on the business options, potential earnings, and required skillsets they advertised.

The potential earnings we discuss in this article were taken directly from the YouTube and TikTok creators whose videos we analyzed.

These numbers do not necessarily reflect accurate trends. Rather, we are presenting them as a reflection of how online creators advertise work opportunities.

Wide Range of Earning Potential

After analyzing all of the videos from YouTube and TikTok, we found that the median pay these influencers advertised was about $50 per hour.

Distribution of Hourly Earnings by Platform - YouTube and TikTok Case Study

At the lowest end of the range, creators advertised microwork tasks, or series of small tasks (such as answering survey questions) that can be completed asynchronously over the internet. Microwork can lead to earnings as low as $1 per hour, according to the videos.

At the highest end of the range, video creators suggested that entrepreneurs can earn over $1,000 per hour for more skilled work like running a popular blog. In our expert opinion, this number is exaggerated and very rarely do individual bloggers get to such income level.

Overall, though, the earning potential mentioned in the videos skewed lower: 90% of the videos on both platforms advertised that workers would get under $300 per hour.

This statistic again should be taken with a grain of salt because it doesn’t factor in true-working hours because it’s unlikely to have a 40 hour work-week at that hourly rate.

Income instability is one of the most common challenges that online gig workers face, Zhu said. Her team has a paper currently undergoing peer review that names key issues across online gig workers and those that use online platforms to coordinate physical work, like driving for Uber or DoorDash. Other major challenges include a lack of employment benefits, health and safety (both physical and online), and a lack of power in the workplace, she said.

Some YouTube and TikTok creators advertise more lucrative career paths by talking about their own experiences getting rich, though their videos may be misleading.

For example, Adam Enfroy, a popular creator on both platforms, claims to make $300,000 a month through blogs and affiliate marketing, but this income is unrealistic for new marketers just starting out. According to statistics, the average earnings for professional, freelance marketers is $50 per hour or $100,000 per year only if you’re absolutely at the top of your game.

Making Money with Online Publishing

Business Types Mentioned by Platform on YouTube and TikTok

Online publishing Statistics, according to YouTube

Online publishing was the most popular type of online business advertised on YouTube, clocking in at 45% of the videos we analyzed.

Business Types Mentioned on YouTube Videos

This is a broad category of online work which might include setting up a blog that earns revenue through affiliate links, writing a newsletter, making videos on YouTube, or creating content as an influencer.

YouTube creators pushing online publishing advertised that workers could earn a median of:

$925 per hour writing a blog
$312 per hour writing a newsletter or similar periodic articles
$230 per hour for YouTube sponsorships
$106 per hour with affiliate marketing

Note: these rates shared in videos may not reflect actual earnings.

Affiliate marketing is one of the simpler options for a new writer with less experience. In this model, companies pay you to send customers to their products. Google a simple question like “best laptop for college,” and you’ll find hundreds of lists on sites ranging from independent blogs to the New York Times, taking advantage of the search engine to drive affiliate revenue.

Online publishing Statistics, according to TikTok

Creators on TikTok similarly advertised blogs and marketing as a high-earning strategy. The videos we analyzed claimed that writing a blog could net a median of $1,500 per year. Digging into this further, we analyzed the skills that TikTok creators claimed would be most lucrative for different online businesses.

Business Types Mentioned on TikTok Videos

According to the TikTok creators, marketing could lead to the highest (advertised) earnings at a median of $62.50 per hour, followed by investing at $56 per hour and video editing at $50 per hour.

As on YouTube, TikTok creators tend to provide fairly limited evidence for their earning estimates. Video creators also tend to advertise business ideas that are easier to sell to a broad audience as “easy money-making strategies”. In reality, getting extremely rich off of a blog is harder than video creators make it sound.

Instead, experts suggested that selling writing or another type of service as a freelancer might be more successful for online workers with prior talents under their belts.

Making Money with a Service Business

Service businesses can include a range of skillsets.

On TikTok, we found that services businesses were the most popular type of online work advertised by creators.

These businesses include a range of skills and activities such as: starting your own agency to provide a service like tech support to other companies, selling goods through an online store, making content for clients on platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, and performing microwork tasks like filling out surveys or tagging content.

Microwork can be particularly appealing for people who are not currently employed full-time and looking to make extra cash, said Melissa Keith, a psychology professor at Bowling Green State University whose research focuses on the platform Mechanical Turk. Mechanical Turk, run by Amazon, allows remote workers to make money by doing small tasks that can’t be completed by computers.

Microwork rates are low, but improving.

“It’s pretty unrealistic to think you’re going to make a full-time salary on most of these platforms,” Keith said. But the all-remote, fully flexible nature of the platform allows workers to earn money on their own terms — potentially even while working at another job. While TikTok videos advertise that workers might be able to earn over $50 per hour while on platforms like Mechanical Turk, Keith found this number is unrealistic compared to her research. “A good rate is closer to $10 an hour,” she said.

In recent years, workers on microwork platforms have pushed the companies posting jobs to improve their hourly rates, Keith noted. Tasks that might once have paid under $1 an hour will now earn a worker the U.S. minimum wage, if not more. These rates can be particularly attractive to workers in other countries where the cost of living is lower.

Balancing Expectations and Reality

Online videos paint a rosy picture of entrepreneurship opportunities. This is especially true for financial and investment advice, as creators advertise buying into cryptocurrency and other risky assets. As CNET contributor Ana Staples points out, anyone can claim to be an expert on TikTok. Short, punchy videos can make getting rich online look much easier than it really is.

It’s also important to consider the gap between who makes videos about earning money online and who actually comprises the online gig workforce.

Our analysis found that the creators of YouTube and TikTok videos skew towards men in their 20s; the user bases of platforms like Mechanical Turk tend to be pretty evenly split on gender, Keith said.

YouTube TikTok Case Study Presenter Demographic

Younger men might be “more willing to share their success stories,” said Zhu, the Carnegie Mellon researcher. Meanwhile, low-income immigrants who are doing more low-paid gig work might “not necessarily want to brag about their work, and also don’t have the time to create videos,” she added.

As online work remains popular in the wake of the pandemic, Zhu and Keith both anticipate that workers will continue to push for higher wages, flexibility on the job, and benefits that better align with those of typical full-time employment. “If people move towards these more flexible work arrangements, we’re going to have to have systems in place to protect workers,” Keith said.

List of Sources

Federal Reserve Board, Haiyi Zhu, Upwork, CNET, Melissa Keith, YouTube and TikTok

That’s a wrap! We hope this original research gave you an idea of what to expect if you’re looking to start an online business or become a freelancer.

If you’re looking to start earning online, you may found the following resources helpful:

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

The post Research: The Truth Behind Make Money Online Videos on YouTube and TikTok (We Analyzed 344 Videos) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Enable / Activate WordPress Plugins from the Database

20.02.2023Plugin activation with WordPress database, Tutorials, wordpress, wordpress database, WordPress Plugins, wordpress tutorialEditorial Staff

Are you looking to enable or activate plugins from the WordPress database?

If you are unable to access your WordPress admin area and need to activate a plugin to restore your access, then you can do that from the WordPress database.

In this article, we will show you how to easily activate your WordPress plugins using the database.

How to enable/activate WordPress plugins from the database

When Should You Activate WordPress Plugins Using Database

A number of common WordPress errors can prevent a website owner from accessing the WordPress admin area. In most of those situations, the user is looking to deactivate WordPress plugins without admin access.

However in some situations, a website owner may need to activate certain plugins to restore access to their WordPress website.

For example, let’s assume an error is stopping you from accessing your WordPress dashboard, and you have found a plugin that can fix that error.

Luckily, WordPress stores the active plugins information in your WordPress database. This means you can manually enter this information directly in the database and tell WordPress to activate a plugin.

The only condition is that the plugin must be installed on your WordPress site. Which means that it should be present in the plugins folder on your WordPress website.

With that being said, let’s see how you can easily enable/activate a plugin using the database.

Step 1. Find Your Database Name Using the Hosting Control Panel

To activate your WordPress plugins using phpMyAdmin, first, you need to find out your WordPress database’s name.

Now, to find the name of your database, you need to log in to your web hosting dashboard. For this tutorial, we will be using Bluehost.

If you are using a different hosting company, then your WordPress hosting dashboard may look slightly different.

Once you are on the cPanel, scroll down to the ‘Files’ section and click the ‘File Manager’ option.

This will open up the File Manager in a new window. Here you simply need to locate and click the public_html folder from the left column.

This will open up all the files that are stored in the public_html folder. Now, you simply need to locate and click the folder with your site’s name on it present under the ‘Name’ column.

Go to the publich_html file and find your site name

Some users may instead see their WordPress files and folders installed inside public_html folder.

After you have opened up your WordPress site’s file, locate the wp-config.php file under the ‘Name’ section and right-click on it.

This will open up a menu where you need to select the ‘View’ option.

This will open up the wp-config.php file in a new window where you can locate your database details.

We recommend that you copy and paste your database details including username and password into a notepad on your computer.

Now you’ve successfully found your database’s name, let’s move to our next step.

Step 2. Locate Active Plugins Option via PhpMyAdmin

After you have found out the name of your database, you need to go back to your WordPress hosting control panel.

Once there, scroll down to the ‘Databases’ section and click the ‘phpMyAdmin’ option.

Click the phpMyAdmin option in the cPanel

This will launch the phpMyAdmin app in a new browser tab.

Note: Before you make any kind of changes, please make sure to create a complete backup of your database. It will come in handy if anything goes wrong with the process.

Next, you simply need to click the ‘Database’ tab from the navigation menu present at the top of the page.

Now, simply locate your WordPress database and click on the browse button to expand it.

This will show your WordPress database tables.

Here, you will simply need to locate wp_options table and click browse next to it.

Note: By default, WordPress uses wp_ as the prefix for table names. Your WordPress database table may have a different table prefix.

Inside the wp_options table, you’ll need to find the row where option_name is set toactive_plugins.

After that, click on the Edit link next to it.

This will open up a box where you can manually enter details to activate a plugin.

Step 3. Activate a Plugin Using phpMyAdmin

WordPress stores the active plugins information in a special format so that it can be programatically accessed by the software.

In order to tell WordPress which plugins to activate, we’ll need to use that same format.

First, we’ll start by entering the option_value as a:1: and then open up the curly bracket ({).

We are entering this value as 1 because we only want to activate one plugin. You have to change the value to the number of plugins you plan on activating.

Next, we will be entering i:0; after the curly bracket. Here we are essentially assigning a serial number to our plugin.

Remember to always assign numbers starting from 0 instead of 1.

Next, we will be entering the number of characters present in the plugin’s name and the php file name of the plugin that we’re about to activate.

For that, we will type s:24: in the box. Keep in mind that the number of characters will differ for each plugin based on the characters in the plugin directory and file name.

For instance, we are activating WPForms in this tutorial which has 24 characters in its name including the file name of the plugin as stored in our file manager.

Next, you just need to type the plugin’s directory name. You can find it by visiting the /wp-content/plugins/ folder using the File Manager app.

Don’t forget to add quotation marks before typing the plugin’s directory name.

After the /, you need to enter the plugin’s file name. This is usually the file with similar name inside the plugin folder.

Now, go back to phpMyAdmin and type the name of the plugin and then close the quotation marks.

After that, simply add a semi-colon (;) and close the curly brackets (}). The final value in this example would look like this:

a:1:{i:0;s:24:"wpforms-lite/wpforms.php";}

This is how it will look once you’re done.

Next, simply click the ‘Go’ button to execute the command.

Now go visit your WordPress dashboard and head over to Plugins » Installed Plugins.

Your plugin has been successfully activated.

Now let’s say you want to activate two more plugins.

First you will need to change the number of plugins. After you will adjust each entry for the plugin that you want to activate.

Here is an example:

a:3:{
i:0;s:47:"all-in-one-seo-pack-pro/all_in_one_seo_pack.php";
i:1;s:35:"insert-headers-and-footers/ihaf.php";
i:2;s:24:"wpforms-lite/wpforms.php";
}

Note: We have added line breaks here to make the code look more readable. You need to make sure that there are no line breaks or spaces in your code. Otherwise, it wouldn’t work.

We hope you learned how to activate a plugin using the database. You may also want to see our guide on how to add social media feeds to WordPress, and our comparison of the best domain registrars in the world.

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

The post How to Enable / Activate WordPress Plugins from the Database first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Use the SEO Writing Assistant in WordPress to Improve SEO

17.02.2023semrush seo writing assistant, seo writing checklist, WordPress Plugins, wordpress seo writing, wordpress seo writing assistantEditorial Staff

Many of our readers ask us how to write better content for SEO. Some ask whether or not they should focus on Yoast SEO’s green light.

Well, when it comes to SEO content optimization, we use a different SEO writing assistant. It helps us optimize our content for SEO, so we can rank higher in search engines.

In this article, we will show you how to use the SEO Writing Assistant in WordPress to improve SEO and create better content for your website.

What is SEO Writing Assistant?

The SEO Writing Assistant is a content optimization tool created by Semrush, one of the best SEO tools on the market. It allows you to check your content in real-time for SEO suggestions and improve the overall SEO score of the content on your WordPress website.

Here is how it works:

You enter your focus keywords to generate content templates based on the top 10 results for that phrase.
You instantly get semantically-related keywords to include in your article.
You improve your content with a readability score based on rival results.
You optimize your article headline for SEO.
You adjust the article length based on the average length of top results.
You check for plagiarism without leaving your website.
You check the content’s tone to make it sure sounds natural and casual.

It is an extremely useful tool and can help you improve the SEO as well as writing style across your website. If you manage a multi-author site, then it allows authors to follow the same SEO best practices across all content.

Having said that, let’s take a look at how to use the SEO Writing Assistant to improve your SEO and get more search traffic to your website.

Setting Up Semrush’s SEO Writing Assistant in WordPress

The first thing you need to do is visit the Semrush SEO Writing Assistant website and click on ‘Create new template’ button.

You will be now asked to log in or create a free account.

Semrush offers a basic free account with just 1 free content recommendation.

You will need to sign up for or upgrade to a paid Semrush subscription to get all features. This is totally worth it, and a free 7-day trial is available for paid plans.

Once you log in, you will be able to use the SEO Writing Assistant from Semrush’s website.

You can type your content or import it from the web, provide target keywords, and select the language and location of your target audience.

Using Writing Assistant From the Semrush Website

When you press the ‘Get recommendations’ button, Semrush will analyze the content and make suggestions.

However, you can also use the SEO Writing Assistant inside your WordPress dashboard. You simply need to connect the SEO Writing Assistant tool to your WordPress site.

First, you’ll need to install and activate the Semrush SEO Writing Assistant plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to edit an article that you want to optimize for SEO. On the post edit screen, scroll down until you see the new ‘Semrush SEO Writing Assistant’ section below the content editor.

Using the SEO Writing Assistant in the WordPress Content Editor

It will show you basic readability and SEO score. To get the full picture, you need to click the ‘Log in’ link and sign in to your Semrush account.

Once signed in, you’ll be asked to give permission. Click the ‘Approve’ button to continue.

Give Permission for WordPress to Use Your Semrush Login

Now that you have connected the plugin to your Semrush account, you can generate SEO recommendations for our article.

You can enter your target keywords by typing them into the ‘Keywords’ field or by clicking the ‘Extract from text’ button. If you need help finding the right keywords, then see our beginner’s guide on how to do keyword research for your WordPress site.

Using the SEO Writing Assistant in WordPress

After that, you should click the ‘Get recommendations’ button and Semrush will analyze your content.

It will start by giving the post an overall score.

By default, the following sections offer simple summaries. You can switch to a more detailed report by clicking the hamburger icon at the top right of the Semrush SEO Writing Assistant, and then selecting ‘Switch layout’ from the menu.

Checking Target Keywords Using Semrush SEO Writing Assistant

You can now scroll down to the SEO report. Semrush will check the top 10 results for the given keywords to generate a list of semantically related keywords that you can include in your content.

SEO Writing Assistant SEO Keyword Details

Keywords already included in your article will appear with a green background. You can go ahead and start adding missing keywords to your existing content where applicable or expanding your content to add new sections when necessary.

As you write, the tool will also adjust the readability and article length scores to match the average scores of top results.

Checking Tone of Voice Using Semrush SEO Writing Assistant

All SEO experts and marketers advise using a casual tone for all your articles. Search engines consider this conversational tone to be more engaging and useful for most audiences.

Now the problem is that sometimes it becomes harder to maintain a casual tone throughout the article.

SEO Writing Assistant comes with a ‘Tone of Voice’ checker. This AI-powered tool checks your content’s tone and gives it a score ranging from formal to casual.

SEO Writing Assistant Tone of Voice Details

Most articles fall somewhere in between, so don’t worry if it says your article has a neutral tone.

You will also see a list of your most casual sentences. You can consider rewriting these so they are less casual.

Checking Internal Links Using Semrush SEO Writing Assistant

Links play a crucial role in SEO and the SEO Writing Assistant helps you keep track of links inside your article.

It will let you know if your article does not have an optimal number of internal links. It will also check for external links and links to your homepage.

SEO Reporting Assistant Reports Issues With Links

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

Checking Plagiarism in WordPress with SEO Writing Assistant

If you are hiring writers to contribute articles to your blog, then you’ll need to make sure that the articles they are submitting are original content.

Normally, editors and website owners use plagiarism checkers like Grammarly, CopyScape, or Google to see if an article is original.

The SEO Writing Assistant makes this easier with a built-in Plagiarism Checker tool.

Using the SEO Writing Assistant Plagiarism Checker

The downside is that even with the paid plans, you can only perform a limited number of checks.

If you need more, then you can buy additional checks from your subscription page on the Semrush dashboard.

Getting a Perfect SEO Score for Your Article

As you implement suggestions provided by the SEO Writing Assistant tool, your overall score will improve as well.

The overall score bar takes into account all the parameters and suggestions shown by the plugin. You need to make sure that each line on the chart turns green for better SEO rankings.

However, sometimes the plugin may suggest LSI keywords that may not fit in your content. You can safely ignore them instead of stuffing them into your article.

Remember that while these SEO tools provide recommendations, you know your audience better than these tools ever can. Keep your users in mind and make sure that they find your content useful and engaging.

Tracking Your SEO Performance in WordPress

Once you have started using SEO Writing Assistant for a while, you may want to track how it is affecting your website’s positions in search.

We have a detailed guide on how to track your website’s keyword rankings with Semrush and other tools.

You may also want to keep an eye on your top content using Google Analytics. The best way to do this is by using MonsterInsights. It brings your Google Analytics reports into WordPress and displays them in a human-readable format.

We hope this article helped you learn how to use SEO Writing Assistant in WordPress to improve SEO. You may also want to learn how to create automated workflows in WordPress, or see our list of the best social media plugins.

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

The post How to Use the SEO Writing Assistant in WordPress to Improve SEO first appeared on WPBeginner.

YaySMTP Review: Get More Emails into Your Customers’ Inbox

17.02.2023Email, WordPress Plugins, YaySMTPTeam WPLift

Are you tired of your WordPress site’s automated emails ending up in users’ spam folders or not being delivered at all? Have you experienced issues with sending and receiving emails from your site? If so, you’re not alone. Many website owners struggle with these problems, which can be frustrating and time-consuming to resolve. But what [...]

36 Best WordPress Blogs You Should Read & Follow (in 2023)

17.02.2023best wordpress blogs, blog tyrant, follow wordpress blogs, isitwp, monsterinsights, optinmonster, Showcase, woocommerce, wordpress blogs, wpbeginner, wpformsEditorial Staff

Are you looking for the best WordPress blogs to follow, so you can get fresh WordPress tutorials, news, and latest community updates?

WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) in the world and powers over 43% of sites on the internet. Following different WordPress blogs can help you learn how to better use WordPress, get website growth tips, stay up to date with WordPress updates, and receive latest community news.

In this article, we will share the list of some of the best WordPress blogs that you should follow. We’re following these WordPress blogs in our own RSS reader.

Why Should You Follow WordPress Blogs?

If you have a WordPress website or plan to create one, then you definitely want to follow top WordPress blogs.

You can get in-depth knowledge about WordPress and how it works. Plus, you get to see step-by-step tutorials on how to get started. Aside from that, they also have tips on choosing the best WordPress hosting services, themes, and plugins to operate your site.

Many WordPress blogs will also share tips and tricks to optimize your website for search engines, make it load faster, strengthen your website security, make money online, and more.

That being said, let’s look at some of the best WordPress blogs you should read and follow. We’ve broken down the list of blogs into different sections, so you can jump ahead by clicking the links below:

Top WordPress Blogs to Follow

If you are looking for blogs that help you learn about WordPress, then here are our top picks. Each of them covers detailed tutorials, plugin reviews, comparison posts, guides, the latest WordPress news, and more.

1. WPBeginner

WPBeginner is the largest free WordPress resource site for beginners. Our goal is to provide helpful tutorials on WordPress for small business owners, bloggers, and non-techy WordPress users.

WPBeginner was launched in 2009 by founder Syed Balkhi. Since then, it has become one of the best WordPress blogs in the world. There are over 320,000 subscribers from across 190 countries.

You can find a variety of topics on WPBeignner. There are WordPress beginner guides, showcases, step-by-step tutorials, articles on themes and plugins, comparison posts, and the latest news about WordPress.

To help you get started with WordPress, here are some helpful tutorials on WPBeginner:

You can visit the WPBeginner blog section to find more helpful content on WordPress.

Besides that, you can also join the free WPBeginner Facebook group and connect with a large community of WordPress users and experts (over 90,000 members). It is an excellent place for beginners and non-tech users to get help and support about WordPress, plugin suggestions, learn tips and tricks, and more.

If you like video content, then you can subscribe to WPBeginner’s YouTube channel. There are detailed videos on WordPress that will guide you every step of the way.

2. IsItWP

IsItWP is another free online resource that offers WordPress tutorials, product reviews, guides, how-to articles, and showcases. It is a great place to get started with WordPress and learn about different things.

You can learn about creating a WordPress blog, online store, membership site, and more. Plus, you’ll get to know about WordPress security, performance, email marketing, lead generation, plugins, and themes. It also offers detailed guides on marketing hacks, like 30 ways to make money online blogging.

The best part about using IsItWP is that you get to use multiple free tools. Some tools include a domain name generator, WordPress speed test, website uptime checker, headline analyzer, and more.

3. Blog Tyrant

Blog Tyrant is the next WordPress blog on our list. If you’re looking to start a WordPress blog and learn strategies to grow your business, this is the right website for you to follow.

Blog Tyrant was started in 2010 to help bloggers make a living online. It covers extensive guides, how-to tutorials, product reviews, and other resources to help you create a successful blog and make money online.

The website also lists valuable tools for blogging and helps pick the right plugins for your website.

For instance, you can use tools like a password generator to secure your website, a security scanner to check for vulnerabilities, or a site speed test to see how fast your website loads.

4. WP Tavern

WP Tavern is another famous WordPress blog that covers the latest news and events about WordPress. You can follow the blog to learn about new WordPress releases, and industry news.

It also covers the latest news about different WordPress plugins and themes. You can learn about product acquisitions, feature releases in themes, and new features coming in WordPress, and more.

5. WPForms

The WPForms form builder plugin for WordPress

WPForms is the best WordPress form builder plugin in the market used by over 5 million websites.

With the WPForms blog, you can learn how to create all types of forms for your WordPress site. From simple contact forms to complex multistep forms, the WPForms blog has detailed guides and tutorials to help you out.

Plus, you get to stay informed about the latest updates and releases in the plugin. Other than that, you’ll find more helpful blog posts, how-to guides, and showcases on WordPress. For example, there are step-by-step tutorials like how to create an NPS survey form in WordPress or thought-leadership pieces like 7 benefits of conversational marketing.

6. Elegant Themes

Elegant Themes offers a high-quality premium WordPress theme collection. It is also the company behind Divi, a popular WordPress theme and page builder.

The Elegant Themes blog offers a lot of content focused on using Divi. For instance, you can learn how to use the website builder, use its features, and customize your site.

Aside from content on Divi, Elegant Themes also publishes general content about WordPress. There are WordPress tutorials, plugin suggestions, reviews, comparisons, and other marketing guides. For example, you can read articles like how to customize your WordPress header.

7. CodeinWP

CodeinWP is the next WordPress blog on our list. It covers extensive topics about WordPress and offers tutorials, lists, comparison posts, and other detailed guides.

What makes CodeinWP different is that it offers various resources and tools besides blog posts and guides. For instance, there are free code snippets you can use to customize your WordPress site.

They also offers free illustrations from designers that you can use for your site among other helpful resources.

8. OptinMonster

OptinMonster is the best WordPress popup and lead generation software. It helps you grow your email list, get more leads, increase sales, and optimize your site for conversions.

With the OptinMonster blog, you can learn how to use the plugin and get the most out of it. There are detailed tutorials on setting up different marketing campaigns, configuring targeting rules to show popups at the right place and time, and more.

Besides that, you can get knowledge about content marketing, email marketing, and lead generation in WordPress by following the blog.

What makes OptinMonster blog different is its case studies. You can learn how other companies are using the plugin to get more email subscribers, which display rules they’re using to target new audiences, how they’re converting traffic into leads, and more.

9. Post Status

Post Status is a membership community for people looking to work and grow in the WordPress ecosystem. It offers premium memberships and access to different content about WordPress.

You can get the latest news about WordPress, learn about new plugin features and acquisitions, and read blogs about different Post Status members. For example, there are blog posts called Membership Spotlight, where you get to know about Post Status members, their experience in working in WordPress, and more.

It is also an excellent resource for anyone who wants to connect with founders of WordPress plugins, developers, and other WordPress enthusiasts. There are plans for individuals, agency owners, product founders, and partners.

With Post Status premium memberships, you get important WordPress news and events in the weekly newsletter, access to the Slack community, members-only content, and a weekly members hurdle.

The website also has a podcast and videos to get insights about WordPress. As a partner, you can also post WordPress job openings for your company on the Post Status website.

10. Torque Magazine

Torque Magazine is another top WordPress blog you should follow. It is a publication by WP Engine but maintains complete editorial independence.

The website covers extensive articles on WordPress. It has divided its content into different categories: development, tools, business, community, videos, and ebooks.

For example, you can find useful guides like CSS best practices and troubleshooting WordPress issues under the development section. You’ll also find interviews with industry experts, step-by-step tutorials, plugin suggestions, marketing and SEO tips and tricks, and more in Torque Magazine.

Best WordPress Plugin Blogs

There are many WordPress plugins that have a great blog section. They cover extensive topics on WordPress and share useful tips and resources.

You can follow these blogs to get more information about WordPress and learn how to use a specific plugin.

MonsterInsights Blog – MonsterInsights is a popular WordPress analytics plugin used by over 3 million websites. Their blog contains helpful marketing tips like how to setup website tracking, and make data-driven decisions to grow your business.
All in One SEO Blog – AIOSEO is the best WordPress SEO plugin used by over 3 million websites. Their blog covers SEO tips and WordPress tutorials to help you improve your SEO rankings.
WooCommerce Blog – WooCommerce is a popular eCommerce plugin for WordPress. Their blog covers eCommerce tutorials to help boost your online sales.
Yoast SEO Blog – Yoast SEO is a popular WordPress SEO plugin. They also have a blog focused on SEO optimization tips to help you boost your SEO rankings.
Smash Balloon Blog – Smash Balloon is a leading WordPress social media plugin used by over 1.4 million websites. Their blog has tips on how to improve your social media engagement.
PushEngage Blog – PushEngage is the best web push notification software to help you boost your traffic. Their blog has tips on how to grow your traffic, conversions, and user engagement.
Easy Digital Downloads Blog – EDD is the best plugin for selling digital downloads in WordPress. Their blog covers tips for online creators to help you increase your sales & revenue.
SeedProd Blog – SeedProd is a popular page builder for WordPress. Their blog covers tips on how to improve your website design and tips to improve your website customization workflow.
AffiliateWP Blog – AffiliateWP is the best WordPress affiliate plugin for WordPress and WooCommerce. Their blog covers tips on how to create and grow your affiliate program.
WP Simple Pay Blog – WP Simple Pay is a leading payments plugin for WordPress. Their blog cover tips on securely accepting payments as well as other WordPress tutorials.
RafflePress Blog – RafflePress is the best WordPress giveaway plugin. Their blog cover tips on how to unlock viral traffic growth for your website to get more traffic, subscribers, and sales.
ThriveThemes Blog – ThriveThemes is a popular conversion optimization suite for WordPress. Their blog covers marketing tutorials and tips to improve your converisions.
WP Mail SMTP Blog – WP Mail SMTP is one of the must have plugins for WordPress used by over 3 million websites. Their blog covers tips on how to improve your email deliverability along with other WordPress tutorials.
WPMU Dev Blog – WPMU Dev offers a suite of WordPress plugins and tools. Their blog covers a vast number of topics from how-to posts, product reviews, news, and more.

Blogs by WordPress Founders and Influencers

You can also learn a lot about WordPress from different founders and influencers. You get to read about their journey, experiences, and how they’re growing their business in the WordPress space.

Syed Balkhi – Syed Balkhi is the founder of WPBeginner and a well-known entrepreneur. His blog shares tips on his entrepreneurship journey.
Matt Mullenweg – Matt Mullenweg is the co-founder of WordPress. His blog is always full of his latest experiences and entrepreneurship journey.
Chris Lema – Chris Lema is a well-known speaker and blogger who writes about various topics from communication, eCommerce, LMS, and more.
Tom McFarlin – Tom McFarlin is a WordPress developer who loves writing, building, and sharing WordPress-based projects. You can follow his blog to learn about WordPress, PHP, databases, and other backend technology.
Joost de Valk – Jost is the founder of Yoast and now serves as the head of WordPress strategy for Newfold Digital (parent company of Bluehost).

Popular Marketing and SEO Blogs to Follow

There are other great resources out there that help not only help you learn about WordPress but also allow you to grow your website.

You can learn tips on growing your traffic, boosting search engine rankings, uncovering different marketing techniques, and more from marketing and SEO blogs. These blogs also cover WordPress’s latest news and guides, which is really useful.

Neil Patel Blog – Neil Patel is a top SEO influencer who regularly creates detailed SEO tutorials, guides, case studies, and more to help you learn SEO.
Search Engine Roundtable – Search Engine Roundtable is the go-to WordPress blog for staying up to date with SEO news, Google algorithm changes, and more.
Search Engine Journal – Search Engine Journal is another popular SEO blog although their coverage on WordPress topics are generally extremely biased and misinformed. We only recommend following their SEO tips but for WordPress related news, you should avoid them.
Digital Marketer – Digital Marketer provides marketing tutorials, guides, and best practices on how to grow your online traffic and sales.
ShoutMeLoud – ShoutMeLoud is a blog created by Harsh Agrawal. He’s a well-known blogger who shares his blogging journey, WordPress tips, and more to help you grow your online presence.
Blogging Wizard – Blogging Wizard is a popular resource that you can use to learn proven strategies for growing your WordPress blog.
Ahrefs Blog – Ahrefs is a popular SEO tool. Their blog is full of useful guides to improve your website’s SEO ranking.

Which is the Best WordPress Blog to Follow?

The best WordPress blogs to follow are WPBeginner, IsItWP, Blog Tyrant, and WP Tavern.

After being in the WordPress industry for the last 16+ years, we recommend you follow multiple WordPress blogs. Each of the top 10 blogs listed in our post will help you expand your knowledge about WordPress and pick up new ways to grow your business.

The easiest way to follow these WordPress blogs is by either adding them to your RSS feed reader or joining their free email newsletter.

We hope this article helped you pick the best WordPress blog to follow. You may also want to see our guide on how to create your email newsletter, and our expert pick of the best 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.

The post 36 Best WordPress Blogs You Should Read & Follow (in 2023) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Fix the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed Issue in WordPress

16.02.2023Embed, Facebook, instagram, oembed, smash balloon facebook feed, smash balloon instagram feed plugin, smashballoon, TutorialsEditorial Staff

Do you want to learn how to fix the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed issue in WordPress?

If you’ve previously added Facebook or Instagram content to WordPress using the default oEmbed or Embed block, then this feature no longer works. This can cause errors and missing content on your WordPress website.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to fix the Facebook and Instagram embed issue, so visitors can enjoy social content on your WordPress website.

How to fix the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed issue in WordPress

What is the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed Issue in WordPress?

In the past, you could easily embed Instagram and Facebook posts in WordPress using a protocol known as oEmbed.

However, Facebook changed the way that oEmbed works so you can no longer easily embed videos, pictures, updates, and other content from Facebook or Instagram.

Instead, you now need to register an app and use a client token to get data from the Facebook Graph API, before you can embed Facebook or Instagram content on your WordPress blog.

This would take a lot of time and effort, especially if you want to show lots of different social posts across your website. With that in mind, the people behind WordPress decided to remove the Facebook and Instagram embed feature.

If you previously added any Facebook content to your website using oEmbed, it’ll now look something like the following image.

If you embedded any Instagram posts using oEmbed, then you’ll get a similar error.

This is a bad user experience, and some visitors may assume that your website is broken, no longer maintained, or that you’re not a trustworthy or reliable business.

There are ways to fix the problem manually. For example, you might go through each page and post and delete the embedded content. However, this would take a lot of time and effort, and there’s no guarantee you’ll manage to find every broken embed.

With that being said, let’s see how you can easily fix the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed issue on WordPress.

How to Fix the Facebook & Instagram oEmbed Issue

The easiest way to fix the oEmbed issue is by using one of the free Smash Balloon plugins.

If you want to embed Instagram posts in WordPress, then you’ll need the Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed plugin.

An instagram post, embedded in a WordPress website

Want to embed a Facebook post in WordPress? Then you can use the free Smash Balloon Social Post Feed plugin instead.

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

After installing either plugin, simply head over to Instagram Feed » oEmbeds or Facebook Feed » oEmbeds, depending on the plugin you’re using.

We’re using the Social Photo Feed plugin in all our images, but the steps will be exactly the same no matter what plugin you’re using.

Enabling the oEmbed feature for Instagram and Facebook

On this screen, simply click on the ‘Enable’ button.

That’s it. You can now embed Facebook and Instagram posts on your WordPress website.

How to Embed Instagram or Facebook Posts in WordPress

Whether you’re using Facebook or Instagram, you can embed a specific post in any page, post, or widget-ready area, such as the sidebar.

One option is to open the page or post where you want to show the social content. Then, click on the ‘+’ icon and type in ‘Embed.’

When the right block appears, click to add it to the page or post.

Adding the Embed block to a WordPress page or post

In the ‘Embed’ field, simply paste the URL of the Instagram or Facebook post that you want to show on your website.

Then, click on ‘Embed.’

Embedding an Instagram post in WordPress

WordPress will now show that specific post. When you’re ready to make the post live, simply click on ‘Update’ or ‘Publish.’

Now when you visit the page, you’ll see the social media post live.

An example of an Instagram post in WordPress

Another option is adding the Instagram or Facebook post to a widget-ready area such as the sidebar. That way, you can promote the same post across every page of your website.

For example, you might embed your most popular Instagram post or a post promoting a sale or social media contest you’re using to grow your site.

Adding an Instagram post to a widget-ready area such as the WordPress sidebar

To add a Facebook or Instagram post to a widget-ready area, simply go to Appearance » Widgets and click on the blue ‘+’ button.

In the search bar, type in ‘Embed’ to find the right block.

When the ‘Embed’ block appears, drag it onto the area where you want to show the Facebook or Instagram post.

In the ‘Embed’ field, simply paste the URL of the Instagram or Facebook post that you want to show on your website. Then, click on ‘Embed.’

WordPress will now show that specific post.

If you’re happy with how it looks, then click on ‘Update’ to make it live.

Now, when you visit your website, you’ll see the Instagram or Facebook post live.

How to Add an Instagram or Facebook Feed to WordPress

With the free Smash Balloon plugins, it’s easy to fix the oEmbed issue so you can add Facebook and Instagram posts to your website.

This is great if you only want to embed a small number of posts or you want to control exactly where each social post appears on WordPress. However, you may also want to embed a Facebook or Instagram feed on your website.

By creating a feed, you can show all your latest posts in a nice layout. Even better, the feed will update automatically so visitors will always see the newest posts without you having to update your site manually.

This can keep your site fresh and interesting, even for regular visitors.

If you want to embed Instagram content in WordPress, then you can use the Smash Balloon Instagram Feed plugin.

An Instagram feed, created using Smash Balloon

Want to create a feed showing your latest Facebook status posts, videos, reviews, and more?

Then you can use the Smash Balloon Facebook Feed plugin.

Facebook reviews, embedded using Smash Balloon

Want to add both Facebook and Instagram feeds to your WordPress website? Then you may want to look at Smash Balloon Social Wall.

This powerful plugin lets you combine any feeds you’ve created using the Smash Balloon plugins, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube feeds, and more.

Creating a social media wall using Facebook and Instagram

For example, if you’ve set up the Facebook Feed and Instagram Feed plugins, then you can simply go to Social Feeds » Create a Social Wall in your WordPress dashboard.

Here, you’ll see all the different feeds you’ve created so far.

How to create a social media wall using multiple feeds

Simply select each feed that you want to add to the social wall.

For example, you can combine posts from your Instagram and Facebook accounts.

Combining Facebook and Instagram into a social wall

Small Balloon Social Wall will then create a shortcode that allows you to add the social wall to any page, post, or widget-ready area.

For more information about working with shortcodes, please see our guide on how to add a shortcode in WordPress.

Social media shortcode, created using the Smash Balloon plugin

After placing the shortcode, simply save or publish your changes to make them live.

Now, if you visit your website, you’ll see a social wall featuring all the latest posts from your different accounts and platforms.

We hope this article helped you learn how to fix the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed issue in WordPress. You may also want to see our expert pick of the best social media plugins for WordPress, and our guide on how to create an email newsletter.

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

The post How to Fix the Facebook and Instagram oEmbed Issue in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.