If you’re trying to choose between WordPress and Laravel for your next website, you’re not the only one.

Both platforms are popular, but they serve very different purposes. WordPress is beginner-friendly and great for getting a site online quickly. On the other hand, Laravel offers more customization and control, but only if you’re comfortable writing code.

Having worked with both platforms, I’ve found that the right choice really depends on your project and how comfortable you are with code.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the key differences between WordPress and Laravel to help you figure out which one fits your needs best.

WordPress vs. Laravel: A Brief Overview

Choosing between WordPress and Laravel is one of the first decisions you’ll need to make when building a website. You can use both platforms to create websites, but they are designed for different tasks.

I’ve put together this simple table that compares the key features of WordPress and Laravel side by side.

Next, I’ll walk you through each of these points in more detail to help you decide which platform is the right choice for your project.

How I Compared WordPress vs. Laravel

To give you a real-world comparison of WordPress and Laravel, I drew on my experience using both platforms for actual website projects.

I focused on the key areas that matter most when building a website with either platform:

• 🛠️ Real Projects: I’ve used WordPress for everything from blogs to online stores, and I’ve explored Laravel for building fully custom websites.
• 📋 Everyday Tasks: I compared how both platforms handle things like setting up pages, managing content, and adding features.
• ⚙️ Customization & Features: I looked at what each platform is designed for, how easy it is to customize, and how they handle security and performance.
• 🎯 Best Use Cases: I considered different types of websites and which platform fits best for each.
• ⏱️ Time and Effort: I factored in the learning curve, development time, and ongoing maintenance needs, including things like keeping your site updated and running smoothly.
• 📈 Growth Potential: I looked at how well each platform supports websites as they grow and become more complex.

I’ll use this approach to walk you through the key differences and help you choose the right platform for your site.

This is a detailed comparison of WordPress vs. Laravel. You can use the links below to quickly navigate through the article:

WordPress vs. Laravel: Why Choosing the Right Platform Matters

Choosing the right platform to build your website is a big decision. Selecting the wrong one can lead to unexpected costs, technical limitations, and frustration as your site grows, which is why it’s crucial to choose correctly from the start.

Ultimately, the best choice comes down to your budget, technical comfort level, and what you want your website to do in the long run.

Now, let’s take a look at both WordPress and Laravel.

What Is WordPress?

WordPress is the most popular content management system (CMS) in the world. Because it is open-source, it’s free to use and easy to customize with themes and plugins.

It’s designed to be user-friendly, allowing people of all skill levels to build and manage a website without needing to know how to code. It’s supported by a large global community that creates themes and plugins, and helps other users solve problems.

What Is Laravel?

Laravel is not a website builder like WordPress. Instead, it’s a PHP framework that gives developers a toolbox for building custom web applications from the ground up.

Like WordPress, Laravel is open-source and free, but it’s built for professional developers. You’ll need strong coding skills to use it, which gives you the power to create complex, highly customized websites and applications.

Ease of Use: Beginner-Friendly vs. Developer-Focused

When it comes to ease of use, WordPress and Laravel are built for completely different people.

WordPress is famous for its beginner-friendly approach that lets anyone build a site without code. In contrast, Laravel is a powerful tool designed for developers who are comfortable with a more technical setup.

WordPress Ease of Use: Setting Up a Basic Site

While there is a small learning curve, WordPress is designed to be easy to pick up, even for absolute beginners. You can follow our guide on how to learn WordPress for free in a week.

Getting started is quick and simple. Most web hosts offer one-click WordPress installation, so getting started is quick and simple. Hosts like Bluehost and Hostinger include this by default.

Our complete guide on how to make a WordPress website will walk you through the entire process step by step.

After WordPress is installed, you can log in to your dashboard. From here, you can create content using the built-in block editor, which lets you arrange your page using visual building blocks for text, images, and more.

To make building your site even easier, you can use a drag-and-drop page builder plugin. I recommend SeedProd because it lets you create completely custom layouts without any code. It even comes with an AI website builder that can generate a unique site for you in minutes.

Laravel Ease of Use: Setting Up a Basic Application

Setting up a Laravel project involves a more technical process. To get started, you’ll need to install Composer, which is a tool that manages the PHP packages your project depends on.

Once Composer is installed, you can use the command line to create a new Laravel project. This is a big shift from WordPress, where most hosting providers handle installation through a graphical control panel.

You’ll also need a local development environment like XAMPP or MAMP to run your Laravel project on your computer.

While you can add a CMS to Laravel using tools like October CMS, it still requires technical knowledge to manage.

🏅 Winner for User-Friendliness: WordPress

I recommend WordPress for non-programmers. It’s made for people of all skill levels, especially those who want to build and manage websites without coding.

Laravel, on the other hand, is made for developers. It’s powerful and gives you a lot of control for building complex web apps, but it is difficult to learn and requires coding knowledge.

Making It Your Own: Customization in WordPress vs. Laravel

Now, let’s look at how WordPress and Laravel handle customization.

WordPress: The Theme & Plugin Powerhouse

One of the biggest advantages of WordPress is how easy it is to customize your website’s design and features, even if you’ve never written a line of code. This is all thanks to its huge ecosystem of themes and plugins.

Plugins are like apps for your website that add new functionality. For example, with plugins you can add a contact form, launch a full online store, build a membership community, or improve your website’s SEO.

With tens of thousands of free and premium options, there is a plugin for almost anything you can imagine. To see what’s possible, you can check out our expert pick of the must-have WordPress plugins we recommend for all business websites.

Alternatively, you can always hire a developer to add custom code to your WordPress site.

The main difference is that WordPress is a complete system designed for content, which you can then extend. For projects with highly complex or unusual requirements that need to be built from scratch, Laravel can sometimes be a more direct starting point.

Laravel: The Code-Savvy Customizer

Laravel takes a more technical approach to customization. It’s a framework, which means it provides a toolbox for developers to build a custom website or web application from scratch.

This gives you full control over every aspect of your project, but you’ll need to be comfortable with coding in PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to use it effectively. Unlike WordPress, where you start with a pre-built system, Laravel starts you with a clean slate.

This makes it ideal for complex projects with unique requirements. For instance, if you were building a custom booking system, a SaaS (Software as a Service) application, or an internal business tool, Laravel provides the flexibility to build every feature exactly as you need it.

The trade-off is that you have to build many features that WordPress provides by default, like a content editor or user management system. This is why Laravel projects almost always require hiring a developer and take more time to build.

In short, here are the main points about customizing with Laravel:

• ✅ It offers unlimited flexibility because you can custom code everything.
• ✅ It’s ideal for building web applications with unique and complex features.
• ❗ You must have development expertise or hire a developer to use it.

🏅 Winner for Customization Options: WordPress (for most people)

If you want to customize your website without writing code, WordPress is the clear winner. Its library of themes and plugins lets you personalize your site easily, no technical knowledge required.

Laravel is better suited for developers who need full control and want to build highly customized applications.

For example, if you’re creating a blog or business website, WordPress will likely meet your needs. But if you’re building a web app with unique features, Laravel gives you the tools to go beyond what themes and plugins can offer.

Content Management: WordPress vs. Laravel

If your website is focused on content—like blog posts, news, or tutorials—then having a strong content management system (CMS) is essential.

A good CMS saves you time, reduces errors, and makes it easier to manage your content. Let’s look at how WordPress and Laravel compare when it comes to content management.

WordPress: Excels at Content Management

WordPress was built for content management. It started as a blogging platform, and today it’s a full CMS that makes it easy to create, organize, and manage all kinds of digital content.

It comes with powerful built-in tools to keep everything in order. You can sort your posts with categories and tags, manage all your files in the media library, and even create different content structures using custom post types.

If you work with a team, the built-in user management system is incredibly helpful.

You can assign different roles like Author, Editor, and Administrator, giving each person the right level of access to create and manage content.

And if you need more advanced management tools, you can use plugins to add features like an editorial calendar, custom approval workflows, or content restriction for membership sites.

Laravel: The Flexible Framework (But Not a CMS)

Laravel is not a content management system. Instead, it’s a framework designed for building web applications. That means it doesn’t include built-in tools for managing content like WordPress does.

If you want to manage content with Laravel, there are two common approaches:

• Build your own CMS: If you’re comfortable with PHP and Laravel, you can build a custom CMS from scratch. This gives you full control over your content structure and features, but it requires significant development time.
• Use a Laravel-based CMS: Some tools, like October CMS and Statamic, are built on Laravel. These platforms add content management features on top of Laravel but still require some technical knowledge to use effectively.

Here’s what the content editor looks like in October CMS:

As you can see, Laravel doesn’t offer the out-of-the-box content tools that come standard with WordPress.

🏅 Winner for Content Management Features: WordPress

If you need a complete, beginner-friendly CMS, then WordPress is the better option. It’s great for bloggers, businesses, and anyone who wants to manage content without writing code.

Laravel, on the other hand, gives developers full control. You can build a custom content system from the ground up, but it takes time and technical skill.

For example, if you’re building a site with very specific content workflows, you might choose Laravel to match your exact requirements. But for most websites, WordPress is a faster and more practical choice.

eCommerce: WordPress vs. Laravel

Selling products or services online? Then you’ll want to look at how each platform handles eCommerce. The right setup can make managing your store much easier.

WordPress: The eCommerce Powerhouse

One of the biggest strengths of WordPress is its flexibility for selling online. You can use it to build anything from a simple donation button to a massive online marketplace.

If you want to build a full online store, you can follow our complete guide on how to start an online store. The most popular way to do this is with a free plugin like WooCommerce, which adds all the features you need, like product pages, a shopping cart, and payment gateways.

But WordPress isn’t just for large stores. You can also:

• Accept simple payments or donations with a form builder like WPForms.
• Sell digital products like ebooks or courses with Easy Digital Downloads.
• Create a paid membership site to sell exclusive content with a plugin like MemberPress.

This flexibility makes WordPress a powerful choice that can grow with your business, no matter how you plan to sell online.

Laravel: The Custom eCommerce Builder

Laravel doesn’t come with built-in eCommerce features. But because it’s a flexible framework, developers can use it to build a fully custom eCommerce solution tailored to specific needs.

This lets you design features that may not be possible with WordPress. However, it requires advanced development skills and more time to set up and maintain.

Laravel is better suited for large businesses that need specialized functionality and have the technical resources to support a custom platform.

🏅 Winner for eCommerce Capabilities: WordPress (for most people)

For most small to medium-sized stores, WordPress with a plugin like WooCommerce is the easiest and most affordable choice. If you need a standard online store, this approach is plug-and-play and gives you everything you need to start selling without hiring a developer.

Laravel is a better fit when you need a large, custom eCommerce system. It is the best choice if you are building a bespoke platform with unique inventory, shipping, or recommendation features and have the budget for custom development.

SEO: WordPress vs. Laravel – Getting Found Online

If you want people to discover your website through search engines, then you need to think about search engine optimization (SEO). Your choice of platform can make a big difference in how easy that is to do.

WordPress: The SEO-Friendly CMS

WordPress is well-known for being SEO-friendly right out of the box. It supports key features like SEO-friendly URLs, categories and tags for organizing content, and alt text for images—all built into the platform.

WordPress makes SEO easy, especially with plugins like All in One SEO (AIOSEO). These tools help you add meta tags, create sitemaps, and optimize your content, all without needing to code.

With tools like this, you can follow most SEO best practices without needing to write any code.

If you’re serious about SEO, I recommend pairing your plugin with a fast-loading theme and a caching plugin to boost your site’s speed—a key ranking factor.

Laravel: The SEO Toolkit for Developers

Laravel doesn’t offer built-in SEO tools. Instead, it gives developers full control to add SEO features through code.

While you can build everything from the ground up, developers can also use pre-built Laravel SEO packages to handle tasks like creating sitemaps or managing metadata.

Popular Laravel SEO packages include ‘artesaos/seotools’, which can help handle meta tags, Open Graph, and more.

However, this still requires manual setup and coding knowledge to implement.

This flexibility is useful if you’re building a custom web application and need specific SEO structures. However, it’s a lot more technical and time-consuming.

If you’re not familiar with coding, then managing SEO in Laravel can be a real challenge.

🏅 Winner for SEO: WordPress

For most websites, WordPress is the easier and more beginner-friendly option for SEO. Its built-in features and powerful plugins make it simple to improve your search rankings without technical skills.

Laravel is best for developers working on advanced projects with very specific SEO needs. But you’ll need to be comfortable coding and managing those features manually.

Speed Matters: Performance in WordPress vs. Laravel

Website speed is important because a slow-loading website can frustrate visitors and negatively impact your search engine rankings.

Let’s take a closer look at how WordPress and Laravel compare when it comes to performance.

WordPress: Performance Requires Optimization

WordPress makes it easy to build a site, but that convenience can lead to slower load times if you’re not careful.

It’s important to know that the core WordPress software is actually very fast. But performance can slow down if you use a poorly coded theme, install too many or poorly coded plugins, or upload large, unoptimized images.

This is why it’s important to optimize your WordPress website to keep it running fast.

To boost WordPress performance, you can use caching plugins like WP Rocket, optimize your images, choose a lightweight theme, and select a quality hosting provider.

For step-by-step advice, see our ultimate guide to boosting WordPress speed and performance.

Laravel: Built for Speed

Laravel is built for speed because it starts as a lean, lightweight foundation. Developers only add the specific code and features needed for the project, so there’s no extra bloat to slow the site down.

That said, performance still depends on how well the code is written. A poorly optimized Laravel project can run into the same issues as any other framework.

But when set up properly, Laravel offers a strong foundation for high-performance websites and applications.

🏅 Winner for Performance: Laravel

If speed and performance are top concerns, especially for custom applications or high-traffic projects, then Laravel is the better fit. It’s well-suited for advanced performance needs and offers more precise control.

Still, WordPress can deliver excellent performance too. With the right hosting and optimization strategies, it can support fast load times even during high-traffic events. It just requires more setup and ongoing maintenance.

Growing Your Site: WordPress vs. Laravel Scalability

Scalability is your website’s ability to handle growth in traffic without slowing down.

Both WordPress and Laravel are excellent for this, but they use very different approaches.

WordPress: Scaling with the Right Infrastructure

WordPress can be scaled to handle massive amounts of traffic. In fact, many high-traffic websites, including major news outlets and enterprise companies, run on WordPress.

However, the scalability of a WordPress site depends less on the core software and more on its hosting environment and setup. To handle growth, you will need to invest in better infrastructure.

This usually involves:

• Upgrading Your Hosting: Moving from a basic shared hosting plan to a more powerful VPS or a high-performance managed WordPress hosting provider is the most important step.
• Using a CDN: A Content Delivery Network (CDN) helps distribute your website’s files across servers worldwide, reducing the load on your main server and speeding up load times for visitors.
• Optimizing Your Site: Using a caching plugin, optimizing images, and choosing well-coded plugins and themes are important for maintaining performance as you grow.

Laravel: Scaling with Custom Architecture

Laravel is designed for scalability from the ground up. Because it’s a framework, developers have complete control over the application’s architecture, allowing them to build systems specifically for high-traffic and complex tasks.

It comes with built-in features that make scaling easier for developers. These include support for distributed caching systems, background job queues to handle intensive tasks, and a structure that works well with modern, scalable server setups like load balancers.

This level of control is powerful, but it requires significant technical expertise. Scaling a Laravel application is not about clicking a few buttons. Instead, it requires careful architectural planning and server management by a skilled development team.

🏅 Winner for Scalability: WordPress for Most Websites, Laravel for Custom Applications

For most businesses, blogs, and online stores, WordPress is the more practical choice for scaling. You can easily handle growth by upgrading your hosting plan and using optimization tools without needing to rebuild your site’s foundation.

Laravel is the winner for custom web applications (like a SaaS platform) where complex scalability needs are known from the start. It offers a more robust foundation for developers who need to design a highly specific, scalable architecture from scratch.

Safeguarding Your Site: WordPress vs. Laravel Security

Both WordPress and Laravel can be very secure, but you’ll approach security differently depending on which one you choose.

Let’s take a look.

WordPress Security: A Shared Responsibility

WordPress itself is secure, but its popularity makes it a common target for hackers. The real risks often come from outdated plugins or poorly coded themes.

Because you can add so many different plugins, your site has a larger ‘attack surface,’ meaning more potential entry points for hackers if things aren’t kept up-to-date.

The good news is that regular updates and careful plugin choices can go a long way in keeping your site safe.

To stay secure, I always recommend you use reputable plugins from trusted sources, keep everything updated, and follow best practices like strong passwords and two-factor authentication.

Beyond your own efforts, your web host plays a huge role in keeping your site secure. Choosing a quality managed WordPress hosting provider adds a powerful layer of protection, as they often include security features like firewalls, malware scanning, and automatic updates.

For extra security, I recommend using a security plugin. We currently use Cloudflare on WPBeginner, and we’ve also had success with Sucuri. Cloudflare is ideal for larger sites, while Sucuri offers solid protection for all types of websites.

Check out our guide to the best WordPress security plugins for more recommendations.

Laravel Security: Built-in Protection and Encryption

Laravel includes built-in security features like CSRF protection and input validation that make it easier to build secure apps without needing extra tools.

It also uses encryption by default for sensitive data. For example, Laravel hashes passwords using bcrypt, helping keep login credentials secure even if the database is compromised. WordPress has also used password hashing for a long time and added support for bcrypt in version 6.8.

Laravel also encrypts cookies and sessions, which helps protect user data and prevent session hijacking.

That said, Laravel security depends heavily on the developer. Misconfigurations or insecure code can still create vulnerabilities. That’s why following secure coding practices and conducting regular security audits are essential.

🏅 Winner for Security: Laravel

Laravel provides a stronger security foundation out of the box, especially for developers who want built-in tools. But both platforms can be secure when used properly.

WordPress requires more ongoing maintenance, like updating plugins and using security tools, but it’s very secure when you follow best practices.

To learn more, see our ultimate WordPress security guide.

Community and Resources: WordPress vs. Laravel

When you run into an issue or want to add new features, having a strong support community and plenty of resources is a huge advantage.

This is a key area where WordPress and Laravel are very different, and it can make a big impact on your final choice.

WordPress: A Thriving Community

WordPress powers over 43% of all websites on the internet, and this enormous market share supports a global community of users, developers, and designers.

Whether you need help troubleshooting an issue, selecting a plugin, or learning a new feature, there’s likely someone who has already encountered the same problem and shared the solution online.

In addition to community forums, you’ll find official resources like Learn WordPress and Make WordPress, which offer structured courses, lessons, and documentation to help users at all levels.

At WPBeginner, we also offer a wide range of free resources, including step-by-step tutorials, a newsletter, video guides, a helpful Facebook group, and more.

To get started, see our guide on how to make the most out of WPBeginner’s free resources.

And because of WordPress’s popularity, the theme and plugin marketplace is massive, giving you endless customization options without writing any code.

Laravel: A Developer’s Hub

Laravel has a smaller but highly focused community made up of developers and technical users. It emphasizes clean code, reusable packages, and advanced development practices.

Although the Laravel ecosystem is more niche, it’s very active and supportive. I’ve found the official documentation to be excellent, and there are plenty of places to ask questions or share solutions.

Top Laravel learning resources include Laracasts (a premium tutorial site), community forums like the Laracasts forum and Laravel.io, and the Laravel subreddit.

Unlike WordPress, Laravel doesn’t offer a marketplace of themes and plugins. It’s designed for building things from scratch, so you’ll be writing more code, but you’ll also have full control over the final product.

Fortunately, Laravel developers are in high demand, and finding skilled professionals is generally not difficult.

🏅 Winner for Community and Resources: WordPress

While both platforms have strong communities, WordPress has a much larger and more beginner-friendly ecosystem. Here’s why:

• The WordPress community welcomes users at every skill level. There are countless forums, tutorials, and support groups where you can find quick help.
• Most common issues already have documented solutions you can find with a simple web search.
• Its huge marketplace makes it easy to add new features or design updates with minimal effort.

Laravel offers an excellent support network for developers, but if you’re not comfortable with code, WordPress is the more accessible and community-rich option.

Cost Comparison: WordPress vs. Laravel

I know from experience that budget is a major factor when choosing a platform. While both WordPress and Laravel are open-source (meaning the software itself is free), there are other costs to consider.

WordPress: Budgeting for Your Site

WordPress is usually more affordable at the start. With free themes, plugins, and budget-friendly hosting (as low as a few dollars per month), you can launch a site cheaply. Just remember that premium themes, plugins, or hiring a developer will add to the cost.

Here’s what you’ll need to budget for:

• A domain name (like wpbeginner.com) costs around $10-15 per year, but you may be able to get the first year for free.
• Web hosting (where your website files and database are stored) costs $2-25 per month. I recommend Bluehost for beginners because they have affordable plans and great support.
• You can choose a free theme or purchase a premium theme for $30-200 to get more design options and features.
• You can also use free plugins, though premium plugins can add powerful features. I recommend checking out our list of the must-have WordPress plugins.
• If you need custom work, then you will need to hire a developer or designer. This can be the biggest expense, though most WordPress websites won’t need it.

We have a detailed guide on WordPress website costs if you want more information.

Laravel: Investing in Development

Laravel projects typically cost more because they require custom development. You’ll likely need to hire a developer or a team, which makes sense for larger or more complex projects.

Here’s a breakdown of the typical costs you can expect with Laravel:

• Domain name: Around $10–15 per year, just like with WordPress.
• Web hosting: Typically $15–100+ per month. Laravel apps often require more robust infrastructure, such as cloud hosting or a VPS for better performance.
• Developer fees: This is usually the largest cost. If you’re building something custom, hiring a Laravel developer is essential, and rates can vary widely depending on the complexity of your project.

All in all, Laravel gives you complete freedom to build exactly what you need, but that flexibility comes with a bigger investment in both time and money.

For example, you might launch a simple WordPress site for under $100, but a custom Laravel project could easily start in the thousands depending on its features.

🏅 Winner for Affordability: WordPress (for most people)

For most people, especially beginners and small businesses, WordPress is the more cost-effective option. You can launch a full-featured website without hiring a developer, and many themes and plugins are available for free.

Laravel is best suited for complex projects with unique functionality, where you have the budget to invest in custom development. It’s a powerful solution, but not the cheapest one.

The Verdict: Choosing Between WordPress vs Laravel

So, which platform is right for you? It all depends on what you need from your website.

Use WordPress if you want to build a website quickly, manage content easily, and benefit from thousands of ready-made themes and plugins. It’s perfect for blogs, business sites, portfolios, and online stores without breaking the bank.

Use Laravel if you’re a developer (or working with one) building a custom web application with unique features, advanced functionality, or a need for serious scalability and control. Laravel is more powerful under the hood, but it requires coding expertise to unlock its full potential.

To help you decide, here’s a simple breakdown of who each platform is best suited for:

Before choosing a platform, consider your goals, technical skills, and budget.

If you want to build something quickly and easily, WordPress is likely the way to go. But if you need full control and are building something more advanced, Laravel might be a better fit.

I hope this guide helped you get a clearer picture of whether WordPress or Laravel is right for your next project. Ready to build your site? If you’re leaning toward WordPress, check out our guide on how to start a website step-by-step.

Frequently Asked Questions About WordPress vs. Laravel

Now that you’ve read our comparison of WordPress vs. Laravel, you might still have some questions. Here are some quick answers to frequently asked questions.

Is WordPress or Laravel easier to use for beginners?

For someone just starting out with website building, WordPress is easier to learn and use. It is designed with user-friendliness in mind, even if you have no coding experience. You can get a website up and running quickly, often with just a few clicks.

Laravel, on the other hand, has a steeper learning curve. It’s a framework built for developers, so it assumes you have coding knowledge or are willing to learn.

Do I need to know coding to use WordPress or Laravel?

With WordPress, you can build and manage a website without writing any code at all. You can use themes to control the design and plugins to add features, all without needing to write code. If you want to make very advanced customizations, then some coding knowledge can be helpful.

Laravel is different. To use Laravel effectively, you need coding skills, specifically in PHP. Building a website or web application with Laravel involves writing code to create features, customize functionality, and manage your site.

Which is better for SEO: WordPress or Laravel?

Both WordPress and Laravel can be excellent for SEO, but they approach it in different ways. WordPress is naturally quite SEO-friendly right out of the box, and you can use plugins like All in One SEO to optimize your site for search.

Laravel gives developers more direct, technical control over SEO. With Laravel, you can fine-tune every aspect of your website’s code and structure for optimal SEO performance. But this isn’t a one-click solution because it takes a lot of coding.

Is WordPress or Laravel more secure?

Both WordPress and Laravel can be secure platforms, but security needs to be approached differently for each. WordPress is actively maintained for security, and you need to keep it updated. You also need to use security best practices and plugins for the best protection.

Laravel is more secure from a technical standpoint. It has many security features by default and encourages secure coding practices. However, just like any platform, Laravel’s security still depends on developers writing secure code and properly configuring their applications.

When should I choose WordPress over Laravel?

I recommend WordPress for most websites. It’s easy to set up and manage, especially if you’re not a coder. It’s ideal for blogs, small business websites, portfolios, and online stores. It lets you get a website online quickly and cost-effectively.

When should I choose Laravel over WordPress?

In most cases, it’s best to choose Laravel when you need to build a custom web application or a website with very specific and complex features. You will need development expertise or a development team, but you can build something truly unique from the ground up.

We hope this tutorial helped you compare WordPress vs. Laravel and their pros and cons. You may also want to see our guide on how to choose the best website builder or our expert pick of popular sites using WordPress as a CMS.

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 WordPress vs Laravel – Which Is Better? (Expert Comparison) first appeared on WPBeginner.

I’ve helped WordPress users navigate a lot of different privacy laws, but Saudi Arabia’s Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) still surprises many website owners.

If your site collects personal information from people in Saudi Arabia (and it probably does), then PDPL compliance isn’t optional.

Contact forms, newsletter signups, user accounts, blog comments — all of these fall under the law’s requirements, even if you don’t live in Saudi Arabia.

I hear from readers all the time who didn’t realize this until they were at risk of penalties.

The good news? Getting compliant doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.

I’ve spent quite a lot of time researching the PDPL and testing WordPress tools to make this guide as beginner-friendly as possible. I’ll show you exactly how to protect your business, stay on the right side of the law, and earn your audience’s trust.

What Is the Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL)?

Saudi Arabia’s Personal Data Protection Law (PDPL) is a privacy law that protects the personal information of people living in Saudi Arabia. It sets clear rules for how businesses collect, use, and store that data.

Like other privacy laws — including the GDPR — the PDPL doesn’t just apply to local businesses. It can affect websites, blogs, and online stores around the world.

The key factor is whether your site handles data from people in Saudi Arabia. If your audience is global, then there’s a good chance the PDPL applies to you.

That’s why it’s important to understand what this law covers and what steps you can take to stay compliant.

Why WordPress Users Should Care About PDPL Compliance

Not following the PDPL can lead to serious consequences. Fines can reach up to SAR 5 million (about $1.3 million USD) per violation. That amount can double for repeat offenses.

If you unlawfully share sensitive data, especially with the intent to harm someone, the penalties are even more severe. You could face up to two years in prison and fines of SAR 3 million (around $800,000 USD).

But PDPL compliance isn’t just about avoiding legal trouble — it’s also about trust.

When you give visitors more control over their personal data, you show that your site respects their privacy. Over time, building trust can get you more signups, conversions, and sales, helping to grow your online business.

By contrast, failing to comply with PDPL can really damage your reputation.

And remember, the PDPL might apply to you even if you don’t live in Saudi Arabia. Just like GDPR and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), it’s based on whose data you collect, not where you’re located.

With all that said, almost all WordPress users should care about PDPL compliance.

How PDPL Affects Your WordPress Site

The first step to PDPL compliance is understanding what counts as personal data.

That includes anything that can identify someone, such as their name, email address, IP address, physical address, or even their browsing history through cookies.

As a WordPress site owner, here are some of the key rights and responsibilities you need to know:

• Right to Be Informed: You must clearly tell visitors what data you collect, how you use it, and whether you share it with third parties. This info should be easy to find — don’t make people dig through your site to locate it.
• Right to Access: Users can request a copy of the personal information you’ve collected about them.
• Right to Correction: If someone’s data is inaccurate or incomplete, they have the right to ask you to update it.
• Right to Delete: People can ask you to delete their personal data.
• Right to Object: Users can say no to how you’re using their personal information.
• Right to Data Portability: Individuals can request their data in a machine-readable format and transfer it to another service.

Throughout this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to support these rights using simple tools and beginner-friendly tips.

Beginner’s Guide to PDPL Compliance for WordPress Websites

Navigating compliance can feel overwhelming, especially when the stakes include damaged reputations, steep fines, or even jail time.

But at its core, the PDPL is about being clear and transparent with your users. It’s all about giving people control over how you collect and use their personal information.

With that in mind, let’s walk through the steps you can take to meet the PDPL’s requirements.

Perform Regular Data Audits

The first step to PDPL compliance is knowing what personal data you collect and how you handle it. That means doing a full data audit of your WordPress site.

A good audit shows whether your current practices match PDPL rules — and where you may need to make changes.

To help you get started, here are some key questions to ask:

• What personal data do I collect? This could include names, email addresses, IP addresses, payment details, and more.
• How do I use this data? Look at how you process information, whether you share it with team members or third-party tools like ad networks or email services.
• Do I really need this data? If you’re collecting something you don’t actually use, then it’s better to stop.
• How secure is it? Review your WordPress security, check who has access, and consider using security plugins to add extra protection.

After the audit, be sure to write down your findings. Keep a record of what you collect, how you use it, and what steps you’ve taken to stay compliant.

This documentation helps prove you’re serious about privacy, which is important if you’re ever audited or asked to explain your practices.

As a general rule, it’s smart to do a new audit at least once a year. You should also review your data handling anytime you change how your site collects or uses personal information.

And since privacy laws can change, it’s a good idea to re-check everything whenever the PDPL is updated.

Collect Less Data 

Once you’ve reviewed the data you collect, the next step is to ask: Do I really need all of it?

The PDPL says you should only collect data that’s relevant, necessary, and tied to a specific purpose. That means no gathering extra information just in case you might need it later.

If something isn’t essential, then you should stop collecting it.

This principle is called data minimization, and it’s not just about compliance. It also makes your life easier.

When you collect less data, it’s simpler to stay organized and respond to user requests. For example, if someone asks you to delete their data or send them a copy, you’ll have less to dig through.

So, as you go through your forms and plugins, look for anything you can remove or simplify.

Create a Privacy Policy 

Your privacy policy is where you explain what personal data you collect, how you use it, and who you share it with. Think of it as your website’s promise to be transparent with visitors.

Under the PDPL, having a clear and accessible privacy policy isn’t optional — it’s required.

The good news is that WordPress comes with a built-in privacy policy generator. You can use it as a starting point and customize it for your site.

You can also check out the WPBeginner privacy policy as an example.

If you use our template, make sure to replace all mentions of WPBeginner with your own blog or business website.

We also have a complete step-by-step guide on how to add a privacy policy in WordPress if you need help getting started.

If you already have a privacy policy, now’s the time to update it. Make sure it includes your users’ PDPL rights, like the Right to Be Informed and Right to Access, along with clear instructions for how they can exercise those rights.

For example, you could link to a form where users can request a copy of their data, or show them how to ask for deletion.

And don’t forget to review your privacy policy regularly to keep it accurate as your site grows and evolves.

Add a Cookie Popup

Under the PDPL, you must get explicit consent before placing cookies that collect personal data, except for cookies that are strictly necessary.

This means you need to let visitors know about your cookie practices and get their clear consent before using non-essential cookies.

The best way to do this is by adding a cookie popup to your WordPress website.

A well-designed popup helps you support key PDPL rights, starting with the Right to Be Informed. It clearly tells users what types of cookies you use, what data those cookies collect, and why you’re collecting it.

Your popup can also support the Right to Object. Users can simply click ‘Reject’ to refuse non-essential cookies without digging through settings.

There are lots of cookie banner plugins out there, but I recommend using WPConsent. It’s a powerful WordPress privacy plugin built to help you meet PDPL, GDPR, and similar privacy standards.

In fact, we use WPConsent on all our websites, including WPBeginner. It’s easy to set up and handles cookie banners, consent logs, and more.

To get started, install and activate the WPConsent plugin like you would with any WordPress plugin.

WPConsent will automatically scan your site and list all the cookies it finds.

From there, the setup wizard helps you customize your popup. As you make changes, you’ll see a live preview so you know exactly how it will look on your site.

You can adjust the layout, position, font size, button style, colors, and even add your own logo.

Once you’re happy with the design, just save your changes. The cookie banner will now appear on your site and begin collecting consent from your visitors.

Create a Dedicated Cookie Policy 

In addition to using a cookie popup, I also recommend creating a separate cookie policy page. This gives you a clear place to explain exactly how your site uses cookies and what kind of data you collect through them.

By writing a dedicated policy, you’re supporting the PDPL’s Right to Be Informed and building trust with your visitors.

Your cookie policy should list the different types of cookies your site uses, such as essential, analytics, or marketing cookies. You can also describe what these cookies do, like tracking your visitors or showing personalized ads.

I also suggest explaining what kind of personal information these cookies collect. That could include IP addresses, browsing behavior, or referral URLs.

Try to avoid technical jargon. Instead, use simple, clear language so anyone can understand your policy.

If you’re using WPConsent, you’re in luck. The plugin can automatically generate a detailed cookie policy for you. Just go to WPConsent » Settings and choose the page where you want the policy to appear.

WPConsent will create the content for you, based on the cookies it found during the scan.

You can then display this content using a shortcode on your selected page.

Once the policy is live, make sure visitors can find it. I recommend adding a link in your website footer or right inside your privacy policy.

You can also include a link in your cookie popup so that people can read the full policy before choosing their cookie preferences.

If you created your popup with WPConsent, the link is already built in. When someone clicks the ‘Preferences’ button, they’ll see a link to your cookie policy.

Then, they’ll need to select the ‘Cookie Policy’ link. 

And that’s it! WPConsent will take them straight to the right page.

Block Third-Party Scripts 

One of the trickiest parts of PDPL compliance is dealing with third-party tracking tools. I’m talking about services like Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel.

These tools often collect personal data, such as IP addresses, location info, or behavior across pages. That means they fall under the PDPL, and you need to get consent before loading their scripts.

That’s why I recommend setting up automatic script blocking. This keeps those scripts from running until a visitor has clearly opted in.

If you’re using WPConsent, then you’re already covered. It comes with automatic script blocking built right in.

Behind the scenes, it detects and pauses common tracking scripts like Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Facebook Pixel — without breaking your website.

Track and Log Visitor Consent

Websites need to collect and log cookie consent data to comply with privacy laws and be able to prove that they obtained valid consent from users. This comes in handy in case of audits, complaints, or legal investigations.

This practice of logging visitor consent protects your business, helps build trust with your visitors, and also provides solid evidence that you’re complying with the PDPL.

If you’re using WPConsent, the plugin takes care of this for you. It automatically logs each consent event along with key details like the visitor’s IP address, what they agreed to, and the date and time.

You can see all this information right in your WordPress dashboard. Just go to WPConsent » Consent Logs.

Then, if you ever need to share the log with a legal team or an auditor, you can export the data directly from your dashboard.

Allow Users to Withdraw Consent 

The PDPL states that people have the right to change their minds and withdraw consent at any time. To stay compliant, you need to give your visitors a simple and visible way to do that on your website.

I recommend using WPConsent’s Do Not Track add-on. It lets you create a dedicated ‘Do Not Track’ page in just a few clicks.

Once you install the add-on, just go to WPConsent » Do Not Track » Configuration to set up your form.

Visitors can then go to this page and fill out a short form to withdraw their consent.
It’s quick, user-friendly, and shows that you respect their privacy choices.

After setup, you can choose the page where this form appears, and WPConsent will handle the rest behind the scenes.

WPConsent also stores all these requests directly in your WordPress database. That means you stay in control of the data and don’t have to rely on third-party services to track user consent changes.

Plus, the plugin logs every request automatically. So if you’re ever audited, you’ll have clear documentation showing that you honored your visitors’ decisions.

Alternatively, you can use WPForms to create a data deletion form on your site. Unlike WPConsent, WPForms lets you fully customize the form the way you want.

It also comes with a dedicated ‘Right to Erasure Request Form’ template. This template gives you a solid foundation, so you can add this crucial form to your site quickly and easily. This directly addresses the ‘Right to Delete’ I mentioned earlier.

You can customize this template in WPForms’ drag-and-drop editor, which makes it easy to add, remove, and edit fields.

When you’re happy with the form, you can add it to your site using either a shortcode or the WPForms block.

After adding the form to your site, you need to make it easy for visitors to find. For example, you can link to the form from your privacy policy page, or even embed it directly there.

You can also put a link in your website’s footer. The goal is simple: make it easily accessible to your website visitors.

Next, you will need to review any user requests for data deletion.

Luckily, WPForms isn’t just a form builder. It also comes with a powerful entry management system that makes it easy to track form submissions.

To review your entries, simply head over to WPForms » Entries. Here, you’ll see a list of all the forms across your WordPress website.

Simply find your data erasure form and click it.

You’ll now see all your ‘delete data’ requests.

So, what happens when you spot a new deletion request?

The good news is that WordPress itself comes with a built-in Erase Personal Data tool. This tool lets you erase all the user’s personal information, so you don’t need to install any extra WordPress plugins.

Just head over to Tools » Erase Personal Data to access this tool.

In the ‘Username or email address’ field, you need to type in the user’s information you want to remove.

This tool even has a handy ‘Send personal data erasure confirmation email’ setting. This will automatically let the user know that you’ve completed their request, keeping them informed and building more trust.

Handle Data Access Requests Efficiently

Under the PDPL, visitors have the right to ask for a copy of all the personal information you’ve collected about them. Thankfully, you can handle these ‘data access requests’ in pretty much the same way as the ‘data deletion’ requests we just explored.

The easiest way to support this is by adding a request form to your site. I recommend using WPForms, which includes a ready-made Data Request template.

Just select the template and customize it in the drag-and-drop editor. You can easily adjust the fields as needed to collect the information you need to fulfill each request.

Once the form is live, WPForms will log each submission inside your WordPress dashboard. That way, you can respond quickly when a new request comes in.

To view entries, go to WPForms » Entries and select your data request form.

You’ll now see all the entries submitted through this form.

When you get a new request, you can fulfill it using WordPress’ built-in Export Personal Data tool. This lets you export all the known data for any user, packaged conveniently in a .zip file.

To create this .zip, just head over to Tools » Export Personal Data.

Just enter the user’s email or username, and WordPress will generate a downloadable file with all the personal data you’ve collected.

Once it’s ready, you can send the zip file directly to the person who requested it.

Support the ‘Right to Correction’

The PDPL also gives users the right to ask you to fix or update their personal information if something is wrong or incomplete.

This might happen after someone reviews their data and spots a mistake. Or maybe they’ve moved or changed their phone number and want you to update their profile.

Once again, the easiest way to accept these requests is by adding a dedicated form to your site.

I recommend WPForms for this, too. It includes a Personal Information Form template that works great for correction requests.

This form comes with many essential fields already built in, such as legal name, preferred nickname, email address, home phone, and cell phone. 

The template even includes an “Update Existing Record” checkbox, so users can let you know they’re submitting a change to their existing profile.

However, every website stores different information, so you may want to customize the form to collect other details. In that case, simply open the template in the WPForms editor and then add more fields to the form using drag and drop.

You can then fine-tune these fields using the left-hand panel. Just repeat these steps until the form collects all the information users might want to edit.

Once you’re done, go ahead and publish the form on your site like you would with any other form.

Make sure users can find this form easily. I usually link to it from the privacy policy or place it in the footer so it’s always accessible.

As always, WPForms displays all submitted form entries directly in your WordPress dashboard. This makes it easy to spot data correction requests as soon as they arrive, so you can act on them quickly.

How you update this information may vary depending on the tools you’re using. For example, you might need to update a record in your customer relationship management (CRM) app or email management software.

If the information is stored directly in WordPress, then you may just need to go to Users » All Users in your WordPress dashboard.

Here, find the user profile you need to update and click its ‘Edit’ link.

You’ll now see all the essential information WordPress has stored for that user.

From here, you can make any necessary changes and save the user’s updated profile.

WordPress and PDPL Compliance: FAQs

Understanding online privacy can be a big challenge. So, you might still have some questions about how the PDPL affects your WordPress website.

But don’t worry! At WPBeginner, we’re here to help you understand this important privacy law.

In this section, I’ll cover the most common questions we get asked about PDPL compliance, so  you can get the answers you need.

What happens if my website is not PDPL compliant?

If your website doesn’t comply with the PDPL, you could face serious consequences. That includes large fines, which may reach millions of Saudi Riyals. In severe cases, criminal charges like imprisonment may also apply.

Beyond the legal and financial risks, breaching the PDPL can seriously harm your organization’s reputation. If you don’t seem to care about user privacy, then your audience will quickly notice. When that happens, they will stop trusting you and will almost certainly take their business or readership elsewhere.

Does the PDPL only apply to businesses in Saudi Arabia?

No, the PDPL doesn’t just apply to Saudi-based businesses. If your website collects personal data from someone living in Saudi Arabia, then you’re required to follow the PDPL, even if your business is located elsewhere.

How can I balance user experience with PDPL compliance?

Following the PDPL doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice the user experience. In fact, giving visitors control over their data is a key part of good UX.

Here’s how I recommend balancing both:

• Show a clear cookie popup that explains how you use cookies in simple terms.
• Write a privacy policy that’s easy to read and free of legal jargon.
• Add forms that let users request their data or ask for it to be deleted, so they feel respected and in control.

Are there any exemptions to the PDPL for small websites?

The PDPL generally applies to any website that collects or processes personal data from users in Saudi Arabia, no matter the size. That means most WordPress site owners need to follow it.

There may be exceptions in very specific cases, but these aren’t always clear. If you’re unsure whether the PDPL applies to you, I recommend talking to a legal expert.

What are the key steps I should take to comply with the PDPL?

Every site is different, but here are the basics I always recommend:

• Create clear privacy and cookie policies that explain your practices in plain, user-friendly language.
• Run regular data audits to understand what personal data you collect, where it’s stored, and who can access it.
• Ask for clear, explicit consent before collecting data, and give users a way to withdraw it. A cookie popup can help with this.

By putting these measures into practice, your website will be much closer to meeting the PDPL’s core requirements. 

Additional Resources

Keeping your WordPress site perfectly aligned with the PDPL isn’t a one-time task. In fact, it’s something that needs your ongoing attention. 

To help you continue on this journey, here are some helpful resources you can check out:

• Saudi Arabia’s National Data Management Office – Get the latest information and updates about the PDPL.
• How to Know if Your WordPress Website Uses Cookies
• How to Keep Personally Identifiable Info Out of Google Analytics
• How to Make Google Fonts Privacy Friendly
• How to Stop Storing IP Addresses in WordPress Comments

I hope this beginner’s guide to PDPL compliance for WordPress websites has helped you understand this important privacy law. Next, you may want to see our expert picks for the best GDPR plugins to improve compliance or our guide on how to perform a security audit.

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.

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 Beginner’s Guide to PDPL Compliance for WordPress Websites first appeared on WPBeginner.

Today, WPBeginner officially turns 16 years old!

If WPBeginner was a kid, it would be old enough to drive in Florida. Crazy how time flies.

Looking back, it’s hard to believe that what started as a simple WordPress resource site has grown into such an incredible community of website owners, bloggers, developers, and entrepreneurs from all around the world. YOU continue to be the heart and soul of WPBeginner!

Like every year, I want to take a few minutes to share all the major updates happening in the business as well as some personal reflections.

To celebrate this special milestone, I am hosting a huge birthday giveaway with over $20,000 in prizes! We’ll be selecting 87 lucky winners who will get access to premium WordPress plugins and tools to help grow their websites.

Since this is a long article, you can easily skip to the section you’re most interested in:

My Personal Updates

If you’re new here, you might not know that I have been using WordPress since I was 16 years old, and I started WPBeginner in 2009 when I was in college at age 19.

Ever since then, I’ve been dedicated to the WordPress community, and WordPress plays a huge role both in my life as well as my family’s life.

My son, Solomon, is now 8 years old, and he regularly attends our company events. He even did the opening bit for our last keynote with over 200 team members in attendance. Watching Solomon grow up and develop his public speaking skills is truly special.

Although a bit more limited, I have continued our travels around the world, exploring new cultures, and meeting local WPBeginner readers.

Here are some photos from our travels:

One of the best parts about running a fully remote online company is the flexibility it offers us. We have team members in over 50 countries now, and my goal is to continue visiting at least a few new countries each year. Side note: yes, we’re hiring.

Also if you didn’t get a chance to read my 2024 recap, I highly recommend checking it because I shared lessons learned from last year.

WPBeginner Updates

Like all publishers and content websites, our traffic has been impacted by Google’s algorithm and the rapidly changing A.I. landscape.

Being in the SEO industry since 2006, this isn’t the first wave of big changes that I have witnessed, but this time the wave is much larger. I plan to share more actionable thoughts on this in a separate blog post in the near future.

The good news though is that we’re fortunate to have an incredible community of readers and subscribers. This is the what’s MOST important.

Since starting WPBeginner, my focus has always been to create helpful tutorials and resources for WordPress beginners, and we will continue to serve our community.

I’m truly grateful for everything we’ve accomplished together this year.

As always, none of this would be possible without your continued support and trust. THANK YOU for being part of our journey!

Here are some of the big updates that happened on WPBeginner in the last 12 months:

1. We Launched WPBeginner Spotlight

Over the past year, we’ve been publishing a monthly series called WPBeginner Spotlight, where we cover major WordPress industry news from brand acquisitions and mergers to flagship feature releases, and other significant announcements that matter to WordPress enthusiasts.

We started this initiative because a lot of our readers asked us to do it. There was a vacuum in this category as other WordPress news blogs stopped publishing.

Take a look at the latest edition of WPBeginner Spotlight if you haven’t checked it out.

Got something to share in the next edition of Spotlight? Whether it’s a new product launch, a significant update, or an exciting event, reach out to us through our contact form.

2. Real People, Real Impact: #MyWordPressStory Series

We’ve had the privilege of talking to WordPress experts and letting them share their inspiring stories with our community through our #MyWordPressStory series. This series brings you insights from some of the most successful leaders in the WordPress industry.

Take a look at some of the inspiring #MyWordPressStory editions here:

• From Side Project to 700K+ Active WordPress Installs: Tobias Bäthge from TablePress shares his incredible WP journey.
• From Freelancer to Founder: Ionut Neagu from ThemeIsle Shares His Journey to Building a Successful WP Business
• Blogger Turned WordPress VIP Partner: How WordPress Continues to Inspire Rahul Bansal from rtCamp
• How Zac McDonald Grew Into the Top-Rated WordPress Freelancer on Upwork
• How Ben Rojas Rose From a Developer to the President of AIOSEO

These stories share personal insights about what worked, what didn’t, and what you can do to succeed in your unique journey.

Want to be featured in the next edition of #MyWordPressStory? Feel free to reach out through our contact form here.

3. WPBeginner Workshop: Free Live Training

This year, we launched WPBeginner Workshop, bringing live education directly to the WPBeginner community. We hosted numerous workshops every month, covering WordPress fundamentals, SEO strategies, blogging, and eCommerce tips, and much more.

Each workshop has featured expert instructors sharing practical knowledge, followed by live Q&A sessions where attendees got their WordPress questions answered in real-time.

Best of all, it’s totally free to attend!

All you need to do is join our newsletter to stay up to date.

4. New Acquisitions, Investments & Product Launches

In 2018, I created the WPBeginner Growth Fund to invest in WordPress focused companies that are solving important problems that you, our readers, want me to help out with.

In the past 12 months, we have made several big acquisitions and investments in the ecosystem.

• We acquired BuddyBoss to help you create a private community with social networking groups, forum discussions, online courses, and more. Here’s the full background story.
• We completely revamped Sugar Calendar to make it easier and faster to manage events and ticketing in WordPress. Here’s the full background story.
• My team at AIOSEO launched a brand new writing assistant, SEOBoost. As you write, it gives you real-time insights into how to optimize your content for improving your search rankings. Here’s the full background story.
• We launched OnePageGA, a one-page Google Analytics dashboard. It lets you easily create a simple and easy-to-understand dashboard for Google Analytics 4. Here’s the full background story.
• We launched ClickSocial, a social media management plugin. It helps you start scheduling and publishing social media content right from your WordPress dashboard. Here’s the full background story.
• We launched WPConsent, a powerful cookie consent management plugin that ensures your website meets global privacy standards and avoids fines. Here’s the full background story.
• We acquired aThemes, a popular WordPress theme company known for building beautiful website templates that are optimized for speed and performance. Here’s the full background story. If you’re looking for a new theme, check out Sydney and Botiga (both are free).

I’m really proud of how far we’ve come with the Growth Fund, and it’s really amazing to see the impact our companies are making in the WordPress ecosystem and the larger open web.

Want me to invest in your business? Learn more about the WPBeginner Growth Fund.

Product Company Updates

One of the questions I often get from new readers is that how does WPBeginner make money when we give away all our WordPress tutorials and training for free.

Yes, we also have a huge library of WordPress video courses that are completely free for everyone.

WPBeginner is funded 100% through the support of our readers like you.

My various companies develop premium WordPress plugins to help you grow your website. These plugins are built with the same beginner-friendly approach you know and love from WPBeginner, and they have powerful features to take your website to the next level.

When you buy a license for any of my premium plugins, you’re not only helping make your website better, but you’re also helping support WPBeginner and our mission.

My company, Awesome Motive, has over 330+ team members across the world, and all of us are committed to helping you build a better website!

Here’s a list of our plugins that you should check out. Collectively, they’re being used on over 30 million websites. Your support means a lot to us whether you use the free version or purchase a premium license — we are here to serve.

WPBeginner 16th Birthday Giveaway

To celebrate the 16^th birthday of WPBeginner, we’re running our biggest ever giveaway!

We are giving away premium plugin licenses worth over $20,000 to 87 lucky winners.

So, what kind of goodies are we giving away? Here’s the complete list:

WPForms, MonsterInsights, OptinMonster, AIOSEO, SeedProd, Thrive Suite, Funnelkit, Uncanny Automator, MemberPress, Easy Digital Downloads, SearchWP, RafflePress, WPConsent, WPCode, Duplicator, aThemes, WP Mail SMTP, WP Simple Pay, Formidable Forms, Pretty Links, AffiliateWP, BuddyBoss, Envira Gallery, Smash Balloon, SEOBoost, LowFruits, ClickSocial, PushEngage, and OnePageGA.

Thank You, Everyone

I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported us in this journey. I really do appreciate all of your retweets, personal emails, content suggestions, and the interactions at the events.

I also want to say special thank you to everyone who’s using our plugins because that enables us to keep bringing more free tutorials on WPBeginner.

You all are AMAZING and without you, there is no WPBeginner.

I look forward to another solid year ahead of us.

Syed Balkhi
Founder of WPBeginner

The post WPBeginner Turns 16 Years Old – Here’s What’s New + a $20,000 WordPress Giveaway first appeared on WPBeginner.

I still remember the first time one of my articles appeared in the top 3 search results, but Google’s AI Overview credited someone else.

The frustrating part? The information came directly from my post. 😒

That moment really opened my eyes. That’s why I’ve spent the last several months studying how AI search tools like Google’s AI Overview, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude pull information.

I’ve tested different formats, structured data settings, and optimization strategies across multiple WordPress sites.

In this guide, I’ll break down what Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) means for WordPress users. You’ll learn how it works, how it compares to traditional SEO, and what specific steps you can take to help your content show up in AI answers — even if you’re not a tech expert.

If you’ve been worried about losing traffic or falling behind, you’re not alone. I’ve been through the same frustration. That’s why I created this guide: to help you adapt more quickly and with less stress.

Here is a quick overview of the topics I’ll cover in this guide:

What Is Generative Engine Optimization? (And Why It Matters for WordPress)

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) means structuring your content so that AI tools like ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overview, Claude, and Gemini can easily understand, summarize, and include it in their answers.

These AI tools aren’t just scraping the web. Instead, they’re scanning for structure, clarity, and relevance. If your content is well-formatted, direct, and easy for language models to process, it has a better chance of being included in AI-generated answers.

Think of it like SEO, but instead of optimizing for search engine bots, you’re optimizing for AI models trained on massive amounts of text.

GEO doesn’t replace traditional SEO. It builds on it by focusing on how modern AI tools interpret and reuse information.

AI Search Is Already Here (And It’s Eating Your Traffic)

When Google first rolled out AI results, I figured they wouldn’t affect much. But I was wrong. In some cases, the summary used my content, but no one clicked through to my site.

And I’m not the only one who’s noticed this.

A recent study by Ahrefs analyzed 300,000 keywords and found that when Google showed an AI Overview, the top-ranking page saw a 34.5% drop in average clickthrough rate compared to similar results without AI.

AI tools are changing how people get answers. They often pull responses directly from existing content, and many users do not need to click past the summary.

In a recent interview, Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince shared: “Today, 75 percent of queries get answered without you leaving Google.”

If your site is not included in that AI-generated answer, you are missing out on visibility and potential traffic, even if you are still ranking high in traditional search results.

The good news is that WordPress gives you the tools to adapt. With WordPress SEO plugins like All in One SEO, clear formatting, and structured content, you can prepare your site for both traditional rankings and AI search results.

That’s what helped me get my posts noticed again, and it can help you, too.

GEO vs SEO: What’s Different, What’s the Same?

SEO and GEO often overlap, but they have different goals. Traditional SEO helps your site rank in search results, while GEO helps your content get included in AI-generated answers.

With SEO, you’re optimizing for search engine bots that index and rank pages. With GEO, you’re optimizing for AI tools that summarize and generate answers. Both are important, but they reward different strategies.

Here’s a quick comparison of how SEO and GEO compare:

In simple terms, SEO helps people find you. GEO helps machines understand and use your content when answering someone’s question. If you want to stay visible, you’ll want to do both.

How AI Search Works Behind the Scenes

To optimize for AI search, it helps to understand how these tools work behind the scenes.

While each platform is different, they tend to follow similar patterns when deciding what content to summarize, cite, or ignore.

How Google AI Overviews Choose What to Display

Google isn’t guessing when it builds an AI Overview. It looks for content that’s clear, well-structured, and trustworthy.

From what I’ve observed, the following factors can increase your chances of being included:

• Pages that already rank well organically, but not always
• Content with short, direct definitions or summaries near the top
• Posts with step-by-step formatting, like numbered lists or how-to blocks
• Pages using schema markup for FAQs, HowTo, and definitions
• Sites that show author names, publish dates, and E-E-A-T signals

Even if your content isn’t ranking in the #1 spot, it can still appear in the AI Overview, as long as it’s structured clearly. I’ve seen this happen on some of my own articles after I added schema and rewrote the introduction.

How ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini Pull Info From Your Site

AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini don’t index pages the same way Google does. Instead, they use web crawlers or partner APIs to collect and learn from your content.

It’s helpful to know that some AI answers come from the model’s “memory” (its training data, which can be months old), while newer AI tools can browse the live web for up-to-date information.

If your site is public and crawlable, it may be part of the training or retrieval process, especially for tools like ChatGPT that include browsing or plugin features.

Even if they’re not pulling content in real time, AI models trained on older data can still paraphrase your writing.

That’s why formatting, clarity, and author signals are so important — they help models understand who said what, and how to attribute it.

What Makes Content “AI-Ready” (According to LLM Behavior)

I’ve tested dozens of prompts using content I’ve written, and the same pattern keeps showing up. AI tools prefer content that is structured, concise, and easy to break into smaller pieces.

Think of your blog post like a Lego set.

If it’s well-organized with labeled parts like subheadings, summaries, and schema, AI tools can easily pick out the pieces they need. If it’s just a wall of text, they are more likely to skip over it.

How to Optimize WordPress Content for Generative Engines (GEO Steps)

Now that we understand how AI search can be used to bring traffic to your website and improve its visibility, let’s look at some practical steps that you can apply right now.

Step 1. Choose the Right SEO Tool for the Job

If you’re using WordPress, the easiest way to optimize for AI search is by using the All in One SEO plugin. It’s already the best SEO plugin for WordPress — and in my experience, it’s also the most powerful tool for Generative Engine Optimization.

We use AIOSEO on WPBeginner and all our partner sites, and we’ve seen a noticeable improvement in AI Overview visibility since making a few small changes with its tools. See our full All in One SEO for WordPress review for more details.

It gives you full control over how your content appears in both search results and AI-generated answers.

Here are some of the key AIOSEO features I rely on for AI search optimization:

• Schema Markup: Easily add HowTo, FAQ, Article, and custom schema to any page.
• TruSEO Analysis: Get real-time suggestions to improve structure, readability, and clarity.
• FAQ Blocks: Add machine-readable FAQs that help trigger AI citations.
• Author + Publisher Info: Add structured author bios and business details to boost E-E-A-T signals.

In the steps below, I’ll show you how to apply these tools and strategies to your own content. If you already use AIOSEO, you’ll be able to follow along easily.

If not, then install and activate the All in One SEO for WordPress plugin. Here is our complete guide on how to set up All in One SEO for WordPress.

Note: A free version of All in One SEO is also available. You can give it a try, but I recommend upgrading to the paid version to unlock its full potential.

Step 2. Use Clear and Concise Language That AI Can Interpret

One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that AI tools don’t read like humans. Instead, they break content into small parts to understand what it means.

If your content uses complex language or too much jargon, then it becomes harder for AI tools to understand and quote it correctly.

When I rewrote some of my posts using shorter sentences and simpler words, I started seeing more of them appear in ChatGPT and Gemini responses. Clear content isn’t just better for people. It’s better for machines, too.

Here’s what I try to follow when writing for both readers and AI:

• Keep sentences under 20 words whenever possible.
• Use simple vocabulary unless a technical term is absolutely necessary.
• Break long paragraphs into smaller ones, with one idea per paragraph.
• Avoid run-on sentences, complex punctuation, and clever phrasing that might confuse AI tools.
• Put the key point at the beginning of the sentence, then explain or expand after.

AIOSEO’s TruSEO score often flags issues like sentence length and clarity.

It analyzes your content for ideal paragraph and sentence length, active voice, transition words, consecutive sentence patterns, subheading usage, and Flesch readability score.

I use those suggestions as a quick check to make sure my posts are easy to scan, not just for readers, but for AI tools too.

You can see our guide on how to add and improve readability score in WordPress for more details.

Step 3. Include Direct Answers to Common Questions (Prompt Framing)

AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are designed to answer questions quickly. So if your content sounds like a clear answer to a common question, there’s a much better chance it’ll get used in AI responses. This approach is called prompt framing.

When I started rewriting my content to lead with short, direct answers, I noticed it getting picked up more often by AI tools. Instead of burying the answer in a long paragraph, I give it upfront, then explain the details below.

Here are a few real-world examples:

• Original (food blog): Making banana bread is a simple process that involves mixing ripe bananas with other basic ingredients and baking until done.
• GEO-Optimized: To make banana bread, mash ripe bananas and mix them with flour, sugar, eggs, and baking soda. Then bake at 350°F for about 50 minutes.
• Original (travel site): Many travelers enjoy visiting Italy because of its food, history, and scenic views.
• GEO-Optimized: The best time to visit Italy is in spring (April to June) or fall (September to October) when the weather is mild and crowds are smaller.
• Original (personal finance blog): Having an emergency fund can reduce financial stress and help you manage unexpected expenses.
• GEO-Optimized: An emergency fund is a savings account you use only for unexpected expenses like medical bills, car repairs, or job loss.

These direct answers match how people ask questions in AI tools. When your content mirrors those prompts, it’s more likely to be selected and cited.

And if you’re using AI to help write your content, this is even easier.

Just tweak your prompt to ask for a short, direct answer first, followed by a more detailed explanation. This structure makes your content much more likely to be quoted by AI tools.

Here’s a simple prompt to show how you can apply it to your AI workflow:

Write a blog section that starts with a one-sentence answer to the question: [insert question]. Then follow up with 1–2 short paragraphs explaining the details in plain language.

This small change can make your AI-generated content easier for other tools to summarize, cite, and include in search results.

Bonus Tip🎁: Need prompt examples for your blog posts? See our list of well-crafted AI prompts for bloggers and marketers.

Step 4. Add Schema Markup for Better Context

Schema markup is extra code that tells AI tools exactly which type of content you’re publishing, like a tutorial, FAQ, article, or product review.

It helps machines understand the purpose of your page so they can cite it more accurately.

Schema is one of the clearest signals you can add to your website. I’ve seen content picked up more often by Google’s AI Overview and tools like Gemini after adding the right markup, especially for step-by-step guides and FAQs.

Planning your post with schema in mind also makes writing easier.

For example, formatting your content as a list of steps, a set of questions and answers, or a recipe with ingredients and instructions gives your content a clear structure that works for both humans and machines.

When I first looked into schema markup, it felt overwhelming. But with All in One SEO, I don’t need to mess with code at all. I just pick the content type from the schema tab and fill in the form to generate schema markup.

Here are some of the schema types I use the most when optimizing for AI search:

• FAQ Schema: Helps AI tools pull answers to common questions directly into their responses.
• HowTo Schema: Makes it easier for AI to understand step-by-step tutorials or guides.
• Article Schema: Adds author info, publish date, and headline context — important for building trust and E-E-A-T signals.
• Recipe, Product, or Event Schema: Ideal for food blogs, online stores, or local businesses with structured content.

On WPBeginner and our partner sites, we’ve seen strong results in AI visibility after using schema consistently.

Schema is one of the most effective and underused ways to make your content easier to understand and feature.

Step 5. Format Content With Logical Headings and Subheadings

Clear headings and subheadings help AI tools understand how your content is structured.

They show which parts answer specific questions and make it easier for tools like ChatGPT or Gemini to quote the correct section.

Here’s how I recommend structuring your content:

• Use H2 for main topics or major steps in a guide.
• Use H3 or H4 for supporting details, examples, or sub-questions.
• Write headings that clearly describe the section. Avoid vague titles like “More Info” or “Other Tips.”
• Stick to a logical order and don’t skip heading levels (e.g., don’t jump from H2 to H4).
• Use question-style headings when possible. This matches how people search and how AI tools interpret prompts.

For more details, see our guide on how to properly use heading tags in WordPress.

Step 6. Include a Short Summary or Definition Near the Top

A short summary or definition at the beginning of your content makes it easier for AI tools to pull quick answers from your page.

This is different from answering multiple questions throughout the post. Think of this as answering the main question right away — like giving someone the TL;DR version before you dive into the details.

Here is an example of how Syed Balkhi used this practice in his article about choosing the best business phone service:

Most AI tools scan the top of your post for a quick explanation. If they find a clear summary in the first few lines, your content is more likely to appear in an AI Overview or chatbot response.

Here’s how I typically structure this:

• Write a 1–2 sentence summary or definition right after the heading or intro.
• Use simple language — imagine you’re answering a prompt in plain English.
• Use bold text or a callout block to help it stand out for both readers and AI tools.

For example, in a post about “what to include in a wedding invitation,” I’d open with:

“A wedding invitation should include the couple’s names, event date, time, venue, and RSVP details. You can also add dress code, gift info, or a personal message.”

This kind of summary helps AI tools provide fast, accurate responses, especially when users are looking for quick answers or definitions. It also improves your chances of showing up in Google’s AI Overviews and featured snippets.

If you’re using AI to help you write content, you can train it to follow this approach. Just start your prompt with:

Begin the article with a one-sentence summary that directly answers the main topic or question.

Step 7. Add FAQ Blocks That Match Common User Prompts

FAQ blocks are not just helpful for readers. AI tools like Google’s Overview and ChatGPT also scan them to find short, clear answers to common questions.

I’ve noticed that when I include FAQs that match what people are actually searching for, those answers are more likely to get picked up by AI. It’s like giving models a ready-made response to show in their results.

For example, let’s say you run a bakery website. You could add FAQ questions like:

• How far in advance should I order a birthday cake?
  A good rule is to place your order at least 3–5 days in advance to guarantee availability.
• Do you offer gluten-free cupcakes?
  Yes, we have gluten-free options available for cupcakes and cakes. Just let us know when ordering.

These types of question-and-answer pairs match how people search in AI tools, which makes them very effective.

I normally add an FAQ section to my article, and then use All in One SEO to add FAQ schema directly in WordPress.

However, AIOSEO also comes with an FAQ block that you can use to easily add an FAQ section and then add the FAQ schema markup.

It’s built right into the block editor, so I can format each Q&A and automatically add the right structured data. That way, both humans and search engines understand what I’m offering.

If you’re using AI to help write your content, try prompting it like this:

Generate 3–5 FAQ questions that users might ask about [topic], and write answers in a conversational tone.

Step 8. Use Table of Contents and Jump Links for Structure

When AI tools scan your content, they look for structure. A table of contents (TOC) helps them understand how your post is organized and also makes it easier for readers to navigate.

In longer guides, I include a clickable table of contents near the top. It links to different sections using jump links, which helps both readers and AI tools find what they need.

A table of contents can also help your content appear in rich snippets, which may increase your click-through rate in traditional search results.

If you’re writing a post like “How to Start a Home Cleaning Business,” your table of contents might look like this:

1. Choose a business model
2. Register your business and get licenses
3. Buy the right cleaning supplies
4. Set your pricing and offer packages

This type of structure helps readers skim the page and also helps AI tools extract and cite specific answers.

I use the Table of Contents block that comes with All in One SEO because it automatically builds a TOC from my headings. If you aren’t using AIOSEO, then a great alternative is the Table of Contents Plus plugin.

For more options, see our pick of the best table of contents plugins for WordPress.

Step 9. Cite Sources, Use Author Names, and Add Dates for E-E-A-T

Search engines and AI models both want trustworthy answers, and that means looking at more than just your words. They check who wrote the content, when it was published, and whether you’ve backed up your claims with reliable sources.

If you’re serious about showing up in AI results, you need to show you’re a real person with real knowledge. Not just another website blending in.

This is where E-E-A-T comes in. It stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

For example, if you run a travel blog and write about travel insurance, you could cite a source like the U.S. State Department.

Similarly, if you’re giving parenting advice, referencing the American Academy of Pediatrics can help. These aren’t just helpful for readers. They also give AI models more confidence in your content.

Here’s a quick checklist I use to boost trust signals:

• ✅ Add an author name. Use your real name and include a short author bio with relevant experience.
• ✅ Show publish and update dates. This is especially important for topics that change often.
• ✅ Link to credible sources. Use rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" when linking externally.
• ✅ Create an About or Editorial policy page. Let visitors and AI know who you are and what expertise you have on the subject.

I use All in One SEO to manage all of this on my site. Here is how All in One SEO shows an Author bio box.

It lets me control how author names, dates, and schema appear so both users and AI can clearly see who’s behind the content.

If you want to go deeper, I recommend reading our full guide on what Google E-E-A-T means, written by Ben Rojas, the President of All in One SEO. It’s packed with tips for making your site more trustworthy, not just for Google but for all AI-driven platforms.

Step 10. Track AI Search Visibility and Traffic on Your WordPress Site

Normally, I recommend using Google Search Console to monitor how your site performs in search results.

But here’s the catch — Google doesn’t tell you if your content is being used in AI Overviews. There’s no clear label or report that shows whether you were featured in an AI summary or not.

That’s why I use MonsterInsights on my WordPress sites. It connects with Google Analytics and shows where your traffic is coming from, including AI tools like ChatGPT, Bing Copilot, and Perplexity.

You can even track how visits from those platforms change over time by clicking on the ‘View All Referral Sources’ button.

If you want to go deeper, tools like GPTrends.io and Surfer SEO can help you track brand visibility or citations in ChatGPT and other AI responses. They’re powerful, but they come with a steep price tag.

You can also manually track your top keywords in Google Search Console and test them in AI tools to see if your site is mentioned in the results.

Until AI platforms offer more transparency, these are your best options for spotting opportunities and filling in the visibility gaps.

What Content Works Best for AI Search?

AI tools tend to favor content that’s clear, structured, and easy to summarize.

Here are the formats I’ve seen perform best in ChatGPT, Google’s AI Overviews, and other platforms.

• Tutorials and How-To Guides: Step-by-step posts like “How to Start a Freelance Business” or “How to Make an Invoice in Excel” are easy for AI to break down into lists. Make sure to use numbered headings, short steps, and direct language.
• Listicles and Comparisons: AI tools prefer clearly structured content. Using bullet points, subheadings, or comparison tables can make posts like “7 Free Logo Makers Compared” or “Mailchimp vs ConvertKit” easier to quote.
• Opinion Posts With Clear Takeaways: Insight or experience-based articles work well when you include a summary or list of key points at the end. Make sure to include your name, author bio, and credentials to support E-E-A-T.

You do not need to change your niche. Just focus on formatting your content in a way that works for both readers and AI tools. Overall, a consistent layout makes it easier for AI to use your content in responses.

Bonus: Generative Engine Optimization Checklist for WordPress Users

Want to make your content easier for AI tools to understand, cite, and use in search answers?

Here is a quick checklist you can follow. I use this same list when optimizing content across my sites, and it works.

• ✅ Use simple, clear language that AI tools can easily understand.
• ✅ Begin with direct answers and follow with supporting details.
• ✅ Add schema markup using a plugin like All in One SEO.
• ✅ Use clear headings and subheadings to organize your content.
• ✅ Include a short summary or definition near the top of your post.
• ✅ Add FAQ sections that answer common user questions.
• ✅ Use a table of contents with jump links for easier navigation.
• ✅ Display the author name, publish date, and last updated date.
• ✅ Create an About page and author bios to support E-E-A-T.
• ✅ Use tools like MonsterInsights to track AI-related referral traffic.

Even if you only follow a few of these steps, you’ll be making your content more visible to AI search — and giving your site a better shot at getting cited.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Wait to Be Left Behind

Generative Engine Optimization isn’t a trend, it’s a shift. AI tools are already changing how people search, and they’re not slowing down anytime soon.

If your content isn’t ready for AI search, then you’re not just missing clicks. You’re also missing visibility and revenue, which is like leaving money on the table.

You don’t have to be a tech expert to optimize for AI. Most of it comes down to clear writing, good structure, established SEO best practices, and using the right tools.

That’s exactly why I recommend All in One SEO. It takes care of the technical stuff so you can focus on creating helpful content.

I’ve used AIOSEO on my personal projects as well as client sites. We also use it on WPBeginner and our partner sites, and I’ve seen it make a real difference in how AI tools pick up and display our content.

FAQs About Generative Engine Optimization

Generative Engine Optimization, also called AI Search Optimization, is still new and evolving. Here are answers to some of the most common questions I have received.

Is GEO the same as SEO?
No, but they overlap. SEO helps your site rank in search engines. GEO helps your content get quoted by AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Google’s AI Overviews. The best approach is to focus on both.

How does structured data help with AI search?
Structured data, also called schema markup, tells AI tools exactly what your content is about. It can highlight content types like FAQs, how-to guides, reviews, and more. Tools like All in One SEO make it easy to add schema to your posts.

Will Google’s AI Overviews replace regular search listings?
Not completely, but they are already taking a large share of attention. A study by Ahrefs found that AI Overviews can reduce clicks to top-ranking pages by up to 34.5%. This is why it’s so important to structure your content for both search engines and AI tools.

What’s the best plugin to optimize WordPress for GEO?
I recommend All in One SEO. It adds schema markup, connects to Google Search Console, includes a content analysis tool, and helps AI tools better understand and cite your content.

Can I appear in AI answers even if I’m not ranking high?
Yes. I’ve seen low-ranking pages get featured in AI summaries because they provided a clear answer, strong structure, or relevant schema markup. Ranking still helps — but AI tools often prioritize clarity over position.

Learn More About GEO (AI + SEO) in WordPress

Want to go deeper into using AI tools, writing optimized content, and staying ahead in the AI search era? These guides from WPBeginner walk you through practical ways to apply AI inside WordPress, from writing to SEO to images.

• A Small Business Owners’ Guide to Artificial Intelligence
• Is AI Content Bad for WordPress SEO? (Expert Insights & Tips)
• How to Use AI for SEO in WordPress
• How to Write Content Using AI Content Generator in WordPress
• How to Use AI to Generate Images in WordPress

If you’ve made it this far, you’re already ahead of most site owners. Generative Engine Optimization may sound technical, but at its core, it’s just about making your content clear, helpful, and easy to understand — both for people and for machines.

With the right structure and tools, you can stay visible in the age of AI and continue growing your WordPress site with confidence.

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 Beginner’s Guide to Generative Engine Optimization for WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

Welcome to the June 2025 edition of WPBeginner Spotlight!

This month brings exciting updates across the WordPress ecosystem, including new plugin features, AI tools, and community highlights.

Highlights include Charitable’s donor management system, expanded AI in Uncanny Automator, and takeaways from WordCamp Europe 2025

There’s plenty to discover, so let’s dive into this month’s most noteworthy WordPress updates.

Charitable Adds a Built‑In Donor Management System for Easier Fundraising and Reporting

Charitable, a leading donation plugin for WordPress, has rolled out a new update that improves its Pro version with a centralized donor management system.

The new system gives nonprofits a clearer view of donor history and interactions. This allows them to manage fundraising campaigns more efficiently by accessing donor data in one place.

Donor profiles now include detailed donation histories, communication preferences, and personalized insights.

Plus, nonprofits can use Charitable to generate segmented reports and tailor their communication strategies. In turn, this can improve donor relationships and boost campaign success rates.

Overall, this update represents a significant enhancement for nonprofit users by simplifying donor management and optimizing fundraising efforts.

Uncanny Automator Expands AI Automation Beyond OpenAI With Claude, Gemini, Grok & More

Uncanny Automator, a popular WordPress workflow automation plugin, brings seven new AI integrations to WordPress: Claude, Gemini, Grok, Perplexity, Cohere, Mistral, and DeepSeek.

Users can now choose from multiple AI models when building WordPress automations, offering flexibility beyond OpenAI. This makes it easier than ever to build smart workflows inside WordPress—no custom code required.

You can now generate AI responses inside workflows using different models, which is ideal for tasks like AI content generation, customer support replies, or research summaries. Plus, each AI service comes with a dedicated action for prompting text responses.

The update also adds new integrations for FluentCommunity and Mailster, with over 25 new triggers and actions across learning and email tools. ARMember and Events Manager users also receive small but useful automation upgrades.

Churn Reduction Made Easy: EDD Adds One‑Click Payment Updates for Recurring Payments

Easy Digital Downloads, the popular eCommerce plugin for WordPress, has released a major update to its Recurring Payments extension. It now gives store owners better tools to reduce involuntary churn and protect recurring revenue.

Involuntary churn happens when loyal customers are lost due to failed payments, often from expired cards or billing errors. Previously, fixing this required customers to log in, which led to friction and revenue loss.

The new update adds secure, no-login one-click links that let subscribers update their payment method directly from email. These “magic links” can be added to renewal reminders and failure notices, making payment recovery quick and painless.

Store owners also get upgraded analytics.

A new dashboard widget and improved subscription reports now include key stats like Monthly Recurring Revenue (MRR), Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), and active subscriptions, which allow business owners to track performance at a glance.

Plus, a new frontend subscription block can give customers more control over their billing, reduce support tickets, and improve retention.

Overall, this update makes EDD even more useful for WordPress-based SaaS, membership, and digital product sites.

Automattic Acquires Clay to Bring AI-Powered Relationship Management to Its Messaging Tools

Automattic has acquired Clay, which is an AI-powered CRM platform that helps users organize, update, and search their networks across emails, calendars, social media, and more.

Clay uses intelligent insights to simplify how people track and nurture connections. It automatically gathers contact information from different communication tools and keeps it up to date. This makes it easier for users to stay in touch with their personal or professional networks.

The Clay team, including co-founders Zachary Hamed and Matthew Achariam, will join Automattic’s Other Bets division, alongside Beeper and Gravatar. The goal is to integrate Clay’s thoughtful, relationship-first approach into Automattic’s growing messaging and communications ecosystem.

WPConsent Adds Do Not Track Page and Per‑Service Controls for Smarter Cookie Compliance

WPConsent has recently rolled out major updates to make cookie compliance simpler and more transparent for WordPress website owners.

You can now create a dedicated “Do Not Track” page where users can submit opt-out requests. These are stored locally on your site and can be tracked or exported from your dashboard.

This update also gives more control to visitors through the cookie popup panel to improve compliance.

Instead of accepting or rejecting broad cookie categories, users can now choose which individual services to allow, like Google Analytics or Facebook Pixel.

Other improvements include a floating settings button, easier import/export of settings, and a built-in service library for quicker cookie setup.

These updates help WordPress users stay compliant, reduce friction, and build trust—all without relying on external tools.

Community, Code, and Collaboration: WordCamp Europe 2025 Draws a Global Crowd to Basel

WordCamp Europe 2025 brought together WordPress enthusiasts from around the world in Basel for a week of collaboration, learning, and open-source contributions.

This annual WordCamp event featured a wide array of informative talks, workshops, and networking opportunities designed to inspire and connect attendees.

One major highlight of the event was the Contributor Day, where participants came together to contribute to WordPress projects, tackling tasks such as bug fixes and feature enhancements.

The sense of collaboration and shared passion underscored the event’s success, encouraging continued open-source contributions.

Additionally, engaging sessions covered topics ranging from the future of WordPress and Gutenberg advancements to SEO best practices and accessibility improvements.

Overall, WordCamp Europe 2025 demonstrated the WordPress community’s commitment to growth and innovation through collaboration and shared learning.

MonsterInsights Rolls Out Advanced Forms Report for Deeper Form-Level Insights & Better ROI

MonsterInsights, the popular Google Analytics plugin for WordPress, has launched its Advanced Forms Report.

This new feature allows site owners to track various metrics such as form views, conversion rates, and user interactions.

The Advanced Forms Report helps site owners understand how their forms are performing, so they can optimize for better engagement and results.

By understanding visitor behavior and pinpointing areas for improvement, site owners can make informed decisions to improve the user experience.

New Search & Replace Update Lets You Bulk Swap Image File Extensions

The WPCode team has released an update for the Search & Replace Everything plugin with new tools for faster image management and performance optimization.

This plugin helps WordPress users search and replace content, code, or media across their website from a safe, visual interface. It’s widely used for tasks like replacing outdated links, bulk-editing posts, or cleaning up unused assets.

With the latest update, you can now swap an image with a new file that has a different extension, like replacing a JPG with a WebP, without having to manually update every instance where that image appears.

The plugin also adds new filters to the Media Library that let you quickly sort and remove unused images. This helps store owners and content creators reduce bloat and speed up their sites without needing to dig through folders or write SQL.

These features are especially useful for improving load times and streamlining media-heavy sites.

In Other News 🗞️

• WPForms has launched a new integration with Google Drive that allows users to manage form uploads directly from Google Drive without needing to log in to WordPress. They also released Form Themes for Elementor, which enables you to design beautiful forms using the Elementor page builder.
• PushEngage now supports WhatsApp messaging for WordPress and WooCommerce, starting with a free click-to-chat button and automated order updates. Store owners can send abandoned cart alerts, confirmations, and more, without needing email addresses or phone numbers.
• FunnelKit Automations has released new updates for smarter store automation. Store owners can now export abandoned, recovered, and lost carts to CSV, resync WooCommerce orders without manual import, and track email stats like opens, clicks, revenue, and winning variation.

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• Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, has officially returned its full contributions to WordPress.org. They are restarting their work on Core, Gutenberg, Openverse, Playground, and more after a brief strategic pause.
• BuddyBoss has introduced Activity Topics to help communities organize posts and replies. Members can now group updates under shared topics, making conversations easier to follow and manage.
• Wholesale Suite has added a new WooCommerce Payment Reminder feature. Store owners can now send automatic payment reminder emails without needing a Stripe account.

💾 Backup, Transfer, or Clone Your WordPress Site with Duplicator

Duplicator makes it effortless to migrate your site, create full backups, or stage a new version — no technical skills required!

Whether you’re switching hosts, launching a redesign, or backing up for safety, Duplicator handles it all in just a few clicks.

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• Popular course builder platform, Thrive Apprentice, now supports Square payments directly in course checkouts. This feature allows course creators to accept faster, on-site transactions for cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and more.
• Formidable Forms has launched Timeline Views, a no-code plugin feature that lets you display events, milestones, and updates in a visual, chronological format. Now you can turn form entries into engaging stories or timelines on your site.
• WordPress Core has announced the 6.8.2 release schedule, with multiple bug-scrub sessions starting on June 19 and the first Release Candidate slated for July 8, ahead of the July 15 final release. This minor update focuses on fixing regressions and editor-style issues ahead of the next milestone release.

OptinMonster – Convert Visitors into Subscribers & Customers

OptinMonster helps you grow your email list and boost conversions with high-converting popups and campaigns. Use smart targeting and a drag & drop builder to show the right message to the right person at the right time — no coding needed.

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• Automattic has launched the Open Horizons Scholarship, which offers $30,000 to help underrepresented WordPress contributors attend flagship WordCamps globally. The scholarship will cover travel and registration, with the goal of boosting diversity in the WordPress community.
• Advanced Coupons now lets you reward customers with referral points through its WooCommerce Loyalty Program. Shoppers earn points when friends sign up or make a purchase, which encourages organic growth and boosts customer loyalty.
• WP Tasty has launched Tasty Recipes Lite, a free, beginner-friendly recipe card plugin for WordPress. It lets food bloggers create clean, schema-ready recipe cards with multiple templates and handy features.

New Plugins 🔌

• MyPayKit – Collect secure Square payments on your WordPress site with easy-to-build, responsive payment forms — no coding needed.
• WPConsent (🔥Trending) – Powerful WordPress cookie popup and compliance plugin. It helps WordPress site owners comply with privacy laws, such as GDPR and CCPA, by offering customizable cookie banners, consent management tools, and Do Not Track options.
• Sliderberg – Sliderberg is a fast, flexible Gutenberg slider plugin that lets you create responsive carousels using any WordPress block. It’s perfect for showcasing images, products, testimonials, and more.

That wraps up this month’s edition of WPBeginner Spotlight! 🎉 We hope you found it useful for keeping up with the latest happenings in the WordPress space.

Got a product launch, update, or cool project to share? Send it our way, and we might feature it in the next issue.

Thanks for tuning in! We’ll be back next month with more WordPress news and highlights.

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 WPBeginner Spotlight 13: Smarter WordPress Tools, Compliance Upgrades, and Workflow Wins first appeared on WPBeginner.

When I launched my first WordPress website, I wasn’t thinking about privacy laws. Like most beginners, I was focused on creating helpful content and getting more traffic.

But times have changed. Now, I hear from many small business owners who are worried about data privacy. Laws like the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) sound intimidating, and with fines reaching $7,500 per violation, it’s easy to see why.

If you’ve felt that same pressure, you’re not alone. Trying to stay compliant while growing your website can feel overwhelming.

That’s exactly why I put this guide together. I’ll walk you through a beginner-friendly, step-by-step plan to help you meet CCPA requirements without getting lost in legal jargon. You’ll learn what data your site collects, how to manage it properly, and which tools can help you stay compliant.

What is the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)? 

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), California residents have the right to control how companies collect and use their personal information.

It’s also important to know that the CCPA’s definition of ‘personal information’ is very broad. It includes things like names, email addresses, browsing history, and even biometric data. 

Just like other privacy laws, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), CCPA doesn’t just affect businesses based in California.

It can actually affect many WordPress websites, blogs, and organizations all over the world. If you handle data related to people living in California, then the CCPA may apply to you, regardless of your location.

Now, before you start to worry, it’s important to know that the CCPA doesn’t apply to every single website. It’s mainly aimed at larger businesses.

Generally, your for-profit business needs to comply with the CCPA if it meets one or more of these conditions:

• Has an annual gross revenue of over $25 million.
• Buys, sells, or shares the personal information of 100,000 or more California residents or households per year.
• Gets 50% or more of its annual revenue from selling or sharing California residents’ personal information.

Does your website or business meet these criteria? Then it’s absolutely essential you understand what the CCPA is and what it requires.

Why Should WordPress Users Care About CCPA Compliance?

Ignoring the CCPA can have some pretty serious consequences, including large fines. For example, if you intentionally breach this law, you could be fined as much as $7,500 per violation. 

Even if you break the rules by mistake, the consequences can still be tough. Non-intentional CCPA violations can cost you up to $2,500 per incident. So, even an accident can lead to huge financial penalties.

Plus, complying with the CCPA is about more than just avoiding fines. By giving visitors more control over their personal information, you’re proving that you’re trustworthy. This can get you more signups, conversions, and sales, helping to grow your online business.

By contrast, breaking the CCPA can really hurt your reputation, even if the violation was a complete accident. 

How CCPA Affects Your WordPress Site

CCPA compliance is a big topic, but as a broad overview, there are three core principles that will affect you as a WordPress blog or website owner: 

• The Right to Know: Users can ask what personal data you collect about them.
• The Right to Delete: Users can ask you to delete their personal data.
• The Right to Opt-Out: Users can tell you not to sell their personal information to other companies. 

In this ultimate guide, I will share many tips, techniques, and tools to help you comply with each of these core CCPA principles.

How to Improve Your CCPA Compliance in WordPress

Navigating CCPA compliance can feel like a complex task. But at its core, it’s really all about being clear and open with your users. You also need to give them ways to control how (and if) you collect and use their personal information.

I can’t guarantee that these are the only steps you’ll need to take, but following this guide will put you on the right path to compliance.

That said, let’s get started! You can click the links below to jump ahead to any section:

Perform a Data Audit

As with most data compliance laws, the first step is to identify and document all the different types of personal data you collect, process, and store. This means performing a complete data audit of your website.

I recommend starting by listing all the WordPress plugins and tools that gather data on your site, such as analytics plugins, form builders, and SEO plugins.

You can then carefully evaluate how each one handles user information.

For example, if you’ve created a quote request form on your website, then your form builder plugin might collect the visitor’s name, company name, and job title.

To go a bit deeper, try asking yourself these questions for each tool:

• What specific personal data does it collect? This might be names, email addresses, IP addresses, payment details, or any other form of personal information.   
• Where is this data stored? Is it stored locally on your server or sent to a third-party service? 
• Why is this data being collected? Is it essential, or non-essential? And how are you using that data? 
• How long is this data kept? Do you have a data retention policy for it?
• Is this data shared with anyone? In particular, are there any service providers or advertisers involved? 

This may immediately reveal areas where you need to adjust your data handling practices to comply with CCPA. This could involve changing what data you collect, how long you keep it, or who you share that information with.

Collect Less Data 

There’s an easy way to protect your users’ privacy: avoid collecting information you don’t actually need. This is called data minimization. 

It means you only gather the information that’s absolutely essential for your site to work properly. By doing this, you instantly make CCPA compliance much simpler. 

After performing a data audit, I recommend looking critically at all the data you currently collect. Do you really need every piece of information you ask for? 

Data minimization also plays a big part in building trust with your audience. By not asking intrusive questions or gathering unnecessary personal details, you clearly demonstrate that you respect their privacy. This, in turn, will make users feel more confident and comfortable interacting with your website.

Create a Privacy Policy 

A privacy policy is a page that clearly explains what personal data you collect, how you use it, and who you share that information with.

Creating a detailed and comprehensive privacy policy is essential for CCPA compliance, as it helps visitors understand how you collect, store, and use their personal information. 

The good news is that WordPress comes with a built-in privacy policy generator that you can use to get started by going to Settings » Privacy in your WordPress dashboard.

Alternatively, you can always refer to our WPBeginner privacy policy page as a strong starting point.

If you use our template, then just remember to replace all references to WPBeginner with the name of your business website or blog. 

We also have a complete, step-by-step guide on how to add a privacy policy in WordPress. 

Do you already have a privacy policy in place? Then I still recommend updating it with specific information about the CCPA. In particular, you’ll need to explain your users’ rights under the CCPA, such as their Right to Know, Right to Delete, and Right to Opt-Out.

Even more importantly, you must clearly tell visitors how to exercise their CCPA rights.

For example, you could link to a contact form where they can ask for a copy of their data (their Right to Know). Alternatively, you might show them how to request that you delete all their personal information (their Right to Delete). 

Finally, it’s important to regularly review and update your privacy policy. This helps you make sure it always accurately represents your current data handling practices and stays compliant with evolving laws. 

Add a Cookie Popup

Unlike some other privacy laws, the CCPA doesn’t always require users to actively opt in to data collection.

However, the CCPA strongly emphasizes two key points: users have the right to know about data collection, and they have the right to opt out if they choose.

The good news is that a cookie popup can help you achieve both of these important goals. 

A well-designed popup can clearly inform visitors about the types of cookies you use, what data they collect, and why you’re collecting it (their Right to Know). It can also give users a straightforward and easy way to exercise their Right to Opt Out.

There are many different cookie banner plugins on the market. However, I highly recommend using WPConsent because it makes adding a cookie popup or banner to your site incredibly simple.

WPConsent is a privacy compliance plugin designed to help you meet many different privacy standards, including the CCPA. 

We actually use WPConsent to display cookie banners and manage user consent across all our own websites, including WPBeginner. This firsthand experience has shown us just how effective and user-friendly WPConsent is.

To get started, you simply install and activate the plugin, as normal.

Upon activation, WPConsent will scan your entire site for active cookies and record all the ones it finds. 

Next, WPConsent’s helpful setup wizard will show you how to customize your cookie popup.

As you make changes, WPConsent will display a live preview, allowing you to see exactly how the banner will appear on your WordPress website.

You can then adjust the layout, position, font size, button style, colors, and even add your own custom logo.

When you’re happy with how everything looks, just save your changes, and you’re done. The cookie banner will now appear on your WordPress website.

For details, see our guide on how to add a cookie popup in WordPress.

Write a Separate Cookie Policy 

In addition to a popup or banner, it’s also a good idea to create a cookie policy with specific details about how your site uses cookies. This helps visitors better understand how you collect and use their personal information.

In your cookie policy, you should clearly list the different types of cookies your site uses, like essential, analytics, or marketing cookies. You can also explain their purpose, such as tracking website visitors or delivering targeted advertisements. 

I also recommend explaining what personal information these cookies collect, like IP addresses or browsing history.

To encourage visitor trust, you should keep your cookie policy easy to understand. This means avoiding technical terms or legal jargon. Instead, use clear and straightforward language that anyone can follow.

Visitors should be able to find your cookie policy easily. I recommend adding a link to it within your main privacy policy and also inside your cookie banner.

Thankfully, a tool like WPConsent can handle all this for you. As I’ve already shown, WPConsent can scan your site and identify all active cookies. 

But WPConsent can also use this information to generate a cookie policy. You can find this setting by going to WPConsent » Settings.

Within the plugin’s settings, simply select the page where you want to display the cookie policy.

WPConsent will then go ahead and add this policy to your chosen page. It’s as easy as that!

Are you using WPConsent to display a cookie popup? Then visitors can easily access this cookie policy directly.

They simply have to click on the ‘Preferences’ button.

Then, they’ll need to select the ‘Cookie Policy’ link.

And that’s it! WPConsent will take them straight to the right page.

Block Third-Party Scripts 

One of the trickiest things about CCPA compliance is that it also applies to any external tracking tools you’re using on your site. This includes things like Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel.

That’s because these tracking tools often collect data from your visitors. According to CCPA, you’re responsible for managing how these third-party tools collect, store, and use this data. You also need to let visitors opt out of these third-party tools, if they choose.

So, how do you control external tracking tools? I recommend using automatic script blocking.

This feature stops tracking scripts from loading until the visitor clearly gives their consent. This helps you meet the CCPA’s Right to Know requirement, as visitors clearly understand what they’re agreeing to.

Here, you’re also making third-party tracking opt-in rather than just opt-out. This approach goes beyond the basic standards set by the CCPA.

By taking things one step further, you’re demonstrating a strong commitment to protecting visitor privacy. It shows that your priority is user data protection, rather than simply meeting the minimum standards outlined by the CCPA.

Thankfully, WPConsent has an automatic script blocking feature that works out of the box. Behind the scenes, it automatically detects and blocks common tracking scripts like Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Facebook Pixel, without causing your site to break. 

As soon as the visitor gives their consent, WPConsent executes the script instantly. This means it provides a truly seamless user experience because it doesn’t need to reload the page.

Track and Log Visitor Consent

Even if you’re following CCPA regulations perfectly, there’s always a chance your data handling practices might be questioned. You could even get audited by regulators.

If that happens, you’ll need to prove that you’re respecting your visitors’ choices. With that in mind, it’s super important to track and log user consent.

By keeping a comprehensive log, you’ll always have concrete proof that you’re complying with all the CCPA’s requirements.

Once again, WPConsent does the hard work for you by automatically logging user consent. It records all essential details, including the user’s IP address, their specific consent choices, and the date and time when those choices were registered.

WPConsent then displays all this information directly within your WordPress dashboard. You can find it by going to WPConsent » Consent Logs.

Do you need to share this log with someone else, such as an auditor? You can simply export it from your WordPress dashboard, making it easy to provide proof of your compliance.

Build Trust with Opt-Outs

Under the CCPA, you must give visitors a way to opt out of the sale or sharing of their personal information.

The easiest way to do this is by using WPConsent’s Do Not Track add-on. This lets you add a dedicated ‘Do Not Track’ page to your site with just a few clicks. 

You can find it by going to WPConsent » Do Not Track » Configuration in your dashboard.

Visitors can simply head over to this page and opt out of selling or sharing their personal data.

This straightforward approach enables visitors to exercise their rights without confusion or delay, providing a fantastic user experience. 

Even better, WPConsent stores all these requests locally in a custom table directly on your site.

In this way, you maintain full control over this sensitive data, and you’re not relying on external services to store crucial compliance records.

And WPConsent records all user requests. This means you can provide clear proof of compliance if you’re ever audited or a user asks about their opt-out status.

Support the ‘Right to Delete’

As I’ve already mentioned, the CCPA clearly states that users can request that you delete their personal data.

There are several ways to do this, but I recommend adding a data deletion form to your site. You can easily do this using a powerful form builder plugin like WPForms. 

In fact, WPForms has a dedicated Right to Erasure Request Form template that provides a great starting point, helping you set up this important compliance feature quickly and easily. 

After adding this form to your site, I recommend linking to it from your privacy policy page. Alternatively, you can embed it directly on the page. Whatever approach you take, the key is to ensure that visitors can easily find the form.

WPForms also has a powerful entry management system. This means you can easily filter all the submissions from your various forms and identify any data deletion requests that need to be actioned quickly.

To review your entries, simply head over to WPForms » Entries. Here, you’ll see a list of all the forms across your WordPress website.

Simply find your data erasure form and click it.

You’ll now see all your ‘delete data’ requests.

So, what happens when you receive a data deletion request? 

The good news is that WordPress has a built-in Erase Personal Data tool. Just head over to Tools » Erase Personal Data to access it.

In the ‘Username or email address’ field, type in the user’s information you want to remove.

This tool even includes a ‘Send personal data erasure confirmation email’ setting, which lets the user know when you have completed their request. 

Handle Data Access Requests Efficiently

Users should be able to request a copy of all the personal information you’ve collected about them. Thankfully, you can handle this in much the same way as the data deletion requests we just covered. 

To start, you can add a dedicated form to your site using WPForms. Once again, WPForms makes things very straightforward by offering a ready-made Data Request template.

This template is designed to gather all the information you need to fulfill the user’s request efficiently.

After adding this form to your site, WPForms will automatically log and display all these requests directly in your WordPress dashboard. This makes it easy to identify data access requests as they come in, so you can act on them quickly.

Once again, to see these submissions, go to WPForms » Entries. Here, select your data request form.

You’ll now see all the entries for this form.

You’ll also be happy to learn that WordPress has a built-in Export Personal Data tool. You can use this tool to export all the known data for any user, conveniently packaged as a .zip file.

To create this .zip, simply head over to Tools » Export Personal Data.

You can now type in the person’s username or email address to find the correct record.

Then, simply share the .zip file with the person who made the request.

WordPress and CCPA Compliance: FAQs

Online privacy is a serious topic, so I’m not surprised if you still have some questions about CCPA compliance and how it affects your WordPress website. 

In this section, I’ll cover the most frequently asked questions WPBeginner gets on this topic and offer some straightforward, practical advice.

How does CCPA affect how I use cookies on my WordPress website?

To comply with CCPA, you must clearly tell visitors how your site uses cookies for tracking. 

It’s also important to remember that the CCPA generally takes an opt-out approach to cookies, rather than an opt-in one. This means you can still use cookies by default, but you must allow visitors to opt out if they choose. 

The CCPA also gives users the right to opt out of their personal information being sold and shared.

The issue is that the definition of ‘sale or sharing’ is very broad, and may include data your website makes available to other companies via cookies. Targeted ads are a perfect example of this. 

So, if your cookies might lead to the ‘sale or sharing’ of data, then it’s even more important to offer a clear and easy way for visitors to opt out. 

What happens if I fail to comply with CCPA?

Non-compliance can lead to serious consequences for your WordPress site and business. You might face big financial penalties, with fines going up to $7,500 for each intentional violation. 

Even if you breach the CCPA by mistake, you can still be fined up to $2,500 per incident. These fines can add up very quickly, especially if the violation affects many users.

In addition to fines, breaching the CCPA can damage your reputation. 

In today’s digital world, users care deeply about their privacy. If your audience thinks you don’t care about their privacy, then they’ll lose trust in your brand, and you’ll struggle to grow your online business.

How often should I review my CCPA compliance?

Every website is different, but I generally recommend reviewing your CCPA compliance at least once per year.

It’s also really important to review your compliance every time you make big changes to how you handle user data. 

Additional Resources

Staying informed and proactive is essential for maintaining CCPA compliance on your WordPress site.

The following resources offer valuable insights and practical tools to help you keep up with evolving privacy regulations and best practices:

• Official CCPA Website – Get the latest documentation and updates about the CCPA directly from the California Attorney General’s office.
• How to Make Google Fonts Privacy Friendly
• How to Keep Personally Identifiable Info Out of Google Analytics
• How to Know if Your WordPress Website Uses Cookies
• How to Stop Storing IP Addresses in WordPress Comments
• The Ultimate WordPress Security Guide – Step by Step

I hope this ultimate guide to WordPress CCPA compliance has helped you understand this important privacy law. Next, you may want to see our expert picks for the best WordPress security plugins or our guide on how to add WordPress analytics without cookies. 

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 The Ultimate Guide to WordPress and CCPA Compliance first appeared on WPBeginner.

A slow or complicated checkout process can quietly hurt your WooCommerce store’s sales. I’ve seen it happen many times: a customer adds something to their cart, gets all the way to checkout… and then leaves without buying anything.

This is because even small delays or distractions during the checkout can lead to lost sales. But the good news is that it doesn’t take much effort to fix it.

I’ve helped many WooCommerce store owners make simple changes that led to faster checkouts and better results—more completed orders, higher conversions, and happier customers.

In this guide, I’ll show you easy ways to speed up your WooCommerce checkout. These are proven tips that don’t require any coding, and they can make a big difference in how smoothly your store runs.

Why Speeding Up the Checkout Process Can Boost Your Sales

No one likes a slow checkout. Just like waiting in a long line at the store can be frustrating, a clunky or confusing online checkout experience can drive customers away.

If you run a WooCommerce store, then making your checkout faster isn’t just helpful—it’s one of the easiest ways to reduce cart abandonment and boost sales.

Here’s why:

• Faster checkout = happier customers: Online shoppers expect things to move quickly. When you streamline the process, it prevents your customers from feeling frustrated and looking for a competitor’s store.
• Fewer steps mean fewer drop-offs: Every extra click or form field gives shoppers a chance to leave. By speeding up the process (with fewer form fields, guest checkout, or one-page checkout), you’re removing barriers to purchasing.
• Mobile users love streamlined checkout: A long checkout on a small screen is tricky to use. On the other hand, a quick and mobile-friendly checkout helps smartphone users place orders without getting annoyed.
• It builds trust: A slow or glitchy checkout can make people wonder if your site is secure. On the other hand, a fast and reliable experience helps build trust and confidence in your store.

No matter what you sell—products, downloads, or something else—improving your checkout process can help you earn more.

The good news? I’m going to show you a few proven tips to speed up your WooCommerce checkout and lower your cart abandonment rates.

You can use the quick links below to jump to different tips:

Tip 1: Audit Your Current WooCommerce Checkout

Before making any changes to your online store, it’s important to know how your WooCommerce checkout is looking right now. The goal is to find out if any part of the checkout is running slowly or not working as it should.

The best way to do this is by testing it yourself, just like a first-time customer would.

Begin by adding a product to your cart and completing the checkout process. Notice how many steps there are, if the layout is simple, and if there are any unnecessary fields.

I also recommend trying the process on both desktop and mobile devices. Since many customers shop on their phones, your mobile checkout experience should be just as smooth.

It’s also a good idea to test in multiple browsers (like Chrome and Safari) or ask someone else to do that and share their feedback. Sometimes, others can spot issues you might miss.

You will also want to write down any friction points you notice during the process. These could be anything from slow-loading pages to too many required form fields, confusing layouts, or a lack of mobile responsiveness.

These are the areas you’ll want to improve in the following steps to create a faster and more user-friendly checkout experience.

It’s also wise to assess the speed and performance of your checkout pages. You can use free tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to analyze load times and identify any issues that may be slowing things down.

If you don’t know how to do that, just see our article on how to properly run a website speed test.

If you find any problems, then you can follow the fixes in our ultimate guide to boosting WooCommerce speed and performance.

While manual testing helps you find obvious problems, data can show you exactly where you’re losing customers. 

That is why I recommend using MonsterInsights, which is a powerful analytics plugin for WordPress with built-in eCommerce tracking. It takes complex Google Analytics data and turns it into easy-to-understand reports within your WordPress dashboard.

For details, see our beginner’s guide on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.

With MonsterInsights’ funnel report feature, you can see how many people add items to their cart, how many reach the checkout page, and how many actually complete their purchase.

This makes it much easier to spot what’s working and what needs improvement.

You can follow our guide on eCommerce tracking to set it up on your store in just a few minutes.

Tip 2: Choose Fast WooCommerce Hosting and Plugins

Before you start optimizing your checkout page, it’s super important to look at your website’s foundation. Your web hosting and plugins can have a huge impact on how fast your entire store loads, including the checkout page.

If your web hosting is slow, then your whole store—including the checkout—will load slowly. That’s why I recommend choosing a provider that offers WooCommerce-optimized hosting.

SiteGround and Hostinger are both great choices. They are designed to keep WooCommerce stores running smoothly with features such as server-level caching, optimized databases, and excellent uptime guarantees.

We actually use SiteGround for our own website, which you can read about in our study on why WPBeginner switched to SiteGround.

Keep in mind that the right hosting will depend on your store’s size, traffic, and budget. If you want to explore more choices, check out our guide to the best WooCommerce hosting providers.

You will also want to be careful about the kinds of plugins that you install. Many online stores are slowed down by bulky or poorly coded plugins, which can seriously hurt performance at checkout.

That’s why I recommend using lightweight, reliable plugins that solve specific problems without adding extra bloat.

For example, FunnelKit helps create a faster checkout, while OptinMonster can recover abandoning visitors without slowing your site down. These plugins are well-coded, regularly updated, and built for speed.

You can find more trusted options in our full list of the best WooCommerce plugins and extensions.

Tip 3: Reduce Payment Form Fields and Checkout Steps

Every extra field in your checkout form is one more chance for a customer to get frustrated and abandon their cart. Simplifying your checkout form can have a significant impact on your store’s conversions and speed up the checkout process.

At a minimum, try to keep only the fields that are absolutely necessary to complete an order. These usually include:

• Name
• Email address
• Shipping address (for physical products)
• Payment details

If you’re currently collecting information such as company name, phone number, or order notes, consider removing it unless you genuinely need it.

Reducing the number of screens also makes a big difference in how quickly the checkout can happen. One-page checkouts keep everything on one screen so that customers don’t have to click through multiple steps.

A great tool for setting this up is Merchant. It offers a fast, mobile-optimized one-page checkout template for WooCommerce that is designed to boost conversions.

Additionally, the plugin features a visual builder that allows you to fully customize your checkout page. You can adjust the layout, add your logo, and control exactly which form fields appear, so the checkout matches your brand.

Another great option is FunnelKit Builder. This free plugin enables you to design beautiful and streamlined checkout pages with trust seals, product guarantees, customer reviews, and more.

For instructions, see our tutorial on how to customize the WooCommerce checkout page.

I also highly recommend offering express checkout to your customers. This feature lets customers skip the long form and pay with one tap using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal.

It’s one of the easiest ways to shorten the checkout process and increase conversions.

Just follow our step-by-step tutorial on how to add express checkout buttons in WooCommerce to set this up in a few minutes.

Tip 4: Offer Guest Checkout

Not everyone wants to create an account just to place a single order, and forcing them to do so can lead to cart abandonment.

When you enable guest checkout, you’re removing a major roadblock. Fewer steps mean a faster experience for new visitors who just want to complete their purchase quickly.

To enable guest checkout in WooCommerce, just go to the WooCommerce » Settings » Accounts & Privacy page in your WordPress dashboard and check the ‘Guest checkout’ box.

You can also leave the option below it checked if you want to let users create an account after purchase, but make sure it’s optional, not required.

Tip 5: Add a Slide-In Side Cart

Another small but powerful way to speed up the shopping experience is by using a slide-in side cart.

Instead of sending customers to a separate cart page, it allows visitors to view and update their carts without leaving the current page. This saves time and keeps the path to checkout short and smooth.

I recommend using the Merchant plugin for this because it comes with a built-in slide-in cart feature.

When someone adds a product, the cart slides in from the side, showing their order and giving them quick options to update quantities or remove items—without a full page reload. They can also click on the ‘Checkout’ button to navigate there right away.

This keeps shoppers focused and makes it easier for them to go straight to checkout with fewer clicks and less friction.

If you’re looking for a more customizable option, then the FunnelKit Cart plugin also offers a slide-in cart feature. You can tweak the cart to match your branding, add upselling, and set up triggers for when and where it appears.

For more details, you can follow our tutorial on how to add a sliding side cart in WooCommerce.

Tip 6: Enable One-Click Checkout

One-click checkout is exactly what it sounds like—a way for customers to complete their purchase with a single click. It’s helpful for returning customers and logged-in users who have already saved their payment information.

This works so well because it removes all the extra steps that slow people down.

The easiest way to enable one-click checkout in WooCommerce is by using FunnelKit Cart.

It’s a powerful solution for building a streamlined checkout experience, and it works great for both desktop and mobile users.

FunnelKit Cart also supports popular payment methods like Google Pay and Apple Pay, which are perfect for enabling one-click payments in your store.

To see exactly how to do that, follow our step-by-step tutorial on how to create a one-click checkout in WordPress.

Tip 7: Allow Customers to Save Credit Card Details

One way to make future purchases faster is to allow customers to save their credit card details. This means they won’t have to re-enter their payment information every time they make a purchase in your store.

It works well with popular payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal, which both offer the option to securely store customers’ credit card details for later use.

However, while saving credit card details is convenient, it’s important to do it securely. To ensure customer data stays safe, here are a few things to keep in mind:

• PCI Compliance: Make sure your payment processor is PCI-DSS compliant. This is a set of rules that help protect credit card information during transactions. Stripe and PayPal both meet these standards, so you don’t have to store card information on your site yourself.
• SSL Encryption: SSL is a security measure for encrypting sensitive data, including credit card details, during the transaction. You’ll want to make sure your site has an SSL certificate installed.

To allow your customers to save their payment information securely with Stripe, you can use the FunnelKit Stripe plugin.

It integrates Stripe with your WooCommerce store and offers the option for customers to securely save their payment details for faster checkout in the future.

Simply visit the WooCommerce » Settings » Payments » Stripe Gateway page and check the ‘Enable Payment via Saved Cards’ box.

Once you do that, click the ‘Save Changes’ button.

Now, when a customer chooses Stripe as their preferred payment method, their information will be securely stored in Stripe’s secure system, and the plugin will automatically handle PCI compliance.

Tip 8: Make Sure Your Checkout is Mobile-Friendly

Since so many people use their mobile devices or tablets for online shopping, you will also need to focus on providing a faster WooCommerce checkout on mobile.

The first step in creating a mobile-friendly checkout is to use a responsive WooCommerce theme. It will automatically adjust its layout based on the screen size, ensuring that customers can quickly and easily check out.

Themes like Botiga and Neve are designed to be mobile-optimized, making them great choices for your online store. For more options, you can see our list of the best WooCommerce themes.

I also recommend using large, easy-to-tap buttons and keeping your checkout layout clean and organized. This makes it much easier for customers to complete their purchases, especially on mobile devices.

If you’re using the FunnelKit Builder or Merchant to customize your checkout page, you’re already a step ahead.

These plugins are optimized for mobile by default, so your checkout form will look great and function smoothly on any screen size.

You should also be mindful of popups and other distractions that can interrupt the checkout process. These can be particularly frustrating on smaller devices.

If you’re using OptinMonster to create popups, then you’re in luck. It includes powerful display rules and conditional logic.

This means you can easily set your popups to not appear on mobile devices or during checkout, helping maintain a smooth and focused user experience.

For more tips, check out our complete guide on how to make a mobile-friendly WordPress site.

Tip 9: Test and Optimize Your WooCommerce Checkout

Once you’ve made a few changes to your WooCommerce checkout, it’s time to fine-tune everything and test whether the improvements are working.

I recommend running A/B tests to compare different versions of your checkout page, such as versions where you have changed the button text, rearranged form fields, or simplified the layout.

One easy way to do this is by using Nelio AB Testing, a beginner-friendly and free plugin that lets you create split tests right inside WordPress.

For step-by-step help, see our tutorial on how to do A/B split testing in WordPress.

To measure the results of your changes, it’s also important to track user behavior on your checkout page.

For this, I recommend using MonsterInsights, which is the same tool I mentioned in Tip 1.

It provides access to key eCommerce metrics, such as cart abandonment and conversion rates, directly from your WordPress dashboard. You can compare your data over time to see if your changes are having a real impact.

For details, you can follow my step-by-step tutorial on how to enable customer tracking in WooCommerce.

Remember, optimizing your checkout is an ongoing process. Continue testing and tracking, and you’ll see your store’s performance improve over time.

✨Bonus Tips: Quick Wins for a Lightning-Fast Checkout

Already followed the main tips in this article? Great job! Now let’s take things to the next level.

These quick wins can give your WooCommerce checkout page an extra speed boost, making things smoother for your customers and better for your bottom line.

• Use a Content Delivery Network: A CDN stores your site’s static content (like images and scripts) on servers around the world. This means your checkout page loads faster for international customers. I recommend beginner-friendly CDNs like Cloudflare (we use it on all our websites, too!)
• Install a Caching Plugin: Caching stores a version of your pages, allowing them to load instantly for returning visitors. Just be sure to exclude the cart and checkout pages from caching to avoid issues. Plugins like WP Rocket make it easy to do that.
• Clean Up Unused Plugins: Extra plugins can bloat your site and slow down the checkout process. Take a few minutes to deactivate and delete plugins you no longer use.
• Optimize Product Images: Large, uncompressed images can drag your checkout page down. Use image optimization tools like Adobe Photoshop or Optimole to compress images without losing quality.

Even small tweaks like these can make a noticeable difference in your store’s checkout speed, and that means more completed purchases and happier customers.

For even more performance tips, check out our guide on how to speed up your WordPress site.

Frequently Asked Questions About Speeding Up WooCommerce Checkout

At WPBeginner, we get a lot of questions from our readers on how to speed up their WooCommerce stores. Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.

How do I speed up my WooCommerce checkout page?

You can speed up your WooCommerce checkout by reducing unnecessary form fields, enabling guest checkout, and using a one-page layout. Express checkout options like Apple Pay or Google Pay also allow returning users to skip typing and complete purchases faster.

Hosting plays a big role too, so make sure you’re using a WooCommerce-optimized hosting provider and lightweight plugins that don’t slow down your site. Tools like Merchant and FunnelKit also offer built-in features like a slide-in side cart and fast-loading checkout templates.

Can I speed up WooCommerce checkout without requiring user accounts?

Yes! Enabling guest checkout is one of the easiest ways to reduce friction and speed up the process. Many users don’t want to create an account just to make a single purchase, and forcing them to do so can lead to cart abandonment.

You can enable guest checkout in your WooCommerce settings in just a couple of clicks.

How do I know if my WooCommerce checkout is too slow?

Start by testing your own checkout on both desktop and mobile, paying attention to the number of steps required and how quickly the page loads. You can also use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to test performance.

For deeper insights, we recommend using MonsterInsights to track cart abandonment and see exactly where customers are dropping off in the process. This data helps you spot issues that may not be obvious just by clicking through the site yourself.

I hope this article helped you learn how to create a faster checkout in WooCommerce. You may also want to see our tutorial on how to offer shipment tracking in WooCommerce and our guide on WooCommerce SEO made easy.

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

The post How to Create Faster Checkout in WooCommerce (9 Expert Tips) first appeared on WPBeginner.

For many small business owners, translating a website feels like a luxury they simply can’t afford.

I know that feeling all too well. Here at WPBeginner, we’ve translated our site into multiple languages, including Spanish, Portuguese, and Japanese. And in the early days, we learned a tough lesson: traditional translation methods are incredibly time-consuming and expensive.

For a small business owner, that kind of investment often isn’t practical. But what if you could get all the benefits of a multilingual site without the high price tag?

That’s exactly what AI-powered tools offer. Instead of hiring a translator or digging into code, you can use artificial intelligence to quickly translate your entire WordPress site.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to translate your content step-by-step, even if you’ve never used artificial intelligence before.

Why Do You Need AI Translation for Your Website?

Translating your WordPress site into multiple languages can get complicated quickly.

Manual translation takes a lot of time, especially if you’re regularly updating your content. On the other hand, hiring professional translators can help with quality, but it’s often expensive and hard to manage.

That’s why many website owners use WordPress translation plugins. But not all of them deliver the same results.

Some tools have trouble matching your brand voice or handling industry-specific language. This can stop your content from connecting with your target audience.

This is where AI-powered translation stands out.

With the right settings, AI tools can follow your brand guidelines and use your custom glossary to produce more natural, consistent translations. They even learn from your edits, so translations improve over time.

Best of all, it’s fast. What used to take hours or days can now be done in just minutes, without sacrificing quality or consistency.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to use AI to translate your WordPress site. Here are the tools and methods I’ll cover:

Method 1: Using Weglot’s AI Language Model (For Your Entire Website)

Weglot is the best website translation tool, and their AI Language Model feature is a game-changer for translating your entire website.

Unlike basic translation tools that swap words from one language to another, Weglot’s AI actually learns your brand’s personality and creates translations that sound like you wrote them originally.

What’s great about this feature is that it actually learns from you. If you make any manual changes or add specific words to your glossary, then the AI will learn from them.

Over time, the more you use it, the better it gets at sounding just right for your business in every language. It continues to improve, so your translations become even more accurate and true to your brand.

For more insights into the tool, you can see our detailed Weglot review.

Step 1: Get a Weglot Account

You’ll need a Weglot account to start translating your content. The free plan includes 2,000 translated words, but the AI Language Model is available in the Pro plan or higher.

Keep in mind that all plans come with a 14-day free trial, so you can try out the features and see if they fit your needs.

Go ahead and choose a plan from the Weglot website by clicking ‘Start free’ beneath the one you want to use.

This will take you to the signup page.

You need to enter your email address, create a strong password, and click the ‘Sign up’ button.

Upon registration, Weglot will take you to the dashboard.

From here, you can go ahead and click the ‘Create project’ button.

On the next screen, you need to enter a name for your new project. This is for your reference only, but we recommend using a clear name for easier organization.

After that, you’ll choose the website technology in the dropdown field. In this case, you can click ‘WordPress.’

With that done, go ahead and click ‘Next.’

On the next screen, Weglot will show you its API Key.

Keep this tab open, as you’ll need it to connect your Weglot account and your WordPress website.

Step 2: Install and Activate the Weglot Plugin

Now, you can install the Weglot plugin on your WordPress site by going to Plugins » Add New and searching for ‘Weglot.’

Click the ‘Install Now’ button, then activate the plugin after the installation is complete.

Upon activation, you’ll see a new ‘Weglot’ menu item appear in your WordPress admin sidebar.

For more information, check our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Step 3: Set Up Your Weglot Account and Basic Translation

After activating the plugin, click on ‘Weglot’ in your WordPress admin area.

This will open the ‘Main configuration’ panel, where you’ll connect your WordPress site to your Weglot account.

Simply copy the API key from your Weglot dashboard and paste it into the ‘API Key’ field.

Weglot will then verify your account.

Once verified, you’ll see a checkmark.

Next, you can then select your original language (the language your website is currently written in) and choose which languages you want to translate to.

With that done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save Changes’ button.

And after a few seconds, you’ll see a success message.

If you close the notification, you might notice that Weglot unlocks more customization options.

On the same page, you can customize your language switcher design, configure the widget style, and choose where the language switcher appears on your site.

At this point, Weglot has applied a first layer of standard machine translation across your entire site. This provides you with a complete, translated version to get started.

If you visit your website, you’ll see the language switcher.

In the next steps, I’ll show you how to use the AI Language Model to refine and improve these translations to match your brand voice.

Step 4: Build Glossary Rules for Your Translations

To start improving your translations, it’s a good idea to build your glossary rules first.

A glossary is like a rulebook for the AI. It lists words that should never be translated (like your brand name, product names, or industry terminology) or that must always be translated a certain way.

Without a glossary, AI tools might translate these terms incorrectly or inconsistently. This can confuse your readers, which can harm the user experience or even damage your brand identity.

To start, let’s navigate to the ‘Project’ page and click the one you just created from the Weglot dashboard. This will open the project’s configuration panel.

To build glossary rules, you can switch to the ‘Glossary’ tab.

Then, click the ‘Add glossary rule’ button

In the popup that appears, you will need to:

• Set up your rule, whether it’s to ‘Never translate’ or ‘Always translate.’
• Type in the word you want to set the rule for in the ‘Enter word’ field.
• Choose a target language or leave the ‘Language’ field empty to apply for all languages you have on your site.
• Make it case-sensitive (or not).

For example, my first rule is “Never translate ‘Example Website’ to Indonesian.”

Once you’ve set up the rule, you can click the ‘Save’ button.

Weglot will then redirect you to the ‘Glossary’ tab, where you’ll see all the rules you created in a table.

You can continue adding rules by clicking the ‘Add glossary rule’ button and repeating the same process.

Step 5: Configure Your Custom AI Language Model Settings

Now it’s time to set up Weglot’s AI Language Model.

In your project’s configuration panel, navigate to the Settings » Language Model.

From here, click on the ‘Configure’ button to start building a more personalized translation system.

The setup process walks you through several key areas that help the AI understand your brand.

You can start with your website description, where you’ll write 2-3 sentences explaining what your small business does and what makes it unique.

The most important thing is to be specific about your brand right from the beginning. Context makes a big difference, so be sure to provide as much background as possible.

For instance, you could let the AI know: “Our audience includes DIY enthusiasts.”

If you want to explain your tone, don’t just say it’s “friendly.” Instead, you can try to be more specific with phrases like “warm and encouraging” or “practical with a can-do attitude.”

For example, if your WordPress blog is for sharing DIY projects, you could say:

“This website is a go-to resource for DIY lovers who enjoy gardening, cooking, home improvement, and other hands-on projects. We share helpful how-tos, step-by-step guides, and creative ideas to inspire and support your next project. Our tone is warm, practical, and encouraging, like chatting with a knowledgeable friend who’s tried it themselves and wants to help you succeed.“

Next, you’ll define your tone of voice.

Weglot has 3 options for this – Informal, Neutral, and Formal. If you’re not sure what to pick, you can click on each one, and Weglot will show you an explanation:

• Informal: A friendly and conversational tone that creates a casual atmosphere.
• Neutral: A balanced and professional tone suitable for most business contexts.
• Formal: A professional and authoritative tone ideal for official communications.

After that, you’ll define your target audience by choosing from the 3 available groups: General, Technical, and Non-Technical.

Here’s what each group means:

• General: Targets a general audience. Use standard terminology to address the broadest possible audience.
• Technical: You are targeting users with technical knowledge and expertise. Use industry-specific terminology when needed.
• Non-technical: Targets readers who have limited technical knowledge of industry-specific terminology. Use plain and easily understandable language.

Don’t forget to click ‘Save Changes’ when you’re done.

Near the end of the page, you’ll see advanced settings for your language model. These let you fine-tune how Weglot handles translations on your site.

Here, you can choose to:

• Use the existing glossary rules – This tells Weglot to follow the glossary you’ve set up, so your preferred terms and brand-specific wording stay consistent across all translations.
• Use manual translation – If you’ve made manual edits to your translations, enabling this allows Weglot’s AI to learn from them and improve future suggestions. It helps the AI better match your tone and writing style over time.

Just toggle on the options you want to use and then click ‘Save’ to keep your changes.

Step 6: Apply AI Translations to Your Content

After configuring your AI Language Model, you can apply it to your existing translations.

Simply navigate to Translations » Languages and then click on the language pair you want to edit. This will take you to the translations list.

You’ll see that your content has already been translated using a standard engine. To improve it with your custom AI settings, you have full control over which translations get the AI treatment.

Simply hover over a section and click the ‘Improve with AI’ button.

The AI Language Model system will then process your content using all the brand guidelines and terminology you’ve set up.

Each translation that gets processed with your AI Language Model will show a ‘GenAI’ tag.

This makes it easy to track which content has been improved with your custom AI settings versus standard translations.

You can apply your AI Language Model to individual translations one by one.

Alternatively, you can select up to 25 translations at a time for bulk processing.

Step 7: Monitor and Refine Your AI Translations

After applying AI translations to your content, it’s important to review the results and make adjustments. The AI does excellent work, but it’s not perfect, especially when it first learns your brand voice.

Here are some tips:

• Check a few translated pages on your live website to see how the AI-generated content flows and sounds to real visitors.
• Pay attention to how well it maintains your brand personality and whether technical terms are handled correctly.

When you find translations that need tweaking, you can make those edits manually in the Weglot dashboard. Just go to the section and edit it right in the translation field.

Weglot will then update the status to ‘Manually edited translation.’

Here’s the smart part: The AI learns from your manual corrections and applies those lessons to future translations automatically.

This creates a feedback loop where your AI language model improves over time. The more you use it and refine it, the more accurately it captures your unique brand voice across all languages.

That’s it! You’ve successfully used Weglot’s AI Language Model to create high-quality, on-brand translations for your website.

Method 2: Using SeedProd’s AI Translation (For Page Content)

Weglot is designed for translating your entire website automatically. On the other hand, SeedProd, which is the best drag-and-drop page builder, is perfect for translating content across your WordPress pages.

This method is perfect if you don’t need to translate your whole site but want to quickly create a specific landing page for a campaign in another language.

For example, you could launch a sales page in Spanish for a special promotion without changing anything else on your English website.

For more information about the plugin, check out our detailed SeedProd review.

Step 1: Install and Set Up SeedProd

First, you’ll need to sign up for an account on the SeedProd website.

Just click on the ‘Get SeedProd Now’ button and follow the registration process.

Once you have signed up for an account, you will be taken to your SeedProd dashboard, where you need to download the zip file for the plugin.

Then, it’s time to install it on your WordPress website.

Go to Plugins » Add New Plugin then click on the ‘Upload Plugin’ button.

This will open the file uploader.

Click on the ‘Choose File’ and upload the SeedProd zip file from your computer.

Once uploaded, you can click the ‘Install Now’ button and then ‘Activate’ when it appears.

For more information, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

You will then be redirected to a page where you need to enter your SeedProd license key. You can find this in your SeedProd account.

Step 2: Create a Page with SeedProd

Next, you can navigate to SeedProd » Landing Pages in your WordPress admin area to create a new page.

Simply click ‘Add New Landing Page’.

After that, you’ll need to choose a template.

SeedProd has lots of template options, which are organized into different campaign categories, including coming soon, thank you, and 404 pages. You can click on the tabs at the top of the screen to filter templates based on campaign type.

Since we are creating a landing page, you may want to take a look at the Sales, Webinar, or Lead Squeeze tabs.

SeedProd lets you preview each template. Simply hover your mouse over it and then click on the magnifying glass.

Once you have found the perfect template, click the checkmark button.

This will open a popup where you can name your landing page.

When the page builder opens, you’ll see your content layout on the right side and the building tools on the left.

This is also where you’ll find the AI translation features for individual page elements.

You can now start building and customizing your landing page by dragging and dropping blocks from the panel on the left onto the page on the right.

For details, see our guide on how to create landing pages in WordPress.

Step 3: Translate Page Elements with AI

The AI translation option appears when you select text blocks, like headlines, paragraphs, or button text. You won’t see translation options for images or structural blocks, since those don’t contain translatable text content.

To translate any text block, simply click on it to select it within the page builder. You’ll see the block’s settings panel open on the left side of your screen.

From here, let’s click ‘Edit with AI.’

On the popup that appears, go ahead and expand the ‘Translate text to’ dropdown. SeedProd will then present you with more than 50 language choices.

Select the target language you want to translate your content into from the dropdown menu.

Once you pick your target language, SeedProd’s AI will quickly translate your text in just a few seconds.

You’ll see a preview of the translation, allowing you to check the tone and meaning. If it looks good, just click ‘Insert’ to replace the original text.

What if it doesn’t sound quite right? You can tweak it or generate a new version.

Just repeat this for each text block you want to translate.

Step 4: Review and Publish Translated Content

Before publishing your translated page, I recommend using SeedProd’s preview feature to see how everything looks together.

Click the ‘Preview’ button to view your page as visitors will see it, checking that all translated elements work well together.

Pay special attention to button text, headlines, and calls-to-action to make sure they’re compelling in the target language. Sometimes, direct translations don’t have the same impact as the original, so you might need to adjust phrasing for maximum effectiveness.

Once you’re satisfied with all the translations, you can make the page live by clicking on the ‘Save’ button and then ‘Publish.’

FAQs About Using AI to Translate Your Website

Still have a few questions about AI translations? Below, I’ve answered some of the most common ones to help you make a more informed decision.

How accurate is AI translation compared to human translation?

AI translation has come a long way from the clunky Google Translate days, but it’s not quite at human-level accuracy yet. In my experience, modern AI tools like Weglot‘s AI Language Model get most of the translations right on the first try.

The biggest difference is context understanding. Human translators excel at picking up subtle meanings and cultural references that AI might miss. However, AI wins on consistency because it won’t translate the same term differently across your site like human translators sometimes do.

For most business websites, AI translation provides excellent results that you can fine-tune as needed. The key is treating it as a smart starting point.

Can AI understand regional language differences?

Current AI translation tools handle regional differences better than you might expect, but they’re not perfect.

For example, let’s say you tested translations for Spanish markets. In this case, you may notice that the AI can distinguish between Mexican Spanish and Argentinian Spanish when you specify the target region.

The challenge comes with cultural context and local business practices. AI might translate your content accurately, but it might miss that certain phrases sound too formal or casual for specific regions.

Are there limitations to the current AI capabilities?

Yes, AI translation still has some blind spots. Humor, wordplay, and highly creative content often fail to translate well because they rely on cultural knowledge that AI hasn’t yet fully mastered.

Technical jargon can be tricky, too. While AI handles common business terms well, specialized industry language sometimes gets lost in translation. That’s why building a comprehensive glossary is so important.

I also noticed that AI can struggle with context that spans multiple sentences. It may translate each sentence accurately on its own, but miss how they work together to convey the full meaning.

What are some common challenges in AI translation, and how can they be overcome?

The biggest challenge I see is users expecting AI to work perfectly right out of the box. You need to invest time in training the system with your brand voice and terminology.

Another common issue is inconsistent quality across different content types. Blog posts might translate beautifully, while product descriptions sound awkward. The solution is to create specific guidelines for each type of content you’re translating.

Credit management can also be challenging for beginners. Start small, test thoroughly, and scale up gradually. It’s better to translate 10 important pages perfectly than to translate 100 pages poorly all at once.

More AI Guides to Help Streamline Your WordPress Tasks

I hope this guide helped you learn how to use AI to translate your website. If you found this helpful, you may also want to check out our other guides for growing your business with AI:

• How to Make a WordPress Website With AI
• A Small Business Owner’s Guide to Artificial Intelligence
• Is AI Content Bad for WordPress SEO? (Expert Insights & Tips)
• How to Write Content Using an AI Content Generator in WordPress
• How to Use AI for Customer Service (Tips for Small Businesses)
• Tips for Using AI to Skyrocket Your Lead Generation Campaign
• How to Use AI to Boost Your Marketing (Expert Tips)
• Best AI Prompts for Bloggers, Marketers, and Social Media
• Best Ways to Use OpenAI on Your WordPress Website
• Best AI Website Builders for WordPress (Expert Picks)
• Surprising AI Statistics – Everything You Need to Know

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 AI to Translate Your Website (2 Easy Methods) first appeared on WPBeginner.

Have you ever clicked on an image on a website expecting it to zoom in, only to realize it doesn’t? It’s a small thing, but it can be surprisingly frustrating for your visitors.

When people can click to enlarge an image—whether it’s a product photo, a blog image, or part of a portfolio—they tend to stay on your website longer and engage more.

I’ve set up this feature on several WordPress sites, and it’s always a quick win.

In this guide, I’ll show you three simple ways to allow users to click to enlarge images on your WordPress website. You don’t need any coding skills, and each method only takes a few minutes to set up.

Why Enlarge Images Upon Click in WordPress?

Letting visitors click to enlarge images on your WordPress website helps them see important details up close.

It’s a simple upgrade that adds a polished, professional feel, especially for portfolios, real estate listings, and photography galleries.

Plus, it can be handy for online stores where customers want to look closely at your products before deciding to buy them.

WordPress includes a basic “Enlarge on click” feature by default. It opens the image right on the page, without any background dimming or visual effect.

This works fine for simple blogs or internal pages, but it looks a bit plain and doesn’t offer much control.

If you want something that looks more modern and polished, then an image lightbox plugin is a better choice.

Instead of simply expanding the image, it opens in a sleek overlay that dims the background and keeps the viewer focused. You also get more control over how the image looks and functions.

Before I show you these different methods, there’s one more thing to keep in mind: image quality. When someone clicks to enlarge a photo, they expect a clear, high-resolution version. But large image files can slow down your site.

That’s where image optimization comes in. By compressing your images without lowering their visible quality, you can keep file sizes small and your site fast.

This means you can use images with large dimensions (like 1500px wide) that look great when enlarged, without hurting performance.

For help with that, check out our guide on how to optimize images for the web.

In this article, I’ll share 3 different methods that can enlarge your WordPress images when they’re clicked, including some lightbox options.

You can use the quick links below to jump to the method you want to use:

Method 1: Using the Default WordPress Feature (Simple)

After testing different ways to enlarge images, I’ve found that WordPress’s built-in feature is perfect for simple needs.

I’ve used this method when creating documentation or writing technical articles. It’s especially useful when you need readers to see small details in screenshots or examine specific parts of an image more closely.

The main downside is that it isn’t a true lightbox. It simply enlarges the image, and you can’t customize the look or add cool effects.

Step 1: Add Your Image in the WordPress Editor

First, you need to create or open the post where you want to add the clickable image.

Then, in the block editor, click the (+) icon to add a new block and choose ‘Image’ from the block options. Once you do, you’ll see buttons for adding an image in 3 different ways: Upload, Media Library, or Insert from URL.

At WPBeginner, we always use the ‘Media Library’ option. This makes sure that the title and alt text we add to the image are available if we reuse it in other articles.

I suggest avoiding ‘Insert from URL’. It hotlinks to an image on another website, which means the picture could break on your site if the original is ever removed.

Step 2: Set Up the ‘Enlarge on Click’ Option

After adding your image to the post or page, you can click on it to reveal the image settings.

With the image selected, click the ‘Insert link’ icon in the block toolbar. In the settings that appear, simply toggle on the option labeled ‘Enlarge on click’.

Step 3: Configure Image Settings

Now that you’ve enabled the click-to-enlarge feature, you may want to customize the original image’s settings to ensure the best display quality within your post or page.

Select your image and then check the block settings panel on the right side of your screen.

You can control how the image looks on the page by adjusting the image’s dimensions. However, this is just the display size.

When a visitor clicks the image, they will see the original, full-resolution image you uploaded to your Media Library. So, make sure you upload a high-quality image at least 1500 pixels wide.

Step 4: Preview Your Image and Publish Your Content

Before you publish your post or page with the ‘enlarge on click’ image option enabled, you’ll want to preview it to make sure it’s working.

To do this, click on the View button in the upper right-hand corner of your editor and select ‘Preview in new tab.’

I recommend you test it in every view option, especially ‘Mobile’, since many people use smartphones these days.

With the ‘enlarge on click’ image effect applied, it should expand on the same page, as seen in the example below. How much it expands depends on the size of the original image you uploaded.

Simply click on the image to return it to normal size.

Once everything looks good, you’re ready to publish or update your content.

Method 2: Using a Lightbox Plugin (More Customization)

Unlike the basic WordPress feature, a lightbox plugin creates a much more professional experience. When a user clicks an image, it opens in a stylish overlay that dims the rest of the page, making your image pop.

I recommend the free Simple Lightbox plugin because it lets you add smooth animations, customizable themes, and slideshow features that make your images stand out. It’s lightweight and works automatically with all your images once activated.

Step 1: Install and Activate the Simple Lightbox Plugin

To get started, you need to install and activate the Simple Lightbox plugin.

If you need help with this process, please read our guide on installing WordPress plugins.

Step 2: Configure Simple Lightbox Settings

After activating the plugin, it’s a good idea to head to Appearance » Lightbox and review its settings to ensure everything is set up the way you want.

Here, you’ll find Lightbox settings that let you adjust where you want to enable lightbox functionality. This can be on the home page, single posts, pages, and more.

I usually stick with the default settings since they work great for most websites.

Next, scroll down to the ‘UI’ settings. These control how the lightbox looks and feels.

By default, the plugin will use a light theme, but you can switch to dark mode if you prefer. You can also adjust the ‘Overlay Opacity,’ which controls how much the background page is dimmed when an image is open, and enable animations to change how the image opens.

Feel free to play with these settings, and don’t forget to click ‘Save Changes’ when you’re done.

Step 3: Add Your Image and Enable Lightbox

Now, let’s test out the lightbox feature. Simply create or open a post and add an image.

Once your image is in the editor, you need to add a caption. The Simple Lightbox plugin will show this text in the lightbox view.

Simply click the image and make sure the ‘Add Caption’ icon is activated in the toolbar. This allows you to type in the ‘Add caption’ text field below your image.

If you don’t add a caption, the plugin will automatically use the image title from the Media Library instead. However, I find that using the caption field gives you more direct control.

Next, with the image still selected, you need to click the ‘Link’ icon in the toolbar and select the ‘Link to Image File’ option. This is a key step that allows the Simple Lightbox plugin to work.

Once you do this, the plugin will automatically detect the link and apply its lightbox effect when a visitor clicks on the image.

Step 4: Test Your Lightbox

Now, let’s test the lightbox feature by previewing the post. Just click the View option in the upper right-hand corner and then select ‘Preview in new tab’.

Once the new tab opens, go ahead and click on the image. You should see it open smoothly in a lightbox overlay with a darkened background.

Depending on your design settings, you will see the lightbox in a light or dark theme. Here’s what the light theme looks like.

The light theme surrounds the photo with a white frame, which creates a good contrast with the darkened background.

Now here’s what the dark theme looks like.

You should also see your image caption in the bottom left corner of the lightbox.

I also recommend previewing your lightbox on other screen sizes to make sure it looks good on every device.

You can do this by returning to the View option and selecting the ‘Desktop’, ‘Tablet’, or ‘Mobile’ option. After that, click ‘Preview in new tab.’

Method 3: Using a Gallery Plugin (Best for Multiple Images)

If you’ve ever wanted to spotlight multiple images, then gallery plugins are hands down the best solution. They help organize and showcase a series of images with image enlargement functionality without slowing down your site.

These plugins can improve user interaction by making your content more engaging and visually appealing, giving visitors a seamless experience navigating through your images.

I recommend Envira Gallery because it allows you to create beautiful, customizable galleries that look great on any device. It’s also super beginner-friendly.

Plus, it includes performance features like lazy loading to make sure your galleries don’t slow down your site. And its AI tool can help you create custom images right inside WordPress.

Most importantly, the plugin offers a lightbox setting with lots of customization options. This way, you can get all the benefits of the click-to-enlarge image feature, plus some cool settings for layouts, gallery transitions, and much more.

Want to learn more about what the plugin can do? We’ve tested it extensively in the past, and you can check out our full Envira Gallery review for more information.

Now, let’s go through the steps of using Envira Gallery to add a lightbox feature.

Step 1: Install and Activate the Envira Gallery Plugin

Let’s start by installing the plugin on your site. In this tutorial, I’ll use the free version, or you can purchase a Pro license from the Envira Gallery website.

Next, install and activate it by following our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin. Once you’ve activated the plugin, Envira’s setup wizard should instantly launch.

From here, click the ‘Get Started’ button to begin the process.

There are 5 steps in this wizard.

During setup, you can choose the category that describes your business or website (like photographer or business owner) and select the gallery features you wish to add.

I recommend continuing with the suggested default settings because they usually offer everything you need. However, if you have a Pro plan, you’ll be able to activate more advanced features.

Keep in mind that the ‘Lightboxes’ option should already be checked, so this feature will automatically be enabled.

Once you’ve finished the setup wizard, you’ll still need to activate your pro license if you purchased one. To do this, go to Envira Gallery » Settings and paste your license key in the field. Then, hit ‘Verify Key.’

Step 2: Create a New Gallery

To create your first gallery, go to Envira Gallery » Add New in your dashboard.

First, add a title at the top of the page. I recommend giving it a clear and descriptive name so that it’s easier to keep track of later.

Next, you’ll notice 3 options for adding images: Native Envira Gallery, Galleries from Other Sources, and Create with Envira AI.

I recommend starting with Native Envira Gallery. It’s the most straightforward way to upload your own images directly.

Go ahead and select the images you want to include. You can add as many as you like while keeping the maximum upload file size below 256 MB.

Step 3: Configure Gallery and Lightbox Options

In the menu to the left of your gallery images, you’ll find Envira’s Gallery settings.

There are tabs for general configuration, the lightbox feature, mobile settings, and more. Let’s go through them one at a time.

You can choose your gallery layout at the top of the ‘Configuration’ section. The grid layout works great for most galleries, but feel free to experiment with other options.

Scrolling down, you can find more gallery settings options.

For example, you can enable lazy loading, set an automatic layout, and add a gallery description.

For example, you might want to set automatic layouts to ensure your gallery looks neat and organized without extra effort.

Next, switch to the ‘Lightbox’ tab. Remember, this feature should be enabled by default, but if it isn’t, check the box next to ‘Enable Lightbox?’

Then, you’ll want to select a ‘Gallery Lightbox Theme.’ This will determine the general appearance of your lightbox.

Your options will depend on your Envira plan and whether you have the Gallery Themes addon. But you should be able to select from a dark, light, or legacy theme.

Further down in the ‘Lightbox’ tab, you can choose how your enlarged images appear, select transition effects, and decide whether to show image titles.

Then, you can find more lightbox settings on the second half of the page.

For example, you can enable navigation arrows, infinite looping of images, or supersize mode. You can even add cool effects for when people open or close your gallery, and when they click through it.

For instance, for ‘Lightbox Transition Effect,’ you can pick fun options like Fade, Slide, Circular, Tube, Rotate, and more.

Next, I recommend going to the ‘Mobile’ tab to configure both the general and lightbox settings.

More people will probably view your gallery on phones than computers, so let’s make sure it looks great on small screens too.

In addition to activating the lightbox feature for mobile devices, you can customize mobile-specific settings such as lightbox dimensions, row heights, and title or caption displays.

As you scroll down, you’ll discover more options, including features like swipe-up to close, gallery navigation arrows, thumbnails, and more.

Finally, the ‘Standalone’ and ‘Misc’ tabs have a few extra settings you may find useful.

The ‘Standalone’ tab lets you give your gallery its own unique URL. This is a great feature if you want to share a direct link to a specific portfolio or photo album.

The ‘Misc’ tab includes tools for importing and exporting galleries, but you probably won’t need those right now.

For a deeper dive into all these settings, you can check out our detailed guide on how to create an image gallery.

Step 4: Preview and Publish Your Gallery

To preview the gallery, click the ‘Preview’ button on the right side of your gallery settings page.

Once you’re on the preview page, click through different images to test the lightbox effect.

Here, you can see the image’s name and the rest of the gallery.

When you test the gallery, the images should open smoothly. If you chose a transition effect, it should be visible here.

For example, I set the Slide transition effect, and here’s how it looks.

To navigate between images, click on the navigation arrows on either side of the screen or use the arrow keys on your keyboard.

At this point, you may want to make sure the navigation arrows work and that your image titles appear correctly if you enabled them.

Once you’re happy with how everything works, you can publish the gallery by clicking the ‘Publish’ button on the right side of your gallery settings.

After publishing the gallery, you can move on to adding it to your website.

Step 5: Add the Gallery to Your Website

Now that your gallery is working perfectly, let’s add it to a post.

Once you are in the WordPress editor, click the (+) icon to add a new block and search for ‘Envira Gallery.’ Then drag the block onto your post.

Next, when you click the ‘Search for a gallery’ drop-down, select the gallery you just created. It will be automatically inserted into the post with all the settings you just configured.

Alternatively, you can add your gallery to pages, widgets, or custom post types by using a shortcode.

You can find this shortcode on the right sidebar of the gallery settings, just under the ‘Publish’ button.

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

Before clicking the ‘Publish’ button, make sure you preview your post one final time to make sure the gallery appears exactly as you want it.

Your images should now be displayed in a professional grid layout with a smooth lightbox effect when clicked.

FAQs About Enlarging Images in WordPress

Here are some frequently asked questions about enlarging images in WordPress.

How do I enlarge images in WordPress?

You can use the default ‘Enlarge on click’ feature in WordPress for basic functionality. For more control, you can use plugins like Simple Lightbox or Envira Gallery.

How do I automatically resize images in WordPress? 

WordPress automatically creates several smaller versions of your images when you upload them. To have more control over image dimensions or to optimize them for speed, I recommend using an image optimization plugin like EWWW Image Optimizer.

Plugins like Envira Gallery also give you precise control over the display dimensions of images within your galleries.

How do I force image size in WordPress?

You can set custom image dimensions within your theme. For a detailed guide, check out our tutorial on how to create additional image sizes in WordPress. This is a great way to ensure a consistent layout across your galleries and site.

If you prefer using a plugin, consider options like Envira Gallery. It allows you to specify exact image dimensions efficiently, providing control over how your galleries look. This can help maintain a polished appearance across your site.

Bonus Resources: Manage & Improve Your WordPress Images

I hope this article helped you add the ‘enlarge images upon click’ feature in WordPress. Here are some bonus guides if you’re interested in managing and improving your WordPress images:

• How to Optimize Images for Web Performance Without Losing Quality
• How to Add Multiple Galleries in WordPress Posts and Pages
• Best WordPress Image Compression Plugins Compared
• How to Add a Hero Image in WordPress (Works for All Themes)
• How to Create Additional Image Sizes in WordPress
• How to Fix Common Image Issues in WordPress (Ultimate 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 Enlarge Images Upon Click in WordPress (3 Easy Methods) first appeared on WPBeginner.

A friend reached out to me recently after discovering something alarming in their WordPress posts. They were using Yoast SEO Premium with the Classic Editor, and they found Yoast had been automatically inserting odd-looking CSS classes like ai-optimize-6, ai-optimize-9, directly into their content.

The problem is that these classes remain permanently embedded in the posts even after disabling Yoast AI Optimize or completely deleting the plugin. This goes against expected plugin behavior… that is, when you uninstall it, it should leave no trace in your content.

While these AI markers might not visually affect your site, they clutter up your source code. It could also potentially signal to AI content detectors, plagiarism checkers, and even search engines that your content was AI-generated or optimized.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to remove these hidden classes using a quick code snippet. I’ll also explain how to apply it safely and share the SEO plugin I recommend using as an alternative to Yoast.

Here are the things I will cover in this tutorial:

Why These ai-optimize Classes Are Bad for SEO

The ai-optimize-{number} CSS classes are added when you use Yoast SEO Premium’s AI features with the Classic Editor. They don’t appear on the front end, but they’re embedded in your content’s HTML, which can cause problems.

You can view them by visiting any post or page on your site and using the Inspect tool in your browser.

Here’s why I recommend removing them:

• They clutter your HTML: These unnecessary classes make your code harder to read and parse.
• They serve no purpose: They don’t affect how your content looks or functions. They’re just leftovers from the AI tool.
• They can trigger AI detection tools: Some plagiarism checkers and AI content detectors pick up these patterns and may flag your post, even if you wrote it yourself.
• They leave AI footprints across your site: If multiple sites use the same classes, Google might start associating that pattern with low-quality or mass-produced AI content.
• They increase the risk of formatting conflicts: Unknown classes could interfere with your theme or plugins down the road.

There’s no upside to keeping these hidden markers, and several good reasons to clean them out.

The good news is that there is a quick fix, and I’ll show you how to do it safely in the next section.

Step 1: Make a Backup Before Making Changes

Before we move forward, I always recommend creating a full backup of your WordPress site. It only takes a few minutes and gives you peace of mind in case anything goes wrong.

I use Duplicator when I need a quick and reliable backup solution. It’s the best WordPress backup plugin on the market, it is beginner-friendly, and it works great whether you’re backing up or migrating your site.

• ✅ On-demand and automatic WordPress backups
• ✅ Safely stored in remote locations like Dropbox or Google Drive
• ✅ Easy 1-click restore if something breaks

For details, see our guide on how to back up your WordPress website.

Once your backup is ready, you’re safe to move on to the next step, where I will show you how to fix the problem.

Step 2: Add the Code Snippet to Remove ai-optimize Classes

Now that your backup is ready, it’s time to clean up those ai-optimize-{number} and ai-optimize-introduction classes.

I’ve put together a safe and flexible code snippet that works with both the Classic Editor and the Block Editor (Gutenberg), as well as bulk edits.

You don’t need to touch your theme files or mess with FTP. Instead, I recommend using the WPCode plugin to add this snippet. It’s what I use to manage code snippets on WordPress sites without risking anything important. (See my full WPCode review for more details.)

Tip: WPCode has a limited free version that you can use for this tutorial. However, I recommend upgrading to a paid plan to unlock its full potential.

If this is your first time adding custom code to your site, then you can take a look at our guide on how to add custom code snippets in WordPress without breaking your site.

First, you need to install and activate the WPCode plugin. See our tutorial on installing a WordPress plugin if you need help.

Once the plugin has been activated, go to the Code Snippets » + Add Snippet page and click on ‘+ Add Custom Snippet’ button under the ‘Add Your Custom Code (New Snippet)’ box.

Next, you need to provide a title for your code snippet. This could be anything that helps you identify this code easily.

After that, choose PHP Snippet from the ‘Code Type’ drop-down menu.

Now, you need to copy and paste the following code into the Code Preview box.

Here’s the full code snippet:

// For Classic Editor and programmatic updates
function strip_ai_optimize_classes($data, $postarr) {
    if (empty($data['post_content']) || $data['post_type'] !== 'post') {
        return $data;
    }
    $data['post_content'] = strip_ai_optimize_from_content($data['post_content']);
    return $data;
}
add_filter('wp_insert_post_data', 'strip_ai_optimize_classes', 10, 2);

// For Gutenberg/Block Editor
function strip_ai_optimize_classes_rest_insert($prepared_post, $request) {
    if (isset($prepared_post->post_content) && $prepared_post->post_type === 'post') {
        $prepared_post->post_content = strip_ai_optimize_from_content($prepared_post->post_content);
    }
    return $prepared_post;
}
add_filter('rest_pre_insert_post', 'strip_ai_optimize_classes_rest_insert', 10, 2);

// For bulk edit operations - this is the key addition
function strip_ai_optimize_classes_bulk_edit($post_id) {
    $post = get_post($post_id);
    if (!$post || empty($post->post_content) || $post->post_type !== 'post') {
        return;
    }
    $cleaned_content = strip_ai_optimize_from_content($post->post_content);
    if ($cleaned_content !== $post->post_content) {
        remove_action('post_updated', 'strip_ai_optimize_classes_bulk_edit');
        wp_update_post(array(
            'ID' => $post_id,
            'post_content' => $cleaned_content
        ));
        add_action('post_updated', 'strip_ai_optimize_classes_bulk_edit');
    }
}
add_action('post_updated', 'strip_ai_optimize_classes_bulk_edit');

// Catch bulk operations via the bulk_edit_posts action
function strip_ai_optimize_classes_bulk_action($post_ids) {
    if (!is_array($post_ids)) {
        return;
    }
    foreach ($post_ids as $post_id) {
        strip_ai_optimize_classes_bulk_edit($post_id);
    }
}
add_action('bulk_edit_posts', 'strip_ai_optimize_classes_bulk_action');

// Shared function to strip ai-optimize classes
function strip_ai_optimize_from_content($content) {
    if (empty($content) || !is_string($content)) {
        return $content;
    }
    return preg_replace_callback(
        '/class\s*=\s*["\']([^"\']*)["\']/',
        function($matches) {
            $classes = $matches[1];
            $classes = preg_replace('/\bai-optimize-\d+\b\s*/', '', $classes);
            $classes = preg_replace('/\s+/', ' ', trim($classes));
            if (empty($classes)) {
                return '';
            }
            return 'class="' . $classes . '"';
        },
        $content
    );
}

After adding the code, scroll down to the ‘Insertion’ section.

Then, select ‘Run Everywhere’ next to the ‘Location’ option.

Finally, go to the top of the page and switch the status toggle in the top-right to Active, and then click on the ‘Save Snippet’ button to store your changes.

Once you’ve added this snippet to your site using WPCode, it will automatically strip these AI-generated classes from any post you create or update in the future.

If you want to remove the ai-classes from existing content, you’ll have to bulk edit your existing content.

Step 3: Bulk Update All Posts to Clean Up Existing AI Classes

Now that the code snippet is in place, it will automatically clean up any AI markers when you edit or publish a post. But to remove these classes from your older posts, you’ll need to bulk update them.

Don’t worry—this won’t change your content. It simply triggers the filter we just added so the hidden AI classes can be stripped out safely.

First, you need to go to the Posts » All Posts page in your WordPress dashboard and click ‘Screen Options’ at the top right.

From here, set the number of posts per page to 999 (This is the maximum number of posts you can show on this screen) and click ‘Apply’ to load all your posts.

Next, select all posts on the page by clicking the top checkbox. After that, select ‘Edit’ by clicking on the Bulk Actions dropdown, then click ‘Apply’.

WordPress will now show you bulk editing options. Without changing anything else, simply click on the ‘Update’ button.

WordPress will now start updating all your posts. By doing this, it will also trigger the code you saved earlier and remove the AI classes.

Tip 💡: If you have more than 999 posts, just go to the next page and repeat this process until all posts have been updated.

This will clean the ai-optimize-{number} and ai-optimize-introduction classes from all your existing posts—no manual editing needed.

Bonus Tip: Switching to an Alternative SEO Plugin (Better and More Powerful)

Yoast SEO has been around for a long time, but lately, its innovations have slowed down.

At WPBeginner, we made the decision to switch to All in One SEO across all our sites a few years ago. It was a big move, and we documented every reason in this case study: Why We Switched from Yoast to All in One SEO.

I now use All in One SEO on every personal project and all client websites. It’s my go-to SEO plugin because it offers:

• ✅ Comprehensive features for the AI search era (schema markup, advanced sitemaps, AI integrations, and more)
• ✅ Easy setup with smart defaults and checklists
• ✅ Better support for local SEO, WooCommerce, Google News, and more.

If you’re still on the fence, we’ve made a detailed side-by-side breakdown here: Yoast SEO vs All in One SEO – Which Is the Better Plugin?

Important ⚠️: If you have upgraded to the latest version of Yoast SEO Premium (version 25.3.1 or later) or switched to All in One SEO, then you can now simply disable the code snippet in WPCode.

Just go to the Code Snippets page in the WordPress admin area, and switch the toggle next to the snippet to disable it.

Bonus SEO Resources

Whether you’re switching away from Yoast SEO or just want to tighten up your WordPress SEO strategy, here are some helpful resources to guide you.

These tutorials and comparisons can save you time, avoid costly mistakes, and help you get better results from your SEO efforts:

• Best Yoast SEO Alternatives For WordPress
• The Ultimate WordPress SEO Migration Checklist (For Beginners) – Helps you switch away from Yoast to All in One SEO
• How to Set Up All in One SEO for WordPress Correctly (Ultimate Guide)
• Complete WordPress SEO Guide for Beginners (Step by Step)
• How to Use AI for SEO in WordPress (12 Tools)
• Is AI Content Bad for WordPress SEO? (Expert Insights & Tips)

I hope this guide helped you fix the ai-optimize class issue in Yoast SEO and set your site up for better long-term results. You’ve got this—and if you ever need a hand, we’re here to help.

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 Fix Yoast SEO’s ai-optimize Bug Before It Ruins Your Site’s SEO first appeared on WPBeginner.

A friend recently asked me, “Should I use WordPress or Django for my new website?” It’s a great question, and a common one. Choosing the right content management system (CMS) can shape your entire online experience.

While WordPress has always been my go-to for building websites, I’ve spent time exploring Django CMS as well. I’ve helped others decide between the two, and I’ve even tested Django on a few personal projects just to see how it stacks up.

In this post, I’ll share what I’ve learned from both platforms—their surprising strengths, their limitations, and why WordPress still comes out on top for creating websites.

Whether you’re launching a blog, a business site, or something more complex, this side-by-side comparison will help you figure out which CMS fits your needs best.

WordPress vs. Django CMS: A Brief Overview

Both WordPress and Django CMS are powerful content management systems (CMS), but they are designed for different kinds of tasks.

I’ve created a quick comparison table below to help you understand the main differences. It explains the key features of WordPress and Django CMS side-by-side:

In the sections that follow, I’ll dive deeper into each of these points and help you decide whether WordPress or Django CMS is the right choice for your project.

How I Compared WordPress vs. Django CMS

I wanted to make sure this comparison was as thorough and fair as possible, so I didn’t just rely on spec sheets and marketing brochures. So, I dug deep, using my own experience and research.

Here’s how I approached it:

• Real-World Projects: I’ve built countless websites with WordPress, from simple blogs to complex eCommerce stores. I’ve seen firsthand what it can do (and what it can’t). I also set up a test environment for Django CMS so I could try everything out myself.
• Hands-on Testing: I didn’t just read about the features, I actually used them. I performed common tasks like creating pages, adding images, and installing plugins. This gave me a real feel for how each platform works in practice.
• Feature Comparison: I compared the core features of each platform, including ease of use, customization options, security, scalability, and content management capabilities.
• Finding the Right Fit: I considered different project types and identified the ideal use cases for each platform. For example, a small business website has different needs than a large enterprise platform.
• Resources and Effort: I factored in the learning curve, development time, and ongoing maintenance required for each platform. This helps you understand the true cost of ownership.
• Growing with Your Project: A content management system should be able to grow with your business. I looked at how easy it is to get started with each platform and how well they handle increasing complexity as your website grows.

Since I’m going to go into a lot of detail in my comparison of WordPress vs. Django CMS, you may want to use this table of contents to quickly navigate the article:

Overview: WordPress vs. Django CMS

Choosing a content management system (CMS) is like laying the foundation for your website.

WordPress and Django CMS are both powerful tools, but they’re designed for different kinds of projects. Picking the right one from the start can save you headaches (and potentially a lot of money) down the road.

I remember when I first started building websites, I tried everything from hand-coding HTML to using clunky website builders. Then I discovered WordPress, and I immediately knew that it was what I was looking for.

Suddenly, I could build beautiful, functional websites without needing a computer science degree. I’ve used it for everything from simple blogs to complex eCommerce sites.

So, what is WordPress, anyway? It’s the most popular website builder and CMS on the planet, powering over 43% of the web. It’s free, open-source, and incredibly versatile. Plus, there’s a massive community of users and developers ready to help you out.

Getting started is a breeze, especially with one-click installs offered by hosts like Bluehost and Hostinger (I’ve used both, and they make it super easy).

As my projects got more complex, I started hearing about Django CMS. It’s a favorite among developers who want more flexibility and control. I even tried using it for a personal project, and it was a completely different experience.

Think of it as building a house from scratch. With Django, you have complete control over every detail, but it requires a lot more technical know-how.

Django CMS is built with Django, a powerful framework that uses the Python programming language.

It is a set of tools and libraries that provide a foundation for building web applications. It’s also free and open-source, but it’s definitely geared towards developers.

You’ll need to be comfortable with coding and server administration to get the most out of it. It’s ideal for large, complex projects that demand a high level of customization and scalability.

Now that you have a basic understanding of both platforms, let’s dive deeper into the key differences between WordPress and Django CMS.

Ease of Use: Which CMS is Easier to Learn?

Ease of use is a big concern for many website builders. You’re probably looking for a platform that’s simple to navigate without prior technical expertise.

Let’s see how WordPress and Django CMS compare in terms of user-friendliness.

WordPress: Easy to Use Most of the Time

WordPress is known for its user-friendly nature. Setting up a basic blog in WordPress can be done in a matter of hours.

The block editor is intuitive, like building with digital Lego bricks. You can easily drag and drop different content blocks to create pages without coding.

And getting started is super easy. Most web hosts, like Bluehost (my personal favorite), offer one-click WordPress installs.

That means you can literally have a website up and running in minutes. WPBeginner readers get a special discount, so you can get started for just $1.99 per month.

After WordPress is installed, you’ll be able to access the admin dashboard. From here, you can customize your site’s design, add new pages, and manage your content. It’s very straightforward.

For details, see our guide on how to create a WordPress website.

Django CMS: For Developers and Code-Savvy Users

Django is built for developers who love the flexibility and control of coding. But if you’re a beginner or prefer a no-code approach, it will feel overwhelming.

You’ll need to know how to code in Python and be familiar with web development concepts to use Django CMS effectively. I’ve talked to friends who tried to use Django CMS without coding experience, and it often leads to frustration.

Even simple tasks, like changing your website’s theme or adding a contact form, often require coding or working with Django’s templating system.

Django CMS’s content editor is relatively straightforward, similar to WordPress’s older classic editor.

It lets you work with formatted text, but not create complex layouts like the newer WordPress block editor.

But most customization happens behind the scenes in code. This can be a steep learning curve for non-developers.

Here’s a quick overview of what makes Django CMS less user-friendly for non-developers:

• Installation and setup require technical knowledge of server administration and command-line tools, such as SSH and virtual environments.
• Theme customization involves editing HTML, CSS, and Django templates, which requires familiarity with Django’s templating language.
• Plugin management often requires installing and configuring Python packages.
• While the content editor is simple, managing content structures and advanced features often requires coding.

All that said, if you have a strong technical background, all of this may sound ideal.

🏅 Winner for Ease of Use – WordPress

For non-programmers, WordPress is the clear winner. It’s intuitive, user-friendly, and packed with features that make building a website a breeze.

Django CMS, while powerful, is best left to the developers. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to get online, WordPress is your best bet.

Customization Options: Making Your Website Your Own

Customization options are essential for creating a unique and functional website. So, how do WordPress and Django CMS compare in terms of customization?

WordPress: Customization Made Easy

WordPress is famous for its flexibility. I’ve built countless websites using the CMS, and I’m always amazed by how much you can change without writing a single line of code. The secret is the large selection of themes and plugins.

Themes transform your website’s appearance with just a few clicks. Thousands of free and premium themes mean you’re bound to find something that perfectly matches your style.

Looking for recommendations? Here are some of my favorite themes.

If you want more customization options, most themes offer built-in options to change colors, fonts, and layouts effortlessly.

For advanced options, the theme customizer or adding custom CSS opens up a world of possibilities.

Then there are plugins, which are like apps for your website. They add all sorts of functionality, from contact forms and online stores to SEO tools and security enhancements.

With over 59,000 free plugins in the WordPress plugin directory and countless premium plugins, the possibilities are nearly endless. Just see my pick of the best WordPress plugins for all websites to get an idea of what they can do.

Django CMS: Customization for Coders

Django CMS takes a different approach to customization. Instead of using visual interfaces and drag-and-drop builders, you customize your website using code.

If you’re a Python developer, this may sound perfect. You can build virtually anything you can imagine to your exact specifications. While it requires more development time upfront, the level of customization you gain can only be achieved using code.

Features like custom product displays, complex filtering options, and unique checkout processes are all possible thanks to Django’s code-centric approach.

Here’s a glimpse into Django CMS’s customization options:

• Pre-built themes can be used as starting points for custom development. But most Django CMS projects involve building a custom theme from scratch.
• Django apps extend functionality like WordPress plugins. However, installing and configuring them requires some coding knowledge, and the selection is not as extensive as the WordPress Plugin Directory.
• Django’s templating system provides control over your website’s HTML structure and content presentation.
• Django CMS integrates with other systems through APIs, allowing you to connect your website with CRM software, marketing automation tools, and more.

If you’re not a developer, you’ll need to hire one to customize your Django CMS website. While this adds to the cost, it also gives you more control over customization.

🏅 Winner for Customization Options – WordPress

If you want easy, no-code customization, WordPress is the clear winner. Its huge library of themes and plugins makes it simple to create a unique website without touching any code.

Django CMS offers ultimate flexibility for developers, but it comes at the cost of increased complexity.

Content Management: Keeping Your Content Organized

Effective content management is essential for websites with frequent updates. You need a CMS that makes it easy to create, organize, and manage all that content.

So, how do WordPress and Django CMS compare in this department?

WordPress: Content Management Powerhouse

WordPress began its journey as a blogging tool, and content management remains one of its greatest strengths. From personal blogs to extensive content hubs, WordPress excels thanks to its flexibility and user-friendliness.

Writing and editing content in WordPress is a breeze. The block editor is incredibly straightforward, allowing you to add text, images, and videos with simple drag-and-drop actions.

You can group your posts together in different ways using categories and tags. You can think of categories as the main sections of my website, and tags as a detailed index.

WordPress also has a built-in media library that makes managing images and videos super easy. You can upload, organize, and insert media into your content with just a few clicks.

And if you’re working with a team, WordPress’s user role management is extremely helpful. You can assign different roles (administrator, editor, author, and more) with specific permissions.

This makes sure that everyone has the access they need without risking accidental deletions or unwanted changes.

Need even more content management features? No problem! WordPress has thousands of plugins that can add everything from custom content types to advanced SEO tools.

Django CMS: Content Management for Developers

Django CMS offers a basic interface for creating and editing content. But it lacks the intuitive user-friendliness of WordPress. I’ve found that even simple tasks, such as creating pages or managing menus, can sometimes require technical knowledge.

And while Django CMS does offer user roles and permissions, configuring them is often more complex than in WordPress. Customizing roles or creating new ones typically involves coding or working with Django’s admin interface, which can be a hurdle for non-developers.

For instance, imagine you need to create custom user roles with specific permissions. In WordPress, this would be straightforward. Meanwhile, in Django CMS, it requires writing custom code.

Here’s a closer look at Django CMS’s content management features:

• You can create and organize pages within a hierarchical structure. However, customizing page templates and adding advanced features often requires coding.
• Adding a navigation menu is easy, but complex menu structures or dynamic menus might require custom development.
• Managing user access and capabilities is possible, but customization often involves code.
• You can track content changes and revert to previous versions of your content.
• Django CMS offers multilingual capabilities, but configuring multiple languages can be complex.

While Django CMS offers powerful content management tools, its developer-centric approach can be challenging for non-technical users.

🏅 Winner for Content Management – WordPress

For most users, especially those without a technical background, WordPress is the clear winner for content management. It offers a user-friendly interface, powerful features, and a huge ecosystem of plugins for content creation, organization, and management.

Django CMS is more flexible for developers, but it comes at the cost of increased complexity.

eCommerce: Selling Online

Selling online requires a comprehensive eCommerce platform. Let’s compare WordPress and Django’s online store capabilities.

WordPress: Great for Selling Online

WordPress doesn’t have eCommerce features out of the box. But you can quickly set up an online store with the help of plugins like WooCommerce. I’ve used WooCommerce a lot for my own projects, and I found it to be very powerful and easy to use.

After installing WooCommerce, it guides you through the setup. Then, you can add products, set up payment methods (like Stripe or PayPal), and decide how to ship things right from the familiar WordPress dashboard.

You can easily customize WooCommerce using plugins and themes designed specifically for online stores. There are plugins available for detailed shipping costs, managing subscriptions, and even adjusting prices according to specific rules.

If you need a simpler way to sell online, especially for digital items or services, I would also suggest looking at Easy Digital Downloads (EDD).

For more information, just see our guide on how to start an online store.

Django: Building a Custom Online Store

Django also doesn’t have eCommerce features built in. However, its power and flexibility let you build the exact online store you want, piece by piece.

This approach gives you total control over everything in your store. You control how data is stored, how the site operates behind the scenes, what users see, and how it integrates with other services. It’s great for making unique online stores with custom features.

While you can build an eCommerce site completely from scratch using Django, there are several tools and frameworks that can help you build faster:

• Oscar Commerce is a set of open-source tools for making eCommerce sites with Django. It provides a foundation for features such as product lists, shopping carts, checkout pages, and order management.
• Saleor started as a Django program but has grown into a powerful, headless eCommerce platform. It can build modern online stores with separate front ends and backends.

There are also simpler tools and libraries if you only need certain eCommerce features.

Building a custom store with Django requires coding knowledge. It’s a good fit for businesses with complex needs, but it’s not a suitable choice for beginners.

🏅 Winner for eCommerce – WordPress

In most cases, WordPress wins in the eCommerce category.

That’s because you can easily turn WordPress into an eCommerce platform by installing an eCommerce plugin like WooCommerce or Easy Digital Downloads. You can quickly get started selling online at an affordable price, and the large WordPress community means it’s easy to find help and information.

Django may be better for building custom online stores where you need full control over every small detail and have a large budget. For example, your developers could build a system with complex billing rules and smart ways to suggest products for specific customers.

That said, you can still get advanced eCommerce functionality with WordPress as long as you have the right tools. For instance, you can add wholesale features using Wholesale Suite or create custom eCommerce automations with Uncanny Automator.

Performance: Speed Matters

Website performance is crucial for user experience, search engine rankings, and your bottom line. So, let’s see how WordPress and Django CMS compare.

WordPress: Performance Requires Optimization

WordPress is incredibly popular, and out of the box, it’s generally fast enough for most small websites. But as your site grows, with more content, plugins, and fancy features, things can start to slow down.

I’ve seen this happen with friends’ websites. One of the biggest causes of this is poorly coded themes and plugins. That’s why it’s important to select the perfect WordPress theme and the right WordPress plugin.

And speaking of tools, a caching plugin is essential for any WordPress site. Caching works by taking a ‘snapshot’ of your web pages and storing them temporarily, instead of generating them from scratch every time a visitor arrives.

This significantly reduces server load and speeds up your site. I personally recommend WP Rocket for its user-friendly interface and powerful optimization features.

We used it for a long time here at WPBeginner and had a great experience with it. You can see our full WP Rocket review for more information.

Overall, WordPress can be incredibly fast with proper optimization. We’ve even put together a comprehensive guide to help you boost your WordPress site’s speed and performance.

Django CMS: Built for Speed

Django CMS is built on the high-performance Django framework, which is designed for speed and efficiency from the ground up.

Because features and customizations are built with code, there’s less reliance on plugins or extensions that could add bloat and slow down a website.

Django’s efficient architecture and the streamlined, custom-coded nature of the site can result in better performance, lower page load times, and the ability to handle higher traffic volumes.

But it’s important to remember that even with Django CMS, poorly written code can negatively impact performance. If you’re not an experienced Django developer, you should hire one to make sure your site is optimized for speed and efficiency.

Beyond just being fast, Django is also incredibly scalable. This means a Django CMS site can easily grow with your business, handling a large increase in traffic, content, and features without a significant drop in performance.

🏅 Winner for Performance – Django CMS

Out of the box, Django CMS generally outperforms WordPress in terms of speed and efficiency (as long as you’re using efficient coding practices). However, with proper optimization, WordPress can also achieve excellent performance.

If you’re willing to put in the effort (or hire someone who is), then WordPress can handle even high-traffic events. But if speed is your top priority and you have the technical expertise, Django CMS might be a better choice.

Security: Keeping Your Website Safe

Security breaches can devastate a website. They can result in lost data, frustrated users, and a damaged reputation.

So, let’s talk about how WordPress and Django CMS compare when it comes to keeping your site safe.

WordPress Security: Staying Ahead of the Threats

With the right precautions, WordPress can be incredibly secure. I’ve used it for years on countless sites, and I’ve learned a few tricks along the way.

First of all, it’s best to keep everything updated. The WordPress core software is regularly patched for security vulnerabilities, so those updates are your first line of defense.

I always recommend setting up automatic updates whenever possible because it’s one less thing to worry about.

Next, you’ll want to be picky about your themes and plugins. Just like I wouldn’t install software from a suspicious website on my computer, I’m careful about what I add to my WordPress sites.

It’s best to stick to reputable sources like the official WordPress directory and well-known developers. And remember, you’ll need to keep those plugins and themes updated, too. Updates often fix security vulnerabilities that could be used to hack your website.

On top of following these best practices, I also recommend using a security plugin. This tool will typically offer malware scanning, firewall protection, and more.

For more on keeping your WordPress website safe, see our ultimate WordPress security guide.

Django CMS Security: A Solid Foundation

Django CMS uses the Django framework’s strong security foundation right out of the box. This is a major advantage for developers who want to prioritize security from the ground up.

For instance, when users submit content on a Django site, the system automatically cleans it up. This prevents a common type of attack called XSS (Cross-Site Scripting), where malicious code tries to sneak onto your site through user input.

Also, for every form you fill out on a Django site, there’s a unique, invisible security token attached to it. This makes it much tougher for attackers to hijack your session or trick you into doing something unintended.

That said, Django requires a lot of the same security best practices as WordPress (or any other CMS), such as regular updates, strong passwords, and two-factor authentication.

Secure coding practices and proper configuration are also important, especially when dealing with sensitive data.

If you’re not a developer, you’ll need to hire a Django expert to make sure your site is configured securely, and you may need them to run regular security audits.

🏅 Winner for Security – Django CMS

Django CMS is more secure out of the box, thanks to the framework’s built-in protections. However, with proper precautions, like regular updates, careful plugin selection, and a solid security plugin, WordPress can also be very secure.

Ultimately, the security of any website depends on your diligence and the steps you take to protect it, regardless of the platform you choose.

Community and Support

A supportive community and readily available resources are essential when building a website. Let’s see how WordPress and Django CMS compare for community and support.

WordPress: A Global Community at Your Fingertips

WordPress is the most popular website builder and has a huge, global community of users, developers, and designers.

Whether you’re stuck on a coding problem, need help choosing a plugin, or just want some general advice, there’s always someone willing to help. And there are plenty of helpful WordPress resources, including Get Started documents, courses, workshops, and lessons.

You’ll find answers to almost any question you can imagine. You can learn more on the official Learn WordPress and Make WordPress pages.

And here at WPBeginner, we offer many different tutorials like this one, a newsletter, free video tutorials, the WPBeginner Engage Facebook Group, a YouTube channel, and more.

Learn how to make the most out of WPBeginner’s free resources in this guide.

Django CMS: A Smaller, More Focused Community

Django CMS has a smaller, more niche community compared to WordPress. This smaller community means you’re interacting with a highly skilled and dedicated group of individuals who are willing to share their expertise.

However, the smaller community does mean fewer readily available resources. You’ll find less documentation, fewer online tutorials, and a smaller selection of pre-built themes and plugins.

This can make it more challenging to find solutions to common problems. You might have to rely more on your own problem-solving skills or reach out directly to the community for assistance.

The Django CMS community is active on platforms like Stack Overflow and specialized forums. While it might take a bit more effort to find answers, the quality of support is often very high. You’re more likely to get in-depth technical assistance from experienced developers.

Here are some key differences in community support:

• While Django CMS has official documentation, it’s often more technical and assumes a higher level of coding knowledge compared to WordPress’s user-friendly documentation.
• The Django CMS community is active on various platforms, but the overall size and activity level are significantly lower than WordPress’s massive online presence.
• A smaller selection of readily available themes and plugins means you’ll likely need to invest more time in custom development or searching for suitable third-party solutions.

If you’re comfortable with independent learning and problem-solving, the smaller Django CMS community might not be a major drawback. However, it doesn’t compare to WordPress’s large and active community, which offers readily available resources.

🏅 Winner for Community and Support – WordPress

For most users, WordPress offers better support due to its large, active community and readily available resources.

However, developers will appreciate Django’s smaller, more focused community, although it requires more independent problem-solving.

Cost: Which CMS Is More Affordable?

WordPress and Django differ significantly in their overall cost. I’ll give you some real-world examples so you can get a better idea of what to expect.

WordPress: Budgeting for Your Site

WordPress itself is free, but you’ll need web hosting and a domain name (around $10-20 per year). Web hosting is where your website is stored, and a domain name is your site’s address.

Hosting costs can range from a few dollars a month for basic shared hosting (perfect for beginners) to hundreds or even thousands for high-performance managed hosting (ideal for larger sites with lots of traffic).

Let me give you a few examples of what to expect:

• 💵 Basic Blog: $50-150 per year (hosting, domain, a simple theme)
• 💸 Small Business Website: $100-500 per year (hosting, domain, a slightly more advanced theme, a few premium plugins)
• 💰 eCommerce Store: $ 500-2,000+ per year (hosting, domain, a premium WooCommerce theme, several specialized plugins, potentially some custom development)

I’ve used both shared and managed hosting, and the best choice really depends on your specific needs.

For example, when WPBeginner was launched, we first used shared hosting to keep costs low. As the site grew, we switched to managed hosting for better performance and security.

While there are many excellent free themes and plugins available, premium options can significantly enhance your site’s functionality and design.

I often recommend premium plugins for features like advanced SEO or eCommerce functionality. These can be one-time purchases or ongoing subscriptions. Either way, you’ll need to factor those into your budget.

Finally, if you need custom development work, you might need to hire a developer or designer. This can add to the overall cost, but it’s often worth the investment for a truly unique and functional website.

For more details, see our guide on how much it really costs to build a WordPress website.

Django CMS: Factoring in Development Costs

Like WordPress, Django CMS is free. But because it’s more developer-focused, the overall cost is usually higher.

You’ll still need hosting and a domain name, but you’ll likely need more powerful (and more expensive) hosting options like VPS or cloud hosting to handle Django’s requirements.

I’ve found that this can be a significant difference in ongoing expenses compared to basic WordPress hosting. Expect to pay $50-200+ per month for suitable hosting.

The most significant cost difference, however, typically comes from development. Django CMS almost always requires a developer for setup, customization, theme creation, and maintenance.

 I’ve seen projects range from a few thousand dollars for a basic setup to tens of thousands for complex, custom-built applications. While you’ll save on premium themes and plugins (Django customization is done through code), developer fees are a substantial part of your budget.

For example, a simple Django CMS website could cost $3,000-$8,000 in initial development costs, while a complex web application could easily exceed $20,000.

🏅 Winner for Affordability: WordPress (Usually)

WordPress is more affordable for most users, especially those starting with a smaller budget. I’ve helped a lot of different people launch websites on a tight budget using WordPress. The lower hosting costs and free themes and plugins make it a great choice for getting started.

However, for some complex custom projects, Django might be a better long-term investment, despite the higher upfront development costs.

The Verdict: Choosing the Right CMS for Your Needs

For most users, especially those who prefer not to work with code, WordPress is the clear winner. Launching websites with WordPress is easy, even for people with limited technical skills. It’s quick to set up, easy to use, and incredibly versatile thanks to the massive library of themes and plugins.

If you want a user-friendly way to create and manage content, WordPress is hard to beat. It’s like having a trusty toolbox filled with all the tools you need to build just about anything.

However, if you’re tackling a complex project that demands serious customization, high scalability, and robust security right out of the box, then Django CMS might be a better choice.

To help you make the right decision, here’s a table summarizing the typical users and primary use cases each platform is designed for:

I always recommend carefully considering your priorities, technical skills, and budget before making a decision.

FAQs About WordPress vs. Django CMS

Now that you have read our comparison of WordPress vs. Django CMS, you may still have some questions. Here are some brief answers to frequently asked questions.

Is WordPress or Django easier for beginners?

WordPress is much easier to use for beginners and users without coding experience. It has a user-friendly interface, one-click installation, and a large library of themes and plugins. This makes it quick to set up and manage content.

Is Django CMS good?

Yes, Django CMS is considered a good content management system. It’s a strong choice for complex projects where a standard, off-the-shelf content management system (CMS) might be too limiting. However, most users will find WordPress a better choice for their blog or website.

Which is better for content, WordPress or Django CMS?

I prefer WordPress for content-focused websites. Its core design and editor are built for usability, and extending content types is simple using themes and plugins.

Django CMS provides an editing interface, but setup and customization require coding expertise.

Do I need coding skills to use WordPress or Django?

You can build functional websites with WordPress without coding skills, thanks to its user-friendly dashboard and extensive plugin ecosystem. However, you can choose to hire a developer if you need extensive customization.

Django, on the other hand, fundamentally requires coding skills for development, setup, and customization.

Is WordPress or Django more customizable?

WordPress provides extensive customization for non-developers through themes for appearance changes and plugins for adding features. Django offers customization at the code level due to its nature as a framework.

Which platform is more secure, WordPress or Django?

Django CMS is often considered to have a stronger built-in security foundation. However, if you keep its core, themes, and plugins up to date, then WordPress can also be very secure, especially when you use a reputable security plugin.

Is WordPress faster than Django?

Django CMS is designed for speed and has a performance advantage, particularly for complex and high-traffic websites. However, if you spend time optimizing WordPress, its performance can also be excellent.

Which is more affordable, WordPress or Django?

WordPress can be a more affordable option for getting started, especially for basic websites. There are many free themes and plugins, and basic hosting can be inexpensive. However, costs for premium themes, plugins, and development help can add up.

Django projects typically require developer involvement from the start, which can lead to higher upfront costs. But for complex projects, this can be a worthwhile investment for long-term scalability and maintainability.

Are there a lot of resources for Django?

WordPress has a much larger community and more resources, including documentation, tutorials, and available developers.

Django CMS has a smaller but active and developer-focused community. There are resources, but nowhere near as many as for WordPress.

When should I choose WordPress vs. Django CMS?

I recommend choosing WordPress if you need a user-friendly CMS for blogs, small business websites, or content-focused sites where ease of use is important.

You may want to opt for Django CMS if you are building complex websites, web applications with content management needs, or projects requiring high levels of customization, scalability, and security.

Bonus Resources: Website Building & Content Management

I hope this tutorial helped you compare WordPress vs. Django and their pros and cons.

You may also want to see some other helpful resources we have at WPBeginner:

• Best and Most Popular CMS Platforms (Compared)
• How to Choose the Best Website Builder
• How to Make a WordPress Website (Ultimate Guide)
• How to Start a WordPress Blog (Beginner’s Guide)
• How to Start an Online Store (Step by Step for Beginners)
• Popular Sites Using WordPress as a CMS
• How to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting (Compared)
• How to Install a WordPress Plugin – Step by Step 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 WordPress vs. Django CMS: Which Is Better for Your Website? first appeared on WPBeginner.

When I first started building websites, I thought about using Drupal. It’s a strong platform, but it was too complicated and hard to learn, especially for beginners.

That’s why I chose WordPress instead. It’s powerful, easy to use, and now, it’s what I use for all my websites.

Over the years, I’ve helped many business owners and developers switch from Drupal to WordPress. I know it can feel overwhelming to move your whole website without losing content or breaking anything.

That’s why I created this simple guide to help you migrate from Drupal to WordPress safely and easily. It walks you through each step, using methods I’ve tested and improved with others who have made the same switch.

Whether your website is small or large, I’m here to help you make the change as smoothly as possible. Let’s get started together!

Why Migrate From Drupal to WordPress?

Drupal and WordPress may look similar. But in practice, these website builders are very different.

I’ve found that Drupal, while incredibly capable, can sometimes feel complex and overpowered.

Simple content updates start taking longer than they should. Finding the right developer to make tweaks isn’t always easy or cheap. And honestly, the backend can feel overwhelming sometimes.

In my experience, WordPress is much more user-friendly, which is why I always recommend it to people looking to make a website.

Think of it as your favorite everyday tool that’s easy to pick up and intuitive to use. It makes many tasks very easy to do, like writing and publishing a new blog post, adding an image to a page, or installing a simple contact form.

Drupal, on the other hand, is more like a highly specialized toolkit. It is precise and powerful, but it can feel like overkill for your daily needs. It can be difficult to do something that’s simple in WordPress, like setting up a custom page layout.

See my comparison of Drupal vs. WordPress for more details.

Step 1. Back Up Your Drupal Website and Link Structure

Before you start migrating your Drupal site, you need to create a safe copy of everything.

It’s also a great idea to back up the link structure of your website. You’ll use this information later to make sure you don’t lose your search engine rankings.

Backing Up Your Drupal Website Using a Module

You can back up your Drupal website easily using a module, or more advanced users can do it manually (see below).

The Backup and Migrate module makes backing up a Drupal website pretty straightforward.

Just visit Administration » Extend and you will find the module in the ‘Other’ section. Simply click the checkbox next to the module and then click the ‘Install’ button at the bottom of the page.

Once the module is installed, you’ll find it in your Drupal admin menu. It allows you to create backups of your database, files, or both. For a full site backup, you’ll want to back up everything.

Backing Up Your Drupal Website Manually

Alternatively, if you’re comfortable with the technical side of things, then you can also back up your Drupal site manually.

First, you’ll need to back up your website files using your hosting provider’s file manager or FTP software.

When the file manager opens, click on the public_html folder in the left menu and then select your website’s folder in the left pane. You need to right-click on that folder and create the ‘Compress’ option from the menu.

When asked for a compression type, you should select the ‘Zip Archive’ option. After your website has been compressed, you can close the confirmation message.

Next, you need to find the compressed zip file in the public_html folder. Right-click the file and select the ‘Download’ option. Make sure you store this backup file in a secure location.

Next, you’ll need to back up your database using phpMyAdmin. You will find this useful tool in the account dashboard of most reputable hosting providers.

For example, on Bluehost, you will find it by clicking on the Hosting tab and then scrolling down the page.

Clicking the phpMyAdmin button will launch the application in a new browser tab.

From here, click to select your Drupal database from the left column and then click on the ‘Export’ button at the top.

When you are asked to select the export method, you should select ‘Custom’. It will show you all of the database tables in your Drupal website.

To create a full backup, make sure all of the tables are selected.

You now need to scroll down to the ‘Output’ section and select the ‘Save output to a file’ option.

For compression, select the ‘zipped’ option.

Finally, scroll to the bottom of the page and click the ‘Go’ button.

The compressed database file will be saved to your computer, and you can store it safely, along with the file backup you created earlier.

Backing Up Your Link Structure

Next, you need to back up your link structure. This is important for SEO and making sure that people can find your content online.

You need to make a list of all your current Drupal URLs so that you can set up redirects later in WordPress. This way, if someone clicks an old link to your Drupal website, then they’ll be automatically sent to the right page on your new WordPress site.

I like to use a Chrome extension called Link Klipper. It’s free, easy to use, and can quickly save all the links from a website. You can easily install it in your browser using the link above.

Next, you need to visit your Drupal website’s homepage in your Chrome browser. Once there, just click the Link Klipper icon in your browser toolbar and choose the option that says ‘Extract All Links’.

Link Klipper will do its thing and grab all the links from your homepage and the pages it can find linked from there. It will download these links as a comma-separated values (CSV) file.

When you open that CSV file in Excel or Google Sheets, you’ll see a complete list of your Drupal URLs. Make sure you save this file somewhere safe because you’ll need it later.

Step 2. Installing and Setting Up WordPress

The requirements for both Drupal and self-hosted WordPress are quite similar. You’ll need a domain name and a WordPress hosting account to start with WordPress.

If you already have a domain name and website hosting account for your Drupal website, then you can use them for your WordPress website as well.

Alternatively, if you want to move to a different hosting provider, then I recommend using Bluehost, which is one of the top hosting companies recommended by WordPress. They offer WordPress hosting and a free domain name for just $1.99 a month.

For this guide, I’ll use screenshots from Bluehost to give you a visual example of the process.

You need to navigate to the Bluehost website and click the green ‘Get Started Now’ button.

You’ll then land on their pricing page, which shows you different hosting plans. Their ‘Basic’ plan is perfect for most websites.

Pick a plan that suits you by clicking the ‘Select’ button under it.

Next, you’ll be asked about the domain name you want to use. This is your website’s address, like www.yourwebsite.com.

You need to select ‘I’ll create my domain name later.’ This gives you time to migrate everything before pointing your domain to WordPress.

After the domain step, you’ll need to fill in your account details (name, address, and so on) and your payment information to complete the purchase.

Bluehost will then send you a confirmation email with your login details. Keep this email safe! You’ll need those details to log in to your hosting account dashboard.

When you log in to your Bluehost account for the first time, they install WordPress automatically for you.

Now, just look for the ‘Edit Site’ button in your hosting dashboard and click it. That will take you straight to your WordPress admin area, where you can manage your new website.

And that’s it. You’ve now successfully installed WordPress.

Step 3. Importing Your Drupal Content

To make the migration process as smooth as possible, I’ll show you how to use a free WordPress plugin called FG Drupal to WordPress. It automates a lot of the heavy lifting involved in moving content between these two platforms.

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

You’ll then find the importer tool under Tools » Import in your WordPress dashboard menu. You’ll see a list of different import options. Look for ‘Drupal’ in the list and click the ‘Run Importer’ link.

This will launch the FG Drupal to WordPress importer. Now, you’ll need to give the importer some information about your Drupal website so it can connect and grab your content.

The first thing it will ask for is your Drupal website URL.

Next, it needs your Drupal database details to get all your posts, pages, and other content. You’ll need to provide:

• ⛁ Database Host: This is usually localhost if your Drupal and WordPress sites are on the same server. If not, you’ll need to get this from your Drupal hosting provider.
• ⛁ Database Name: The name of your Drupal database.
• ⛁ Database User: The username used to access your Drupal database.
• ⛁ Database Password: The password for that database user.
• ⛁ Table prefix: Drupal uses table prefixes to keep things organized in the database. You’ll need to enter your Drupal table prefix here. It’s often something like drupal_.

You may have written this information down when you first set up your Drupal website. Otherwise, advanced users can use FTP to find the details in your Drupal settings.php file. Or simply contact your Drupal hosting provider and ask for assistance.

Once you’ve entered all the database details, click the ‘Test database connection’ button in the importer. If everything is correct, then you should see a ‘Connection successful’ message.

Below the connection settings, you’ll see some additional options in the importer. These let you control what gets imported, like featured images, content images, and other things.

Just leave the default settings as they are for your first import.

When you’re ready, you can start the import by clicking the big ‘Start / Resume the Import’ button. The importer will start fetching your content from your Drupal website and bringing it into WordPress. It will also import your images, blog comments, and more.

The time it takes depends on the amount of content you have. Once the import is finished, you should see a success message.

The FG Drupal to WordPress plugin can also help you fix internal links.

Sometimes, after a migration, links within your content might still be pointing to your old Drupal site structure. The plugin can try to update these to point to your new WordPress site.

Scroll down to the bottom of the importer page and click the ‘Modify internal links’ button.

Step 4. Pointing Your Domain Name to Your New WordPress Website

Now that your content is imported into WordPress, you need to make sure people will find your new site when they type in your domain name.

If you already have a domain name for your Drupal website (like yourwebsite.com), then you want to keep using that same domain for WordPress. You need to adjust your nameservers to point to your new WordPress site.

Your new WordPress hosting provider, like Bluehost, Hostinger, or SiteGround, will give you the nameserver information you need.

It usually looks like a pair of addresses, something like:

ns1.your-wordpress-hosting.com
ns2.your-wordpress-hosting.com

You change these settings with your domain name registrar, the company where you originally registered your domain name.

Sometimes, your domain registrar might be the same company as your hosting provider. But often, they’re separate. Common domain registrars include companies like Network Solutions and Namecheap.

You need to log in to your account at your domain registrar’s website. Once you’re logged in, find the settings for your domain name. Look for something like ‘DNS Settings’, ‘Nameservers’, ‘Domain Management’, or ‘Manage DNS’.

For example, here is the screen you will see on Bluehost.

You’ll find step-by-step instructions for many popular domain registrars in my guide on how to easily change domain nameservers.

Once you’ve updated your nameservers, it takes a little while for these changes to spread across the internet. This is called DNS propagation.

DNS propagation can take anywhere from a few hours to, in some cases, up to 24-48 hours. During this time, some people might still see your old Drupal website, while others might start seeing your new WordPress site.

Step 5. Setting Up Permalinks and Redirects

Your old Drupal site had its own way of structuring URLs. WordPress does things a bit differently with permalinks.

Because the URLs for each post will be different, anyone who has a link to your old Drupal content will end up seeing a frustrating ‘404 Page Not Found’ error on your new WordPress site.

To prevent broken links, you have to set up SEO-friendly permalinks in WordPress and redirect your visitors from your old Drupal URLs to the right pages on your new WordPress site.

Setting Up WordPress Permalinks

WordPress gives you a few different options for how your website addresses (URLs) are structured. These are called permalinks.

The ‘Post name’ setting is a popular choice. It creates nice, clean URLs that usually include the title of your page or blog post. This structure can be helpful for both visitors and search engines because it makes the URL easy to read and gives a clear idea of what the page is about.

In your WordPress dashboard, go to Settings » Permalinks. You’ll see a section called ‘Common Settings’. Find the option labeled ‘Post name’ and click the radio button next to it to select it.

Then, just scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the ‘Save Changes’ button. Done!

Setting Up Redirects from Your Old Drupal URLs

Now you need to set up redirects to make sure your old Drupal links still work. To do this, you will need that list of old Drupal URLs you grabbed using Link Klipper in Step 1.

To set up redirects easily in WordPress, you need to install and activate a plugin called Redirection. It’s free and it makes managing redirects a breeze. If you need help, see my guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once activated, you’ll find the Redirection plugin settings under Tools » Redirection in your WordPress menu.

In the Redirection plugin interface, you’ll see fields for Source URL and Target URL:

• Source URL is where you enter your old Drupal website URL – the one you want to redirect from. Just include the part after the domain name, like /my-old-page.
• Target URL is where you enter the new WordPress URL for the same page. Again, just include the part after the domain name, like /my-new-page.

Make sure the ‘301 – Moved Permanently’ option is selected for the ‘Match’ type (it’s usually the default). This tells search engines that the page has permanently moved to a new location, which is important for SEO.

Finally, click the ‘Add Redirect’ button to save the redirect.

Now, you’ll need to go through your list of old Drupal URLs and repeat these steps for each URL you want to redirect. It can be a bit repetitive if you have a lot of pages, but it’s worth the effort to avoid broken links and keep your SEO intact.

For detailed instructions, see my guide on how to set up redirects in WordPress.

Alternative: Using AIOSEO for Redirects

If you’re already using the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin, or if you’re planning to use it to improve your website’s SEO, then it also has a redirection manager built in.

It’s a powerful WordPress SEO plugin that lets you easily set up full site redirects, plus it offers many other features to help your website rank higher in search results.

For example, its 404 error tracking can easily catch broken links, and you can add schema markup, custom breadcrumbs, local SEO modules, and much more.

Step 6. Setting Up Your WordPress Theme

To make your WordPress website look amazing, you need to choose and install a theme. These are ready-made design templates for your site that control its appearance, including the colors, fonts, layout of your pages, and how your blog posts are displayed.

There are plenty of free themes and premium themes available for every possible niche and industry you can imagine.

In my experience, clean and simple designs tend to work best for most websites. They look more professional, they’re easier for visitors to navigate, and most importantly, they put the focus where it should be: on your content.

To help you narrow things down, I put together a guide on selecting the perfect WordPress theme. It walks you through the key things to consider and helps you avoid some common traps.

Then, you can follow my step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress theme.

Alternatively, you can easily create a custom WordPress theme using drag-and-drop with the SeedProd website builder plugin. This is a great option if you want to perfectly match your old site’s look without writing code, giving you full control over the design.

Of course, if you prefer, you can always hire professionals to design and code a completely custom WordPress website for you.

Step 7. Install Essential WordPress Plugins

WordPress plugins are easier to install than Drupal modules. Thousands are available, both free and paid. So, I created a guide on how to pick the best plugins for your website.

But first, let me introduce you to some must-have plugins that I recommend for pretty much every new WordPress site:

• WPForms lets you create all sorts of WordPress forms – contact forms, surveys, order forms, and more. I use it on my own websites to allow readers to contact me and gather their feedback.
• SeedProd is a powerful drag-and-drop website builder. It lets you easily customize your WordPress design, create unique page layouts, or even build a complete custom theme.
• AIOSEO (All in One SEO) helps you optimize your blog for better search engine rankings. It’s the most powerful SEO plugin for WordPress.
• MonsterInsights connects to Google Analytics and makes it easy to understand your traffic and visitor behavior right inside your WordPress dashboard.
• OptinMonster helps you create popups, slide-in forms, and other opt-in forms to grow your email list and boost conversions.

You’ll find more ideas in my list of essential WordPress plugins. It’s packed with plugins I use and trust.

Alternative: Get Professional Help to Migrate Your Drupal Website

While many of you will be able to follow this guide to migrate from Drupal to WordPress, it’s still a pretty technical project. Maybe you’re not very techy or are simply too busy to do it yourself.

If that sounds like you, then our WPBeginner professional services team can lend a hand. We’ve helped tons of people with their WordPress websites, and we can help you too.

Here are a couple of ways we can make your Drupal to WordPress migration easier:

• Premium WordPress Support Services: Reach out to our team anytime you get stuck, have questions, or just want some personalized help with your migration. We can guide you through specific steps, troubleshoot issues, or even take over certain tasks for you.
• Quick Site Launch Service: Want a completely fresh start with a brand new, custom WordPress website? Our Quick Site Launch service team can design and build a website from the ground up. And we can handle the whole content migration from Drupal.

If you’re curious to learn more about these services or if you just have some questions about migration in general, then we’re here to chat! You can easily get in touch with our support team on our Website Design Services page.

Bonus: Learning WordPress

Now that you have a new WordPress website, you’ll want to learn more. Luckily, we have lots of free resources to help you quickly become a WordPress pro:

• The WPBeginner Blog is the heart of WPBeginner. It’s a WordPress learning library packed with thousands of easy-to-follow tutorials, guides, and how-to articles.
• The WPBeginner Dictionary helps you understand all the WordPress terms and jargon, like a WordPress translator.
• WPBeginner Videos walk you through common WordPress tasks step-by-step, visually, from basic to more advanced techniques.
• Our WPBeginner YouTube Channel is packed with WordPress tips, tutorials, and how-tos to help you stay up-to-date with the latest WordPress goodness.
• The WPBeginner Blueprint gives you a peek behind the scenes and shows you our recommended WordPress setup.
• WPBeginner Deals offer exclusive discounts and coupons on WordPress themes, plugins, hosting, and more.

I hope this tutorial helped you move your site from Drupal to WordPress. You may also want to see our ultimate WordPress SEO migration checklist for beginners or our expert pick of the best WordPress migration services.

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

The post How to Migrate From Drupal to WordPress (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.

From a plugin built for a local baseball team to one of the most trusted tools in the WordPress ecosystem, TablePress is a story of steady growth, community focus, and user-first development.

Its creator, Tobias Bäthge, didn’t start as a software engineer. He studied control engineering and stumbled into plugin development while helping his sports team with their website. What began as a side project has grown into a full-time business now used by over 700,000 websites worldwide.

In our interview, Tobias shared lessons from nearly two decades of plugin development—why steady support, thoughtful features, and doing less (but better) lead to long-term success.

“The most important thing right now isn’t actually coding—it’s finding a product idea and bringing it to the people.”

Tobias Bäthge – Creator of TablePress

Keep reading to learn how Tobias turned a free plugin into a thriving business, without losing sight of the people who use it every day.

Video Interview with Tobias Bäthge

If you’d like to watch the complete video interview with Tobias, then you can check it out here:

Or you can use the links below to see what we covered in the interview (and more):

🙋 Meet Tobias Bäthge: From Baseball Fan to Plugin Creator

Tobias Bäthge didn’t plan on becoming a WordPress developer. He was studying control engineering at university when he joined a local baseball team and offered to help with their website.

They needed a way to publish schedules, stats, and player info, but there weren’t any suitable plugins available.

“In baseball, what do you need tables for? Schedules, rosters, statistics… the plugin I found didn’t have all the features I was looking for.”

Tobias Bäthge

This kind of origin story—solving a personal need without a bigger plan—is one we see often at WPBeginner. It’s how many of the most useful WordPress plugins get their start.

Tobias found that WordPress was easy to use, but it didn’t have a good solution for managing tables. So he took matters into his own hands.

That plugin became WP-Table Reloaded, and it quickly found an audience beyond the baseball field. Other WordPress users started installing it, offering feedback, and asking for new features.

What started as a personal project turned into something much bigger, used by thousands of people who needed a better way to manage tables in WordPress.

It’s a pattern we’ve seen across many successful WordPress plugins: start small, stay useful, and let real-world use guide your growth.

📈 From WP-Table Reloaded to TablePress: Building for Real Users

As more people started using WP-Table Reloaded, Tobias found himself spending more time in the WordPress forums answering questions, fixing bugs, and helping users get the most out of the plugin.

When users take the time to give feedback, it’s a sign they believe in your plugin’s potential. Tobias recognized this early and made sure to be attentive to his users.

“I think people valued that they received fast and prompt support… I think that’s really one key element that people realized: if they get stuck, they can always approach me.”

Tobias Bäthge

In fact, Tobias has posted over 50,000 times in support forums.

That level of commitment built his plugin’s reputation as a trustworthy, well-supported tool.

He also made a conscious decision to keep the plugin focused. Instead of adding every feature request, he used his own needs as a filter and carefully weighed the long-term impact of each change.

“I always tried only doing things that I thought I would need myself… because if you add something, you can’t really remove it later.”

Tobias Bäthge

Around the same time, he also started digging through the code of other popular plugins, studying how they used WordPress APIs and structured their files.

At WPBeginner, we often recommend this kind of hands-on exploration. For many developers, real-world examples are the fastest way to level up.

By 2011, Tobias realized that WP-Table Reloaded needed a fresh start. The original codebase had grown too limiting, and some of the early design decisions were holding the plugin back. So he started over—and TablePress was born.

“I realized it’s hard with the current technical setup of the plugin… if I start fresh, I can set up a better foundation.

Tobias also made sure the transition from WP-Table Reloaded was seamless, building automatic import tools to prevent users from losing any data.

The result? TablePress kept the clean, user-friendly experience people loved while becoming far easier to maintain, extend, and support. That’s why we still believe it’s one of the best WordPress table plugins on the market.

🚀 Going Full-Time With TablePress: Business, Balance, and Motivation

For years, TablePress was something Tobias worked on in his free time. But in 2022, he made a major decision: to leave his job as a research assistant at a university and focus on TablePress full-time.

It wasn’t easy, especially without a business background or entrepreneurial role models to follow. “I didn’t have a role model. Everybody around me had jobs, no one was self-employed. So I had a lot of respect for the business side,” he said.

The transition meant learning everything from tax laws to payment systems, on top of building new premium features and maintaining the free version. But it also required something deeper: learning to say no.

“Learning to say no is what helped me to start doing TablePress as a profession.”

Tobias Bäthge

That meant saying no to a steady job, no to distractions, and even no to certain feature requests, so that he could build something sustainable on his own terms.

One of the biggest rewards? The freedom to design his day around what really matters.

“I actually take the freedom of taking my kids to kindergarten first in the morning. It gives me energy.”

That balance is also what keeps him motivated, along with the opportunity to keep learning as WordPress evolves.

“What keeps the motivation high is I can learn while working.”

Tobias Bäthge

For Tobias, going full-time wasn’t about going fast. It was about focusing on what matters, building sustainably, and staying connected to the community that helped him get started.

💡 Real Talk: Advice for Aspiring WordPress Plugin Developers

Tobias didn’t build a successful plugin overnight. TablePress grew slowly, through consistent improvements, user feedback, and a strong foundation of trust. That’s also where he thinks every plugin developer should start.

“In the very beginning, providing fast, helpful support can go a long way.”

In Tobias’s case, those early interactions built momentum. Answering questions, fixing bugs, and simply being available created word-of-mouth buzz and trust, long before making money came into play.

We’ve seen time and again: strong support is often a plugin’s best marketing.

But support isn’t the only piece of the puzzle. Tobias recommends starting with a real need—ideally, one you have yourself.

That way, you’re solving a problem you understand deeply, rather than guessing at what users might want.

“You have to kind of do the research first… you need something that separates you from existing solutions.”

Tobias Bäthge

He also sees the freemium model as one of the best ways to build and validate a plugin business, but cautions that it requires careful balance.

“The free version has to provide value on its own… but you can’t give away too many features or people won’t upgrade.”

For Tobias, it’s not about building something flashy. It’s about staying grounded, solving real problems, and doing it in a way that users genuinely appreciate.

💥 Related Post: Looking for more inspirational content? Check out our interview with Ionut Neagu, the founder of Themeisle.

🧠 Staying Focused and Productive as a Solo Founder

With over 700,000 active installs and no full-time team, TablePress is a solo operation at scale. That means Tobias has to be extra intentional with his time, tools, and energy.

One of the first lessons? Learning to say no, not just to feature requests, but to himself.

“Learning to say no—to yourself and to others—is key to setting priorities.”

Tobias Bäthge

Tobias breaks up his day into blocks of time focused on different areas of the business, including support, development, marketing, and documentation. That helps him avoid context-switching and make real progress without burning out.

Another key to his workflow is automation. Over the years, Tobias has built systems that handle everything from plugin releases to syntax checks to version testing. This has freed up time for more important work.

Many solo developers in our community tell us the same thing: automating routine tasks is the only way to scale sustainably.

“Those tasks should be automated… they just work in the background and free you from so much stress.”

Tobias Bäthge

He remembers when pushing a new version of the plugin was a stressful, manual process, and how that stress sometimes delayed releases by weeks.

“Now I have the testing set up in the background… I can much quicker and easier say, okay, new plugin release, click, boom.”

It’s a reminder that good systems don’t just make you more efficient. They make you more confident, too.

🔮 Looking Ahead: TablePress and the Future of WordPress

Tobias is optimistic about where WordPress is going, especially with the ongoing evolution of the block editor and a shift toward more interactive, browser-based experiences.

“There’s a major change happening in the editing experience—it’s an entirely new programming paradigm.”

Tobias Bäthge

That change presents new opportunities for TablePress, from improved interfaces to richer interactions inside WordPress itself. And for Tobias, it also brings new motivation.

But he’s also cautious not to change things just to get people’s attention. In fact, one of the most important lessons he’s learned is how overwhelming updates can be for less technical users.

To get his point across, he shared a relatable anecdote from his own life. He talked about seeing his grandparents, who are in their late 80s, navigate new technology. Tobias, the careful observer, notices when they struggle with updates on their smartphones.

When things move or change unexpectedly, it’s easy for users to feel lost. That has shaped his design philosophy.

“Ironing out wrinkles and making things easier to use is sometimes more appreciated than a big new feature.”

Tobias Bäthge

As WordPress continues to grow and change, Tobias is focused on keeping TablePress intuitive, consistent, and reliable for beginners and advanced users alike.

💭 Final Thoughts

Tobias Bäthge didn’t set out to build a business, but he did set out to build something useful.

Nearly two decades later, TablePress stands as a model of focused development, user-first design, and long-term sustainability in the WordPress ecosystem.

His story is a reminder that you don’t need to move fast or make a lot of noise to be successful. Instead, consistency, clarity, and community support can take you a long way.

For Tobias, what matters most is building something reliable—something that solves a real problem and keeps working over time. That means saying no to change for change’s sake and putting user experience first.

“Sometimes too much change is too much… especially for less technical users.”

Tobias Bäthge

Whether you’re building your first plugin or trying to turn your side project into a full-time venture, Tobias’s journey is proof that thoughtful, steady progress can still help you win.

📚 Bonus: Expert Resources for WordPress Plugin Developers

Want to follow in Tobias’s footsteps and build your own successful plugin? Here are some helpful WPBeginner resources that can help you out:

• How to Learn WordPress for Free (Step by Step)
• Best WordPress Developer Job Sites
• How to Submit Your Plugin to the WordPress Plugin Directory
• How to Track Plugin Engagement With Analytics
• WordPress SEO Tips for Plugin Pages
• WordPress Career Options – How to Make a Living With WordPress

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

The post From Side Project to 700K+ Active WordPress Installs: Tobias Bäthge on the Organic Growth of TablePress first appeared on WPBeginner.

You’ve spent hours perfecting your WordPress website. The design looks great, your content is solid, and your products or services are top-notch. But something’s wrong. Visitors aren’t staying long, and you’re not getting the results you expected.

Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Many small business owners face this exact problem. The issue often isn’t what’s on your site—it’s how people experience it.

Poor user experience is a silent business killer. When your site is slow, confusing, or hard to navigate, potential customers leave before giving you a chance. They head straight to your competitors who offer a smoother online experience.

The good news? You don’t need to be a tech expert or hire expensive developers to fix this. Simple, strategic improvements can transform how visitors interact with your WordPress site.

In this guide, I’ll share 13 practical tips that consistently improve user experience on WordPress websites. These simple changes can dramatically boost your conversions and keep visitors coming back for more.

Why User Experience Matters for Your WordPress Site

User experience (UX) is about how easy and enjoyable it is for visitors to use your WordPress website. This applies whether they’re reading your blog, exploring your services, or making a purchase.

Think about what happens when customers walk into a well-organized store. 🛒

If everything’s easy to find and the checkout is quick, people are more likely to stay longer, browse, and buy.

The same applies to other websites: a clear navigation menu, fast load times, and a clean design keep visitors engaged.

But if your site is confusing, slow to load, or crowded with too many elements, many users will get frustrated and leave. And most won’t come back. In fact, even a one-second delay in page speed can cause conversions to drop by 7%.

That’s why good UX isn’t optional — it’s essential. The right design choices make your site easier to use and help guide visitors toward taking action, whether that’s subscribing to your email newsletter or making a purchase.

And the best part? Many of these improvements are easy to set up, even if you’re not a developer. I’ll walk you through the most effective tips in the sections below.

Here’s a quick overview of all the tips I’ll cover in this guide:

Ready? Let’s get started.

Tip #1: Understand Your Users

Before you can improve your WordPress site’s user experience, you need to know who you’re designing for. A great way to start is by creating simple user personas, which are fictional profiles that represent your typical visitors.

For example, if you’re running a WordPress blog targeting busy parents, one of your personas could be a working mom. She’s looking for time-saving tips, easy-to-follow guides, and parenting hacks to manage her busy life. Let’s call her ‘Sarah

Having user personas in mind helps you tailor your website’s features and content to better serve your audience. To create one, I recommend trying the free HubSpot Make My Persona tool.

Once you understand who your users are, it becomes easier to make design and content choices that actually help them.

It’s even more important to get direct feedback from your visitors if your site is already up and running. In my experience, even a simple feedback survey can uncover valuable insights about your site’s navigation, design, or content.

You can gather instant feedback using tools like UserFeedback. UserFeedback is the best choice if you want to conduct surveys among first-time site visitors. For example, you can create a feedback form asking your first-time visitors what’s working (or what isn’t) on your site.

You might also ask user experience feedback questions like, “Was this page helpful?” or “What information were you hoping to find?” This way, you collect direct, actionable feedback.

If you want to create surveys and polls to gather feedback from existing customers, then use a tool like WPForms. For instance, you could run a quick poll asking which new website features your users would like to see next.

The more you learn about your audience, the better your UX decisions will be — and the more likely your visitors will be to stick around, explore, and take action.

For more details, we have a full guide on how to choose a target audience.

Tip #2: Do a UX Audit

A UX audit is basically a deep dive into your website from a visitor’s point of view. It helps you spot anything that might be confusing, so you can fix it as soon as possible.

One of the first things you’ll want to do is test your site for usability issues. This means checking how easily someone can navigate your site, find what they need, or complete an action.

Even minor issues, like a misplaced or hidden button, can negatively impact the user experience.

I always recommend walking through important steps on your site, like submitting a contact form or making a purchase, just like a first-time visitor would.

Take note of any steps that feel confusing, slow, or frustrating — these are your pain points and bottlenecks to address.

It’s also a good idea to track the time it takes to go from finding a feature to completing the desired action. This way, you know exactly how much time a user typically takes to convert or complete a specific action.

For a full walkthrough, be sure to check out our expert tips for how to do a UX audit in WordPress.

Tip #3: Use Analytics to Guide UX Improvements

User experience isn’t just about design — it’s also about understanding how people actually use your site. By looking at data, you can make smart decisions to improve your website’s usability and get better results.

A great way to see how visitors interact with your pages is by using heatmaps and session recordings. Tools like UserFeedback and Microsoft Clarity can be very helpful here.

Heatmaps show you a visual map of where users click, move their mouse, and how far they scroll on your pages. Session recordings let you watch replays of actual user visits.

This is super useful for spotting areas where people might be getting confused, what they’re paying attention to, or what parts of your layout they might be ignoring.

For example, you might see that users are trying to click on something that isn’t a link, or that they’re not scrolling down to see an important call to action. This kind of direct insight helps you make specific changes to improve your design and guide users better.

This is especially helpful for improving navigation paths or identifying parts of your layout that are being ignored. For more information on this topic, read our guide on how to set up heatmaps in WordPress.

While heatmaps show you what’s happening on individual pages, you’ll also want to understand bigger trends across your entire website. This is where website analytics tools like Google Analytics can help.

Google Analytics is powerful, but it can be a bit technical for beginners, especially with newer versions like GA4. That’s why I often recommend using a plugin like MonsterInsights.

MonsterInsights makes it easy to see your Google Analytics data right in your WordPress dashboard. It simplifies the complex reports and helps you focus on information that can improve your site’s performance.

Our team uses it every day to continuously improve user experience, and it’s been very helpful. For more insights into its features, see our full MonsterInsights review.

With MonsterInsights, you can follow important trends like:

• User Engagement: This shows how much visitors interact with your content, including how long they stay or if they visit multiple pages. High engagement usually means your content is helpful and easy to use.
• Top Performing Content: See which pages and posts are most popular. This helps you understand what your audience likes so you can create more of it.
• Audience Insights: Learn about your visitors, like their location or the devices they use (desktop, mobile). This can help you tailor your site to their needs.
• Behavior Flow: Understand the paths users take through your site and where they might drop off. This helps you find and fix issues in your site’s navigation or content that might be causing users to leave.

These insights, which are accessible on the MonsterInsights Reports page, help you spot what’s working and what needs improvement for a better user experience.

For more information, see our guide on WordPress conversion tracking.

Tip #4: Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly

With more and more people browsing the web on their smartphones, making your website mobile-friendly is essential.

A site that’s hard to use on a small screen can frustrate visitors and cause them to leave. Plus, Google often prioritizes mobile-friendly sites in search results, so it’s important for your SEO, too.

A good starting point is to use a responsive WordPress theme, as these automatically adjust your site’s layout for different screen sizes.

I also recommend paying attention to your buttons and other clickable elements.

On mobile, these need to be large enough for users to tap easily with their fingers, without accidentally hitting something else nearby. This helps prevent frustration and makes your site much easier to navigate on the go.

Next, think about how your text appears on smaller screens. It’s important that your content is readable without users needing to pinch and zoom.

You can do this by choosing clear, legible fonts and ensuring the font size is large enough to read. Good contrast between your text and its background also boosts readability on mobile devices.

Another important feature is your site’s navigation. A menu that works well on a desktop might be too hard to use on mobile devices.

For instance, long or complex menus can overwhelm users on a small screen. It’s often better to use a collapsed menu, sometimes called a “hamburger” menu (an icon with three horizontal lines), or a simplified menu showing only the most essential links for mobile visitors.

Finally, make sure any forms on your site are easy to fill out on a mobile device. This can be a common pain point for users, so it’s a good idea to keep your forms as short as possible.

Using a single-column layout, making form fields large enough to tap into easily, and ensuring labels are clear will make a big difference. This makes it much simpler for users to complete sign-ups, contact forms, or checkouts on their phones.

Testing your site on different mobile devices is always a good idea to catch any usability issues.

The good news is that you can preview the mobile layout of your site from your WordPress content editor.

Some page and theme builders even let you customize the mobile version of your site from the editor.

For more detailed steps, you can check out our guide on how to make your WordPress site mobile-friendly.

Tip #5: Improve Accessibility for All Users

Did you know that websites are considered “places of public accommodation”? That’s why the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) allows individuals to file complaints if a website fails to meet accessibility standards.

This is a good reason to make sure your site is inclusive for all users, including people with visual, hearing, or motor impairments.

But making your website accessible doesn’t just help people with disabilities. It also improves the user experience for everyone.

One easy accessibility adjustment you can make is adding alt text and titles to your images.

Alt text is a short description of an image that screen readers read aloud. It can help visually impaired users while also giving search engines more context about your visual content for better image SEO.

On the other hand, image titles can appear when users hover over an image, providing additional context. You can add these directly through your WordPress media library.

When it comes to fonts, you’ll want to pick options that are easy to read for everyone. This often means choosing clear, simple font styles.

For example, sans-serif fonts are generally recommended for web content due to their clean appearance.

But simply choosing a good font isn’t enough. You also need to make sure there’s enough contrast between the text and the background color. If the contrast is too low, it can be very difficult for people to read your content.

You can check your color combinations using free online tools like the WebAIM Contrast Checker.

Even with the right font and good contrast, some users may still struggle to read the text if it’s too small. One simple way to make your site more accessible is to make sure that your site design allows visitors to resize the text, which many modern web browsers support.

You can also use a WordPress accessibility plugin to add other helpful features. For example, a plugin like WP Accessibility can add “skip links,” which allow users with screen readers to jump directly to the main content, bypassing menus and headers.

All that said, true ADA compliance goes beyond just these basic steps. It involves adhering to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which provide a comprehensive framework for making web content accessible to people with disabilities.

For more in-depth insights, check out our guide on how to improve accessibility on your WordPress site.

Tip #6: Simplify Your Website Navigation and Search

Confusing navigation is one of the fastest ways to lose visitors. But the good news is that you can avoid this with an intuitive navigation menu. You’ll want it to be clear, simple, and easy to follow.

To improve navigation, it helps to walk through a few simple steps.

You can start by creating a logical menu structure. Stick to familiar terms like “Home,” “About,” “Blog,” “Shop,” and “Contact” so users immediately know where to go.

For example, if you’re running a business website where you sell software, your navigation should make it easy for visitors to learn about your products. In this case, key links might include “Features,” “Solutions,” “Pricing,” and “Resources.”

Plus, you may want to group similar content under dropdowns to avoid cluttering the top menu with too many items. Just make sure the dropdowns are easy to use on mobile devices.

A mega menu can be particularly helpful for larger sites. This basically consists of multiple dropdown menus to help organize large amounts of content, products, or information.

For more information, see our guide on how to add a navigation menu in WordPress.

It’s also a good idea to add breadcrumbs, which are small links that show users where they are on your site (like Home > Blog > Article Name).

Breadcrumbs make it easy for visitors to backtrack and are especially helpful for blogs and online stores with lots of content.

Finally, if you want to provide your visitors with the best possible navigation experience, I suggest optimizing your WordPress search.

You’ll want to make sure the search bar is easy to tap and works well on mobile devices.

The default search function isn’t always the most accurate or helpful. So, upgrading it can make a big difference, especially if you have a content-heavy site where users need to quickly find posts, products, or resources.

To do this, I recommend starting by reviewing your site’s search stats. This can show you what visitors are looking for, what they can’t easily find, and whether your current search function is meeting their needs.

From there, you can improve your WordPress search to deliver faster, more accurate results. Learn more about it in our guide on how to improve WordPress search.

Tip #7: Use Clean, Minimalist Design

A cluttered website can overwhelm your visitors and make it hard for them to focus. It can be tempting to overdo your design with fancy features, loud colors, and animations, but it’s not always the best option.

On the other hand, clean design helps guide people’s attention to what really matters — whether that’s your content, products, or call-to-action.

That’s why I strongly recommend using clean, minimalist design principles.

For starters, it’s usually best to stick to a consistent color scheme and limit your font choices to two or three. This keeps things looking polished and makes your content easier to read.

Instead of focusing on the exact fonts or colors used on other sites, aim for consistency and readability across your own pages.

Using plenty of white space also prevents your layout from feeling crowded or cluttered. It not only looks modern but also makes your site feel more organized and professional.

I also recommend keeping each page focused by limiting the number of elements, like popups, banners, and widgets, unless they serve a clear purpose.

Too many distractions can make it hard for visitors to choose what to do next, which often leads to confusion or even higher bounce rates.

In contrast, a clean and minimalist design improves the user experience. This can also increase conversions, generate more leads, and boost engagement.

One of the easiest ways to ensure a good balance of color, fonts, and white space is by using a well-designed theme.

For tips on picking the right theme, check out our guide on selecting the perfect theme for WordPress.

If you already know you want something minimalist and easy to set up, you can take a look at our list of the best simple WordPress themes for a professional, clutter-free design.

Alternatively, you can use a page builder like SeedProd to create custom layouts that give you more control over design elements.

SeedProd lets you drag and drop elements to build landing pages, sales pages, coming soon pages, and even entire WordPress themes — no coding needed.

It’s a flexible option for beginners and non-technical users who want a completely custom look without starting from zero.

To get started building your custom pages, see our expert checklist of key design elements for an effective WordPress website.

Tip #8: Present Content in a User-Friendly Way

When you show your content in an organized and user-friendly way, you’re more likely to get your message across and make it easier for visitors to understand.

To organize your content better, I recommend starting by using clear headings. They are like signposts that guide visitors along your page and help them find what they’re looking for.

You can also use these headings to create a table of contents, like we do on the WPBeginner blog. That way, readers can quickly jump to the parts of a post or page that interest them most.

Many of our posts also start with a brief overview and then break into actionable steps using bullet points. Here’s why that helps with content organization:

• Big blocks of text can overwhelm readers who skim.
• Bullet points highlight key details quickly, while short paragraphs keep content light and digestible.
• Together, they make your posts and pages more engaging, encouraging visitors to stay and interact longer.

Visuals can make a big difference, too. Adding images, videos, or infographics can help illustrate your points and simplify complex ideas.

In our A/B test tutorial, for example, we included a screenshot of our test results. This visual comparison helped readers quickly see which version won and why it was more effective, making the concept of A/B testing more concrete and actionable. (You’ll learn more about A/B testing in Tip #10!)

Additionally, a quick explainer GIF can help keep visitors engaged and make your content more memorable.

Want to boost interaction? I also recommend including interactive polls, sliders, or fun quizzes using WordPress plugins. These small touches can make your content feel more dynamic and invite visitors to actively participate.

Looking for more details on how you can improve the way you present content? Check out our guide on how to write a great blog post and structure it.

Tip #9: Speed Up Your Website

How quickly your website loads plays a big role in user experience. A delay of just one second can cause people to lose interest and leave your site.

That’s why improving your WordPress website’s speed and performance should be a top priority.

To start, you’ll want to use a caching plugin. Caching stores a ready-to-go copy of your site, so it loads much faster for repeat visitors.

Plugins like WP Rocket or WP Super Cache make this super easy to set up in just a few clicks. I use WP Rocket on a lot of different websites, and I’ve found that it drastically improves website loading speeds.

Most caching plugins also let you fine-tune your setup for even better results. For example, enabling mobile caching helps your site load faster on smartphones and tablets.

If your site includes logged-in users — like customers on a WooCommerce store or members of a private membership site — turning on user caching helps pages load faster for them, too.

Finally, enabling lazy loading delays loading images until they appear in the visitor’s viewport. This keeps your initial page load light and fast, especially on media-heavy pages.

Even a few of these settings can noticeably improve your load time and reduce bounce rates, helping users stay longer and engage more with your content.

If you’d like help configuring these features, check out our full guide on how to properly install and set up WP Rocket in WordPress.

Another way to boost your speed is by adding a CDN (Content Delivery Network).

A CDN stores copies of your site’s files on servers around the world, which means users load your site from the server closest to them. This can dramatically cut down load times, especially if you have visitors from different parts of the globe.

If you’re not sure where to start, we have a handy guide on how to set up Cloudflare’s free CDN in WordPress.

It’s also important to compress your images. Large image files are one of the biggest reasons sites slow down.

You can shrink your images without losing quality by using tools like TinyPNG or plugins like EWWW Image Optimizer that automate the process for you.

While you’re at it, consider switching to modern image formats like WebP. These formats offer better compression compared to traditional JPEG or PNG files, so your pages load even faster without sacrificing image quality.

Finally, don’t forget to test your site’s performance regularly. Free tools like GTmetrix or Google PageSpeed Insights can analyze your site and give you specific suggestions to make it even faster.

For more information and tips on improving site speed, refer to our ultimate guide to boosting WordPress performance.

Tip #10: Test Website Changes with A/B Testing

When it comes to improving your site’s user experience, small tweaks can lead to big results. But how do you know what actually works?

That’s where A/B testing comes in.

A/B testing is a method for comparing two versions of a webpage or element (like a button or headline) to see which one performs better.

Here’s how it works: You create two variations (A and B), show them to different groups of visitors, and track which version gets more clicks, conversions, or engagement.

With tools like Thrive Optimize, setting up an A/B test is straightforward. It can automatically measure which version performs better for goals like clicks, signups, or purchases.

You can test things like:

• Headline variations
• Button color or text
• Page layout or section order
• Different images or testimonials

For example, I ran a test in Thrive Optimize where I changed the color of the call-to-action button on a landing page. After editing the variation, I split the traffic between both versions and let the test run.

The process was simple, and the data clearly showed which version performed better. It’s a great way to improve pages based on actual results — not just assumptions.

You might find that a shorter headline keeps users engaged longer, or that placing your CTA higher on the page increases conversions.

Most A/B testing tools will automatically switch to the winning version once enough data is collected, helping you continuously improve your site’s performance.

For details on how to do it, just see our guide on how to do A/B split testing in WordPress.

Tip #11: Be Selective With Your Content

If your posts or pages include too much unnecessary content, it can make it harder for your audience to understand your message.

That’s why it’s always best to keep your content focused and intentional. Every page should have a clear goal, and every section of content should support that goal.

If you’re building a landing page, for example, the layout and copy should guide visitors toward a single action — like signing up for your newsletter or downloading a free resource.

For tips on building landing pages, see our complete guide on increasing your landing page conversions.

When it comes to writing blog posts, the same rule applies. Publishing every idea that comes to mind might fill your site with content, but it won’t always serve your readers.

It’s better to focus on topics that align with your niche and help your audience solve real problems.

To take it a step further, you can group related posts around a main pillar page using a content cluster strategy. This helps improve navigation and build authority in your niche.

We have a full tutorial on how to build content clusters in WordPress, including how to plan them around your areas of expertise.

It also helps to do regular content audits. Over time, some posts stop performing well, either because they’re outdated or because search intent has changed.

This is called content decay. For example, a blog post titled “Top SEO Tips for 2020” might no longer rank well in search results because SEO practices have evolved.

So during your content audits, take time to review older pages and decide: should I keep, update, or delete this content?

A little cleanup goes a long way in keeping visitors engaged and helping them find exactly what they need.

Tip #12: Encourage User Interaction 

When people can actively interact with your pages, they will naturally stay on your site longer.

Creating opportunities for user interaction can make all the difference. It encourages visitors to stick around, share feedback, and even return later.

A great place to start is your comments section. If it feels outdated, clunky, or inactive, people might not bother leaving a reply.

To give it an update, you can add like/dislike buttons. This way, your visitors can engage with the conversation even if they don’t want to post.

Alternatively, you might want to feature a simple user ranking system. For instance, you can pin top comments or award badges to users who consistently leave helpful remarks.

To make these improvements, you can upgrade your comment system using a plugin like Thrive Comments. It helps create a better experience that encourages more interaction and discussion.

For more options, see our pick of the best WordPress comment plugins.

You can also boost engagement by adding polls, quizzes, or quick feedback forms with a plugin like WPForms. These interactive elements encourage participation without requiring a full comment.

If you’re not sure where to start, here’s our guide on how to create an interactive poll in WordPress.

Another great strategy is gamification. This means rewarding visitors for completing certain actions — like leaving a comment, making a purchase, or finishing a quiz. You can offer points, badges, or levels that make your site more fun and encourage users to come back.

These small touches not only increase engagement, but they also boost the amount of time that users spend on your website and help build a stronger community around your content.

Tip #13: Build Community with Live Chat or Chat Rooms

Want to take user interaction to the next level?

Adding live chat or real-time discussion spaces can turn passive readers into active participants, and help build trust faster.

When visitors can ask questions, get instant support, or connect with others in real time, they’re far more likely to stay, return, and engage with your content or product.

This kind of interaction boosts retention and makes your website feel more dynamic and responsive — like a real community instead of just a static page.

If you’re running an eLearning, support-based, or membership site, adding a live chat feature can make a big difference. It allows users to ask questions about course material, get help with platform features, or feel supported as part of a larger group.

For stores or service-based websites, live chat offers instant support. It lets you answer product questions, clarify service details, or resolve issues in real time. This helps reduce cart abandonment and improves customer experience.

You can follow our tutorial on how to add free live chat in WordPress to get started.

To boost user interaction even further, I recommend creating private chat rooms or discussion boards using a tool like BuddyBoss.

It’s especially useful for membership communities or online courses, where learners benefit from peer support and group interaction.

Check out our guide on how to create chat rooms in WordPress to learn more about adding this functionality to your site.

Bonus Tip: Detect Design Issues with Visual Regression Testing 🕵️

Sometimes, even a small theme or plugin update can break your layout without you noticing. That’s where visual regression testing comes in.

Visual regression testing (VRT) helps you make sure that updates to your website don’t accidentally mess up its look or design.

The process is simple – your VRT software takes ‘screenshots’ of a page before and after you make changes to it. It analyzes the code or pixel differences of these pages to catch any visual issues early, before they hurt the user experience.

The VRTs plugin is one of the best tools for automating this process. For step-by-step instructions, you can read our guide on how to do visual regression testing in WordPress.

I hope my tips and tricks help you improve user experience in WordPress. Next, you might want to check out our guide on how to add a forum to your site and our expert picks of key design elements for an effective WordPress website.

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

The post How to Improve User Experience in WordPress (13 Practical Tips) first appeared on WPBeginner.

When I first tried to accept payments on my WordPress website, the process was frustrating. Hours of setup, confusing settings, and test transactions that failed more often than they succeeded.

I quickly realized that choosing the wrong payment solution could mean the difference between a thriving business and lost customers.

The right payment plugin can help you securely process transactions, reduce cart abandonment, and boost your conversion rates. But what works for a small nonprofit accepting donations won’t necessarily work for a consultant selling services or an online store processing hundreds of orders.

That’s why I’ve personally tested over 20 WordPress payment plugins across different business scenarios. Each plugin on this list has been thoroughly vetted for reliability, ease of use, and real-world performance.

Whether you’re just starting out or scaling up, you’ll find a solution that fits your needs and gets you paid without the headaches.

Quick Overview: Best WordPress Payment Plugins

If you’re in a hurry, here’s a quick overview of the best WordPress payment plugins:

How I Test And Review WordPress Payment Plugins

You might be wondering how I actually tested all these payment plugins before recommending them. Well, I didn’t just skim the features on different blogs and move on.

I’ve worked directly with plugins like WP Simple Pay, MemberPress, and WPForms to accept payments on my own websites.

Plus, I personally tested every other plugin on this list to make sure it worked well and could process payments without issues.

Here’s what my testing process looked like:

• 🛠️ I installed each plugin on a test site: I set up a clean WordPress site and installed each payment plugin just like you would. This helped me see how easy (or complicated) it is to get started, connect payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal, and configure the basic settings.
• 💳 I simulated real payments: Next, I ran test transactions using test mode. I checked if payments went through smoothly, how the plugin handled errors, and whether things like taxes, coupons, or recurring payments worked as expected.
• 🔍 I checked for compatibility issues: I tested the plugin alongside popular WordPress tools and themes to make sure everything plays nicely together.
• 🔒 I reviewed security and updates: Payment data is sensitive, so I also looked at how the plugin handles security, whether it’s regularly updated, and if the developers follow WordPress best practices.
• 👍 I rated user-friendliness: Finally, I looked at how beginner-friendly the plugin is. Are the settings clear? Is the setup wizard helpful? Would a first-time user get overwhelmed or feel confident?

By the time a plugin makes it onto my recommendation list, it’s been through all of this and more. Having said that, let’s take a look at the best WordPress payment plugins.

1. WP Simple Pay – Best for Stripe Payment Forms

WP Simple Pay is the best WordPress payment plugin if you’re using Stripe, especially if you want to sell services or subscriptions without building a full-blown online store.

When I first tested this plugin, I was impressed by how quickly I could create a working Stripe payment form without any of the complexity that comes with complete eCommerce platforms.

This plugin solves the biggest headache most service providers and subscription businesses face: getting paid without the technical nightmare of setting up complex store solutions.

We covered all the details and our hands-on experience in our WP Simple Pay review, so you can get the full picture there.

When I started creating my own payment forms, I found the drag-and-drop builder incredibly user-friendly.

Creating attractive, custom payment forms took minutes instead of hours. No coding skills are required, which is a significant advantage for many business owners.

I was also impressed by the payment options. It supports Stripe Checkout, Apple Pay, Google Pay, ACH bank transfers, and even Buy Now, Pay Later options like Afterpay and Klarna.

Plus, you can set custom pricing fields, coupon codes, and multi-step payment forms.

However, what really stood out to me was the customization control. You can brand the entire payment form page to match your business.

Clean URLs, custom background colors, and layout adjustments can all work together to create a professional checkout experience that feels like part of your site.

All in all, I recommend WP Simple Pay for anyone looking to sell services and subscriptions without setting up an online store.

It handles the payment complexity while keeping your WordPress site fast and reliable. No bloated code or performance issues that slow things down.

To get started, see our tutorial on how to accept Stripe payments in WordPress.

Pros of WP Simple Pay

• Pre-made templates speed up form creation
• Set up partial payments (for deposits) and installment plans for high-value services
• Stripe handles all sensitive data for maximum security
• One-click payments with Apple Pay and Google Pay
• Flexible billing intervals for subscriptions
• Built-in coupon codes and promotional discounts
• Option to pass processing fees to customers
• Easy purchase restrictions and limits

Cons of WP Simple Pay

• Advanced features locked in free version
• Only works with Stripe (no other payment processors)

Pricing: WP Simple Pay’s paid plans can range from $49.50/year to $209.65/year.

Why I recommend WP Simple Pay: What makes WP Simple Pay stand out is how easy it is to accept Stripe payments on WordPress with no need to build a full online store.

It’s a great fit if you’re offering services, running a membership site, or collecting subscriptions, one-time payments, or even deposits. The payment forms are simple, flexible, and work right out of the box.

2. WPForms – Best for Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.Net, and Square Payment Forms

WPForms is the best WordPress payment plugin for collecting customer information alongside payments, such as registration forms, order forms with custom fields, or surveys that include payment options.

The plugin also supports multiple payment gateways, including Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, and Square. This flexibility allows you to offer your customers a variety of payment options without needing to juggle different plugins.

We use WPForms here at WPBeginner for our contact forms and annual surveys, so I’ve seen firsthand how reliable and flexible this plugin can be. If you’re curious about all the things it can do, we go over them in more detail in our WPForms review.

A key advantage of WPForms is how it combines powerful form building with payment processing. You’re not limited to simple “pay now” buttons.

Instead, you can create comprehensive forms that gather the information your business needs while processing payments securely.

WPForms also comes with a variety of payment fields.

You can add single-item payments, multiple items, dropdowns for selecting products or quantities, and even donation fields with preset or custom amounts.

This makes building complex payment forms super easy, even if you’re new to it.

One feature I found particularly helpful is the plugin’s AI-powered form builder.

It helps speed up the design process by generating form templates that you can customize with simple prompts. This can save you hours when creating new forms with payment integrations.

Additionally, the conditional logic feature is very powerful. Forms can show or hide fields based on user selections, creating a smooth experience that only displays relevant options.

Your customers see exactly what they need without confusion.

Overall, WPForms strikes a great balance between being powerful and user-friendly.

It’s perfect if you want to build payment forms combined with surveys, registrations, or quotes, all while securely processing payments through your preferred gateway.

For more information, see our tutorial on how to add a PayPal payment form in WordPress.

Pros of WPForms

• Over 2,000 pre-made form templates
• Drag-and-drop builder that’s genuinely beginner-friendly
• Supports one-time payments and recurring subscriptions
• Coupon code fields for checkout discounts
• Automatic email notifications and confirmations
• Complete spam protection
• Secure data storage accessible from the WordPress dashboard

Cons of WPForms

• Payment add-ons locked in free plan

Pricing: WPForms pricing starts at $49.50. However, to unlock the extensions for PayPal, Stripe, and Square, you will need the pro plan for $199.40/yr.

Why I recommend WPForms: It’s a great solution that gives you the flexibility to build forms that go beyond simple contact fields. Whether you’re setting up a survey, registration form, or quote request, WPForms makes it easy to include payment options right inside the form.

3. WooCommerce – Best for Selling Physical Products

If you’re planning to build a full-fledged online store, I always recommend starting with WooCommerce. It’s the best WordPress payment plugin for selling physical products and managing inventory, shipping, taxes, and payments, all from one dashboard.

The plugin stands out as a complete eCommerce solution when you need more than simple payment collection.

You’re not just processing payments. Instead, you’re running a real business with product catalogs, inventory tracking, shipping calculations, and tax management.

I’ve been working with WooCommerce since its early days and have used it to build online stores for clients across different industries.

You can check out our full WooCommerce review to see why it’s such a solid choice.

One thing that has improved significantly over the years is the built-in payment integrations. PayPal and Stripe used to need separate plugins, but now they work smoothly right out of the box.

During my recent WooCommerce testing, I was particularly impressed with how plugins like FunnelKit’s Stripe integration can make the checkout process even better.

You get fully customizable, high-converting checkout pages that feel modern and fast.

The ability to design checkout pages, offer upsells, and accept express payments like Apple Pay and Google Pay can make a significant difference in conversion rates.

In my opinion, WooCommerce is ideal if you want complete control over your store’s design and functionality. Whether you’re selling five products or five thousand, it scales well and gives you all the tools you need to grow.

If your goal is to turn your WordPress site into a full eCommerce platform, then WooCommerce is the payment plugin I’d trust every time.

To get started, see our beginner’s guide on WooCommerce made simple.

Pros of WooCommerce

• Accepts diverse payment methods, including cash on delivery and bank transfers
• Credit/debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and local methods via Stripe
• Supports one-time and recurring payments with subscription addons
• Accept Square and Authorize.net payments with addons
• Custom tax rules with flexible pricing options
• Hundreds of payment-related extensions in the marketplace
• Built-in refund management and order status controls

Cons of WooCommerce

• Can feel like overkill for simple service payments or single digital downloads
• Extensions required for certain payment gateways (costs vary)

Pricing: WooCommerce is free to use, but you’ll need to purchase extensions to add certain payment options like Square or Authorize.net. The pricing for these extensions can vary.

Why I recommend WooCommerce: In my opinion, WooCommerce is well-suited if you want extensive control over your store’s design and functionality. Whether you’re selling five products or five thousand, it scales well and offers a comprehensive set of tools to help you grow.

4. Easy Digital Downloads – Best for Selling Digital Products

If you’re selling digital products, like eBooks, software, PDFs, or music, then Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) is the ideal WordPress payment plugin for the job.

Unlike general payment plugins, EDD offers effective solutions specifically built for the unique challenges of selling digital goods.

It is particularly effective for digital product sales, where you need instant delivery, license management, and customer download tracking.

Our partner brands have been using EDD to sell their premium plugins for years, and it’s consistently delivered excellent results. We’ve also spent a lot of time testing it on demo sites to see how it performs in different scenarios.

We explain it all in our detailed review of EDD if you want a closer look.

What makes EDD perfect for digital sales is how it handles the entire customer journey. When someone buys your digital product, they instantly receive download links, account access, and professional receipts. No manual work required on your end.

The plugin accepts Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay right out of the box.

I found the payment setup process much faster than configuring similar functionality with other plugins. The setup is straightforward and functions well without complicated integrations.

The one feature that impressed me most was the ability to pass payment processing fees to customers. This might seem minor, but over time, it saves significant money in transaction costs, especially when selling lower-priced digital items.

You can also set up one-time or recurring payments, offer discount codes, and even create custom checkout fields without needing a developer.

Another key strength of EDD is its scalability. With premium extensions, you can add license key generation, affiliate tracking, and customer email automation while keeping your payment flows smooth and secure.

If your site revolves around digital content, then this is a plugin I can confidently recommend for handling your transactions.

For step-by-step instructions on using Easy Digital Downloads, see our tutorial on how to sell digital downloads in WordPress.

Pros of Easy Digital Downloads

• Cart and checkout system optimized for digital products
• Customizable purchase receipts and confirmation emails for better branding
• Test mode for simulating transactions before going live
• Built-in sales and earnings reports for revenue analysis
• Tax settings with VAT support for EU compliance
• Customer account area for re-downloading purchases
• Instant digital delivery after payment

Cons of Easy Digital Downloads

• Advanced features are locked in the free plan.
• Not suitable for physical product sales

Pricing: EDD’s pricing starts at $99.50/year for one site. You can also opt for the All Access Pass for $499.50/yr to unlock all the features.

Why I recommend Easy Digital Downloads: We use EDD to sell our premium plugins and software, and it’s always worked great. If you’re selling eBooks, PDFs, plugins, courses, or music, then EDD offers a payment processing and delivery system specifically designed for your business model.

5. WP Charitable – Best for WordPress Donation Forms

WP Charitable is the best payment plugin for accepting donations in WordPress, especially if you’re running a nonprofit or a cause-based website.

It stands out as the specialized solution when you need more than basic payment collection for charitable causes. The tool makes it super easy to manage donor relationships, track campaign progress, and build long-term fundraising success.

Our team has tested this plugin extensively, both through demo campaigns and real-world use for our founder’s education nonprofit, the Balkhi Foundation.

WP Charitable makes the donation process seamless for supporters and removes a lot of the friction that usually gets in the way. You can get the complete details in our review of WP Charitable.

Instead of complicated checkout flows, you get simple, clean donation forms that integrate well with Stripe, PayPal, and other popular gateways.

The user experience feels designed specifically for donors who want to give quickly and easily.

One of the things that stood out during my testing was how customizable Charitable’s donation forms are. You can set suggested amounts, let donors enter custom amounts, create recurring donation options, and even add goal meters to encourage participation.

Plus, it supports campaign management, so you can run multiple fundraisers at once and track their progress easily. Each campaign gets its own dedicated page, donation tracking, and goal visualization, which helps create urgency and transparency for donors.

I think most will also appreciate Charitable’s email integrations.

They help make it easy to automate thank-you emails and provide donors with donation receipts right away, something I know is important for nonprofit transparency and tax purposes.

Plus, built-in reports can help you make data-driven decisions, so you can maximize your fundraising efforts.

The bottom line? With a strong focus on donor experience and campaign management, Charitable is the best WordPress payment plugin for nonprofits.

You can start building your website easily by following our article on how to create a non profit website in WordPress.

Pros of WP Charitable

• Dozens of pre-made templates for quick form creation
• Unlimited donation campaigns with individual goals and forms
• Custom checkout fields for collecting donor details and dedications
• Multi-currency support for international fundraising
• Offline payment tracking for checks and cash donations
• Built-in reporting tools with donation history and data export capabilities
• Goal meters and progress tracking to encourage donations
• Automated donor communication and receipt generation

Cons of WP Charitable

• Only PayPal is included in the free plan; Stripe and other gateways require paid plans
• Limited to donation forms (not general-purpose like WPForms)

Pricing: Charitable’s pricing starts from $69 to $299 per year.

Why I recommend WP Charitable: The plugin is great for nonprofit fundraising, with features designed for charitable organizations. If you’re running fundraising campaigns and need more than basic payment buttons, I recommend Charitable.

6. MyPayKit – Best WordPress Square Payment Plugin

MyPayKit is a great WordPress payment plugin for when you want to accept payments through Square without the complexity of a full eCommerce platform.

You get clean, professional payment forms that connect directly to Square’s payment processing system.

Since it’s a new plugin, I wanted to see how well it worked—and it delivered on its promise: offering a simple way to accept Square payments online.

This makes it excellent for collecting deposits, one-time payments, or even donations without forcing customers through a complicated checkout process.

Another thing I really appreciate is how lightweight MyPayKit is compared to other payment solutions.

Unlike WooCommerce or other store-focused plugins, it doesn’t overload your site with extra features you might not need. It focuses specifically on payment collection and does it well.

Plus, it’s not just limited to Square. You can also accept Stripe, PayPal, and Apple Pay if you want to expand your options.

But if Square is your go-to processor, MyPayKit makes accepting payments very easy and straightforward.

Pros of MyPayKit

• Seamless Square integration
• Clean, professional payment form design
• Supports multiple payment processors (Square, Stripe, PayPal, Apple Pay)
• Handles both one-time and recurring payments
• Simple 2-minute setup process for non-technical users
• Perfect for service businesses and local retailers

Cons of MyPayKit

• Limited advanced features compared to full eCommerce solutions
• Primarily focused on Square (other processors feel secondary)
• May not suit complex payment scenarios

Pricing: MyPayKit has a free plan with unlimited forms and transactions. However, there’s a 3% application fee. Paid plans start at $49.50 per year to remove the application fee and access premium features.

Why I recommend MyPayKit: It’s a great choice for accepting Square payments on your WordPress website. When I tested it, I found that it worked smoothly and allowed me to collect payments in just a few clicks.

7. MemberPress – Best for WordPress Membership Websites

If you are planning to sell subscriptions, memberships, or online courses on your WordPress website, then MemberPress is my top pick.

It’s a powerful payment plugin that offers payment processing combined with content protection and access control for your membership business.

We’ve used MemberPress to set up free online courses at WPBeginner, and we love its advanced (yet straightforward) access control and content protection features.

The plugin manages the entire member lifecycle from signup to content delivery without requiring manual work. If you want a full look at how it works, check out our MemberPress review.

MemberPress comes with built-in support for Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.net, so you can start accepting payments securely from day one.

The payment gateway setup is straightforward and reliable across all supported processors. You can offer one-time payments, free trials, recurring subscriptions, and even charge based on access tiers.

This flexibility lets you create sophisticated pricing strategies that grow with your business.

What makes the plugin particularly well-suited for membership sites is how well everything integrates. When someone signs up, their access is instantly managed, and there’s no need to manually approve or update anything.

The tool is also great for building online courses. With the built-in MemberPress Courses addon, you can create lessons, lock premium content, and drip content based on membership levels.

If you’re a creator or educator looking for a simple way to monetize your content, MemberPress makes it easy to get started. To learn more, see our ultimate guide on how to create a membership site.

Pros of MemberPress

• Multiple membership levels with different pricing tiers for upselling
• Built-in coupon system for promotions and discounts
• Immediate content access after payment processing
• Automated payment reminders and failed transaction handling
• Built-in tax support for compliance
• Paywall feature for teasing premium content

Cons of MemberPress

• Advanced features are locked behind paid plans
• Higher starting price than simple payment plugins

Pricing: The pricing for the MemberPress basic plan is $179.50/year. However, to unlock its full LMS potential, including quizzes, assignments, and gradebooks, you will have to buy the pro plan for $399.50/year.

Why I recommend MemberPress: It’s an excellent WordPress plugin for building a membership site or selling courses. While WP Simple Pay works well for basic subscriptions, MemberPress takes it a step further by handling payments, locking down your content, and controlling which members have access to specific pages, lessons, or downloads.

8. Formidable Forms – Best for Advanced Payment Forms

If you’re looking to build advanced forms that calculate pricing and process payments based on user selections, then Formidable Forms is a great option.

It offers powerful form-building tools for creating interactive calculators, quote generators, and custom workflows.

During testing, I was able to easily build loan applications, pricing estimates, and shipping calculators that automatically updated totals based on user input.

And these aren’t static forms—they’re dynamic tools that adapt using conditional logic, changing fields, prices, or redirects based on answers.

This makes Formidable Forms well-suited for legal consultations, service quotes, and custom product estimates.

To learn more about what the plugin can do, check out our Formidable Forms review.

I also really like how easily you can connect Stripe, PayPal, or Authorize.net to charge users after form completion.

Plus, the multi-page form support and integrated data tracking make it easy to manage both submissions and payments from one dashboard.

Overall, if your business needs intelligent forms that do more than collect payments, like guiding users through personalized pricing or registration steps, then Formidable Forms is a solid choice.

Pros of Formidable Forms

• Advanced conditional logic for dynamic form behavior
• Multi-page forms with integrated payment processing
• Supports Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize.net
• Comprehensive data management and submission tracking
• Custom field types for specialized information collection
• AI form builder to speed up initial setup

Cons of Formidable Forms

• More complex than needed for simple payment collection
• Steeper learning curve compared to basic form builders

Pricing: Formidable Forms starts at $39.50/year. However, to unlock calculations, you will need the business plan for $199.50/year.

Why I recommend Formidable Forms: It is a great option if you need more than just a simple payment form. You can build smart forms that automatically calculate the total based on user selections, and then let them pay right away using Stripe, PayPal, or Authorize.net—there’s no coding required.

9. WishList Member – Best for Paywalls and Memberships

WishList Member is a reliable WordPress payment plugin if you’re building a membership site or want to protect premium content behind a paywall.

When I tested WishList Member, I found the integration with Stripe, PayPal, and other gateways to be quite easy. I didn’t need any third-party addons to start charging users for access.

For more details about how the plugin works, see our WishList Member review.

I also appreciate the tool’s ability to create different pricing tiers and offer upsells inside your membership flow.

You can even pair it with your favorite page builder or LMS plugin if you’re offering courses.

If you want to build a paid membership community or sell gated digital content, WishList Member is worth checking out.

Pros of WishList Member

• Automatic management of member upgrades, downgrades, and cancellations
• Drip content feature for gradual content release
• “Pay Per Post” option for selling individual content pieces
• Strong integrations with email marketing tools (Kit, ActiveCampaign, Mailchimp)
• Fully customizable login and registration forms
• Granular content protection controls
• Multiple membership levels with flexible pricing

Cons of WishList Member

• No free plan available
• User interface can feel overwhelming for beginners

Pricing: WishList Member’s basic plan at $149.50/year works well if you are just starting out. It offers unlimited memberships, upgrade paths, and restriction rules.

Why I recommend WishList Member: It is a great option if you’re building a membership site and want to protect your content. It’s designed to help you set up multiple access levels, build a community, and accept payments through Stripe or PayPal, without needing extra tools.

10. Thrive Apprentice – Best for Selling Online Courses

Thrive Apprentice is a great choice if you’re building an online course business and want to control how students access your courses after they’ve paid.

It integrates seamlessly with Stripe and ThriveCart, which makes it easy to sell one-time courses, bundles, or memberships. The payment integration is very intuitive and doesn’t require complicated setup processes.

Want to learn more about what the plugin can do? We did a deep dive for our Thrive Apprentice review.

The best part? It also connects with Thrive Suite tools like Thrive Leads and Thrive Architect, so you can design your entire sales funnel—from opt-in forms to checkout to course delivery—without writing any code.

It makes it very easy to create a polished course experience. You can set access rules, offer free previews, lock lessons until payment is made, and even integrate it with WooCommerce for added flexibility.

If you’re looking for a powerful course builder that doubles as a payment solution, Thrive Apprentice is one of the best options available, especially if you’re already using other Thrive tools.

Pros of Thrive Apprentice

• Access restriction tools for locking courses or individual lessons
• Course bundle creation tied to specific pricing tiers
• Free preview feature for showcasing content quality
• Seamless WooCommerce integration for complex pricing
• Custom login pages and thank you pages for smooth post-purchase experiences
• Built-in student progress tracking and auto-enrollment

Cons of Thrive Apprentice

• Limited to Stripe as the only payment gateway
• No free plan available

Pricing: Thrive Apprentice costs $149/year for the standalone plugin. However, to unlock all the Thrive Themes plugins, you can opt for the Thrive Suite plan at $299 per year.

Why I recommend Thrive Apprentice: It’s a solid choice for anyone building an online course business. Thrive Apprentice provides a seamless course creation experience with built-in Stripe integration, allowing you to start selling immediately without the need for additional plugins or a complex technical setup process.

11. MemberMouse – Best for Enterprise-Level Membership Sites

MemberMouse is a comprehensive membership plugin designed for larger businesses and enterprises running premium membership sites.

Even when you are managing hundreds or thousands of paying members, it handles complex payment processing without any issues.

MemberMouse offers built-in support for major payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, and Braintree. This means you don’t need any extra plugins to start collecting payments—it’s all ready to go right after installation.

If you’re curious about the tool’s other features, check out our full MemberMouse review.

The plugin handles one-time payments, subscriptions, and even free trials seamlessly.

Where MemberMouse really shines is in its advanced automation and customer management tools. You can set up smart rules to drip content, offer upsells after checkout, and downgrade or cancel access automatically based on payment status.

If you’re looking for an enterprise-level solution to manage paid memberships, MemberMouse is definitely worth considering.

Pros of MemberMouse

• Create custom checkout pages and upsell offers
• Automated access management based on payment status
• Drip content scheduling
• Has a ‘dunning’ system which automatically follows up on failed payments and helps reduce churn
• Comes with an analytics dashboard
• Supports gift memberships and free vs. paid trials for flexible offers

Cons of MemberMouse

• No free plan
• Limited design customization options

Pricing: Its basic plan starts at $149.50/year.

Why I recommend MemberMouse: If you’re building a membership site with tiered pricing, time-released content, and advanced automation, MemberMouse is built for that level of complexity. From what I’ve seen, it goes beyond basic membership plugins by offering enterprise-level tools, such as smart member segmentation, upsells, and detailed analytics.

My Verdict: What Is the Best WordPress Payment Plugin?

In my opinion, WP Simple Pay is the best WordPress payment plugin for accepting Stripe payments.

It’s perfect for anyone who wants to accept subscription or service payments through clean, customizable forms, without the need to build a full online store. You can offer deposit options, installment plans, and coupon codes, all while keeping the setup super simple.

If you need to build more advanced forms and want to accept Stripe, PayPal, Square, or Authorize.net payments, then WPForms is my top recommendation.

When it comes to selling physical products, you can’t go wrong with WooCommerce. It’s the most powerful option for creating a full-fledged online store, with built-in support for major gateways and powerful extensions like FunnelKit for optimizing your checkout flow.

For digital products specifically, I recommend Easy Digital Downloads. It’s more lightweight and built for selling software, downloads, and licenses.

Meanwhile, if your goal is to raise donations, WP Charitable is the best fit. I’ve tested it for several nonprofit sites, and its donation-focused features, like recurring giving, goal tracking, and customizable campaigns, make it stand out from generic form plugins.

Frequently Asked Questions: WordPress Payment Plugins

Here are some frequently asked questions about WordPress payment plugins.

Can I test WordPress payments before going live?

Most quality plugins, including WP Simple Pay, WPForms, WooCommerce, and Easy Digital Downloads, offer a sandbox or test mode that allows you to test payments with just a few clicks.

I recommend enabling this before launching to avoid errors and ensure everything works smoothly. To get started, see our tutorial on how to test Stripe payments in WordPress.

Can I charge a processing fee to customers in WordPress?

Yes, plugins like Easy Digital Downloads, WooCommerce, and WP Simple Pay let you pass the Stripe or PayPal processing fee directly to the customer. This is especially useful if you’re selling digital products with thin margins.

For step-by-step instructions, see our tutorial on how to pass the payment processing fee to customers in WordPress.

What’s the best plugin for accepting recurring payments or subscriptions?

MemberPress is ideal for subscriptions and membership sites. It supports recurring billing, access control, and integrates with major payment gateways out of the box.

Can I accept payments on WordPress without WooCommerce?

Yes, absolutely. Plugins like WP Simple Pay, WPForms, and MemberPress let you accept payments without setting up a full online store. They’re great for selling services, subscriptions, or digital downloads through custom forms.

For more information, see our guide on how to sell on WordPress without WooCommerce.

💡Related Guides: Managing Payments in WordPress

Looking for more information on how to manage payments in WordPress? Check out these additional guides:

• Best WooCommerce Payment Gateways for WordPress (Compared)
• How to Add Stripe QR Code Payment in WordPress
• How to Reduce Stripe Transaction Fees in WordPress (Expert Tips)
• Important Online Payment Statistics, Data, and Trends
• WordPress Payment Processing: The Ultimate Guide for Beginners
• Stripe vs. PayPal: Which Is Better for Your WordPress Site?
• How to Create Invoices for Clients Using WordPress

Whether you need step-by-step tutorials, tips for boosting conversions, or guidance on securing your transactions, these resources will help you optimize your payment setup.

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 11 Best WordPress Payment Plugins (Tested & Verified) first appeared on WPBeginner.

When I first looked into hosting WordPress on Google Cloud, I thought, “This could be the upgrade I’ve been waiting for.”

The idea of running my site on the same infrastructure powering Google Search and YouTube? That was exciting. But it also raised a lot of questions.

There’s no question that Google Cloud offers serious speed and reliability. But I quickly realized that it’s not built with beginners in mind. Between managing virtual machines, setting up your server, and configuring DNS, it’s easy to get stuck.

The good news is that you don’t have to do it the hard way. Whether you want a simple managed solution or you’d rather roll up your sleeves and do it all yourself, I’ll show you both options.

By the end of this guide, you’ll know exactly how to host WordPress on Google Cloud and which path I recommend based on real-world experience.

Why Host WordPress on Google Cloud?

Google Cloud is known for speed, stability, and high-powered infrastructure. It powers everything from YouTube to Gmail, and it’s built to handle huge amounts of traffic without any issues.

That’s why a lot of website owners, including myself at one point, start thinking: “If I host my WordPress site on Google Cloud, won’t I get the same performance?”

And in theory, yes — you can. But there’s a big difference between having access to Google Cloud and actually knowing how to use it well for WordPress. It’s like buying a race car without knowing how to drive it.

That’s where most people get stuck. The platform itself is amazing, but it’s built for engineers and DevOps teams, not regular WordPress users trying to publish content or grow an audience.

So if you’ve been wondering whether Google Cloud is the right choice for your WordPress site, you’re not alone.

In the next section, I’ll show you the easiest way to tap into its power, without having to configure anything manually.

After that, I’ll walk you through two hands-on methods if you prefer the DIY route.

You can use the jump links below if you want to skip ahead:

Method 1: Use SiteGround to Host WordPress on Google Cloud

If you want the speed and reliability of Google Cloud without the technical setup, then SiteGround is the option I recommend — and personally use.

We also host WPBeginner on SiteGround. Describing the move, Syed Balkhi, founder of WPBeginner, wrote:

After testing SiteGround across multiple projects and seeing how well their platform handled real-world demands, I knew it was the right move for WPBeginner.

Syed Balkhi

For more details, see the reasons why WPBeginner switched to SiteGround or take a look at my in-depth SiteGround review.

SiteGround runs its entire platform on Google Cloud infrastructure, so you get the same performance without having to manage it all yourself.

You don’t need to worry about setting up servers, installing software, or handling updates. Everything from performance tuning to WordPress security is already taken care of. You just log in, install WordPress, and start building your website.

SiteGround makes it easy for anyone to get started. Their dashboard is clean and beginner-friendly, and you get powerful features out of the box, including automatic caching, free CDN, daily backups, built-in security, and one-click staging environments.

Pros of Using SiteGround

• Built on Google Cloud’s fast and reliable infrastructure
• No technical setup required — perfect for beginners
• Excellent customer support with real WordPress experts
• Includes caching, backups, security, and CDN out of the box
• Flat monthly pricing, with no surprise bills

Cons of Using SiteGround

• Not ideal if you want full server-level control or custom OS-level tweaks
• More advanced developers might prefer a DIY cloud setup for niche use cases

Pricing: Unlike Google Cloud Platform’s pay-as-you-go pricing, SiteGround offers fixed pricing starting from $2.99 per month.

If you just want to build your site and have it run fast, stay secure, and never think about server maintenance, this is the easiest and most reliable way to do it.

How to Host WordPress on Google Cloud Using SiteGround

First, you need to visit SiteGround’s website and choose a WordPress hosting plan.

I recommend choosing the Startup plan if you are just getting started, or the GrowBig plan if you are upgrading from a regular shared hosting service.

Next, you will be asked to choose a domain name. SiteGround offers a free domain name with each hosting plan for the first year.

If you already have a domain name, you can use that as well.

After that, you will be asked to provide personal information to create your account.

Just fill in the information and go to the payment section to complete your signup.

Once you have completed the purchase, you need to log in to your SiteGround account.

From here, simply click WordPress » Install & Manage.

Select WordPress, or if you want to build an online store, then select WordPress + WooCommerce.

Simply follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup wizard.

Congratulations 🎉 Your WordPress website is running on Google Cloud. It is already fully optimized and ready to go.

How to Manually Host WordPress on Google Cloud

There are multiple ways to manually host WordPress on Google Cloud. You can use a ready-to-deploy instance or deploy it manually yourself.

Here is a comparison table to understand the difference between the two approaches:

Method 2: Use Google Cloud Marketplace to Install WordPress (Click to Deploy)

If you’re not comfortable running server commands or want a quicker way to get started, then Google Cloud offers a ‘Click to Deploy’ version of WordPress in their Marketplace.

It sets up a fully functional WordPress site with a few clicks, including your virtual machine, database, and web server stack.

Here are the pros and cons of using the Click to Deploy method.

Pros:

• Faster and easier than manual setup
• No need to SSH or install software manually
• Great for users new to Google Cloud

Cons:

• Less flexibility because you’re using a pre-configured environment
• Still responsible for backups, updates, and security
• Some users report difficulty scaling or customizing Click to Deploy sites later

Overall, if you’re experimenting or building a personal project, this method is a great way to get started.

Step 1. Create a New Google Cloud Project

To begin, log in to your Google Cloud account and create a new project from the dashboard.

Step 2. Turn on billing

After creating your project, you need to enable billing.

From the left-hand menu, click on Billing and follow the on-screen instructions.

Step 3. Select Click to Deploy WordPress Package

Once billing is active, click the search bar at the top of the dashboard and type in “WordPress.”

From the results, you need to choose the option labeled ‘WordPress – Click to Deploy’ by Google Cloud.

On the next screen, go ahead and click the ‘Get Started’ button.

After that, you may be asked to agree to the terms of service and enable APIs. Simply follow the instructions to move to the next step.

Step 4. Configure Your WordPress Deployment Settings

On the next screen, you’ll see a form with several options for setting up your WordPress instance.

Let’s walk through each one so you know exactly what to choose.

Start by giving your deployment a name. This is just a label inside your Google Cloud dashboard, and you can use something like wordpress-1 or mywebsite.

For the Deployment Service Account, leave it set to ‘New Account’. Google Cloud will automatically create the right permissions to manage your instance.

Next, choose a zone where you want your website to be hosted.

Pick a region closest to your target visitors. For example, asia-southeast1-c for Asia or us-central1-a for the United States.

Under Machine type, you should stick with General Purpose. Then choose ‘e2-small (2 vCPU, 2 GB memory)’, which is a good balance between cost and performance.

In the Administrator email address field, you need to enter your real email address. This is where Google will send notifications and status updates related to your server.

Below that, you’ll see optional features. I recommend keeping both Install phpMyAdmin and HTTPS Enabled checked. This adds a database manager and an SSL certificate to your install.

For Boot Disk, leave it as Standard Persistent Disk with 20 GB selected. That’s enough for most small to medium WordPress sites.

In the Networking section, make sure both checkboxes are selected to allow HTTP and HTTPS traffic. This ensures visitors can reach your site in their browsers.

You can leave Google Cloud Operations unchecked unless you plan to use advanced monitoring tools. They’re not required for running a typical WordPress site.

Once you’ve reviewed everything, simply click the blue ‘Deploy’ button at the bottom. Google Cloud will now set everything up for you behind the scenes.

Once finished, you will see the status of your deployment. From here, you need to copy the ‘Instance Nat IP’. This is your site’s external IP, and you will need it in the next step.

Step 5. Connect Your Custom Domain to Google Cloud

To use your own domain name with your deployed WordPress instance on Google Cloud VM, you’ll need to update your domain’s DNS settings to point to the external IP address of your VM (virtual machine) instance.

First, go to the Google Cloud Console, open the ‘VM instances’ page, and copy the external IP address of your virtual machine.

This is the address your domain needs to point to.

Next, log in to your domain registrar’s dashboard — this is where you bought your domain, like Domain.com, GoDaddy, Bluehost, or other registrars.

I will show you instructions for Domain.com, but it is pretty much the same for all domain registrars.

Find the DNS settings or ‘Manage DNS’ section for your domain.

Here, you need to delete any A records that are currently pointing to a different IP address.

After that, click on the ‘Add Record’ button at the top.

In the form that appears, make sure the record type is set to A. In the ‘Refers to’ dropdown, choose Other Host. Change the Name or Host field to @ if you’re pointing the root domain (e.g., example.com).

In the IP address field, you need to enter the external IP address of your Google Cloud VM. For example, if your VM’s IP is 35.247.XX.XX, then you have to type that in.

Set the TTL (Time to Live) to the default value and then click the ‘Edit’ button to save the changes.

If you also want to support www.yourdomain.com, repeat the process and add another A record with the host set to www, pointing to the same IP.

It may take a few minutes for the DNS changes to propagate. Once that’s complete, visiting your domain in a browser should take you to your Google Cloud-hosted website.

After saving your DNS changes, it may take a few minutes (up to 24 hours, but usually much faster) for them to propagate globally.

Once that’s done, visiting your domain should load your website. You may still need to update your WordPress website address so that it uses your domain name instead of the IP address.

Method 3. Manually Host WordPress on Google Cloud VM

This method is for advanced users, developers, and learners. For this method, you’ll manually configure your VM and use the SSH command line to install software.

Step 1. Create a Project

To begin, you’ll need to sign in to your Google Cloud account and create a new project from the Cloud Console.

Once your project is created, the next step is to enable billing.

Step 2. Enable Billing

Simply click on the Billing label from the left column and follow the on-screen instructions.

Step 3. Enable Computer Engine

Once billing is set up, you need to click on the ‘Compute Engine’ option from the left column (or use the search bar at the top to find it) and click ‘Enable’ to start using the API.

This unlocks the tools that you’ll use to create and manage your server.

Step 4. Create a Virtual Machine

Once you have enabled the Compute Engine, you can now create a Virtual Machine instance (VM instance for short).

A VM instance is your own virtual private machine that you can turn into a VPS server to host your website on the Google Cloud platform.

On the next screen, you will be asked to configure your VM instance.

First, you need to provide a name for your VM, which could be anything that helps you easily identify it. And choose a region and zone where you want to host it.

Below that, you’ll see pre-configured setups for different use cases. I recommend using E2, which is low-cost and perfect for hosting a WordPress website.

Below that, you’ll be able to configure your instance further by adding more memory or CPU cores to it.

Next, you need to click ‘Create’ to continue to the next step.

Google Cloud console will now create your Virtual Machine instance and redirect you to the VM management dashboard.

Step 5. Set up Firewall Rules

While your VM is ready, its firewall rules currently don’t allow incoming traffic requests.

Let’s change that.

Simply click on the ‘Set up firewall rules’ option.

This will bring you to the Network Security area and display your VM’s firewall rules.

Simply click on the ‘Create firewall rule’ option to continue.

On the next screen, you need to enter the following information into the fields:

• Name: allow-http
• Targets: All instances in the network
• Source filter: IPv4 ranges
• Source IP ranges: 0.0.0.0/0
• Second source filter: None
• Destination filter: None
• Protocols and ports: Check ‘TCP’ and enter 80

Don’t forget to click ‘Create’ to save your firewall rule.

Your Virtual Machine is now ready for website traffic.

Step 6. Installing Web Server Software

Next, you need to use the SSH button in the Cloud Console to connect to your server. This command-line interface allows you to install software and give your virtual machine commands in text format.

You’ll need to use it to install the necessary software stack. This includes Apache or Nginx for your web server, PHP for WordPress, and MySQL or MariaDB for your database.

You can run it in your web browser. Once connected, you will see a black terminal screen.

Now, you will need to run several commands, one after another. I know it does sound a bit complicated, but trust me, it is not as difficult as it sounds. Simply copy and paste the commands below.

You’ll first start by updating your VM instance. This is kind of like updating your computer to ensure you have all the security updates installed:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

It may take a few minutes to complete. During this time, you may see options pop up. Simply hit Enter to continue with the default choices.

Once finished, copy and paste the following command to install the Apache web server:

sudo apt install apache2 -y

For those of you who want to install Nginx, you can enter the following command:

sudo apt install nginx -y

Wondering which one is better? See our article comparing Apache vs. Nginx vs. LiteSpeed.

I prefer Nginx because it gives better performance and speed. However, Apache is more widely used due to its flexibility and ease of use.

Once you have installed the web server software, the next step is to install MySQL. Simply run this command:

sudo apt install mysql-server -y

Depending on your VM’s operating system, in some cases, mysql-server may not be available for installation. In that case, you can use MariaDB as a drop-in replacement for MySQL. It works perfectly with WordPress, and the commands are nearly identical.

Simply add the following command to install MariaDB instead:

sudo apt install mariadb-server -y

After that, you need to run the MySQL/MariaDB installation.

Enter the following command next:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

During installation, you can accept the defaults or tighten things based on your comfort level (say yes to remove anonymous users, disable root login remotely, and so on).

Now that you have MySQL installed, you can create a database to use for your WordPress website.

First, enter this command:

sudo mysql -u root -p

You’ll be asked for a password. If you created one during the installation, you can use that. Or simply hit the Enter key on your keyboard.

You will now enter the MySQL server. This is where you will manage your WordPress database.

Let’s first create one by modifying and entering the following command:

CREATE DATABASE wordpress DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_unicode_ci;
GRANT ALL ON wordpress.* TO 'wpuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'strongpassword';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

You can change the database name from wordpress to anything else.

Similarly, you can change wpuser (the MySQL username), and finally replace strongpassword with your own strong password.

Next, you will need to install PHP and the required modules. Simply enter the following command:

sudo apt install php php-mysql php-curl php-gd php-xml php-mbstring php-zip libapache2-mod-php -y

Once the installation is finished, you need to restart your web server. This allows your web server to load the PHP and other installed modules on reboot.

For Apache, use the following command:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

For Nginx, you need to use the following command instead:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 7. Connect Your Custom Domain to Google Cloud

To use your own domain name (like yourdomain.com) with your Google Cloud VM, you’ll need to update your domain’s DNS settings to point to the external IP address of your VM instance.

First, go to the Google Cloud Console, open the ‘VM instances’ page, and copy the external IP address of your virtual machine. This is the address your domain needs to point to.

Next, you have to log in to your domain registrar’s dashboard. This is where you bought your domain, like Domain.com, GoDaddy, Bluehost, or other platforms.

I will show you instructions for Domain.com, but it is pretty much the same for all domain registrars.

Find the DNS settings or ‘Manage DNS’ section for your domain.

Here, you need to delete any A records that are currently pointing to a different IP address.

Then, click on the ‘Add Record’ button at the top.

In the form that appears, make sure the record type is set to A. In the “Refers to” dropdown, choose ‘Other Host’. Change the Name or Host field to @ if you’re pointing the root domain (e.g., example.com).

In the IP address field, enter the external IP address of your Google Cloud VM. For example, if your VM’s IP is 35.247.XX.XX, type that in.

Set the TTL (Time to Live) to the default value and then click the ‘Edit’ button to save the changes.

If you also want to support www.yourdomain.com, repeat the process and add another A record with the host set to www, pointing to the same IP.

It may take a few minutes for the DNS changes to propagate. Once complete, visiting your domain in a browser should take you to your Google Cloud-hosted website.

After saving your DNS changes, it may take a few minutes (up to 24 hours, but usually much faster) for them to propagate globally. Once that’s done, visiting your domain should load your server instead of just the raw IP.

Step 8. Install SSL and Enable HTTPS

Before visiting your domain, it’s a good idea to set up an SSL certificate. This allows you to serve your WordPress site over HTTPS, which is more secure and preferred by search engines.

I recommend using Let’s Encrypt, which is a free and trusted certificate authority.

To make things easier, I’ll use a tool called Certbot to automatically issue and configure the SSL certificate for Apache or Nginx.

First, update your package list and install Certbot:

sudo apt update  
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y

If you’re using Nginx, you can install Certbot with the Nginx plugin instead:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

Once installed, run this command to request an SSL certificate for your domain.

Remember to replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain:

sudo certbot --apache -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

For Nginx users, the command is:

sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

Certbot will ask a few questions, including your email for urgent notices. You can choose to redirect all traffic to HTTPS when prompted, and I recommend saying yes.

That’s it! You’ve now installed a free SSL certificate, and your site is available over HTTPS.

Note: Let’s Encrypt certificates are valid for 90 days, but Certbot automatically renews them. You can test auto-renewal with this command:

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

Step 9. Install WordPress on Your Server

Now it’s time to install WordPress. Switch back to your VM instance, SSH into your server, and run:

wget https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz

Once the download finishes, you need to extract it using the following command:

tar -xvzf latest.tar.gz

This creates a wordpress folder.

Move its contents to your web root, which is usually called /var/www/html/ , like this:

sudo mv wordpress/* /var/www/html/

You need to give proper file permissions so your web server can access everything:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/

Now, create the WordPress config file.

First, copy the sample:

sudo cp /var/www/html/wp-config-sample.php /var/www/html/wp-config.php

Edit it using nano or another editor to enter your database name, user, and password.

This is the information you saved earlier when creating your WordPress database:

sudo nano /var/www/html/wp-config.php

Save and close the file by pressing CTRL+X.

Finally, go to your domain in a browser, and you should see the WordPress installation screen.

You can now follow the steps to create your admin user and finish the setup. Need help? See our complete WordPress installation tutorial.

Troubleshooting Tip 💡: If you see a default server page instead of the WordPress installation screen. This means that a default index.html page is present in the root directory of your site. To delete it, connect to SSH again and enter the following command:

sudo rm /var/www/html/index.html

🎉 That’s it! You now have a working WordPress website running on Google Cloud with your custom domain.

Keep in mind that you’re also responsible for securing your WordPress site, managing backups, applying updates, and monitoring its performance. If you’re not confident doing those things, Method 1 (SiteGround) may be a better fit.

Google Cloud Hosting Costs Explained

One thing that can catch beginners off guard is how Google Cloud charges for hosting. Unlike traditional web hosts with flat monthly plans, Google Cloud uses a pay-as-you-go model that depends on how much you use their services.

When you launch a WordPress site on Google Cloud, whether manually or using Click to Deploy, you’re billed separately for your virtual machine, disk storage, network usage, and optional services, such as snapshots or load balancing.

For example, if you go with the default setup from Click to Deploy using an e2-small instance (2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM) and a 20 GB disk, the estimated monthly cost looks like this:

• VM instance: $15.09/month
• Persistent disk: $0.88/month
• Total estimated monthly cost: ~$15.97/month

This doesn’t include bandwidth usage or backup storage. If your site gets a lot of traffic, or if you store large files or create snapshots, then the cost can increase without warning.

You’ll also need to monitor usage, set up budget alerts, and manually handle software updates, backups, and security patches. That can be a lot of work if you just want to focus on building your site.

That’s why, even though Google Cloud is incredibly powerful, I don’t usually recommend it for beginners — unless you’re prepared to manage everything yourself and optimize for cost.

Google Cloud vs. SiteGround – Cost Comparison

SiteGround, on the other hand, provides the same Google Cloud infrastructure underneath, but with predictable pricing, automated security, expert support, and no unexpected bills.

If you’re building a serious website or running a business, the peace of mind and support alone are worth it.

Final Verdict: Why I Recommend SiteGround for Hosting WordPress on Google Cloud

Over the years, I have used all three methods: manual VM setup, Click to Deploy, and SiteGround. And my honest recommendation is simple.

If you love digging into server setups and want to learn cloud infrastructure hands-on, then the DIY method is a great project.

But if you’re focused on growing your business rather than managing infrastructure, then SiteGround is the smarter way to go.

You still get the power and reliability of Google Cloud behind the scenes. But everything else — performance optimization, backups, caching, staging, support — is handled for you by people who know WordPress inside and out.

We host WPBeginner on SiteGround, and many of our partner companies are also hosted on SiteGround.

If you’re building a serious website and don’t want to worry about server configuration, billing spikes, or keeping up with security patches, then SiteGround is where you should start.

Frequently Asked Questions About Hosting WordPress on Google Cloud

Bonus WordPress Hosting Resources 🎁

The following are a few additional resources on hosting WordPress that you may find helpful.

• How to Install WordPress on Amazon Web Services
• Shared Hosting vs. Cloud Hosting vs. Managed WordPress – What’s the Difference?
• Best Cloud Hosting Providers for WordPress (Expert Pick)
• How to Move WordPress to a New Host or Server With No Downtime
• Best WordPress Migration Services (Compared)

Whether you choose SiteGround for simplicity or go the manual route for full control, hosting WordPress on Google Cloud is absolutely doable. I hope this guide has helped you pick the right path and feel more confident about launching your site.

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 Host WordPress on Google Cloud Platform (3 Ways) first appeared on WPBeginner.

‘Your domain name is about to expire!’ is a pretty scary email that thousands of business owners receive every day. The thing is that many of these urgent messages are actually scams.

I’ve helped countless website owners avoid these traps over the years. The issue that these scams have now evolved from simple email tricks to sophisticated schemes that can fool even experienced website owners.

That’s why I wanted to create this guide to show you what these domain name scams look like and how you can protect yourself. Whether you own one domain name or a hundred, these tips will help you keep your digital property safe.

What Are Domain Name Scams?

Have you ever received an alarming message telling you that your domain name is about to expire? Maybe it even demanded immediate payment to prevent your website from being taken down.

These domain name scams are designed to extract money or sensitive information from domain owners or potential buyers.

Scammers use a range of tactics—emails, phone calls, even traditional mail—to catch you off guard. They often pretend to be real organizations and make their communications look official.

Now, let’s take a look at the most common domain name scams you may see.

1. Misleading Renewal Notices and Invoices

A few months back, I opened my inbox to find an email with the subject line: ‘URGENT: Your domain name is about to expire!’

The email looked official, and it even had a familiar logo and included my domain name.

But something felt off.

The renewal fee they asked for was twice what I usually pay. Plus, the sender’s email address was generic instead of my actual domain name registrar‘s official email. That’s when I realized it was a scam trying to trick me into either paying unnecessary fees to a fake company or unknowingly transferring my domain to their control.

⚠️ How These Scams Work

This practice is often known as ‘domain slamming’. Scammers might:

• Send official-looking emails or letters that mimic the branding of legitimate registrars.
• Use urgent language like ‘Immediate Action Required’ or ‘Final Notice’ to pressure you to act without thinking.
• Inflate renewal fees, charging prices much higher than standard rates.
• Trick you into transferring domains by sneakily including transfer authorization, so you unintentionally move your domain name to another registrar.

It’s not just digital communications. Some people get phone calls from scammers posing as customer service representatives, insisting on immediate payment.

And I’ve even received letters in the mail that looked real. They had professional letterheads and detailed information about my domain name.

One letter claimed I’d lose my domain name if I didn’t pay a steep renewal fee immediately. If I hadn’t been cautious, I might have fallen for it.

✅ How to Protect Yourself

Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself from misleading renewal notices and invoices:

• Verify the Sender: Always double-check that any emails, calls, or letters about your domain are actually from your domain registrar. You can do this by carefully looking at the sender’s email address. If it’s a call, letter, or you’re unsure about an email, it’s best to contact your registrar using the official phone number or support channels listed on their actual website, not from a suspicious message.
• Check Your Domain Name’s Expiration Date: Log in to your domain registrar’s account dashboard to check when your domain name expires.
• Don’t Let Urgency Pressure You: Scammers often use urgent language to make you panic and act quickly. If you get a demanding message, take a moment to pause and think things through before you do anything.
• Contact Your Registrar Directly: If you’re ever unsure about a notice you’ve received, it’s always safest to contact your domain registrar directly. Make sure to find their official contact information on their website, rather than using any phone numbers or links provided in the suspicious message.
• Educate Your Team: Make sure your team that manages your domain names is aware of these scams to prevent accidental loss.

For more details, just see the last section in this article.

2. Phishing Scams Leading to Domain Hijacking

I once received an email that seemed to be from my domain registrar. It had all the right logos and mentioned my domain name. The subject line read, ‘Important: Security Update Required.’

But before I clicked the link in the email, I noticed the URL didn’t look right. I realized it was a phishing attempt.

⚠️ How These Scams Work

Phishing scams are designed to trick you into handing over your login credentials. Scammers create emails or websites that mimic legitimate companies, hoping you’ll:

• Click on malicious links that lead to fake login pages that capture your username and password.
• Provide sensitive information, like your bank account details or passwords, through forms or direct replies.
• Download infected attachments that install malware that can compromise your security.

Remember, phishing attempts aren’t limited to email. Scammers may also use phone calls, text messages, and social media.

Once they have your login information, they can access your domain registrar account and take complete control. This is called domain hijacking.

By hijacking your domain, scammers can transfer your domain name to another registrar without your permission. They can also redirect your website to malicious sites or hold it hostage until you pay a ransom.

Remember, legitimate companies will never ask you to provide sensitive information through unsecured channels.

✅ Protecting Yourself From Phishing and Domain Hijacking

Here are a few things you can do to protect yourself against phishing and domain hijacking:

• Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) for Your Domain Account: This adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification. Most registrars offer two-factor authentication (2FA) options—usually via an authenticator app or SMS code.
• Verify Before You Click: Inspect the email address because scammers often use addresses that look similar to official ones. Before clicking, hover over the link to see where it actually leads. If it doesn’t match the official website, don’t click.
• Set Up Account Activity Alerts: Many domain registrars let you turn on notifications for important account changes. This way, you’ll get an email if someone logs into your account, changes your settings, or tries to transfer your domain. It’s a good way to catch any suspicious activity quickly without needing to constantly check your account manually.

3. Fake Domain Purchase and Appraisal Scams

Imagine getting an unsolicited email from someone eager to buy your domain name at a premium price.

Before you start celebrating, you need to make sure that the offer is legitimate.

⚠️ How These Scams Work

Scammers often use this tactic to exploit domain name owners:

• They express strong interest in your domain, often offering a price that’s above market value. (Related: Learn how much your website is worth.)
• They insist that you obtain a ‘certified domain appraisal’ from a specific service they recommend.
• The supposed buyer disappears once you pay for the appraisal, leaving you out of pocket.
• In some cases, they might use this scam to collect sensitive information about you or your domain name.

I’ve heard stories from other website owners who have come across similar schemes. These scams prey on the excitement of making a profitable sale.

✅ Protecting Yourself from These Scams

Here’s how you can protect yourself against fake purchase and appraisal scams:

• Do a Quick Search on the Buyer: If someone offers to buy your domain, it’s a good idea to do a little research on them. Real buyers usually have some online presence, like a company website, a LinkedIn profile, or business directory listings. If you search for their name or company and can’t find anything, that could be a red flag.
• Be Wary of Paid Appraisal Demands: Most legitimate buyers won’t ask you, the seller, to pay for a domain appraisal. If a potential buyer insists you use a specific appraisal service (especially one you haven’t heard of) and pay a fee, be very careful. If you do want an appraisal for your own information, it’s best to choose a well-known and trusted service yourself.
• Avoid Sharing Sensitive Information: Never share your sensitive information through email. Legitimate buyers only need basic information to make an offer. If they insist on sensitive details upfront, direct them to use a reputable domain broker or escrow service where transactions are protected.

I explain these safeguards in more detail at the end of this article.

4. Trademark Infringement and Related Domain Scams

Businesses may receive alarming messages claiming that someone is attempting to register similar domain names that potentially infringe on their trademark.

These communications often ask for immediate action to prevent brand damage, creating a sense of urgency and concern.

⚠️ How These Scams Work

Here are some ways scammers exploit brand protection concerns:

• They claim that someone is registering domain names that closely resemble your brand or trademark.
• Phrases like ‘urgent action required’ or ‘immediate attention needed’ are used to pressure businesses into quick responses.
• Scammers may suggest purchasing additional domain extensions or services to ‘safeguard’ the brand, which are often unnecessary.

These scams often arrive via email or phone. To appear legitimate, they may use official-sounding language or legal terminology. They want to frighten you into making a rushed decision.

✅ Protecting Against Trademark Infringement Scams

To avoid falling victim to these schemes:

• Don’t Let Panic Make You Rush: Scammers often use scary-sounding legal language or threats about your brand to make you act quickly without thinking. If you get a notice like this, the first thing to do is take a moment and don’t rush into any decisions or payments.
• Check if the Claim and Sender Are Real: Try to find out if the organization that contacted you is legitimate and if their claim has any truth to it. Look up the company online and find its official contact information. Also, carefully check the message itself for common warning signs, like generic greetings, poor grammar or spelling, and email addresses that don’t look official.
• Consider Talking to a Legal Expert: If the notice seems serious, or if you’re genuinely worried that there might be a real trademark issue, it can be very helpful to speak with a lawyer who knows about intellectual property. They can look at the situation, tell you if there’s a real problem, and explain what your options are.
• Do Your Own Quick Checks: You can use a WHOIS lookup tool online to see if the domain names mentioned in the warning are actually registered by someone else or if they are still available. If the message is urging you to buy multiple domain names to ‘protect your brand,’ think carefully about whether you actually need them.

Check the end of this article for more detailed information on how to protect yourself.

5. Homograph Attacks (Typosquatting)

Domain scammers often use a trick called a homograph attack. They register domain names that look almost identical to legitimate ones, but use different characters.

For example, they might register ‘exɑmple.com’ instead of ‘example.com’. The ‘a’ looks the same, but it’s actually a different character from another alphabet.

This technique makes scam emails look legitimate at first glance. When you receive a message about your domain name, always check the sender’s email address and any links carefully for these subtle character substitutions.

⚠️ How These Scams Work

Homograph attacks trick us because we usually read words by how they look at first glance, instead of carefully checking each letter.

Scammers register domain names that are visually similar to popular sites by:

• Using Lookalike Characters: Replacing letters with identical or near-identical characters from different alphabets (e.g., Cyrillic ‘ɑ’ instead of Latin ‘a’).
• Common Misspellings: Registering domain names with common typos (e.g., ‘gooogle.com’ instead of ‘google.com’).
• Alternate TLDs: Using different top-level domain names (TLDs) like ‘.net’ instead of ‘.com’ to catch users off guard.

Once you visit these fake sites, scammers may steal your personal information by prompting you to log in or enter sensitive data.

Alternatively, they can download malicious software onto your device or display unwanted ads or content to generate revenue through ad impressions or affiliate links.

✅ Protecting Yourself from Homograph Attacks

Here’s what I’ve learned to do to stay safe:

• Always Double-Check Web Addresses (URLs): Before clicking on a link, especially in an email or message, hover your mouse over it to see the actual web address it points to. Once you’re on a website, take a quick look at the address in your browser’s address bar to make sure it doesn’t contain any misspellings or unusual characters.
• Use Your Browser’s Built-in Protection: Most modern web browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Edge have built-in security features that can warn you if you try to visit a known unsafe website. Make sure these features are turned on.
• Be Wary of Unsolicited Communications: Don’t click on links from unexpected emails or texts, even if they seem urgent. If you are in doubt, please contact the organization directly using its official contact information.

I cover these strategies in more detail later in this article.

6. Related: SEO and Search Engine Submission Scams

A while back, I received an email offering to submit my website to ‘hundreds of search engines’ for a small fee. The message promised quick results and top rankings.

It sounded tempting—who wouldn’t want their site to be easily found online?

Unfortunately, this is another common type of scam.

⚠️ How These Scams Work

SEO and search engine submission scams prey on the desire to get more traffic. Scammers might:

• Offer to submit your domain to numerous search engines. But major search engines like Google and Bing automatically crawl and index websites, and you can submit your site to search engines for free.
• Promise top rankings overnight. But genuine SEO is a long-term strategy, and no one can guarantee instant top positions.
• Request payment for secret algorithms or insider knowledge. But search engine algorithms are proprietary and closely guarded. Anyone claiming insider access is misleading you.

These offers often come via unsolicited emails or ads and use buzzwords like ‘guaranteed traffic’ or ‘instant SEO success’ to lure you in.

✅ Protecting Yourself from SEO Scams

Here’s what I’ve learned to do when confronted with these tempting offers:

• Do Some Research First: If a company offers you SEO services, take a few minutes to look them up online. See if you can find reviews or any complaints. You should be cautious if they promise things like ‘instant top rankings’ or discuss ‘secret SEO methods’ because real SEO doesn’t work that way.
• Understand How Search Engines Work: Know that major search engines will find and index your site automatically. And understand that SEO takes time and involves optimizing content, improving site speed, and other techniques.
• Be Careful with Unexpected SEO Offers: If you receive an unexpected email promising amazing SEO results, then you should be cautious. Reputable SEO companies won’t send spammy emails like that. Scammers will also often try to pressure you by claiming an offer is for a limited time, but don’t let that rush you into a decision.
• Stick to Good SEO Basics: Learning a few basic things about how SEO works can really help you. When you understand the fundamentals, it’s much easier to see when someone is making promises that are too good to be true. For details, you can see our ultimate guide to WordPress SEO.
• Choose SEO Help Wisely: If you decide you want professional help with your SEO, look for reputable experts or agencies. It’s a good sign if they have real testimonials or case studies from other clients that you can check. You can see our list of the best WordPress support agencies to see some companies that we recommend.
• Keep Your Login Information Safe: Never share your website login details, such as your WordPress admin password or financial information, with someone just because they offer you SEO services. If you do hire someone, ensure that any payments are made through secure and well-known payment methods.

In the next section of this article, I’ll explain in more detail the best strategies for protecting yourself from domain name scams.

Tips to Protect Yourself From Domain Name Scams

Over the years, I’ve used several strategies to keep my domain names safe from scammers. Here are some steps you can take to safeguard your domain names.

✅ Enable Registrar Lock

One of the first things I did after registering my domain names was to enable registrar lock, which is also known as domain lock.

This setting prevents anyone from transferring your domain name to another registrar without your permission. To transfer your domain, you’ll need to log in to your account and unlock it first. This is a simple but effective way to add extra security.

Simply log in to your domain registrar’s control panel and look for the domain lock option. In the example below, it is labeled ‘Transfer Lock’, but some registrars may use different wording.

If you’re unsure, reach out to your registrar’s support team for guidance.

✅ Use WHOIS Privacy Protection

When I first registered a domain name, I was surprised to find my personal contact information listed publicly in the WHOIS database. This visibility can make you a target for scammers.

By enabling WHOIS privacy protection, your personal details are hidden from public view.

If you’re curious about how this works, our guide on how to find out who actually owns a domain name explains how to find domain ownership information and the importance of privacy.

✅ Regularly Monitor Your Domain Name Status

It’s easy to forget renewal dates, especially if you have multiple domain names.

I recommend setting up domain expiry reminder emails directly with your domain registrar and enabling automatic domain name renewals.

For more information, see our guide on how to check your domain expiration date.

✅ Educate Your Team

If you have staff or team members who help manage your website or have access to your domain registrar account, ensure they are aware of these common scams.

It’s a good idea to share examples of suspicious emails or messages with them so everyone learns what to look out for and can help keep your domain safe.

✅ Verify Communications

As I’ve mentioned before, always be very careful with emails, phone calls, or letters about your domain name that you weren’t expecting.

Before clicking any links, providing information, or making payments, take a moment to verify if the message is real. If you have any doubts, it’s always safest to contact your domain registrar directly using the official phone number or support channels listed on their website.

✅ Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Adding an extra layer of security can make a big difference. I enabled 2FA on my domain registrar accounts, so even if someone guesses my password, they can’t access my account without the second verification step.

Most domain registrars offer 2FA options, which are usually found in the account security settings. For example, some registrars let you enable 2FA with a simple ‘Two-Step Sign In’ toggle switch.

Tip: You can also add two-factor authentication in WordPress to protect your website.

✅ Deal Only with ICANN-Accredited Registrars

It’s best to register your domain names with well-known and reputable companies.

Look for registrars that are ICANN-accredited (ICANN is the organization responsible for managing domain names globally).

Good registrars usually provide better security features for your account, helpful customer support if you need it, and clear, honest communication about your domain name.

For recommendations, see our pick of the best domain name registrars.

✅ Keep Your Contact Information Up to Date

 It’s really important to make sure your contact information (email, phone number, address) with your domain registrar is always up to date. If you’ve recently changed your contact details, then make sure to update them.

This is how your domain registrar will contact you about important things like renewal reminders or security issues.

✅ Be Skeptical of Unsolicited Offers

Whether it’s an email about SEO services or a call from someone wanting to buy your domain, approach unsolicited communications with caution.

Don’t agree to anything on the spot. Take the time to verify the offer or service. If you are unsure, then seek advice from trusted colleagues or industry experts.

Frequently Asked Questions About Domain Name Scams

Many website owners worry when they receive messages about their domain names. Based on my experience helping website owners, here are answers to the most common domain security questions.

1. What is a domain name scam?

Domain name scams are deceptive practices that try to trick domain owners or potential buyers into giving up money or sensitive information.

Scammers use tactics like fake renewal notices, phishing emails, and misleading offers to exploit unsuspecting individuals.

2. How can I tell if a renewal notice is a scam?

Phrases like ‘Immediate Action Required’ or ‘Final Notice’ are often used by scammers. You should also be wary of emails or letters from companies you don’t recognize.

Besides that, watch out for renewal costs that are significantly higher than your usual rate. And always verify any renewal notice by logging into your registrar’s website or contacting their customer support directly.

3. What is domain slamming?

Domain slamming is when scammers send misleading transfer or renewal notices to trick you into switching domain registrars or paying unnecessary fees.

Make sure you read all messages carefully and check that they are from your actual domain registrar. And always be skeptical of unexpected emails or letters about your domain name.

4. How do phishing scams lead to domain hijacking?

Phishing scams trick you into revealing your login credentials by mimicking your domain registrar’s website or communications.

I once got an email that looked like it was from my domain registrar, asking me to log in due to ‘suspicious activity’. Instead of clicking the link, I accessed my account directly and found everything was fine.

I recommend you enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) to add an extra layer of security. Also, never click suspicious links, and navigate to your registrar’s site manually.

Finally, use strong, unique passwords, and avoid using the same password across multiple sites.

5. What should I do if someone offers to buy my domain?

While it can be exciting to receive an unsolicited offer, make sure to be careful. Red flags include when they insist you pay for an appraisal service and make very high offers as bait.

My advice is to research the buyer, verify their credibility, and never pay upfront fees.

6. Are the trademark infringement notices I receive always legitimate?

Not necessarily. Scammers try to use fear around brand protection.

Watch out for urgency and pressure. Scammers often push you to act quickly and demand fees to ‘protect’ your brand.

7. How do homograph attacks (typosquatting) work?

Scammers register domain names that look like yours by using similar or international characters. For example, they may replace ‘o’ with ‘0’ (zero) in a domain name.

Be sure to double-check URLs before clicking on links or entering information. And it’s best to navigate to important sites using saved bookmarks.

8. What should I do if I suspect I’ve been targeted by a scam?

First, don’t engage and avoid responding to the scammer. Next, change your passwords to secure your accounts immediately.

Finally, you should contact your domain registrar and inform them of the suspicious activity. You can also report the scam to the appropriate authorities or online platforms.

9. Can someone steal my domain name?

Yes, domain hijacking is a real threat.

That’s why we recommend using strong passwords and two-factor authentication (2FA) when logging in to your domain registrar account. This makes unauthorized access more difficult.

Also, you should regularly monitor your domain status and consider using a registrar lock. This adds an extra layer of security against unauthorized transfers.

10. Why am I receiving so many unsolicited emails about my domain?

If your domain’s WHOIS information is public, then scammers can easily find your contact details.

The solution is to enable WHOIS privacy protection, which hides your personal information from public databases.

I hope this tutorial helped you learn about common domain name scams and how to avoid them. You may also want to see our guide on how to check domain name availability or our expert pick of the best domain name generators to help you pick a domain fast.

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 6 Common Domain Name Scams to Avoid (& How to Spot Them) first appeared on WPBeginner.

May has been a month of big changes in the WordPress ecosystem. From enhanced SEO features in AIOSEO to important privacy updates in WPConsent and performance boosts in WooCommerce, there’s a lot to cover.

This month, we also saw the formation of a dedicated AI team at WordPress.org, which signals exciting developments to come.

Let’s explore the key highlights and discover what’s new in the world of WordPress!

DB Reset Pro Makes WordPress Database Resets Easier for Developers and Testers 🔃

The team behind popular plugins like SeedProd and Duplicator has launched a new tool: DB Reset PRO. It lets you reset your WordPress database easily and safely, with full control over what gets wiped and what stays.

The plugin removes posts, pages, comments, and users but keeps your admin account, site title, and all media uploads. Themes and plugins are deactivated but not deleted.

Built-in safety features include permission checks and clear reset warnings. There’s also an option to automatically reactivate selected plugins after the reset.

It’s ideal for debugging, development, and learning. You can quickly start fresh without needing to reinstall WordPress. The plugin also supports multisite and has a clean, WordPress-native design.

DB Reset PRO is free and now available on WordPress.org. It’s a useful tool for anyone who needs a reliable reset without affecting files or uploads.

WordPress Announced a Dedicated AI Team to Guide Open-Source Innovation

WordPress.org has launched a new AI Team to lead and coordinate artificial intelligence efforts across the platform.

The team’s goal is to help WordPress stay ahead as AI tools become more common in content creation and site management.

This move brings structure to AI-related work that is already happening in the ecosystem. It helps avoid fragmentation and makes sure that future innovation lines up with WordPress’s long-term goals and open-source values.

The team will take a plugin-first approach to development. This means new features will roll out as Canonical Plugins, which allows for faster testing and community feedback outside the slower Core release cycle.

The founding members are James LePage (Automattic), Felix Arntz and Pascal Birchler (Google), and Jeff Paul (10up). James and Felix will act as the first team representatives, helping organize work and connect with other Make WordPress teams.

WPForms Adds Square Payments for Free Users and Launches Google Drive Integration

WPForms now lets users accept Square payments on all plans, including the free version. This makes it easier for small businesses, nonprofits, and personal sites to collect payments directly through WordPress forms.

The Square integration allows quick setup without custom code. It supports basic payment forms, while advanced features, such as conditional logic, are still available through the PRO addon for paid plans.

WPForms has also launched a new Google Drive Addon. This feature helps teams manage uploaded files without needing to give everyone WordPress access.

Form submissions and file uploads can now be synced automatically to any folder in Google Drive.

The integration is designed to fit smoothly with Google Workspace. It makes collaboration easier by allowing teams, like HR, marketing, or client services, to access form files where they already work.

Plus, smart permissions ensure that users see only what they need, without extra WordPress user roles or logins.

WordPress Ecosystem Expands with 87% Increase in New Plugin Submissions

The WordPress Plugins team has reported an 87% increase in new plugin submissions compared to last year. This growth shows that there has been strong wave of innovation across the developer community.

The data shows a steady rise in submissions since September 2024. And many contributors point to AI as a driving force behind this increase.

A growing number of plugins now include “AI” in their titles, offering features like content generation, chatbots, SEO tools, translation, and AI image creation. Overall, developers are using AI to improve both front-end experiences and backend efficiency.

The Plugin Review Team has also upgraded its internal scanner. It now checks for more security issues, such as missing sanitization or escaping, and offers clearer code examples for fixes. It can also detect similar plugin names, which reduces duplicate plugins and confusion within the plugin directory.

Despite the higher volume of plugins, the team has kept average review wait times low. Faster reviews give developers more motivation to experiment, publish early, and contribute new solutions to the WordPress community.

AIOSEO Update Brings Google Indexing Insights Directly to WordPress

All in One SEO for WordPress has introduced a major new feature called the Index Status Report.

This tool shows you how Google views your website’s content, without leaving your WordPress dashboard. This allows you to find and fix SEO issues before they hurt your rankings.

The Index Status Report helps users understand which pages are indexed, which aren’t, and why. It displays five key categories: Indexed, Crawled but Not Indexed, Discovered but Not Indexed, Other Not Indexed, and No Results Yet.

AIOSEO says the feature fills a critical gap for users who struggle with invisible pages in search results. “While other SEO plugins only show basic indexing status, AIOSEO’s Index Status Report tells you exactly why pages aren’t being indexed—and what to do about it,” said Ben Rojas, President of AIOSEO.

Users can also view post-level indexing issues, including crawl status, canonical tags, and robots.txt rules. Each post has a direct link to inspect it in Google Search Console.

Plus, advanced filtering lets users sort by indexing state, post type, or crawl conditions.

Another feature tracks rich results eligibility. This helps users see which posts can show rich snippets in Google and which schema markup types are already applied, all without opening the post editor.

Review Feeds Simplifies Google and Yelp Reviews with No API Required

Smash Balloon has released a major update to Review Feeds Pro that allows you to display light-use Google and Yelp reviews without API keys. The change is designed to help users save time and avoid recent third-party charges, especially from Yelp’s paid API model.

Users can now paste a link to their Yelp page or Google Place ID to set up a review feed in minutes. There’s no need to connect billing accounts or enter credit card details.

The feature is ideal for users who only need to show a handful of reviews. Free plan users can display up to 10 reviews from a single source without any API integration. Pro users still have the option to enter API keys to unlock unlimited sources and faster feed updates.

With this update, users can highlight Google and Yelp reviews directly on their websites, promote trust, and increase conversions—all with fewer technical requirements.

WooCommerce 9.9 Beta Introduces Blueprints, Faster Dashboard, and Smarter Exports

WooCommerce 9.9 is set for release on June 2, 2025. The beta version is now available for testing, with new features that focus on speed and store management.

The update introduces ‘Blueprints’, which is a tool for exporting and importing store settings. It helps developers and agencies maintain consistent setups across sites.

Admin speed is also improved with asynchronous dashboard widgets. This change significantly reduces load times on uncached or high-traffic sites.

Additionally, store owners can now export selected products by ID and hide all shipping rates when free shipping is available. Both these features were previously only possible with code or third-party tools.

Other updates include automated database migrations and smoother navigation in Product Collection blocks. Experimental features, including COGS tracking and a redesigned Product Gallery block, are also available for early testing.

WPConsent Adds Per-Page Scanning and New Consent Defaults

WPConsent, a WordPress privacy and cookie popup plugin, has released a big update introducing new features for improving privacy compliance in WordPress.

It now offers per-page scanning, improved cookie settings, and cleaner uninstall options.

Site owners can choose which pages to scan for scripts and cookies. This helps reduce scan times, allowing users to focus on key areas like checkout, forms, and login pages. WPConsent also suggests commonly used pages for added convenience.

A new “Default Allow” option gives more control over how cookies are handled. When this setting is enabled, scripts and iframes will load by default unless the user opts out. If rejected, cookies are cleared and the page refreshes to reflect the updated consent choice.

WPConsent also now includes an option to delete all plugin data when the plugin is uninstalled. This ensures full data removal and supports cleaner site management.

The update also includes enhancements to Google Consent Mode compatibility and works well with plugins like MonsterInsights.

WPCode Adds Schema Generators and Improved Pixel Tracking

WPCode has released a new update with 20 new generators for adding schema markup to WordPress sites.

Users can now create structured data for articles, FAQs, reviews, and more—no coding required. This makes advanced SEO tools more accessible for beginners and small business owners.

The schema tool uses a simple form-based interface. Once filled, WPCode generates valid schema code that can be easily inserted and edited. Premium users can also use Smart Tags to dynamically auto-fill values.

This update also improves click tracking in the Conversion Pixel addon. Click events now send data to both Google Analytics and Google Ads for more complete reporting.

In Other News 🗞️

• MonsterInsights now supports Pinterest ad tracking. Users can measure conversions and return on investment (ROI) from Pinterest PPC campaigns using just their Tag ID and Ad Account, all from inside WordPress. No coding needed.
• WordPress 6.8.1 has been released as a maintenance update. It fixes 15 bugs across Core and the Block Editor, and improves stability in multisite, the REST API, and other key areas.

• AdTribes has updated its UI for managing WooCommerce product feeds. Bulk actions and workflow improvements are now live, along with a new Product Feed Validator to help check data quality before submitting feeds to marketplaces.
• A2 Hosting has rebranded as Hosting.com. The company promises improved performance and support while continuing with its core services and infrastructure.
• The folks behind rtCamp have launched GoDAM, a new digital asset management plugin. It offers enhanced video handling and media organization for WordPress users, especially agencies and enterprise teams.

• WordPress Campus Connect is now a global program bringing WordPress education to college campuses. After a successful 2024 pilot, it will host events and training at universities worldwide.

• Formidable Forms has rolled out improved anti-spam tools across all plans. The update includes honeypot protection, keyword filtering, and an integration with the StopForumSpam API.
• WordCamp Europe 2025 is just around the corner and will be happening June 5–7 in Basel, Switzerland. Some tickets are still available.

New Plugins & Tools

• DB Reset PRO 🔥 – Quickly reset your WordPress database without affecting media uploads or plugin files.
• MyPayKit 💳 – Create secure Square-powered payment forms for donations, invoices, and online sales.
• MD Governance – Control block editor settings by user role to create a safer, role-specific editing experience in WordPress.
• Thread Block – Display X (formerly Twitter) style threaded conversations in WordPress posts or pages using a Gutenberg block.

That’s all for this month’s WPBeginner Spotlight! 🎉 We hope this roundup helped you stay informed on what’s new and notable in the WordPress world.

Have a product update, launch, or project worth sharing? Let us know — your submission could be featured in an upcoming issue.

Thanks for reading, and we’ll be back next month with more WordPress insights and updates.

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 WPBeginner Spotlight 12: New Tools for SEO, Privacy, and WooCommerce Performance first appeared on WPBeginner.

When I first started building WordPress websites, tracking visitor data just meant installing Google Analytics and calling it a day.

But times have changed. With new privacy regulations, using cookies to collect personal information without user consent can lead to legal headaches and lost visitors.

I’ve helped several WordPress site owners transition to cookie-free analytics solutions that still provide powerful insights. After testing numerous options and implementing them across various types of websites, I’ve identified the most effective approaches.

In this guide, let me show you two ways to add analytics while respecting your visitors’ privacy. One uses a privacy-first setup for Google Analytics (which uses first-party cookies), and the other is a cookieless option.

Do I Really Need Cookieless Analytics?

You’ve probably heard a lot about cookies and privacy laws. But what does it all really mean for your WordPress website’s analytics? Let me break it down.

Cookies are small pieces of data that are stored on a user’s browser when they visit a website.

Traditional analytics tools like Google Analytics 4 (GA4) use these cookies to track visitor behavior. This includes details like which pages they visit, how long they stay, and what actions they take.

All this data helps site owners better understand their audience and improve their websites.

🚨 Here’s the challenge: New privacy laws, like the GDPR, CCPA, and ePrivacy, require websites to ask for explicit user consent before tracking with cookies. Because of this, many website owners think they must switch to cookie-free analytics to stay compliant.

However, that’s not actually true!

You can still track important data with Google Analytics while staying compliant with privacy laws.

Why “Cookieless” Google Analytics 4 is the Best Option

When it comes to website analytics, Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is still the best and most powerful tool available – and that’s true for all types of websites. So, if you want accurate insights into your visitors’ behavior, GA4 is the way to go.

But before we start, let’s clear up a common misunderstanding: GA4 does not rely on third-party cookies. Instead, it uses first-party cookies, which are set by your own website to collect data about your visitors’ activity on your WordPress site only.

In contrast, third-party cookies are set by external services (like ad networks) and track users across multiple websites. Because of their broader tracking scope, they raise more privacy concerns and are being phased out by many browsers.

Now, you might be wondering: “Since GA4 still uses cookies – even if they’re first-party – can it be used in a way that complies with privacy laws?”

The answer is yes!

However, do note that Google Analytics itself isn’t automatically compliant or non-compliant. It’s your responsibility to use it in a way that follows the rules that apply to you.

Plus, whether you need cookie consent for Google Analytics depends on several factors. They can be where you and your visitors are located, and how you handle their data.

Since cookie consent laws differ by country (even within the EU), some websites must ask users to consent to specific cookies, while others need a banner for any cookie use.

To help with this, I’ll show you how to pair GA4 with:

✅ MonsterInsights with the EU Compliance addon – This helps ensure your data handling aligns with GDPR and other privacy regulations.

✅ WPConsent cookie banners – These help you request and manage user consent the right way.

With these tools in place, you can continue using GA4 in a way that supports compliance with privacy laws. This helps you gather valuable insights while reducing the risk of legal issues.

How to Add WordPress Analytics Without Cookies

Now that I’ve covered what cookieless tracking is and whether you really need it, let’s talk about how to set it up on your WordPress site.

There are 2 solid options to do this:

1. GA4 + MonsterInsights EU Compliance addon – Track user behavior with GA4 while staying compliant with privacy laws like GDPR. It uses first-party cookies and offers configurable settings for stronger privacy. Ideal for getting detailed insights with easy website integration.
2. Burst Statistics – Let’s you set up analytics without cookies. It stores data on your server and offers a hybrid mode with optional cookies.

I will cover both methods in our tutorial, along with some extra tips and FAQs about cookieless tracking.

Feel free to use the jump links below to go to your preferred method:

Ready? Let’s break it down.

Method 1: How to Set Up WordPress Cookieless Analytics (Keep Using GA4 for the Best Insights)

This method is for if you want access to powerful analytics while still respecting user privacy. I’ll be using MonsterInsights alongside WPConsent to set up cookieless tracking.

Step 1: Install MonsterInsights to Set Up Cookieless Analytics

MonsterInsights is the most popular Google Analytics plugin for WordPress, and for a good reason: it makes viewing your Google Analytics data in WordPress incredibly easy.

At WPBeginner, we use it to track traffic sources, visitor demographics, and conversion rates on our forms, buttons, referral links, and more. Check out our complete MonsterInsights review for a deeper look at its features.

So, let’s first install and activate the MonsterInsights plugin. For details, you can see this guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Step 2: Connect MonsterInsights to Google WordPress Analytics

Once you have MonsterInsights up and running, it’s time to connect it to your site and your Google Analytics account.

You can click the ‘Insights’ tab in the left-hand menu of your WordPress dashboard.

Next, just click the ‘Launch the Wizard’ button to start the MonsterInsights setup process.

On the next screen, you’ll need to pick a category that best describes your website.

This can be a WordPress blog, business site, or online store.

Just hit ‘Save and Continue’ after you make your choice.

After that, you’ll need to connect MonsterInsights to your website’s Google Analytics account.

Simply click the ‘Connect MonsterInsights’ button to begin the process.

In the next steps, you’ll have to sign in to your Google Analytics account and select the website you want to track.

MonsterInsights will then install Google Analytics on your site – easy as that!

For details, you can see this guide on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.

Step 3: Install the MonsterInsights EU Compliance Addon

Since GA4 still uses first-party cookies, you need to make sure that your tracking complies with GDPR. The MonsterInsights EU Compliance addon makes this easier by automating key privacy settings in GA4.

Some of its essential features include:

• Anonymizing IP addresses to prevent personal data storage.
• Disabling the tracking of user demographics, interests, and User IDs.

To install the addon, you can navigate to Insights » Addons.

Here, go ahead and click the ‘Install & Activate’ button to install the EU Compliance addon.

After that, you can switch the toggle to activate the addon when it appears.

Upon activation, let’s go to the ‘Settings’ menu.

In the ‘Engagement’ tab, simply toggle the ‘Enable EU Compliance’ setting to turn it on.

We also recommend verifying the settings directly in GA4 to ensure your GA4 setup aligns with your MonsterInsights privacy settings.

For example, to make sure your GA4 doesn’t track demographics, you can navigate to your GA4 ‘Admin’ panel.​

Next up, you’ll want to locate the ‘Data collection and modification’ setting.

Then, simply click the ‘Data collection’ option.

Now, in the ‘Google signals data collection’ settings, you should make sure it’s disabled.

Why does this matter? Google Signals collects extra user data, including:

• Demographics & Interests – Age, gender, and hobbies.
• Location & Engagement – User locations (from Google accounts).
• Cross-Device Tracking – Identifies users as they switch between devices.
• Cross-Platform Reports – How users interact across devices.
• Ad Personalization Data – Connects with Google Ads for remarketing.

If it’s already off, then you should see the option to ‘Turn On’ like this:

You might also want to review your data retention settings.

Data retention controls how long GA4 stores user-level and event-level data before automatically deleting it. A shorter retention period can help with GDPR compliance and privacy regulations.

To do this, you can go to Data collection and modification » Data retention from the ‘Admin’ menu.

On the next screen, you’ll see options to set the event and user data retention period.

You can click the ‘Data retention’ dropdown menus for both event and user data. Then, for stricter compliance, simply choose the ‘2 months’ option.

Don’t forget to click ‘Save’ when you’re done adjusting.

To learn more about all things GA4, you can check out our beginner’s guide on how to use Google Analytics 4.

Step 4: Set Up the WPConsent Cookie Consent Plugin

Using Google Analytics 4 while complying with laws like GDPR and CCPA means you need to get user consent before tracking. And that responsibility falls on you.

Whether consent is required depends on where your business is based, where your users are located, what data you collect, and how it’s used. Plus, rules vary widely across countries, even within the EU, with some requiring consent for specific cookies and others for any type.

Instead of handling this manually yourself, you can use WPConsent to simplify compliance.

This powerful plugin lets you display a cookie consent banner, log user choices, and control when tools like GA4 are allowed to run — all within WordPress.

At WPBeginner (and some of our partner brands), we use WPConsent, and it’s been a reliable solution for managing privacy settings. Explore all of its features in our complete WPConsent review!

So, let’s start by installing the WPConsent plugin. If you need help, then you can see this beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon plugin activation, let’s activate the license key.

To do this, you’ll need to go to WPConsent » Settings. After that, simply copy the license key from your WPConsent account and paste it into the ‘License Key’ field.

Then, go ahead and click the ‘Activate Key’ button.

With that done, let’s navigate to ‘Dashboard’ to go through the setup wizard.

Go ahead and click on the ‘Let’s Get Started’ button.

On the next screen, WPConsent will run a scan to see if your site is using cookies.

First, it will ask you to check your site’s email address.

If everything looks good already, then you can click ‘Scan Your Website.’

This will trigger the tool to start the cookie scan.

Once done, you’ll see a ‘Scan completed’ notification along with a short report on the tool’s findings. For example, here it says that WPConsent found 4 services on our site that have set cookies.

Let’s click on ‘OK’ to continue the process.

Next up, you’ll see your WordPress site’s scan results in more detail.

On my demo site, the services that use cookies are WordPress login (this might be because of the ‘Remember Me‘ option), WordPress Comments, Google Analytics, and Matomo.

Make sure that you select all the services. Then, you should also check the box that says ‘Prevent known scripts from adding cookies before consent is given.’

With that done, go ahead and click the ‘Auto-Configure selected’ button.

After that, WPConsent will prompt you to set up your cookie banner.

The process is super simple. You just need to choose a layout and pick a position.

Then, you can scroll down the page to preview your cookie consent banner.

If everything looks good to you, it’s time to click the ‘Save & Complete Setup’ button.

And you’re done!

Now, if you visit your website, you’ll see your cookie consent banner in action.

👉 Expert Tip: Adding a link to your privacy policy page in the cookie banner helps build trust with your visitors and align with legal requirements. If you don’t have one yet, then check out our tutorial on how to add a privacy policy page in WordPress.

After setting it up, you can embed the link into your cookie banner from the WPConsent editor.

Just navigate to WPConsent » Banner Design from your admin area. Then, you can edit the text in the ‘Message’ field to include the link to your Privacy Policy page.

Don’t forget to click the ‘Save’ button so you don’t lose your progress.

And here’s your cookie banner:

Step 5: Access Consent Logs to Verify Your Privacy Settings

WPConsent has a ‘Consent Logs’ section that provides a detailed record of how visitors interact with your site’s cookie consent popup.

To see your logs, go ahead and navigate to WPConsent » Consent Logs from your WordPress admin area.

Here, you’ll find a table with all your users’ consent details.

For example, I have a user who accepted all cookies – essential, statistics, and marketing.

And that’s it – you’ve successfully set up Google Analytics with enhanced privacy settings while still using cookies.

Method 2: How to Set Up WordPress Analytics Without Cookies (Free Option with Less Data Accuracy)

If you’re looking to track analytics without cookies, then Burst Statistics is a great option. This free plugin makes the process pretty simple.

Keep in mind that Burst Statistics uses a technique called fingerprinting. It’s a way to identify a computer or device based on its unique characteristics, like the browser, operating system, and installed fonts, even without using cookies.

While it’s generally considered less intrusive than cookies, it’s still a form of tracking, so it’s good to be aware of it.

Now, let’s take a look at how you can set it up on your WordPress site.

Step 1: Install and Activate the Burst Statistics Plugin on WordPress

To get started, you need to install and activate the free Burst Statistics plugin. Simply navigate to Plugins » Add New Plugin from your admin area.

After that, you’ll want to use the search feature to quickly find the plugin. Then, go ahead and click the ‘Install Now’ button.

Then, you should click once again on the ‘Activate’ button when it appears. If you need help, then you can check out this guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Step 2: Configure Settings for Optimal Performance and Privacy

Upon plugin activation, you can enable analytics without cookies straight away.

All you have to do is navigate to Statistics » Settings from your WordPress admin area. Then, let’s make sure you’re in the ‘General’ tab.

From here, simply switch on the ‘Enable Cookieless tracking’ option like this:

And that’s it – you’ve successfully set up WordPress analytics without cookies on your website.

Step 3: Verify if Your Analytics Are Working Properly

Unlike the more traditional approach, analytics without cookies avoids storing personal data, like IP addresses or other user identifiers. Instead, it provides anonymized, aggregated data.

That said, it’s important to note that some methods still involve data collection. This may carry privacy implications depending on how they’re implemented.

To see if your analytics are working properly, you need to go to the ‘Statistics’ menu. On the next screen, you’ll immediately find your visitors and pageviews graph for the last seven days.

To see the statistics in detail, you can scroll down this page.

Here, you might notice that your sessions are counted differently.

In traditional analytics, cookies track when a visitor starts and ends a session. If the same person comes back within a certain time frame (usually 30 minutes), it’s counted as the same session.

In analytics without cookies, returning users cannot be recognized within that window. Instead, each visit is treated as a new session, even if it occurs shortly after the last one.

🤔 What does this mean for your reports? You may see a higher number of sessions than usual because visitors who leave and return within a short period won’t be grouped into a single session.

Further down the page, Burst Statistics provides a dedicated ‘Pages’ report that shows how pageviews are distributed across your site.

For example, if your ‘Compare’ report shows 9 pageviews, then you can see that 3 views came from the ‘Career’ page, 2 views from the ‘Login’ page, and so on.

FAQs About Cookieless WordPress Analytics

Still have questions? Let’s clear up some common concerns about tracking website data without cookies.

Why do websites need cookies?

Cookies store small amounts of data to remember user preferences, track user behavior, and improve the user experience. Many analytics tools use cookies to identify returning visitors and track interactions over time.

How can I add analytics to my WordPress site?

In short, you can add analytics to your WordPress site using tools like MonsterInsights, Matomo, or HubSpot.

I recommend MonsterInsights because it makes installing Google Analytics in WordPress easy. It gives you all your GA4 data in easy-to-understand reports directly in your WordPress dashboard.

For details, see this guide on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.

Do all websites with analytics need cookie warnings?

No. If your analytics solution doesn’t store personally identifiable information (PII) or track users across sessions using cookies, then you don’t need a cookie consent banner. This is why many site owners switch to analytics without cookies.

For example, Burst Statistics is a privacy-focused analytics tool that uses fingerprinting techniques. Instead of storing cookies, it analyzes non-personal browser and device data to differentiate visitors.

Keep in mind that while this approach is technically cookieless, it is still a form of data collection that may have privacy considerations.

Will cookieless analytics affect data accuracy?

It depends on the tool you use.

Cookieless tracking may not capture user journeys in as much detail, but it still provides accurate insights into overall traffic, page views, and engagement.

Many modern cookieless analytics tools use fingerprinting techniques or server-side tracking to improve accuracy. While these methods minimize cookie usage, they still collect data in other ways, which may raise concerns about privacy.

Can I switch back to traditional analytics if needed?

Yes, most analytics solutions allow you to switch between cookieless and traditional tracking. However, if you start using cookies again, then you may need to add a cookie consent banner to comply with privacy laws.

Further Reading 📚: More WordPress Analytics Guides

I hope this article has helped you learn how to add WordPress analytics without cookies.

Want to dive deeper into WordPress analytics? Check out these guides to track and understand your website’s performance more effectively:

• How to Set Up Google Analytics Goals
• How to See Search Analytics in WordPress
• How to Easily See Your Blog Stats
• How to Track Video Analytics in WordPress
• How to Set Up WordPress Form Tracking in Google Analytics
• How to Set Up Email Newsletter Tracking in Google Analytics
• How to Add Scroll Depth Tracking in WordPress with Google Analytics
• MonsterInsights vs Site Kit (Head-to-Head Comparison)
• Google Analytics vs Jetpack Stats (In-Depth Comparison)
• Best Analytics Solutions for WordPress Users

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

The post How to Add WordPress Analytics Without Cookies (2 Easy Methods) first appeared on WPBeginner.

Are you fed up with overspending on your business phone system? Or maybe you’re a startup looking for a cost-effective solution that still has all the features you need?

RingCentral is a great option for many companies and entrepreneurs (in fact, we often recommend it to WPBeginner readers). However, it’s not the perfect solution for every single business.

That’s why I’ve done the research for you, testing a ton of business phone systems to find the best RingCentral alternatives. I looked at everything from pricing and ease of use to call quality and customer support, focusing on solutions suitable for all kinds of business owners.

Whether you’re looking for advanced features or just want something simple and affordable, I’m confident I’ve found a RingCentral alternative to fit your needs.

Quick Pick – The Best RingCentral Alternatives

In a hurry? No worries! Take a look at my top picks so you can quickly choose the right RingCentral alternative for your site.

How I Tested & Reviewed Ring Central Alternatives

I know that finding the right communication platform can be daunting and high-stakes. Make the wrong decision, and your remote team may struggle to collaborate. Even worse, you might miss urgent customer queries, provide a terrible customer experience, or lose out on potential leads.

With so much at stake, I’m committed to giving you the best possible advice about RingCentral alternatives.

That said, here’s how I tested the different options in this article: 

• We have actually used them at WPBeginner: For instance, we have used Nextiva for our own business phone system for many years and Zoom for company meetings. This real-world experience means we understand how these tools perform in a real business, and not just in a perfect demo environment.
• I put the most popular ones to the test: I dug deep into these solutions, analyzing them based on the stuff that really matters: How easy are they to use? What features do they offer? Do they have any time-saving artificial intelligence tools? And of course, how much do they cost? 
• I tried customizing them: Your business is unique, so your communication system should be, too. With that in mind, I personally tested each RingCentral alternative to see whether you can customize the call flows, greetings, and overall experience. For example, do you have the flexibility to fine-tune the VoIP or communications solution to better suit your business, or are you stuck with the default settings?
• I categorized them: The truth is, there’s no single ‘best’ RingCentral alternative that’s perfect for everyone. I understand that a small startup has different needs than a large call center. With that in mind, I categorized each solution to help you find the right platform for your unique needs. 

6 Best RingCentral Alternatives

Now, let’s look at the best RingCentral alternatives you should consider for your business.

1. Nextiva – Best for Remote Teams

I can confidently say that Nextiva is an excellent business phone service, especially for remote teams. Since it’s a cloud-based platform, you can answer calls from anywhere using an app on your computer or phone.

We also use it across our own business. We ultimately chose Nextiva because it offered the best balance of features, ease of use, and affordability for a business phone system, especially for remote teams like ours.

You can check out our Nextiva review for more information.

Another standout feature is Nextiva’s ability to handle multiple communication channels, including phone, SMS, live chat, video, team messaging, and social media. 

This makes it particularly well-suited for customer support, as it allows for seamless customer interactions. 

Nexitva’s IVR (Interactive Voice Response) system is also incredibly useful. This automated phone menu allows callers to interact with Nextiva using their keyboard or voice.

If you’ve ever rang a phone number and heard a pre-recorded greeting say something like “Press 1 for…” then you’ve encountered an IVR system before.

This feature enables you to route callers to the right department or person automatically, allowing you to better handle high call volumes. By automating simple routine tasks like this, you’ll be free to focus on more complex customer issues.

Plus, Nextiva has some great call analytics and reports. These call metrics allow you to see how many calls your team can handle and improve your customer service and sales teams.

Overall, Nextiva’s feature set is very impressive and includes automated reminders, video calls, an auto-attendant, and screen sharing.

It also integrates smoothly with other business tools like HubSpot, Zendesk, Zoho, and Salesforce.

✅ Pros of Nextiva:

• Cloud-based business phone service that’s perfect for remote work
• Affordable VoIP phone service
• Automated call forwarding based on your schedule
• Built-in contact management features
• Supports video chat, including screen sharing and file sharing
• Handles multiple communication channels
• Email and text voicemail transcription
• Detailed call analytics 
• Easily connects with other business tools

❌ Cons of Nextiva: