Month: November 2022

How to Remove the Sidebar in WordPress

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Do you want to remove the sidebar from your WordPress site?

The sidebar is a widget-ready area in your WordPress theme where you can show information that isn’t part of the main page content. However, sidebars can be distracting and take up valuable space.

In this article, we will show you how to easily remove the sidebar in WordPress.

Why Remove the Sidebar in WordPress?

Most free and paid WordPress themes come with multiple sidebars or widget-ready areas.

You can use sidebars to show a list of your recent posts, adverts, email list signup forms, or any other content that isn’t part of the main page or post.

At WPBeginner, we use a sidebar to promote our social media pages and display our most popular posts.

You can easily add items to a theme’s sidebar using WordPress widgets.

In most WordPress themes, the sidebar looks different depending on whether the visitor is seeing your site on a desktop or mobile device. Since smartphones and tablets have smaller screens, WordPress typically moves the sidebars to the bottom of the screen.

Depending on how your site is set up, this may look strange. Visitors will also need to scroll to the very bottom of the screen to see the sidebar content, which may affect the user experience and your conversion rates.

For more information, please see our guide on how to view the mobile version of WordPress sites from desktop.

Even on a desktop, there’s a chance that the sidebar may clash with your design or distract from the most important content, such as the page’s call to action.

With that being said, let’s see how you can remove the sidebar in WordPress. We’ll show you how to delete the sidebar from your entire site, and how to hide the sidebar on a specific page or post only.

Video Tutorial

If you don’t like the video or need more instructions, then continue reading. If you prefer to jump straight to a particular method, then you can use the links below.

Method 1. Removing Sidebars Using Your WordPress Theme SettingsMethod 2. Removing the Sidebar Using the Full Site EditorMethod 3. Removing the WordPress Sidebar Using CodeMethod 4. Removing Sidebars From Individual Pages in WordPressMethod 5. Removing Sidebars from a Static Page in WordPressMethod 6. Remove the Sidebar from a Single Post in WordPress

Method 1. Removing Sidebars Using Your WordPress Theme Settings

Many of the best WordPress themes come with built-in settings to remove sidebars. Depending on your theme, you can remove them site-wide, or simply remove them from individual posts or pages.

The easiest way to check whether your theme has these settings is to launch the theme customizer. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance » Customize.

In the left-hand menu, look for a ‘Sidebar’ or similar setting.

In the following image, you can see the options for the popular Astra WordPress theme.

If you do see a ‘Sidebar’ option, then click on it and then look for any settings that will remove the sidebar.

This might be a dropdown menu, thumbnails showing the different sidebar layouts, or some other setting.

If your theme doesn’t have a ‘Sidebar’ option, then you may be able to remove the sidebar by selecting the ‘Page’ or similar section.

As you can see in the following image, Astra also has a ‘Page’ setting.

Inside this setting, you’ll see different layouts including several that remove the sidebar such as ‘No sidebar’ and ‘Full Width / Stretched.’

Simply click on the different thumbnails to apply these layouts to your site.

No matter how you remove the sidebar, don’t forget to click on ‘Publish.’

Some WordPress themes also have settings that allow you to remove the sidebar from individual posts and pages. This can be useful when designing custom pages, such as a landing page.

To see whether your theme comes with these settings, simply edit any page or post where you want to hide the sidebar. In the right-hand menu, select either ‘Post’ or ‘Page’ and then look for a ‘Post Settings’ or ‘Page Settings’ option.

If your theme has this section, then click to expand. You can now look for any settings that allow you to remove the sidebar.

In the following image, you can see the post settings for the popular ThemeIsle Hestia theme.

Keep in mind that some WordPress themes may not allow you to easily remove the sidebar using the customizer or page editor. If this is the case, then carry on reading and we’ll show you other ways to remove the sidebar in WordPress.

Method 2. Removing the Sidebar Using the Full Site Editor

If you’re using a block theme, then you can remove the sidebar using Full Site Editing (FSE) and the block editor.

This method is a quick and easy way to remove the sidebar across your entire site, although it won’t work with all themes.

To launch the editor, go to Appearance » Editor.

You can now click to select the sidebar.

In the small toolbar that appears, click on the dotted icon.

You can now delete the sidebar by clicking on the ‘Remove Column’ or similar setting.

Once you’ve done that, you can go ahead and click on the ‘Save’ button.

Now, if you visit the front end of your WordPress website, you’ll see that the toolbar has disappeared.

Method 3. Removing the WordPress Sidebar Using Code

This method allows you to simply remove sidebars from every page and post on your WordPress site.

You will need to edit your theme files, so it’s not the most beginner-friendly option. However, this method should work for most WordPress themes, including themes that don’t have a built-in way to hide the sidebar.

Keep in mind that if you edit your WordPress theme files directly, then those changes will disappear when you update the theme.

With that being said, we recommend creating a child theme as this allows you to update your WordPress theme without losing customization.

First, you need to connect to your WordPress site using an FTP client such as FileZilla, or you can use the file manager of your WordPress hosting cPanel. Or if you’re a SiteGround user, your Site Tools dashboard.

If this is your first time using FTP, then you can see our complete guide on how to connect to your site using FTP. 

Once you’re connected, go to /wp-content/themes/ and open the folder for your current WordPress theme.

WordPress themes are made up of different templates, so you will need to edit all the templates that include a sidebar. To work out what files you need to edit, see our guide to WordPress template hierarchy.

For example, you may need to edit index.php, page.php, single.php, archive.php, home.php, and so on.

To edit a file, open it in a text editor such as Notepad. Then, find the line that looks like this:

<pre class=”wp-block-syntaxhighlighter-code”>
<?php get_sidebar(); ?>
</pre>

If your theme has multiple sidebars, then the code will look slightly different and there may be multiple pieces of sidebar code. Typically, this code will have a sidebar name inside the function, for example:

<pre class=”wp-block-syntaxhighlighter-code”>
<?php get_sidebar(‘footer-widget-area’); ?>
</pre>

You can simply delete the line for the sidebar that you want to remove.

Now, save and upload the file back to your WordPress hosting account. Simply repeat the process described above for all the template files that include a sidebar.

When you’re finished, you can visit your WordPress blog to see the change in action.

You may notice that although the sidebars are gone, your content area is still the same width, which leaves the sidebar area empty.

This happens when the theme has a defined width for the content area. After removing the sidebar, you need to adjust the width of the content area by adding custom CSS to your WordPress theme.

To do this, go to Theme » Customize. In the left-hand menu, click on Additional CSS.

You can now go ahead and paste the following code into the little code editor:

<pre class=”wp-block-syntaxhighlighter-code”>
.content-area {
width: 100%;
margin: 0px;
border: 0px;
padding: 0px;
}

.content-area .site {
margin:0px;
}
</pre>

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Publish’ button. Now, if you visit your site you’ll see that the content area now takes up 100% of the available space.

Method 4. Removing Sidebars From Individual Pages in WordPress

You may only want to remove the sidebar on certain pages while showing the sidebar on other areas of your site. For example, many websites don’t show the sidebar on their sales pages, as this can distract from the page’s call to action.

If you just want to remove the sidebar from a specific page, then we recommend using a page builder plugin like SeedProd.

SeedProd lets you design any kind of page using a simple drag-and-drop editor. This makes it easy to add and remove the sidebar from any page.

In the SeedProd editor, simply click to select the sidebar you want to remove. Then, go ahead and click on the trash can icon.

If you want to remove the sidebar from your entire site, then you can also use SeedProd to easily create a custom theme that doesn’t have any sidebars.

Method 5. Removing Sidebars from a Static Page in WordPress

Some WordPress themes come with multiple templates, including full-width page templates that don’t show the sidebar on either side of the content. You can use these templates to remove the sidebar from any page.

To see whether your theme has a full-width template, simply open any page. In the right-hand menu, select the ‘Page’ tab and look for a ‘Template’ section.

If you find this section, then click on it to see all the options available.

You can now open the dropdown menu and look for a full-width template.

If your theme doesn’t have a full-width template, then you can create one manually.

Open a plain text editor like Notepad and paste the following code in a blank file:

<pre class=”wp-block-syntaxhighlighter-code”>
<?php
/*
*
Template Name: Full-Width
*/
get_header(); ?>
</pre>

You can now save this file with the name full-width.php.

After that, connect to your site using an FTP client or the file manager supplied by your WordPress hosting provider.

Then, go to /wp-content/themes/ and open the folder for your current theme. Inside this folder, find the page.php file and open it in any text editor.

Now, copy everything that appears after the <?php get_header(); ?> line and paste it into your full-width.php file.

Once you’ve done that, find and delete the line that looks like this:

<pre class=”wp-block-syntaxhighlighter-code”>
<?php get_sidebar(); ?>
</pre>

You can now save your changes and upload the full-width.php file to your theme folder.

You can now use this template with any page. Simply open the ‘Template’ dropdown in the right-hand menu and select your full-width template.

Note: If you have a page open in the content editor while creating the full-width.php file, you will have to refresh the editor for the new template to appear in the dropdown menu.

For more details, see our guide on how to create a full width page template in WordPress.

Method 6. Remove the Sidebar from a Single Post in WordPress

Just like pages, WordPress also comes with built-in support for post templates.

If you want to remove the sidebar from certain single posts, then you can create a custom single-post template. It is similar to creating a full-width page template.

First, you’ll need to create a new template file using a text editor like Notepad. Once you’ve done that, you can copy and paste the following code in that file:

<pre class=”wp-block-syntaxhighlighter-code”>
<?php
/*
* Template Name: Featured Article
* Template Post Type: post, page, product
*/

get_header(); ?>
</pre>

This code creates a new template called ‘Featured Article’ and makes it available for any page or post, plus any product post types in your online store.

In your custom single post template, you simply need to remove the sidebar part of the code. For more information, you can follow the steps outlined in our guide on how to create custom single post templates in WordPress.

When you’re done, save this file as full-width.php.

Next, you need to upload the file to your current WordPress theme folder using an FTP client or file manager.

Once you’ve done that, you can apply this template to any post. In the right-hand menu, simply click to expand the ‘Templates’ section and then select the full-width template.

We hope this article helped you learn how to easily remove the sidebar in your WordPress theme. You may also want to see our step-by-step guide on how to boost WordPress speed and performance, and our comparison of the best email marketing services to grow your traffic & sales.

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 Remove the Sidebar in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Add a Buy Now Button in WordPress (3 Methods)

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Do you want to add a buy now button in WordPress?

Whether you’re selling a service, subscription, or a physical product, having a quick buy now button helps improve the buying journey and leads to more sales.

In this article, we will show you 3 different ways on how you can add a buy now button in WordPress, step by step.

Why Add a Buy Now Button in WordPress?

A buy now button is a great way to reduce your cart abandonment rates. Every step in the purchasing process is another opportunity for the customer to change their mind and abandon their cart.

By taking them straight to the checkout, shoppers have less time to change their minds and give up on their purchases.

Since they speed up the purchasing process, buy now buttons can also improve the customer experience. When the buyer’s journey feels easy, customers are more likely to keep coming back to your store.

You’ll often see buy now buttons on product pages but they’re also sometimes used on landing and sales pages.

In this way, buy now buttons allow customers to kickstart the purchasing process without ever visiting the product page, which may increase the conversion rates for your marketing and advertising campaigns.

With that being said, let’s see how you can add a buy now button in WordPress. Simply use the quick links below to jump to the method you want to use.

Method 1. Adding a Buy Now Button With WP Simple Pay (No eCommerce Plugins Required)Method 2: How to Add a Buy Now Button to Your Digital DownloadsMethod 3. Add a Buy Now Button to Your WooCommerce Store

Method 1. Adding a Buy Now Button With WP Simple Pay (No eCommerce Plugins Required)

You can add a simple buy now button to any page, post, or widget-ready area using WP Simple Pay.

This is a great option for service based business, non-profits, or anyone who’s looking for a quick buy now button option for WordPress.

WP Simple Pay is the best Stripe payment plugin for WordPress that lets you accept credit card payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay, ACH bank debit, and more without any eCommerce plugins or shopping carts. This makes WP Simple Pay the perfect choice if you want to add a buy now button to a sales page without having to install anything special.

For this guide, we will be using the free version of WP Simple Pay.

If you want to accept payments using ACH direct debit, recurring payments, do automatic tax calculations, or you want to add a buy now pay later plan to WordPress, then you’ll need to upgrade to the pro version.

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

Upon activation, the plugin will automatically launch the setup wizard. Go ahead and click the ‘Let’s Get Started’ button.

In the next step, you’ll need to connect a Stripe account to WP Simple Pay. Stripe is a beginner friendly payment processor for website owners.

To get started, click on the ‘Connect with Stripe’ button.

On the next screen, you can either log into an existing Stripe account or create a new one.

If you already have a Stripe account, then simply type in the email address and password for that account.

WP Simple Pay will now show you how to connect your Stripe account to WordPress.

If you’re not already registered with Stripe, then type in your email address and then follow the onscreen instructions to create a Stripe account. Once you’re logged into your Stripe account, click on the ‘Create a Payment Form’ button.

If you’ve clicked away from this screen by accident, then don’t panic. You can reach the same screen by going to WP Simple Pay » Add New.

The free WP Simple Pay plugin has a few different templates that can help you create a payment form, fast. You can unlock extra templates by upgrading to WP Simple Pay Pro, including a template that adds a Stripe donate button in WordPress.

Since we want to create a buy now button, hover over the ‘Payment Button’ template and then click on ‘Create Payment Button’ when it appears.

In the ‘Title’ field, type in a name for your buy now button.

This title is just for your reference so you can use anything you want.

You can also use the ‘Description’ field to add some information about your button. Again, WordPress won’t show this to your site’s visitors but it can be useful for your own reference or for anyone else who shares your WordPress dashboard.

After that, click on the ‘Payment’ tab.

By default, WP Simple Pay will create your button in test mode, meaning you can’t accept real payments yet.

We recommend leaving the ‘Global Settings (Test Mode)’ radio button selected so you can test your buy now button before you start accepting payments.

If you want to start collecting payments straight away then you can select the ‘Live Mode’ button instead.

Next, you can decide how much the button will charge the customer. Go ahead and type this number into the ‘One-Time Amount’ field.

Note: WP Simple Pay uses the dollar currency by default. If you want to accept payments in a different currency, then head over to WP Simple Pay » Settings. You can then select the ‘Currency’ tab and choose a new currency.

Once you’ve done that, select the ‘Form Fields’ tab.

By default, your button will have the label ‘Pay Now’, but you can change this to anything you want by typing into the ‘Button Text’ field.

You can also change the ‘Button Processing Text,’ which is the message that WP Simple Pay will show to shoppers while it’s processing their payment.

By default, WP Simple Pay will use the same button style as your WordPress theme.

It also has a ‘Stripe blue’ style that you can use, as you can see in the following image. If you want to use this button style, then simply select the ‘Stripe blue’ radio button in the ‘Payment Button’ section.

​Next, select the Stripe Checkout tab and choose the information that WP Simple Pay will collect from visitors at checkout.

For example, if you’re selling a physical product then you can get the customer’s shipping address by checking the ‘Collect Shipping Address’ box.

If you think that customers may want to buy multiple products, then make sure you check the ‘Allow quantity adjustment’ box.

This adds a dropdown to the Stripe checkout page which allows customers to change how many products they’re buying.

When you’re happy with how the buy now button is set up, it’s time to make it live by clicking on the ‘Publish’ button.

You can now add this buy now button to any WordPress page, post, or widget-ready area using the ‘Form Shortcode.’

For more details on how to place the shortcode, you can see our guide on how to add a shortcode in WordPress.

If you’ve published your button in test mode, then the Stripe dashboard won’t show any payments you get during this time, which makes it difficult to test your buy now button.

To see your transactions, you’ll need to enable test mode in Stripe by logging in to your Stripe dashboard and clicking on the ‘Payments’ tab.

After that, just click on the ‘Developers’ toggle in the upper right corner.

As soon as you’ve done that, you can test your buy now button and the payments will appear in the Stripe dashboard.

Once you’ve finished testing your button, you can start accepting payments by going to WP Simple Pay » Payment Forms.

Here, just hover your mouse over the buy now button, and click on the ‘Edit’ link.

You can now go ahead and select the ‘Payment’ tab, and then click on the radio button next to ‘Live Mode.’

Finally, click on ‘Update.’ Your buy now button is now live, and you’re ready to start accepting payments from your visitors.

Method 2: How to Add a Buy Now Button to Your Digital Downloads

WP Simple Pay lets you add a straightforward buy now button to any WordPress blog or website. However, if you want to sell digital downloads on WordPress, then you’ll need an eCommerce plugin that has a buy now feature.

Easy Digital Downloads is the best platform to easily sell digital products. In fact, we use this plugin ourselves to sell many of our premium WordPress plugins.

Easy Digital Downloads gives you a few ways to add a buy now button in WordPress.

By default, Easy Digital Downloads will show an ‘Add to Cart’ button on all its product pages. However, you can replace that with a buy now button instead.

When the customer clicks on the button that you can see in the image above, they’ll see a popup where they can type in their email address and credit card details.

After that, they just need to click on ‘Purchase’ to go ahead and buy the product.

Easy Digital Downloads also comes with an ‘EDD Buy Button’ block that you can add to any page, post, or widget-ready area.

You can connect this block to any of your downloadable products. The visitor can then simply click on this button to add the product to their basket and go straight to checkout.

With that in mind, let’s look at both methods.

How to Add a Buy Now Button to Any Product Page

To start, you may want to add a buy now button to your product pages. This gives the customer less time to change their mind and abandon their purchase.

If you use SiteGround as your hosting provider, then Easy Digital Downloads comes pre-installed so you can start using the plugin straight away.

If not, you can check out SiteGround EDD hosting and get started for as little as $2.99 a month!

If you’re using any other hosting provider, then you’ll need to install and activate the Easy Digital Downloads plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

In this guide, we’ll be using the free Easy Digital Downloads plugin as it has everything you need to create a simple buy now button. There’s also a pro version that has more advanced features including wishlists, purchase rewards, fraud monitoring, and more.

Before you can create a buy now button, you need to set up Stripe or PayPal. To configure your payment gateway, go to Downloads » Settings and then click on the ‘Payments’ tab.

You can now check the box next to ‘PayPal’ or ‘Stripe’ depending on the payment gateway you want to use.

If you add multiple payment gateways, then you won’t be able to create a buy now button, so it’s important to only choose one gateway.

After making your decision, click on ‘Save Changes’ to store your settings.

If you want to use PayPal, then click on the ‘PayPal’ tab.

You can then select the ‘Connect with PayPal in live mode’ button.

This opens a popup where you can type in the email address and password for the PayPal account where you want to receive payments.

To set up Stripe instead, click on the ‘Stripe’ tab and then select ‘Connect with Stripe.’

This opens a setup wizard, which will help you connect your website to Stripe.

After configuring your payment gateway, don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Changes’ button. You can now add a buy now button to any Easy Digital Downloads product page.

To create your first digital product, go to Downloads » Downloads. Then, click on the ‘Add New’ button.

You can now add a title and a description for the product, upload an image, add categories and tags, and more.

Note: By default, Easy Digital Downloads will set your product as a free download. It’s important to scroll to the ‘Product Options’ section and type in the real price for the product.

The next step is uploading the product. This might be an ebook download, video training, a PDF guide, digital art and graphics, or any other file that WordPress supports.

Pro Tip: If you want to sell a file type that WordPress doesn’t support, such as SVG images, PSD files, or others, then see our guide on how to allow additional file types in WordPress.

To add your downloadable file, scroll to the ‘Download Files’ section.

In the ‘File Name’ field, type in a name for the downloadable file. Once you’ve done that, click on the ‘Upload a file’ button.

This will launch the WordPress media library. Here you can choose the file that you want to sell as a digital download.

When you’re happy with how your product is set up, it’s time to add a buy now button.

In the right-hand menu, find the ‘Button Options’ section. Here, click on the ‘Purchase Button Behavior’ dropdown and choose ‘Buy Now.’

You can now make the product live by clicking on ‘Publish.’ Now, if you visit this product page you’ll see the buy now button.

You can add a buy now button to any product page simply by following the same process described above.

How to Add a Buy Now Button to Any Page or Post

Sometimes you may want to use buy now buttons on other parts of your online store.

For example, if you have a landing page that promotes a particular product, then you might allow customers to start the checkout process directly from that landing page.

This can get you more sales by encouraging impulse purchases, while also removing multiple steps from the buyer’s journey.

You can do this easily using the ‘EDD Buy Button’ block. To use this block, you first need to set up a payment gateway and create at least one product following the same process described above.

After that, simply open the page or post where you want to add your buy now button in the content editor. Then, click on the ‘+’ icon and start typing ‘EDD Buy Button.’

When the right block appears, click to add it to your layout.

You can now open the ‘Select a Download’ dropdown and choose the product that will be added to the customer’s cart.

By default, Easy Digital Downloads will show the product’s price on the buy now button.

If you want to hide the price, then click to disable the ‘Show Price’ toggle.

You can now publish or update the page to make it live. Now, if you visit your WordPress website you’ll see the buy now button in action.

Method 3. Add a Buy Now Button to Your WooCommerce Store

If you run a WooCommerce store, then you may want to add a buy now button to your product pages. This allows customers to start the checkout process directly from the product page, which often reduces cart abandonment rates.

The easiest way to add a buy now button to your online store is by using the Buy Now Button for WooCommerce. This is a simple plugin that requires no configuration, and adds a buy now button to every single one of your product pages.

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

Since the plugin doesn’t have any settings, simply head over to any product page on your online store. You will now see a ‘Buy Now’ button next to the standard ‘Add to Cart’ button.

We hope this article helped you learn how to add a buy now button in WordPress. You can also go through our guide on the best email marketing services and how to get a free SSL certificate for your 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 Add a Buy Now Button in WordPress (3 Methods) first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Better Manage Automatic WordPress Updates

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Are you looking for a way to automatically manage WordPress updates?

Updates are important for the security and stability of your WordPress site.

In this article, we will show you how to better manage automatic WordPress updates.

Why Do You Need Better Automatic Updates in WordPress?

Keeping your WordPress website updated is extremely important. The same goes for all plugins and themes installed on your website. You need to install updates for WordPress core, themes, and plugins to get new features and fixes.

Learn more in our guide on why you should always use the latest version of WordPress.

WordPress will automatically update itself when a security or minor release is available. You can also enable automatic updates for major releases, as well as plugins and themes.

However, you may have noticed that some of them are updated more frequently than others. A lot of popular plugins are updated almost weekly.

Some users find it a bit annoying that whenever they log in there are new updates available for WordPress core, one or more plugins, or their theme. It becomes even more time-consuming when you manage multiple WordPress sites.

That’s why many users want to have WordPress automatically install updates for WordPress core, trusted plugins, and themes. But while WordPress now lets you do this without a plugin, you still don’t have full control over your auto-updates.

Let’s take a look at how you can take total control of WordPress and minimize the time spent on installing updates.

Setting Up Easy Updates Manager

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the Easy Updates Manager plugin. This plugin gives you complete control over customizing your updates and also keeps logs of what is updated and when.

For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to visit Dashboard » Updates Options page to set up the plugin.

This page provides you quick access to turn on or off updates for WordPress core, plugins, themes, and translations. The default settings here will work well for most websites.

We strongly recommend that you never turn off updates for WordPress core, plugins, or themes. It will seriously compromise your site’s security and health.

Setting Up Automatic Updates for WordPress, Plugins, and Themes

Easy Updates Manager allows you to quickly enable automatic updates for WordPress core, plugins, and themes from the Dashboard » Updates options page. Simply click on the blue ‘Auto update everything’ button in the ‘Quick configuration actions’ section.

This plugin also allows you to selectively turn on automatic updates for certain plugins or themes. If you would like to selectively turn on automatic updates, then click the ‘Choose per plugin’ and ‘Choose per theme’ buttons.

Next, we’ll show you how to select which plugins and themes are updated automatically.

Setting Up Automatic Updates for Select Plugins and Themes

If you selected to individually enable automatic updates for a few plugins, then you need to switch to the ‘Plugins’ tab on the Dashboard » Updates options page.

Here you will see a list of all plugins installed on your WordPress site. To automatically update a certain plugin, simply click the ‘On’ button under ‘Automatic updates’.

When you switch to the ‘Themes’ tab, you will see a list of themes installed on your site.

You need to click the ‘On’ button under ‘Automatic updates’ for those themes that you want to be updated automatically.

Rolling Back to a Previous Version of a Plugin or Theme

Plugin and theme incompatibilities are the major reason why some users are hesitant when it comes to updating. Even though most good developers thoroughly test their plugins, there can still be bugs that can cause your site to break.

The first step you should take to protect your website is to install a WordPress backup solution. This will let you restore your entire website if something goes wrong.

However, restoring your WordPress site from a backup can be a lot of work. If you know which plugin or theme update caused the problem, then it’s easier just to roll back that one update.

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

Upon activation, go back to the plugins page on your WordPress site. You will notice a new Rollback option below each plugin installed on your site.

Clicking on the ‘Rollback’ link will allow you to roll back your plugin to any previous version you want. It can also roll back theme updates.

For detailed, step-by-step instructions, see our guide on how to rollback WordPress plugins.

We hope this article helped you find a better way to manage automatic WordPress updates on your site. You may also want to learn how to increase your blog traffic, or see our list of 40 useful tools to manage and grow your WordPress blog.

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 Better Manage Automatic WordPress Updates first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Set Up a Media Kit Page in WordPress

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Are you looking to set up a media kit or press kit page on your website?

A media kit provides information and media files about your business. It makes it easy for bloggers and journalists to write about your business and provides potential clients and advertisers with the statistics they need to make a decision.

In this article, we’ll show you how to set up a media kit page in WordPress.

Why Set Up a Media Kit Page in WordPress?

A media kit, or press kit, is a page on your WordPress website that offers everything that busy journalists need to write about your business. It can also offer statistics about your reach and audience for potential clients and advertisers.

A press kit page normally includes company facts and news, press releases, and details about your team. It also offers high-resolution logos and photos, guidelines about your branding, and a way for writers to contact you with further questions.

If you sell advertising or sponsored blog posts, then your media kit should also clearly detail what you offer, as well as your traffic statistics, social media following, audience demographics, and any other data that will make your site more appealing to advertisers.

You can learn more about monetizing your website in our guide on how to make money online blogging with WordPress.

A good example is the Awesome Motive Media Kit page. It provides writers with team photos, logos, brand colors, writing guidelines, and quotes. It also provides a link where the media can get in touch with the PR team when they have further questions about our brands.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how to easily set up a media kit page in WordPress.

Creating a Media Kit Page in WordPress

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

On activation, the plugin creates a new draft page called ‘Media Kit’. This page is made up of beautifully designed block patterns that are easy to customize and look great out of the box.

You need to navigate to Pages » All Pages and edit the ‘Media Kit’ page by clicking its title or the ‘Edit’ link below.

You will now see the draft media kit page. The block patterns contain placeholder text that you can easily customize within the WordPress block editor.

Each block contains information that is typically found in media kits. For most websites, you simply need to click on the block and replace the sample content with your own.

You can find the Publisher Media Kit block patterns by clicking the ‘+ Block Inserter’ icon at the top of the page.

After that, you need to click the ‘Patterns’ tab and select ‘Publisher Media Kit’ from the drop-down menu. Now you can drag the block patterns onto your post or page.

This lets you add the block patterns back to the Media Kit if you delete them, or use them in other posts and pages.

If you haven’t used block patterns before, then you might like to check out our beginner’s guide on how to use WordPress block patterns.

Customizing Your Media Kit Page

Now you can go through the draft media kit page and customize it. You should replace the placeholder text with actual information about your business. You can delete any blocks that you don’t need, add additional blocks, and rearrange their order.

Customizing the Media Kit Cover

The media kit starts with a full-width cover block. You will need to replace the placeholder text with a brief overview of your business that journalists can use as a boilerplate.

You should also replace the background image with one relevant to your business.

Simply click near the edges of the rectangle and select ‘Replace’ from the toolbar. You can then choose an image from the Media Library, upload a new one, or use the page’s featured image.

You need to add a link to the ‘Contact Us’ button, so it will take visitors to your contact form when it is clicked. You might want to create a custom form that sends media inquiries straight to your public relations person or team. We recommend using a free plugin like WPForms for that.

Finally, you can change the height of the block by dragging the circle at the bottom.

Customizing Audience Profiles

The Audience Profiles block displays the ages of your average female and male visitors, a statistic potential advertisers like to know. You need to edit the ages to match your audience.

Tip: If you can’t see the images in the circles, then you have probably installed WordPress in a folder. You need to click inside the circle and add your site address like https://example.com/folder at the beginning of the ‘Current media URL’ field.

You can learn how to discover the ages, gender, and much more about your audience in our guide on how to track website visitors to your WordPress site.

The screenshot above is from our MonsterInsights analytics dashboard. It’s a free plugin that you can use to get similar stats about your site.

Customizing Website Statistics

The next section displays statistics about your reach, including your website traffic and social media following. This section will also help potential advertisers make a decision.

Simply click on the text to update the numbers with your own figures.

You might also want to add links to ‘Facebook Followers’, ‘Twitter Followers’, and ‘Instagram Followers’ if you haven’t already added social media icons to your WordPress menus.

Customizing the Why Choose Section

In the next section, you can outline the unique value your business can provide to potential clients and advertisers. Here you will briefly explain why your visitors should choose your business over your competitors.

Simply click on the text to edit it. You can swap out the images and add or remove columns as needed. Don’t forget to add a link to the ‘Contact Us’ button as you did earlier.

Customizing Advertising Information

The next three blocks let potential advertisers know what you are offering and how much it costs. Alternatively, you can edit them to show other services you are offering. You can delete any block that you don’t need.

First, you’ll see the Ad Specs block. By default, this block has three tabs at the top to let your visitors easily find the type of ads or services that they are interested in. Simply click on the text to edit it.

After that, you will find the Our Packages block.

Here you can list the benefits and costs of any package deals you are offering.

The third block is the Our Rates block. By default, it comes with two tabs where you can display your standard and sponsorship pricing.

You can easily add or remove tabs and customize the content.

Customizing the ‘Still Questions’ Block

Finally, if your visitors still have questions after reading your media kit, then they will need a way to contact you. That’s the purpose of the Still Questions block.

Simply add a link to the ‘Contact Us’ button so that visitors will be taken to your contact form when they click it.

Adding Additional Information and Media

Now that you’ve customized each blog provided by the Publisher Media Kit plugin, you may wish to add some additional information or media files. You can do this using standard WordPress blocks such as the heading block, paragraph block, and image block.

For example, you’ll want to provide high-resolution images for bloggers and journalists to download and use in their articles. You can either create an image gallery or allow the resources to be downloaded in a zip file.

You should start by including your logos and branding. You’ll also want to provide headshots and brief biographies of key staff members and other team photos. The journalists will value any other quality images you can provide to help them show off your business and services.

Other items you can consider including in a media kit are press releases, news about your company such as acquisitions and new products, a summary of previous media coverage, and case studies that show your effectiveness.

Once your media kit page is finished, don’t forget to click the ‘Publish’ or ‘Update’ button at the top of the page to push it live.

Adding the Media Kit to Your Navigation Menu

Once you publish your media kit page, you should add the page to your navigation menu so that it’s easy to find.

Head over to Appearance » Menus in the WordPress admin sidebar and make sure the correct menu is selected at the top of the screen. After that, you should click the ‘View All’ tab under Pages and select the ‘Media Kit’ page.

Now all you need to do is click the ‘Add to Menu’ button and your media kit will be added to the menu. You can drag the menu item up and down to place it where you want in the list.

If you can’t find Appearance » Menus in the admin sidebar, then you are probably using a block theme. To learn how to add menus using the Full Site Editor, see our beginner’s guide on how to add a navigation menu in WordPress.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to set up a media kit page in WordPress. You may also want to learn how to create an email newsletter, or check out our list of the best live chat software for small business.

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 Set Up a Media Kit Page in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

How to Add Tabbed Content in WordPress Posts and Pages

~ Web Administrator ~ Leave a comment

Do you want to divide your posts into tabs to save space and make it easier for users to find what they’re looking for?

Adding tabbed content helps you add more information about your products and services. It also allows users to find all the details in a single place instead of going to a different page.

In this article, we will show you how to add tabbed content to WordPress posts and pages.

When Should You Use Tabbed Content in WordPress?

Using tabs allows you to add more details in a small amount of space or split large chunks of content for better organization and user experience.

Let’s say you have an online store. You can add tabs for product descriptions, reviews, technical specifications, and more. This separation helps provide all the details for your customers in one place and makes the page interactive.

Similarly, you can see tabbed content on WordPress.org plugin pages. The page is divided into different sections using tabs like details, reviews, installation, support, and development information.

Tabbed content helps keep people on your WordPress website. You don’t have to send people to another page to get all the details they need about your products and services.

That said, let’s see how you can add tabbed content to WordPress pages and posts.

Here are the 2 methods we’ll use to get this done:

Adding Tabbed Content Using a Landing Page BuilderAdding Tabbed Content Using a WordPress Plugin

Method 1: Adding Tabbed Content Using a Landing Page Builder

The best way to add tabbed content in WordPress is using a SeedProd. It’s the best WordPress landing page and website builder. SeedProd is beginner-friendly and comes with a drag-and-drop builder, pre-made templates, and multiple customization options.

For this tutorial, we’ll use the SeedProd Pro license because it includes advanced blocks to add tabbed content. There is also a SeedProd Lite version you can use for free.

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

Upon activation, you will be redirected to the SeedProd welcome screen in your WordPress dashboard. Go ahead and enter your license key, which you can find in your SeedProd account area.

Next, you can head to SeedProd » Landing Pages from your WordPress admin panel.

After that, simply click the ‘Create New Landing Page’ button.

From here, SeedProd will show you multiple landing page templates to choose from.

Go ahead and select a template that you’d like to use. Just hover over the template and click the orange tick mark icon.

A popup window will now open where you’ll need to enter a title for your page in the ‘Page Name’ field, and a permalink slug under ‘Page URL.’

After that, simply click the ‘Save and Start Editing the Page’ button.

This will launch the SeedProd drag-and-drop builder. You can now add different blocks to your template and edit existing elements.

To add tabbed content, simply drag the ‘Tabs’ block under the Advanced section and drop it onto the page template.

Next, you can customize the tab block in SeedProd.

For instance, you can click the ‘Add New Item’ button to add as many tabs as you want. Plus, there are options to edit the font size, space between text, and alignment for the content in each tab.

Next, you can click on any tab to edit it further and add details.

For instance, you can change the title for each tab, add content, and change the tab icon.

Besides that, SeedProd also provides advanced customization options.

Simply click the ‘Advanced’ tab in the menu on your left. Here, you can change the tab layout, typography, color, background color, borders, and more.

When you’ve made changes to the tab block and customized your landing page, don’t forget to click the green ‘Save’ button at the top.

After that, you can head to the ‘Page Settings’ tab.

Next, you can click the ‘Page Status’ toggle and change the status from Draft to Publish.

You can click the ‘Save’ button to store your changes and close the page builder.

Now, simply visit your website to see the tabbed content WordPress page in action.

Method 2: Adding Tabbed Content Using a WordPress Plugin

If you don’t want to use a landing page builder, then you can use a dedicated WordPress plugin to add tabbed content to your posts and pages.

First, you’ll need to install and activate the Tabs Responsive plugin. For more details, please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you can go to Tabs Responsive » Add New Tabs from your WordPress dashboard and start by entering a name for your tabs.

Next, you can scroll down to add as many tabs as you want by clicking the red ‘Add New Tabs’ button.

Plus, you can edit each tab individually by changing its title, adding a description, using a different tab icon, and editing the icon location.

Besides that, the plugin also offers different ‘Tabs Settings’ in the menu on your right.

For instance, you can choose whether to display tabs title, select different options for title and icon, change icon position, show tabs border, select text color, and more.

When you’ve made the changes, you can now use the tabs in any blog post or page using the shortcode generated by the plugin.

Simply click the ‘Publish’ button.

Next, you can add the tabs on any page or post using the [TABS_R id=130] shortcode. Just make sure to replace the ID number in the shortcode with your tabs ID number.

You can easily find the tab ID and shortcode by going to Tabs Responsive » All tabs and copying the code under the Tabs Shortcode column.

Next, you just need to either add a new post or edit an existing one.

When you’re in the content editor, go ahead and add a shortcode block to enter the shortcode.

After that, you can preview your blog post or page. If everything checks out, you can click the ‘Publish’ or ‘Update’ button to save the tabs in your post.

Now, visit your website to see the tabbed content in action.

We hope this article helped you learn how to add tabbed content to WordPress posts and pages. You can also see our guide on WooCommerce made simple and how to choose the best web design software.

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

The post How to Add Tabbed Content in WordPress Posts and Pages first appeared on WPBeginner.