We are often asked by users why they should blog and what are the benefits of blogging.

Blogging has been around since 1993 and has become an essential marketing tool for many businesses. But is it still relevant in the age of social media?

In this article, we’ll talk about why you should blog. And what are the benefits of blogging?

Top Reasons and Benefits of a Blog

Blogs began as a way for individuals to write about their passions, day-to-day life, and things they found interesting. They were like online journals or diaries.

However, blogging quickly became an important part of the marketing strategy for businesses due to its benefits.

Currently, there are 1.9 billion websites in the world, and over 600 million are blogs. That means that the blogging industry makes up a third of the web.

For more information, see our guide on what is a blog and how is it different from a website.

Out of these, WordPress powers more than 43% of all websites, which makes it the best website builder and the best blogging platform.

It is used by both individuals and businesses to promote their ideas, brands, stories, products, and more.

Let’s dig deeper and take a look at some of the most important benefits of blogging and why you should consider starting a blog.

1. A Blog Brings Traffic to Your Website

A typical business website consists of a few important pages. You may have a homepage, landing pages for your products/services, a contact page, and a few more.

Search engines may not find your website more important than thousands of other much older websites in the same industry.

Adding a blog allows you to publish additional content which over time will help you bring more traffic to your website.

For instance, let’s say you sell gardening hoses on your website. There are thousands of companies selling similar products and users may never find your website on their own.

However, with blogging, you can add more content relevant to the topics they’re searching for.

For instance, you can write about ‘Environment-friendly gardening tools’ or ‘water preservation.’ You can also write guides on how to maintain small lawns and gardens and more.

Writing content for a blog opens a doof for more traffic to your website, allowing you to reach more customers, gain a wider audience, and even poach business from big-name brands.

2. Blogging Helps you Generate More Leads and Conversions

Now bringing traffic to your website by creating a blog was the easy part. The more complex part is to convert that traffic into sales and growth for your business.

More than 70% of people visiting your website today, will never find it again. That’s because there is so much content and information on the internet.

A blog helps you convert website traffic into potential leads, convert them into subscribers and social media followers, and allow you to reach out to them later.

Tools like OptinMonster, help you build an email list and grow your social media following.

Add push notifications to your blog, and you can send targeted messages to your blog visitors and bring them back to your website.

3. Helps you Repurpose Content for Other Marketing Channels

To build an active marketing presence, you need to actively promote your business online.

However, the problem with a static website is that there is no new content for you to share.

Adding a blog to your website allows you to actively use blog content across your other marketing channels.

For instance, here are some ways you can reuse blog post content.

Share the link to your blog post on social mediaUse the blog post content in your email newsletterMake a YouTube video based on blog post content Edit YouTube videos to create content for TikTok, Instagram Stories, and more.

These are all the ways that we reuse WPBeginner content across our social media and marketing channels and it works really well.

4. Helps you Build Authority in Your Industry

It is harder to prove your expertise and authority on a subject if all you have is a five-page website selling your products/services.

Adding a blog allows you to regularly publish content on topics related to your industry. This helps you establish authority and win users’ trust.

If you are consistently publishing new content, you’ll become the go-to place for your users and other businesses interested in those topics.

Whether you are a business or an individual, this trust is an invaluable asset. It will unlock tremendous growth opportunities.

5. Helps You Strengthen Brand Recognition

A blog helps you strengthen your brand identity. It gives you more opportunities to use your custom logo across your website, your social profiles, search results, and more.

This brand recognition when combined with customer trust and authority adds enormous value to your digital assets.

As an individual, you get recognized by industry leaders, influencers, and enthusiasts. This opens doors to many opportunities.

Similarly, as a business, your brand becomes more valuable and this weight will be considered by any potential buyer if you want to sell your business in the future.

6. Helps You Build an Engaging Audience

A static website doesn’t leave much room for a conversation. It is uninspiring and often quite boring.

Adding a blog to your website helps you bring the conversation to your website. Now users can engage with your blog posts by leaving a comment, sharing it on social media, writing about it, and more.

We recommend all our users engage with comments and other user activity on their blogs.

It helps you build a community around your business which is extremely useful.

When people leave a few comments on your blog, they develop an affinity with your brand which pays off when they are looking to make a purchase.

These users are also more likely to recommend your products/services to their friends and family.

7. Share Business News, Announcements, Sales, and More

On a typical static website, it is hard to share your business news, announcements, sales events, and more.

A blog on the other hand makes it super easy. In fact, you can get into more details, add context, and write more persuasive content.

For instance, if you are launching a Black Friday sale, you can promote it with a blog post. And then promote that blog post across your website with a floating header or footer banner.

You can make it more rewarding for your regular users and offer a special coupon code to your blog readers.

8. Helps You Improve Long Term SEO

A static website has fewer pages and even if they are ranking high you are still limited to a fixed set of keywords.

Adding a blog allows you to target related keywords and cover more ground by writing on different but related topics.

Over a period of time, you will have multiple posts ranking top on several keywords. Each of these pieces of content is like a soldier in your army.

If you properly optimize WordPress SEO with All in One SEO, then you can gradually build a whole army of content.

It not only helps you rank for secondary keywords with such authority even your home page and other pages start ranking higher.

9. Beat Competition in Organic Search Traffic

A big part of keyword research is to find out what keywords your competition is ranking for.

This helps you see which keywords bring them more business, and then you can just go ahead and create your own content targeting that keyword.

Having a blog provides you plenty of room to beat your competition in organic search traffic.

For more details, see our tutorial on how to do an SEO competitor analysis in WordPress.

10. Allows You to Educate Customers

When asked why they read blog posts, 33% of people said they wanted to learn something new.

Blog posts allow you to educate customers about different ways they can use your products.

You can utilize this opportunity to compare your product with competitors, showcase product features, inform users about benefits, and more.

This makes your blog posts highly valuable even for your existing customers. They can use blog articles to learn about new features that they may not be using.

Basically, it is an opportunity for you to provide real value to your users while promoting your products/services at the same time.

11. Build Additional Revenue Streams for Your Business

Blogs provide many opportunities to generate additional revenue for your business and make money online using your WordPress blog.

For instance, you can display ads in your blog posts using Google AdSense. You can also promote affiliate products and make money with affiliate marketing.

You can even use your blog to sell premium content using MemberPress or Easy Digital Downloads.

12. Helps You Learn Online Marketing

Adding a blog provides you with more opportunities to expand your marketing skills. You’ll have more content to promote which may be suitable for even more marketing channels.

For instance, you will find more opportunities to promote new posts on social media websites. You will also have more useful content to include in your newsletter.

As you explore different opportunities to promote each piece of content, you get to learn more marketing skills to reach new audiences.

13. Unlocks Partnerships and Opportunities for Growth

Blogs are a magnet to attract partnership opportunities to boost your business growth.

With all the activity going on with your blog, you will attract the attention of individuals and businesses looking for mutually beneficial opportunities.

For instance, new vendors may reach out to offer you better pricing or wholesale pricing, smaller shops may want to sell your products, large businesses may want to partner with you regionally, and more.

Similarly, if you sell services or just promoting your personal brand, then your blog may help you get the introduction to the right people. You’ll be able to gradually grow your network and influence.

14. Helps You Find Your Dream Job

Your blog may eventually lead you to find your dream job. Blogging is a popular tool to build a personal brand and promote your services and skills online.

You can show your passion, skills, and knowledge in your specific interests. This may get the attention of businesses looking for talented individuals like you.

Even if businesses don’t reach out to you, you can reach out to them. Your blog will help you see your interest, passion, and expertise in a more interesting way than a plain CV.

How to Get Started with Blogging Right Away

Getting started with a blog is quite easy.

First, you need to choose the right platform. We recommend using WordPress which is the world’s most popular blogging platform.

Now when we say WordPress, we mean WordPress.org and not WordPress.com.

See the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com in our detailed comparison.

To start a WordPress.org blog, you’ll need a domain name and a hosting account.

Our friends at Bluehost are offering WPBeginner users a free domain name with a generous discount on hosting. Basically, you’ll be able to get started with just $2.75 per month.

Once you have signed up for a domain name and hosting, Bluehost will automatically install WordPress for you.

Need more help? See our complete beginner’s guide on how to start a blog with step-by-step instructions.

We hope this article helped you learn why you should blog and the benefits of blogging. You may also want to see our list of popular online business ideas or take a look at our guide on starting an online store with your 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 Why Blog? 14 Benefits of Blogging in 2023 first appeared on WPBeginner.

Do you want to embed Instagram feeds in WordPress?

Showing Instagram photos and videos on your website helps keep your content fresh, increases user engagement, and builds trust. It’s also a great way to promote your Instagram account and get more followers.

In this article, we will show you how to embed Instagram in WordPress, step-by-step.

Why Embed Instagram on Your WordPress Site?

With over 1.21 billion monthly active users, Instagram is a great place to promote your products and services, build brand awareness, and grow your audience.

However, people won’t see your Instagram content if they just visit your website. With that in mind, it’s smart to embed your Instagram feed in WordPress, so everyone can see it.

This is an easy way to promote your social media page and encourage more people to follow you on Instagram. It can also keep your WordPress website fresh, since new Instagram posts will appear on your site automatically.

All of this new content can improve the search engine optimization (SEO) of your site, and encourage visitors to keep coming back to check the latest posts.

You can even display reviews in WordPress, show hashtag feeds, and embed any posts you’ve been tagged in. All of this is powerful social proof that can build trust and get you more sales.

With that being said, let’s see how you can embed an Instagram feed in WordPress.

How to Install an Instagram Photos Plugin

The best way to embed Instagram in WordPress is by using the Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed.

This free plugin lets you show photos from one or more Instagram accounts, in a fully customizable feed.

In this guide, we’ll be using the free version of Smash Balloon as it has everything you need to add an Instagram feed to your WordPress website. However, there’s also a pro version that allows you to display hashtag feeds, add Instagram shoppable images, and more.

Before getting started, you’ll need to connect your Instagram account to a Facebook page. If you have a personal Instagram account, then you may also want to turn it into a business account as this allows Smash Balloon to show your Instagram bio and header automatically.

For step-by-step instructions on how to do both of these things, see the FAQ section at the end of this guide.

When you’re ready, go ahead and install and activate the Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed plugin. For more details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

How to Connect an Instagram Account to WordPress

After activating the plugin, your first task is connecting your Instagram account to WordPress. Simply go to Instagram Feed » Settings and then click on ‘Add New.’

With Smash Balloon pro, you can create feeds from tagged posts and hashtags, or even create a social wall with content from lots of different social media websites.

Since we’re using the free plugin, simply select ‘User Timeline’ and then click on ‘Next.’

Now, simply choose the Instagram account where you’ll get the photo feed from.

To get started, click on the ‘Add Source’ button.

On the next screen, choose whether you want to show photos from a personal or business Instagram account.

If you check the box next to ‘Personal’ then Smash Balloon won’t include the Instagram avatar and bio in your header by default. However, you can always add the Instagram avatar and bio later in the plugin’s settings.

After choosing ‘Personal’ or ‘Business,’ go ahead and click on ‘Login with Facebook.’

You can now select the Instagram account that you want to feature on your WordPress website, and click on ‘Next.’

After that, check the box next to the Facebook page that’s linked to your Instagram account.

When you’ve done that, click on the ‘Next’ button.

You’ll now see a popup with all the information Smash Balloon will have access to and the actions it can perform.

To restrict Smash Balloon’s access to your Instagram account, just click any of the switches to turn it from ‘Yes’ to ‘No.’ Just be aware that this may affect the photos and videos that you can show on your WordPress blog or website.

With that in mind, we recommend leaving all the switches enabled.

When you’re happy with the settings, click on ‘Done.’

You’ll now see a popup with the Instagram account you just added to your website.

Simply check the box next to that account and then click on ‘Add.’

Smash Balloon will now take you back to the Instagram Feeds » All Feeds screen.

To create a feed, simply check the box next to the Instagram account that you want to use. Then, click on ‘Next.’

The plugin will now create an Instagram photo feed that you can add to any page, post, or widget-ready area.

However, before embedding the Instagram feed you may want to customize how it looks and add any missing information.

How to Customize Your Instagram Photo Feed

By default, Smash Balloon will open your feed in its editor ready for you to customize.

On the right, you’ll see a preview of your Instagram photo feed. On the left-hand side are all the settings you can use to customize the photo feed.

Most of these settings are self-explanatory, but we’ll quickly cover some key areas.

To start, you can change the Instagram photo layout and add padding by selecting ‘Feed Layout’ from the left-hand menu.

As you make changes, the preview will update automatically so you can try different settings to see what looks the best.

By default, Smash Balloon shows the same number of photos whether the users are on desktop computers or mobile devices.

You can preview how the Instagram feed will look on desktop computers, tablets, and smartphones using the row of buttons in the upper-right corner.

Smartphones and tablets typically have smaller screens and less processing power, so you may want to show fewer Instagram photos and videos on mobile devices.

To do this, just type a different number into the ‘Mobile’ field under ‘Number of Posts.’

By creating different layouts for smartphones, tablets, and desktop computers you can make sure the feed looks great, no matter what device the visitor is using.

By default, the plugin feed shows fewer columns on smartphones and tablets, compared to desktop computers. This helps your photos and videos fit comfortably on smaller screens.

To change these default settings, simply type new numbers into the ‘Columns’ settings.

After making your changes, click on the ‘Customize’ link.

This will take you back to the main Smash Balloon editor, ready for you to explore the next settings screen, which is ‘Color Scheme.’

By default, Smash Balloon uses a color scheme inherited from your WordPress theme, but it also has ‘Light’ and ‘Dark’ themes that you may want to use instead.

Another option is creating your own color scheme by selecting ‘Custom.’ Once that’s done, simply use the controls to change the background color, change the text color in WordPress, and more.

By default, Smash Balloon adds a header to the Instagram feed, which is your profile picture and the name of your page. To change how this section looks, click on ‘Header’ in the left-hand menu.

On this screen, you can change the size of the header, add a new color, or show your Instagram bio.

Sometimes, you may want to show a different profile picture. For example, your Instagram avatar may not stand out from your theme so you want to show a custom logo instead.

To change the profile picture, click on ‘Add Image’ under ‘Show custom avatar.’ You can then either choose an image from the WordPress media library or upload a new photo.

You can also add a different bio. For example, you might encourage people to visit your profile on Instagram or to simply follow your account.

To create a unique Instagram bio, simply type into the ‘Add custom bio’ box.

Smash Balloon automatically analyzes your Instagram photos and shows them at the best resolution. We recommend using these default settings, but you can make the Instagram images bigger or smaller if you need to.

To change the image size, click on ‘Posts’ from the left-hand menu. Then, select the ‘Images and Videos’ option.

You can now choose between thumbnail, medium, and full-size images using the dropdown menu that appears.

If you’re unhappy with how the feed looks, then you can go back to this screen at any point and select ‘Auto-detect (Recommended)’ from the dropdown.

By default, Smash Balloon adds a ‘Load More’ button to the bottom of your Instagram feed so visitors can scroll through your photos and videos.

You can change how this button looks by selecting ‘Load More Button.’

Here, you can help the ‘Load More’ button stand out by changing its background color, text color, and hover state.

You can also try adding your own messaging to the button, by typing into the ‘Text’ field. This way your visitors will be more inclined to click.

While we do recommend leaving this button enabled, you can remove it. For example, you might encourage people to visit your Instagram by limiting the number of photos they can see on your site.

To remove the button, simply toggle the ‘Enable’ slider to turn grey.

If visitors like what they see, they may decide to subscribe using the ‘Follow on Instagram’ button that appears below the embedded feed.

Since it’s such an important button, you may want to add some custom styling to help it stand out.

You can do this by selecting ‘Follow Button’ in the left-hand menu. Here, you can change the button’s background color, hover state, and text color.

By default, the button shows a ‘Follow on Instagram’ label.

You can replace this with your own call to action by typing into the ‘Text’ field.

When you’re happy with how the Instagram feed looks, don’t forget to click on ‘Save’ to store your changes.

You’re now ready to add the Instagram feed to your WordPress website.

How to Embed Instagram Feed in WordPress

You can add the Instagram feed to your website using a block, widget, or shortcode.

If you’ve created more than one feed using Smash Balloon Social Photo feed, then you’ll need to know the feed’s code if you’re going to use a widget or block.

To get this code, go to Instagram Feed »All Feeds and then look at thefeed=””part of the shortcode. You’ll need to add this code to the block or widget, so make a note of it.

In the following image, we’ll need to usefeed=”1″

If you want to embed the Instagram feed in a page or post, then we recommend using the Instagram Feed block.

Note: If you’re using a block-enabled theme, you can follow the instructions below to add the block anywhere on your site using the full-site editor.

Just open the page or post where you want to embed your Instagram photo and video feed. Then, click on the ‘+’ icon to add a new block and start typing ‘Instagram Feed.’

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

The block will show one of your Smash Balloon feeds by default. If you want to show a different Instagram feed instead, then find ‘Shortcode Settings’ in the right-hand menu.

Here, simply add thefeed=””code and then click on ‘Apply Changes.’

The block will now show the photos and videos from your Instagram account. Just publish or update the page to make the feed live on your website.

If you’re using a theme that does not use full-site editing, you can add the Smashballoon Instagram Feed to any widget-ready area, such as the sidebar or similar section so visitors can see it anywhere they go on your site.

Simply go to Appearance » Widgets in the WordPress dashboard and then click on the blue ‘+’ button.

In the search bar, type in ‘Instagram Feed’ and select the correct widget when it appears.

WordPress has a built-in ‘Instagram Feed’ block, so make sure you choose the one that shows the official Instagram logo.

After that, simply drag the widget onto the area where you want to show the Instagram feed, such as the sidebar or similar section.

The widget will automatically show one of the feeds you created using Smash Balloon. If you want to show a different Instagram feed, then just type the feed’s shortcode into the ‘Shortcode Settings’ box.

As long as you are adding the shortcode to the ‘Shortcode Settings’ box, you do not need to include the brackets around it.

After that, click on ‘Apply Changes.’

You can now make the widget live by clicking on the ‘Update’ button. For more information, please see our step-by-step guide on how to add and use widgets in WordPress.

Another option is embedding the Instagram feed on any page, post, or widget-ready area using a shortcode.

Simply go to Instagram Feed »All Feeds and copy the code in the ‘Shortcode’ column. You can now add this code to any Shortcode block.

For help placing the shortcode, please see our guide on how to add a shortcode.

Finally, if you have a block-enabled theme, then you can use the full-site editor to add the Instagram Feed block anywhere on your site.

In the WordPress dashboard, simply go to Appearance » Editor.

By default, the full-site editor will show the theme’s home template. If you want to add the Instagram feed to a different template, then click on the arrow next to ‘Home.’

You can then choose any design from the dropdown, such as the footer template.

If you don’t see the template in the list, then click on ‘Browse all templates.’

The full-site editor will now show a list of all the templates you can edit. Simply click on the template where you want to show the Instagram feed.

After choosing a template, just hover your mouse over the area where you want to add the Instagram photo feed.

Then, click on the blue ‘+’ button.

After that, start typing in ‘Instagram Feed.’

When the right block appears, click to add it to the template. This will be the one with the official Instagram logo.

As always, Smash Balloon will show a feed by default if you do not add a specific shortcode. You can change this feed by adding a shortcode following the same process described above.

FAQs About Embedding Instagram in WordPress

Smash Balloon makes it easy to show Instagram photos and videos on your website. That being said, here are some of the most frequently asked questions about adding an Instagram feed in WordPress.

How Do I Create an Instagram Business Account?

Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed can display photos from either a personal or business Instagram account.

However, Smash Balloon can’t automatically fetch the Instagram avatar and bio from a personal Instagram account. With that in mind, you may want to check whether you have a personal or business account, and then switch to a business account so Smash Balloon can fetch your avatar and bio automatically.

To check, just visit your Instagram account and click on the three-lined icon in the side menu.

After that, select ‘Settings.’

If you don’t have a business account, then this screen will show ‘Switch to professional account’ in the left-hand menu.

If you currently have a personal account and want to switch to a business account, then simply give this link a click.

How Do I Connect a Facebook Page to an Instagram Account?

Before you can add an Instagram feed to WordPress, you’ll need to connect your Instagram account to a Facebook page.

To do this, head over to the Facebook page that you want to use and then click on ‘Settings’ in the left-hand menu.

After that, click on ‘Linked Account.’ You can now select ‘Instagram’ and click on the ‘Connect’ button.

Facebook will now show all the information it will be able to access, and the actions it can perform on Instagram.

If you’re happy to go ahead, then click on the ‘Connect’ button.

Just be aware that anyone else who manages your Facebook page will be able to see your Instagram messages, and respond to them. If you want to keep your Instagram messages private, then click to disable the option.

When you’re happy and ready to move on, click ‘Confirm.’

This opens a popup where you can type in your Instagram username and password.

After that, go ahead and click on ‘Log In.’

After a few moments, you’ll see a message saying that your Instagram and Facebook accounts are now connected.

We hope this article helped you learn how to easily embed Instagram in WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on how to create a custom Facebook feed in WordPress, or see our expert pick of the best social media plugins for WordPress.

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

The post How to Easily Embed Instagram in WordPress (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.

Did you know that every WordPress post or page can have two titles, and they are used for different purposes?

These different post titles help you attract potential readers by showing them what your content is about in a clear and interesting way. They are also used by search engines when it comes to SEO rankings.

In this article, we’ll explain the difference between SEO titles and H1 post titles, so you can better optimize your content for higher rankings.

Here’s what we’ll cover in this tutorial:

What’s the Difference Between SEO Titles and Post Titles?

Every post and page on your WordPress website will have two titles, one that visitors will see at the top of the post, and one that search engines use when indexing your site. While these are two completely different use-cases, the two titles will most often be the same.

The title that is displayed at the top of every WordPress post is called the H1 post title, because WordPress will surround it with <h1> HTML tags to show that it is the most important heading in the post.

This title should let your visitors know what the post is about and attract their attention, so they click on the post and read it.

Search engines like Google pay close attention to your <h1> header tags, but they also look for a different title, one enclosed in HTML <title> tags. This is your post’s SEO title and is also known as the meta title.

The SEO title is used when search engines rank your page and display it in search results.

Your visitors won’t see the SEO title anywhere on your website. However, it will be used as the page title in the browser tab, and other websites may use it when linking to your post.

By default, the SEO title will follow the following template: ‘Post Title — Site Title’. This will work fine for most blog posts. However, if you wish to customize the SEO title of a post or page, then you will need to use a WordPress SEO plugin.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how to add H1 post titles and SEO titles in WordPress.

How to Add H1 Post Titles in WordPress

Adding a title to your post is simple. When you add a new post in WordPress, the block editor will ask you to add a post title, and then allow you to create blocks where you can add the content of the post.

If you’re new to the block editor, then you can learn how to use it step-by-step in our guide on how to use the WordPress block editor.

You can add a post title by simply typing it on the first ‘Add title’ line of the post.

Your website visitors will see this title displayed at the top of the post on your blog, and it will also be used in the post list on your blog’s home page.

When you view the HTML source of the post, you will notice that WordPress has wrapped the title in <h1> tags to identify it as the post title.

The <h1> tag is the most important heading tag, and should be used only for the post’s title. If you use subheadings in your post, then you should use less important heading tags, such as <h2>, <h3>, and <h4>.

How to Add SEO Titles in WordPress

The easiest way to add and customize SEO titles is with the All in One SEO (AIOSEO) plugin. AIOSEO is the original WordPress SEO plugin that’s used on over 3 million websites including our own.

In this tutorial, we’ll use the free version of All in One SEO because it allows you to customize the SEO title. However, AIOSEO Pro offers even more features to help you rank better in search engine results pages.

The first thing you need to do is install the free All in One SEO Lite plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you will need to configure the plugin using the AIOSEO setup wizard. For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to set up All in One SEO for WordPress correctly.

Now, when you are adding or editing a post or page, there will be an ‘AIOSEO Settings’ section below the post content. Here you will find a section labeled ‘Post Title’ where you can customize the SEO title.

Notice that the default SEO title is the H1 post title followed by a separator and the site title.

You will also see a preview of how the title will look in a Google search and the number of characters you used. This will help you create a title that is not too long. The recommended length of an SEO title is 60 characters so it isn’t cut off on search engine results pages.

You might like to leave the default SEO title as it is, or you can customize it using smart tags (more on that later) or by simply typing a new SEO title like this:

When you view the HTML source of the post, you will notice that WordPress has used <title> tags to identify it as the SEO title.

Visitors to your website will see the H1 post title at the top of the post. They will see the SEO title in their browser tab and on search engine results pages.

How to Customize the Default SEO Title in WordPress

You can customize the default SEO title used for posts and pages using the All in One SEO plugin.

First, you need to navigate to the All in One SEO » Search Appearance page and then click the ‘Content Types’ tab.

Near the top of that page, you will see the ‘Posts’ section. Make sure you’re on the ‘Title & Description’ tab and you will see the default SEO title used for posts next to ‘Post Title’.

By default, you will see smart tags for the post title, a separator, and the site title. You can customize the default SEO title by adding or removing smart tags.

For example, to make the SEO title just the post title without the site name at the end, simply delete the ‘Separator’ and ‘Site Title’ smart tags. You can do this with the backspace key on your keyboard, or by clicking on a smart tag and then clicking the trash icon on the popup.

You can also easily add smart tags to the default SEO title. You can do this by clicking the buttons for commonly used tags found above the Post Title field, or clicking the ‘View all tags’ link to see a list of all smart tags.

Simply click on a smart tag to add it to the SEO title. When finished, make sure you click the ‘Save Changes’ button at the top of the screen to save the new default post title.

You can customize the default page title in a similar way by scrolling down to the ‘Pages’ section below.

Tips for Creating the Best Post Titles in WordPress

Choosing the right title for your blog post can help it rank higher in search results. It can also motivate users to click on your article when they see it in the search results thus boosting your CTR (aka click through rate).

Here are some tips on how to write more effective post titles.

Write Your Posts Titles for Users, Not Search Engines

When you think of a title to use for your post, keep your users in mind, not just search engines.

When you write a title for users, you’re likely to come up with something that’s more engaging, and it will lead to more clicks.

You want to make sure that your title is readable, understandable, memorable, and clearly describes the content of the post.

Make Sure the Title Is Not Too Long

The length of an SEO title is important because if it is longer than 600 pixels, then Google will not be able to display the full title in search engine results. Because of this, we recommend keeping your SEO titles shorter than 60 characters.

You can check the length of the SEO title and see a preview of how it will look in a Google search when you customize it using All in One SEO.

Include the Focus Keyword in the Title

You can make your blog post title more SEO-friendly by using your focus keyword in the title. We also recommend making it catchy and click-worthy. That’s because your organic click-through rate (CTR) plays an important role in SEO.

The best way to improve your titles is with the AIOSEO headline analyzer tool. This will evaluate your headline, give it a score, and offer tips to make your headline even better.

For more details, see our guide on how to use a headline analyzer in WordPress to improve SEO titles.

Rank Even Higher by Adding a Meta Description and Keywords

Now that you’ve taken time to craft an effective title, you should also add keywords and a meta description to help your post rank even higher. You can learn how to do this step-by-step in our guide on how to add keywords and meta descriptions in WordPress.

When Should You Use a Different SEO Title?

In most cases, your H1 post title and SEO title will be the same. However, there are times when you may want to customize the SEO title so that it is different from the H1 post title.

A More Engaging SEO Title

For example, you may want to tweak the SEO version of the title, so it is more engaging to potential visitors and more likely they will click on it in a Google search. You could then display a more detailed and descriptive H1 title on your website.

A Shorter SEO Title

Another reason to change the SEO title is if you have created the perfect H1 title for your post, but it is longer than 600 pixels. In that case, Google will not have room to display the full title in the search results, and you should create a shorter SEO title.

A Longer SEO Title

On the other hand, if your H1 title is very short, then you can take the opportunity to make your SEO title longer by adding relevant keywords that will improve your page ranking.

Warning: Google Regularly Changes Your SEO Title

There’s one last thing about titles we should warn you about. Google is likely to rewrite your SEO title to try to make it more suitable for those performing searches. In fact, a study has found that Google is changing more than 60% of post titles to improve search quality.

This can be frustrating if you have worked hard on crafting the perfect SEO title.

What we have found is that your title is more likely to be changed when your SEO title is different from the H1 title. When these two titles match, the study found that Google rewrites the title only 20% of the time. This is a good reason to use the same title in both places if you can.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn the difference between SEO titles and H1 post titles in WordPress. You may also want to learn about what are push notifications and how you can use it to grow your traffic, or check out our list of must-have WordPress plugins to grow 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 SEO Title vs H1 Post Title in WordPress: What’s the Difference? first appeared on WPBeginner.

2022 is about to come to an end, and like every year it brings us an opportunity to look back at our accomplishments and goals.

This year, slow economic activity drove many people to start a new website or online business. A large number of users took advantage of WPBeginner’s free resources to launch their businesses online.

We are grateful for the continued support of our users, which provides us with inspiration and energy to move forward.

To keep up with our tradition, in this article we’ll share our staff pick of the best of best WordPress tutorials on WPBeginner.

We’ll also share an overview of 2022 from our CEO to gain some perspective and reflect upon the progress.

WPBeginner Recap 2022 by Syed Balkhi

2022 has been a wonderful year, and it was full of new experiences.

This year, I definitely pushed myself to new limits when it came to time management, balancing priorities, and business growth.

I turned 32, visited 8 countries including a trip to the Arctic circle and an African safari where I saw a black Rhino, bought a few companies, launched new products, and overall I’m ending the year stronger than ever.

None of this would be possible without the support of my wife, Amanda, and my family.

We accomplished a lot in 2022, and like always I learned a ton of lessons.

This year WPBeginner turned 13 years old which means we officially have a teenager on our hand.

We spent a lot of time this year creating new content, but most importantly updating hundreds of previously written tutorials to ensure they’re all up to date.

I’m really proud of the work our team has done. Aside from the content side, our software products passed the milestone of 20 million active installs. We celebrated it with a NASDAQ billboard in Time Square.

This was a pretty huge moment for our entire team — going from a blog to being on Time Square in New York City!!!

For me personally, it was a dream come true moment, and this is proof that hard work does pay off.

Our WPBeginner Engage community on Facebook passed 90,000 members, and it’s the largest WordPress facebook group (it’s free to join).

WPBeginner YouTube Channel passed 282,000 subscribers, and we passed 43 million video views.

We launched the WPBeginner podcast this year, and we got over 29,000 views on YouTube as well as over 4000+ downloads. This is a new content experiment for us, and I can see our monthly downloads continue to grow steadily.

Please let me know your thoughts on the podcast and make sure to subscribe on Apple Podcast, Google Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.

Our growth is a direct result of the incredible growth of WordPress. It is the world’s most popular website builder used by over 43% of all websites.

I shared 3 trends that I believe will help WordPress market share grow to 50% and beyond.

We have a lot free tools in the works for WPBeginner readers, and I can’t wait to share them with you over the next two months.

One of the questions I often get from new readers is how does WPBeginner make money? Well, it’s through our suite of premium plugins and SaaS application. I did a brief overview of WPBeginner income, but here’s a quick recap of our various products.

AIOSEO

All in One SEO (aka AIOSEO) is one of the most popular WordPress SEO plugins that’s now being used by over 3 million websites. This year the team worked really hard to make it by far the best SEO toolkit in the market.

If you want to improve your SEO rankings, then you should use AIOSEO.

We added a powerful Link Assistant feature to help automate the internal linking process. It also lets you see which domains you’re linking out to, which posts have no links, and so on. This is great for both SEO pros and business owners.

I had this feature built to help our businesses improve our content marketing, and also do SEO cleanups when we acquire new businesses.

We also introduced the Next-Gen Schema generator to help you level up your on-page SEO game. Basically you can generate custom schema templates to improve your SEO rankings without writing any code.

Aside from that, we added the headline analyzer to help you write better headlines, we created an automated table of content block that’s actually customizable, and so much more.

There is a reason why AIOSEO has seen the level of growth that we did this year as more people are switching away from legacy WordPress SEO plugins to AIOSEO. Here are 9 reasons why you should switch to AIOSEO.

There’s also a free version available too which is plenty powerful.

WPForms

WPForms is the fastest growing online form builder for WordPress with over 5 million active installs. It’s now the #7 most popular plugin in the WordPress.org plugin directory. Here’s a link to the WPForms free version.

This year we added several powerful features to help you improve your workflow and save time. For example, we introduced Form Revisions which adds version control for online forms. We also added form tags, ability to recover deleted forms, form locator, and form search to make managing forms a breeze.

We added a form layout field to allow you to create multi-column form layouts without any code. This was a much requested feature, and I’m glad the team was able to get it out.

Aside from that, we added a native integration for Google Sheets (no need for Zapier). We also added integrations for HubSpot and PayPal commerce along with introducing more powerful anti-spam settings.

WPForms is continuing to raise the bar, and I’m really proud of our team.

The WPForms team also did their own 2022 Year in Review post which is far more interactive and super cool.

WPCode

We launched a new product called WPCode which is a WordPress code manager to future-proof your website customizations using smart code snippets.

WPCode is like the ultimate Swiss-Army knife tool that will help you replace dozens of existing WordPress plugins while making your website faster. My ultimate goal here was to help website owners save time and hassle while managing website customizations.

The idea came mainly from our users because about a decade ago in 2012, I created a free plugin called Insert Headers and Footers. This plugin made it easy for you to add code in WordPress header or footer area such as Google Analytics script, FB pixel, other tracking codes, and such.

Over the years, the plugin grew to over 1 million active installs. Every month, I would get requests from users to add more functionality such as the ability to conditionally load scripts on certain pages, ability to add code snippets in other areas of the website, and so on.

So we rebranded the plugin to WPCode (much better name), and we made it 100x more powerful. Best of all we kept most things free.

I can say it’s by far the MOST POWERFUL plugin you’ll install on your WordPress site, and I’m not exaggerating. You can read my full announcement here or watch this video on WPBeginner channel to see why I am so excited about this plugin.

We have big plans for it. Just last month, we launched the Private Cloud Snippets library to improve developer workflow. You can now save all your code snippets to cloud and re-use them across multiple client projects.

We also added code revisions (aka version control) to WordPress admin area, built deeper integration for WooCommerce & EDD, created device-specific snippet rules, and a whole lot more.

You can expect a lot of great things coming from WPCode in 2023.

SendLayer

SendLayer is another new product that we launched this year. It’s an email delivery platform that helps you get your website emails into your user’s inbox with maximum deliverability, reliability, and scalability.

You can use SendLayer with WordPress or any other platform that you prefer because it’s a powerful SMTP email service API. It gives you reliable email delivery while protecting your domain reputation from spam filters and giving you detailed email logs along with open & click analytics.

2023 will be a big year for SendLayer — we’re planning some big announcements in the next couple months.

I shared more details in our announcement post on why I’m so excited about this.

WP Simple Pay

Last year, we acquired WP Simple Pay as part of the Sandhills product acquisition. It’s a simple yet powerful solution that helps you accepting one-time and recurring payments on your WordPress site without setting up a shopping cart.

We redesigned the website to highlight the features it offers, and we also added tons of other powerful features like the ability to add Buy Now Pay Later, Automatic tax calculation based on user location, flexible coupon management, pre-made payment form templates along with deep integration with WordPress page builders, a brand new onboarding wizard, and so much more.

There’s a free version available as well that you can use to accept payments securely on your website with mobile-optimized forms, card validation, and more.

I’m really proud of how this product is evolving, and we have some big features coming next year.

Other Notable Product Highlights

OptinMonster which is the #1 popup and conversion optimization plugin that I created for our business added revenue attribution this year, so now you can see exactly how much revenue you generate from each popup campaign. We also added dozens of new templates, smart blocks, field mapping, and deeper integrations.MonsterInsights is the best WordPress analytics plugin in the market used by over 3 million websites. This year we introduced a new WordPress User Journey feature for eCommerce which shows you all the steps the user took before making a purchase.Easy Digital Downloads team launched version 3.0 which was a major re-factor. Now includes support for block editor, multi-currency, improved checkout forms, better reporting, and more. This is the eCommerce plugin that I use to sell our digital products.MemberPress which is the best membership plugin for WordPress added certifications, so now you can offer certificates to students upon completion of the course. MemberPress continues to be the leading solution for creating membership sites & LMS sites.Smash Balloon is the most popular social media feeds plugin for WordPress. This year the team completely revamped all the plugins to add a much improved social feed customizer with live preview and more. Uncanny Automator, the leading WordPress workflow automation plugin now has over workflow 100+ integrations to help you automate your WordPress site. This plugin can help you eliminate Zapier so you can save more money and time with website automations.

Acquisitions and Investments

This year we did few really great acquisitions & investments. Here are the new products that have joined the WPBeginner family

FunnelKit (formerly WooFunnels) is a leading sales funnel builder and marketing automation platform for WooCommerce. Over 18,000+ smart store owners use FunnelKit to create high-converting checkouts, order bumps, one click upsells & automations that are proven to boost profits.

They also have a really powerful email automation and CRM product called FunnelKit Automation (formerly Autonami). It’s basically an ActiveCampaign alternative for WordPress which gives you the email marketing & SMS features for a fraction of the cost.

You can read the full story to see screenshots, animations, and more.

We also acquired WP Charitable, a popular donation and fundraising plugin. Over 10,000+ non-profit organizations and website owners across the world use Charitable to create fundraising campaigns and raise more money online (see the full story).

End of November, one of the WPBeginner Growth Fund companies, Strategy11, acquired WP Tasty and Nutrifox.

Strategy11 is the team behind Formidable Forms, Business Directory Plugin, and Advanced Classified. Steve & Steph Wells joined the WPBeginner Growth Fund in 2018, and we have seen tremendous growth in the business since then.

When the opportunity presented itself, we decided to acquire the WP Tasty plugin suite which offers a suite of tools for food bloggers including a WordPress recipe plugin, a smart roundup plugin, affiliate management plugin, and a better Pinterest integration.

Nutrifox is a SaaS nutrition label generator for food bloggers as well food brands who’re looking to show nutrition labels for compliance reasons on their website.

Aside from these, we have recently acquired few other businesses, but the announcement is not public yet, so I will be sharing those likely in January or February

Want us to acquire or invest in your business? Learn more about the WPBeginner Growth fund where I invest in WordPress and SaaS companies.

With that said, let’s take a look at 2022’s best WordPress tutorials on WPBeginner.

January

How to Display Your Form in a Single Line in WordPress (Easy Way) – Not all forms need multiple fields and some may even look good in a single line. In this tutorial, we showed how to easily display forms in a single line in WordPress.

How to Fix ‘Comments Are Closed’ in WordPress (Beginner’s Guide) – A common WordPress issue that is often caused by misconfigured WordPress settings. In this article, we showed how to easily resolve the ‘Comments are closed’ issue in WordPress.

How to Create a Video Membership Site in WordPress – WordPress makes it easier to sell on-demand and members-only content. In this tutorial, we walked users through the steps to build a video membership website in WordPress.

What Are Web Push Notifications and How Do They Work? (Explained) – We published an explainer about web push notifications for beginners. The article talks about web push notifications and how beginners can use them to grow their businesses.

How to Easily Create a Custom WordPress Theme (Without Any Code) – Ever wanted to make a custom WordPress theme exactly to your liking? In this article, we showed how to easily create a custom WordPress theme without writing any code.

February

How to Increase Your Landing Page Conversions by 300% – Landing pages are an important marketing tool to boost sales. In this article, we shared proven tips that help users increase their landing page conversions.

How to Create a Facebook Ads Landing Page in WordPress – If you are running Facebook ads, then you would want to direct users to a properly optimized landing page. In this tutorial, we showed how to easily create a beautiful Facebook ad landing page in WordPress for higher conversions.

How to Disable Widget Blocks in WordPress (Restore Classic Widgets) – WordPress replaced the widget screen with new widget blocks. However, many users have themes built for legacy widgets. In this article, we showed how to disable widget blocks and use legacy classic widgets.

How to Add Nofollow Links in WordPress Navigation Menus – Adding nofollow attribute to external links is helpful for SEO but how do you add it to a navigation menu link? In this tutorial, we showed +how to easily add nofollow links in navigation menus.

March

How to Add IndexNow in WordPress to Speed Up SEO Results – IndexNow is a new SEO feature that allows websites to get their new content indexed by popular search engines. In this tutorial, we explained how to add IndexNow in WordPress to improve SEO.

How to Properly Use Focus Keyphrase in WordPress – Optimizing your content for a focus keyphrase helps you improve SEO rankings. In this article, we explained how to properly use focus keyphrase in WordPress to improve search rankings.

18+ Best ClickFunnels Alternatives – ClickFunnels is a website builder tool for marketers to create sales funnels and boost conversions. In this article, we discussed its pros and cons and shared the best ClickFunnels alternative that are actually better and less expensive or free.

How to Fix ‘The Site Is Experiencing Technical Difficulties’ in WordPress – This is a vague and common WordPress error that may be very frustrating for beginners. In this article, we showed how to easily fix ‘The site is experiencing technical difficulties’ issue in WordPress.

April

Best Internal Linking Plugins for WordPress – Internal linking is critical for better SEO rankings and higher pageviews. In this article, we showcased the best internal linking plugins for WordPress that you can use to automatically or manually add internal links.

How to Accept Apple Pay in WordPress – Apple Pay is a convenient payment solution for customers and small businesses. In this article, we showed how to easily accept Apple Pay in WordPress without hiring developers.

Elementor vs Divi vs SeedProd (Compared) – Users often ask us about which is the best page builder among the top contenders. In this article, we compared Elementor vs Divi vs SeedProd to figure out which is the best site builder tool for WordPress beginners.

How to Accept Recurring Payments in WordPress – Many online businesses rely on recurring payments instead of one-time payments. In this beginner’s guide, we shared four methods to easily accept recurring payments in WordPress.

May

Beginner’s Guide: How to Use WordPress Block Patterns – Block patterns are a new WordPress feature that allows site owners to quickly insert common layouts into their pages using the Gutenberg content editor. In this article, we explained WordPress block patterns and how to use them.

How to Easily Add a Download Link in WordPress – Adding a download link in WordPress makes it easier for your customers to download files. In this tutorial, we showed multiple ways to easily add a download link to WordPress.

How to Add Collaboration in WordPress Block Editor (Google-Doc Style) – For multi-author WordPress websites, collaboration can become quite complicated. In this article, we showed how to easily add Google Docs style collaboration in the WordPress block editor.

How to Accept Google Pay in WordPress (The Easy Way) – Google Pay is another convinient payment option for mobile customers. In this article, we showed how to easily accept Google Pay on a WordPress website.

How to Limit the Number of WordPress Form Entries – Do you want to limit the number of entries users can submit using a WordPress form? In this tutorial, we showed how to easily limit the number of WordPress entries.

June

How to Add Text on Top of an Image in WordPress – We have been often asked by users about how to add text on top of an image in WordPress. In this article, we showed multiple ways to easily add text on top of an image in WordPress.

How to Display WordPress Form Entries on Your Site – Some website owners want to collect data via forms and display it on their website. Whether is a survey, feedback, or other user generated content. In this article, we showed how to easily display WordPress form entries on your website.

Best Call Center Software For 2022 – Many users like to talk to a business on the phone instead of email. Adding a call center software for your support and sales team can help convert those users into paying customers. In this article, our experts picked the best call center software for small businesses.

How to Create a Reddit-Like Website with WordPress – Reddit is a popular online community with millions of highly engaged users. In this article, we showed how you can easily create a Reddit-like website with WordPress.

July

How to Make a Multi Vendor Ecommerce Website with WordPress – Do you wanto create a multi-vendor eCommerce platform? In this article, we showed how to easily make a multi-vendor eCommerce website in WordPress.

How to Create an Author Website in WordPress (Step by Step) – WordPress is quite popular among best-selling authors. In this article, we showed how to create a professional author website in WordPress.

How to Connect Multiple WordPress Sites Together – Do you want to connect multiple WordPress websites to automate everyday admin tasks? In this article, we shared 3 easy ways to connect multiple WordPress sites together.

How to Sell Digital Art and Graphics Online – WordPress makes it super easy to sell anything online. In this article, we talked about how to easily sell digital and graphics online using WordPress.

August

How to Easily Integrate Shopify with WordPress (Step by Step) – Do you want to use Shopify and WordPress together? In this article, we showed how to easily integrate Shopify with WordPress and take advantage of both platforms.

How to Set Up Automated Drip Notifications in WordPress – Drip notifications allow you to send scheduled notifications to subscribers via email or push notifications. In this article, we showed how to set up automated drip notifications in WordPress.

How to Customize WooCommerce Emails – Default WooCommerce emails are quite plain and boring. In this article, we showed two ways to easily customize WooCommerce emails to make them more useful.

How to Customize the Search Results Page in WordPress – The default WordPress search is too basic for most websites. In this tutorial, we walk you through the steos you can take to customize WordPress search results page with better results and user experience.

September

Best Monthly Web Hosting Plans – Are you looking for a monthly web hosting plan? In this showcase, our experts picked the best monthly web hosting plans (starting at $4.95 per month).

The Ultimate Guide to GA4 in WordPress for Beginners – With the current version of Google Analytics being sunset on July 1, 2023, we got a ton of questions from users about the new Google Analytics 4 (GA4). In this beginner’s guide, we explained Google Analytics 4 for WordPress users.

How to Create a Table of Contents in WordPress Posts and Pages – a Table of Contents improves user experience for longer articles and can also help with SEO when used properly. In this tutorial, we showed how to easily create a table of contents in WordPress posts and pages.

2022 Blogging Statistics, Trends & Data – For this article, our research tream collected the most interesting and significant blogging statistics, trends, and data. This information can help you analyze some of the latest trends in blogging and how it has evolved over time.

October

Reasons Why We Switched from Yoast to All in One SEO – On WPBeginner, we switched from Yoast to All in One SEO for WordPress. This article explained top reasons why we switched from Yoast to All in One SEO.

How to Speed up WooCommerce Performance – Speed is crucial for the success of an online store. In this guide, we shared easy to implement tips to speed up WooCommerce performance.

How Much Traffic Can WordPress Handle? – One of the common misconceptions about WordPress is that it is harder to scale for large traffic. In this article, we debunked this myth by explaining how much traffic can WordPress handle.

In October, our research team published three new resources:

Ultimate Web Hosting Statistics and Market Share Report (2022) – A comprehensive resource of web hosting statistics, trends, and market share data. Internet Usage Statistics and Latest Trends for 2022 – A detailed resource of internet usage statistics, trends, and data. 2022’s CMS Market Share Report – A look at the market share of different Content Management Systems with stats, data, and latest trends.

November

The WordPress SEO Crawl Budget Problem and How to Fix It – Search engine bots set a crawl budget for each website, and your website may end up wasting it on unnecessary pages. In this article, we explained the SEO crawl budget problem and how to easily fix it.

How to Offer an Ad-Free Version of Your WordPress Site to Subscribers – Want to remove advertisements for paid subscribers of your website? In this tutorial, we showed how to easily offer an ad-free version of your website to subscribers.

GoDaddy Website Builder vs WordPress – Which One is Better? – GoDaddy offers a basic website builder tool to quickly create simple websites. In this article, we compared GoDaddy website builder vs WordPress to show which one is better.

How to Easily Add Browser Tab Notification in WordPress – You may have noticed some websites with tabs highlighted with animations, icons, and text. In this tutorial, we showed how to easily add browsser tab notification in WordPress.

How to Add a Buy Now Button in WordPress – Do you want to add a quick buy now button in WordPress? In this tutorial, we showed 3 ways to easily add a buy now button in WordPress.

December

How to Sell Excel or Google Spreadsheets in WordPress – Excel and Google spreadsheet files are popular items sold online. These can be templates, printable workbooks, and more. In this tutorial, we showed how to easily sell Excel or Google spreadsheets in WordPress.

What is Headless WordPress and Should You Use It? – A headless WordPress website separated WordPress from the front-end. In this guide, we explained headless WordPress with pros and cons.

A History of Blogging (1993 – Present Day Timeline) – Our team compiled and updated a useful resource about blogging. In this resource, you’ll see a comprehensive history of blogging from 1993 to present time.

How to Enable Maintenance Mode for WooCommerce – Worried about misplaced orders when you are performing maintenance tasks on your WooCommerce store? In this tutorial, we showed how to enable maintenance mode for WooCommerce to safely execute maintenance tasks.

How to Add Venmo in WordPress & WooCommerce – Venmo is a popular and convinient payment gateway. In this guide, we showed how to easily add Venmo in WordPress and WooCommerce as a payment method.

These were some of the best WordPress tutorials on WPBeginner in 2022. We hope that you found them helpful.

We want to thank all WPBeginner users, who visited our website, offered feedback, left comments, and shared it with others. We truly appreciate you.

We look forward to adding even more useful WordPress tutorials in 2023. Have a Happy New Year.

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 Best of Best WordPress Tutorials of 2022 on WPBeginner first appeared on WPBeginner.

Do you want to send automated coupons in WordPress to bring back customers?

By sending the right coupon to the right person at the right time, you can re-engage customers who are losing interest. This can get you more sales, create brand loyalty, and help you keep your best customers.

In this guide, we’ll show you a few different ways to send automated coupons in WordPress, and bring back customers.

Why Send Automated Coupons to Bring Back Customers?

You may have heard the saying that it costs five times more to get a new customer than keep an old one.

While lead generation will help grow your business, you also need to keep your existing customers happy. Over time, people may lose interest in your website, forget about your products, or start shopping with a competitor.

That’s where automated coupons come in.

The best WordPress automation tools and plugins can watch your customers for signs they’re becoming disengaged. For example, a customer may not place an order for 2 months or stop opening your emails.

One way to bring those customers back is to automatically send them a coupon code via email. By creating this automated workflow in WordPress, you can retain customers without having to do all the hard work yourself.

Pro Tip: If you send coupons via email, then you’ll need to make sure those messages land in the customer’s inbox and not in the spam folder. Here, a good SMTP service provider is essential for improving your email deliverability. We also recommend using WP Mail SMTP as it allows you to easily send WordPress emails using any SMTP service provider.

With that being said, let’s see how you can send automated coupons in WordPress and bring back customers. Simply use the quick links below to jump to the method you want to use.

Method 1. Using FunnelKit (Best for WooCommerce Users)

One way to send automated coupons in WordPress, is by using FunnelKit Automations.

FunnelKit is a WordPress sales funnel builder and optimization plugin that allows you to create powerful customer winback campaigns. It also lets you create unique, personalized coupons, which can really catch the shopper’s attention.

FunnelKit integrates with WooCommerce and has lots of features that are designed to grow your online store. With that in mind, FunnelKit is a great choice if you already use WooCommerce to sell products and services online.

How to Set up the FunnelKit WordPress Plugin

First, you’ll need to install and activate the free version of FunnelKit Automations, as it provides the base for the premium plugin’s features. For more details, please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

After that, you’ll need to install and activate the FunnelKit Automations Pro plugin.

After activating both plugins, go to FunnelKit Automation » Settings. You can now go ahead and add the license key to the ‘License’ field.

You’ll find this information in your account on the FunnelKit website. After adding this information, click on the ‘Activate’ button.

How to Create an Automated Coupon Workflow for WordPress

Now, we’re going to create a workflow that will generate a personalized coupon and send it to the customer via email. This workflow will run once 30 days have passed since the customer’s last order.

To create the workflow, go to FunnelKit Automations » Automations (Next Gen) in the WordPress dashboard. Then, click on the ‘Add New Automation’ button.

You’ll now see all the different automation templates that you can use.

Since we want to create our own workflow, select ‘Start from Scratch.’

In the popup that appears, type in a name for the automation. This is just for your reference, so you can use anything you want.

With that done, click on ‘Create.’

Now, we need to choose the action that will kickstart the workflow, so click on ‘Select Trigger.’

In the left-hand menu, choose ‘WooCommerce’ and then click to select ‘Customer Win Back.’

With that done, click on ‘Done’ to add the trigger to your automation workflow.

Back in the main editor, click on the ‘Customer Win Back’ trigger.

In the ‘Customer Last Ordered Period’ section, you can type in how long FunnelKit will wait before running the workflow.

For example, in the following image the workflow will run when 30 days have passed since the customer’s last order.

FunnelKit will repeat this automation once every 24 hours, so it’s important to only run it for a short period of time. For this reason, we’ve set the workflow to stop when 35 days have passed since the customer’s last order.

In this way, you won’t annoy customers by sending them dozens of emails.

Next, you can set the time when the automation will run, using the ‘Schedule this….’ fields. FunnelKit will use your store’s timezone, so you may want to change your online store settings if you want to use a different timezone instead.

With that done, click on ‘Save.’

Back in the main workflow editor, click on ‘+’ and then select ‘Action.’

In the popup that appears, select ‘WooCommerce’ and then click on ‘Create Coupon.’

Simply click on ‘Done’ to add this action to the workflow.

Back in the main FunnelKit editor, click on the action you just added. This opens a popup where you can customize the ‘Create Coupon’ action.

To start, type a name for the coupon into the ‘Coupon Title’ field. This is just for your reference so you can use anything you want.

After that, choose the type of coupon that you want to create, using the ‘Discount Type’ dropdown menu.

FunnelKit supports percentage discount, fixed cart discount, and fixed product discount. Most of the time, you’ll want to select ‘Percentage Discount’ to make sure all customers get a similar benefit, no matter how much they spend or what products they buy.

After that, type an amount into the ‘Amount’ field. For example, you might offer customers 20% off, or a $5 discount on all purchases.

FunnelKit automatically creates a unique coupon code for each contact. However, you can add a prefix to the start of the coupon, which can either be plain text or dynamic tags. FunnelKit will replace these tags with real text every time it creates a code, so this is a great way to create personalized coupons.

Since we want to bring shoppers back in, you may decide to include the customer’s name in the coupon. This can catch their attention, and also makes your code easier to remember.

To add plain text as a prefix, simply type into the ‘Coupon Code Prefix’ field.

To add one or more tags, click on the ‘Merge tags’ icon.

This is the button that has curly braces.

Now, you’ll see all the tags that you can use in the automated coupon.

We’re going to use the {{contact_first_name}} tag, but you can use any tags you want.

Simply copy each tag and then paste it into the ‘Coupon Code Prefix’ field.

As you can see in the following image, you can use a mix of plain text and tags.

By default, the coupon will never expire. A sense of urgency and FOMO can push customers to use a coupon, so you may want to select the radio button next to ‘Expire after Specific Days’ or ‘Expire on Specific Date.’

You can then use the controls to specify when the coupon will expire.

Finally, you can choose whether the coupon gives customers a free shipping discount.

Shoppers love free shipping, so you may want to consider adding this to your coupon by selecting the ‘Yes’ radio button under ‘Allow Free Shipping.’

When you’re happy with how the coupon is set up, make sure you copy the small pieces of code under the ‘Coupon Title.’

You’ll need this coupon code for the email we’ll be creating in the next step, so store it somewhere safe.

With that done, click on ‘Save’ to store your changes.

Now we have a coupon, it’s time to create the email that FunnelKit will send to your customers. To add an email action, click on the ‘+’ button and then select ‘Action.’

If it isn’t already selected, then click on ‘Messaging’ in the left-hand menu.

Then, select ‘Send Email’ and click on ‘Done.’

You can now create an email by typing in a subject and preview, and adding body text.

Similar to creating a coupon, it’s best to use a mix of plain text and tags. To add dynamic tags, click on the ‘Merge Tags’ icons that appear next to the To, Subject, and Preview Text fields.

If you want to add tags to the email body, then you can click on the ‘Merge Tags’ button.

To add your coupon code, simply paste or type in the {{wc_dynamic_coupon id= code we copied in the previous step.

When you’re happy with how the email looks, click on ‘Save & Close.’

That’s it. When you’re ready to make the automation live, click on the ‘Inactive’ slider so it turns to ‘Active.’

Now, FunnelKit will automatically send the coupon to any customer who hasn’t purchased from you in the past 30 days.

Method 2. Using Uncanny Automator (Over 100 Integrations)

Another way to send automated coupons in WordPress, is by using Uncanny Automator. It is one of the best WordPress automation plugins on the market and lets you create powerful workflows to save time and help you respond to customers more quickly.

Uncanny Automator works seamlessly with WooCommerce, plus all of the must have WordPress plugins and third-party tools. If you’re already using lots of different software on your online store, then Uncanny Automator may be a good choice for you.

There is a free Uncanny Automator plugin that lets you automate many common tasks. However, we’ll be using Uncanny Automator pro because it works with WooCommerce.

To start, you’ll need to install Uncanny Automator pro, plus the free plugin as it provides the base for the premium version. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, go to Automator » Settings and enter your license key into the ‘Uncanny Automator Pro license key’ field.

You’ll find this information under your account on the Uncanny Automator website.

Uncanny Automator is a powerful and flexible plugin, so there’s lots of different ways that you can bring customers back to your site. Let’s take a look at a few options.

Automatically Send Coupons to Logged-Out Customers

It’s smart to let customers create an account with your online store, as it encourages brand loyalty and makes it easier for shoppers to buy from you in the future.

User registration can also help with lead generation. If you get the shopper’s email address, then you can target them with email marketing, personalized ads, an email newsletter, and much more.

If you’re using WooCommerce, then this plugin automatically creates all the pages customers need to create and manage an account. WooCommerce also adds a new Customer role, which it automatically assigns to any shoppers who register with your store.

Are you using a different eCommerce solution that doesn’t support customer registration? Then see our guide on how to allow user registration on your WordPress site.

After that, you can simply create a new role for your customers. For detailed instructions, please see our beginner’s guide to WordPress user roles and permissions.

If you allow user registration, then you can track when a shopper logs out of their account, as this suggests they’re losing interest in your store. You can then send a coupon to encourage them to log back in.

To create this recipe, simply go to Automator » Add new in the WordPress dashboard.

Uncanny Automator will now ask whether you want to create a recipe for logged-in users, or everyone. Go ahead and select ‘Logged-in users,’ then click on the ‘Confirm’ button.

Next, you can give the recipe a name by typing into the ‘Title’ field. This is just for your reference so you can use anything you want.

Once you’ve done that, click on ‘WordPress’ in the ‘Select an integration’ area.

You can now choose a trigger, which is anything that kickstarts the recipe.

In the dropdown menu, start typing the following ‘A user logs out of a site’ and then select the right option when it appears.

We only want to run the workflow when someone with the ‘Customer’ user role logs out of their account.

With that in mind, click on the ‘Add filter’ button.

In the popup that appears, click on ‘WordPress.’

Next, find ‘The user has a specific role’ in the dropdown menu.

Open the ‘Role’ dropdown and select the role you’re using for your customers.

After that, go ahead and click on ‘Save filter.’

Now it’s time to specify the action that Uncanny Automator will perform every time this workflow runs.

We’re going to send the customer an email containing a coupon, so go ahead and click on ‘Add action.’

Since we want to send an email, select ‘Emails’ as the integration.

In the dropdown that appears, click on ‘Send an email.’

This adds all the fields that you can use to create the email.

To start, we need to make sure the message goes to the right user, by clicking on the asterisk next to the ‘To’ field. Then, select ‘Common’ and ‘User email.’

You can now create the email by adding a subject line and body text.

Here, you can use a mix of plain text and tokens, which are placeholders that Uncanny Automator replaces with real values automatically. For example, if you want to use the customer’s name, then you can click on the asterix and select ‘Common.’

Simply select the ‘User first name’ token to create the personalized greeting.

You’ll also need to create a coupon and add it to the email.

The easiest way is by using the Advanced Coupons plugin, which is the best WordPress coupon code plugin on the market. It lets you create lots of different advanced coupons to get more sales and grow your business.

For a step-by-step guide, please see our post on how to create smart coupons.

After creating a coupon, you can simply add it to the email.

When you’re happy with how the email looks, click on ‘Save.’

After that, it’s time to set a delay. This is how long Uncanny Automator will wait after the customer logs out, before sending them the coupon.

To add a delay, hover your mouse over the ‘Email’ action. When it appears, click on ‘Delay.’

You can then add your delay in the popup that appears.

Once you’ve done that, go ahead and select ‘Set delay.’

When you’re happy with how the recipe is set up, it’s time to make it active.

In the ‘Recipe’ box, click the ‘Draft’ switch so that it shows ‘Live’ instead.

That’s it. Now, when a customer logs out of their account, Uncanny Automator will wait for the specified amount of time before sending them a coupon code.

Automatically Send Coupons for a Specific Product

Sometimes a shopper may look at a product multiple times. This suggests they’re interested in the item, but something is stopping them from making a purchase.

In this case, you may want to send them a coupon, which will encourage them to splash out on the product.

To get started, create a new recipe for logged-in users following the same process described above. After that, click on ‘WooCommerce’ in the ‘Select an integration’ area.

Next, choose a trigger by typing the following ‘A user views a product.’

When the right trigger appears, give it a click.

By default, this trigger is set to ‘Any product.’

If you want to link the recipe to a specific product, then open the ‘Product’ dropdown and choose that product from the list.

Once you’ve done that, click on the ‘Number of times’ button.

By default, the recipe will run every time a customer looks at a product. You should change this, so the customer has to look at the product multiple times before triggering the recipe. To do this, type a different number into the ‘Number of times’ field.

When that’s done, click on ‘Save’ to store your settings.

This recipe should only run when a customer views a product, so click on ‘Add Filter.’ In the popup that appears, click on ‘WordPress’ and then choose ‘The user has a specific role.’

After that, open the ‘Role’ dropdown and select the role you’re using for your customers.

When you’re ready, click on ‘Save filter.’

Now it’s time to add the action. There are a few different ways to send automated coupons from your WordPress website.

To email a code to your customers using Uncanny Automator and Advanced Coupons, simply follow the same process described above.

Another option is to generate the code using WooCommerce. To do this, click on ‘Add Action’ and then select ‘WooCommerce’ as the integration.

In the search bar, start typing ‘Generate and email a coupon code to the user.’

When the right option appears, give it a click.

This will add some new settings where you can create the coupon code.

To generate a code automatically, simply leave the ‘Coupon code’ field blank.

In the ‘Discount type’ field, choose the kind of coupon that you want to create, such as a fixed cart discount or percentage discount.

For this guide, we’ll select ‘Percentage discount’.

After that, type the percentage discount into the ‘Coupon amount’ field.

In the following image, we’re offering customers a 30% discount on their purchase.

In the next field, you can set an expiry date for the coupon, either by using the YYY-MM-DD format or typing in the number of days until the coupon expires.

For example, in the following image the coupon will expire after 7 days.

You can also set a minimum and maximum spend for the coupon. We’ll leave these fields blank so the customer can use the code with any purchase.

You may also want to check the ‘For individual use only’ box so customers can’t use this code in combination with other coupons.

Next, scroll to the ‘Usage limit per coupon’ section. The shopper should only be able to use the coupon once, so type in ‘1.’

There are lots of other settings you can change for the coupon. It’s a good idea to look through these settings to see whether you want to make any more changes.

When you’re happy with how the coupon is set up, scroll to the ‘Email’ section. To start, find the ‘To’ field and then click on the asterisk next to it. Then, click on ‘Common’ and select ‘User email.’

With that done, you can add a subject line and change the text in the email body.

To create a more personalized email, it’s a good idea to use a mix of plain text and tokens, by following the same process described above.

When you’re happy with the email, click on the ‘Save’ button to store the recipe.

After that, you can make the recipe live by clicking the ‘Draft’ switch so that it shows ‘Live.’

Now, every time someone views a product multiple times, it’ll trigger the recipe workflow.

We hope this article helped you learn how to send automated coupons in WordPress to bring back customers. You may also want to check out our guide on how to create a WooCommerce popup to increase sales and the best WooCommerce plugins for your store.

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The post How to Send Automated Coupons in WordPress to Bring Back Customers first appeared on WPBeginner.