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May 3, 2024

What is a Web Safe Font + 19 Best Web Safe Fonts (Beginner’s Guide)

Are you wondering what a web-safe font is and what the best web-safe fonts are to use for WordPress?

Imagine pouring weeks or months into designing a beautiful website. You’ve checked all the boxes, paying attention to details like choosing the right website theme and even building out the important web pages for your business.

The only problem? Your perfectly crafted site is marred by unreadable characters or awkward text breaks.

In this article, we cover what a web-safe font is and the best ones to choose from.

What Are Web Safe Fonts and Why Are They Important?

Web-safe fonts are already installed on most operating systems, like Microsoft Windows or Apple MacOS. Using a web-safe font stack gives you the best chance of ensuring your text appears as intended, and helps keep your website looking consistent for everyone.

If you use a font that the user’s browser or OS does not support, it will default to whatever the browser or site’s HTML / CSS declares. Which can make your content appear much differently and affect users in a lot of different ways.

Here are a few reasons why web-safe fonts are important:

Font choice is a reflection of your brand: For example, a romantic font like calligraphy wouldn’t reflect well if you run a non-profit website.
Font affects user experience: Web-safe fonts mean readers can see your font as intended. For example, if you make a WordPress website with a font only supported by the latest version of Windows 10, many of your users will see something else.
Font affects sales: Yes, you read that right. Your font choices can affect how many sales you make. Customers who feel comfortable on a site, whether through social proof or simply through reliable fonts, can build consumer trust. This ultimately leads to more sales and money in your pocket.

Here’s the most important thing to remember with web-safe fonts:

“90% of Internet users use a browser that supports @font-face. Not having a font stack that includes Web-safe fonts and a generic font family means that we aren’t controlling how our web design degrades for at least 10% of the Internet’s users. The time and effort required to use a simple CSS font stack that includes Web-safe fonts is very small, so there’s little reason not to continue doing it.”

William Craig – WebFX CEO & Co-Founder

Now, let’s move on to how we chose our list of the best web-safe fonts.

How We Chose the Best Fonts for Websites

With over 650,000 different fonts available online, it can be difficult to choose the right one for you. So that’s why our expert design team has gone ahead and put the most popular web-safe fonts to the test so that you don’t have to do all the research yourself.

With our list, we made sure they met these specific criteria:

Readability: Fonts designed for different parts of the site. For example, big, bold fonts for headers and clean, simple fonts for the main body.
Legibility: Fonts where each letter is easy to tell apart and distinguishable from one another. This improves your site’s reading experience and accessibility.
Comfort/Familiarity: Fonts that feel familiar and comfortable to readers. While creative fonts are helpful, using unusual fonts might make visitors uneasy. For the most part, we stuck to the ones people were most comfortable with so that you can keep your website professional.
Variety of Styles: We chose fonts that cover different styles like bold, geometric, or classic. Just like any other part of web design, your font should match your brand persona.
Font Weight: Some web fonts aren’t automatically included in website tools like WordPress or page builders. This can slow down your site and make fonts look different across browsers. To help with this, we included at least one lightweight font in each category. For more tips, check out our ultimate guide to boost WordPress speed and performance.

With that said, let’s jump into the best web-safe fonts to choose from for your WordPress site.

Font Name	Main Traits	Best For
Proxima Nova	Sleek, contemporary, subtle elegance, easy to read	Blogs, professional portfolios, media companies
Lato	Welcoming, approachable, balanced design	Mobile apps, retail stores, eCommerce websites
Inter	Tall lowercase for readability, smooth curves for display	Home pages, digital products, ebooks
Roboto	Tech-inspired, friendly, wide open characters	Software companies, app developers, technology blogs
Alternate Goth	Condensed, bold, strong presence, sturdy strokes	Home page headlines, thank you pages

19 Best Web Safe Fonts to Choose From

1. Proxima Nova

Proxima Nova is one of the most popular fonts out there. It’s the main typeface for large digital media companies like NBC News, Mashable, BuzzFeed, Wires, and, of course, WPBeginner.

Since launching WPBeginner in 2009, Proxima Nova has been a core part of our identity across branding, website, and internal projects.

It has a sleek, contemporary look with rounded edges and a subtle elegance. The letterforms are easy to read and are best known for their professionalism with a hint of friendly touch.

At WPBeginner, we don’t want an overly flashy font since we want our content to speak for itself. Proxima Nova does just that.

Best For: Blogs, professional portfolios, and media companies

2. Lato

Lato was originally made for corporate clients, but it has now been repurposed and used all over the web.

It’s used on websites like Merriam-Webster, WebMD, Goodreads, and even one of our other brands like WPForms!

This web font gives off a welcoming and approachable vibe thanks to the balance it strikes between sturdy design and gentle curves.

This font matches the use case of WPForms extremely well since the plugin is known for its ease of use due to its drag-and-drop builder and intuitive interface.

Best For: Mobile apps, retail stores, eCommerce websites

3. Inter

Inter is a sans-serif font, which means it does not have the small decorative strokes at the ends of characters that serif fonts have.

The smaller “text” versions of this font have tall letters to help make lowercase text easier to read. On the flip side, the larger “display” versions have smooth curves and fine details, which saves space.

SeedProd, the best page builder plugin, uses the Inter font style, which represents what the software is all about. The font exudes ease of use yet is practical, which is exactly what the page builder is.

Best For: Home pages, digital products, ebooks

4. Roboto

In an increasingly AI and machine-learning-driven world, the demand for typefaces such as Roboto is growing. While Roboto carries a tech-inspired, machine-like appearance, the wide-open characters provide a nice, friendly touch.

Notice how MonsterInsights uses the Roboto font to match the analytical persona of their brand. Many other popular websites use Roboto, such as Vice.com, Flipkart, and YouTube.

Given that it started off as the default font for Android devices, Roboto naturally complements tech-related websites, including software companies, app developers, and technology blogs.

Best For: Tech websites

5. Alternate Goth

Alternate Goth, famously used in the YouTube logo, is a sans-serif typeface. It features condensed and bold letterforms, which are suitable for headlines and subtitles.

At Blog Tyrant, they use Alternate Goth for headlines only. It creates a sense of strong presence combined with contemporary design due to its sturdy strokes and heavy weight.

Best For: Home page headlines, thank you pages

6. Montserrat

Inspired by posts, signs, and painted windows from a historic neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Monsterrat has become increasingly popular, used on over 17 million websites.

The large spacing and openness of the typeface make it easy to read, even in small text sizes. That said, it also shines when used in all caps in headlines due to the simplicity of the letter. Overall, we find that Montserrat is a versatile web-safe font that creates a feeling of trust.

It’s best to use Montserrat for any business that wants to portray a more friendly and casual tone. For example, agencies, software companies, and online stores that rely heavily on customer service would benefit from Montserrat.

Notice how this Contra website in the image above uses Montserrat, which adds to the playfulness of the overall brand persona.

Best For: Agencies, software companies, online stores, digital products

7. Lora

Lora is a contemporary serif font that is available in Google Fonts. The main driving point of Lora is its unique brush strokes at each character’s end, giving more of an artistic vibe than other serifs.

That’s why it’s used in many entertainment websites like Urban Dictionary and The Kitchn. When adding Lora to your website, it’ll convey the mood of an art essay or modern-day store.

Lora is a great font choice for logos, titles, navigation menus, and paragraph texts. That’s because it has a clear and balanced design, making it easy to read, whether the font is big or small. The Lora brush strokes can help make logos stand out, drawing more attention in the process.

Best For: News and entertainment websites

8. Gill Sans

Gill Sans is a modern sans serif font known for its efficient and clean-cut look. While it may not be the best choice for lengthy paragraphs due to its minimal contrast between letters and tight spacing, it excels as a visually appealing headline font or advertising.

Many of the most recognizable companies adopt Gill Sans as their typefaces, such as Toy Story, Tommy Hilfiger, BBC News, Tokyo Stock Exchange, and Phillips.

Best of all, it’s compatible across all operating systems, including macOS, iOS, and Windows-powered devices.

Best For: Advertising and header text

9. Merriweather

Merriweather is a Google Font designed to make reading easier on digital screens, which is why websites like Goodreads, Coursera, and Harvard.edu all use it for their paragraphs and body text.

The Merriweather typeface on the Harvard website looks sleek and clean, which highlights the professionalism that needs to be upheld with such a reputable institution.

Based on our experience, this font is well-suited for designs text-dense designs, similar to what you’ll see in magazines or RSS feeds. Its tall letterforms maintain readability across various screen sizes without taking up too much horizontal space. The typeface has a traditional and sets an overall formal and elegant tone.

Best For: Magazines, non-profit or educational websites

10. Neue Helvetica

Neue Helvetica is used on over 218,000 websites like eBay, Yahoo, and Facebook. This typeface has a tall x-height, making it easier to read at a distance. As a result, it could be an advantage in helping your website be more mobile-friendly.

Also, there is tight spacing between letters, which saves space on the page.

Best For: Professionals, such as portfolio websites or service-based businesses

11. Garamond

Originally developed in the 16th century, Garamond typefaces are known for their refined and elegant appearances.

Unlike many of the other fonts, these have low constant between thick and thin strokes and have slightly slanted serifs. They’re great for websites looking for a high-end, luxurious look.

Best For: Product descriptions, headlines for premium brands

12. Arial

With over 604,000 sites already using Arial, there is no denying that Arial is a web-safe font that just works. Amazon, Facebook, and Google are just a few of the popular websites that use Arial.

It was originally designed by Monotype designers for IBM prints to boost readability. While it’s not the most eye-catching font there, it gets the job done.

The Arial font doesn’t have any decorative stokes and comes with a consistent thickness throughout the typeface to create a balanced and uniform look.

Best For: All types of websites and WordPress blogs. It’s also used in digital products such as reports, presentations, ebooks, etc.

13. Spectral

Spectral is one of the newer Google fonts on this list, but it deserves a spot based on how beautifully it handles long-form content on the web.

What we appreciate about this font is how it feels much less heavy-handed than many of its siblings. For example, you can see the lowercase f or r has a curve at the ends.

In general, Spectral is designed for text-rich, screen-first environments that make it easy for long-form reading.

Best For: Blogs

14. League Gothic

League Gothic is a condensed sans-serif typeface known for its bold and modern appearance. It was designed by The League of Moveable Type, a digital type foundry known for its high-quality open-source fonts.

League Gothic features tall letterforms with uniform stroke widths, squared-off edges, and a bold weight. In other words, if you’re looking to make a statement, this is for you.

Popular sites like The Blaze, Chron.com, and Fox Sports use it.

Best For: Headlines, titles, logos, graphics

15. Black Jack

Black Jack is a casual script typeface designed for informal and friendly designs. It has a casual and natural feel to it, thanks to the handwritten style letters not always connecting.

Given its human touch, this font would be a great addition for an agency or service provider that provides white-glove service.

Best For: Agencies and service providers

16. Brush Script Mt

Brush Script Mt is an Adobe font, which can be described as informal, peppy, and unapologetically confident. It mimics the look of handwriting created with a brush or calligraphy pen. Specifically, this font features fluid and flowing letterforms with varying thicknesses and slants.

If you want any text on your site to look informal with a personalized touch, then this might be a great font to use. For example, you can use this in the signature of your About page or author profile page from the founder.

Best For: About pages or logos

17. Bodoni Poster

Bodoni Poster is a modern serif design used for site headings, high-end fashion branding, and logos. It uses thick and thin strokes for extreme contrast.

This makes it ideal for creating bold and eye-catching designs with a dramatic impact. This might be great for any type of bold-facing business, like a car dealership, restaurant, or hair salon, and any brand with a large personality.

Best for: Local businesses

18. Baskerville

Made in the 18th century, Baskerville features sharper serif, a contrasting style of thick and thin strokes, and a more upright stance.

Its refined look creates a more authoritative presence. This is ideal for websites looking for an intellectually focused aesthetic, such as an IT website.

Best For: Publications, universities, and IT websites

19. Georgia

Georgia was made specifically to excel on screens with its bolder strokes and larger style font. It looks like a standard Times New Roman font, except it’s more visually appealing to the eye.

Best For: Blog articles and new sites

Frequently Asked Questions About Fonts

What are Google Fonts?

Google Fonts is a free service that offers hundreds of typography, available to download or link to. If you want your website or blog to stand out, you can skip the default fonts that scream ‘template’ and choose your own family of Google web-safe fonts instead.

What are Adobe Fonts (formerly Typekit)?

Adobe Fonts (formerly Typekit) is a paid service that allows you to access over 25,000 fonts. Whether you’re designing a logo or a graphic for your Woocommerce store or simply want to add a unique typography font to your blog, they have you covered. All fonts are included when you sign up for the Creative Cloud subscription.

How do web-safe fonts affect SEO?

Web-safe fonts don’t directly affect your search engine rankings. However, they impact the user experience. Fonts that are accessible to readers load immediately and are easy to read. This leads to lower bounce rates and longer website visits, which is favorable for SEO.

We hope this article helps you discover the best web-safe fonts to use for your WordPress website. You may want to check out our ultimate guide on how to choose the best web design software or our expert list of the must-have WordPress plugins for business websites.

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

The post What is a Web Safe Font + 19 Best Web Safe Fonts (Beginner’s Guide) first appeared on WPBeginner.

May 2, 2024

How to Add Categories and Tags to WordPress Media Library

Do you want to add categories and tags to images in your WordPress media library?

Tags and categories can help you organize media files in a way that makes sense to you. This can make it easier to find images when you need them.

In this article, we will show you how to easily add categories and tags to the WordPress media library.

Add categories and tags to WordPress media library

Why Add Categories and Tags to Images in WordPress Media Library?

WordPress comes with a feature called taxonomies, which allows you to sort your posts into categories and tags or create your own custom organization types for your content.

However, the default category and tag taxonomies are only available for posts. This means that these taxonomies can be added to any WordPress post type, including pages, attachments, or any custom post type you may be using on your blog.

When you add an image to your WordPress posts or pages, it is stored in the WordPress media library as an attachment. This means that it is a post type and can have its own taxonomies, too.

Adding categories and tags to your WordPress images can help you find and sort images easily. Instead of looking through your entire image library, you can just search by category or tag.

Having said that, let’s see how to easily add categories and tags to images in the WordPress media library. We will cover two methods, and you can use the quick links below to jump to the one you want to use:

Method 1: Add Categories to Images in the WordPress Media Library
Method 2: Add Tags to Images in the WordPress Media Library
Bonus: Prevent Image Theft in WordPress

Method 1: Add Categories to Images in the WordPress Media Library

If you want to add categories to your images in the WordPress media library, then you can use this method.

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

This plugin works out of the box, and there are no settings for you to configure. Upon activation, the plugin will simply add a Categories tab under the Media menu tab in the WordPress dashboard.

Now, to add new categories for your images, head over to the Media » Categories tab from the WordPress admin sidebar.

Here, you’ll notice that all the categories that you have been using for your posts are displayed in the right column.

You can use these categories for your images. However, if you want to create a new one, then simply type a category name and slug in the ‘Add New Category’ section.

Once you are done, click the ‘Add New Category’ button to store your settings.

Next, visit the Media » Library page from the admin area and click on the ‘Edit’ link under any image where you want to add a category.

This will open the image of your choice on the ‘Edit Media’ page, where you can easily select a category for it from the ‘Categories’ section in the right column.

Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Update’ button to save your settings.

If you want, you can also create sub-categories for the images. For more information, see our guide on how to add categories and subcategories.

Once you have added the categories for all the images, you can easily sort them on the ‘Library’ page. To do this, select a category of your choice from the ‘View all categories’ dropdown menu and click the ‘Filter’ button.

The WordPress media library will then only display images that belong to that category.

Method 2: Add Tags to Images in the WordPress Media Library

If you want to add tags to images in the media library and allow users to filter images by tag on the front end, then this method is for you.

Envira Gallery is the best WordPress photo gallery plugin on the market. It allows you to create beautiful and mobile-friendly image galleries in WordPress.

Envira Gallery comes with a Tags Addon, which lets you add tags to the images in your galleries.

First, you need to install and activate the Envira Gallery plugin. For more detailed instructions, see our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Note: Envira Gallery also has a free version. However, you’ll need at least the Plus plan for the plugin to unlock the Tags add-on.

Upon activation, visit the Envira Gallery » Settings page from the WordPress dashboard to enter your license key.

You can get the key from your account on the Envira Gallery website.

After that, visit the Envira Gallery » Addons page from the WordPress dashboard and locate the ‘Tags Addon’.

Once you do that, simply click the ‘Install’ button to unlock the Tags feature.

Upon installation, you’ll also have to toggle the switch to activate the Tags addon.

Next, you can create a new gallery for your WordPress blog or edit an existing one. For this tutorial, we will be creating a new gallery for your WordPress website.

To do this, visit the Envira Gallery » Add New page from the WordPress dashboard. Here, you can start by typing a name for your gallery.

After that, click the ‘Select Files from Other Sources’ button to start adding images from your media library.

To add images from the computer, click the ‘Select Files from Your Computer’ button.

Once you have done that, scroll down to the ‘Currently in your Gallery’ section. From here, you can configure the gallery layout, add a lightbox, create a mobile-responsive gallery, and so much more.

For details, see our beginner’s guide on how to create an image gallery in WordPress.

To add tags, simply click on the pencil icon on an image.

This will open the ‘Edit Metadata’ popup on the screen, where you can add a title, alt text, and caption for your image.

You can also add multiple media tags for an image by separating them with a comma. Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save Metadata’ button to store your settings.

Just repeat the process to add tags to other images in your gallery.

Then, switch to the ‘Tags’ tab from the left column and check the ‘Enable Tag Filtering?’ box.

This will allow your users to filter all your gallery images using the tags.

By default, Envira Gallery will create a filter for all the tags that you have added to your gallery.

However, if you want to include only specific tags for filtering, then you can also do that by typing those tags in the ‘Tags to include in Filtering’ option.

If you leave this section blank, then all the tags will be filtered. Next, you can also choose the tag position, enable/disable the ‘All’ tags feature, and sort tags according to your liking.

Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Publish’ button at the top to save your changes.

You and users will now be able to use tags to filter images on your website.

Filtering by Tag in the Media Library

To filter images using tags in the WordPress dashboard, visit the Media » Envira Tags page from the admin sidebar.

Here, you will notice all the tags that you have created are listed on the left, and the number of images with that tag is listed in the ‘Item’ column.

To find the images that have a specific tag, simply click on the ‘Items’ number for that tag.

For example, to find all the images with the tag ‘architecture’, you will have to click the ‘1’ number in the architecture tag row.

This will open all the images with that tag in the media library.

This way, you don’t have to search through all your images to find the ones you are looking for.

Filtering by Tag on the Front End

With Envira Gallery, users visiting your website can also filter images based on their tags.

Keep in mind that this feature will only work if you have checked the ‘Enable Tag Filtering?’ box for the gallery settings.

To enable this feature, you must first add the gallery you created to your website. For this, open the WordPress page/post in the content editor and click the add block ‘+’ button.

Once the block menu opens up, add the Envira Gallery block to the page/post and then select the gallery you created from the dropdown menu in the block itself.

Finally, click the ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ button to store your settings.

Now, you can visit your WordPress site to view the image gallery, where you will notice tags for filtering at the top of the images.

Once a user clicks on a tag, only images with that specific tag will be displayed in the gallery.

Bonus: Prevent Image Theft in WordPress

As a photographer or designer, using categories and tags can help you organize and display your images on your WordPress site. However, you may be worried about other people stealing your photos.

This is called image theft, which is the unauthorized use of your images on other websites.

It is a common problem for photographers and graphic designers because even though non-copyrighted image theft is unethical, it is not illegal. This means anyone can copy and sell your images as their own.

However, there are a few tricks that you can use to prevent image theft on your WordPress blog.

The first thing that you should do is disable right-click on your images. This will protect your copyright and prevent users from easily saving your images on their desktops.

You can also add a watermark to your images. Many stock photography websites use this method, which allows you to promote your images while protecting them from being stolen.

To create watermarks for your images, you will have to download the Watermark addon from Envira Gallery.

It is the easiest way to add watermarks without using any custom code. For details, see our tutorial on how to automatically add a watermark to images in WordPress.

Other steps you can take to protect your images include registering your copyright, using a digital signature, and including hidden foreground layers.

To learn more tips on protecting your website from image theft, see our beginner’s guide on ways to prevent image theft in WordPress.

We hope this article helped you learn how to add categories and tags to the WordPress media library. You may also want to see our guide on how to find royalty-free images for your WordPress blog posts and our picks for the best WordPress slider plugins.

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

The post How to Add Categories and Tags to WordPress Media Library first appeared on WPBeginner.

May 2, 2024

SEO Strategies for CloudServerUAE and Buziness

In the fast-paced digital landscape, where competition is fierce and attention spans are fleeting, having a robust online presence is paramount for businesses. In the UAE, companies like CloudServerUAE and Buzinessware are leading the charge in providing cutting-edge cloud server solutions. However, to truly stand out in the crowded online marketplace, strategic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) efforts are indispensable.

Understanding the Importance of SEO
In today's digital era, where the majority of consumers turn to search engines like Google to find products and services, appearing prominently in search results can make or break a business. SEO is the key to unlocking this visibility. By optimizing their websites for relevant keywords and improving various aspects of their online presence, companies can enhance their search engine rankings and attract more organic traffic.

Leveraging Keywords: CloudServerUAE and Buzinessware
At the core of any effective SEO strategy lies keyword research. For CloudServerUAE and Buzinessware, identifying and targeting the right keywords is crucial for reaching their target audience. Keywords such as "cloud server UAE" and "Buzinessware cloud solutions" are likely to be highly relevant to their offerings. By incorporating these keywords strategically throughout their website content, meta tags, and headings, they can improve their visibility in search results related to cloud services in the UAE.

Content is King: Educate and Engage
In the realm of SEO, content reigns supreme. Both CloudServerUAE and Buzinessware can leverage content marketing to establish thought leadership and engage their audience. By creating informative blog posts, whitepapers, and case studies that address common pain points and provide valuable insights into cloud computing, they can attract organic traffic and establish credibility in their industry. Additionally, regularly updating their content and incorporating relevant keywords can signal to search engines that their websites are active and authoritative.

Technical Optimization: Ensuring Smooth Performance
In addition to content optimization, technical aspects of SEO play a critical role in determining a website's search engine rankings. CloudServerUAE and Buzinessware should focus on ensuring that their websites are mobile-friendly, have fast loading times, and are secure with HTTPS encryption. Optimizing website architecture, implementing proper URL structures, and utilizing schema markup can also enhance their visibility in search results and provide a better user experience.

In conclusion, SEO is a powerful tool for enhancing the online visibility and success of businesses like CloudServerUAE and Buzinessware. By leveraging keywords, creating valuable content, optimizing technical aspects, building backlinks, and continuously monitoring their performance, they can climb the ranks in search engine results pages and stay ahead of the competition in the dynamic world of cloud computing.[Click Here]

May 2, 2024

Model Texture Transition and Procedural Radial Noise using WebGL

A WebGL experiment that explores two visual effects: a texture transition on a 3D can model and a procedural radial noise field.

May 2, 2024

Combining CSS :has() And HTML <select> For Greater Conditional Styling

Even though the CSS :has() pseudo-class is relatively new, we already know a lot about it, thanks to many, many articles and tutorials demonstrating its powerful ability to conditionally select elements based on their contents. We’ve all seen the card component and header examples, but the conditional nature of :has() actually makes it adept at working with form controls, which are pretty conditional in nature as well.

Let’s look specifically at the <select> element. With it, we can make a choice from a series of <option>s. Combined with :has(), we are capable of manipulating styles based on the selected <option>.

<select>
  <option value="1" selected>Option 1</option>
  <option value="2">Option 2</option>
  <option value="3">Option 3</option>
  <option value="4">Option 4</option>
  <option value="5">Option 5</option>
</select>

This is your standard <select> usage, producing a dropdown menu that contains options for user selection. And while it’s not mandatory, I’ve added the selected attribute to the first <option> to set it as the initial selected option.

Applying styles based on a user’s selection is not a new thing. We’ve had the Checkbox Hack in our pockets for years, using the :checked CSS pseudo-class to style the element based on the selected option. In this next example, I’m changing the element’s color and the background-color properties based on the selected <option>.

See the Pen demo 01 - Using the :has selector on a dropdown menu by Amit Sheen.

But that’s limited to styling the current element, right? If a particular <option> is :checked, then we style its style. We can write a more complex selector and style child elements based on whether an <option> is selected up the chain, but that’s a one-way road in that we are unable to style up parent elements even further up the chain.

That’s where :has() comes in because styling up the chain is exactly what it is designed to do; in fact, it’s often called the “parent selector” for this reason (although “family selector” may be a better descriptor).

For example, if we want to change the background-color of the <select> element according to the value of the selected <option>, we select the element if it has a specific [value] that is :checked.

See the Pen demo 02 - Using the :has selector on a dropdown menu by Amit Sheen.

Just how practical is this? One way I’m using it is to style mandatory <select> elements without a valid selected <option>. So, instead of applying styles if the element :has() a :checked state, I am applying styles if the required element does :not(:has(:checked)).

See the Pen demo 02.1 - Using the :has selector on a dropdown menu by Amit Sheen.

But why stop there? If we can use :has() to style the <select> element as the parent of an <option>, then we can also use it to style the parent of the <select>, as well as its parent, in addition to its parent, and even its parent... all the way up the chain to the :root element. We could even bring :has() all the way up the chain and sniff out whether any <select> child of the document :root :has() a particular <option> that is :checked:

:root:has(select [value="foo"]:checked) {
  // Styles applied if <option value="foo"> is <select>-ed
}

This is useful for setting a custom property value dynamically or applying a set of styles for the whole page. Let’s make a little style picker that illustrates the idea of setting styles on an entire page.

See the Pen demo 03 - Using the :has selector on a dropdown menu by Amit Sheen.

Or perhaps a theme picker:

See the Pen demo 04 - Using the :has selector on a dropdown menu by Amit Sheen.

How that last example works is that I added a class to each <select> element and referenced that class inside the :has() selector in order to prevent unwanted selections in the event that there are multiple <select> elements on the page.

And, of course, we don’t have to go all the way up to the :root element. If we’re working with a specific component, we can scope :has() to that component like in the following demo of a star rating component.

See the Pen demo 05 - Using the :has selector on a dropdown menu by Amit Sheen.

Watch a short video tutorial I made on using CSS to create 3D animated stars.

Conclusion

We’d be doing :has() a great disservice if we only saw it as a “parent selector” rather than the great conditional operator it is for applying styles all the way up the chain. Seen this way, it’s more of a modern upgrade to the Checkbox Hack in that it sends styles up like we were never able to do before.

There are endless examples of using :has() to create style variations of a component according to its contents. We’ve even seen it used to accomplish the once-complicated linked card pattern. But now you have an example for using it to create dropdown menus that conditionally apply styles (or don’t) to a page or component based the currently selected option — depending on how far up the chain we scope it.

I’ve used this technique a few different ways — e.g., as form validation, a style picker, and star ratings — but I’m sure there are plenty of other ways you can imagine how to use it in your own work. And if you are using :has() on a <select> element for something different or interesting, let me know because I’d love to see it!

How to Create an Effective Content Plan in WordPress (9 Expert Tips)

Are you hitting a brick wall trying to plan upcoming content for your blog or business website?

A WordPress website is a powerful tool. But so many business owners waste their potential by not being intentional about the content they create.

The right content will attract the right visitors. It will answer their questions and provide the information they are searching for. Plus, it can help you grow a community of people who appreciate the types of products or services you provide.

So, here are my top tips on how to create an effective content plan in WordPress.

Note: This is a guest post by Chris Christoff, the Awesome Motive partner in charge of MonsterInsights, the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. This is an expert column that we publish every Thursday, where we invite a WordPress expert to share their experiences with our readers.

I will cover quite a few topics in this post. Here’s a handy list so you can jump to the section you are most interested in:

What Are Users Searching For?
Which Search Terms Are Bringing Visitors to My Website?
Who Is Visiting My Website?
What Is Working on My Site?
What Is Declining in Traffic on My Site?
What Is Missing From My Site?
What Are My Competitors Doing Well?
Use AI Tools to Discover More Content Ideas
Schedule Your Content Plan on a Content Calendar

1. What Are Users Searching For?

Internet users perform 5.9 million Google searches per minute. Wouldn’t it be great to know what they are looking for so you can provide the answers? That’s what keyword research is all about.

Keywords are the specific words and phrases that users type into Google and other search engines to find the content they are looking for.

You can explore the top keywords related to your blog’s niche using free and paid keyword research tools. Throughout this article, I’ll touch on how to use a number of these tools.

Let’s start with Semrush. This is one of my favorite keyword research tools because it makes it easy to discover keywords related to your WordPress blog.

You simply type in any word or phrase related to your business, and Semrush will give you a list of keyword variations, questions, and related keywords.

A list of related keywords in the Semrush platform

These will reveal topics you should plan to write about. Make sure you include these keywords in a natural way within the content of your blog posts.

Alternative: The WPBeginner Keyword Generator is another great and free option.

Another useful tool is Google Trends, which shows you how the popularity of a keyword varies over time. This can show you whether a specific keyword is becoming more or less popular, or if it is searched for more often at certain times of the year.

This will help you spot topics that are quickly growing in importance and topics that are best written about at certain times of the year.

For example, you will want to schedule some topics for summer or winter or during certain holidays, like Christmas or Thanksgiving.

2. Which Search Terms Are Bringing Visitors to My Website?

Now you have a useful list of the relevant keywords that users are generally searching for, you should spend some time learning about the phrases people are using to find your WordPress site right now. This will be a list of search terms you are already ranking for.

One of the best tools to uncover this information is Google Search Console. It’s a free tool that lets you monitor your site’s presence in Google search results.

However, like many online tools, Google Search Console is quite technical and can be difficult for beginners to use.

That’s the problem MonsterInsights intends to solve. It connects with Google Search Console and Google Analytics to let you view easy-to-understand reports right from your WordPress dashboard.

For example, MonsterInsights offers a Search Console report that lists the top 50 Google search terms that bring visitors to your site.

Viewing Google Search Console Report in MonsterInsights

This data shows you which topics your current visitors are interested in. Since you are already getting traffic on those keywords, you can improve your search performance by creating new content on those topics.

Next, I recommend asking yourself whether your WordPress blog posts are ranking for the right keywords. If you have already written content that targets specific keywords but are not getting much traffic for them, then you will need to concentrate on creating better content.

3. Who Is Visiting My Website?

I always suggest that business owners plan their content around their target audience. This is the group of people you want to reach with your products and services.

They are likely to have similar demographics, needs, and interests, and understanding what they are will help you write more engaging content.

The best tool for understanding your website visitors is Google Analytics. It’s a free tool that collects all sorts of information about your website visitors, including the country they live in, the operating system and browser they use, and even their screen resolution.

You can view this information right from your WordPress dashboard using the MonsterInsights Demographics report. It displays visitor information from Google Analytics in a friendly and helpful way.

You can see your visitors’ ages and genders at a glance. This information will help you plan more compelling content.

For example, you will probably want to write with a different style and voice for young female visitors compared to a website that attracts mainly middle-aged men.

This report also lists your visitors’ interests, revealing the topics your target audience is most interested in. This data is also very helpful when planning content.

For more details, just see this article on how to track website visitors in WordPress.

You may be surprised by this demographic data because you are trying to target a completely different audience. In that case, something has gone wrong with your content, and you should keep these insights in mind when planning new content and updates.

4. What Is Working on My Site?

Another important consideration when creating an effective content plan is looking at the website content that is already working well. These are the posts that are receiving the most traffic and that your visitors spend the most time on.

For example, it’s always a good idea to look for your most important pages and posts.

Once you know which posts are performing the best, you can plan to create more content on similar topics and grow your traffic.

I also recommend checking keyword rankings for your top articles. You may be able to improve their rankings by scheduling updates and optimizations.

You can uncover more detailed insights by installing the MonsterInsights Custom Dimensions addon. This will let you create reports of your most popular authors, top categories, top focus keywords, and most popular post types.

In turn, this information will help you build a data-driven content strategy that works.

For example, if one author’s posts are performing well, then you can train the rest of your team to follow their techniques. Or discovering your top categories will show you popular topics on your website that you should plan more content for.

5. What Is Declining in Traffic on My Site?

Content planning isn’t just about deciding on new articles to write. It’s also about regularly updating existing content to stay relevant and accurate.

Content decay is where your posts decline in traffic and search rankings over time. They will continue to lose traffic unless you update that content.

This can happen when your content becomes old or outdated, or your competitors write better content targeting the same keywords. It may also be that those keywords are no longer being searched for as often, or that Google has changed their algorithm.

In my opinion, content decay is one of the biggest problems faced by website owners and online businesses.

That’s why it’s a good idea to monitor how individual posts are ranking using a WordPress SEO plugin. All in One SEO (AIOSEO) is one of the best options, and it helps you easily optimize your website for search engines.

It has a Content Performance report that displays your best-performing posts and pages and shows whether their search engine rankings are rising or falling.

You can quickly see which posts have lost the most rankings in the ‘Top Losing’ tab.

AIOSEO also offers a more detailed Content Rankings report. This displays the date you last updated all of your website content, the change in ranking, and a helpful graph of how each post has performed over the last year.

Once you identify the posts on your website that are declining, you can schedule updates so they will start to rank well again.

You should update any information that has changed since the post was written and optimize it for SEO. For example, you might update the images, embed a video, or add a table of contents or FAQ section.

6. What Is Missing From My Site?

Your WordPress blog is a work in progress. That means there will be lots of topics that users are searching for that you haven’t written about yet.

One of the best things you can do when planning new content is to perform a content gap analysis. This process involves comparing the keywords your audience is looking for against your website content and planning to write new posts to fill the gaps you haven’t covered yet.

I showed you earlier how Semrush can help you discover important keywords that you should cover in your articles.

It also offers a Keyword Gap report that can automatically show you which keywords are missing from your website or not performing well.

You simply enter the URLs of your top competitors to discover the keywords they are ranking for but you are not.

Then, you can easily filter the list to find keywords that are missing or weak on your blog.

Once you identify which topics are missing, you can plan to create helpful content to fill those gaps and improve your website’s search performance.

Now, I want to show you some other ways you can get content ideas from your competitors.

7. What Are My Competitors Doing Well?

I’ve been working in the content marketing space for a long time, and it’s more competitive than ever. You can only stay ahead of the game if you keep your eye on what others are doing in your industry.

Chances are, some of your competitors’ content is outperforming yours. Performing a competitor analysis lets you study what they are doing well so you can improve your own website and ultimately outrank them on search.

You’ve just seen how the Semrush Keyword Gap report shows you the keywords your competitors outrank you on. You can also use their Domain Overview report to discover a more complete analysis of competing websites.

Once you enter your competitor’s URL, you’ll be able to see its authority score, organic search traffic, paid search traffic, backlinks, and a whole lot more.

You’ll also see the countries that provide the most traffic and a graph of their traffic over time.

Besides that, you can discover their top-performing pages and tons of other useful data that you can use to improve your content strategy.

I appreciate how Semrush lets you dig in and explore each aspect of the report to give you fresh insights into your competitor’s SEO strategies.

Now, you can use that information to set goals for your website and identify areas for improvement.

8. Use AI Tools to Discover More Content Ideas

Marketers who use AI (artificial intelligence) see an average of 70% increase in ROI (return on investment). When brainstorming new content ideas, artificial intelligence tools can help by identifying relevant trends, topics, and keywords.

This can spark new content ideas and help you stay on top of current industry discussions.

It can be as simple as typing the right prompt into ChatGPT.

With practice, you’ll start using longer and more precise prompts to get the exact help you are looking for. Here are a few of my own examples that you can use when creating a content plan.

This prompt simply asks for 10 blog post ideas on certain topics, along with a title for each post:

Create a list of at least 10 blog post ideas on the topics of stress management and mental health. Suggest an SEO-friendly title for each post, and use an emotional and persuasive tone in post titles.

Below, you can see the ideas that ChatGPT gave me in response:

ChatGPT Prompt to Generate Content Ideas

If you are planning to write product reviews, then you can ask the AI for the most popular products used in a particular area, and a brief explanation of how they can help, like this:

Create a list of the most popular equipment needed in a home office, along with the pros and cons of each one.

In the same way, you might ask for a list of problems people typically have when trying to accomplish a particular task:

Create a list of problems people typically experience when performing a content gap analysis. Provide three tips on how to overcome each problem.

Specific questions like this will provide a more helpful list of suggestions than generic prompts.

Once you have generated a list of new content ideas, artificial intelligence can help you write powerful headlines for each post. For example, I recommend starting by using a free headline analyzer tool on websites like WPBeginner and MonsterInsights.

After that, you can use tools such as All in One SEO to optimize your headlines. With the click of your mouse, you will be offered 5 optimized post titles that are designed to capture your audience’s interest using up-to-date best practices.

For more details, just see this tutorial on how to write powerful headlines with AI.

9. Schedule Your Content Plan on a Content Calendar

If you followed all my tips above, then you should now have a very long list of ideas. This will include new blog post topics, optimized titles and keywords, and articles that need to be updated.

It’s now time to make a plan. The problem is that a large list of keywords can overwhelm beginners, so they simply give up.

You can make sure those posts actually get written or updated by scheduling them on your content calendar. This will act like a roadmap, giving you a clear overview of your content strategy and keeping you on track.

You can use popular online task management tools like Asana or Trello. You may already be familiar with these web apps, and they come with powerful features that help you stay on track.

Additionally, if you have a multi-author blog, then solutions like PublishPress Pro can improve your editorial workflow. This WordPress plugin lets you create a content calendar with custom post statuses, editorial comments, and email notifications.

Just make sure that your publishing schedule is consistent and achievable. Your goal is to create a bird’s eye view of your content strategy that keeps you organized and productive.

I hope these practical tips help you create an effective content plan for your WordPress blog. You may also want to see these guides on how to increase your blog traffic and the best analytics solutions for WordPress users.

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

The post How to Create an Effective Content Plan in WordPress (9 Expert Tips) first appeared on WPBeginner.

May 2, 2024

WordPress.org Redesigns, Jetpack Stats Pricing, Woo Rebranding 🗞️ May 2024 WordPress News w/ WPShout

Check-in for the latest WordPress news, including Jetpack Stats going paid, Woo rebranding, WordPress.org redesigns, and lots, lots more.

May 1, 2024

How to Test Your WordPress Theme Against Latest Standards

Do you want to see if your WordPress theme meets the latest standards?

The WordPress theme review team has set high standards for free WordPress themes submitted to the official directory. These standards ensure the theme is safe, user-friendly, and accessible to WordPress users.

In this article, we will show you how to test your WordPress theme against the latest standards.

How to Test Your WordPress Theme Against Latest Standards

Why Test Your WordPress Theme Against Latest Standards?

Whether you are a WordPress website owner or a theme developer, testing a new theme against the latest standards before using it is crucial for a few reasons:

Compatibility check – Testing ensures the theme will work well with the current version of WordPress.org and any future updates, preventing compatibility issues.
Spotting errors and glitches – Testing helps find and fix any problems that could affect how your WordPress blog or site functions or looks. This is especially important if the theme is from a third party.
Better user experience – Testing ensures the theme follows modern web standards, like accessibility and mobile-friendliness. Not only will this make the site that uses the theme user-friendly, but it is also good for search engine optimization (SEO).
Better security – By testing against the latest standards, you can prevent security vulnerabilities and protect the site from common threats. This is particularly true if you are installing a theme for a WooCommerce site because you will be handling customers’ payment details.

With that in mind, let’s see how you can test your WordPress theme against the latest standards. You can use the quick links below to skip to a specific topic:

What Standards Does the WordPress Theme Review Team Check?
Step 1: Enable Debug Mode on Your WordPress Site
Step 2: Install the Theme Check Plugin
What Other Parts of a WordPress Theme Should You Test?

What Standards Does the WordPress Theme Review Team Check?

The WordPress theme review team checks many aspects of a theme when it is submitted. You can learn more about this in the official WordPress theme requirement doc.

But here are the most important things you should know about what they check:

Make sure the theme doesn’t collect user data by default. You can check the readme.txt file for details on data usage and a clear privacy policy.
In terms of WordPress accessibility, you must ensure the theme has skip links for easy navigation and that keyboard navigation is clear. Links in content and comments should be underlined for easy identification.
Check for PHP or JavaScript errors and ensure the theme follows secure coding standards.
Admin notices in the WordPress dashboard should be easy to dismiss and follow standard design.
Check if the theme recommends WordPress.org plugins. Plugins should not be installed automatically without user permission.
Ensure the theme complies with rules about credits and links. Avoid themes with intrusive upselling or spammy behavior.
Verify that the theme uses a GPL-compatible license, preferably GPLv2 or later.

These standards may not be significant for theme developers if you are working on a theme for a client or personal use.

However, if you want to release your WordPress theme for other people to use, then it is a great idea to check that it meets the minimum requirements above.

Now, let’s take a look at how to test a WordPress theme against the latest standards.

Step 1: Enable Debug Mode on Your WordPress Site

This first step is optional because the plugin you will use later will still work regardless if you follow this step or not.

That said, we recommend enabling debug mode on your WordPress website and testing your theme on a local WordPress site or a staging site.

Debug mode is a feature in WordPress that provides error reporting, making it easier to identify and fix issues. When the debug mode is enabled, WordPress will display any PHP errors, warnings, or notices about the WordPress theme.

However, debug mode is not recommended on a live site. That’s why we suggest creating a local version of your site or using a staging environment from your WordPress hosting.

You can read our article on how to enable debug mode in WordPress for step-by-step instructions.

We recommend using the WP Debugging method. This WordPress plugin will enable debug mode without you having to edit your website files, making it much easier.

Step 2: Install the Theme Check Plugin

The next step is to install the Theme Check plugin. Created by the WordPress theme review team themselves, this plugin is actually intended for theme developers.

If you are a website owner, then you can also use it to see if a theme meets the latest standards. You can test free themes from the official theme directory or premium WordPress themes to see if they follow WordPress guidelines.

If you need some pointers on setting up the plugin, then read our beginner’s guide to installing WordPress plugins.

Once the plugin is active, just go to Appearance » Theme Check. Then, select your current theme or a previous one from the dropdown menu and hit the ‘Check it!’ button.

Using the Theme Check plugin to check a theme's compatibility with the latest standards

Theme Check will start testing your theme against the latest WordPress theme development standards. Once it is done, it will show you the warnings it found during the tests.

Here is an example of a theme that passes the check:

An example of a theme that passes the Theme Check test

On the other hand, the screenshot below shows what a theme that does not pass the check looks like.

The plugin will tell you about errors it found and share them in detail below. This information is meant as feedback for theme developers so that they can fix the issues.

An example of a theme that doesn't pass the Theme Check test

If you are a website owner, then you can take a screenshot of this feedback and share it with the theme developer, or just find another theme alternative that meets the latest standards.

Need some inspiration for theme alternatives? Check out our expert pick of the best and most popular WordPress themes.

What Other Parts of a WordPress Theme Should You Test?

When testing WordPress themes, you should also focus on several key areas beyond the theme review standards:

Responsiveness – Check how the theme behaves on various devices and screen sizes. It should be fully responsive and display well on both desktop and mobile devices.
Performance – Test the theme’s performance. A fast-loading theme can speed up your WordPress site and positively impact user experience. You can use tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to analyze your site’s speed.
Plugin compatibility – Install any plugins that you plan to use on your website and test if their functionality works with your new theme.

Browser compatibility – Test the theme in different browsers like Safari, Chrome, Opera, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.
Custom functionality – If you plan to add custom functionality through a plugin or a child theme, ensure it works correctly with the theme.

We hope this article helped you learn how to check your WordPress theme against the latest standards. You may also want to check out our article on how to create a custom WordPress theme without code or our ultimate guide to WordPress security.

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 Test Your WordPress Theme Against Latest Standards first appeared on WPBeginner.

May 1, 2024

Reaction-Diffusion Compute Shader in WebGPU

Learn how to use WebGPU compute shaders to create reaction-diffusion patterns.

May 1, 2024

Introducing the Reimagined WP Charitable: Fundraising Has Got Easier Than Ever

Have you ever wondered if there was an easy way to collect donations for non-profits and fundraisers?

While there are several donation platforms on the market, most of them charge a heavy transaction / platform fee or come with limited functionalities, restricting your fundraising abilities.

Today, I am excited to announce that we’ve completely revamped WP Charitable from the ground up. Now, it’s easier than ever to launch a fundraising campaign, even if you’re absolutely new to WordPress.

About WP Charitable

WP Charitable is the best WordPress donation plugin for non-profits. Over the last 9 years, Charitable has been helping over 10,000+ non-profits raise funds for their cause without having to pay an additional transaction fee.

I acquired the plugin in 2022 with the goal to make it easy for anyone to volunteer with fundraising and help their favorite non-profit organizations on the technical side. But most importantly, I wanted a solution that I can have my wife use for our Balkhi Foundation without needing any technical help from me.

With the newest update to Charitable, we’ve completely reimagined how Charitable works, so you can raise more funds for your cause with less effort.

Let’s take a look at them below:

Create Stunning Fundraising Campaigns Without a Designer

Looking to build a professional fundraising campaign that encourages donors to support your cause?

Charitable’s drag-and-drop campaign builder makes it easy to build a fundraising campaign even if you’re not tech savvy.

WPCharitable choose campaign layout and template

Unlike a typical donation form plugin, Charitable offers 3 different column layouts from which to choose.

Simple 1 column template
Simple 2 column template
Simple 2 column with header template

These column layouts help you build a stunning fundraising campaign on your own without having to hire a designer or developer.

Take a look at a few customizable fields you can add to your campaign.

Campaign title
Campaign description
Customizable Donate Button
Progress bar: Show how much has been donated and your campaign goals
HTML: Add an area of customizable HTML
Social sharing: Add social sharing links right on your campaign page
Social links: Add links to your social media accounts

The best part is that you can build a campaign like this in less than 5 minutes!

If you’ve always wanted to build campaigns to collect donations for your cause, then look no further than Charitable.

Get Insights Into Your Campaigns at a Glance

It’s important to know how each of your fundraising campaigns is doing and which campaign contributes the most.

With the latest version of Charitable, you’ll get an improved admin dashboard that gives you a bird’s eye view of how your campaigns are performing at a glance.

Here are a few items you can see from the dashboard.

Quick top overview – At a glance, see how much money your donations have brought in, the average donation amount, the number of donors, and the amount of refunds within a time frame.

Interactive graph – With an easy-to-view timeline, you can see how many donations you got represented.

Recent donations – View recent donations and a brief summary of each one.

Top campaigns – See which campaigns are outperforming in terms of total donations, total donors, and more.

Detailed Reports That Matter to Your Organization

I believe that your campaign data is only as good as the actionable insights you can get from it.

This is why we added several detailed reports that matter to your organization.

Donations breakdown – It gives you a better idea of how your campaigns are doing overall on a daily basis, with the ability to download the data into a CSV file.

Campaign activity – This report gives you a heads-up in chronological order of what is happening on your site right now. It lets you quickly see if a particular campaign is suddenly receiving donations or is getting popular so you can act accordingly.

Top donors – Understand who your top donors so you can reach out to them to thank them or further communicate.

Payment methods – Get an idea of your most popular payment methods, including manual or offline donations.

Pay $0 Transaction Fee

The harsh reality of most online donation platforms is that they charge transaction fees, also known as platform fees. This fee can be typically as high as 4% of the total donation amount.

Keep in mind that transaction fees are charged on top of the processing fees, which are usually charged by payment processors like Stripe or PayPal (around 3%).

Charitable doesn’t charge transaction fees with any of its premium plans. The only fee you’ll be paying is the processing fee, which is paid directly to the payment gateway you choose, such as Stripe.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising or Crowdfunding

Peer-to-peer fundraising is a popular strategy for large fundraising campaigns where passionate individuals organize their personal fundraising campaigns on behalf of a nonprofit organization.

With the Charitable Ambassadors addon, you can instantly transform your website into a peer-to-peer fundraising or your own crowdfunding platform, like GoFundMe or Indiegogo. It also lets you offer your most passionate advocates the tools they need to support your cause.

For example, you can let your advocates create fundraising pages of their own and even require users to have an account and be logged in before they can submit a campaign.

If you enable the Personal cause campaigns option, you can turn your site into a crowdfunding site and let individuals raise money for their own cause.

Recurring Donations Is Easier Than Ever

Accepting recurring donations allows you to maintain a reliable and predictable donation stream.

With Charitable, you can easily add the option of recurring donations to online forms with suggested amounts.

When recurring donations is enabled, your donors get the flexibility to donate smaller amounts, monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually instead of sending a large one-time donation. They also have the flexibility to cancel as needed right inside their account.

Connect Donors With Your Email List

Charitable lets you easily add a newsletter checkbox to your campaign. When it’s enabled, you can automatically add your donors to your email list and turn them into ongoing supporters.

Currently, the plugin seamlessly integrates with email marketing software like MailChimp, Campaign Monitor, MailerLite, ActiveCampaign, Mailster and MailPoet.

Easily Add Campaigns Anywhere in WordPress

Charitable makes it easy to add your campaigns across your WordPress website.

It comes with the Charitable block.

Simply edit any post or page in WordPress and add the Charitable block where you want to display your campaign. Done!

Now, you can save or publish your changes and preview the post or page. You will see your campaign added to the page.

If you have multiple campaigns, you may want to display them as a collection within your posts or pages.

Multiple Payment Options

Need multiple payment options to accept donations?

Charitable got you covered there as well. It supports all the top payment service providers including Stripe, PayPal, Authorize.net, Square, Braintree, and more.

Even the free version of Charitable comes with both Stripe and PayPal.

This makes it easier for free version users to accept donations via credit card.

More Features That Make Charitable Standout

There are several more features that make Charitable standout from its competitors. Here are some of them.

Gift Aid for UK Based Non-Profit

If you are a registered UK charity or non-profit, you can boost your donations by 25% with Gift Aid, a tax incentive for charities in the United Kingdom. When Gift Aid is enabled on your Charity plugin, the Gift Aid declaration will be added to all your campaigns.

Seamless Easy Digital Downloads Integration

Charitable seamlessly integrates with Easy Digital Downloads. This allows you to accept donations with any of the Easy Digital Downloads gateways.

On top of that, you can sell digital merchandise to raise fund for your organization.

Accept Anonymous Donations

Allow donors to support your cause without having their name publicly displayed. As the website administrator, you can view anonymous donor’s details, but their name and photo will be hidden when displayed in the Donors widget.

Cover the Processing Fees

Bump up your donations by giving your donors the option to cover the processing fees on their donations.

Try Charitable Today

I am quite excited about the progress we have made so far with Charitable.

I’m also extremely pleased with the community response so far, as everyone is loving the new features.

I invite you to try Charitable. If you want, you can even install the free Charitable plugin from WordPress.org that offers basic fundraising features.

We’re truly building something special here. If you have ideas on how we can make the plugin more helpful to you, suggest your ideas here.

As always, I am thankful for your continued support and look forward to hearing from you.

Yours Truly,

Syed Balkhi
Founder of WPBeginner

The post Introducing the Reimagined WP Charitable: Fundraising Has Got Easier Than Ever first appeared on WPBeginner.

April 30, 2024

Send Personalized Emails with SMTP and Mail Merge in Google Sheets

The Mail merge add-on lets you send personalized emails to multiple recipients in one go. The emails are always sent via your Gmail account or your Google Workspace email address. Google also imposes a limit on the number of emails you can send per day.

Mail Merge with SMTP

Mail merge is convenient because you can put your contacts in a Google Sheet and the add-on will individually send the emails for you. However, if you aren’t using Gmail or have a large mailing list, an SMTP service like SendGrid or AWS may be more a suitable option for sending out personalized emails.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could enjoy the ease of the Mail Merge add-on while still utilizing an SMTP service to send personalized emails? That’s where the Document Studio add-on can help.

Generate SMTP Credentials

Google for SMTP settings for [your email provider] and you’ll find the SMTP server address, port number, and the authentication details like the username and password (or API key) for your email service.

For instance, if you plan to use Zoho Mail for mail merge, the SMTP settings would be as follows:

SMTP Server: smtp.zoho.com
Port: 465
Username: Your Zoho account email address
Password: Your zoho.com password

Prepare Mail Merge Data

Open the Google Sheet with your mail merge data and launch the Document Studio add-on. Create a new workflow and choose the Send Email task.

From the list of Email Service providers, choose SMTP Server and enter the SMTP server address, port number, and the authentication details that you found in the previous step.

Next, move to the Email Message section and configure your email template. You can use placeholders like {{First Name}} and {{Title}} in the message body and subject line to personalize the emails.

If you would like to attach files to the email, you can do that as well. You may attach the same file to all emails or use placeholders to attach different files to each email.

Click the Preview button and you should see a sample email sent to your own email address through the SMTP server. You can now click the Save and Run button to send personalized emails to all recipients in your Google Sheet.

April 30, 2024

How to Add a Simple User Ranking System for WordPress Comments

Do you want to add a simple user ranking system for WordPress comments on your website?

A ranking system can gamify your comments section and motivate more users to leave their thoughts and questions on your website. This can boost engagement and build a sense of community around your brand.

In this article, we will show you how to easily add a simple user ranking system for WordPress comments.

Why Add a Ranking System for WordPress Comments?

Comments help improve user engagement on your WordPress website. By adding a ranking system for these comments, you can motivate users to leave informative and well-written discussion points on your blog.

For example, you can feature the comments you like at the top of the comment section or award badges to the comments of your choice.

Similarly, you can add an upvote/downvote system for users to control comment popularity or bury spam comments at the bottom of the discussion. This can create a sense of community around your WordPress blog and also help you moderate comments.

Having said that, let’s see how to easily add a ranking system for WordPress comments. In this tutorial, we will look at two methods, and you can use the links below to jump to the method of your choice:

Method 1: Add a User Ranking System in WordPress Comments
Method 2: Add a User Ranking System in WordPress Forums
Bonus: Add a Points System in WordPress

Method 1: Add a User Ranking System in WordPress Comments

If you want to add a simple user ranking system to your comments section, then you can easily do this with Thrive Comments.

It is the best WordPress comments plugin on the market that helps you create an interactive comments section by featuring/burying comments, adding thumbs up/thumbs down, awarding badges, and more.

For more information, see our complete Thrive Themes review.

First, you must visit the Thrive Themes website and sign up for an account. Once you do that, head over to your member dashboard.

From here, click on the ‘Download and install the Thrive Product Manager plugin’ link.

Next, open up your WordPress dashboard to install and activate Thrive Product Manager. For detailed instructions, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you must visit the Product Manager tab from the WordPress admin sidebar and click on the ‘Log into my account’ button.

Once you have provided your login credentials, you will see your Product Manager dashboard.

From here, select the Thrive Comments plugin and click the ‘Install selected products’ button.

Next, you can visit the Comments » Thrive Comments Moderation page in the WordPress dashboard, where you will see a list of all the comments on your blog.

From here, you can approve, unapprove, edit, or flag the comments as spam. You can also feature a comment by opening the ‘More’ dropdown menu and selecting that option.

Feature, edit, delete, or approve a comment from the Thrive moderation dashboard

Once you do that, all the featured comments will be displayed at the top of the discussion section. These comments will also have a badge in the top left corner, which will signify their importance.

For more detailed instructions, you can see our tutorial on how to feature or bury comments in WordPress.

Afterward, you can visit the Thrive Dashboard » Thrive Comments page from the WordPress admin area and scroll down to the ‘Voting and Badges’ section.

From here, you can add like/dislike functionality to your comments to boost engagement. You can select the ‘Up and down’ option to add thumbs up/thumbs down icons with the comments.

You can also choose the ‘Up only’ option if you don’t want users to be able to dislike any comments on your website.

After that, you can toggle the ‘Users must be registered and logged in to vote’ switch to ‘On’ if you only want to provide this functionality to logged-in users.

Choose Up and down option to allow users to like or dislike comments in WordPress

For detailed instructions, you can see our tutorial on how to allow users to like/dislike comments in WordPress.

Next, you can scroll down and toggle the ‘Award Badges’ switch to ‘On.’ Once you do that, just click the ‘Add New Badge’ Button.

This will open a prompt on the screen, where you can start by adding a name for the badge. After that, you can choose when to award it from the dropdown menu.

For example, if you want to award a badge to a user when they have at least 5 featured comments on your website, then you can select the ‘Featured’ option from the dropdown menu.

Then, add 5 as the value next to the ‘reaches’ option.

After that, you can choose a badge image or upload one from your computer.

Once you are done, simply click the ‘Save Badge’ button to store your settings.

Choose an image for your badge and click Save Changes

You can then click the ‘Add New Badge’ button again to create a badge awarding system for your comments.

Your settings will be saved automatically.

Click Add New badge button to add more badges

Now, simply visit your WordPress site to view the badges in action.

In our example, you can see that the comment at the top is featured because it has an icon at the top left corner. You can also see the badge awarded to the users next to their names.

Method 2: Add a User Ranking System in WordPress Forums

If you want to create a ranking system for the discussion forums on your website, then this method is for you.

First, you will need to install and activate the bbPress plugin. For detailed instructions, see our beginner’s guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, visit the Forums » Add New page from the WordPress admin sidebar. Here, you can add the name, description, visibility, status, and moderators for the forum you will create.

Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Publish’ button to store your settings. For detailed instructions, see our tutorial on how to add a forum in WordPress with bbPress.

After that, you have to install and activate the bbp user ranking plugin. For details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

This plugin will show each forum member’s total rankings, the number of topics they started, and replies.

Upon activation, visit the Settings » bbp user ranking page from the WordPress dashboard and scroll down to the ‘Ranking Calculations’ section.

Here, you will see that the plugin uses the number of topics and replies a user has created to calculate rankings. You can simply check these options to add them as ranking factors.

Now, by default, the plugin offers two ranking levels for comments. However, if you want to add another ranking level, then simply enter the number of levels you want into the ‘Number of levels’ field and click the ‘Save Changes’ button to refresh the page.

Once you have done that, it’s time to configure settings for different levels.

To do this, scroll down to the ‘Level 1’ section and type a name for it into the ‘Rank Name’ field. This will be the name that will appear on the user’s profile.

After that, you must add the number of posts that members must make to graduate from this level and move to the next level under the ‘Up to number’ option.

For instance, you may create a New Member level with an ‘Up to number’ value of 5. This means that anyone who posts 1-5 comments will be a New Member.

You can then also add the URL for the image that will displayed next to the name of all level 1 users. You can get the image’s URL from your media library.

Adding a user badge to the simple rating system

After that, you can also configure the image size, font color, and font size from different settings.

You can then repeat the process to set up other levels on your website. Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

After that, switch to the ‘Badges’ tab from the top. Here, you can select if you want to show multiple badges earned by the users in a row or column.

Next, scroll down to add the number of badges you want to create for your forum next to the ‘Number of Badges’ option. After that, click the ‘Save Changes’ button to refresh your page.

Then, you can add a badge name, paste the URL for the badge image, and choose a font color.

You can then also configure the image size according to your liking. If you don’t want to display an image with your badge, then you can select the ‘Click to display name’ option from the top.

However, you must select the ‘Click to display name on top of image’ option to show both the name and image for your badge.

You can now repeat this process to create as many badges as you want. Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

Next, switch to the ‘Display’ tab from the top. Here, you can configure how the user ranking information will look on your forum.

You can now choose if you want to display the topic count, reply count, level symbols, or rank names. Simply check the box next to the information that you want to showcase.

After that, you can add an optional label to help people understand what the different numbers mean.

Next, you can also check the boxes to display level images and badges next to the user’s names.

After that, don’t forget to click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

Choose to display images and badges and click the 'Save Changes' button to store your settings

You have now successfully added a user ranking system. You can visit your website to view the users’ profiles in your forum.

Here, you will be able to see their ranking levels and calculations.

You can also award different badges that you created to users on your website. However, keep in mind that you will have to do this manually by visiting the Users menu tab.

Once you are there, click the ‘Edit’ link under any user profile of your liking.

This will take you to a new screen where you must scroll down to the ‘Badges’ section.

Here, check the ‘Click to add this badge’ option for any badge that you want to award the user. Once you are done, don’t forget to click the ‘Update User’ button to store your settings.

You can now repeat the process for other users as well.

Check the click to add this badge option to award a badge to a user

Bonus: Add a Points System in WordPress

Other than adding a ranking system for comments, you can also add a points system on your WordPress site to boost engagement.

For instance, you might reward your customers with points upon user registration, purchasing a product, or as part of a loyalty program. You can then award prizes or exclusive content to visitors with the most points.

If you have a membership site, then you can also offer a level upgrade to users with a certain number of points.

You can easily add a points system in WordPress with myCred. Upon activation, simply visit the Points » Settings page from the WordPress dashboard to start choosing a label and image for your points.

For example, you can call the points earned by the audience coins, brownies, jewels, tokens, or anything else that works.

After that, you will have to create user levels, set hooks for the points system, and integrate the plugin with different tools like MemberPress or LearnDash according to your liking.

Once you are done, you can use the different blocks provided by myCred to add a points system leaderboard on your website.

For detailed instructions, see our tutorial on how to add a points system in WordPress to ignite user engagement.

We hope this article helped you learn how to add a simple user ranking system for WordPress comments. You may also want to see our beginner’s guide on how to allow users to report inappropriate comments in WordPress and our expert tips and tools to combat comment spam in 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 Add a Simple User Ranking System for WordPress Comments first appeared on WPBeginner.

April 30, 2024

Healthcare Reputation Management: 7 Tricks to Do First

Staying on top of what people are saying or writing about you is about more than ego. It helps you amplify the positive and quickly resolve anything negative—before it blows up. Healthcare providers face a unique challenge when it comes to their reputations. How current and future patients view you […]

The post Healthcare Reputation Management: 7 Tricks to Do First appeared first on .

April 30, 2024

Why is my Instagram DM Blank?

Instagram Direct Messaging (DM) is a convenient way to communicate with friends, family, and followers, allowing users to send and receive private messages, photos, videos, and more. However, encountering a blank DM screen can be...

The post Why is my Instagram DM Blank? appeared first on 85ideas.com.

April 30, 2024

Inspirational Websites Roundup: Webflow Special #3

In collaboration with Webflow, we’re thrilled to present this roundup, featuring a handpicked selection of awe-inspiring websites.

April 30, 2024

Longing For May (2024 Wallpapers Edition)

Inspiration lies everywhere, and as a matter of fact, we discovered one of the best ways to spark new ideas: desktop wallpapers. Since more than 13 years already, we challenge you, our dear readers, to put your creative skills to the test and create wallpaper calendars for our monthly wallpapers posts. No matter if you’re into illustration, lettering, or photography, the wallpapers series is the perfect opportunity to get your ideas flowing and create a small artwork to share with people all around the world. Of course, it wasn’t any different this month.

In this post, you’ll find desktop wallpapers created by artists and designers who took on the creativity challenge. They come in versions with and without a calendar for May 2024 and can be downloaded for free. As a little bonus goodie, we also compiled a selection of favorites from our wallpapers archives at the end of the post. Maybe you’ll spot one of your almost-forgotten favorites from the past in here, too? A big thank-you to everyone who shared their designs with us this month! Happy May!

You can click on every image to see a larger preview,
We respect and carefully consider the ideas and motivation behind each and every artist’s work. This is why we give all artists the full freedom to explore their creativity and express emotions and experience through their works. This is also why the themes of the wallpapers weren’t anyhow influenced by us but rather designed from scratch by the artists themselves.
Submit a wallpaper!
Did you know that you could get featured in our next wallpapers post, too? We are always looking for creative talent.

A Symphony Of Dedication On Labour Day

“On Labour Day, we celebrate the hard-working individuals who contribute to the growth of our communities. Whether in busy urban areas or peaceful rural settings, this day recognizes the unsung heroes driving our advancement. Let us pay tribute to the workers, craftsmen, and visionaries shaping our shared tomorrow.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

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Navigating The Amazon

“We are in May, the spring month par excellence, and we celebrate it in the Amazon jungle.” — Designed by Veronica Valenzuela Jimenez from Spain.

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Popping Into Spring

“Spring has sprung, and what better metaphor than toast popping up and out of a fun-colored toaster!” — Designed by Stephanie Klemick from Emmaus Pennsylvania, USA.

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without calendar: 320x480, 640x480, 800x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1024x1024, 1152x864, 1280x720, 1280x800, 1280x960, 1280x1024, 1400x1050, 1440x900, 1600x1200, 1680x1050, 1680x1200, 1920x1080, 1920x1200, 1920x1440, 2560x1440

Duck

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without calendar: 320x480, 640x480, 800x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1024x1024, 1152x864, 1280x720, 1280x800, 1280x960, 1280x1024, 1400x1050, 1440x900, 1600x1200, 1680x1050, 1680x1200, 1920x1080, 1920x1200, 1920x1440, 2560x1440

Cruising Into Spring

“When I think of spring, I think of finally being able to drive with the windows down and enjoying the fresh air!” — Designed by Vanessa Mancuso from the United States.

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without calendar: 320x480, 480x800, 1024x768, 1024x1024, 1152x864, 1280x720, 1280x800, 1280x960, 1400x1050, 1440x900, 1600x1200, 1680x1050, 1680x1200, 1920x1080, 1920x1440, 2560x1440

Lava Is In The Air

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without calendar: 640x480, 800x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1024x1024, 1152x864, 1280x720, 1280x800, 1280x960, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1400x1050, 1440x900, 1600x1200, 1680x1050, 1680x1200, 1920x1080, 1920x1200, 1920x1440, 2560x1440, 3840x2160

Love Myself

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Bat Traffic

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without calendar: 640x480, 800x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1024x1024, 1152x864, 1280x720, 1280x800, 1280x960, 1280x1024, 1366x768, 1400x1050, 1440x900, 1600x1200, 1680x1050, 1680x1200, 1920x1080, 1920x1200, 1920x1440, 2560x1440, 3840x2160

Springtime Sips

“May is a month where the weather starts to warm and reminds us summer is approaching, so I created a bright cocktail-themed wallpaper since sipping cocktails in the sun is a popular warm weather activity!” — Designed by Hannah Coates from Baltimore, MD.

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without calendar: 320x480, 640x480, 800x480, 800x600, 1024x768, 1024x1024, 1152x864, 1280x720, 1280x800, 1280x960, 1280x1024, 1400x1050, 1440x900, 1600x1200, 1680x1050, 1680x1200, 1920x1080, 1920x1200, 1920x1440, 2560x1440

Hello May

“The longing for warmth, flowers in bloom, and new beginnings is finally over as we welcome the month of May. From celebrating nature on the days of turtles and birds to marking the days of our favorite wine and macarons, the historical celebrations of the International Workers’ Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Victory Day, to the unforgettable ‘May the Fourth be with you’. May is a time of celebration — so make every May day count!” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

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ARRR2-D2

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May Your May Be Magnificent

“May should be as bright and colorful as this calendar! That’s why our designers chose these juicy colors.” — Designed by MasterBundles from Ukraine.

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The Monolith

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Blooming May

“In spring, especially in May, we all want bright colors and lightness, which was not there in winter.” — Designed by MasterBundles from Ukraine.

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The Mushroom Band

“My daughter asked me to draw a band of mushrooms. Here it is!” — Designed by Vlad Gerasimov from Georgia.

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Poppies Paradise

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Lake Deck

“I wanted to make a big painterly vista with some mountains and a deck and such.” — Designed by Mike Healy from Australia.

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Make A Wish

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Enjoy May!

“Springtime, especially Maytime, is my favorite time of the year. And I like popsicles — so it’s obvious isn’t it?” — Designed by Steffen Weiß from Germany.

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Celestial Longitude Of 45°

“Lixia is the 7th solar term according to the traditional East Asian calendars, which divide a year into 24 solar terms. It signifies the beginning of summer in East Asian cultures. Usually begins around May 5 and ends around May 21.” — Designed by Hong, Zi-Cing from Taiwan.

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Stone Dahlias

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Understand Yourself

“Sunsets in May are the best way to understand who you are and where you are heading. Let’s think more!” — Designed by Igor Izhik from Canada.

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Sweet Lily Of The Valley

“The ‘lily of the valley’ came earlier this year. In France, we celebrate the month of May with this plant.” — Designed by Philippe Brouard from France.

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Today, Yesterday, Or Tomorrow

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Add Color To Your Life!

“This month is dedicated to flowers, to join us and brighten our days giving a little more color to our daily life.” — Designed by Verónica Valenzuela from Spain.

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The Green Bear

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Lookout At Sea

“I wanted to create something fun and happy for the month of May. It’s a simple concept, but May is typically the time to adventure out into the world and enjoy the best of Spring.” — Designed by Alexander Jubinski from the United States.

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Tentacles

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Spring Gracefulness

“We don’t usually count the breaths we take, but observing nature in May, we can’t count our breaths being taken away.” — Designed by Ana Masnikosa from Belgrade, Serbia.

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Geo

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Blast Off!

“Calling all space cadets, it’s time to celebrate National Astronaut Day! Today we honor the fearless explorers who venture beyond our planet and boldly go where no one has gone before.” — Designed by PopArt Studio from Serbia.

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Colorful

Who Is Your Mother?

“Someone who wakes up early in the morning, cooks you healthy and tasty meals, does your dishes, washes your clothes, sends you off to school, sits by your side and cuddles you when you are down with fever and cold, and hugs you when you have lost all hopes to cheer you up. Have you ever asked your mother to promise you never to leave you? No. We never did that because we are never insecure and our relationship with our mothers is never uncertain. We have sketched out this beautiful design to cherish the awesomeness of motherhood. Wishing all a happy Mothers Day!” — Designed by Acodez IT Solutions from India.

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Asparagus Say Hi!

“In my part of the world, May marks the start of seasonal produce, starting with asparagus. I know spring is finally here and summer is around the corner when locally-grown asparagus shows up at the grocery store.” — Designed by Elaine Chen from Toronto, Canada.

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May The Force Be With You

“Yoda is my favorite Star Wars character and ‘may’ has funny double meaning.” — Designed by Antun Hirsman from Croatia.

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Birds Of May

“Inspired by a little-known ‘holiday’ on May 4th known as ‘Bird Day’. It is the first holiday in the United States celebrating birds. Hurray for birds!” — Designed by Clarity Creative Group from Orlando, FL.

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April 30, 2024

Collective #834

Detect JavaScript Support in CSS * MarkdownDown * Hono

April 30, 2024

Big News! WPShout Unites With CodeinWP to Create a Powerful WordPress Hub

It took some time to find the right place for WPShout in our portfolio, but now we think we're there. We've merged the WPShout and CodeinWP websites together under WPShout's brand and name!

What Are Web Safe Fonts and Why Are They Important?

How We Chose the Best Fonts for Websites

19 Best Web Safe Fonts to Choose From

Frequently Asked Questions About Fonts

Why Add Categories and Tags to Images in WordPress Media Library?

Method 1: Add Categories to Images in the WordPress Media Library

Method 2: Add Tags to Images in the WordPress Media Library

Bonus: Prevent Image Theft in WordPress

Further Reading On SmashingMag

1. What Are Users Searching For?

2. Which Search Terms Are Bringing Visitors to My Website?

3. Who Is Visiting My Website?

4. What Is Working on My Site?

5. What Is Declining in Traffic on My Site?

6. What Is Missing From My Site?

7. What Are My Competitors Doing Well?

8. Use AI Tools to Discover More Content Ideas

9. Schedule Your Content Plan on a Content Calendar

Why Test Your WordPress Theme Against Latest Standards?

What Standards Does the WordPress Theme Review Team Check?

Step 1: Enable Debug Mode on Your WordPress Site

Step 2: Install the Theme Check Plugin

What Other Parts of a WordPress Theme Should You Test?

About WP Charitable

Create Stunning Fundraising Campaigns Without a Designer

Get Insights Into Your Campaigns at a Glance

Detailed Reports That Matter to Your Organization

Pay $0 Transaction Fee

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising or Crowdfunding

Recurring Donations Is Easier Than Ever

Connect Donors With Your Email List

Easily Add Campaigns Anywhere in WordPress

Multiple Payment Options

More Features That Make Charitable Standout

Try Charitable Today

Mail Merge with SMTP

Generate SMTP Credentials

Prepare Mail Merge Data

Why Add a Ranking System for WordPress Comments?

Method 1: Add a User Ranking System in WordPress Comments

Method 2: Add a User Ranking System in WordPress Forums

Bonus: Add a Points System in WordPress