Business | Torque

Mastodon and WordPress: 8 Ways to Make Them Work Together

Nick Schäferhoff — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 16:55:36 +0000

Mastodon and WordPress seem like a pretty good match for each other. Both are open source platforms based on similar philosophies: To give users a way to build their own piece of online real estate and help democratizing publishing.

Considering their commonalities, wouldn’t it make sense to find ways for the two platforms to work more closely together and integrate with each other? That’s exactly what we want to explore in this post.

The following article talks about how you can use your WordPress site to verify your account on Mastodon, how to display Mastodon content in WordPress, automatically post your WordPress content to the social platform, and more.

Use Your WordPress Site for Verification on Mastodon

As mentioned in our Mastodon tutorial, it’s possible to verify your Mastodon profile. This is similar to the blue checkmarks on another social network, only that you don’t have to pay for it and there are no blue checkmarks but a green one.

The process is also pretty simple. You can verify yourself through your own website. For that, all you need to do is add your website address to your profile and then put a special link to Mastodon on your WordPress site.

Add Your Website and Copy the Verification Link

The first step happens in your Mastodon settings under Public profile. Here, you can add your website to your profile via the extra fields on the right side.

Just put a description in the left column and the URL in the right. When you do and save, it will immediately appear on your Mastodon profile.

You also find the verification link in the Public profile settings under the Verification tab.

Simply copy it with the button. However, you can also create your own custom link. It will work as long as it has the rel="me" attribute in it and appears on your website.

Include the Verification Link to WordPress

There are different ways to add the link to your site. One of the easiest is to use a social icon linking to your Mastodon profile from your website. We have detailed instructions for that further below.

Another option is to add it as a link to your website’s section like so:

That way, it’s invisible to the user. Place the code above inside your header.php file or add it with a plugin like Insert Headers and Footers. Naturally, user your own profile link, not mine.

You can also enqueue it in your head section via functions.php with this code snippet (credits goes to David Artiss):

function add_mastodon_verification() {
	?>





Other options are to include it in a blog post, put it in your footer, or create a separate verification page. Just know that, if you use any other web page than your homepage (or whichever URL you posted to your Mastodon profile as your website), you also need to include the separate verification page in your extra fields.







Once you have both pieces in place, you just need to wait for the Mastodon servers to pick up on the change. Once they do, you will see the green verification checkmark on your profile.



By the way, if the above is too complicated for you, there is also the Simple Mastodon Verification plugin.



Add a Mastodon Social Icon to WordPress



A good way to integrate your Mastodon account with your main web presence is to include a social icon that links back to Mastodon. As we have learned earlier, this is also a possibility to set up your Mastodon verification. 



The best part: That’s a native functionality of the WordPress Gutenberg editor. You can do it very easily using the Social Icons block.



Simply go to Appearance > Editor and open up the page template or template part that you want to add the icon to. The footer is usually a good idea.







Here, use the Block Inserter (the big plus button in the upper left corner), the Add block button, or slash commands to add the Social Icons block.







Once on the page, click the plus sign to add an icon and then choose Mastodon.







Click the icon to add a link to it. Use the link rel option under Advanced in the sidebar to include the rel="me" attribute for verification if you wish so (just enter me, no quotes or anything).







Once you save your changes, the Mastodon icon will appear on your WordPress website and also work as a verification method.







Display Your Mastodon Feed on Your WordPress Website



Some people like to display their social feeds on their websites. Doing so gives visitors a better impression about your company and brand communication as well as additional information. If you want to do that with your Mastodon content, you have several ways to achieve it.



Use Auto Embeds



Mastodon is among the many platforms for which WordPress offers auto-embeds. So, if you just want to show a single Mastodon post on your website, it’s enough to copy and paste its link.



How do you get that?



On Mastodon, simply find the post (aka toot) that you want to embed. Click on the three-dot icon at the bottom and choose Copy link to this post.







After that, you can go to the page on your website where you want it to appear and simply paste the link in the editor. WordPress will automatically turn it into an embed.







Embed Posts Via HTML



As you can see from the screenshot above, the automatic embed didn’t work too well for me. Therefore, I found it a better option to use the Mastodon-native embed function. You can find it in the same place as the option to copy the link to your toots.







Click it to receive a code snippet to copy.







The important thing is that you don’t paste it in the WordPress editor by itself. Instead, use a Custom HTML block to embed it on the page.







This leads to a much better outcome and you can even preview it in the editor itself.







Display Your Entire Mastodon Feed



If you don’t only want to put singular toots on your WordPress site but your entire feed, there is also the Include Mastodon Feed plugin. After installation, it adds the [include-mastodon-feed] shortcode to your website that you can use to display your feed wherever you want.



However, you first have to find out your Mastodon user id for that, which, unfortunately, is a bit of a hassle if you are not an admin of your Mastodon instance. In that case, you have to make an API request using the link below.



https://yourinstance.com/api/v2/search?q=yourusername@yourinstance.com&resolve=true&limit=5



Replace both occurrences of yourinstance.com with the URL of the Mastodon server where your username is registered and yourusername with your actual username. Then, paste it in your browser bar while being logged into your account. If all goes well, this should result in a screen with your user id at the top.







You can then use this to populate the plugin shortcode, which looks like this:



[include-mastodon-feed instance="YOUR-INSTANCE" account="YOUR-ACCOUNT-ID"]



Again, replace YOUR-INSTANCE and YOUR-ACCOUNT-ID with the requisite information (don’t inclde http/https for your instance URL) and post the shortcode in the post or page where you want your Mastodon feed to appear on your WordPress site.







When you now preview or publish the page, the feed will appear on the front end of your site.







The plugin shortcode takes a whole bunch more parameters to customize it. You can exclude replies from the feed, limit the number of visible statuses, enable dark mode, and a lot more. You can find all of them on the plugin page in the installation instructions. An alternative plugin solution is Shortcode Mastodon Feeds.



There is also a tool called Mastofeed.com (not to be confused with the .org version, which we will talk about further below). It helps you create HTML markup to post your Mastodon feed on your website and is also worth checking out.







Automatically Post Your Latest WordPress Posts to Mastodon



So, you now know how to include Mastodon content in WordPress. How about the other way around? Another crucial way the two platforms can work with each other is enabling WordPress to automatically post updates to your Mastodon account. There are several solutions for this as well.



Auto-Post to Mastodon With a Plugin



There are several plugin solutions you can use to achieve this. For this example we will use Mastodon Autopost. You can install it in the usual way via the Plugin menu.



After installation, the plugin first asks you to log in to your Mastodon account in the settings.







Enter your instance (the plugin has autosuggestion) and proceed. This will take you to Mastodon where you need to log in to your account and authorize the plugin.







After that, it takes you back to the settings where you mostly configure how you want your posts to appear.







Choose whether to include the title, excerpt, link, and/or tags, if they should appear as private toots, which content types to post, and whether to automatically post everything.



In the Advanced configuration, you can further refine this by creating your own toot template, choosing a character limit, and adding a default content warning if necessary.







Once saved, the plugin will get to work and automatically publish your content to Mastodon. In addition, it adds an option to the WordPress editor where you can decide on an individual post-by-post basis which of them you want to publish automatically.







A very similar plugin with some additional options is Share on Mastodon.



Mastofeed.org



A second, slightly different option to automatically post your WordPress content to Mastodon is to use Mastofeed.org. Here, you can use your site’s RSS feed to post website content to your Mastodon account.



The setup is extremely easy. Go to the site’s homepage and enter your Mastodon instance (again, without http:// in front).







In the next screen, log in to Mastodon and then authorize Mastofeed to post on your behalf. Once back on the original site, click Add a new feed.







After that, post the link to your site’s RSS feed (usually simply yourdomain.com/rss) and choose the visibility level.







Click Add. In the next screen, you can activate the feed by checking the box at the top and clicking Update. After you do, you get access to the options to format how your content is going to appear.







Make sure to click Update if you make any changes. You can also run a diagnostic if there are problems and delete the feed. Once done, Mastofeed will automatically check back for new content and post it to your account.



Connect WordPress to ActivityPub



The last method of how to integrate Mastodon with WordPress that we want to explore is ActivityPub. If you are not familiar with it, ActivityPub is a protocol supported by many platforms of the Fediverse, to which Mastodon also belongs.



There is a plugin in beta status, simply called ActivityPub, which allows you to integrate your WordPress website with it as well. The cool thing is, doing so allows Mastodon users to follow your blog posts on the social network and any replies they send will automatically appear as comments on your website.






Your author pages also become profiles on platforms using ActivityPub that others can follow and automatically receive updates from them. Setup is also pretty easy, you basically just install and activate the plugin, the settings only contain options to configure how your blog content is going to appear.







Customize however you want, save, and start interacting on Mastodon.



Mastodon + WordPress = 



Mastodon and WordPress seem like they should be good pals and they are! There are many different ways to integrate the two platforms with each other.



From using WordPress to verify your web presence, posting Mastodon content to WordPress and vice versa, to fully integrating your site with the Fediverse — there are so man ways to get started. As both of the platforms continue to grow, it will be fun to see what other ways they will find to play together.



How do you integrate your WordPress website with your Mastodon presence or vice versa? Any other plugins or tools to recommend? Then please do so in the comments section!
The post Mastodon and WordPress: 8 Ways to Make Them Work Together appeared first on Torque.



How to Improve First Input Delay (FID) on Your WordPress Site
Nick Schäferhoff — Tue, 18 Jul 2023 14:36:00 +0000

We recently started off a new series on Google’s Core Web Vitals metrics with a post on Largest Contentful Paint. Here, we want to continue with the next candidate in line: First Input Delay or FID for short and how to improve it in WordPress.



In the following, we will take a deep dive into what FID is and how to optimize your WordPress website for it. You’ll learn to understand and measure First Input Delay, what value you should aim for, and how to improve it if necessary.



Note that this post assumes that you are already familiar with Google Core Web Vitals and their impact on user experience and search engine optimization. If you are unsure about any of this, check the first article in this series or our standalone post on Core Web Vitals.



What Is First Input Delay? A Definition



So, as already mentioned, FID is one of three metrics for measuring website user experience that Google considers as core values to judge how user friendly a website is. It’s also part of their search algorithm, so if you score badly on this, your search ranking will suffer.



However, what exactly is First Input Delay?



In short, FID quantifies the delay between the time a user interacts with a web page (such as clicking a button) and the time when the browser is able to respond to that interaction. This reflects the responsiveness of a web page.







While Largest Contentful Paint calculates how long it takes for a web page to become useful to a visitor, FID measures how well it stays useful by performing whatever action the visitor wants – even during load. Naturally, if your site is more responsive, it makes for a better user experience.



You probably know this from your own Internet usage. Ever been on a site that took way too long to react to your input? You didn’t like that, did you? Well, neither do your website visitors.



How Is FID Calculated?



FID is measured in milliseconds (ms). To calculate it, the browser tracks the moment a user interaction occurs on a page and the time it takes for the browser’s main thread to process that interaction. The FID score represents the delay between the two events. As a consequence, a low FID score indicates that the page is highly interactive and responds quickly to user input.



At this point, you probably have to questions: What is the “main thread”? And what counts as an interaction?



Here’s the answer. 



The main thread is basically the browser’s work pipeline. All processes that are necessary to render and run a website run through it. If it is constantly busy, it takes longer before it can react to new input.







As for what counts as an interaction, that can be a click on a link, a tap on a button, using a drop-down menu, text field, checkboxes, or radio buttons, as well as pressing a key on your keyboard (e.g. Esc to close a popup).



What Causes FID?



First Input Delay is often highest between First Contentful Paint (when the first page element appears in the browser window) and Time to Interactive (when the page first becomes usable and responsive to user input).



Basically, input delay stems from when the browser is busy with something else while the user tries to do something. In that case, it can’t respond timely to the input, resulting in waiting time for the site visitor.



On the technical side, common culprits for this are:




Large JavaScript files that the browser needs to parse and execute



Render-blocking resources that it has to wait for



Heavy calculations, DOM manipulation, or resource-intensive processes



Slow network connections or high latency that can lead to delays in fetching website files and other resources



Activities that block the main thread, such as heavy animations, long-running CSS transitions, or large image processing




One last thing that is important to note about First Input Delay is that it will be replaced by another metric called Interaction to Next Paint (INP) in March 2024. However, for now FID is what we are working with, so it still matters that you get familiar with it.



How to Measure First Input Delay



You can test your website’s FID with pretty much the same tools as the other Core Web Vitals:




PageSpeed Insights — Simply enter your page URL and receive a report including your FID value.



Chrome User Experience Report — Google collects and compiles real user experience data from many websites through its browser. You can access this data through different tools, including those mentioned here. 



Search Console — The Web Vitals report in Google Search Console lets you know about pages with bad FID readings.



web-vitals JavaScript library — If you are more technically inclined, you can build this JavaScript library into your website and get the information about Core Web Vitals from there.




Most of these tools simply show the FID value in their results so you know what you are dealing with.







What’s important to note is that you need real user interaction for this metric. It is not something you can simulate in a lab-type environment. Therefore, your best sources for this is real user data like from the CrUX report.



If you want to test your site in a lab environment beforehand, your best proxy metric is Total Blocking Time. You can also find that in PageSpeed Insights, for example.







In addition, focus on the really worst cases of FID on your site, it will tell you the most about what is wrong.



What Is a Good First Input Delay?



That only leaves the question, what number should you shoot for? A good FID score is typically below 100 milliseconds. Scores between 100 and 300 milliseconds are considered to need improvement. Everything over 300 milliseconds indicate a poor user experience.






So, with these benchmarks in mind, let’s learn how to make the First Input Delay on your site better.



How to Improve First Input Delay on Your WordPress Website



Improving FID mostly involves optimizing the web page’s performance and reducing any blocking tasks that may delay the browser’s response to user input. The most common culprit for the latter is heavy or incorrect use of JavaScript. For that reason, much of the measures below will focus on that. However, there are also other things you can do.



General Performance Improvement Measures



A lot of the techniques that we already covered for how to improve Largest Contentful Paint also apply when you want to make your FID better, including:




Optimize your website environment — The faster your website generally, the quicker resources can be delivered, reducing time to interactivity. Therefore, invest in quality hosting, themes, and plugins. In addition, reduce the number of plugins on your site and keep it updated. In addition, implement caching and compression.



Implement a CDN — Content delivery networks allow you to shorten the distance between the server and the user, also resulting in faster file delivery.



Eliminate render-blocking resources — Any parts of a website that stall the loading process negatively impact all parts of the user experience and Core Web Vitals. Eliminating them from your site helps correct that problem. More details on render-blocking JavaScript below.




For more tips, check out our article on how to speed up WordPress, how to reduce server requests, and about speed testing your website.



Reduce, Defer, Async, and Minify Your JavaScript



As mentioned, JavaScript is usually the main factor for bad FID results. Here is how you can optimize the markup on your site so that it doesn’t become a problem.



Reduce the Overall Markup



Of course, the best thing you can do is to reduce the overall JavaScript on the page. Check the Coverage tab in your browser developer tools to find the unused JavaScript on a web page.







See if it is necessary for your site as a whole or if you can remove the unused JavaScript altogether.



In WordPress, excessive JavaScript is often the result of too many plugins or themes that come with a lot of bells and whistles causing First Input Delay. So, if you want to get rid of it, check if there is a way you can eliminate some of them or switch to a leaner version. 



Async and Defer Scripts



After that, the next step is to optimize JavaScript delivery to the browser. The main problem here is that, unless otherwise specified, when the browser encounters a JavaScript script in your website markup, it stops rendering HTML until the script has been downloaded and executed. This also referred to as the “render-blocking resources” mentioned above.



However, there are ways around it and they are based on two keywords:




async – Adding this to your script call allows the browser to download it in the background without pausing the processing of the page. It will only execute once downloaded, independently of the rest of the page.



defer – Very similar to async. It tells the browser not to wait for the script and instead keep building the page. However, in this case, it will load the script last, when the rest of the page has been fully built.




Here’s what using async and defer looks like in practice:








As you can imagine, both of these methods can result in significant time saved during page load. Their main difference: defer keeps the relative order of scripts the way they appear in the document, while async uses the order in which the scripts are done downloading.



You can use both to make unused and non-critical JavaScript load later. This includes third-party scripts such as analytics.



Minify JavaScript for Faster Download



Finally, for the JavaScript that does get loaded, be sure to minify it. Minification means removing all markup and code formatting that’s only there to make files legible for humans.







It further reduces the file size and makes them faster for the browser to download. There are plenty of tools out there to do this, including the plugin recommendations below.



Break Up Long Tasks



Besides reducing the overall JavaScript on your site and improving delivery, you can optimize First Input Delay on your WordPress site by breaking what remains down into smaller chunks. This is especially suitable if you have a lot of “long tasks” on your page.



What are long tasks, you ask?



Anything that blocks the main thread for more than 50ms. You can see these in Chrome developer tools marked with red flags.






If you cut them down into smaller parts, you can load them asynchonously, resulting in less uninterrupted work in the main thread.



How do you do that?



By using code-splitting. It allows you to load chunks of JavaScript conditionally so that only critically important code is loaded from the beginning. The rest only comes into play when necessary. You can also break up tasks into smaller separate functions. Both are ways to keep your pages responsive.



For more very technical tips on how to handle long tasks check this resource.



Useful WordPress Plugins to Improve FID



We understand that optimizing JavaScript files is not everyone’s cup of tea, especially if you are not a developer. For that reason, we have compiled a few WordPress plugins and tools that can help you in making your First Input Delay values better.




Asset Cleanup – This plugin allows you to disable unused CSS and JavaScript, preload fonts, minify your files, defer JavaScript, and more.



Flying Scripts — Lets you delay the execution of non-critical JavaScript until the time there is no user activity.



Plugin Organizer — Change the order in which plugins load on your site and selectively switch them off on chosen pages or content types.



Autoptimize — Can combine and minify CSS and JS files automatically as well as add async and defer to scripts. It’s also super easy to use.



WP Rocket — A paid caching plugin that can do a lot of what we talked about above. Generally, most caching plugins offer similar functionality.




Final Thoughts: First Input Delay in WordPress



FID is one of the metrics that make up the triumvirate of Core Web Vitals and it measures the interactivity of web pages. Since nobody likes sluggish web experiences, this is an important part of user experience. By focusing on improving First Input Delay, website owners and developers can provide a more responsive user experience, and ultimately improve user satisfaction and engagement.



Above, we have covered how to measure, test for, and improve FID on your WordPress website. While optimizing JavaScript might feel a bit out of reach for less-technical users, there is still a lot you can do to improve the overall performance of your site including FID. Hopefully, you feel capable of doing so by now.



Do you have any other tips to improve First Input Delay on WordPress websites? Share your thoughts and recommendations below!
The post How to Improve First Input Delay (FID) on Your WordPress Site appeared first on Torque.



Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and How to Improve It in WordPress
Nick Schäferhoff — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 15:49:13 +0000

This post is the first in a three-part series about Core Web Vitals. In it, we want to go over each of the three metrics that are at the heart of Google’s new yard stick for website quality. Our first stop: Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and how to improve it in WordPress.



By now, Core Web Vitals are a critical ranking factor in Google. As measurements for user experience, they determine whether or not visitors have a good time on your site and also influence how well you do in search engines. For that reason, it’s important that you get them right.



To help you do so, as mentioned, we want to examine each of the components of Core Web Vitals in depth. Below, we talk about what exactly they are and why they matter for SEO. After that, you get a grade-A education on how to ace Largest Contentful Paint, the first one of them, on your WordPress site. The post explains what LCP is, how to measure it, what number you should shoot for, and how to improve this metric on your WordPress site if necessary.



What Are Core Web Vitals?







First off, in case this topic is entirely new to you, let’s start with the basics: what exactly are Core Web Vitals?



In short, they are a set of user-centered metrics that measure the loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability of web pages that Google introduced in May 2020. They are supposed to help website owners and developers understand how good of a user experience their pages offer and identify areas for improvement.



Core Web Vitals consist of three metrics:




Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)



First Input Delay (FID)



Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)




Each of these is measured separately and influenced by different factors, which is why we are writing this article series.



Why Do Core Web Vitals Matter for SEO?



The reason why we stress this point is pretty simple. Google has made it clear that it wants to prioritize pages that provide a pleasant experience to visitors who frequent them. Core Web Vitals are a way to measure that.



As a consequence, by now they are a key component of Google’s algorithm for evaluating and ranking web pages. To quote their own page on that matter:




Core Web Vitals are the subset of Web Vitals that apply to all web pages, should be measured by all site owners, and will be surfaced across all Google tools.




Therefore, if you want your pages to perform well, you not only have to look at things like web design, E-A-T, content authority, on-page optimization, site speed, and mobile friendliness but also at these UX metrics. Otherwise, you might find yourself penalized by Google and not ranking well.



In addition, improving Core Web Vitals can lead to better user engagement, longer site visits, and ultimately, increased conversions and revenue. So, optimizing your website for them not only helps with SEO, but also drives business results.



All clear? Then let’s tackle the first metric.



What Is Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)?







LCP is the first Core Web Vitals Metric we want to look at. It measures the time it takes for the largest element in the viewport (that’s what you see in your browser window) to become fully rendered on the screen after a user initiates a page load. It could be an image, video, text block, or any other element that occupies a significant amount of space on the page.



LCP is an important metric because it reflects how quickly users can access the main content of a web page, which is likely what they came for in the first place. A slow LCP score means that users may have to wait longer before they can start reading or interacting with the page. This can lead to frustration and simply make them leave. No bueno.



How Is Largest Contentful Paint Calculated?



A page’s LCP score is determined by tracking how long in seconds the largest element in the viewport takes to become fully rendered. However, the metric only regards certain types of elements for its calculation:




 elements, meaning images



 elements inside  documents



 elements that show a preview image



Elements that load a background image via the url() function



Block- and inline-level elements with text content




In short, visuals and main text. At the same time, LCP disregards components that users likely do not consider to be “contentful”, such as:




Elements with an opacity of 0, that are invisible to the user



Elements that cover the full screen and likely function as background rather than content



Placeholder images or images with little information that likely do not reflect the true purpose of the page




How to Test Your Site for LCP



There are many ways to test Largest Contentful Paint on your WordPress website. As the quote above mentioned, it is now a metric in all Google tools, so you can start there.



For example, when you input your website into PageSpeed Insights, you can find your LCP value and whether you have passed the test or not.







In addition, you find information about problems with Largest Contentful Paint and other issues in the Core Web Vitals report in Google Search Console.







Chrome developer tools also shows it (more on that below). Plus, there are browser addons that allow you to measure these metrics like Web Vitals for Chrome and SpeedVitals for Firefox. Finally, if you are a developer, you might want to use more technical solutions such as the web-vitals JavaScript library.



What’s an Ideal LCP Value?



After learning how to measure LCP, your next question is probably what exactly is a good value? What benchmark should you shoot for?



In the case of Largest Contentful Paint, the magic number is 2.5 seconds. If your LCP score is less than 2.5 seconds, it is considered good. The page in question likely provides a good user experience. If your score is between 2.5 and 4 seconds, Google considers it in need of improvement. Anything over 4 seconds is considered poor.






So, pretty cut and dry. No need to wonder, you know exactly what is expected of you by the search giant.



How to Improve Largest Contentful Paint (in WordPress)



If you find that after testing that your site does not meet the above benchmark, fear not. We will spend the rest of this post talking about how to improve your Largest Contentful Paint value if necessary.



The good news is that there is plenty you can do. On the other hand, many factors can influence LCP, therefore, correcting it is often not a quick fix thing. You need to look at the entire page loading process step by step. So let’s do that, shall we?



Find the Largest Contentful Paint Element



The first step in making your LCP value better is to find out what exactly your LCP element is. After all, how can you improve the delivery of something if you don’t know what to focus on?



If you are using PageSpeed Insights to measure your site, it will actually tell you what’s your LCP element further down the page in the Diagnostics section.







If you run a Performance test in Chrome’s browser developer tools, it will also show up in the timeline and even highlight the LCP element on the page. Click on LCP and then hover over the file under Related Node.







Break Down the Loading Process Into Parts



Next up, in order to optimize your Largest Contentful Paint, it helps to divide the process into several phases. As mentioned above, there is no one-size-fits-all approach. You have to look at it from different angles to find out what needs fixing on your site. The phases proposed by Google are:




TTFB – Means “time to first byte”, as in the time from a user requesting the page until they receive the first byte of HTML.



Resource load delay – The timespan for receiving the page files (HTML and CSS) and before the LCP resources itself is loaded.



Resource load time – The phase in which the LCP resource loads.



Element render delay – Finally, the time between loading the LCP element and fully rendering it.




Breaking down Largest Contentful Paint this way allows you to concentrate on the different phases and improve them individually. 



Optimize Site Hosting and Architecture



These are measures to improve TTFB and resource load delay.



How fast visitors receive your site data depends on a number of factors. For one, there is the server. Even if your site has a very small footprint, such as a one page website, it can still be heavily delayed by a sluggish web server. Another factor are the components that your site consists of, such as its operating system, themes, plugins, etc.



As a consequence, improving all of these factors helps optimize Largest Contentful Paint. Here’s how to do it:




Invest in quality hosting — As mentioned, the web server is a large factor and your hosting provider, therefore, an important consideration. Avoid shared hosting if you can and get a hosting plan according to your traffic. Plus, try to have your site on a server close to your audience.



Use high-quality themes and plugins — Make sure you get your site components from good sources so that you know they are well programmed, lean, and have good support. Use the minimum number of plugins to reduce HTTP requests on your site.



Keep your site updated — WordPress core and plugin/theme updates come with improvements, including performance fixes. Stay on top of them in order to get the latest and greatest.




With these in place, you can make sure that visitors receive your site data as quickly as possible. In order to know if your server is the problem, it helps to learn how to speed test your website. Also, avoid multiple redirects and look into the aforementioned server requests.



Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)



Another way to improve time to first byte is to use a content delivery network (CDN). It helps to reduce the distance between the user and the place where they receive your website data from. This can make the loading time shorter.



Image source: Kanoha, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons



There are even specialized CDNs where you only put your images on external servers, such as Jetpack’s Site Accelerator. This makes a lot of sense since images are often the largest contentful elements. CDNs also sometimes implement the image optimization techniques we will talk about now.



Optimize Images and Web Fonts



We are now getting to techniques to reduce the resource load time. If you paid attention earlier, you will know that that is the speed at which the LCP resource is delivered to the browser. An important consideration here are visuals.



Images often end up the largest contentful object because they tend to be larger in size than text due to the surplus in information they carry. For that reason, one of the things you should focus on to reduce your resource load time is optimizing them:




Use the correct size — Only use images as large as they appear on the page, otherwise you are making visitors load more than they need. This often means resizing your images before upload or setting the WordPress media options exactly to the size you need for your layout. The regenerate thumbnails plugin can help you optimize the sizes of images already on your site.



Go for modern image formats — Not all image formats are created equal. To make your visuals as small as possible, use modern formats such as webp or avif, which have a smaller footprint than their predecessors.



Compress images — Compressing means removing unnecessary data. You can do this either before uploading your images (e.g. via TinyPNG/JPG or RIOT) or automatically with WordPress plugins like Smush or Optimole.



Lazy load images not on screen — Lazy loading means not loading images that aren’t visible in the browser yet. This can save lots of time. Just be sure to exempt images that do need to be visible immediately.




More on this in our article on optimizing images. While you are at it, also reduce the size and number of  your web fonts. Load only what really need and consider hosting your web fonts locally.



Set Up Caching and Compression



Caching and compression are both techniques to generally speed up your website by making your site files faster to load. They can help with both resource load delay and load time.



The first one does it by pre-rendering your HTML documents and saving finished versions of them on your server so this process doesn’t have to be performed each time visitors want to see your site.






The second one means shrinking the size of your website files so that they are faster to transmit. You can do the latter either with Gzip compression or the newer Brotli compression. Combine it with minification for your files so that they take up less space and load faster.



A plugin like Autoptimize or many WordPress caching plugins can do all of the above and are an easy way to improve Largest Contentful Paint on your site.



Eliminate Render Blocking Resources



Now we are getting to improving element render delay. Even if you have optimized your page loading speed and the delivery of your LCP element, your score will still be bad if the element itself takes a long time to show up on the page. Here, render-blocking resources are the most common culprit.



You can use the linked article above for detailed instructions on how to deal with them. However, here a some short notes:




Load scripts asynchronously and inline essential JavaScript.



Inline style sheets into HTML (this only applies small style sheets, since inlined elements are not cached).



Reduce style sheet size by eliminating unused CSS and JavaScript. Alternatively, defer non-critical CSS and minify and compress style sheets.




Use the Coverage tab in your browser developer tools to identify the elements that your visitors need to load first. It also helps you identify unused code that you may be able to remove.







Some Really Technical Stuff



If you are of the technical persuasion, here is some more nerdy stuff you can do to further improve your Largest Contentful Paint in WordPress and beyond:




Preload images in HTML — Especially when used as CSS backgrounds or similar, add  to put priority on your most important images. This also works for fonts that could be needed to display the main text.



Adjust the fetch priority — Tell browsers what they should load first by adding fetchpriority="high". Limit this to one or two images, otherwise it defeats the purpose.



Use server-side rendering or prerendering — Especially if you have fast server. This reduces the amount of work needed to be done in the browser.



Optimize web fonts via font-display — Set the font-display rule to swap, fallback, or optional to keep your text rendering from being blocked during web font load.




Largest Contentful Paint and WordPress in a Nutshell



Largest Contentful Paint is just one of three metrics that Google considers as Core Web Vitals and uses to judge a website’s user experience and – ultimately – search rank. If you are struggling with site and search performance, it’s one of the factors to look into.



In this post, you have learned how to figure out if this is a factor for your WordPress site, what LCP value to shoot for, and ways to improve it. Hopefully, by now you feel capable of changing your LCP for the better.



As usual, you don’t have to be perfect. Pick what you feel capable of, implement it, and take it from there.



Do you have any additional tips regarding the Largest Contentful Paint metric and how to improve it in WordPress? Feel free to chyme in in the comments.
The post Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) and How to Improve It in WordPress appeared first on Torque.



Is WordPress Really Free? The Costs of Running a WordPress Site
Nick Schäferhoff — Tue, 16 May 2023 18:12:08 +0000

Is WordPress really free? One of the reasons the platform is the most widely used CMS in the world is that it’s open source. That means, anyone can use it for any purpose, without paying an upfront licensing fee. This fact has enabled hundreds of thousands of people with no development skills to run their own website. 



But does that mean every website built with WordPress is free? No. While you can use the software powering it without paying a dime, there are still costs involved with getting a site online, and promoting it.



For that reason, in this post, we talk about if and why WordPress really is free, what you have to calculate for if you want to get your WordPress website online, and ways to create an entirely free WordPress site.



That’s a lot to cover, so let’s get going.



Yes, WordPress Itself is Completely Free







WordPress as a software is open source and licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL). That means its source code is available to the public to do with as they please. In detail, that means you are free to:




Use and run it  – You can use WordPress for any purpose, whether it’s for personal blogs business websites, or even to build mobile apps and as a headless CMS. There are no restrictions on how you utilize the software and no costs associated with it whatsoever.



Modify WordPress to your needs – As an open-source software, you are free to play with the WordPress code to your heart’s content. This allows you to customize your website’s appearance and functionality, as well as create new features or fix any issues you may find. You can also build upon the system in any way you want.



Redistribute it – You are allowed to share your modified version of WordPress with others, so they can use your enhancements or customizations. For example, there is a fork of WordPress called ClassicPress, which does not include the new Gutenberg block editor. Projects like this are possible because of the platform’s open-source licensing. The only caveat is that anything you distribute that is built on WordPress has to be distributed under the same GPL license.



Study the software – Since WordPress is not a proprietary product, you may examine and learn from its code. You can even copy it and build something else entirely. This can help you better understand how the software works and improve your own coding skills.




So, as you can see, WordPress as a platform really is free. The main reason for all of that is that WordPress isn’t owned by a single company. Instead, it is a community effort of volunteers who donate their time and energy to make it better.



However, There Are Costs Involved With Running a WordPress Website



While you don’t have to pay anything for WordPress itself, if you want to build, publish, and run a website with it, there are other costs that come into play. These can vary depending on your requirements and the services you choose. However, it’s not really possible to have a website online without paying anything – not even if its based on WordPress. Here’s a list of some common costs you need to calculate for.



1. Domain Registration



To make it reachable on the Internet, you’ll need a domain name for your website. That’s the URL users type into their browser to get to your site. Domain registration fees typically range from $5 to $20 per year, but the cost can be higher for premium or specialized domain extensions.







2. Web Hosting



To allow visitors to reach your WordPress website, you’ll need a hosting provider. That’s the name for companies that rent out server space to store your website files so others can access them.







There are various types of hosting available, such as shared, VPS, and managed WordPress hosting. They come with very different prices for their plans, from just a few dollars per month to a few hundred. It all depends on what you need and choose.



3. Themes



While there are many free themes available in the WordPress repository, you may want to invest in a premium one for additional features, functionality, or design options. Premium themes typically cost between $30 and $100, with some even more expensive.







4. Plugins



Again, there are many free options which often suffice for smaller to medium sites.







However, you may want to go for premium versions with more features or better support. Prices vary. They can range from a one-time fee to an annual subscription, usually between $20 and $200 or more, depending on the plugin.



5. Security



Security services or plugins protect your website from hackers, malware, and other threats. You should always have at least some solution for that in place. Prices vary here, too. Some offer free basic protection, while more comprehensive solutions may charge a monthly or annual fee.



Source: Cloudflare



6. Backups



Regular backups of your website are essential to ensure that you can quickly restore it if something goes wrong. Some hosting providers offer backup services as part of their hosting plans, while others may charge an additional fee. You can also use plugins to manage backups, with some offering free options and others requiring a subscription.







7. Developer/Designer Fees



If you require custom development or design work, you may need to hire a professional developer or designer. The cost for these services can differ greatly depending on the complexity of the work and the expertise of the professional you choose.



8. Maintenance and Support



Ongoing maintenance, such as updating themes, plugins, and WordPress itself, is crucial for the security and performance of your website. You may want to invest in a maintenance plan or a support service to help with these tasks. Doing so can range from a few dollars to several hundred dollars per month.







9. SEO and Marketing Tools



To increase your website’s visibility and drive traffic, it’s crucial to invest in search engine optimization (SEO) or marketing. There are many SEO tools and plugins out there, which have different costs depending on the features and services you choose.







So, How Much Are We Talking?



Generally, if you go for free themes and plugins and learn to do a lot of the work on your website yourself, you can run a WordPress site for about $50-$100 a year. The more premium services, components, and extensions you go for, the pricier it gets. The sky’s the limit.



On the other hand, when you get to the level where you spend a considerable sum on running and marketing your site, you are usually at the point where the income your website generates makes it worth it.



Free Ways to Create a WordPress Site



So, if WordPress is free, is there really no fashion to also run a website with no budget? Well, there are ways, however, they all come with a few caveats.



Install WordPress Locally



You can install WordPress on your local computer using certain kinds of software. These programs create a server environment on your machine that you can run WordPress on just like a real server.







This option is primarily used for development and testing purposes, since your website will not be accessible to the public. For that, you would still need to invest in a domain and hosting. However, it is perfectly suited to learn about WordPress and how to use it to build websites without paying anything.



If you would like to learn more about local installation, we have these articles for you:




How to Use Local (By Flywheel) for WordPress Development



How To Install WordPress Locally With XAMPP (Windows And Mac)




Get a Free Plan at WordPress.com



You might be aware that WordPress comes in two different versions: the self-hosted version you can download on WordPress.org and then install wherever you want and the hosted version on WordPress.com.







The latter is more like an SaaS website service as you create an account and then the website is hosted and created for you. It’s still based on WordPress, however, you don’t have access to the server environment.



WordPress.com offers a free, basic plan that allows you to create a WordPress website with a subdomain (e.g., yourwebsite.wordpress.com). However, the plan comes with limited features, storage, and customization options. You’ll also have WordPress.com ads displayed on your site, and you won’t be able to install custom themes or plugins.



On the other hand, when using a self-hosted WordPress site (meaning you download the software from WordPress.org and install it on a server), you can do with it whatever you want. At the same time, you will have to pay for at least hosting and a domain name. But it gives you a lot more flexibility and control.



Free Hosting Providers



There are some free web hosting providers that allow you to install WordPress on their servers. There are also ways to get a free domain. For example, some free hosting providers also offer free subdomains (e.g., yourwebsite.provider.com) as part of their service.



However, keep in mind that these offers often come with limitations, such as limited bandwidth, storage, or support, and may display ads on your site. Additionally, their performance, security, and reliability is almost definitely inferior to paid options.



For that reason, while this is a possibility on paper, it is in no way suited for any serious or professional purposes. That’s also the reason we are not linking to any of them here.



So, How Free is WordPress, Really?



Part of WordPress’ claim to fame is its nature as an open source and thus free software for building websites. While the platform itself is indeed free of charge and offers numerous freedoms, there are still costs associated with running a WordPress site.



These costs almost always include domain registration and web hosting but can also extend to themes, plugins, security, maintenance, and marketing. Running a website is a complex undertaking, so it’s only natural that you need to invest some money into it.



Finally, although there are ways to create a WordPress site for free, they often come with limitations that make them unsuitable for professional purposes. To truly benefit from the power and flexibility of WordPress, it’s worth investing in the necessary components and services to ensure a high-quality, secure, and user-friendly website.



What do you most enjoy about the freedoms WordPress offers? What do you think is absolutely worth investing to run a successful WordPress website? Let us know in the comments!
The post Is WordPress Really Free? The Costs of Running a WordPress Site appeared first on Torque.



How to Make Money Blogging (5 Ways)
Will Morris — Thu, 20 Apr 2023 17:15:03 +0000

Starting a side hustle online can be a great way to boost your income and explore your passion. Plus, since you’ll only need your computer and a WiFi connection, you can do it from anywhere in the world. Still, you might not know how to get started.



Fortunately, there are tons of ways to make money blogging. For instance, you can display advertisements, become an affiliate marketer, or create a membership site. 



In this post, we’ll take a closer look at the benefits of starting a blog. Then, we’ll show you how to do this and discuss five ways to monetize your site. Let’s jump right in!



Who Benefits From a Blog?



First, let’s look at some ways that businesses and individuals can benefit from starting a blog. 



The Benefits of Blogging for Businesses



A blog is a great addition to any business because it gives you a platform to drive organic traffic to your website. Additionally, since you’re able to target different keywords in each post, you’ll have more opportunities to show up in search engine results.



On top of that, a blog can help your business generate new leads. All you need to do is add a captivating call to action to your posts to increase conversions:






What’s more, if you answer common questions in your posts, a blog is a quick way to establish your business as an industry leader. That way, readers can come to know you as the authority on a particular topic.



Lastly, starting a blog enables you to establish meaningful relationships with customers. For instance, you might use the platform to share company news, celebrate achievements, or offer a behind-the-scenes look into your business. 



The Benefits of Blogging for Individuals



Businesses aren’t the only ones that can benefit from starting a blog. Blogs are also a great way for individuals to establish themselves as content creators or influencers. 



That’s because starting a blog enables you to extend your social presence. For starters, you can share your content on different social networks to find new readers:






Eventually, you may want to monetize your blog and start a passive income business. A blog is a great way to support this venture since posts can be discovered long after you publish them. Therefore, you can continue to get views, leads, and revenue.



How to Start a Blog



Now that you know the benefits of blogging, let’s take a look at how to get started.



1. Choose a Niche



The success of your blog can depend largely on choosing the right niche. A niche will determine the type of content you’ll create and the audience you’ll serve. 



Therefore, it’s a good idea to avoid saturated niches like fashion, beauty, and fitness. Choosing a more specific niche will make it easier to set your blog apart from the others.



For example, if you want to start a food blog, you might narrow it down to gluten-free baking or family meals:






Once you’ve settled on a niche, you can check whether this type of content is in demand by using Google Keyword Planner:






This enables you to see the popularity of certain keywords and search terms that people are using to find content online. 



Typically, it’s best to choose search terms and topics with enough interest. However, you might want to avoid topics that are very popular since they may be difficult to rank for. 



2. Install WordPress



WordPress is a free, open-source platform where you can create and publish content. It supports tons of different types of content like pages, blog posts, and digital files. Plus, it’s easy to add videos and images to your blog to make your material more engaging:






What’s more, you can use WordPress themes to get your site looking exactly the way you want. And, you can use plugins to expand the functionality of your site.



If you have some technical knowledge, you might prefer to download WordPress yourself. Otherwise, you can find tons of quality web hosts that include WordPress installations as part of their services. 



3. Write Your First Post



At this point, you’re ready to start publishing content. With WordPress, you can create your first post directly within the editor. Simply click on the + to add WordPress blocks for text, headings, images, and more:






To increase your visibility online, it’s a good idea to populate your content with keywords. You can find the right keywords for your blog using Google Keyword Planner. Then, you’re able to add these terms to text areas like headings, permalinks, and meta descriptions.



If you’re happy with your post, click on Publish. Or, you can hit Save draft to finish it later.



How to Make Money From Your Blog (5 Ways)



Once you’re posting consistently and you’ve acquired an audience, it might be a good idea to monetize your blog. Here are five ways to get started.



1. Become an Affiliate Marketer



One of the best ways to monetize your blog is with affiliate marketing. This is a great way to earn a passive income. It’s also well suited to blogging because you’ll find plenty of opportunities to include affiliate links in your content. 



Affiliate marketing involves partnering with brands or individuals that occupy the same niche or share a similar target audience.  For instance, one of the most popular affiliate programs is Amazon Associates which enables you to earn a 10 percent commission on qualifying purchases:






Once you’ve been accepted into your preferred affiliate program, you’ll be given a unique affiliate link to place on your website. This link may lead to the company’s site or to a specific product that they want you to promote.



Typically, if someone clicks your link and then makes a purchase, you’ll earn a commission from the sale. Although, some brands will pay you simply for directing traffic to their pages.



2. Create a Membership Site



A membership website is a great way to monetize your blog. It also enables you to build a community of like-minded people. There are different ways you can execute this strategy.



First, you can make some of your content accessible to visitors and then save your best pieces for members. In this case, users will need to purchase a membership on your site to read your premium posts:






Or, you can create a full membership site that can only be reached by those with an active membership to your blog.



To get started, you’ll need to use a plugin like MemberPress. This enables you to set up multiple membership options. Then, you can use the plugin to protect your premium content with membership rules.



3. Display Advertisements



Advertisements are an easy way to monetize your site since they don’t interfere with your content. However, it’s important to be aware that ads can disrupt the User Experience (UX).



You can sell your ad space directly which gives you more control over the companies you work with. For instance, you’ll be able to set your own rate and determine the position of ads on your pages. But, you’ll need to be comfortable handling negotiations yourself. 



If you don’t want the responsibility of finding advertisers, you can sell ads using Google AdSense:









Google AdSense is an ad network that matches advertisers with businesses selling ad space on their websites. It enables you to present more user-friendly ads that are tailored to your visitors.



Every time a user clicks on your ad, you’ll get a percentage of whatever the company pays Google. While this method is much easier, you’ll have to split the revenue with the network.



4. Sell Physical or Digital Products



If you run a business, you might already have physical products to sell. On the other hand, you might be able to make physical products such as personalized items that you see on marketplaces like Etsy.



In this case, you can use a plugin like WooCommerce to transform your blog into an online store:






Then, you can add a payment gateway to your site to accept and authorize payments. 



Alternatively, if you don’t want to concern yourself with inventory space or shipping costs, you can always sell digital products. Easy Digital Downloads is a great tool for the job:






For example, you can sell photographs, prints, guides, eBooks, and more.



Then, your blog can function as the perfect platform to promote these products. You can do this directly, by creating fresh posts for new product launches. Or, you can write tutorials, product reviews, or roundups that highlight your items.



5. Accept Donations



The easiest way to make money blogging is to simply ask readers for donations. You might feel uncomfortable doing this at first, but if you’re offering enough value, some visitors will be happy to contribute. 



You may not earn lots of revenue this way. However, as a new blogger, it could be enough to cover basic costs like hosting, themes, and plugins. 



To get started, you can launch a crowdfunding campaign with a platform like JustGiving:






Alternatively, you can collect donations using a plugin like GiveWP.



It’s also a good idea to maintain transparency when asking readers to make payments. Therefore, you’ll want to tell readers what the money is going towards. 



Conclusion



Starting a blog is a great way to generate a passive income so that you can make money even as you sleep. Better yet, there are plenty of accessible and beginner-friendly monetization options.



To recap, here are five ways to make money blogging:




Become an affiliate marketer



Create a membership site



Display advertisements



Sell physical or digital products



Accept donations




Do you have any questions about how to make money from your blog? Let us know in the comments section below!
The post How to Make Money Blogging (5 Ways) appeared first on Torque.



How to Add Buy Now Buttons to Your Products
Will Morris — Thu, 09 Mar 2023 17:25:51 +0000

To decrease abandoned cart rates, you’ll need new ways to optimize your eCommerce store. If there are too many steps required to purchase your products, visitors may just simply leave without buying. 



That’s where Buy Now buttons can simplify the checkout process. By adding a Buy Now button to your products, customers can skip straight to the payment stage. This setup can provide a simpler buyer’s journey, leading to higher conversions. 



In this post, we’ll explain why you might want to add Buy Now buttons to your eCommerce store. Then, we’ll show you how to do this in five simple steps. Let’s get started!



Why You Should Consider Adding Buy Now Buttons to Your Products



A Buy Now button is a clickable Call to Action (CTA) on your website that enables customers to purchase a product or service. It immediately initializes the checkout process:






If customers have to go through too many steps to purchase your eCommerce products, they may abandon their carts. You can speed up the buyer’s journey with a Buy Now button. After a user clicks on this CTA, they can check out without placing the item in their cart.



As an eCommerce store owner, you’ll want to place Buy Now buttons on product pages. However, this feature can also be beneficial on landing pages. When customers can go directly from your advertisement to the checkout page, you can increase your conversion rate. 



How to Add Buy Now Buttons to Your Products (In 5 Easy Steps)



Buy Now buttons can be useful if you’re struggling to improve conversions in your eCommerce store. To help you get started, we’ll show you how to create and customize Buy Now buttons with Easy Digital Downloads!



Step 1: Install Easy Digital Downloads



Although there are many different ways to create a Buy Now button in WordPress, the simplest option is to install a plugin. If you sell digital products, we recommend Easy Digital Downloads:






Easy Digital Downloads is a popular WordPress plugin that makes it easy to sell eCommerce products such as software, music, and videos. With even the free version, you’ll be able to add Buy Now buttons to any of these digital items.



To get started, install Easy Digital Downloads in your WordPress dashboard. Once you’ve activated it, continue to the next step!



Step 2: Configure the Plugin’s Payment Settings



Before creating your first Buy Now button, you’ll need to configure a few settings for Easy Digital Downloads. Firstly, you’ll have to select a supported payment gateway.



In WordPress, navigate to Downloads > Settings > Payments > Active Gateways. To ensure that the Buy Now button works, select either Stripe or PayPal. These are the only two payment gateways that support the feature:






After saving this change, click on the PayPal or Stripe tab. You’ll see different setup instructions based on the payment method you chose:






Connect either your Stripe or PayPal account. Then, click on Save Changes. 



Step 3: Create a Digital Product



Now it’s time to set up a digital product for your eCommerce store. Click on Downloads > Downloads > Add New:






This will open an editing page for the new product. You can start by giving the item a title and description:






By default, your product will be available for free. Under Pricing Options, set a custom price:






Then, you’ll need to upload the product. By opening the Download Files section, you’ll be able to add an uploaded file, URL, or item from the Media Library:






Once you’ve customized these settings, customers can view your product. After purchasing it, they will be able to download your eBook, art, or custom software. 



Step 4: Add a Buy Now Button to Your Product



If you publish your product now, your eCommerce site will display an Add to Cart button. We recommend swapping it for a Buy Now button to improve the customer experience and encourage more purchases.



In the same editor, open the Download settings on the right-hand side. Then, scroll down to the Button Options:






Under the Purchase button behavior, select Buy Now. This will replace the Add to Cart button with a Buy Now button:






As we mentioned earlier, Buy Now buttons can also be useful on sales or landing pages. Fortunately, Easy Digital Downloads adds a Buy Button block to the WordPress Block Editor. This element lets you insert Buy Now buttons into any page or post.



After opening one of your site’s pages or posts, insert a new block. Then, search for the EDD Buy Button block:






In the new block, use the dropdown menu to select your digital product. Once you do this, the block will automatically turn into a Buy Now button:






By navigating to the block settings, you can choose to hide the product’s price. If you select this option, customers will just see the purchase CTA:






Once you’re happy with these settings, publish the page!



Step 5: Customize Your Buy Now Button



By now, you should have fully functional Buy Now buttons for your eCommerce store. However, you may want to customize them to align with your branding. 



To do this, head to Downloads > Settings > Misc > Purchase Buttons. Here, you can set a custom style and color for the Buy Now button:






At the bottom of the page, find Buy Now Text. In this field, feel free to change the default text on your Buy Now buttons. 



For example, you might add an exclamation mark to further excite your customers:






Finally, save your settings to update the Buy Now buttons. With this minor feature, you can give your customers a smooth checkout experience!



Conclusion



If customers need to follow multiple steps to buy your products, they might leave without completing their orders. However, a Buy Now button can make the checkout process significantly easier and faster. Adding this simple feature can effectively improve User Experience (UX) on your eCommerce website. 



To review, here’s how to add Buy Now buttons to your WordPress products:




Install Easy Digital Downloads.



Configure the payment settings.



Create a digital product.



Add a Buy Now button to your product.



Customize your Buy Now button.




Do you have any questions about adding Buy Now buttons to your eCommerce store? Ask us in the comments section below!
The post How to Add Buy Now Buttons to Your Products appeared first on Torque.



What is the Creator Economy (And How Can You Join It?)
Nick Schäferhoff — Thu, 02 Mar 2023 17:46:02 +0000

In today’s economy, the ability to create is more important than ever. And the rise of the “creator economy” has made it easier for people with creative ideas to share them with the world, and get paid for them.



But what is the creator economy, exactly? And perhaps more importantly, why should you care about it in the first place? And what on Earth does Web3 have to do with it?



We’ll endeavor to answer all these questions and more in today’s exploration into the creator economy and how you might take advantage of it for yourself.



The Creator Economy: A Definition



Image source: 
ConvertKit/Unsplash



The creator economy is, quite simply, the idea that people with creative ideas can get paid for their work. Specifically, it’s a rapidly growing sector of the economy that enables individuals to monetize their creative output, often in the form of content. Its main driving factors have been the advancement of technology and the ever-changing landscape of the Internet. And Web 3.0 will allow for even more innovative ways to create, share, and monetize what you do.



The cool thing about this development is that it has opened up a whole new world of possibilities to make a living doing what you love most. And while it’s not without its challenges, the potential rewards are great. Imagine turning your ideas into a full-fledged business and spending your days getting paid for things you’d happily do for free.



This is already a reality for creators across a variety of platforms, from YouTube to Instagram. But it’s made even more viable by the promise that Web3 offers.



What is Web3?



Web3, also known as the third generation of the Internet, is a shift towards a more decentralized, distributed model. Web2.0, which marked the rise of user generated content, put publishing power in the hands of everyone. However, it also put control over it in the hands of and generated money for a few big players.



Web3 is poised to upend all that. It’s based on blockchain technology — which powers cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin — and offers users more control over their data while providing better security and privacy. In addition, Web3 gives creators unprecedented control over their content, as well as more opportunities to monetize it.



Image source: GuerrillaBuzz Crypto PR/Unsplash



This could be in the form of tokenized rewards, micro-payments, or even crowdfunding initiatives. By using “creator coins,” creatives can reward their fans and followers with tokens they can use to buy products, receive discounts, or gain access to exclusive content. It’s an exciting time for those in the creative industry. It gives you the power to create and monetize your ideas in an entirely new way.



Why is Decentralized the Way of the Future?



Decentralized networks offer numerous advantages over centralized models. By distributing user control and data, they provide better security, privacy, and autonomy. Furthermore, they are more resilient to attacks or other disruptions.



When it comes to creators being able to earn a living, centralized platforms by their nature keep the majority of the creator-generated revenue for themselves. This means people who produce content on platforms like YouTube or TikTok are only getting a percentage of the value they create. For instance, 97.5% of YouTubers don’t make enough money from ad revenue to even reach the poverty line in the United States. And that’s including those who receive at least 20,000 views per day!







That’s why you’ll so often find YouTubers diversifying their income across multiple channels, i.e. YouTube + TikTok + Patreon + merchandising sales, etc. 



With decentralized models, the creator gets to keep the revenue their content generates. It basically cuts out the middleman. Certainly, the potential to receive fair rewards for their hard work is one of the biggest draws of the creator economy.



The Creator Economy By the Numbers



The creator economy is growing rapidly. For example, estimates say that Patreon pays out $25 million each month to its users. And there are over 300,000 streamers that have hit partner or affiliate status on Twitch.







Investors are moving toward decentralized models as well. According to Statista, the use of decentralized finance products and systems is growing in developing regions, pointing to a broader acceptance of cryptocurrency as a legitimate option.



In short, the creator economy is well on its way to becoming a major global force. And, as more and more creators join in, Web3 looks to play a key role in the transition. With its promise of decentralization and autonomy, it’s not hard to see why. 



How to Become Part of the Creator Economy



If you’re interested in joining the creator economy and the Web3 approach to monetization, there are a few steps you can take to get started.



1. What Will You Create?



Image source: 
Nubelson Fernandes/Unsplash



First, decide what type of content you’d like to create. Are you more focused on video, audio, written content, or something else? What topics are you passionate about? What skills do you bring to the table? This will decide which direction you are taking in your creative career.



Once you have an idea of what kind of content you’d like to go for, the next step is to develop a strategy for getting it out there.



2. Choose Your Platforms



Next up, you’ll need to think about the sorts of platforms you’d like to use. Will you focus on running a paid newsletter on Substack? Will you create videos to offer through a service like Patreon? Or, perhaps, you’ll monetize your work through a community token-style setup like Bonfire? Traditional options like YouTube or Instagram are totally valid, too. 







The great thing about the creator economy is that you can have multiple platforms in play. It’s a good idea to cast a wide net. Experiment to see which types of content do best on each platform. Then, adjust accordingly as you go.



3. Start Creating and Building an Audience



After that, it’s time to begin creating content. Put in the work to produce high-quality content that your audience will be excited to engage with. Don’t forget to promote your work, too — reach out to influencers, use SEO tactics, and create a social media presence when possible.






The goal of all of this is to help you start building an audience for your work.



4. Monetize Your Content



Once you have gathered 1000 true fans, you can start monetizing your content. Usually, this may involve using ads, sponsorships, offering access to exclusive content for a fee, or selling merchandise. Web3 also offers additional ways of earning from your content:




Community Tokens: Community tokens are digital assets that reward users for being part of a particular community. With them, users can receive rewards and buy items. A popular service for this is CrowdPad.



Crowdfunding: Crowdfunding is a great way to raise funds for a specific project or idea. On platforms like Kickstarter and Indiegogo users can donate money to support your work and receive exclusive content and products. The platform takes a cut but the overall premise of the platform is in line with the principles of Web3.



Micro-transactions: Micro-transactions are small payments made by users in exchange for access to content. This is already common practice, for example, in video games. For creators, it could involve charging users to watch a video, listen to a podcast, or access exclusive content on your website.



NFT Marketplaces: NFT marketplaces are another way to monetize your creative work. On these sites, users can buy digital tokens that represent physical or virtual items. This could include artwork, digital collectibles, music, or even gaming items. In the future, blockchain technology might make it possible for creators to receive royalties even when their work gets sold on.




5. Creator As a Business







The final step to truly join the creator economy is to thing of yourself as a business. Set goals for yourself and create a plan to achieve them. Track your progress and use analytics to optimize your strategy.



Thankfully, there’s an increasing number of Web3-compatible tools that make creating content and managing the business side of things easier and more efficient. Let’s take a look at a few categories of tools and the options within them.



Managing Payments



When it comes to managing payments, you can of course use services like PayPal or Stripe. However, they take a cut of your revenue for the pleasure. This may be preferable for you at this time, especially when just getting started. However, there is also a growing range of blockchain and cryptocurrency-based payment solutions that would work great:




Juno: Juno is a Web3-compatible payment solution that makes it easier for anyone to accept payments in crypto.



Earnr: Earnr is a revolutionary, Web3-compatible platform that simplifies the payment process with cryptocurrency, including ERC20 tokens, NFTs, and stablecoins.



Karat: Karat is open-source and streamlines payments with Ethereum.




Creating Content



The process of content creation has become increasingly decentralized and platforms like these facilitate the effort:




Unlock Protocol: Unlock Protocol is a groundbreaking Web3-compatible platform that enables creators to monetize their content in a safe, decentralized environment.



Dapper Labs: This platform makes it so you can create and manage digital collectibles.



SuperRare: Use this site for showcasing and monetizing your artwork through NFTs.




Of course, you can use other tools like Canva to create graphics and assets for your online business. 



Monetizing Music



You can even directly monetize your music distribution efforts:




Audius: Audius is a Web3-compatible platform for musicians to share and monetize their music.



Pianity: Use this service for music streaming and monetization.



Sonomo: And Sonomo supports music streaming and NFTs as well.




Listing your music on other centralized platforms is still a good way to get attention for your work. You just might not make a ton of money from them. Think Spotify, Amazon Music, and so forth. 



Business Management



Managing your business, from creating content to tracking payments, can be a daunting task. Thankfully, there’s an increasing number of Web3-compatible tools available that make it easier and more efficient.




Popchew: Popchew allows you to manage your business operations, including invoices, payments, and customer relationships.



Pietra: This platform is ideal for tracking and managing all parts of your business.



uDroppy: Manage digital commerce operations, from inventory to payments, with this convenient system.




Building Communities



Web3 can also make it easier to build a (paying) community around your content:




Moment House: Moment House is a Web3-compatible platform for streamers and creators to build communities, promote events, and monetize their content.



Boomerang: Another service for community building and engaging with your followers.



talkbase: Here’s a platform ideal for streamers and other creators.




Design Tasks



These platforms and services decentralize design and provide greater avenues of collaboration:




Fable: Fable is intended for managing design tasks, from asset creation to collaboration.



snappa: You can use this service for creating and editing graphics quickly and easily.



Bildr: You can use this platform to create, edit, and share visual assets.




Final Thoughts on the Creator Economy



The creator economy is an exciting and empowering way for creative people to make a living from their ideas online. While options for that have been around for a while, future developments look to make it easier and more profitable for individuals.



With the right strategy, you can take advantage of this trend and turn your passion into a profitable business. A growing number of tools seeks to assist you in your endeavors. Now that you know what they are, what are you waiting for? Get out there and start creating!



Are you going to jump headfirst into Web3 and decentralized content creation? Are there any platforms that particularly excite you? Feel free to share your thoughts below!
The post What is the Creator Economy (And How Can You Join It?) appeared first on Torque.



5 Best High-Ticket Dropshipping Products for 2023
Will Morris — Wed, 15 Feb 2023 19:27:13 +0000

If you’re a digital entrepreneur, you’ve likely heard of dropshipping. It eliminates the middleman ‘distributor’ by outsourcing order fulfillment and delivery to let you make a semi-passive income. However, it can be difficult to turn a sizable profit using this business model.



Fortunately, you can drastically increase your returns when you opt for high-ticket dropshipping products. From electronics to outdoor equipment, selling the right items for the right prices can make a huge difference.



In this post, we’ll introduce you to high-ticket dropshipping. Then, we’ll share some of the best and most profitable niches and products that you may want to consider. Let’s get started!



An Introduction to High-Ticket Dropshipping Products 2023



Before we discuss some of the best high-ticket dropshipping products of the year, let’s briefly go over dropshipping more broadly. 



In this model, an online store owner manages a website with a catalog of products. When they receive orders, they send them directly to the manufacturer, a wholesaler, or another third-party service to complete them:






That means the eCommerce store owner doesn’t have to deal with storage, shipping, or the other hassles of managing a brick-and-mortar business. Due to this simplified structure, dropshipping can be highly appealing to aspiring digital entrepreneurs hoping to generate more passive income.



In fact, dropshipping is growing in popularity, and the value of this market is expected to reach over $476 billion by the end of 2026. Furthermore, it’s highly accessible due to Content Management Systems (CMS) such as WordPress and Shopify.



High-ticket dropshipping involves focusing on products with higher price tags, like appliances or furniture. On the contrary, low-ticket items might include toys, sunglasses, or budget jewelry. If you choose high-ticket dropshipping, your profit margins should be higher, even if you sell a lower volume of items.



5 Best High-Ticket Dropshipping Products in 2023



Now that you know more about this online business model, let’s discuss some of the best high-ticket dropshipping products in 2023! We’ll be covering a few products within five of the best niches.



1. Home Appliances



There is no set price range for low and high-ticket items because this definition is ultimately subjective. However, each item certainly falls on a spectrum. 



One category of products ideal for high-ticket dropshipping (albeit on the lower end of the scale) is appliances. This niche might include everything from a high-end air fryer to a luxury espresso machine:






As you can see in the above example, this product falls between $250 and $500. That’s significantly more than what you’d get for children’s toys or fast fashion items. And that’s just in the kitchen alone! 



Here are a few more high-ticket dropshipping appliances you may want to consider selling:




Washing machines and dryers



Refrigerators



Vacuum cleaners




While these are some of the most common examples, you could even provide your customers with more niche items, like fireplaces or pizza ovens.



2. Furniture and Interior Design



Other excellent options for high-ticket products are furniture and interior design. The great thing about these niches is that the possibilities are almost endless.



From sofas and beds to lamps and chandeliers, this vast category will likely make it easy to find wholesalers or manufacturers to partner with. What’s more, customers tend to be more willing to invest in furniture and design products, so you don’t have to be afraid of a high price tag:






In addition to indoor and even outdoor furniture, you can keep the ‘home’ theme going by selling other high-ticket decor. For instance, why not focus on paintings, vases, and rugs?



3. Sports Equipment



Next up on our list of the best high-ticket dropshipping products is sports equipment. While this niche may not be the obvious choice, many recreational activities involve more expensive items.



For instance, snowboards, skis, and even surfboards come with hefty price tags:






Additionally, you could appeal to popular extreme sports such as kite surfing, windsurfing, and stand-up paddle boarding. 



Since this category is admittedly a bit more limited, you could always fill out your online catalog with some low-ticket accessories. For example, you might sell snowboard helmets, gloves, and boots.



4. Landscape and Gardening Supplies



Many high-ticket dropshipping products are related to houses and home improvement. So, it should be no surprise that landscape and gardening supplies are next on our list:






A dropshipping business in this niche could sell the following products:




Lawn mowers



Leaf blowers



Sheds




Again, you could then pair these products with lower-ticket items like soil, grass, and flowers. However, keep in mind that you’ll need to partner with high-quality and dependable suppliers when dealing with a ‘live’ product like plants.



5. Electronics and Tech Gadgets



Finally, electronics and tech gadgets are some of the best high-ticket dropshipping products. This niche has plenty of potential since many shoppers are increasingly fascinated with the latest and greatest tech goodies:






If you choose to dropship this type of item, here are a few products that you might consider:




Smartphones and smartwatches



Earbuds and headphones



Virtual Reality (VR) headsets



Cameras




In addition, consider selling less common (but equally popular) products such as electronic bikes and scooters. These niche items will help you appeal to a broader range of customers. 



Conclusion: Best High-Ticket Dropshipping Products



Dropshipping can be a highly lucrative online business. However, the business model might not be worth your time if you’re working with low-ticket items. Fortunately, carefully selecting high-ticket products can transform a flailing dropshipping company into a success.



To recap, here are five of the best high-ticket dropshipping niches in 2023:




Home appliances



Furniture and interior design



Outdoor and sports equipment



Landscape and gardening supplies



Electronics and tech gadgets




Do you have any questions about the best high-ticket dropshipping products this year? Let us know in the comments section below!
The post 5 Best High-Ticket Dropshipping Products for 2023 appeared first on Torque.



Define Your Target Audience: 15 Tips and Tools to Reach Clients
Nick Schäferhoff — Tue, 07 Feb 2023 21:34:11 +0000

If you’re like most people running a business, you probably don’t have a lot of time to waste. The last thing you want to do is spend months creating a product or service that no one wants to buy. So how do you know if your idea is even worth pursuing? The answer: properly define your target audience.



Defining and understanding who you are creating something for is essential for any business owner. But figuring out how to go about doing that might seem a tad confusing at first.



Thankfully, we’ve gathered a variety of tips about how to define a target audience in one place. In addition, we have rounded up some of the best tools available to assist you — so you can make your next move with confidence.



What is a Target Audience and Why Does It Matter?







Your target audience is the group of people that are most likely to become consumers of your product or service. Knowing your target audience helps you craft messaging and commodities that meet their needs. Doing so makes it easier to attract them as customers and, ultimately, make more sales.



Often, people will conflate the ideas of target audience and target demographics (or target market). While they are related, it’s important to understand the difference between them.




Target demographics refer to a set of characteristics that define an individual or group. Often, these can include age, gender, marital status, education level, job title, and income level.



Target audience, on the other hand, is more focused on understanding a person’s needs and interests. It takes into consideration things like lifestyle, values, and motivations.




Knowing your target audience helps you understand what they need. This helps you get the most out of your efforts, while also ensuring that you will find customers.



With target audience information, you can then create customer personas. These are detailed profiles of the ideal customer that can help you make more informed decisions about your business. Personas also help you develop content, create campaigns, and send targeted messages to the right people.



Image source: 
HubSpot



How to Define Your Target Audience  



So how do you define your target audience? It’s actually a lot easier than you might think.



1. Examine Your Current Customers



Take a look at your current customer base. Why do they choose to buy from you? What are their needs, wants, and motivations?



You can source this information through social media, analytics, surveys, and audience measurement tools – which we’ll discuss later. Knowing it can help you determine who else may be interested in what you have to offer.



Also look at what campaigns have been successful in the past. This can provide useful insights for your current and future marketing efforts.



2. Use Surveys and Interviews to Gather Data







Surveys and interviews can provide insight into the true needs and desires of potential customers. They let you ask questions that will help you narrow down your target audience. A few things you might want to inquire about include:




What do you like and dislike about products or services in your industry?



How likely are you to buy a product or service in your industry?



What features or benefits are most important to you when making a purchase?



What are your biggest challenges or pain points?




3. Perform Market Research



Market research helps you get a better understanding of what your target audience is looking for. You’ll want to examine things like age, gender, location, as well as purchasing habits. This can help you better tailor your messaging and product offerings to this specific group of people. Tool tips for this step are coming up soon.



4. Look at Competitor Analysis



Studying the tactics of your competitors can help you uncover potential opportunities for your own company. Knowing who they’re targeting and how they’re going about it can give you a better understanding for your own efforts.



Image source: 
ahrefs



5. Identify Your Ideal Customer



Once you’ve gathered all of your research, it’s time to identify your ideal customer. This is the person you want to target with your product or service. Write down who they are and what motivates them, so you can tailor your offerings accordingly. A few other things to make note of include:




What are their pain points?



How do they like to be communicated with?



What type of messaging resonates with them?



What channels should you use to reach them?




6. Identify Who Your Ideal Customer is Not 



While it’s important to define who you should target, it’s just as important to figure out who you shouldn’t. Identifying who your ideal customer isn’t can help you save time and money that you are not spending on trying to attract the wrong people. A few key attributes to make note of include:




Demographics: The age, gender, and location – to start – of those who wouldn’t buy your product or service.



Purchasing habits: The general price point and quality standards that don’t apply to your target audience.



Interests: The general categories of interests that your target audience couldn’t be bothered with. 



Previous experiences: Life experiences that don’t apply to your target audience. For instance, if your product is geared toward college students, your target audience likely doesn’t include homeowners or parents. 




There will be exceptions to these attributes, of course, but your goal here is to generalize. 



7. Monitor and Analyze Your Customer’s Habits and Preferences



Once you’ve identified your target audience, it’s time to start tracking their habits and preferences. Monitor their behavior and track user engagement in order to refine your marketing tactics and ensure you’re meeting their needs. You can do this by keeping an eye on social media conversations, Google search trends, and by using one or more tools designed to help you keep track of user behavior.







By using the tips above, you can accurately define your target audience. Even so, carrying out these steps is a challenge without the right tools on hand. So let’s talk about that next.



Tools for Defining Your Target Audience More Efficiently



Here are some excellent tools that can help you define your target audience more efficiently. Let’s take a look at some of them now. 



1. SparkToro







SparkToro is a great audience research tool. It lets you see what websites your customers go to and what social media accounts they interact with the most. SparkToro also provides info on the hashtags your customers use, whose content they reshare, and so forth. Knowing this, you can meet them where they’re at.



This tool can give you a better understanding of not only who your target audience is, but also what motivates them. All you need to do is plug in the topic you’re researching and SparkToro will generate an audience report with all the relevant data.



2. Google Analytics







Google Analytics is a great tool for understanding who your target audience is. It gives you insight into website traffic and user behavior. You can also see which demographics are the most engaged with your content. Plus, analytics help you track user engagement and conversions so you can identify areas of opportunity. 



3. Built-In Social Media Analytics







Many social media platforms have built-in analytics tools. They allow you to track how your content is performing and who’s engaging with it. Use them to narrow down your target audience and see which demographics are most likely to respond to your content.



For instance, Facebook offers Audience Insights, which provides details into the types of people you should target. Similarly, Instagram insights can provide valuable data on who’s interacting with your account and what kind of content they respond to best.



4. Quantcast Measure







Quantcast Measure is a powerful audience measurement tool. It helps you understand who’s visiting your website, what they’re looking for, and how they found you. The tool can even tell you where your visitors are located so you can tailor your offerings accordingly.



Once you set up an account, Quantcast Measure will give you detailed information on your visitors’ age, gender, and interests. This allows you to further refine your target audience and make sure your content aims at the right people.



5. SurveyMonkey







SurveyMonkey is a great tool for conducting surveys among your target audience. For example, you can collect feedback from your current customers as well as potential ones. This is helpful for learning more about their preferences.



To get started, just create a survey with questions related to your product or service. Then, send it out and analyze the results. You can also use SurveyMonkey to create polls and quizzes to further engage your target audience.



6. Audiense







Next up is Audiense. It’s a data-driven tool that helps you identify, analyze, and engage with your preferred customers. The software allows you to segment and target specific demographics. Doing so lets you adjust your content marketing to the needs of your customers.



Audiense titles itself as an audience intelligence platform, which is an apt description considering its comprehensive range of features. You can use the data collected to make decisions about multiple aspects of your business from keyword research and content generation to persona building and influencer outreach.



7. SEMRush







SEMRush is a powerful tool to identify keywords and phrases related to your target audience. It also provides insights into competitor activities, so you can adjust your strategy accordingly. This tool is especially useful for search engine optimization (SEO). It helps you rank your website higher in search engines for the keywords your target audience is definitely searching for. 



8. Keyhole







Keyhole is a social media report building tool that helps you analyze and track your online presence. It can identify influencers in your niche, as well as monitor hashtags and keywords related to your target audience.



Keyhole also helps you spot the right opportunity to promote your brand and get in front of potential customers at the moment they’re looking for what you have to offer. It even incorporates competitor analysis for further refining your target audience.



Get to Know Your Target Audience With These Tools and Tips



Knowing who exactly you are trying to attract is essential for your marketing efforts. By getting to know your target audience inside and out, you avoid creating the wrong content, products, and message. Doing so will save you money, time, and effort down the line.



Ultimately, with the help of the data-driven tools above, you can gain a detailed picture of your ideal customers and what they respond to best. While it’s possible to collect a lot of this information by hand, having tools that aggregate it automatically makes things a lot easier.



However, tools and research can only do so much. The key is to actually use the knowledge to improve your products and business.



Will you be using any of the tips or tools outlined here today? Did we miss your favorite? Feel free to let us know!
The post Define Your Target Audience: 15 Tips and Tools to Reach Clients appeared first on Torque.



How to Create a Paid Membership Site with WordPress (2 Ways)
Will Morris — Tue, 17 Jan 2023 19:09:12 +0000

In the past, advertising and affiliate marketing were the best ways to monetize a website. However, these tactics can be time-consuming and disrupt the user experience (UX). As an alternative, you may want to create a membership site to earn income online. Still, you might now know where to begin.



Fortunately, it’s easy to create a paid membership site with the right tools. Then, you can configure memberships in WordPress, restrict access to specific pages, and sell subscriptions.



In this post, we’ll take a closer look at membership websites and how they work. Then, we’ll discuss what you need to get started and explore two ways you can do this. Let’s dive in!



An Introduction to Membership Websites



Typically, a membership website is an online space that provides exclusive content for its members. Alternatively, some membership sites are accessible to everyone, but feature gated content and additional resources that require a membership.



Most of the time, memberships are granted in exchange for payment (usually a subscription). However, sometimes users can become members by simply handing over their email address:







Once users gain membership status, they can log into the site to view exclusive pages/posts, download files, or receive emails and newsletters. 



There are many benefits to creating a paid membership site. For instance, you’ll get access to a more engaged audience since users have already expressed interest in your content. In turn, you can enjoy higher retention rates and earn recurring revenue.



What You Need to Create a Membership Site on WordPress



To create your membership site, you’ll need a place where you can publish and manage content. One of the best options is WordPress since it’s open-source, free, and easy to use. After you’ve selected a domain name, signed up with a web hosting provider, and installed WordPress, you can add membership functionality to your site.



When creating a paid membership site, make sure you can carry out the following tasks:




Create memberships. You’ll need a tool that enables you to create multiple memberships with clear prices and benefits. 



Design a signup page. Users need a way to access your membership plans. Generally, visitors can sign up on your web page with an email address. 



Add pricing. It’s a good idea to create a pricing page where users can view all your plans. You might prefer to display this information in a pricing table so that visitors can easily compare plans. 



Integrate your website with your sales funnel. For instance, you might want to pull your members’ email addresses to your CRM. Or, you could connect your membership site to an email marketing platform.



Set up a payment gateway. If you’re accepting fees in exchange for memberships, you’ll need a payment gateway to authorize transactions.




Carefully considering the above elements at the outset can help streamline your workflow down the line.



How to Create a Paid Membership Site with WordPress (2 Ways)



Now that you know the benefits of creating a membership site, let’s take a look at two ways to get started.



1. With a WordPress Membership Plugin like ProfilePress



When you use a plugin like ProfilePress, you can easily set up and configure your membership site. Plus, it allows you to continue creating and managing WordPress content as you normally would.



Before we get started, you’ll need to enable user registration in WordPress. To do this, navigate to Settings > General in your WordPress dashboard. Then, check the box next to Anyone can register:







Now, you can install and activate the plugin. ProfilePress is an excellent option since you can use it to create custom forms for signup and login pages. 



To do this, head to ProfilePress > Settings > Pages:







Here, you can choose the default form options, or select an existing page. Alternatively, you can create a new signup page to gain greater control over your form fields and settings.



To create your own form, click on ProfilePress > Forms & Profiles. Select your preferred form type, such as LOGIN or REGISTRATION. Then, hit Add New:







Additionally, you can create membership plans by going to ProfilePress > Membership Plans > Add New:







You’re able to adjust your plan details, configure subscription settings, and add any digital products.



To accept payments on your website, navigate to the ProfilePress dashboard and select Integrate a Payment Method:







You can either choose Stripe, PayPal, or Mollie. ProfilePress also supports the Stripe hosted checkout page and on-site payment form. You’ll need to connect to your account. 



Then, it’s a good idea to test the payment method by activating Test Mode:







Lastly, you can restrict access to your content by setting up rule conditions. To do this, head to ProfilePress > Content Protection > Add Protection Rule:







Here, you can select the specific pages you want to restrict access to using the + AND/+ OR buttons. Under Access Condition, you’re able to choose who the rule applies to. For example, you can make certain posts accessible only to your subscribers. 



2. With a Learning Management System like MemberPress



MemberPress is an all-in-one solution that’s ideal for creating and selling courses. It’s not strictly a learning management system (LMS) though. The plugin also provides general membership features:







After installation, head to MemberPress > Courses > Add New to begin:







Then, switch to the Curriculum tab to add materials like infographics, video content, and quizzes:







Next, you can set up multiple membership options and implement your tiered pricing structure. This is advisable since it gives you greater control over the way users interact with your content.



To create your memberships, go to MemberPress > Memberships > Add New:







Choose a unique name and set a price for each of your plans. 



If you head to Membership Options further down the page, you can customize your signup form and enable welcome emails:







Then, switch to Permissions to establish which user roles can sign up for your memberships:







You can use MemberPress to restrict access to your paid content such as blog posts, courses, and landing pages. Although, first, you’ll need to create membership rules. 



You can do this by heading to Memberpress > Rules > Add New. Then, select Single Course from the dropdown menu and choose the course that you want to configure. Next, pick the membership(s) that your users will need in order to access the course:







Lastly, you’re ready to add a payment gateway to your website. Head to MemberPress > Settings > Payments and specify which payment gateways members can use:







Currently, MemberPress supports PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.net. Click on the plus icon (+) to add your payment method. Then, connect to your account.



MemberPress is a useful plugin, but if you’re simply seeking a way to create a simple membership site, it may be a bit excessive. You could end up paying for a ton of features you don’t need. Plus, it comes with a steep learning curve which makes it less beginner-friendly than the previous option. 



Conclusion



Creating a membership website is a great way to nurture a community while monetizing your website. However, it can be difficult to get started. Luckily, with the help of some useful tools, it’s easy to create membership options, accept payments, and restrict access to paid content.



To recap, here are two ways to create a paid membership site with WordPress:.




With a WordPress membership plugin like ProfilePress.



With a learning management system like MemberPress.




Do you have any questions about creating a paid membership site? Ask in the comments section below!
The post How to Create a Paid Membership Site with WordPress (2 Ways) appeared first on Torque.