How to Change MX Records for Your WordPress Site (Step by Step)

Recently, a reader asked how they could change the MX records for their site?

MX records (Mail Exchange records) are necessary for delivering emails to your business email address. You’ll need to change them if you want to use G Suite or other email services with your own domain name.

In this article, we’ll show how to easily change MX records for your WordPress domain name.

What Are MX Records and Why Change Them?

MX records (Mail Exchange records) are a special type of DNS record. It tells the internet servers where to send emails coming to and from your website domain name.

For instance, if you want to use Google Workspace to create a professional email address with your domain name (such as name@yoursite.com), then you need to route all your emails through Gmail’s servers.

Similarly, if you wanted to use an SMTP service provider to send WordPress emails, then you’ll need to add MX records to send your emails using SMTP.

Important: Before you begin, you need the details for your new MX records. Your business email provider should be able to supply these. For instance, these are Google’s MX records for our domain.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily change MX records for your WordPress website.

Since this is a comprehensive tutorial, we have added quick links, so you can to jump straight to the section you need.

• Changing MX Records Using Domain.com
• Changing MX Records Using Bluehost
• Changing MX Records Using SiteGround
• Changing MX Records Using HostGator
• Changing MX Records Using GoDaddy
• Changing MX Records Using Namecheap

Changing MX Records Using Domain.com

Domain.com is the best domain name registrar on the market.

If your domain name is registered with Domain.com, then you can follow the instructions below.

Tip: Want to register a new domain for sending emails? Make sure you use our Domain.com coupon code to get a 25% discount.

First, you need to sign in to your Domain.com account and click the DNS & Nameservers link on the left hand side.

If you have multiple domains, then make sure the right one is selected in the breadcrumb navigation at the top of the screen.

Next, scroll down the list of DNS records to find the MX entries for your domain. You need to click the 3 vertical dots next to the first MX record and then click the Edit link.

You will now see a popup where you are able to edit your MX record. Simply enter the new MX record in the Content box. We are using the G Suite MX record here.

You can leave the Name and Type set to their defaults. After that you need to enter the Content, TTL (Time To Live), and Priority as specified by Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) or your email host. Then, click the Update DNS button.

Repeat the process for the other MX entry, using the same MX record. That’s ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM in our case.

You should see your changed MX records in the list.

Congrats, you have successfully updated MX records for your domain name on Domain.com.

Changing MX Records Using Bluehost

Bluehost is the best WordPress hosting company on the market. They offer free domain name registration with every website.

If you registered your domain name with Bluehost, then you can follow these instructions to add MX records to your domain name.

First, you need to log in to your Bluehost account and switch to the Domains tab in the left sidebar. After that, click on the Manage dropdown menu next to your domain name and select DNS option.

You will then see the DNS details page for your domain.

Now, scroll down to the ‘MX (Mail Exchanger)’ section. Go ahead and click the 3 vertical dots next to the top MX record then select Edit.

You will now be able to edit the MX record. Simply change the priority, ‘Points To’ and TTL as specified by G Suite or your email service provider.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Update DNS’ button to store your settings.

Go ahead and repeat the editing process for the other MX record. For this one, you need to use the details for the second MX record specified by G Suite or your email host.

You should then see your 2 MX records listed.

Tip: Go ahead and use the Add Record button to create further MX records, if your email host provides them.

Changing MX Records Using SiteGround

SiteGround is a popular premium WordPress hosting company that we use for WPBeginner’s website hosting. You can get up to 63% off their hosting using our SiteGround coupon.

If your domain is registered with SiteGround, then you can follow the instructions below to update your MX records.

First, you need to log in to your SiteGround account and go to the Websites tab. Then, click the cPanel button next to your domain.

Next, scroll down to the Mail section of your cPanel and click the ‘Advanced MX Editor’ button.

Now, you need to select your chosen domain from the dropdown list.

After that, you need to select the Remote Mail Exchanger option. Then, you can enter the Priority and Destination as specified by G Suite or your email service provider.

Simply click the Add New Record button and your MX record will be added.

Changing MX Records Using HostGator

HostGator is a large hosting company that many WordPress sites use. If you want to set up a HostGator account, make sure you check out our HostGator coupon to get 62% off, plus a free domain and SSL certificate.

Note: You’ll need a hosting account with HostGator in order to update your MX records. You can’t change your MX records if you just have a domain registered there.

If you registered your domain and have a hosting account with HostGator, then you can follow the instructions below to update your MX records.

First, you need to log in to your HostGator account. Then, click the Hosting tab in your sidebar.

Below your domain’s name, click on the cPanel link.

Now, cPanel will load in a new tab. First, click on the Email link on the left hand side. This will jump you down to the Email section of the page, where you need to click on the ‘MX Entry’ button.

Next, scroll down the MX Records page to the MX Records section. Simply click Edit next to the existing record.

Now, you can change the priority to 1 and the destination to ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM in the boxes that appear below the original record. Click the Edit button to save those changes.

You will then see the new record listed. You can also add new MX records using the Add New Record button above this.

Changing MX Records Using GoDaddy

GoDaddy is a popular web hosting and domain name company. They’re offering WPBeginner readers hosting for just $1.00/month plus a free domain. You can find out more details when you use our GoDaddy coupon.

If you registered your domain with GoDaddy, you can follow the instructions below to update your MX records.

First, log in to your GoDaddy account. Next, click the DNS dropdown in the navigation menu and select Manage Zones.

Next, you need to search for the domain that you want to use. This domain needs to be one you’ve already registered with GoDaddy.

Once you’ve selected your domain, scroll down the page and you will see a list of records. Here, you need to find and edit your MX records. If you don’t have any MX records, then simply click the Add button below the list.

Next, select MX from the Type dropdown list. You should then enter the details of your first MX record. For G Suite, those details are:

• Host: @
• Points to: ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
• Priority: 1

Go ahead and click the Save button to save your MX record.

You will then see your record in the list. To add another MX record, simply click the Add button again.

Changing MX Records Using Namecheap

Namecheap is another popular domain name registration company, offering great value domains.

If you registered your domain with Namecheap, just follow the instructions below to update your MX records.

First, go ahead and log in to your Namecheap account. After that, you need to go to Domain List » Advanced DNS.

Next, scroll down the page to the Mail Settings section. Here, you need to click the dropdown link and select Custom MX.

Now, you can enter the details for your MX record. For G Suite, those are:

• Host: @
• Mail Server: ASPMX.L.GOOGLE.COM
• Priority: 1
• TTL: 60

Then, simply click the Save All Changes button to save your new MX record.

You can go ahead and add more records too, using the Add New Record button.

Final Steps After Setting Up Your MX Records

After setting your MX records, make sure you follow any other steps for setting up your email or SMTP account correctly. For help with Google Workspace (formerly G Suite), check out our step by step instructions on setting up a professional email address with Gmail and G Suite.

Next, you may need to set up your WordPress site to send email using your email / SMTP service provider.

To do that, you’ll need WP Mail SMTP plugin. It allows you to easily route all your WordPRess emails using SMTP without any complicated set up.

For detailed instructions, take a look at our ultimate guide on setting up WP Mail SMTP with any host.

We hope this article helped you learn how to change MX records for your WordPress site. You might also like our article on how to create an email newsletter, and how to add website push notifications in WordPress to communicate with your customers.

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

The post How to Change MX Records for Your WordPress Site (Step by Step) appeared first on WPBeginner.

November 24, 2020 at 06:00PM

70+ Black Friday / Cyber Monday 2020 WordPress Deals – Big Savings

Looking for the best Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on your favorite WordPress products?

The next few days are the perfect time to buy premium WordPress plugins, themes, web hosting, and tools to grow your business. As always, to help you find the best deals, we have created the ultimate listed of best WordPress Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals for 2020. Some of these are exclusive just for WPBeginner readers.

View our Complete Black Friday and Cyber Monday List for 2020

We will be updating this page on a daily basis to add more deals.

View our Complete Black Friday and Cyber Monday List for 2020

The post 70+ Black Friday / Cyber Monday 2020 WordPress Deals – Big Savings appeared first on WPBeginner.

November 23, 2020 at 05:42PM

6 Best SEO Rank Tracker Tools for Keyword Tracking (Compared)

Are you looking for the best SEO rank tracker tool for keyword tracking?

A search engine results page (SERP) tracking tool helps you track your website’s SEO position for specific keywords. It shows you changes in keyword positions and allows you to compare them with your competitors.

In this article, we’ll share our expert pick of the best SEO rank tracking tools for keyword tracking.

Why Should You Use a SERP Keyword Tracking Tool?

A SERP keyword tracking tool can help you put your search engine optimization (SEO) strategy on the right track.

You can monitor keyword rankings for different pages to see what’s working in your business. If your keyword rankings are going up, and your organic traffic is increasing, then it means your SEO efforts are working.

On the other hand, these SERP tracking tools will immediately notify you when your keyword rankings drop.

This allows you to quick implement a fix, so you don’t lose any sales revenue.

Another benefit of using rank tracking tools is that you can keep an eye on your competitors. You can see which search terms they are ranking on and find new keyword opportunities for your website.

That being said, let’s take a look at the best rank tracker tools that you can use to grow your business.

1. SEMrush

SEMrush is the best rank tracker tool for monitoring your keyword rankings. It is a complete SEO toolkit and is preferred by many digital marketing professionals.

This is the tool that we use for WPBeginner and our other companies.

With help of SEMRush’s position tracking feature, you can track and monitor the movement of your site’s keyword rankings. The tool also shows which search terms are in the SERP features like the featured snippets, Google sitelinks, or knowledge panel.

SEMrush gives you an overall landscape of your rankings by showing you how many search terms are in the top 3, 10, 20, and 100. You can even see your ranking distributions over time.

Another powerful feature of SEMrush is that you can track your competitor’s keywords as well. You can add up to 10 URLs of your competitors and track their search engine performance.

Plus, you can use SEMrush to perform keyword research, find backlink opportunities, conduct a detailed competitor analysis, find paid keywords, track social media performance, and more.

Pricing: WPBeginner users get a free 30 day trial of SEMrush. Paid plans starts from $99.95 per month.

2. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is another excellent rank tracker tool. Similar to SEMRush, it is also a comprehensive SEO and digital marketing platform.

With the help of its Rank Tracker feature, you can add your website or connect your Google Search Console account with Ahrefs to import projects. Next, add the keywords you want to track to your Ahrefs dashboard.

Ahrefs shows you an overview of your search engine rankings. You can see your visibility percentage, average position, traffic, SERP features, and changes in position.

For each keyword, you can see their current position, search volume, total traffic they are getting, keyword difficulty, and if the keyword is in a SERP feature like the People also ask section.

You can add up to 10 competitors in the Ahrefs Rank Tracker tool and compare them with your own website. However, if you are looking for more in-depth competitor analysis, then we suggest using its other features.

For instance, you can enter a URL in the Site Explorer feature and find the number of backlinks, organic keywords, and identify content gaps.

Similarly, you can use Ahrefs for conducting a site audit, use Keyword Explorer for researching search terms for your content, and more.

Pricing: Ahrefs prices start from $99 per month.

3. MonsterInsights

MonsterInsights is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. It allows you to easily set up Google Analytics in WordPress and view the data you need right in your WordPress dashboard.

MonsterInsights helps you monitor keyword rankings inside the WordPress admin area. You can view the Search Console report to see your site’s top 50 Google search terms and where you rank for them.

It will also show the number of clicks, impressions, click-through rate (CTR), and the average position for each keyword. This helps you optimize your website and boost rankings. For instance, you can find content that ranks at 11 or 12th position, you can optimize those articles to bring them to the first page.

Note: You will need to connect Google Search Console with Google Analytics in order to unlock these reports in MonsterInsights.

Pricing: MonsterInsights Search Console report is available in its Plus plan, which costs $99.50 per year.

4. SERPWatcher by Mangools

SERPWatcher by Mangools is a powerful SEO toolkit which allows you to easily track SERP for your business.

You also get access to their SERPChecker, Link Miner, Keyword finder, and Site Profiler tools, which makes Mangool a good alternative to some pricey SEO platforms.

It is a user-friendly tool and you can get started in just a few minutes. Simply add your website, selecting a location you want to track, select the platform (desktop or mobile), and then enter your keywords.

In the SERPWatcher report, you get a detailed picture of how your website is performing in SERPs. It shows you each keyword’s ranking, change in positions, average position, best position, search volume, and estimated visitors per month.

In addition, you can also view your site’s performance index, estimated visits, keyword distribution, and position flow.

SERPWatcher allows you to get daily ranking updates through email alerts. This helps you stay on top of any changes that might occur in the SERPs and act quickly.

Pricing: SERPWatcher prices start from $29.90 per month.

5. SE Ranking

SE Ranking is another great tool to monitor SERPs for your business. It is very easy to use and helps you keep your SEO strategy on track.

Using its Keyword Rank Tracker feature, you can monitor your website’s search terms on Google, Yahoo, Bing, Yandex, and YouTube. SE Ranking also lets you track keywords based on geographic locations and devices.

To start, you can use the SE Ranking’s wizard by entering your site’s URL, add keywords you want to track, and specify the search engine and country.

You can even add up to 5 competitors for tracking and connect the tool to your Google Analytics and Google Search Console accounts.

When you have added your website and keywords, you can use SE Ranking’s dashboard to monitor rankings, view historical data, track competitors, and much more.

In addition to tracking your search terms, you can use SE Ranking to analyze your traffic, measure SEO potential, create a marketing plan in real-time, conduct website audit, monitor backlinks, and more.

Pricing: SE Rankings prices start from $31 per month for tracking 250 keywords.

6. Serpstat

Serpstat is the last SERP tracking tool on our list and is an all-in-one SEO solution. You can use it to analyze your website, conduct keyword research, find backlinks, and monitor keywords.

The tool offers a clean dashboard where you can control all your settings and perform different actions. To track your search term rankings, go to the Rank Tracker option.

After that, create a new project, enter your website details, select your search engine options, and add the keywords you want to monitor.

Serpstat lets you view the position changes of your search terms, compare them with your competitors, group your keywords, and much more from your dashboard.

Compared to other tools on our list, SERPStat offers more visual reports and an intuitive dashboard. You get graphs and charts that give you a birds eye view of your reports which you can further drill down.

However, the tool is not the most beginner-friendly and it can take some time getting used to its interface and navigating through its options.

Pricing: Serpstat prices start from $69 per month.

Which is the Best SEO Rank Tracker Tool (Expert Pick)

We believe that SEMrush is the best SEO rank tracker tool in the market. It is an all-in-one SEO toolkit that is easy to use, offers lots of features, and easily tracks keywords.

SEMRush is trusted by many marketing professionals, and you can use it for finding keywords, backlinks, analyzing your competitors, monitoring your social media campaigns, tracking paid advertising campaigns, and much more.

Our team uses SEMRush for keyword tracking for WPBeginner site, and all of our businesses.

We hope this article helped you find the best rank tracker tools for SERP tracking. You may also want to see our list of the best WordPress plugins for business websites.

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

The post 6 Best SEO Rank Tracker Tools for Keyword Tracking (Compared) appeared first on WPBeginner.

November 20, 2020 at 05:40PM

How to Create a Request a Quote Form in WordPress (Step by Step)

Recently, a reader asked how to add a request a quote form in WordPress?

A request a quote form allows potential customers to contact you to get a pricing information for your product or service. This is particularly helpful for businesses that offer varied pricing based on a customer’s requirements.

In this article, we’ll show you how to easily create a request a quote form in WordPress to generate more leads from your website.

What is a Request a Quote Form and Why Create One in WordPress?

A ‘Requet a Quote’ form allows your customers to contact you with their specific information to get pricing based on their requirements.

For instance, if you provide gardening services, then your rates may vary depending on lawn size, job type, and time. Similarly, if you sell products in bulk, then you may be able to adjust pricing based on customer’s order.

Request a quote form basically allows you to collect all the customer information you need to offer them accurate pricing for the job.

Quote request forms typically see higher conversions because users don’t need to enter payment details right away. This helps you generate more leads and make more sales.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily create a request a quote form in WordPress.

Creating a Request a Quote Form in WordPress

For this tutorial we’ll be using the WPForms, which is the best WordPress contact form plugin on the market.

It allows you to easily make any kind of form using a simple drag and drop form builder, right inside your WordPress site.

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

Note: you can use the free version of WPForms as well to create this form.

Upon activation, go to WPForms » Settings to enter your license key. You can find this information under your account on WPForms website.

Next, go to WPForms » Add New to launch the WPForms form builder. You need to give your form a name and click on the ‘Request a Quote’ template.

You will then see the drag and drop form builder with the default Request a Quote template in place.

Now, you can go ahead and edit the fields on your form. For our demo form, we changed the ‘Name’ field to a simple format, and we changed the ‘Request’ field label to something more specific.

You can easily add or remove fields on your form by simply clicking on the Add Fields tab, and then drag and drop your chosen field onto your form.

We’ve added a checkboxes field, so users can choose what elements they want for their website.

To edit the new field, just click on it. The field options will open up on the left-hand side of the screen.

Here, you just need to type in the text that you want to use for the field label and options.

You can also add or remove options using the + and – buttons.

Once you’ve finished creating your form, don’t forget to click the Save button at the top of the screen to save your changes.

Adding Your Request a Quote Form to Your Website

Now, that you have created your Request a Quote form, it is time to add it to your WordPress website.

First, you need to either create a new page or edit an existing one where you want to add your form.

Next, you need to click the + button to add a WPForms block using the WordPress block editor.

Once the block is added, you need to choose your form in the dropdown. After that go ahead and publish the page.

Next, you can preview the page to see how your form looks. Here’s how the request a quote form looked on our demo website:

Tip: If you’re using the classic editor, it’s easy to add your form using the Add Form button. It’s next to the Add Media button.

Changing the Confirmation Message and Notifications for Your Form

When a potential customer requests a quote, they’ll see the default confirmation message: ‘Thanks for contacting us! We will be in touch with you shortly.’

You can easily change this confirmation message. To do so, simply go to the WPForms » All Forms page in your WordPress admin, then click on the title of your form to edit it.

Next, click the Settings » Confirmations tab of your form.

You will see a confirmation message box where you can edit and customize the default message.

Don’t forget to click the Save button at the top of the screen after making changes.

You can also change the notification message sent by your form. To do this, click on the Notification tab. It’s easy to change things like your email subject line and who receives the emails.

The ‘Send To Email Address’ defaults to {admin_email}. You can change this admin email in your WordPress settings.

Tip: If you’re not getting emails from your form, then you may need to use our instructions to fix WordPress not sending emails issue.

You could even send multiple notifications from your form. This lets you send an email to your customer to automatically confirm the details of what they’ve requested.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create a request a quote form in WordPress. You might also like our article on the best WordPress plugins for business websites.

Bonus: Get More Leads by Offering Free Quote

WPForms makes it super easy to create a request a quote form. However, you may need to give your customers a nudge into the right direction to fill in the form.

This is where OptinMonster comes in. It is the best lead generation and conversion optimization software on the market.

It helps you convert more users by nudging them to perform the desired action like filling out a form, joining your email list, buying a product.

It comes with beautiful popups, powerful on-site targeting, countdown timers, floating bars, and more. All of them help you bring in more leads and customers to grow your business.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create a request a quote form in WordPress. You may also want to see our comparison of the best business phone services to auto-redirect customer calls to boost sales, and our comparison of the best email marketing services to automatically send follow-up emails after someone requests a quote.

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

The post How to Create a Request a Quote Form in WordPress (Step by Step) appeared first on WPBeginner.

November 19, 2020 at 06:00PM

How to Add Sample Data in WooCommerce (with Product Images)

Do you want to add some sample data in WooCommerce?

If you are setting up a new online store, then you may want to add some sample product data to see how it would look. This can also help with testing before going live.

In this article, we’ll show you how to easily add sample data in WooCommerce with product images.

Why Add Sample Data in WooCommerce?

Using dummy data in WooCommerce lets you see how your WooCommerce store looks with actual products in place.

You can test your WooCommerce theme, try essential WooCommerce plugins, and set up your store without adding your own products.

Adding dummy WooCommerce products enables you to offer a better customer experience in your store when you go live with real products.

Setting Up Your WooCommerce Store for Sample Data

If you haven’t yet launched your WordPress website, then you need to get suitable WooCommerce hosting.

Need help launching a WordPress powered WooCommerce store? Follow the instructions in our step by step WooCommerce tutorial.

Adding Sample Product Data in WooCommerce

Now that you have installed WooCommerce, let’s add some sample product data to your store.

First, you need to visit the Products » All Products page in your WordPress admin area and click on the ‘Start Import’ button.

You will then see the product importer page. From here, you need to click on the ‘Advanced Options’ link to expand the settings.

After that, you just need to copy and paste the following URL path into the box for a CSV file on your server.

wp-content/plugins/woocommerce/sample-data/sample_products.csv

That URL goes directly to the sample product data that comes with the WooCommerce plugin. This is the quickest method to add the sample data.

Another option is to download the sample_products.csv file from your website and then upload it again. Simply go to the following URL:

https://ift.tt/3lHdjE5

Don’t forget to replace example.com with your own domain name. Your browser will automatically download the CSV file to your computer, which you can then upload on the product importer page.

Once you have uploaded the CSV file, you will be prompted to choose how to map the data to the product fields in WooCommerce.

We recommend leaving all these settings as the defaults and click on ‘Run the importer’ button at the bottom.

The WooCommerce importer may take a minute or two to import dummy content. Once it has finished, you will see an ‘Import Complete’ message. You can then click on the ‘View products’ button to see all the imported content.

The sample WooCommerce products will show up just like regular products.

You can then edit these just like any WooCommerce products, preview them with your WooCommerce theme, and try out different WordPress plugins.

Creating Sample Orders in WooCommerce

WooCommerce doesn’t come with a sample order generator. The easiest way to create dummy orders in WooCommerce is to simply go through the checkout process yourself.

It’s easy to do this without spending any money and without changing the prices of your products.

Simply go to the WooCommerce » Settings » Payments page in your WordPress admin and enable the ‘Cash on delivery’ payment option. Don’t forget to click the Save Changes button.

Next, you need to visit your store and order some of the dummy products. You’ll then see your orders on the WooCommerce » Orders page.

You can create as many sample orders as you want.

How to Remove the Sample Data in WooCommerce

After you’ve finished using your sample data, you can delete the dummy products and orders.

To delete orders, go to the WooCommerce » Orders page in your WordPress admin. Here, you simply need to select all the orders and use the ‘Bulk actions’ menu to move them all to the trash.

Just select ‘Move to trash’ from the dropdown then click the Apply button.

To delete products, go to the Products » All Products page in your WordPress admin. Again, simply select all the products then use the ‘Bulk actions’ menu. Go ahead and select ‘Move to trash’ then click the Apply button.

We hope this article helped you learn how to add sample data in WooCommerce. Now that your store is ready, we recommend that you setup WooCommerce conversion tracking to gain insights.

You may also want to see our comparison of the best business phone services and best email marketing services to grow your eCommerce business.

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

The post How to Add Sample Data in WooCommerce (with Product Images) appeared first on WPBeginner.

November 18, 2020 at 06:07PM