Checklist: 10 Things To Add To The Footer on Your WordPress Site

Are you wondering what to add to the footer of your WordPress site?

The footer is the area at the bottom of your website. Although it’s easy to overlook, the footer can improve the user experience on your site in lots of significant ways.

In this checklist, we will share the top things that you should add to the footer of your WordPress website.

What is the Footer in WordPress?

The footer is the area that appears below the content part of your website. It is a common website design feature used by millions of websites.

‘Footer’ can also refer to the footer code area. Third-party services like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and many others may ask you to add code snippets to your website’s footer.

This sort of footer code doesn’t appear to visitors but it allows you to add features, services, and other content to your WordPress website.

With so many options, beginners may struggle to decide what to add to the footer area. As a result, many website owners miss out on opportunities to improve their sites and provide a better visitor experience.

That being said, let’s take a look at some of the things to add to the footer of your WordPress site, and how to make it more useful.

Here are all the things we’ll add, so feel free to jump straight to the items that interest you.

1. Adding Links to The Footer of Your WordPress Site
2. Adding Code in WordPress Footer
3. Adding Privacy Policy Link in WordPress Footer
4. Adding Copyright Date in WordPress Footer
5. Remove Powered by Links from Footer in WordPress
6. How to Add Instagram Feed in WordPress Footer
7. Add a Sticky Footer Bar in WordPress
8. Add Social Buttons in WordPress Footer
9. Add a Phone Number in WordPress Footer
10. Add a Contact Form in WordPress Footer

1. Adding Links to The Footer of Your WordPress Site

Many websites add links to the footer area. This helps visitors find your site’s most important content such as the about page, products page, checkout, contact form, and more.

All popular WordPress themes come with a footer widget area where you can add different content and elements.

To add links to the footer area, go to the Appearance » Menus page and click on the ‘create a new menu’ link.

After that, type in a name for the menu. This is just for your reference so you can use anything you want.

With that done, click on the ‘Create Menu’ button.

Now, check the box next to each item that you want to add to the menu.

Then, click on ‘Add to Menu.’

When you’re happy with how the menu is set up, click on the ‘Save Menu’ button to store your changes. For more help, see our guide on how to create navigation menus in WordPress.

Now you’ve created a menu, let’s add it to the footer area of your website by going to Appearance » Widgets. Here, click on the blue ‘+’ button.

In the ‘Search’ field, type in ‘Navigation Menu.’

When the right block appears, drag and drop it onto the ‘Footer’ or similar area.

After that, open the Select Menu’ dropdown and choose the footer menu you created earlier.

You may also want to type in a title, which will appear above the links in your website’s footer.

With that done, click on the ‘Update’ button.

Now, if you visit your website you’ll see all the links in the footer area.

You can also add links to the footer using a drag-and-drop page builder plugin like SeedProd. You can even create different footers for individual WordPress pages.

For step-by-step instructions, check out our guide on how to edit the footer in WordPress.

Adding a Menu to Your Footer with the Full-Site Editor

If you’re using a block-based theme such as ThemeIsle Hestia Pro or Twenty Twenty-Three, then the process of adding a menu to the footer is slightly different.

Simply create a navigation menu following the same process described above. Then, go to Themes » Editor in the WordPress dashboard to open the full-site editor.

Here, click on the downwards-pointing arrow in the toolbar and select the ‘Footer’ template.

In the footer area, go ahead and click on the ‘+’ button to add a new block.

In the ‘Search’ bar, type in ‘Navigation.’

When the right block appears, click to add it to the footer area.

The full-site editor will show one of your navigation menus by default.

If you want to show a different menu instead, then open the ‘Select menu’ dropdown in the right-hand panel and choose the menu you want to use.

When you’re happy with how the menu looks, click on ‘Save’ to make your changes live.

2. Adding Code in WordPress Footer

Sometimes you may need to add snippets to your WordPress blog or website’s footer.

You could edit your theme files directly and paste the new code in the footer.php template. However, this isn’t recommended as the custom code will disappear if you change the WordPress theme, or update that theme.

Editing your theme files directly can also be risky. Even a simple typo or mistake could cause lots of common WordPress errors.

The best way to add code in the WordPress footer is by using a code snippets plugin. WPCode is the best code snippets plugin for WordPress. It makes it easy to insert code into your WordPress site’s headers and footers without needing to edit your theme files.

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

Upon activation, go to Code Snippets » Header & Footer. From here you can paste your code snippet into the ‘Footer’ box.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your changes. For more detailed instructions, please see our article on how to add header and footer code in WordPress.

3. Adding Privacy Policy Link in WordPress Footer

To comply with GDPR and other privacy-related laws in different countries, you need to add a privacy policy page in WordPress and then link to it from all the other pages.

Since the footer appears across your entire website, it’s the perfect place to add this URL.

First, you need to go to Settings » Privacy in the admin area. You’ll notice that WordPress has already created a Privacy Policy page draft for you.

To use the default Privacy Policy page, simply click on ‘Use This Page.’ If you want to use a different page instead, then open the dropdown menu and choose a new page from the list.

You can also create a new privacy policy page from this screen. Simply click on the ‘Create’ button and WordPress will generate a new post with some basic privacy policy text.

No matter how you create the privacy policy page, you can edit it just like any other page in WordPress. For example, you can add more information about your requirements, and terms and conditions.

When you’re happy with the information you’ve entered, click on the ‘Publish’ button to make the privacy policy live.

With that done, you’ll need to add a link to your website’s footer. To add a navigation menu to the footer area, simply follow the same process described above.

4. Adding Copyright Date in WordPress Footer

You may also want to add a copyright date in the WordPress footer area to let visitors know that your content is copyrighted. One way to do this is by simply adding the text to your theme settings.

Many top WordPress themes allow you to add text in the footer area, so it’s worth checking whether your theme has this setting.

Simply go to the Appearance » Customize page and look for any footer settings in the left-hand menu. These are usually labeled ‘Footer Options,’ ‘Footer Settings’ or similar.

To add the copyright symbol, simply paste the following into the ‘Footer Credits,’ ‘Copyright Text’ or similar section.

© Copyright 2016-2023. All rights reserved.

The WordPress Theme Customizer will update automatically so you can see how the copyright text will look on your website.

Depending on your theme, you may also be able to change the font size and text alignment using the theme settings.

If you’re happy with how the copyright notice looks, then click on the ‘Publish’ button to make your changes live.

Pro Tip: With this approach, you’ll still need to update the copyright notice every year. To add the new year automatically, see our guide on how to add a dynamic copyright date in the WordPress footer.

Adding a Copyright Date to Your Footer with the Full-Site Editor

If you’re using a block-enabled theme, then it’s easy to add a copyright date to the footer. Simply go to Themes » Editor to open the full-site editor.

Then, scroll to the footer section and click on the ‘+’ to add a new block. You can now start typing in ‘Shortcode’ and select the right block when it appears.

In the shortcode block, add the following:

© Copyright 2016-2023. All rights reserved.

After that, simply click on the ‘Save’ button to make the copyright notice live.

5. Remove Powered by Links from Footer in WordPress

Some free WordPress themes add links to the footer area. Typically this is a ‘Powered by WordPress’ disclaimer that links to the official WordPress website, but some theme developers also include links to their own websites.

These outgoing links encourage visitors to leave your website and can have a negative effect on your WordPress SEO. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to remove them from the footer area by going to Appearance » Customize.

Some themes make it difficult to remove these links so you may have to spend time looking through the different settings.

To start, we recommend looking for any settings labeled ‘Footer Options,’ ‘Footer & Copyright Options,’ or similar.

Here, you should be able to delete the links or even replace them with your own URLs.

Some themes hard-code the links in the theme files and don’t give you the option to remove them using the WordPress Customizer.

In that case, you can remove these links by editing the footer.php file. For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to remove the powered by WordPress footer links.

Removing Powered By Links with the Full-Site Editor

To remove the ‘Powered By’ links in a block-enabled theme, simply open the full-site editor by following the same process described above.

In the editor, find the ‘Proudly powered by WordPress’ or similar text. You can replace this with your own text by typing into the ‘Paragraph’ block.

If you want to remove the text completely, then simply click to select the ‘Paragraph’ block. After that, click on the three-dotted ‘options’ button.

Finally, click on ‘Remove Paragraph’ to delete the block.

You can then go ahead and click on ‘Save.’ Now, if you visit your website you’ll see that this text has been removed.

6. How to Add Instagram Feed in WordPress Footer

Do you regularly post beautiful photos and videos to Instagram?

People won’t see your Instagram content if they just visit your website. With that in mind, you may want to show recent Instagram photos in your website’s footer.

This is an easy way to promote your social media page and encourage more people to follow you on Instagram.

The easiest way to add a photo feed in the WordPress footer is by using Smash Balloon Instagram Feed. It is the best Instagram plugin for WordPress and allows you to easily add a photo feed to your website.

After adding the social media feed to your footer, Smash Balloon will fetch new Instagram photos automatically. In this way, your footer will always show your latest Instagram photos to the people who visit your website.

If you run an online store, then you can even get more sales by adding Instagram shoppable images to the WordPress footer.

Smash Balloon has all the tools you need to fine-tune how the Instagram feed looks in your footer. For example, you can choose between different layouts, add a ‘Follow’ button, optimize your feed for mobile devices, and more with the user-friendly Smash Balloon editor.

For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to how to easily embed Instagram in WordPress.

When you’re happy with how the feed looks, it’s time to add it to your website’s footer. Simply go to Appearance » Widgets and click on the blue ‘+’ button.

In the search field, type in ‘Instagram Feed’ to find the right block. Just be aware that WordPress has a built-in Instagram Feed button, so make sure you use the block that has the official Instagram logo.

You can now drag and drop the block onto your site’s footer.

With that done, simply click on ‘Update.’ After that, you can visit your website to see your Instagram feed in the footer.

Adding an Instagram Feed with the Full-Site Editor

It’s easy to add the Smash Balloon Instagram feed to a block-enabled WordPress theme.

Simply open the full-site editor following the exact same process described above, and then click on the ‘+’ button in the footer template.

With that done, type in ‘Instagram Feed’ and select the right block when it appears to add it to the footer.

The full-site editor will automatically show the Instagram feed you created.

With that done, simply click on ‘Save’ to make the Instagram feed live.

7. Add a Sticky Footer Bar in WordPress

Want to show special offers or notifications in the footer area?

You can create a footer bar that stays stuck to the bottom of the screen as the visitor scrolls.

To create this kind of sticky footer bar, you’ll need OptinMonster. It is the best conversion optimization software in the market and allows you to turn website visitors with a high bounce rate into users and customers.

OptinMonster also comes with powerful display rules so you can show personalized custom messages in your website’s footer.

First, you’ll need to sign up for an OptinMonster account.

After that, install and activate the OptinMonster plugin on your WordPress website. Upon activation, select Connect Your Existing Account.

You can now type in the email address and password for your OptinMonster account.

Once connected, go to the OptinMonster » Campaigns page and click on the ‘Create your first campaign’ or ‘Add New’ button.

On the next screen, choose ‘Floating Bar’ as your campaign type and then select a template.

To preview an OptinMonster template, simply hover your mouse over it and then click on the ‘Preview’ button.

When you find a template you like, click on its ‘Use Template’ button.

You can then type in a name for the campaign. This is just for your reference so you can use any title you want.

With that done, click on Start Building.

This will take you to OptinMonster’s drag-and-drop campaign builder where you can design the footer bar. Simply click on any element you want to edit, or drag and drop new blocks from the left-hand column.

When you’re happy with how the campaign looks, simply click on the ‘Publish’ button.

Then, select ‘Publish’ to make the campaign live.

You can now select the ‘Save’ button to store your changes and then click on the ‘X’ in the upper-right corner to close the OptinMonster campaign builder.

Back in the WordPress dashboard, open the ‘Status’ dropdown and select ‘Published.’

Finally, click on ‘Save.

Now, visit your WordPress website to see the floating footer bar in action.

You can use OptinMonster to create all kinds of high-converting campaigns including slide-in footer popups, countdown timers, and targeted footer notifications that can help you recover abandoned cart sales.

8. Add Social Buttons in WordPress Footer

Another good way to use the footer space in your WordPress theme is by displaying social media icons. This is an easy way to promote your different profiles and get more followers on Twitter, Facebook, and other popular platforms.

The best way to add these buttons is by using the Social Icons Widget plugin. This plugin supports all the major social networks and comes with multiple icon styles that you can choose from.

After activating Social Icons Widget, go to the Appearance » Widgets page. You can then click on the ‘+’ button and search for ‘Social Icons Block.’

When the right block appears, drag and drop it onto the footer area.

By default, the Social Icons Block already has a few social media icons built-in.

To link any of these icons to your own social profiles, simply give it a click. In the little bar that appears, type in the URL of the page you want to promote.

Want to use a different icon for this social media platform?

Then simply click on the ‘Edit Details’ link. This opens a window where you can choose a new image for the social icon.

Simply repeat this process for each built-in social media icon.

If you want to remove one of these default icons, then click on the ‘Delete icon.’

There are countless social media platforms and other websites that you may want to add to the footer area.

To do this, click on the ‘+’ button.

You can now choose a social media icon and add a link by following the same process described above.

When you’re happy with how the social media icons are set up, click on ‘Update.’ Now, simply visit your website and scroll to the footer area to see the social buttons in action.

Bonus: Want to add more social features to your website? Take a look at our expert pick of the best social media plugins for WordPress to grow your audience.

Adding Social Buttons with the Full-Site Editor

Are you using a block-enabled theme? Then you can add social icons to the footer by going to Themes » Editor.

In the footer, click on the ‘+’ button and then type in ‘Social Icons block.’

When the right block appears, click to add it to the footer.

This adds a block with the default social icons.

You can now customize these icons and add new social buttons, by following the same process described above.

When you’re happy with how the buttons look, simply click on the ‘Save’ button. Now if you visit your website you’ll see the social icons in the block-enabled footer.

9. Add a Phone Number in WordPress Footer

If you offer customer support over the phone, then adding your phone number in the WordPress footer area can help users contact you.

For this, you’ll need a business phone number. We recommend using Nextiva, which is the best business phone service for small businesses.

Nextiva allows you to make cheaper calls and use advanced features like call forwarding, unlimited free domestic calling, voicemail to email and text, and more. You can also use the same number on multiple devices and handsets, and manage calls from any device that has an internet connection.

Once you have a business phone number, you’ll need to add it to your website. The easiest way is by using the WP Call Button plugin, which adds a click-to-call button to your WordPress site.

After activating the plugin, go to Settings » WP Call Button in the WordPress dashboard.

Here, click on the ‘Call Now Button Status’ switch so it shows ‘Active.’

Next, type your business phone number into the ‘Phone Number’ field.

By default, the button shows ‘Call Us’ text but you can replace this with your own custom messaging by typing into the ‘Call Button Text’ field.

After that, scroll to the Call Button Position section and choose where you want to show the button on your website. For example, you can show the button in the bottom-right corner, or create a banner that covers the whole footer area.

When you’re happy with how the button is set up, click on ‘Save Changes.’ After that, simply head over to your website to see the call-to-click button in action.

Don’t want to use a click-to-call button? Then see our guide on how to add clickable phone numbers in WordPress for some different options.

10. Add a Contact Form in WordPress Footer

Your website’s footer doesn’t have to be a dead-end. If you’ve added a navigation menu following the process described above, then you’re off to a great start. However, you can also encourage customers to connect with you by adding a contact form to the footer area.

This is where WPForms comes in.

WPForms is the best WordPress contact form plugin and comes with a ready-made Simple Contact Form template that allows you to create a contact form with just a few clicks.

After activating the plugin, go to WPForms » Add New and type in a name for the contact form. This is just for your reference so you can use anything you want.

Simply find the ‘Simple Contact Form’ template and click on its ‘Use Template’ button.

WPForms will now open the template in its form builder. The template already has all the fields you’ll typically need, but you can add more fields by dragging them from the left-hand menu and dropping them onto your form.

You can also click on any field to edit it, and rearrange them in the form using drag and drop.

To delete a field, simply hover your mouse over it and then click on the small trash can icon when it appears.

When you’re ready, click on the ‘Save’ button to store your changes.

To add the contact form to your footer, head over to the Appearance » Widgets page in the WordPress dashboard.

Here, click on the ‘+’ button and search for ‘WPForms.’ When the right block shows up, drag and drop it onto your theme’s footer area.

After that, open the ‘Form’ dropdown and select your contact form.

You can also add an optional title, which will appear above the contact form.

Once you’ve done that, click on the ‘Update’ button.

Now, if you visit your website you’ll see the new contact form in the footer.

Adding a Contact Form with the Full-Site Editor

Want to add a contact form to the footer of a block-enabled theme?

Then you’ll need to head over to Themes » Editor. Here, scroll to the bottom of the screen and click on the ‘+’ in the footer area.

With that done, type in ‘WPForms’ to find the right block.

Give this block a click to add it to the footer area.

In the WPForms block, open the ‘Select a Form’ dropdown and choose the contact form we just created.

When you’re ready to make the contact form live, simply click on the ‘Save’ button.

We hope this article helped you decide which things to add to your WordPress footer to make it more useful. Next, you can see our guide on how to improve your WordPress website speed and performance, and our expert pick of the best WordPress plugins to use on your site.

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

The post Checklist: 10 Things To Add To The Footer on Your WordPress Site first appeared on WPBeginner.

February 09, 2023 at 12:16AM

How to Create a Truly Anonymous Website (Step by Step)

Do you want to create an anonymous website?

Some users may need to create a website anonymously to protect their privacy and additional security.

In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to easily create a truly anonymous website. We’ll also talk about protecting your identity online.

Why Create an Anonymous Website?

An anonymous website conceals the identity of who runs or owns a particular website.

Some users may want to remain anonymous for a number of reasons.

• Whistleblowers trying to expose corruption.
• Journalists under authoritarian regimes
• Citizen watchdog groups
• Or users who just want to remain anonymous for privacy reasons

Creating an anonymous website makes it difficult to find out who created and runs the website.

Important: Please keep in mind that there is no guaranteed way to remain completely anonymous. While you can make it difficult to trace, there is still a chance that it can be tracked.

• What Do You Need to Create an Anonymous Website?
• Buying Hosting and Domain Name Anonymously
• Installing WordPress to Make Your Anonymous Website
• Working on Your WordPress Website Anonymously
• Adding Content to Your WordPress Site
• Choosing a Theme (Template) For Your Website
• Install Privacy Friendly WordPress Plugins
• FAQs About Running an Anonymous Website

What Do You Need to Create an Anonymous Website?

You’ll need the following items to create a basic anonymous website.

• Anonymously purchased domain name and hosting
• A separate encrypted email account
• A secure and reliable VPN service

Now, let us explain why you’ll need those things.

First, you will need to create a new separate email account. You’ll be using that account to manage your website.

To remain anonymous we recommend creating an email account using privacy-focused email services like Proton Mail.

Next, you will need to hide is your IP address. The easiest way to do that is by using a VPN service. We recommend using IPVanish.

Once you have created an email account and turned on the VPN on your computer, you can go ahead and buy a hosting plan.

Normally, you can just go to any of the top hosting companies and start a website in a few minutes.

However, many of these companies require credit card information. This means your personal information will be stored and can be traced back to you.

That’s why we recommend using Hostinger.

Currently, they are giving WPBeginner users a generous discount and a FREE domain name. Basically, you can get started for $2.78 per month.

→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Hostinger Deal ←

Hostinger is one of the best WordPress hosting companies on the market and allows you to pay using Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to keep your purchase as anonymous as possible.

Buying Hosting and Domain Name Anonymously

First, you need to make sure you have VPN turned on whenever you are working on your anonymous website.

After that, you need to visit the Hostinger website and click on the ‘Start Now’ button.

This will bring you to the pricing and plans selection page.

We recommend choosing a 48-month plan which gives you the best discount. Plus, you wouldn’t need to worry about future payments for a long time.

Click to select the plan you want to buy, and then go to the payment section.

From here, first, you need to provide the anonymous email account you created earlier.

After that, you need to select ‘Coingate’ as the payment method and then click on the ‘Submit Secure Payment’ button.

This will take you to the payment wizard.

First, you need to select a cryptocurrency that you want to pay with and click Continue.

Next, you need to enter your anonymous email address and click on the ‘Continue’ button.

Note that you don’t need to create a Coingate account to pay using this method.

On the next screen, you’ll see the QR code to make the payment through your Bitcoin wallet app.

You can also pay manually, by sending the amount to the Bitcoin wallet address mentioned on the screen.

Upon completion of the transaction, you will be redirected back to the Hostinger website.

You will receive an email from Hostinger with a link to log in to the hosting control panel.

Once you log in to your hosting account control panel, you’ll see a notification to claim your free domain name.

During domain registration, ICANN requires website owners to provide their personal information such as name, address, email, and phone number.

You need to provide at least the email address you created earlier so that you can be reached for verification.

During the registration, you may also see an option to turn on Domain Privacy.

This feature hides any information you provide during domain registration from WHOIS searches. Anyone who checks will see Hostinger’s proxy info.

After domain registration, you may receive an email to verify your registration.

Installing WordPress to Make Your Anonymous Website

Now that you have completed the domain name and hosting setup, it is time to install WordPress.

Hostinger allows you to easily create a WordPress website. Click on the ‘Manage’ button next to your URL under the hosting panel.

This will bring you to your back-end dashboard.

From here, you need to visit the Website » Auto Installer page and then click on the ‘Select’ button under WordPress.

This will launch the auto-installer wizard.

Simply follow the on-screen instructions to finish the setup.

After that, you will see your new website options under the Hostinger control panel.

From here, first, you need to click on the ‘Install’ button next to the ‘SSL Certificate’ option.

After that, you need to click on the toggle next to ‘Force HTTPs’ option.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) allows your website to use secure HTTPs. Using it improves your WordPress security by encrypting all traffic to and from your website.

Having an SSL certificate is also a factor in ranking well in search engines and a part of a solid website SEO plan.

Finally, click on the ‘Edit Website’ button to launch and start editing your new WordPress website.

Working on Your WordPress Website Anonymously

By design, WordPress is privacy-conscious software to the extent that you can choose what information you want to share on your website.

First, you may want to visit the Users » Profile page and choose a pseudonym for the default admin or author of your website.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Update Profile’ button to save your changes.

Next, you need to decide whether you want to allow users to comment on posts and pages across your website.

Simply go to Settings » Discussion page to configure comments. Uncheck all options under the ‘Default Post Settings’ section to disable comments, trackbacks, and pingbacks.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

Adding Content to Your WordPress Site

WordPress comes with two default content types called posts and pages. Posts are part of a blog and are displayed in reverse chronological order, meaning that newer posts appear first.

Pages are standalone pages that are not part of a blog. They are used to create a website structure and layout. See our list of must-have WordPress pages for all types of websites.

To add a page, simply visit the Pages » Add New to create one.

WordPress comes with a powerful editor called the Block Editor. See our complete WordPress block editor tutorial to familiarize yourself with the interface.

Similarly, to create a post you will need to visit Posts » Add New page.

Choosing a Theme (Template) For Your Website

WordPress comes with a powerful templating engine that allows you to change the appearance of your website by installing themes.

There are thousands of free and paid WordPress themes available. You can choose one that looks closer to what you have in mind for your website.

You can look for themes under the Appearance » Themes page. It will show you a bunch of default themes that come with your WordPress install.

For more themes, click on the ‘Add New’ button at the top to find more free themes.

For premium or paid WordPress themes, you can try trusted WordPress theme shops like SeedProd, Thrive Themes, Astra, Elegant Themes, and more.

However, there is such an abundance of WordPress themes that it may become difficult for beginners to decide which theme they want to use.

We recommend choosing a minimalist design with plenty of white space. This provides you plenty of room to customize the theme and make it your own.

For more details, see our guide on how to choose the perfect theme for your website.

Install Privacy Friendly WordPress Plugins

Plugins are like apps for your WordPress website. They allow you to add new features and extend the functionality of WordPress.

There are more than 60,000 free plugins available in the WordPress.org plugin directory alone. Plus, there are premium WordPress plugins sold by third-party developers with priority support and guaranteed updates.

However, you also need to consider which plugins you need to use to keep your WordPress website secure, private, and anonymous.

Following are our top picks for the best WordPress plugins to install on your anonymous website.

• WPForms – It is the best WordPress contact form plugin and allows you to easily create forms for your website.
• All in One SEO for WordPress – It is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market and helps your anonymous website get more traffic from search engines.
• SeedProd – It is a powerful WordPress page builder that allows you to use a drag-and-drop interface to create any type of page for your website.
• OptinMonster – It is a conversion optimization software, which helps you convert website visitors into email subscribers and customers.
• MonsterInsights – The best WordPress Google Analytics plugin which helps you see where your visitors and coming from and what they see on your website.

For more plugin recommendations, see our full list of essential WordPress plugins for any kind of website.

FAQs About Running an Anonymous Website

Following are some of the most commonly asked questions about creating an anonymous website.

1. Is it possible to create a fully anonymous website?

Yes, it is possible to create a fully anonymous website. However, you’ll need to be very vigilant about it. Each internet activity creates an information trail leading back to the person who initiated the activity. This trail can be traced by hackers, government agencies, and ISPs. As an anonymous website owner, it will be your job to anonymize all activities.

You can do this by minimizing the activities around your website and using a VPN to hide your IP address. Be careful about any social interactions as they may reveal personally identifiable information.

2. What is anonymous offshore hosting?

Anonymous offshore hosting is a website hosting service that allows users to purchase hosting and domain name without providing real name or credit card information.

Some of these lesser-known companies host their servers in countries with stricter privacy laws. These companies also promise to not store user logs or share them with third-country agencies.

However, these anonymous offshore hosting companies often have very bad customer service and outdated technology.

3. Can a website owner be traced?

Yes, a website owner can be traced even if they are trying to remain anonymous. However, an anonymous website owner can use privacy tools to make it harder to be traced.

Even then if someone is determined to figure out and has the technology, tools, and resources, then they may be able to find out who is running an anonymous website.

4. Can I buy a domain name anonymously?

Yes, you can buy a domain name anonymously from a domain name registrar that accepts cryptocurrencies as a payment method.

Hostinger, also allows you to register additional domain names using cryptocurrencies. During the registration, you can use a separate anonymous email account as the contact address for your domain name.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create a truly anonymous website. You may also want to see our guide on how to create a private blog or take a look at our complete WordPress security guide to keep your anonymous website secure.

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 Truly Anonymous Website (Step by Step) first appeared on WPBeginner.

February 08, 2023 at 04:03PM

How to Enable Automatic Updates in WordPress for Major Versions

Do you want to enable automatic updates for major WordPress updates?

Automatic updates are enabled for minor releases on WordPress. This means that the WordPress.org team can automatically install security updates without requiring user input.

However, it does not automatically update your website when there is a new major release. Luckily, you can easily turn on automatic updates for major releases as well.

In this article, we’ll show you how to enable automatic updates in WordPress for major versions.

How WordPress Automatic Updates Work

The automatic updates feature was introduced in WordPress 3.7. This allowed WordPress to automatically install new minor releases to improve the security of your WordPress website.

There is an option to disable automatic updates in WordPress. However, we recommend that you keep automatic updates enabled because they usually address crucial security issues and vulnerabilities.

Now if you just run one or two WordPress websites, then you can simply follow our guide to safely update your WordPress site when there is a new major WordPress release. However, updating WordPress manually can be time-consuming if you manage multiple sites.

Luckily, managed WordPress hosting providers like WP Engine automatically update WordPress for all new releases, not just minor ones.

You can also enable auto-updates on a shared hosting provider like Bluehost and SiteGround. But first, you’ll just need to make sure that you have a proper backup system in place in case something goes wrong.

With that being said, let’s take a look at how to easily set up automatic updates for major WordPress releases. Here’s what we’ll cover in this tutorial:

• Preparing for Automatic Updates in WordPress
• Method 1: Enable Automatic Updates for Major Releases From Dashboard » Updates
• Method 2: Enable Automatic WordPress Updates for Major Releases Using a Plugin
• Method 3: Manually Enable Automatic Updates for Major Releases in WordPress
• Frequently Asked Questions about WordPress Automatic Updates

Preparing for Automatic Updates in WordPress

The most important layer of security you can add to any website is to set up a backup system. Whether you turn on automatic updates or not, you should always have an automatic backup system in place for every WordPress website.

There are several helpful WordPress backup plugins that you can use to set up automatic backups on your WordPress site.

We recommend using Duplicator because it is the best WordPress backup plugin on the market, and it’s free. Duplicator allows you to easily set up automatic backups of your complete WordPress website.

It also allows you to automatically store your backup files in a remote location such as Google Drive or Dropbox or Amazon S3.

Once you have set up automatic WordPress backups, you can go ahead and turn on automated WordPress updates for major releases.

Method 1: Enable Automatic Updates for Major Releases From Dashboard » Updates

When you visit the Dashboard » Updates page in your WordPress admin area, you will see the message, ‘This site is automatically kept up to date with maintenance and security releases of WordPress only.’ These are the minor releases we mentioned above.

If you would like all WordPress updates to be handled the same way, then simply click the link labeled ‘Enable automatic updates for all new versions of WordPress.’

Now major WordPress releases will be automatically installed as well.

If you decide to turn off automatic updates in the future, then simply return to the Dashboard » Updates page and click the link that says ‘Switch to automatic updates for maintenance and security releases only.’

Now major WordPress versions will not be installed automatically, just minor releases and security updates.

Method 2: Enable Automatic WordPress Updates for Major Releases Using a Plugin

The plugin method gives you more control over what is updated on your site. For example, it includes options to automatically update WordPress core, plugins, themes, and more.

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

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

Under the ‘Quick configuration actions’ section, you should click the ‘Custom’ button. After that, click the ‘Auto update all releases’ button under the ‘WordPress core updates’ section.

Note: Be cautious clicking the ‘Auto update everything’ button under ‘Quick configuration actions’. This will turn on automatic updates for everything, including WordPress core, plugins, themes, and translations.

The plugin will automatically store your settings and enable the major WordPress releases to be automatically updated.

If you would also like to use this plugin to automatically update your plugins and themes, then see our detailed guide on how to better manage automatic WordPress updates.

Method 3: Manually Enable Automatic Updates for Major Releases in WordPress

This method requires you to add code to your WordPress files.

First, you need to add the following line of code to your site’s wp-config.php file.

define( 'WP_AUTO_UPDATE_CORE', true );

There is one little problem with this code. It also enables what are called ‘nightly’ updates, or ‘nightlies.’ These are still under development and may contain bugs, so should not be installed on a live WordPress website.

To disable nightly builds and development updates, you need to add the following code to your theme’s functions.php file, or to a using a code snippets plugin such as WPCode.

add_filter( 'allow_dev_auto_core_updates', '__return_false' );

This filter will disable automatic updates for nightly builds or development updates.

Your WordPress site is now ready to automatically update itself without your input whenever there is a new WordPress version available.

Frequently Asked Questions about WordPress Automatic Updates

1. Why do I need to install WordPress updates?

WordPress is a regularly maintained software. Thousands of developers contribute to making WordPress better and more secure.

You need to install WordPress updates as soon as they are available. This ensures that your website has the latest security patches, new features, and the best speed and performance.

2. Are updates safe for my website?

As the world’s most popular website builder, WordPress updates immediately become available to millions of websites. The core team works very hard to ensure that they are absolutely safe for all websites to install.

However, we recommend everyone always back their WordPress website before updates. This allows you to quickly revert back in case anything goes wrong after an update.

3. Can I also automatically update WordPress plugins?

By default, WordPress requires you to manually install plugin updates. However, you can enable automatic updates for plugins as well.

See our guide on how to enable automatic updates for WordPress plugins.

4. Can I install updates on all my websites from a single dashboard?

By default, you’ll need to log in to each WordPress website to install updates. Luckily, you can use tools to manage multiple WordPress sites. These tools make it easier to install updates on all your WordPress sites without having to log in to each site.

Learn more in our guide on how to manage multiple WordPress sites from one dashboard.

We hope this article helped you learn how to enable automatic updates in WordPress for major releases. You may also want to learn how to choose the best web design software, or see our list of email marketing services for small business.

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The post How to Enable Automatic Updates in WordPress for Major Versions first appeared on WPBeginner.

February 08, 2023 at 12:11AM