How to Password Protect Your WordPress Forms

Do you want to password protect a form on your WordPress website?

Normally, when you add a form to your website, it is visible to all users who can see that page. If you want to protect a WordPress form and limit its access to only certain people, then you may need to password protect that particular form.

In this article, we’ll explain step by step how to easily password protect your WordPress forms.

Why Password Protect WordPress Forms?

There are lots of reasons why you might password protect forms on your WordPress website.

For instance:

• You create and maintain websites for a number of clients. When they need support, they fill out a support request form. Non-clients shouldn’t be able to request support using that form.
• You have weekly appointments with clients over Zoom or Skype, which they can book through your website. Non-clients shouldn’t be able to book an appointment.
• You run an online photography club. Members can send in their best photos each month and you feature a selection on your website. Non-members shouldn’t be able to send in photos.

In all these situations, you want to prevent non-clients or non-members from filling in your form. Otherwise, you need to carefully go through all the form entries to check whether they are valid submissions or not.

We are going to cover 2 ways to password protect your forms in WordPress.

1. Password Protect a WordPress Form Using WPForms

WPForms is our #1 rated contact form plugin for WordPress. It allows you to create any kind of WordPress forms by using a simple drag and drop form builder.

It also comes with a form locker addon which allows you to add password protection to your WordPress forms when needed.

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.

Next, you need to set up your form. Just follow our instructions on how to create a contact form in WordPress for help with this.

Once you have your form ready, the next step is to install the Form Locker addon for WPForms. First, go to WPForms » Addons in your WordPress admin.

Here, you need to search for the ‘Form Locker’ addon. Just click on the ‘Install Addon’ button to install and activate it:

Now, go to WPForms » All Forms and find the form that you want to protect. Simply click on the form name to start editing it:

Next, go to Settings » Form Locker and you will see the Form Locker options. Go ahead and click on the ‘Enable password protection’ box:

You will now be able to enter a password. You may also enter a display message if you want to.

Don’t forget to click the Save button at the top of the screen after setting your password:

Now, when someone visits a post or page with that form on, they will see the rest of the content but not the form itself.

When the user enters the password, the password box and message will disappear. They will see the page content and the form itself:

You could also use this method to password protect forms in widgetized areas such as your sidebar.

As you can see, outside of just password protection, the form locker also offers other advanced features like limiting total number of entries, restricting access to logged in users only, and even enabling form submissions for only certain dates.

However if you’re looking for a free option to password protect your form, then see option #2.

2. Password Protect the Form’s WordPress Page

What if you want to hide the whole page, not just the form itself? This is very easy to do in WordPress.

First, create or edit a page and add your form to it, as shown above:

Then, click on the ‘Document’ settings on the right hand side. Simply click on the ‘Public’ link here:

You will now see the ‘Post Visibility’ popup. Next, click the ‘Password Protected’ option and type in the password you want to use:

Now, when someone visits that page, they will need to enter a password to see any of the content:

We hope this article helped you learn how to password protect your WordPress forms. You may also want to see our guide on how to password protect a WordPress website, how to secure your contact forms, and how to improve overall WordPress security to keep your content safe and protected.

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 Password Protect Your WordPress Forms appeared first on WPBeginner.

September 03, 2020 at 06:50PM

How to Install WordPress in a Subdirectory (Step by Step)

Do you want to install WordPress in a subdirectory? Installing WordPress in a subdirectory allows you to run multiple WordPress instances under the same domain or even a subdomain name. In this article, we will show you how to install WordPress in a subdirectory without affecting the parent domain name.

Subdomain vs Subdirectory? Which One is Better for SEO?

Normally, you would want to start a WordPress website on its own domain name (for example, wpbeginner.com). However, sometimes you may want to create additional websites on the same domain name.

This can be done by either installing WordPress in a subdomain (https://ift.tt/2hzonaq) or as a subdirectory (https://ift.tt/2xFg3Kh).

One question that we get asked is which one is better for SEO?

Search engines treat subdomains differently from root domain names and assign them rankings as a separate website.

For instance, search Engines consider WPBeginner and our WPBeginner Videos website as two separate websites.

On the other hand, sub-directories directly benefit from the domain authority of the root domain thus ranking higher in most cases.

One way to create separate WordPress sites in both subdomain or subdirectory is by installing WordPress multisite network.

However, if you want to keep two websites managed separately, then you can install different instances of WordPress. You can also use WordPress site management tools to set up a single dashboard for managing your multiple WordPress installations.

Requirements for Installing WordPress in Subdirectory

There are no special requirements to install WordPress in a subdirectory. If you already have a WordPress website in the root domain name, then you are good to go.

All top WordPress hosting companies make it very easy to install multiple WordPress websites using the same hosting account.

For instance, if you are using Bluehost, you can add a new WordPress website from your hosting dashboard.

However, please keep in mind that most shared hosting accounts have limited server resources. A sudden traffic spike on one of your websites will affect the performance and speed of all other websites on the same account.

If you are just starting out, then you can do that on shared hosting. Keeping in mind that you’ll need to upgrade to a managed WordPress hosting as your business grows.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily install WordPress in a subdirectory.

Step 1. Create a Subdirectory under The Root Domain Name

First, you need to create a subdirectory or a folder under the main website. This is where you will install WordPress files.

Connect to your WordPress hosting account using a FTP client or File Manager in cPanel.

Once connected, go to the root folder of your website. Usually it is the /public_html/ folder. If you already have WordPress installed in the root folder, then you will see your WordPress files and folders there.

Next, you need to right click and select ‘Create new directory’ from the menu.

You need to be careful when choosing the name for your subdirectory. This will be part of your new WordPress site’s URL and what your users will type in their browsers to reach this website.

For example, if you name this directory travel-guides then your WordPress website’s address will be:

https://ift.tt/2hzlZ3j

Step 2. Upload WordPress Files

Your newly created subdirectory is empty at the moment. Let’s change that by uploading WordPress files.

First you need to visit WordPress.org website and click on the download button.

Your browser will now download the zip file containing the latest WordPress software to your computer.

After downloading the file, you need to select and extract it. Mac users can double click the file to extract it and Windows users need to right-click and then select ‘Extract All’.

After extracting the zip file, you will see ‘wordpress’ folder containing all the WordPress files.

Now let’s upload these files to your new subdirectory.

Connect to your website using an FTP client and go to the subdirectory you created in the first step.

In the local files panel of your FTP client, go to the ‘wordpress’ folder you just extracted.

Select all files inside the folder and then upload them to your new subdirectory.

Step 3. Create New Database

WordPress stores all your content in a database. You need to create a new database to use with your new WordPress site installed in a subdirectory.

First, you need to login to the cPanel dashboard of your WordPress hosting account. Click on ‘MySQL Databases’ under the databases section.

Note: Your hosting dashboard may look different than the screenshot above. You simply need to locate the ‘Databases’ section.

On the next screen, enter a name for your new database and then click on the ‘Create Database’ button to continue.

Your cPanel dashboard will now create the new MySQL database. Click on the Go Back button to return to the Databases page.

Next, you need to add a username and password for the database.

Simply scroll down to the ‘MySQL Users’ section and provide a new username and password. Click on ‘Create User’ button to continue.

Next, you need to give this newly created user privileges to work on the database you created earlier.

Scroll down to ‘Add user to database’ section. Select your MySQL username and then select your newly created database.

Click on the Add button to continue.

Cpanel will now grant the MySQL user full privileges on your newly created database.

Step 4. Install WordPress

Now that everything is in place, you can go ahead and install WordPress. Simply visit the directory you created earlier in a web browser by typing the URL like this:

https://ift.tt/2xF4suA

This will bring up the WordPress installation wizard. First, you need to select the language for your WordPress website and click on the continue button.

Next, you will be asked to provide your WordPress database name, database username, password, and host. Enter the database details and click on the submit button.

WordPress will now connect to your database and you will see a success message like this:

Click on ‘Run the install’ button to continue.

On the next screen, you will be asked to provide a title for your website and choose an admin username, password, and email address.

After entering your website details, click on ‘Run install’ button to continue.

WordPress will now set up your website and will show you a success message:

You can now go ahead and login to your new WordPress website installed in the subdirectory.

Step 5. Fix Permalinks

If you have a separate WordPress install in the root directory, then the .htaccess files of your subdirectory will cause conflict. This will result in 404 errors on your website.

To solve this, you need to edit the .htaccess file in your subdirectory WordPress install. Replace the code inside your .htaccess file with the following code:

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /your-subdirectory/
RewriteRule ^index.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /your-subdirectory/index.php [L]
</IfModule>

# END WordPress

Don’t forget to replace /your-subdirectory/ with your own subdirectory name.

We hope this article helped you install WordPress in a subdirectory. You may also want to see our ultimate step by step WordPress SEO guide for beginners.

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 Install WordPress in a Subdirectory (Step by Step) appeared first on WPBeginner.

September 02, 2020 at 06:00PM

How to Delete All Pending Comments in WordPress

Do you have a lot of pending comments in WordPress that you want to delete? This can easily happen if you get a lot of spam comments.

Normally, deleting comments in WordPress is easy, but it gets trickier when there is a large number of pending comments. You may even come across weird errors while bulk deleting comments if there are too many of them.

In this article, we’ll show you how to easily bulk delete all pending comments in WordPress, step by step.

What Are Pending Comments in WordPress?

Pending comments in WordPress are the comments that are awaiting moderation.

You’ll find them in the WordPress admin area by visiting the ‘Comments’ page and switching to the ‘Pending’ tab.

We recommend users turn on comment moderation on all their websites to combat comment spam. This means all comments on your website will go to the Pending queue before they are approved.

Why would anyone want to delete pending comments?

There are many scenarios when you may need to do that. For instance:

• Akismet anti-spam plugin got disabled on your site and suddenly all spam comments are appearing in pending.
• You simply forgot about a website, and it gathered hundreds of comments that are no longer relevant.
• Articles on your website generating a lot of unwanted comments
• You forgot to turn off comments on older posts

It can take a long time to go through and moderate each comment individually. If you are confident that there are no comments marked ‘pending’ that you want to keep, then you can simply bulk delete them all.

1. Deleting All Pending Comments in WordPress Manually

If you only have a few hundred pending comments, it’s quite quick to delete them manually.

Simply go to the ‘Comments’ page in WordPress admin area and then click on the ‘Pending’ tab to see a list of all your pending comments.

By default, this list will show 20 pending comments at a time. To change this, click on the ‘Screen Options’ tab at the top-right corner of the page.

Next, type ‘100’ into the ‘Number of items per page’ and click the Apply button:

Now that you have 100 comments displaying, simply check the box to the left of ‘Author’ at the top of the list of comments. This selects all the comments on the page:

Then, click on the ‘Bulk actions’ dropdown and select the ‘Move to Trash’ option. Go ahead and click the Apply button to move all those comments into the trash:

WordPress will automatically show the next 100 comments on the page. Simply repeat the process to remove these too.

When you delete any comment on WordPress, it is not deleted right away. Instead, it is sent to the ‘Trash’ and will remain there for 30-days. After that, it will be automatically deleted permanently.

If you would rather delete them permanently right away, then you need to switch to the ‘Trash’ tab on the ‘Comments’ page and then click on the ‘Empty Trash’ button.

You will then see a message confirming that those comments have been deleted:

Note: You can use the Screen Options to show up to 999 comments per page. However, this will increase the load on your WordPress hosting servers and slow down your site. You might also see an error message like this one when you try to move comments to the trash:

If you have more than a few hundred pending comments, then we recommend using a plugin method to delete them.

2. Deleting Large Number of Pending Comments in WordPress Using a Plugin

The quickest way to delete a very large number of pending comments is to use a plugin.

This will delete your pending (and spam) comments permanently. We recommend making a backup of your WordPress site before proceeding, just in case you change your mind later.

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

Upon activation, go to the Comments » Delete Pending Comments page in your WordPress admin. You will see a message letting you know how many pending comments there are.

Note: This figure includes spam comments, which are deleted at the same time as the pending comments.

To delete all the pending comments, you need to type the required line of text into the box. You can copy and paste this text if you prefer.

After that, go ahead and click the ‘Delete Pending Comments’ button.

You will then see a message confirming that all pending and spam comments have been deleted.

Deleting Spam Comments Only in WordPress

What if you don’t want to delete pending comments but just want to delete the ones that are marked as spam? That’s very easy to do in WordPress.

First, go to Comments in your WordPress admin and click on the Spam tab:

Next, click the Empty Spam button. This will delete all spam comments permanently, not just the ones on the current page:

We hope this article helped you learn how to delete all pending comments in WordPress. You may also want to see our WordPress security guide to protect your website, or see our guide on how to allow users to report inappropriate comments in WordPress.

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

The post How to Delete All Pending Comments in WordPress appeared first on WPBeginner.

September 01, 2020 at 05:00PM

Coming Soon vs Maintenance Mode: What’s the Difference (Explained)

Recently, a reader asked us if there is a difference between coming soon mode and maintenance mode?

The answer is: Yes. They are both used for different purposes and search engines treat coming soon mode differently from maintenance mode.

In this article, we’ll explain the difference between coming soon vs maintenance mode, so you can choose the best option for your needs.

What is Coming Soon Mode vs. Maintenance Mode, and Why Does It Matter?

Coming soon mode is used when your website has not yet been launched. Maintenance mode is used when your website is temporarily offline for maintenance.

It’s easy to get these 2 modes confused. Several WordPress plugins such as SeedProd’s Coming Soon and Maintenance Mode Plugin let you put your site into either coming soon mode or maintenance mode. You may not be sure about the difference.

It’s extremely important to use each mode correctly. Because if you choose the wrong option, then it can harm your WordPress site’s SEO rankings.

When to Use a Coming Soon Page

You should use a coming soon page after you have registered a domain name, but before you have finished creating your website.

A coming soon page lets you gather interest on your site before you launch it. Plus, it lets Google start sending you visitors.

It’s best practice to have an email newsletter form on your coming soon page. This allows people to sign up and get an email when your site goes live.

SeedProd lets you create great-looking coming soon pages with just a few clicks. Let’s take a look at how to create a coming soon page like this:

How to Create a Coming Soon Page

To create a coming soon page, you first need to install and activate the SeedProd plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

We’re using the Pro version for our tutorial, but you can also use the free version of SeedProd.

Upon activation, you should be prompted for your license key. You will find this in your account area on the SeedProd website. Simply enter it on your WordPress site and click the ‘Check License’ button:

After that, go to the Settings » Coming Soon page and click the ‘Edit Coming Soon/Maintenance Page’ button:

Then, simply pick a template for your coming soon page. There are over 50 different coming soon templates ones to choose from:

You will now be taken into SeedProd’s coming soon page editor. Go ahead and change anything you want using the tabs in the left-hand sidebar.

For instance, you can click on the Countdown tab to enable a timer. You will need to specify an end date for the timer:

If you would like to integrate your coming soon form with your email marketing service, then simply click on the ‘Email Form Settings’ tab. Next, select your email marketing service from the ‘Save Subscribers To’ dropdown:

You then need to follow the on-screen instructions to connect your coming soon page with your email list.

Go ahead and make any other changes you want. Once you’re happy with your coming soon page, click the ‘Save’ button at the top of the screen. Next, click the ‘Back to Settings’ link:

Now, simply click the ‘Enable Coming Soon Mode’ button then the ‘Save All Changes’ button.

Your coming soon page is now live. To view it, log out of your website and visit any page:

When to Use Maintenance Mode

You should use maintenance mode if you need to briefly take your site offline for changes or updates.

For instance, you might want to use maintenance mode while changing WordPress themes. This ensures that your site still functions correctly and looks good with the new theme.

Another good time to use maintenance mode is if you’re adding an online store to your site. You can leave your website online but put your store into maintenance mode.

Maintenance mode lets search engines know that your site is currently down. It does this by returning the header code 503. That way, your site’s SEO won’t be affected by the downtime.

It’s good practice to let users know that your site will be back soon, too. You can do this by putting a message on your maintenance page. You might want to add an email form so they can get an email alert once your site is back up.

Tip: When you update plugins, themes, or core WordPress, your site will automatically go into maintenance mode for a few seconds. If your site gets stuck in this mode, we have instructions on fixing the WordPress maintenance mode error.

How to Put Your Site in Maintenance Mode

To put your site in maintenance mode, first install and activate the SeedProd plugin.

Next, follow the instructions above for creating a coming soon page above to create your maintenance mode page.

When you are ready to put your site into maintenance mode, simply go to the Settings » Coming Soon Pro page in your WordPress admin. Then, select the ‘Enable Maintenance Mode’ option and click the ‘Save All Changes’ button.

Remember, maintenance mode should only be used when your site is down for maintenance. If you have not yet launched your site, use coming soon mode instead.

We hope this article helped you understand how to choose coming soon vs maintenance mode. You may also want to check out our guide on the must have WordPress plugins for your website and our guide on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.

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

The post Coming Soon vs Maintenance Mode: What’s the Difference (Explained) appeared first on WPBeginner.

August 31, 2020 at 05:11PM

5 Best WordPress Request a Quote Plugins (Instant Quotes)

Are you looking for the best request a quote plugin for your WordPress website or WooCommerce store?

Some businesses may not be able to list prices on their website. A request a quote form allows your customers to ask for the quote by providing the information you need to determine the price.

In this article, we will take you through the best WordPress ‘request a quote’ plugins that you can use to make more sales through your website.

Why Use a Request a Quote Plugin for WordPress?

Some products and services can’t be easily priced without some details from the customer.

For instance, if you provide a lawn care service, your price will vary depending on the size of the lawn, existing condition, and other factors. You might also offer optional extras, such as creating decorative borders.

Similarly if you sell custom made furniture on your online store, then the prices will vary based on customers’ requirements.

Some companies share their complex custom pricing in a table, but this can be confusing for customers.

Others ask customers to email for a quote. But customers might not send all the information that’s needed.

The best solution is to use a request a quote WordPress plugin. Depending on the plugin you choose, this might be able to provide an instant quote.

Alternatively, you can simply respond to the customer by email once you’ve received their request.

Note: This article is about price quotations provided for a product or service. To display or rotate interesting quotes on your site, see our guide on showing random quotes in your sidebar.

With that said, let’s take a look at the best request a quote plugins for WordPress and WooCommerce.

1. WPForms

WPForms is the best contact form plugin for WordPress. It allows you to easily add any kind of forms to your WordPress website using a simple drag and drop form builder.

It includes ready-to-use templates including one for a Request a Quote form. You can use it as a starting point to quickly build your form and then customize it to match your specific requirements.

WPForms’ Conditional Logic feature lets you show specific fields based on the information that the customer gives you. For instance, you could create a form that shows different options based on the service that your customer requests.

It also lets you create special Conversational Forms that take a ‘one question at a time’ approach. This can help reduce form abandonment rates, by making your form feel easy and attractive to your customers.

You can create lots of other types of forms with WPForms, too. For instance, you can use it to run a survey on your website.

Price:

WPForms costs from $39.50/year. This includes Conditional Logic. However, to get Conversational Forms, you need the Pro package for $199.50/year.

2. Wholesale Suite (Order Form and Prices Premium)

Wholesale Suite Order Form and Wholesale Prices Premium are a great option if you use WooCommerce on your website.

These plugins let you offer wholesale pricing, providing an instant quote so customers can buy straight away.

Wholesale Suite’s plugins also integrate with several popular WordPress and WooCommerce plugins.

If you sell bulk products to wholesale customers, then these plugins make it much easier for them to order from your store.

With Wholesale Suite Order Form, your products are all displayed in a searchable and sortable WooCommerce table. This means your whole product catalog can be seen on a single page.

By also using the Wholesale Prices Premium plugin, you can offer discounted wholesale prices in your quote. The plugin also lets you set minimum purchase rules. You can discount by a percentage based on the product’s category, too.

Price:

Each plugin costs from $59/year for a single site license.

3. Formidable Forms

Formidable Forms is an advanced forms plugin for WordPress. It has powerful features that mean it can be used to create online calculators.

You can use Formidable Forms’ Request a Quote form to make a form that automatically calculates a quote for the customer instantly. Because of Formidable Forms’ flexibility, it’s easy to add as many variables as you want.

The quote that Formidable Forms produces can then be emailed to your customer. It can even be included in a booking form so your customer can book and pay for your service or product.

There are plenty of other forms you can create using Formidable Forms, too. For instance, you could use it to create a quiz for your WordPress site.

Formidable Forms also comes with visual design tools that let you make your request a quote form look great.

Price:

Formidable Forms costs from $99.38/year.

4. YITH WooCommerce Request a Quote

YITH WooCommerce Request a Quote hides the price and/or the Add to Cart button for the products you select in WooCommerce. In the place of these, it gives your customers the option to request a quote for the product.

Customers can choose from the options you set. You can even allow them to upload files. For instance, if you provide printing services, then you could ask the customer to upload their print-ready files when they request the quote.

The plugin also supports product variations, letting you add specific variations to the quote list.

When you are ready, it’s quick and easy to respond to the customer with a quote. The customer will receive this in a nicely-formatted email.

The whole process can be managed through your WordPress dashboard. Here, you are able to see quote requests, pending quotes, pending payments, and more.

Price:

YITH WooCommerce Request a Quote costs from $59.99/month.

There’s also a free version of the plugin, with limited features.

5. Request a Quote for WooCommerce

Request a Quote for WooCommerce is an official WooCommerce plugin. It lets your customer add products to a quote basket, just like they would normally add products to their cart.

You can customize the quote button text, the quote submission messages, and more. You can also automatically redirect the customer to a specified page on your site after they submit their request for a quote.

Request a Quote for WooCommerce is a great option if you have personalized products that could have a range of prices depending on what the customer wants.

You can also use this plugin to sell to wholesale, B2B, or retail customers.

Price:

Request a Quote for WooCommerce costs $59/year.

We hope this article helped you learn about the best request a quote plugins for WordPress. You may also want to see our comparison of the best live chat software and best business phone services to help you get even more sales from your website.

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 5 Best WordPress Request a Quote Plugins (Instant Quotes) appeared first on WPBeginner.

August 28, 2020 at 05:00PM