How to Add Additional User Profile Fields in WordPress Registration

Do you want the ability to add new profile fields when users register on your WordPress site?

Maybe you want to allow users to submit their social media profiles. Or you might want to have them submit their business phone number when registering. This can all be done by adding additional profile fields.

In this article, we will show how to add additional user profile fields in WordPress registration.

Method 1. Add Custom User Profile Fields using Advanced Custom Fields Plugin

The best way to add extra user profile fields in WordPress is to use the Advanced Custom Fields plugin.

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

After you’ve installed and activated it, go to Custom Fields » Add New and give your new field a name.

We’re calling this example ‘Twitter Handle’ since we’re setting up a custom field to add a Twitter username. However, you can name it anything you want.

Next, click the ‘Add Field’ button, and you’ll see it open up to configure your new field. Here’s our example customization.

The ‘Field Label’ is the name of your field, which helps you organize your fields.

The ‘Field Name’ is auto-populated based on the name you give your field, but you can change this to be whatever you want.

The ‘Field Type’ is where you can select what type of information you want to be submitted.

You can choose many options such as email, number, text area, url, password, and more.

The ‘Required?’ area can be turned on or off. If you want to require anyone who registers to fill out this field, then you’ll need to toggle the required button to where it says ‘Yes.’

Lastly, the ‘Placeholder Text’ is what you’ll put in the field to show as an example for your users when they register. We used ‘@sample_username.’

The next step is to set the location for this profile field.

You’ll need to scroll down to the ‘Location’ area and make sure you select ‘User Role’ in the dropdown menu.

To the very right, the ‘All’ option simply means all users who register.

But if you wanted to make this rule only apply to certain user roles such as Administrator, Editor, Author, Contributor, or Subscriber, then you can make that selection there.

Next, scroll down to the settings box. Make sure the ‘Active’ field is set to ‘Yes’ and then click ‘Publish’ in the upper right corner to save this field.

In the Style section, make sure you select ‘Seamless (no metabox)’ to prevent the name of this field appearing on your registration page.

Since we’ve already given instructions to submit the Twitter handle, you don’t want it appearing multiple times in the field as it makes it look cluttered.

Lastly, you can see all your fields by going to Custom Fields » Field Groups.

Now it’s time to check out how this is displayed on your registration page. The default url for registration is located at ‘yoursite.com/wp-login.php?action=register.’

Our example looks like this:

If you’d like to create a custom user registration form in WordPress, then you can do so by using the WPForms plugin and following our tutorial on how to create a custom user registration form in WordPress.

Method 2. Add Additional User Profile Fields with Profile Extra Fields

This method allows you to easily add extra fields to user profiles and user registration form in WordPress. It is a little less flexible, but it gets the job done.

First, you need to install and activate the Profile Extra Fields plugin. If you’re unsure of how to do this, check out our full guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once the plugin is activated, it’s time to create some additional user profile fields to use on your registration forms.

We’re going to create a phone number field as an example, but you can create as many of these fields as you want.

First, go to your Profile Extra Fields » Add New page. We’re creating a field for users to submit their phone number.

You’ll see that we’ve named the field ‘Phone Number’ and selected ‘Phone number’ in the dropdown menu.

In the Field Properties, we’re checking all the boxes for the ‘Author’ user level because we want to display this field when someone registers as an Author.

Lastly, check the box to make the field required if you want them to fill out their phone number when registering.

Scroll down until you’ll this:

Make sure that box is checked so the field shows in your registration form. Don’t forget to click the ‘Save Changes’ button at the bottom before going further.

When you create these fields, you can see them when you go to your Profile Extra Fields » Add New page:

Now, you’ll want to go into your WordPress dashboard to change some settings for new registrations.

Go to Settings » General page in your WordPress admin area and then check the membership box so anyone can register.

You will need to make sure that the default role is set to the role which you have added extra fields for.

This way, you can control the level of access new users have, and this will force the registration form to show the fields you selected earlier in this tutorial.

Here’s what the default registration form looks like:

Pro Tip: You can always create a custom WordPress user registration form by following our tutorial.

We’re using ‘AuthorJon’ as a test profile to show you how this new user registration will show up in the dashboard.

To see the extra fields in action, go to Users » All Users and then click on ‘edit’ for the profile you want to see.

We are looking at the user we just created, AuthorJon. When you scroll to the bottom of their profile, you’ll see the following:

As you can see, their phone number was created in their profile when they registered their account. This goes for any other field you want to use as well.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn how to add additional user profile fields in WordPress registration. You might also want to see our guide on how to create a custom WordPress login page, and our comparison of the best WordPress membership plugins to create & sell courses.

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 Additional User Profile Fields in WordPress Registration appeared first on WPBeginner.

December 23, 2020 at 05:30PM

How to Start an Online Boutique Shop that Drives Sales (2021)

Do you want to run your own online boutique shop but not sure how to get started?

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need any technical skills to start an online boutique. Often people prefer to buy from small / personal businesses, and your online boutique store could be the next success story.

In this article, we’ll show you how to easily start an online boutique shop that drives sales.

What Do You Need to Start an Online Boutique Shop?

Starting your online store is a lot simpler than you might think. To start an online boutique shop, you need:

• A domain name (a name for your website)
• A web hosting account (this is where your website files live on the internet)
• Your undivided attention for 30 minutes.

Yes, you read that right. You can build an online boutique shop website from scratch in less than 30 minutes, and you don’t need any technical skills.

We will show you everything you need to know, step by step.

Simply follow our step by step checklist for starting a successful online boutique shop that drives sales. We will cover:

1. Choosing and Setting Up Your Online Boutique Shop Platform
2. Set Up WordPress and WooCommerce on Your Website
3. Add Products to Your Online Boutique Shop
4. Change or Customize Your WordPress Theme
5. Add Plugins to Extend Your Online Shop and Drive Sales
6. Learn More About WordPress
7. FAQs About Setting Up an Online Boutique Shop

Tip: You can use the links in the checklist to jump straight to the relevant section of our online boutique shop tutorial.

1. Choosing the Best Online Boutique Shop Platform

The biggest mistake that new store owners make is choosing the wrong eCommerce platform for their online shop.

This could be a costly mistake because not only will it mean you’ll have to re-do all the work, but it could also mean losing money.

Thankfully you’re here, so we can help you avoid making that mistake.

When it comes to eCommerce platforms for boutique shops, we recommend only two platforms: Shopify or WooCommerce (built on WordPress).

Shopify is a fully hosted solution that lets you get started quickly. The big drawback is the pricing which starts at $29/month and goes up to $299 per month for features not including third-party extensions. Also, you’re limited to using their payment system otherwise they charge you additional transaction fees. This is a lot to spend for small business owners.

This is why most small business owners choose WordPress + WooCommerce. It’s cost efficient, has all the features, flexibility, and it’s easy to setup. You can setup in less than 30 minutes which is well worth it in the long run. WooCommerce is also the world’s most popular eCommerce platform.

For more about these platforms, check out our side by side comparison of Shopify vs WooCommerce.

In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through how to start an online boutique shop using WooCommerce.

To start an online shop, you need to have three things: a domain name, web hosting, and a SSL certificate.

A domain name is your website’s address on the internet. This is what users type in their browsers to reach your website (for example: google.com or wpbeginner.com).

Web hosting is where your website files live on the internet. Think of it as your website’s house on the internet. Every website on the internet needs web hosting.

Last but not least, you need a SSL certificate. This adds a special security layer on your website, so you can accept credit cards and other personal information.

Note: Normally if bought separately, a domain name costs around $14.99/year, web hosting costs around $8.99/month, and an SSL certificate costs around $69.99/year.

That’s a lot of startup cost.

Thankfully, Bluehost, an official WordPress and WooCommerce recommended hosting provider, has agreed to offer our users a free domain name, free SSL certificate, and a discount on web hosting.

Basically, you can get started for as low as $2.75 / month.

This will help you keep the costs of building a WordPress site to an absolute minimum.

However, Bluehost also has a dedicated WooCommerce hosting plan that comes with over $1,000 worth of premium WordPress and WooCommerce extensions which is totally worth it.

This costs $24.95 per month, but it includes security & backup features, premium WooCommerce extensions like subscriptions, bookings, etc.

Click Here to Claim this Exclusive Bluehost Deal »

Note: At WPBeginner we believe in transparency. If you sign up with Bluehost using our referral link, we will earn a small commission at no extra cost to you (in fact, you will save money and get a free domain). We would get this commission for recommending just about any WordPress hosting company, but we only recommend products that we believe will add value to our readers.

If you’re looking for a Bluehost alternative, then we recommend trying out SiteGround WooCommerce hosting which is another officially recommended WordPress hosting provider.

With that said, let’s go ahead and get your store domain name, web hosting, and SSL certificate.

You need to start by opening up Bluehost WooCommerce website in a new window and click the ‘Start Your Store’ button.

Next, you’ll be asked to choose a hosting plan. Their premium plan, which costs $24.95 per month, comes with over $1,000 worth of premium WordPress and WooCommerce extensions.

It’s a great deal because the WooCommerce subscription and bookings extension alone cost more than the annual subscription of Bluehost.

Note: if you’re looking for the $2.75 per month plan, click this link.

You need to click on the ‘Select’ button below a plan to continue.

Next, you’ll be prompted to enter or choose a domain name. Remember, you get a free domain name with Bluehost.

If you need help picking a domain name for your store, you can use our free business name generator tool.

On the next screen, you need to enter your account details such as your name and address.

Below this, you need to confirm the package you’ve chosen is correct.

Tip: You get the biggest saving by signing up for a 36-month plan.

You can uncheck the package extras because you don’t need them right now. You can always add them later if you like, and we’ll show you how to get some of the similar features for free later in the article.

After entering your payment details and purchasing your hosting, Bluehost will prompt you to create your account. Once you have done so, you will be able to log in.

2. Set Up WordPress and WooCommerce on Your Website

The good part about Bluehost WooCommerce plan is that it comes with an automated wizard that guides you through the entire setup.

First, it will ask you how much help you need building your site. Simply click the ‘No Help Needed’ button, as you have this tutorial to help you.

On the next screen, select ‘Online Store’ for your website type and simply continue following the website creation wizard.

At the final step, Bluehost will ask you to enter a name and a tagline for your website. You can change this later so don’t worry if you haven’t decided yet.

Bluehost will now offer you some WordPress themes to choose from. If you are unsure, then you can start with the Storefront theme. You can change the WordPress theme later on.

After this, Bluehost will install both WordPress and WooCommerce for you.

Once the screen refreshes, you’ll see your Bluehost dashboard with the option to log in to WordPress.

Your WordPress site will open in a new window, and you will see your WordPress admin area.

Bluehost gives you a free SSL Certificate. This certificate is pre-installed for your domain. However, your WordPress site needs to be configured, so that it loads using HTTPS vs HTTP.

Go to the Settings » General page and change your WordPress Address and Site Address to use https instead of http.

Don’t forget to scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your changes.

Now, you can go ahead and set up your online store.

Simply click on the WooCommerce link on the left-hand side of your screen, then follow the WooCommerce setup wizard to set up your online store with your address, industry, product types, and business details.

After completing the setup wizard, you need to add payment methods to accept online payments on your boutique shop.

WooCommerce integrates with a number of popular payment gateways. The most popular are PayPal and Stripe (credit cards).

To connect WooCommerce to a payment gateway, go to the WooCommmerce » Settings page and switch to the Payments tab.

Here, you simply need to click the toggle in the ‘Enabled’ column for the payment method you want to use. We’re going to use PayPal Standard for our online store.

After switching on a payment method, click the ‘Set Up’ button to the right of it. For the PayPal Standard method, this will then take you to a page where you need to enter your PayPal email address.

Once you’re done with the configuration, don’t forget to scroll down and click the Save Changes button at the bottom of the screen.

You can switch to the Payments tab again and add other payment methods.

Tip: We recommend switching on check payments and/or cash on delivery while setting up your online store. This makes it easy to create test orders without spending any money.

3. Add Products to Your Online Boutique Shop

Now that you’ve set up payment methods, it’s time to add products to your online store. If you haven’t done any product sourcing yet, check out our comprehensive guide on choosing the best products to sell online.

To add a product, go to the Products » Add New page in your WordPress admin area.

First, you need to enter product title and then provide a detailed description. This not only helps to drive sales by giving potential customers the details they need, but it also helps your product page to rank in search engines.

Next, scroll down to the ‘Product Data’ section below the description box. You need to decide on your pricing and enter the Regular Price of your product. If it’s on sale, then you can set a Sale Price too.

Under the Product Data box, you can optionally enter a short description of your product. This appears in areas where the long description will not fit.

Next, click on the ‘Set Product Image’ link in the right-hand side of the screen and upload product images.

Tip: we highly recommend that you optimize your images for web to ensure that your website is always blazing fast.

Above the product photo upload area, you can also set your product categories and tags. We recommend giving your product at least one category.

Once you’ve entered all the details for your product, simply click on the Publish button to put it live on your website.

Repeat the same process to add more products if needed.

Once you’ve added your products, you can visit your site to see them listed on your Shop page.

4. Change or Customize Your WordPress Theme

Themes control the design template of your website. There are thousands of free and paid WordPress themes that you can choose from, and most of them are compatible with WooCommerce.

However, not all of them are ideal for a WooCommerce boutique shop.

By default, Bluehost may install the Storefront theme for you, or you may be using some other default theme right now.

You can change your website design by installing a different WordPress theme. Not sure which theme to choose, see our handpicked list of the best WooCommerce WordPress themes.

Once you have found the theme you like, you can download and install it. For help with installing WordPress themes, check out our beginner’s guide to installing a WordPress theme.

Most WordPress themes are highly customizable. For instance, you can change fonts, colors, header styles, background, and more.

Simply go to the Appearance » Customize page to launch theme customizer. You’ll see a live preview of your site with customization options in the left column.

You can use the tabs down the left-hand side to change various aspects of your site. The WooCommerce options let you control how your store displays.

For instance, you can go to WooCommerce » Product Catalog to change how your Shop page looks. Here, we’ve set our shop page to have 4 images per row instead of 3 per row.

As soon as you make a change, you will see a live preview of your customization. Make sure you check that you are happy with all your pages, including functional ones such as the cart and checkout pages.

Once you’ve finished making changes using the theme customizer, you just need to click the Publish button on the top left. This saves your changes and makes them live on your website.

Pro Tip: If you want to further customize your WooCommerce store, you can use one of the drag & drop page builders, or use a styling plugin like CSS Hero to create custom styles without any code.

5. Add Plugins to Extend Your Online Shop and Drive Sales

Plugins are like apps for your WordPress site. They allow you to add new features to your online store. Some WordPress plugins are essential that all WooCommerce stores may need and some you can choose to add specific features.

The best part about WordPress is that there are over 58,000 plugins that you can use to add new features to your site without hiring a developer.

You can follow our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin to install any of the plugins below.

Here are our recommendations for some of the most essential plugins for your online shop:

• MonsterInsights – leading WordPress analytics plugin helps you track visitor stats (free version available).
• WPForms – #1 form builder for WordPress, trusted by 4 million websites. You can use it to build contact forms, surveys, polls, etc. (free version available).
• AIOSEO – leading WordPress SEO plugin that will help your store rank higher in Google and other search engines (free version available).
• UpdraftPlus – leading WordPress backup plugin that will help you make automated backups in case of an emergency.
• OptinMonster – #1 conversion optimization toolkit that will help you get more subscribers and sales (free version available).
• Sucuri – free website malware scanner plugin for WordPress.
• WP Mail SMTP – helps improve email deliverability of your website, so customers get their receipt, login information, etc. (free version available).

Aside from these, we have our complete list of the best WooCommerce plugins that you may want to checkout for additional features.

Here are some of our other recommended WooCommerce plugins and tools that can help you make more sales.

1. Advanced Coupons

Advanced Coupons plugin allows you to create smart coupons. These let you go far beyond WooCommerce’s default coupon functionality. They can help you attract more customers and boost your sales and revenue.

2. TrustPulse

TrustPulse is another great plugin to help you drive more sales. It lets you show real-time notifications of product sales to leverage FOMO and increase conversions.

3. AliDropship

AliDropship is the best dropshipping plugin for WordPress. it lets you import products directly from AliExpress into your WooCommerce store.

This allows you to create a dropshipping online boutique without actually storing the products, managing inventory, or worry about shipping products.

Bonus tip: Another popular online shopping business model is to create an Amazon affiliate store. This allows you to promote third-party products on your boutique store and send them customers for a commission. You can check out our guide to building an Amazon affiliate store using WordPress.

4. LiveChat and ChatBot

LiveChat is one of the best live chat software in the market.

It lets you offer real-time support to your customers from your laptop, tablet, and mobile devices. You can add your team members to speed up replies.

They also have a second product called ChatBot which helps you build smart workflows to automatically answer customer’s questions and boost sales.

5. Constant Contact

Constant Contact is one of the best email marketing services in the market.

They let you connect with your customers via email, so you can send them product updates, new offers, and get them to buy more.

Constant Contact comes with all the powerful features such as autoresponders, A/B testing, WooCommerce integration, personalized email automation, and more.

Alternative: if you’re looking for a Constant Contact alternative, then we recommend Drip for Pro users, and Sendinblue as a general good alternative.

6. Learn More About WordPress to Grow Your Store

WPBeginner is the largest free WordPress resource site for beginners. Our main goal is to provide helpful and easy to follow WordPress tutorials for small business owners, bloggers, and non-techy WordPress site creators. You can find out more about us here.

To learn more about WordPress, we recommend starting with the:

• WPBeginner Dictionary – The best place to look up WordPress terms. We explain everything in a beginner-friendly way.
• WPBeginner Videos – New to WordPress? Watch our videos to master WordPress.
• WPBeginner Blog – The central place for all our WordPress tutorials.

We also have a guide to show users how to make the most out of WPBeginner’s free resources.

Many of our users type their question in Google and just add wpbeginner at the end of it. This shows them the most helpful answer for their question.

For further help and support, we recommend joining our free Facebook group WPBeginner Engage. It has 65,000+ members and focuses on helping beginners and non-techy users go further with WordPress.

You can also subscribe to the WPBeginner YouTube Channel. We regularly share helpful WordPress video tutorials.

7. FAQs About Creating an Online Boutique Shop

Having helped thousands of people start their online shop, we have answered quite a lot of questions. Below are the answers to the most frequently asked questions about creating an eCommerce website.

Do I need a business plan or business license to sell online?

No you don’t need a business license to sell online. You can start as a sole-proprietorship which is what most people do.

Once your business starts to take off, you can register an official LLC, corporation, or private limited company based on your country / legal jurisdiction.

Reducing these upfront cost and barriers can let you get started faster.

How do I choose the best products for my online store?

All boutique owners need to think about their target audience because it will have a huge impact on your overall success.

For instance, an online clothing store aimed at 20-somethings might sell geeky t-shirts. An online clothing boutique for retired boomers might focus on practical but stylish leisurewear.

We have a detailed guide on how to choose the best products to sell online.

Also, you can take a play out of dropshippers playbook and expand your product collection by using a dropshipping plugin. This lets you sell products without the inventory hassle.

How can I make more sales?

You can make more sales from your eCommerce website by building an email list, growing your social media following, or even partnering with influencers.

You could also use more advanced marketing strategies like retargeting visitors who leave products in their shopping cart.

Like any retailer, you need to pay attention to measure marketing efforts and track what works. Remember, your online business is competing against many other online stores like eBay and wholesalers, so you need to consider how to make your shop stand out.

Do I need to charge sales tax?

You may need to charge sales tax, depending on where you live. You should check your local government’s website for details on this.

There are WooCommerce plugins that can handle sales tax for you.

Can I charge for shipping separately?

Yes, you can absolutely add shipping costs in your WooCommerce checkout. There are plugins that can automatically calculate the shipping rates based on user’s address.

You can also use the Advanced Coupons plugin that we mentioned above to offer free shipping on orders above a certain $ amount to encourage higher purchases.

Can I sell my products in bulk / wholesale?

Yes, you can absolutely sell your products in bulk at lower prices. While WooCommerce doesn’t have this functionality by default, you can use the Wholesale Suite for WooCommerce plugin to sell your products in bulk.

For example, if you have an online clothing business, you can offer wholesale suppliers a separate login, bulk price discounts, and separate order form, so they can place large orders at once.

How do I get started with my online boutique?

Starting a new business can feel daunting, but you just need to work through our guide step by step.

Begin by thinking about your ideal customer, and then registering a domain name and hosting account.

We strongly recommend using Bluehost’s WooCommerce hosting to keep your startup costs as low as possible. The setup process is straightforward and won’t take more than 30 minutes.

Plus, WordPress + WooCommerce is the best website builder for your online store.

Start Your Online Boutique Shop Today »

Are there other eCommerce platforms for boutique shops?

Yes, aside from WooCommerce, there are several other eCommerce platforms that you can use such as Shopify, BigCommerce, Wix, etc.

We have done a detailed comparison of the best eCommerce platforms.

Although, we always recommend users to use WooCommerce because of it’s flexibility, affordability, and ease of use.

We hope this article helped you learn how to start an online boutique shop that drives sales. You might also like our articles on how to grow your online business and how to track WooCommerce conversions to make more sales.

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 Start an Online Boutique Shop that Drives Sales (2021) appeared first on WPBeginner.

December 22, 2020 at 05:00PM

How to Fix “Sorry, This File Type Is Not Permitted for Security Reasons” Error in WordPress

Are you seeing ‘Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security reasons’ error in WordPress?

You can upload most common file types in WordPress without any error. However, you may see this error if the file type is not supported by WordPress.

In this article, we will show you how to easily fix ‘Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security reasons’ error in WordPress.

What Causes the “Sorry, This File Type Is Not Permitted for Security Reasons” Error?

The error “Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security reasons” appears when you try to upload a file type that WordPress does not support.

You may have seen this error message appear when trying to add a new file in your Media Library.

For security reasons, WordPress restricts the file types you can upload through your WordPress admin. The permitted file types include all common images, video, document, and audio formats.

One solution to fix this problem is to upload the files through FTP or your WordPress hosting file manager section.

However, it is not as convenient as using the built-in WordPress media library.

So let’s take a look at how to fix the “Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security reasons” error in WordPress.

• Check and fix file type extension spelling
• Allow new file types in WordPress with File Upload Types plugin
• Keeping your website secure when allowing additional file types

Check and Fix the File Type Extension Spelling

If you are trying to upload a common file type that you have previously uploaded without seeing this error, then it is likely that you have misspelled the file extension.

A file extension is the 3 or 4 letter filetype suffix that appears at the end of file names on your computer. For instance, an image file may be named holidayphoto.png where holidayphoto is the file name and png is the extension.

These extensions are used by many programs and applications including WordPress to recognize file types. Following are the default file types and extensions allowed by WordPress:

Images: .png, .gif, .jpg, .jpeg, .ico
Documents: .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx, .pps, .ppsx, .odt, .psd
Audio: .wav, .mp3, .m4a, .ogg
Video: .mp4, .m4v, .mpg, .mov, .wmv, .avi, .ogv, .3gp, .3g2

Tip: Although you can upload videos to WordPress, we always recommend uploading your videos to a video hosting site instead. This helps protect your website’s speed and performance.

When you get this error, the first thing we recommend is checking the file extension to make sure it is correct. Sometimes, you may accidentally delete a file name extension or mistype it while editing or saving a file on your computer.

On Windows 10, you can easily check file extensions. Simply open the folder that contains your file and click on the ‘View’ link at the top of the window. From here, you need to check the ‘File name extensions’ box.

After checking that box, you will now see the extension after file names.

Note: This will show the extension for all files on your computer, not just the ones in this folder.

Mac users can view file extensions by opening the Finder app and going to Finer » Preferences from the top menu.

This will bring up the Preferences popup where you need to click on the ‘Advanced’ tab and make sure that the box next to ‘Show all filename extensions’ option is checked.

Now that you can view the file name extensions, locate the file you were trying to upload and make sure it has the correct extension.

If the extension is incorrect, then you can simply right-click and select the ‘Rename’ option to change the file name and add the correct extension.

Allow New File Types in WordPress with the File Upload Types Plugin

If you are uploading a file type that is not supported by WordPress, then you can still upload it by adding it as a supported file type.

The File Upload Types plugin is the easiest way to fix the “Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security reasons” error. This was co-created by WPBeginner’s founder, Syed Balkhi.

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

Upon activation, go to the Settings » File Upload Types page in your WordPress admin area. Then, simply type your file type into the search box.

Next, check the box next to the file type(s) that you want to enable and click on the ‘Save Settings’ button at the bottom of the screen to store your changes.

Now, go ahead and return to the media library. You will be able to add your file(s) without getting an error message.

Keeping Your WordPress Site Secure When Permitting Additional File Types

The reason WordPress blocks many file types is to help keep your WordPress website secure.

When you enable additional file types, we strongly advise that you take some security measures to protect your site.

You should:

• Restrict non-registered users, so they can only upload the file types that they need to upload. The best way to do this is with a file upload form.
• Use a WordPress security plugin to monitor your site for vulnerabilities.
• Regularly scan your WordPress site for potentially malicious code.
• Consider limiting the size of uploaded files to stop users from uploading large files that may contain malware.
• Add user activity logging, so you have records of which user uploaded which file

We hope this article helped you learn how to fix the “Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security reasons” error in WordPress. You may also want to see our expert pick of the must-have WordPress plugins for your website, and bookmark our ultimate guide on how to fix most common WordPress errors.

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 Fix “Sorry, This File Type Is Not Permitted for Security Reasons” Error in WordPress appeared first on WPBeginner.

December 21, 2020 at 06:46PM

How to Create Chat Rooms in WordPress for Your Users

Recently one of our readers asked if it was possible to create chat rooms on your WordPress site for your users?

A chat room hosted on your site will allows your visitors to chat with each other without needing to install a third-party chat client like Slack or Discord.

In this article, we’ll show you how to create a chat room in WordPress.

Why Add a Chat Room in WordPress?

If you run a small membership website or an online forum, then you may want to add instant messaging chat room for your users.

Normally, you can use third-party services like Slack, WhatsApp, Facebook groups, Discord, etc. But the downside is that all the communication will happen outside your website.

An on-site chat room can make your small community come alive and allow users to talk to each other without leaving your website.

Note: These chat rooms are for small community of users. If you are looking for live chat for customer support, then check out our list of best live chat support software.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily add a chat room to your WordPress site.

Adding Chat Rooms in WordPress

First, you’ll need to install and activate the Simple Ajax Chat plugin. For more details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Once you’ve activated the plugin, simply go to the Settings » Simple Ajax Chat page to set up your chat room.

You need to go to the Plugin Settings section and change the name of your chat under ‘General Settings.’ We called it ‘My Chat Room’ for this example.

Under general settings, there are a bunch of options that you can use to customize your chat room.

For instance, you can require users to be logged in to use the chat feature. Or they can use their logged-in username as their chat name, and more.

You can also customize the appearance of your chat room and even manage banned words and phrases if you want to.

How to Display Your Chat Room in WordPress

The next step is to create the page where you want your chat room to live. On the settings page, scroll down to the “Shortcode & Template Tag” area and click to open it.

You’ll see the shortcode that you need to copy:

Next, go to Pages » Add New in your WordPress admin, and name your page.

After that, you can add the shortcode ‘[sac_happens]’ to display your chat room.

To add the shortcode, first you’ll need to click the circle with the ‘+’ sign in the upper left corner of the WordPress block editor. Next, type in ‘short’, and you’ll see the shortcode option.

Click the shortcode button to add it to your page and then paste the shortcode ‘[sac_happens]’ into that area.

Now you can click the Publish button to save your changes. After that, go ahed and check out your page to see your live chat room in action. This is how it looked on our test site.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create chat rooms using WordPress for users. You might also want to see our guide on the best chatbot software, and how to add web push notifications in WordPress to connect with your visitors after they leave 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 How to Create Chat Rooms in WordPress for Your Users appeared first on WPBeginner.

December 19, 2020 at 07:00PM

6 Best Website Maintenance Services for WordPress

Are you looking for the best website maintenance services for your WordPress website?

Website maintenance services manage your WordPress site for you. This includes taking care of backups, updates, security, and website edits.

In this article, we’re going to share some of the best website maintenance services that you can use for your WordPress site.

Why Use a WordPress Website Maintenance Service?

If you run a self-hosted WordPress.org website, then you are responsible for installing WordPress core updates, plugin and theme updates, and keeping website backups.

Unless you are using a managed WordPress hosting company like WP Engine, you’ll be taking care of all these tasks by yourself.

You may feel that these tasks are taking too much of your time, which you would rather spend on growing your business.

This is where website maintenance services come in. A good website maintenance service should provide the following services:

Backups

The service should keep regular WordPress backups of your site, often more than once a day. This means that if something does go wrong, your site can be restored instantly.

Expert WordPress Support

As a beginner, you may need help now and then to fix common WordPress errors.

Having expert WordPress support from your website maintenance service means you won’t need to spend your time working through WordPress tutorials.

It’s important to note that in some cases, support is charged for as an additional service. It’s not always part of the basic website maintenance package.

Security

Your website maintenance service will keep your site safe and secure by running automated scans. Most companies can help you quickly deal with any problems like malware or hacking attempts.

Note: Many website maintenance services may charge extra for malware removal service. We recommend using Sucuri, it is the best WordPress firewall plugin and they offer free malware removal service with all their paid plans.

Timely WordPress Updates

Your website maintenance service will save you time by keeping everything up to date for you. If you do choose to update your plugins yourself, make sure you follow our step by step instructions on how to properly update WordPress plugins.

With all this in mind, here are our top picks for the best WordPress website maintenance services:

1. WP Buffs

WP Buffs is a well-known WordPress website maintenance service that provides cloud backups, emergency support, weekly website updates, speed optimization, unlimited website edits, and more.

They have plans suitable for average website owner as well as perform plan for eCommerce stores, membership sites, and more complex websites.

Pros

• You’ll get a nicely formatted .pdf report each week from WP Buffs to let you know exactly what they’ve been doing on your site. For instance, you’ll see a list of which plugins have been updated and when.
• They offer maintenance for complex online stores (eCommerce), though you’ll need their highest-plan for this.
• WP Buffs monitors your site constantly throughout the day. If your site goes down, they’ll act within 60 seconds to start fixing it.
• Support is available 24/7, as WP Buffs has team members all over the world.
• WP Buffs offers a white-label service. This useful if you host WordPress websites for clients. You can use WP Buff’s services for your clients as if WP Buffs was part of your own team.

Cons

• Malware removal is only included if you’re on the most expensive of their three plans.
• WP Buffs only updates plugins weekly, not daily. This does mean that they have time to test new plugin updates, though.

Pricing

Their lowest plan starts at $67/month. You’ll need to pay $197/month if you want priority support, malware removal, speed optimization, plus some other extras. There is a discount if you choose to pay annually.

2. Codeable

Codeable is a platform where you can hire WordPress experts. If you want a bespoke maintenance package, this could be a great way to find someone who can help.

For instance, you might want a developer to help you to make your site fast and secure.

Unlike other platforms like Upwork, Codeable actually has a strong vetting process which ensures that you only work with the most experienced WordPress developers.

Pros

• Codeable carefully vets the developers they work with. This ensures that you’ll be working with someone who has plenty of experience.
• You can specify exactly what you want. Most dedicated website maintenance services require you to pick from specific plans.
• You could use Codeable for one-off support. For instance, you may need someone to help you set up a WordPress membership website. After that, you’ll be comfortable taking care of the site on your own.
• Codeable has a support team that can help you through the process of using their platform to find and work with a developer. Note that they don’t provide actual WordPress support themselves.

Cons

• You’ll need to come up with a clear idea of what you require. You’ll likely need to answer questions from developers about your project, too. If you’re new to WordPress, it can be tough to know exactly what help you need.
• You won’t know how much your project will cost until you start receiving estimates, usually around a day after posting it.
• You’ll need to pay an additional 17.5% (based on the estimated cost of your project) to Codeable. This fee isn’t refundable, even if the developer doesn’t complete your project in a satisfactory way.

Pricing

Codeable will give you a single estimate rather than a list of bids. This is to avoid a “race to the bottom” where developers try to undercut one another and you end up with someone cheap but not necessarily skilled.

Their pricing is based on a $70 – $120 hourly rate, plus a 17.5% fixed service fee that goes to Codeable.

3. GoWP

GoWP is targeted at agencies and freelancers who provide WordPress services for their clients. They offer white label support. This means that you can use your own branding but with their team doing the maintenance work.

Pros

• The basic maintenance plan is $29/month per site. This includes backups and updates, as you’d expect, but also malware cleanup.
• The “maintenance + unlimited content edits” plan is $79/month. This covers 24/7 support plus all sorts of small tasks (up to 30 minutes each) like tweaking CSS, installing new plugins, and more.
• Their “Visual Validator” software checks your site after installing plugins, by taking snapshots of up to 20 pages of your site to compare with previous versions. If anything’s changed, the GoWP team will get an alert so they can check your site.
• You can use GoWP for your own site as well as for clients’ sites.
• The team is available around the clock and aims to get all tasks done within 8 hours at most.

Cons

• You’ll need to pay separately if you want tasks that take more than 30 minutes.
• GoWP is aimed at WordPress freelancers and agencies. You may find there’s a bit of a learning curve if you’re just an individual wanting to use it on one site.

Pricing

GoWP costs $29/month for the basic maintenance plan or $79/month for maintenance plus unlimited edits to content, CSS, and so on.

If you have complex tasks that will take more than 30 minutes each, you’ll need to pay for one-off tasks to cover these.

They also offer the ability for you to get a dedicated developer for your team at $1799 per month.

4. Maintainn

Maintainn offers a range of different plans for keeping your site secure and up to date. All plans include the weekly plugin, theme, and WordPress updates. There’s also 24/7 security monitoring, so you’ll get an alert if your site is hacked.

At the “Professional” or higher price plan levels, Maintainn provides services like uptime monitoring and eCommerce support.

Pros

• The “Professional” plan and above include free malware cleaning after a hack.
• Maintainn’s plans come in cheaper than some of the other services we’ve looked at.
• There’s live chat support available for all plans, as well as email support.
• You’ll get a weekly report that lets you know what Maintainn’s been doing on your site.
• Maintainn also has options for design and development services and for website hosting. If you want one company to take care of everything website-related for you, this could work well.

Cons

• Live chat is only available Monday to Friday, from 9am to 8pm EST. This might be frustrating if you normally work on your site on the weekends.
• You’ll need the “Professional” plan or higher if you want malware removal to be included for free.

Pricing

Maintainn’s Standard plan is $59/month. If you’ve got an eCommerce site, you’ll need to opt for at least their “Professional” plan, at $179/month.

Their most expensive regular plan is Enterprise, at $299/month. This adds in things like version control and a staging site. This makes it ideal for larger websites that might have several different people working on them.

5. Valet

Valet offers maintenances plans that include everything you’d expect. Backups, WordPress core updates, plugin updates, and so on are all covered. They test all updates on a staging site before making them live on your site.

Pros

• The maintenance plan is clearly and simply priced, at $69/month. There aren’t several plans to choose from, and you just pay month by month.
• You can add extra WordPress support if you want it. This is paid by the hour and can cover any WordPress jobs at all.
• The maintenance plan covers some things that other providers charge quite a bit more for. For instance, it offers uptime monitoring and support for eCommerce sites.
• You can add on extra WordPress support if you want it. This is paid by the hour and can cover any WordPress jobs at all.

Cons

• There’s not much information on the site before signing up. There are no FAQs, for instance. This means it’s not clear how some things work. The maintenance plan promises “regular reporting” but it isn’t clear what this really means.
• The pricing could be more transparent. When you’re offered the option of “Consultation & Support Hours” for a pre-purchase discount, it’s not clear how much these will cost.
• The maintenance plan doesn’t provide any support. If you’ve got questions, you’ll need to pay an hourly fee.

Pricing

The maintenance plan itself is $69/month. You can purchase developers’ time by the hour to do whatever you want with your WordPress site, though this isn’t cheap at $175/hour or $150/hour if you pre-pay.

6. WP Maintainer

WP Maintainer offers a straightforward maintenance plan for WordPress sites. There’s also the option to pay for extra support and development time if you want it.

Pros

• WP Maintainer offers a free scan of your website. You’ll need to enter your email address to receive this, but there’s no obligation to buy anything.
• There’s a single maintenance plan priced at $99/month. You don’t need to decide between different plans.
• The maintenance plan includes site cleanup if your site does get infected by malware.
• You can choose to add developer support for $99/hour. This can be used for most things you’d want to do with your website, though you can’t use it for a full site redesign.
• Updates take place frequently, soon after new versions of plugins, themes, or WordPress itself are released.
• If you want a new web host, WP Maintainer can move you to one of their approved hosts for free when you’re getting set up with their maintenance plan.

Cons

• Support isn’t included. If you have questions or want help with things like installing a new plugin or fixing a problem on your site, you’ll need to pay for this.
• There’s no indication on the site about whether you’ll be able to get your money back if you’re not happy.

Pricing

The maintenance plan costs $99/month. You can purchase support and maintenance time at a rate of $99/hour.

We hope this article helped you find the best website maintenance services for your WordPress site. You may also want to take a look at our guide on important WordPress maintenance tasks to perform regularly, and our comparison of the best business phone services for remote teams.

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 Website Maintenance Services for WordPress appeared first on WPBeginner.

December 18, 2020 at 06:00PM