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Do you want to notify users when their comment is approved in WordPress?
By default, WordPress doesn’t notify users when you publish their comment. This can leave visitors wondering whether you’ve received their comment, or whether you plan to publish it at all.
In this article, we will show you how to notify users when you approve their comment.
Why Notify Users When Their Comment is Approved in WordPress
Comments allow your website visitors to communicate with you and other readers.
They are a great way to get engagement and feedback, and can help build a community around your WordPress blog.
By default, WordPress puts all new comments into a moderation queue. You can see these comments in the admin area, but they won’t appear on your website until you approve them.
Comment moderation is the best way to keep discussions safe and spam free. However, by default WordPress doesn’t notify users when you approve their comment.
Instead, visitors would need to keep checking your site to see whether their comment has appeared. Most commenters will forget to do that. Sometimes, visitors may even assume that you’ve rejected their comment if they don’t get a notification.
By confirming that you’ve published their comment, you can encourage visitors to come back to your WordPress website. This is great for engagement and can create a more interesting and lively discussion.
With that being said, let’s see how to notify users when you approve their comment.
How to Notify Users When Their Comment Is Approved in WordPress
The easiest way to notify people when you publish their comment is by using Comment Approved Notifier Extended. This plugin is simple to set up and lets you send a custom email to your users.
First, you’ll need to install and activate the plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, the plugin works automatically. Every time you approve a comment, WordPress will send a notification to that person’s email address.
If you want to change the email’s content, then simply click on Comment Approved in the WordPress dashboard.
You will now see the default email and all of the different pieces of shortcode that you can use in your message.
When it creates an email, Comment Approver Notification will replace the shortcode with real information. For example, it will replace [commentauthor] with the name the person typed into your WordPress website.
You can either type or paste any shortcode into the small email editor. You can also type in plain text, as you can see in the following image.
When you’re happy with how the email looks, you can simply go ahead and click on the ‘Update’ button.
Now Comment Approver Notification will send the new email to your users.
Email is an important way to communicate with your visitors, users, and customers. With that in mind, it’s a good idea to use an SMTP plugin to improve email deliverability and keep your comment notifications out of the spam folder.
WP Mail SMTP is the best WordPress SMTP plugin on the market. It allows you to easily use any SMTP server to send WordPress emails safely and reliably.
Do you want to try WordPress for free without buying domain name or hosting?
Normally, you need a domain name and hosting to build a WordPress website. However, many users may want to give it a try before spending money.
In this article, we’ll show you multiple ways to try WordPress for free without domain or hosting. We’ll also talk about things to try in WordPress and making a live website.
Why Try WordPress for Free without Domain or Hosting?
1. Try WordPress Online with Full Refund on Hosting
The easiest way to try WordPress online is by using a a WordPress hosting company that offers a risk-free money back guarantee (i.e full refund for up to 30 days or even 90 days in some cases).
The benefit of this method is that you get to try WordPress for building your website. If you like it, then you can make your website online with a single click (no extra work needed).
And if you don’t like it, then you can request a full refund from your WordPress hosting company.
For this method, you’ll need a credit card to pay for the WordPress hosting upfront, but if you don’t like it, then you can get a full refund.
Bluehost – offers free domain + web hosting with 30 day money back guarantee.
Hostinger – offers free domain + web hosting with a 30 day refund policy.
SiteGround – offers cloud WordPress hosting with risk-free 30 day refund policy.
Dreamhost – offers free domain + WordPress hosting with 97 day refund policy.
All of the above hosting companies come with WordPress pre-installed, or they offer 1-click WordPress setup option.
You can quickly get started with any of them to try WordPress online risk free.
For the sake of this tutorial, we will show a step by step process on what this looks like with Bluehost which is one of the top WordPress recommended hosting provider.
First, you need to visit the Bluehost website and click on the green ‘Get Started Now’ button.
Next, you’ll be asked to choose a plan.
We recommend starting with Basic since you just want to try WordPress. You can always upgrade your hosting plan if you decide to stay on Bluehost.
Now you’ll be asked to choose a domain name. Bluehost is currently offering WPBeginner users a free domain name and 72% discount using our Bluehost coupon .
However, if you register a domain name, then the company will deduct the domain cost when you ask for a refund. You need to click on ‘I’ll create my domain later’ option at the bottom to skip this step, so you qualify for a full refund.
Next, you’ll be asked to provide personal details and finalize the hosting package.
It is important that you uncheck all optional extra addons on this page.
Addon costs are non-refundable, and you are only eligible for the full refund of your hosting bill, not addons.
Lastly, you need to enter your payment information to complete the purchase.
Bluehost will now create your hosting account and will send you an email with instructions on how to access your hosting control panel.
From your hosting control panel, you’ll notice that Bluehost has already installed WordPress for you. You can simply click on the log into WordPress button to access your website.
Requesting Refund on Bluehost
Login to your Bluehost account dashboard and click on the Support icon. From there, you need to scroll down to the contact section and start a live chat session.
Once connected to a live chat agent, you can request them to issue a full refund and cancel your account.
Important: If you’re using a hosting company that’s not mentioned above, then please make sure to read and fully understand their refund policy before making a purchase. If in doubt, reach out to the hosting company by dropping them an email.
2. Try WordPress on Your Computer
Another popular way to try WordPress is by installing it on your computer. This is what many expert developers do for client websites.
This method allows you to try WordPress for free without buying any domain or hosting. You can install plugins, themes, and make a complete website on your own computer.
There are several amazing free software available that allow you to set all this up on your computer.
The easiest of them all is called Local. It allows you to easily set up a local WordPress development environment on your computer. It works on MacOS, Windows, and Linux.
Simply head over to Local website and download it for your operating system.
Depending on your operating system, the installation wizard may differ slightly. For MacOS, simply click on the downloaded package and then drag and drop Local.app to the Applications folder.
Once you have installed Local, open the app on your computer.
Then click on the ‘Create a new site’ button.
Next, you’ll be asked to provide a title for your website.
Simply enter any name you want to website for your demo site and click on the Continue button.
After that, you’ll be asked to choose local environment. For instance, which server software you want to use, which MySQL or PHP version to use.
If you are not sure, then you can simply use the Preferred options and click Continue.
On the next screen, you’ll be able to choose a username and password to access WordPress admin area of your local site.
You can also change the WordPress admin email, in case you need to recover your login info.
Click on the Continue button to finish the set up wizard.
Local will now fetch and install the latest version of WordPress and create a new local website for you.
Once finished, you’ll see your local website details. From here, you can click on the WP Admin button to access WordPress dashboard.
If for some reason Local doesn’t work, or you simply want to try an alternative, then you can check out MAMP (for MacOS) or WAMP (for Windows).
3. Try WordPress with WordPress.com (No Domain Needed)
Another option that you’ll often come across for trying WordPress is WordPress.com.
Before you do that, it is important that you understand how WordPress.com is different from a self-hosted WordPress.org website.
WordPress.com is a website hosting company and a publishing platform. Basically, you don’t need to install WordPress or take care of any website maintenance.
The downside is that you don’t get full control over the software running in the background. This takes away the flexibility and freedom.
WordPress.com have a limited free plan that you can try. However, it will be missing many features of a self-hosted WordPress.org website.
In the recent years, WordPress.com has added a Pro plan that lets you install plugins and themes, but it is far more expensive than other WordPress hosting options that we have shared above.
Things You May Want to Try in WordPress
Now that you have created a free WordPress website, you are probably wondering which things you should try.
After that, you may want to choose a design for your website. There are so many free and paid WordPress themes that you can use. We recommend picking up a free theme and customizing it to make your own.
You can even install a free page builder plugin like SeedProd to experience designing your website with a drag & drop interface.
3. Exploring WordPress Plugins
The real power of WordPress comes from WordPress plugins. These are like apps for your WordPress website and allow you to extend website functionality by adding new features.
There are over 60,000+ free WordPress plugins available.
Following are a few must have WordPress plugins that you should try.
1. WPForms – It allows you to add a beautiful contact form or survey to your website. There is a WPForms Lite version that you can try for free.
Need more plugin suggestions? See our full list of essential WordPress plugins that you can try on your free WordPress demo.
4. Learning WordPress Basics
Now if you are struggling finding your way around WordPress or just want to cover WordPress basics, then you can learn WordPress for free right here.
WPBeginner is the world’s largest WordPress resource site for beginners. We have been around since 2009 and have a massive library of resources for beginners.
The best place to start, would be our page on how to learn WordPress for free. There, you’ll find a step by step WordPress program divided into seven days of training.
You can also start with our free WordPress video series. That’s also a step by step program for beginners.
Once you have covered the basics, you can continue exploring WordPress Tutorials, check out WordPress glossary, or subscribe to our YouTube channel for a regular installment of WordPress tips, tricks, and how-tos.
Launching Your WordPress Website
Once you have tried WordPress, you may want to officially launch a live WordPress website.
To do that, you’ll need a domain name and a hosting account.
We recommend using Bluehost. They are the largest WordPress hosting companies and have agreed to offer WPBeginner users free domain name and a generous discount on hosting.
We hope this article helped you learn how to try WordPress for free without domain name. You may also want to see our comparison of the best website builders on the market, or see our guide on how to add create an online store and start selling.
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.
Do you want to add a YouTube subscribe button in WordPress?
Having a YouTube subscribe button on your blog makes it easy for visitors to find your videos and subscribe to your YouTube channel.
In this article, we will show you how you can add a YouTube subscribe button to your WordPress website.
Why Add YouTube Subscribe Button in WordPress?
A YouTube channel is a great way to reach a new audience, boost your website engagement, and increase your blog traffic.
In fact, many websites also have a YouTube channel including WPBeginner.
If you’ve launched a YouTube channel to support your WordPress blog, then you should make it easy for visitors to subscribe to your YouTube channel.
That’s where a YouTube subscribe button comes in.
This button lets visitors subscribe to your channel within seconds. A subscribe button can also promote your YouTube channel to visitors who may not have heard of it yet.
In this post we have two different ways to add a YouTube subscribe button in WordPress. If you prefer to jump straight to a particular method, then you can use the links below.
One method is to create a YouTube subscribe button on the Google Developer website. You can then add this button to any widget, post or page using shortcode.
Here, you’ll need to type in your YouTube channel name or ID into the ‘Channel Name or ID’ field. To get this information, open a new tab in your browser and then head over to the YouTube homepage.
You can then click on your profile picture in the top right corner, and select ‘Settings.’
In the left-hand menu, go ahead and click on Advanced Settings.
Once you’ve done that, simply find the ‘Channel ID’ field and click on its ‘Copy’ button.
Now, switch back to the YouTube subscribe button page and paste the Channel ID into the ‘Channel Name or ID’ field.
The preview will now update to show the total number of YouTube subscribers you have.
There are two different layouts that you can use for your YouTube subscribe button. The ‘default’ layout shows the subscribe button and your total number of YouTube subscribers.
The other option is ‘full layout.’ This shows the YouTube subscribe button, your subscriber count, plus your channel’s profile picture and the title of your YouTube channel.
To see how your YouTube subscribe button will look with the full layout, simply open the ‘Layout’ dropdown and then click on ‘full.’
The preview will now update to show how your YouTube subscribe button will look with the full layout applied.
After choosing between the default and full layouts, you can choose a theme for your YouTube subscribe button.
The default theme is a white background, but you can switch to a dark theme if you prefer. This adds a darker background to your YouTube subscribe button.
To see how your subscribe button will look with the different themes, open the ‘Theme’ dropdown. You can now switch between ‘default’ and ‘dark,’ to see which theme you like the best for your website.
In the following image, you can see a YouTube subscribe button with the dark theme.
By default, the YouTube subscribe button shows your total number of YouTube followers. Showing how many people follow you on YouTube is a powerful form of social proof.
If visitors see that lots of people are following your YouTube channel, they’re more likely to see your website as an authority in your blogging niche. This can also convince more people to subscribe to your channel.
However, sometimes you may want to hide your total number of YouTube subscribers. For example, if you’re a new channel, then you may want to build your following before showing the total subscriber count on your WordPress website.
To hide how many people are subscribed to your YouTube channel, simply open the ‘Subscriber count’ dropdown and then click on ‘hidden.’
As you customize the subscribe button, Google will update the button’s embed code.
When you’re happy with how your button looks, you can go ahead and copy all of the code in the ‘Code’ section.
Now, you can simply paste the code into any widget, post or page on your WordPress site. For more details on how to place the code, you can see our guide on how to add a shortcode in WordPress.
Once you’re done, don’t forget to save your changes. You can now visit your WordPress website to see the YouTube subscribe button live.
Method 2: Using Plugin to Add a YouTube Subscribe Bar
Another way to add a YouTube subscribe button on your website is by using the YouTube Subscribe Bar plugin. Once set up, this free plugin automatically adds a ‘Subscribe to YouTube channel’ bar to every YouTube video that you embed on your website.
This subscribe bar will appear on your own YouTube videos, but also videos that you embed from other channels. This is perfect for sharing useful third-party YouTube videos on your site, while still encouraging people to subscribe to your channel.
Just be aware that this plugin only works for YouTube videos that you embed using the oEmbed format. The easiest way to embed a YouTube video using oEmbed is to head over to the YouTube video, and then click on its ‘Share’ button.
Since we want to use oEmbed, make sure you select the ‘Embed’ option. Then, go ahead and click on ‘Copy.’
Once you’ve done that, simply open the page or post where you want to embed the video. Then, click on the + icon and search for ‘Embed.’
When you see the ‘Embed’ block, give it a click to add this block to your page or post.
You can then paste the YouTube embed link into the block.
Once you’ve done that, click on the ‘Embed’ button to embed the video. You can then save or publish the page as normal.
You will need to follow this process for every YouTube video where you want to show the subscribe bar.
Once you’ve embedded at least one video, you can go ahead and install and activate the YouTube Subscribe Bar plugin. To learn more, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activating the YouTube Subscribe Bar plugin, head over to Settings » YouTube Subscribe Bar.
In the ‘YouTube Channel ID’ field, type in or paste your channel ID. You can get this ID by following the same process described above.
In the ‘Subscribe to channel text’ field, simply type in the text that you want to show in your subscribe bar.
By default, this plugin uses ‘Subscribe to my YouTube Channel’ but you can use anything that you want.
After that, you can change the color of the bar’s background and text using the color settings towards the bottom of the page. You can also change the bar’s layout, and choose between light and dark themes.
The settings that work best will vary depending on your WordPress theme. With that in mind, you may want to try different settings to see what looks the best on your WordPress website.
When you’re happy with your changes, you can publish your subscribe bar by clicking on the ‘Save Changes’ button.
You can now visit any page or post where you’ve embedded a YouTube video, to see the subscribe bar in action.
How to Turn Website Visitors Into YouTube Subscribers
Adding a YouTube subscribe button to your WordPress site is a great way to get more subscribers. However, there are lots more ways to encourage your website’s visitors to become YouTube subscribers.
If the visitor is interested in the blog post, then they may also be interested in the related YouTube video. This means there’s a good chance they’ll watch the video, and then subscribe to your YouTube channel.
An effective playlist will guide your visitors from one video to the next one in order, keeping them engaged in your content. If a visitor watches and enjoys an entire YouTube playlist, then it’s likely they’ll subscribe to your channel.
This is an easy way to show visitors that you run an active YouTube channel. If the visitor likes what they see on your website, they may decide to subscribe to your channel so they never miss another video.
