17 Tested and Easy Ways to Grow Your Email List Faster

Are you looking for proven ways to grow your email list subscribers?

Often beginners simply install a sidebar optin form on their website and wait for users to subscribe. This results in slow subscriber growth.

For faster growth, you need to clearly communicate the value and offer your users multiple opportunities to join your email newsletter before they leave your site.

In this article, we will share our tested and proven ways to grow your email list that are easy to implement and drives huge results, fast.

Getting Started

First, you need is to make sure that you are using a professional email marketing service.

Using the best email marketing company ensures that your emails don’t end up in the spam folder. It also provides you with the right set of tools to build and grow your email list.

We recommend using Constant Contact. It is one of the largest and most popular email marketing service provider in the world.

For complete step by step instructions, see our guide on how to start an email newsletter the right way.

Next, you will need OptinMonster. It is the best lead generation software in the world. It helps you convert abandoning website visitors into email subscribers.

Now that you have the best tools, let’s take a look at some of the most effective ways to grow your email list.

1. Use Multiple Sign up Forms

As we mentioned earlier that many beginners start with a simple newsletter signup form in their sidebar.

If you want to get more email subscribers, then you need multiple signup forms. This gives your users more opportunities to join your email list.

We recommend combining your sidebar sign up form with a sticky floating bar or a lightbox popup. These highly effective campaign types make your signup forms more noticeable.

Using OptinMonster’s Display Rules, you can set time and action based triggers, so your users don’t see all the optins at once.

For example, you can set a display rule to only show floating footer bar optin when the user has scrolled past the sidebar optin, and show a lightbox popup only when they’re about to leave.

2. Use an Exit-Intent Popup

Exit-Intent® is an advanced technology built by OptinMonster that tracks your user’s mouse behavior and show them a targeted email signup form at the precise moment they are about to leave your website.

Think of it as On-site Retargeting.

You can use this technology in combination with full-screen welcome gates, lightbox popups, or other optin types to convert abandoning visitors into subscribers.

We use an exit-intent popup on WPBeginner, and it has helped increase our subscribers by 600%.

Michael Stelzner from Social Media Examiner used it to add over 250,000 new email subscribers.

3. Offer Content Upgrades

Content Upgrade is a marketing technique where you offer users a chance to get exclusive bonus content by signing up to your email list.

For example:

• If you run a podcast, then you can offer show notes + transcription as a content upgrade.
• If you have a long form blog post, then you can offer a PDF downloadable version as a content upgrade
• You can turn your blog posts into a checklist or cheat sheet and offer it as a content upgrade

Here are 30 other content upgrade ideas that you can use.

Human psychology plays an important role in the effectiveness of content upgrades. The psychology principle known as Zeigarnik Effect states that people are most likely to complete a task if they initiate it themselves.

Because when the user initiates (click to download the content upgrade), they are more likely to complete the task (subscribe to your list).

See our step by step guide on how to add content upgrades in WordPress to grow your email list.

4. Add Full or Partially Gated Content in WordPress

Gated Content is the content on your website that can’t be accessed until the visitor enters their email address. You can use plugins to hide some of your content or hide the entire blog post until the user enters their email address.

In the old days, this used to have a negative impact on your SEO rankings. However with modern JavaScript based technology, this does not impact your SEO rankings.

Here’s a step by step guide on how to add content locking in WordPress.

5. Run Giveaway and Contests

An easy way to quickly get a lot of new followers and subscribers is by running viral giveaway or contest. You don’t need an expensive prize to launch a successful giveaway campaign.

Users can join your contest by providing their email address, social sharing, or following you on social media. This creates a snowball effect and helps you reach many new users.

We recommend using RafflePress, which is the best WordPress giveaway plugin on the market. It comes with a drag and drop giveaway builder with tons of social actions to make your campaign a success.

For details, see our guide on how to run a successful giveaway / contest in WordPress.

6. Create Multiple Lead Magnet Pages

Lead magnet (also known as opt-in bribe) is an incentive you offer to potential buyers in exchange for their contact information such as name, email, phone number, etc.

Your blog posts with locked content, content upgrades, and premium content all fall into the lead magnet category.

Lead magnets must offer additional value to your users. This could be an ebook, a resources newsletter, checklists, workbooks, etc. See these 69 highly effective lead magnet ideas for inspiration.

7. Use Discounts and Deals

Sometimes a discount or exclusive coupon is what encourages a customer to finally make a decision. However, why not use this opportunity to nudge them into joining your email list?

If you are using WooCommerce, then you can simply go to WooCommerce » Coupons page to create a coupon. After that, you can use OptinMonster’s ‘Success’ view to reveal the code after users enter their email address.

8. Use Contact Form to Grow Your Email List

Contact forms offer another great opportunity to ask for a user’s email address. Users already enter their email address and a tiny checkbox can allow them to subscribe without entering it again.

We recommend using WPForms, which is the best WordPress form builder on the market. It allows you to connect your forms with top email marketing services and helps you easily build forms with simple drag and drop tool.

For detailed instructions, see our article on how to use the contact form to grow your email list in WordPress.

9. Add Sign up Call to Action on Your Facebook Page

Facebook has introduced call to action buttons for business pages. These buttons are prominently displayed on top of your cover image and are visible without scrolling.

Here is how to add a signup button as a call to action on your Facebook page.

You need to visit your Facebook page, and you will notice a blue ‘Add a button’ button.

This will bring up a popup with multiple choices. You need to click on ‘Get in touch with us’ tab and then select ‘Sign up’.

Next, you need to provide a link to your website where users will be taken when they click signup.

Don’t forget to click on add button to save your changes.

10. Use Twitter Lead Generation Cards

Twitter Ads offers another social platform that you can use to boost your lead generation efforts.

In fact, Twitter even allows you to run lead generation directly from Twitter. This way users can sign up for your email list without leaving Twitter.

You can also drive traffic to your website and use the email signup forms as a conversion. You can create special offers for Twitter users and tweet the links to your followers.

11. Use YouTube Call to Action Cards

YouTube is one of the largest social media platforms and the second most popular search engine in the world. If you are using YouTube videos as part of your marketing strategy, then you can utilize your YouTube channel to grow your email list.

YouTube action cards allow you to add interactive information cards to your videos. You can use them to add call to actions and link them to lead magnets on your website.

Here is how to add YouTube action cards to your videos.

YouTube gives you plenty of opportunities to promote your email list. For more ideas see this guide on how to build your email list using YouTube videos.

Bonus: Check out WPBeginner’s YouTube channel to see how we use Cards.

12. Use After Post and In-Line Optin Forms

After post optin forms appear when a user has already scrolled down an entire article. This means that they are already interested in your content and are much more likely to sign up.

You can also use in-line optin forms within your blog posts. The middle of a long read is the point where users are most engaged with the content. Reminding them to sign up at that point, works like a charm.

13. Add Polite Slide-in Scroll Box Forms

As we mentioned earlier that users simply ignore most static signup forms. The goal is to divert the user’s attention to your offer and sign up form.

Slide-in scroll box forms do that beautifully. They stay out of the way so that users can look at the content while diverting user attention to the sign up form with slide in animation.

14. Prominent Headers with Call to Action

Header area of your website is most prominently visible to visitors when they first arrive. This makes it the most effective spot to place your call to action.

You will need a WordPress theme that comes with large or full screen header. You can also use a page builder plugin like Beaver Builder to create custom pages with your own layout.

15. Use Social Proof to Encourage More Sign ups

Social Proof is a psychological effect used to describe a social behavior where people feel more comfortable following other people. Marketers use social proof as a tactic for easing the minds of worried customers and increasing conversions.

There are many ways you can use social proof to get more subscribers. You can use testimonials on your landing pages, add reviews, show number of registered users, etc.

You can also use bubble notifications like TrustPulse to increase newsletter signups and eCommerce conversions.

16. Use Gamified Campaigns

Experts agree that gamification helps boost user engagement. Did you know that you can use gamified campaigns to boost newsletter conversions as well?

We use Spin a Wheel gamified campaign on our MonsterInsights blog to grow our email list as well as boost eCommerce conversions.

To create a similar campaign, simply follow the coupon wheel guide on OptinMonster website.

17. A/B Test Your Optin Forms

Many beginners continue to rely on guesswork to understand what works on their website. You need to understand how your audience react to different call to actions, optin placements, colors, design, and copy.

With A/B testing, you can find out which optins work better on your website. You can use these A/B testing tips to continuously test and improve your optins.

We hope this article helped you find the best ways to grow your email list. You may also want to see our list of the best SEO tools & plugins as well as proven tips on how to increase your website traffic.

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 17 Tested and Easy Ways to Grow Your Email List Faster appeared first on WPBeginner.

October 28, 2019 at 06:00PM

What is an XML Sitemap? How to Create a Sitemap in WordPress?

Are you wondering what is an XML sitemap, and how to add it to your WordPress website?

An XML sitemap helps search engines easily navigate through your website content. It gives them a list of all your content in a machine-readable format.

Unlike a regular sitemap that is made for people, an XML sitemap is not typically visible to your website visitors.

In this article, we will explain what is an XML sitemap, and how to easily create a sitemap in WordPress.

What is an XML Sitemap?

An XML sitemap is a file that lists of all your website content in an XML format, so search engines like Google can easily discover and index your content.

Back in the early 2000s, government websites used to have a link on their main pages, titled “Sitemap”. This page usually contained a list of all the pages on that website.

While some websites still have HTML sitemaps today, overall the usage of sitemaps have evolved.

Today sitemaps are published in an XML format instead of HTML, and their target audience is search engines and not people.

Basically, an XML sitemap is a way for website owners to tell search engines about all the pages that exist on their website.

It also tells search engines which links on your website are more important than others, and how frequently you update your website.

While XML sitemaps will not boost your search engine rankings, they allow search engines to better crawl your website. This means they can find more content and start showing it in search results thus resulting in higher rankings sometimes.

Why You Need an XML Sitemap?

Sitemaps are extremely important from a search engine optimization (SEO) point of view.

Simply adding a sitemap does not affect search rankings. However, if there is a page on your site that is not indexed, then sitemap provides you a way to let search engines know about that page.

Sitemaps are extremely useful for when you first start a blog or create a new website because most new websites don’t have any backlinks. This makes it harder for search engines to discover all of their content.

This is why search engines like Google and Bing allow new website owners to submit a sitemap in their webmaster tools. This allows their search engine bots to easily discover and index your content (more on this later).

Sitemaps are equally as important for established popular websites as well. They allow you to highlight which part of your websites are more important, which parts are more frequently updated, etc, so search engines can visit and index your content accordingly.

This helps improve the overall visibility of your website in search engine rankings.

How to create a Sitemap in WordPress?

There are several ways to create an XML sitemap in WordPress. We will show you two popular methods to create an XML sitemap in WordPress, and you can choose one that works best for you.

Method 1. Creating an XML Sitemap in WordPress using Yoast SEO

The easiest way to create an XML sitemap in WordPress is by using the Yoast SEO plugin.

It is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market offering you a comprehensive set of tools to optimize your blog posts for SEO.

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

Upon activation, go to SEO » General page and switch to the ‘Features’ tab. From here, you need to scroll down to the ‘XML Sitemap’ option and make sure that it is turned on.

Next, click on the save changes button to store your changes.

To verify that Yoast SEO has created an XML Sitemap, you can click on the question mark icon next to the XML Sitemap option on the page.

After that, click on the ‘See the XML Sitemap’ link to view your live XML sitemap generated by Yoast SEO.

You can also find your XML sitemap by simply adding sitemap_index.xml at the end of your website address. For example:

https://www.example.com/sitemap_index.xml

Yoast SEO creates multiple sitemaps for different types of content. By default, it will generate sitemaps for posts, pages, author, and categories.

If you run an online store using WooCommerce, then it will also generate a sitemap for your products.

However, when it comes to submitting the sitemap to search engines, you’ll only need to submit the main sitemap index file. We’ll show you how to do that later in this article.

Method 2. Creating an XML Sitemap in WordPress using Google XML Sitemaps Plugin

This method is recommended for users who don’t want to use Yoast SEO’s XML Sitemaps feature.

First, thing you need to do is install and activate the Google XML Sitemaps plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, the plugin automatically generates an XML Sitemap for your website. You can view it by simply adding sitemap.xml to your website’s address. For example:

https://www.example.com/sitemap.xml

The plugin works out of the box for most blogs and business websites. However, you still need to review plugin settings to make sure that you are not missing anything.

Simply, go to Settings » XML-Sitemap page to configure plugin.

At the top, the plugin will give you status information. It will notify you if the plugin is unable to ping any search engine.

You can review the basic options where you can disable the plugin from notifying search engines, increase PHP memory limit, and more. The default settings would work for most WordPress hosting environments.

Next, you’ll see the additional pages section. From here you can manually add pages to your XML sitemap. This comes in handy if your website has static HTML pages not created by the WordPress CMS.

After that, you can adjust how the plugin assigns priority to posts. By default, it uses the number of comments to calculate a post’s priority.

The next two sections of the plugin’s settings page allow you to include and exclude content from your WordPress sitemap. For example, if you run an eCommerce store, then you would want to include the ‘Products’ content type to your sitemap.

After that, you can adjust the frequency and priority of your sitemap contents. Changing these values are considered as a hint by search engines, and they may choose to follow or ignore these tags based on their criteria.

Finally, don’t forget to click on the ‘Update Options’ button to save your changes.

How to Tell Search Engines About Sitemaps?

Search engines are quite smart in finding a sitemap. Whenever you publish new content, a ping is sent to Google and Bing to inform them about changes in your sitemap.

However, we recommend that you submit the sitemap manually to ensure that search engines can find it.

Submitting Your XML Sitemap to Google

Google Search Console is a free tool offered by Google to help website owners monitor and maintain their site’s presence in Google search results.

Adding your sitemap to Google Search Console helps it quickly discover your content even if your website is brand new.

First, you need to visit the Google Search Console website and sign up for an account.

After that, you will be asked to select a property type. You can choose a domain or a URL prefix. We recommend choosing URL prefix as it is easier to setup.

Enter your website’s URL and then click on the continue button.

Next, you will be asked to verify ownership of the website. You will see multiple methods to do that, we recommend using the HTML tag method.

Simply copy the code on the screen and then go to the admin area of your WordPress website.

From here, you need to install and activate the Insert Headers and Footers plugin. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to visit Settings » Insert Headers and Footers page and add the code you copied earlier in the ‘Scripts in Header’ box.

Don’t forget to click on the save button to store your changes.

Now, switch back to the Google Search Console tab and click on the ‘Verify’ button.

Google will check for verification code on your site and then add it to your Google Search Console account.

Note: if the verification is unsuccessful, then please make sure to clear your cache and then try again.

Now that you have added your website, let’s add your XML sitemap as well.

From your account dashboard, you need to click on the Sitemaps from the left column.

After that, you need to add the last part of your sitemap URL under the ‘Add new sitemap’ section and click the Submit button.

Google will now add your sitemap URL to your Google Search Console.

It will take Google some time to crawl your website. After a while, you would be able to see basic sitemap stats.

This information includes the number of links Google found in your sitemap, how many of them got indexed, a ratio of images to web pages, and more.

Submitting Your XML Sitemap to Bing

Similar to Google Search Console, Bing also offers Bing Webmaster Tools to help website owners monitor their website in the Bing search engine.

To add your sitemap to Bing, you need to visit the Bing Webmaster Tools website and sign up for an account. Once you have signed up, you can add your website under the ‘Add new site’ section.

On the next screen, you will be asked to enter your website details including the sitemap URL.

Click on the Submit button to continue.

Bing will now ask you to verify the ownership of your website and will show you several methods to do that.

We recommend using the Meta tag method. Simply copy the meta tag line from the page and paste it on a blank text file on your computer.

Now go to your WordPress website and install and activate the Insert Headers and Footers plugin to your website.

Upon activation, you need to visit Settings » Insert Headers and Footers page and add the code you copied earlier in the ‘Scripts in header’ box.

Don’t forget to click on the Save button to store your changes.

How to Utilize XML Sitemaps for Your Website?

Now that you have submitted the XML sitemap to Google, let’s take a look at how to utilize it for your website.

First, you need to keep in mind that the XML sitemap does not improve your search rankings. However, it does help search engines find content, adjust crawl rate, and improve your website’s visibility in search engines.

You need to keep an eye on your sitemap stats in Google Search Console. It can show you crawl errors and the pages excluded from search coverage.

Below the charts, you can click on the tables to view actual URLs excluded or not indexed by Google.

Normally, Google may decide to skip duplicate content, pages with no content or very little content, and pages excluded by your website’s robots.txt file or meta tags.

However, if you have an unusually high number of excluded pages, then you may want to check your SEO plugin settings to make sure that you are not blocking any content.

We hope this article helped answer all your questions about XML sitemaps and how to create an XML sitemap for your WordPress site. You may also want to see our guide on how to quickly increase your website traffic with these actionable tips.

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 What is an XML Sitemap? How to Create a Sitemap in WordPress? appeared first on WPBeginner.

October 25, 2019 at 03:30PM

How to Buy a Vanity Phone Number for Your Website (in 5 Minutes)

Have you ever wondered how certain companies buy a vanity phone number for their business website?

Vanity phone numbers are business phone numbers that are memorable and easy to promote. For example, 1800-FLOWERS is a vanity toll-free phone number for a popular flower delivery service.

The sequencing or spelling of vanity phone numbers makes it easier to promote in creative ways. Vanity phone numbers are also highly effective in building your brand image.

Many small business owners believe that having a vanity business phone number must have a high cost, need special equipment, or technical skills to manage it.

This used to be the case in the old days, but it is not true anymore. You can get a vanity number without spending a fortune, purchasing special equipment, or acquiring technical skills.

In this article, we’ll show you how to easily buy a vanity phone number for your online business or WordPress website.

What is a Vanity Phone Number?

A vanity phone number is an easy to remember phone number that have a unique sequence. For example, 1-800-TOYSRUS (1-800-869-7787) or 1-800-GoFedEx (1-800-463-3339).

You can also find numbers with unique combinations like 800-333-4444 or 800-000-3333.

These phone numbers are more noticeable and memorable than random phone numbers. this makes vanity phone numbers great for marketing and building a brand image.

You can also get them as a toll-free number or a local number.

Most vanity phone numbers are usually toll-free numbers, which are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. This means that your vanity number is subject to availability regardless of the business phone service you buy it from.

What Do I Need to Get a Vanity Phone Number?

You’ll need a business phone service to buy a vanity phone number.

Unlike traditional landline phones, a business phone service runs on the internet. This is why it is sometimes also known as business VoIP service (Voice over Internet Protocol).

By using the internet for phone calls, companies can offer lower call rates, cheaper international calls, and advanced call management features to business owners.

These call management tools allow you to maximize the potential of your business calls. You can monitor calls, analyze them, set up voicemail greetings, setup call redirect rules, and more.

You only need a device connected to the internet to use a modern business phone service. Basically, a computer, laptop, tablet, or mobile phone would work.

This means you don’t need to buy any special equipment.

You can forward calls to your existing landline or mobile number, share the same number with team members, and set up auto-attendant messaging.

That being said, let’s take a look at some of the best vanity phone number providers that you can use to easily buy a vanity phone number for your business.

1. RingCentral

RingCentral is one of the top business phone system providers. They offer affordable VoIP service for small businesses with local, toll-free, and vanity phone numbers.

First, you need to sign up for a RingCentral plan. Their pricing starts from $19 per month per user which gives you one local or toll-free number.

You can add a vanity phone number to your plan for $30 (one-time fee).

Once you have signed up, you can get a local and toll-free number directly from your account dashboard right away.

However, if you are looking for a vanity phone number, then you’ll need to apply for it. The process can take up to 10 business days to set it up for your account.

Once approved, you can use a vanity number generator to come up with ideas for your easy to remember business phone number.

Pricing: Starting from $15.99 per month + $30 one-time setup fee.

2. Nextiva

Nextiva is one of the best professional phone service providers on the market. We use their platform on WPBeginner for our professional business phone number.

By default, Nextiva does not offer vanity phone numbers. Instead, they procure the numbers from their carrier partners which limits their ability to provide vanity numbers as a feature.

However if you already have a vanity phone number, then you can move it to Nextiva and start using it with their superior platform with all the call management features, CRM software integrations, and more.

Each Nextiva plan also comes with a free local number for any area code in the United States, and a toll-free number with all prefix codes except 0800.

Pricing: Starting from $20 per month.

3. Grasshopper

Grasshopper is one of the leading providers of virtual phone numbers for businesses. They offer local, toll-free, and vanity phone numbers.

You can easily check the availability of your desired vanity number during the signup process. You can also port your existing local number and set up call forwarding to your newly acquired vanity phone number.

Grasshopper provides all the standard features of a business phone system. You get business texting, call forwarding and routing, extensions, custom greetings, and more.

Pricing: $26 per month with 1 number and 3 extensions.

4. Phone.com

Phone.com is another popular business phone number provider. They offer local, toll-free, and vanity phone numbers.

However, they do charge a one-time setup fee for a toll-free vanity phone number. This fee starts from $49 and can go higher depending on what number and toll-free code you choose.

Phone.com’s plans come with a monthly limit of call minutes, and you’ll need to purchase extra minutes if you exceed those limits. You also get a generous number of SMS messages with each plan.

Apart from getting your desired phone number, you also get all the standard features to manage business calls. This includes call routing, auto-attendant, custom greetings, voicemail, call logs, business texting, and more.

Pricing: Starting from $12.99 per month

How To Promote a Vanity Phone Number on Your WordPress Website?

Majority of the website traffic these days are coming from mobile devices. This means that your users don’t need to reach to their phone to contact your business since they are already on the phone.

You need to make it easier for them to just tap on your business phone number to make a call.

Adding Click to Call to a WordPress Website

If you are using WordPress which is the best website builder on the market, then you can easily add a click to call button to your website using a plugin.

First, you need to install and activate the WP Call Button plugin on your website. For more details, see our step by step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to visit Settings » WP Call Button page to configure plugin settings.

It provides two types of call buttons.

1. Sticky Call Button – This button remains visible on your website as users scroll down a page.
2. 2. Static Call Button – This button does not move and you can add it anywhere on your website using a shortcode.

After you choose your button type, you will need to enter your phone number and choose the button’s appearance style. Don’t forget to click on the Save button to store your settings.

For detailed instructions, see our step by step tutorial on how to add click to call button in WordPress.

Adding Click to Call Button Using HTML

If you are not using WordPress and want to add a click to call button to your website, then this is how you would do it.

Basically, you can add telephone numbers as links using the specific phone number format.

tel:+15555555555

Depending on which website builder you are using, click on the Add link button and then add your phone number with tel: prefix.

If you are familiar with HTML, then you can also use HTML to add a clickable phone number.

<a href="tel:+15555555555">Click here to call us</a>

Simply replace the phone number with your own and save your changes.

Frequently Asked Questions about Choosing a Vanity Phone Number

Choosing a toll-free or vanity phone number can bring up a lot of questions. We will try to answer some of the most frequently asked questions about vanity phone numbers that we have come across.

1. What is the difference between a vanity phone number vs a toll-free number?

A vanity phone number has a sequence of numbers that spells your business name, product, or service. They can also just have a memorable sequence of numbers.

Your vanity phone number can be a toll-free number or a local number that comes with a memorable number sequence.

On the other hand, toll-free numbers are the numbers with specific dialing codes that can be dialed with no charge to the person making the call. Toll-free dialing codes in the United States are 800, 888, 877, 866, 855, 844 and 833.

Toll-free numbers can be acquired on a first-come-first-serve basis, which is why most vanity phone numbers are usually toll-free numbers as well.

2. Do I need to pay a premium price for a toll-free vanity phone number?

No, you don’t. FCC rules forbid hoarding, trading, and reselling of toll-free numbers. Some phone services may charge you a setup fee for a vanity phone number, but this is not the price of the toll-free number.

3. Can I sell my toll-free vanity phone number?

No, you cannot. FCC rules prohibit selling of toll-free numbers, and anyone trying to sell a toll-free number can get into legal trouble.

4. Can I use my vanity phone number with my local number?

If you are using a business phone service provider, then you can easily forward inbound calls to your existing local number. You can also set up forwarding rules based on time of the day, or set up an IVR to connect with the right person in your team.

We hope this article helped you buy a vanity phone number for your website. You may also want to see our guide on choosing the best live chat software or best email marketing service for your business.

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

The post How to Buy a Vanity Phone Number for Your Website (in 5 Minutes) appeared first on WPBeginner.

October 24, 2019 at 07:32PM

Google Chrome Will Block Mixed Content – Are You Ready for It?

Recently, Google Chrome announced that they will soon start blocking mixed content also known as insecure content on web pages.

This feature will be gradually rolled out starting from December 2019. This should give website owners enough time to check for mixed content errors and fix them before the block goes live.

Failing to do so will cause poor user experience, loss of traffic, and loss of sales.

In this guide, we will explain Google Chrome’s mixed content blocking and how you can be well prepared for it.

Since this is a comprehensive guide, we have created an easy to follow table of content:

• What is mixed content?
• Why Google Chrome wants to block mixed content?
• What will happen if a website is showing mixed content?
• How to prepare your website for mixed content block?
• How to fix mixed content errors in WordPress?

What is Mixed Content?

Mixed content is a term used to describe non-https content loading on an HTTPS website.

HTTPS represent websites using a SSL certificate to deliver content. This technology makes websites secure by encrypting the data transfer between a website and a user’s browser.

Google, Microsoft, WordPress.org, WPBeginner, and many other organizations are pushing HTTPs as the standard protocol for websites.

They have been very successful in their efforts. According to Google, “Chrome users now spend over 90% of their browsing time on HTTPS on all major platforms.”

However, there are still many websites serving partial insecure content (mixed content) over HTTPs websites. Google aims to improve this situation by giving website owners a nudge in the right direction.

Why Google Chrome Wants to Block Mixed Content?

Google Chrome already blocks mixed content, but it’s limited to certain content types like JavaScript and iFrame resources.

From December 2019, Google Chrome will move forward to start blocking other mixed content resources like images, audio, video, cookies, and other web resources.

An insecure HTTP file on a secure HTTPs webpage can still be used by hackers to manipulate users, install malware, and hijack a website. This jeopardizes your website security as well as the safety of your website visitors.

It also creates a bad user experience as Google Chrome cannot indicate whether a page is completely secure or insecure.

What Will Happen if a Website is Showing Mixed Content?

Google Chrome has announced a gradual plan to implement mixed content blocking. It will be implemented in three steps spawning over the next three releases of Google Chrome.

Step 1

Starting from December 2019 (Chrome 79), it will add a new settings option to the ‘Site Settings’ menu. Users will be able to unblock the mixed content already blocked by Google Chrome including JavaScript and iframe resources.

If a user opts-out for a website, then Google Chrome will serve mixed content on that site, but it will replace the padlock icon with the insecure icon.

Step 2

Starting from January 2020 (Chrome 80), Google Chrome will start auto upgrading HTTP video and audio file URLs to HTTPs. If it fails to load them over https, then it will automatically block those files.

It will still allow images to load over HTTP, but the padlock icon will change to Not Secure icon if a website is serving images over HTTP.

Step 3

From February 2020 (Chrome 81), Google Chrome will start auto-upgrading HTTP images to load over HTTPs. If it fails to load them over https, then those images will be blocked as well.

Basically, if your website has any mixed content resources that are not upgraded to HTTPs, then users will see the Not Secure icon in their browser’s address bar.

This will create a poor user experience for them. It will also affect your brand reputation and business.

No need to panic though. You can easily prepare your website to fix all mixed content errors.

How to Prepare Your WordPress Website for Google Chrome’s Mixed Content Block

Google Chrome is the most popular browser in the world among both mobile and desktop users.

Leaving your website with incomplete HTTPS implementation or no HTTPS at all will result in loss of traffic, sales, and overall revenue.

Here is what you need to do to prepare your website for these changes.

Move Your Website to HTTPS

If your website is still using HTTP, then Google Chrome will already be showing a ‘Not Secure’ icon when users visit your website.

It is about time to finally move your website to HTTPS.

We know that changes like these can be a bit intimidating for beginners. Some site owners postpone the move due to cost, which is no longer an issue as you can easily get a free SSL certificate for your website.

Other website owners delay it because they think it will be a complicated process and could break their website.

That’s why we have created a step by step guide to easily move your WordPress site from HTTP to HTTPS.

We will walk you through every step and show you how to get that secure padlock icon next to your website address in all browsers.

Finding Mixed Content on an HTTPS Website

If you already have an HTTPS-enabled website, then here is how you will find mixed content on your site.

The first indication of mixed content issues will be visible in Google Chrome’s address bar when you visit your website.

If Google Chrome has blocked a script on your website, then you will see the scripts blocked shield icon at the right corner of the address bar.

Google Chrome has already blocked the insecure content and that’s why the padlock icon on the left corner of the address bar will not change.

The second indication that you should look for is the info icon. This icon will replace the padlock if the page you are viewing has mixed content that Google Chrome has not blocked.

Clicking on the icon will show the notice that ‘Your connection to this site is not fully secure’.

Usually, this content includes images, cookies, audio, or video files. Chrome does not block those files at the moment and that’s why it shows this notice.

If your site has both icons, then this means your site is loading multiple types of mixed content files using HTTP.

Next, you need to find out which files are loaded using the insecure HTTP URLs. To do that, right-click anywhere on your website and select Inspect tool from the browser menu.

Switch to the ‘Console’ table under the Inspect window to view page load errors. You’ll be looking for ‘Mixed content:’ errors and warnings to find out which files are blocked and which files are loaded using the HTTP URLs.

Fixing Mixed Content Errors in WordPress

There are two easy methods that you can use to fix mixed content warnings and errors on your WordPress website.

Method 1. Fix Mixed Content Errors and Warnings Using a Plugin

This method is easier and recommended for beginners. We will use a plugin that will find and replace HTTP URLs to HTTPs on the fly before sending it to user’s browser.

The downside is that it adds a few milliseconds to your website’s page load speed which is barely noticeable.

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

Upon activation, go to Settings » SSL Insecure Content page to configure the plugin settings.

Select the ‘Simple’ option and then click on the ‘Save changes’ button to store your settings.

Visit your website to look for mixed content warning errors.

For more detailed instructions, see our article on how to fix mixed content error in WordPress.

Method 2. Manually Fix Mixed Content Issues in WordPress

This method can get a bit complicated for beginners. Basically, you’ll be finding the insecure URLs across your website and replacing it with secure URLs.

We will still use a plugin to find insecure HTTP URLs on your website. However, you’ll be able to deactivate the plugin once you have changed the URLs, so this will not impact your page speed like the first option.

Let’s get started.

First, you need to install and activate the Better Search and Replace plugin.

Upon activation, you need to visit Tools » Better Search Replace page.

Under the ‘Search’ field, you need to add your website URL with http. After that, add your website URL with https under the ‘Replace’ field.

Click on Run Search/Replace button to continue.

The plugin will now run and find all instances of your website URLs starting with http and replace them with the https.

The plugin works on your WordPress database, so it will only change URLs for your content areas.

If the mixed content resources are loaded by your WordPress theme or plugin, then you will need to inform the theme or plugin developer, so they can release a fix for that.

For more details, see our complete beginner’s guide to fixing the common SSL/HTTPs issues in WordPress.

We hope this article answered your questions regarding Google Chrome’s mixed content block and helped you get ready for it. You may also want to see our guide on how to use Google Search Console to grow your website traffic, and the important marketing data you must track on all WordPress sites.

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The post Google Chrome Will Block Mixed Content – Are You Ready for It? appeared first on WPBeginner.

October 23, 2019 at 04:47PM