Whether you’re new to WordPress or have been using it for a while, knowing how to add shortcodes to your website is an important skill. Shortcodes are a simple way to add special features and make your content look better, all without needing to know how to code.
Have you ever wondered how websites have cool buttons, beautiful image galleries, or forms that you can interact with? Well, the secret behind it all is shortcodes. But don’t worry, I’m here to guide you through the process step by step, and I’ll make it easy for beginners like you.
So, grab a cup of coffee, relax, and let’s unlock the amazing powers of shortcodes to enhance your WordPress site.
What are Shortcodes?
Shortcodes in WordPress are a powerful feature that allows users to easily embed complex functionality and dynamic content into their posts, pages, widgets, or any other area where text is allowed.
These are essentially small snippets of code enclosed within square brackets that trigger specific actions or display specific content when used in the WordPress editor. It provides a convenient way for non-technical users to add advanced features to their WordPress site without having to write or understand complex code.
They act as placeholders that are replaced with predefined functions or content when a page is rendered. Shortcodes are widely used in WordPress plugins and themes to extend the core functionality of the platform.
To use a shortcode, you simply need to enter it into the WordPress editor or a text widget. The basic structure of a shortcode is as follows:
[shortcode attribute1=”value1″ attribute2=”value2″]
The attributes and their corresponding values are optional and depend on the specific shortcode being used. WordPress comes with several built-in shortcodes that provide various functionalities out of the box.
- – Embed video and play on websites.
- – Embed audio and play on websites.
- – Easily add captions to the content.
- – Show the playlist of the video or audio files.
- – Display the image gallery on the website.
In addition to the built-in shortcodes, many plugins and themes offer their own custom shortcodes to add specialized functionality.
These can range from displaying social media feeds and contact forms to creating pricing tables, sliders, or even custom content elements. By using shortcodes, users can easily insert and configure these features without any coding knowledge.
In fact you can use shortcode for optimizing your WooCoomerce website. We can recommend you two different effective WooCommerce plugin.
Developers can also create custom shortcodes to extend WordPress functionality or provide specific functionality within their themes or plugins.
Shortcodes are a convenient way to add dynamic and interactive elements to your WordPress site without the need for extensive coding knowledge. They provide a simple and user-friendly interface for adding complex functionality, making it easier for non-technical users to enhance their websites.
Whether you’re using built-in shortcodes, custom shortcodes from plugins or themes, or creating your own, shortcodes offer a flexible and powerful tool for extending the capabilities of your WordPress site.
How to Add a Shortcode to Your WordPress Website
Adding shortcodes is one of the easiest tasks in the WordPress platform. Generally, most WordPress plugins will provide you with shortcodes for their various functionalities. In most cases, you don’t need to generate any shortcodes on your own.
First, you need shortcodes for applying them on your WordPress website. If you already have a shortcode to apply for, that’s very nice. But if you don’t no worry.
Now we will install a prominent shortcode WordPress plugin called “Shortcodes Ultimate”. This plugin has lots of pre-generated shortcodes. You can independently use them based on your demands.
📌 Step 1 – Install Shortcodes Ultimate on Your Website
First, we will show you the process of installation of this plugin. Go to the WordPress plugin store and search with the plugin name.
Now just install and activate the plugin.
📌 Step 2 – Add Shortcode on Your WordPress Site
Well, our plugin is ready to go. Now you can easily access the plugin from your WordPress dashboard. Go to your WordPress Dashboard > Shortcodes.
Finally, we have reached the dashboard of the plugin. By the way, you can see all the shortcodes by clicking on the “VIEW ALL SHORTCODES” button. It will take you to the webpage of the Shortcodes Ultimate plugin.
You can get an idea about different types of shortcodes. However, you will add the shortcode from your WordPress website. Let’s go back there.
First, we need to create a new page for adding the shortcode on our website. But you can also add the shortcode to the existing page. Now we are just showing you the way to add the code.
Go to your WordPress Dashboard > Pages > Add New.
Well, we have reached the add new page interface. Now you have to enable the top toolbar. Navigate to the right side of the page and mark the top toolbar from the menu. The toolbar is enabled for your page.
We will add a shortcode on the page. So click on the “Type/ to choose a block”. Now the toolbar will appear on the upper section of the page.
From the toolbar click on the insert shortcode menu. It will take you to the plugin’s shortcode collections.
As you can see there are various types of shortcodes available for your WordPress website. Now you can independently use the shortcode based on your demands. For example, we will add a CTA button on our page.
So click on the button shortcode.
You can customize the button link, text color, background color, size, etc. After editing all these factors click on the insert shortcode from the menu.
Well, the code is added to our page. Next, we will see the preview of the shortcode. Let’s see how it looks on our website.
Finally, we enabled the CTA button on our website with the shortcode. By following this process you can add different types of shortcodes on your WordPress website. At the end of the day, it will improve the functionality of your site.
Final Thoughts
We’ve covered the basics of creating and implementing shortcodes in WordPress. Remember, it all starts with understanding the purpose and desired outcome of your shortcode. Whether you want to embed a video, display a gallery, or showcase custom forms, shortcodes can help you achieve your goals effortlessly.
By following the step-by-step instructions in this guide, you can confidently create and use shortcodes in your WordPress site. Take advantage of the flexibility and versatility they offer, allowing you to customize your website to suit your unique needs and style
