Getting started with the ConvertKit WordPress plugin
The ConvertKit WordPress plugin lets you add ConvertKit content (such as your forms or products) to your WordPress website without dealing with code. With it, you can also display custom content for ConvertKit subscribers with certain Tags.
Our plugin is compatible with both self-hosted WordPress.org websites and hosted WordPress.com ones. Installing it is simple and takes less than five minutes, so let's get you set up!
NOTE: We've done our best to ensure the steps below will work for most people. But since WordPress is highly customizable, your installation process may not look exactly as what we've illustrated in our screenshots here. Reach out to our support team if you have questions.
How to install the ConvertKit WordPress plugin
1. Add the ConvertKit plugin
From your WordPress admin's left sidebar, go to Plugins > Add New Plugin:
Search for "convertkit" in the search bar at the top right of the page, and then click the Install Now button for the plugin called "ConvertKit – Email Newsletter, Email Marketing, Subscribers and Landing Pages."
When the plugin installation is complete, the Install Now button will be replaced by an Activate button. Click Activate to activate the ConvertKit plugin.
2. Grant WordPress access to ConvertKit
A ConvertKit Setup Wizard will launch:
Click the Connect button to connect your ConvertKit account with your WordPress website. You'll be directed to the ConvertKit login page to log in to your account (or create a new account if you don't have one).
After logging in to your ConvertKit account, you'll see a message: "WordPress is requesting access to your account."
Click Grant access to WordPress to proceed.
NOTE: If you're a team member of multiple ConvertKit accounts, use the dropdown menu to select the account you want to connect to WordPress.
3. Choose an email form to display on WordPress posts and pages
On the Display an email capture form page, select the default email form you want to display below all your WordPress posts and pages.
(To set up a default email form for your WooCommerce product pages, follow the instructions here instead.)
If you don't want to display a default form on your posts and/or pages, select the "Don't display an email subscription form on posts/pages" option.
You can also disable your default form, or show a specific form, for certain posts, post categories, and pages. Learn how to do this here.
Click Finish Setup to complete the basic setup. 🎉 You'll see this screen next:
From here, you can:
Return to your WordPress dashboard by clicking Dashboard
Configure more settings by clicking the Plugin Settings
(You can also navigate to the ConvertKit plugin's settings by clicking Settings on your WordPress sidebar > ConvertKit.)
In this article, we'll focus on configuring these advanced settings:
Read these other articles if you want to start customizing your WordPress website with your ConvertKit content instead!
Disabling the ConvertKit plugin's JavaScript and CSS functionality
At the bottom of the ConvertKit plugin's General Settings page, you can enable the Disable JavaScript and Disable CSS settings to prevent the ConvertKit plugin from loading JavaScript and CSS files respectively.
Doing so will prevent the plugin's features that rely on JavaScript and CSS from working as intended. So, we recommend leaving these settings unchecked unless you have a reason for enabling them.
For example, you may want to temporarily disable the ConvertKit plugin's JavaScript functionality to troubleshoot if it is causing a conflict with another WordPress plugin.
Enabling the debug log
The General Settings page's Debug setting will generate a record of your ConvertKit plugin activity.
This record, or debug log, will be displayed on the Tools page of your ConvertKit plugin settings.
If you contact support about a ConvertKit issue on your website, our support team may ask you to enable the Debug setting so they can obtain a debug log for troubleshooting the issue.
Otherwise, since generating the debug log may slow down your website, we suggest leaving the Debug setting unchecked.
Tracking ConvertKit subscriber activity on your WordPress website
On the Advanced Settings page in your ConvertKit account, you'll find a setting to "Add subscriber_id parameter in email links."
Enable this setting to track the ConvertKit subscribers who have visited the WordPress web pages you've linked to in your emails. It's also helpful for:
Tagging subscribers who visit certain web pages, and
Displaying custom page content based on the Tags subscribers have in your ConvertKit account.
More information on this in our guide to customizing your ConvertKit subscribers' experience on your WordPress website.
For now, however, let's start adding your ConvertKit content to your website!