Simply having a website is not always enough these days. The 2020 pandemic (that seems to be going nowhere) put pressure on businesses to not only be online but also provide a great online experience. This great online experience is usually characterized by real-time responses and personalization. This feat has been taken on by chatbots.
Since over 455 million websites are built with WordPress, we thought a customized chatbot for WordPress integration guide was in order.
This article will address everything you need to know about creating and adding a chatbot to WordPress, all without coding.
What is a Chatbot for WordPress?
Chatbot for WordPress is an automated conversational assistant for the web. The setup of the bot can be the same as it would be for other website builders or a custom-code site. What’s different is the installation process.
In general, you can add two different types of chatbots to your WordPress site:
- A rule-based chatbot (an automated conversational flow that relies on a decision-tree system);
- An NLP-based chatbot (conversational flow that uses artificial intelligence, more specifically, natural language processing).
While NLP chatbots provide more conversational freedom and natural experience, they are more difficult to design and implement. Rule-based chatbots restrict users a bit more. However, they are quick to build and launch and are useful in instances when a structure is beneficial, such as lead generation, product recommendation, transaction processing, feedback collection, etc.
Which type of bot is more suitable depends on your chatbot use case.
How a WordPress Chatbot Can Help Improve Your Site
The conversational nature and real-time responses of automated web assistants mean that even a simple chatbot can positively impact user experience.
A basic chatbot can:
- Provide 24/7 uninterrupted support and consistency of that support through automation;
- Humanize your brand by adopting and sharing your brand personality;
- Answer a number of frequently asked questions, so visitors don’t have to leave the page they are currently on and interrupt their journey;
- Offer personalized product recommendations based on user preferences the bot collects throughout the conversation;
- Classify complex customer queries and send them to a live agent in the right department;
- Collect feedback instantly;
- Offer a communication channel that feels comfortable and natural both on desktop and mobile;
- Proces transactions.
Besides advantages for your existing or potential customers, WP chatbots have quite a few benefits in store for your business as well. It can help you collect and qualify leads in real-time, which means you can react and respond to requests instantly and in a personalized manner. It also enables you to collect a wealth of data about customer behavior and preferences.
All in all, a chatbot on your WordPress site will boost communication with your visitors and customers by opening a two-way conversation flow.
What Formats Can Have Your WP Chatbot?
A chatbot can appear on your website in four different formats:
- Pop-up (automated pop-up that appears after a certain time spent on a page; suitable for a subscription or feedback bot);
- Live chat widget (typical chat bubble in the corner of the website; most commonly used for product recommendation, FAQs, customer support, etc.);
- Website embed (chatbot is embedded into page interface, often used for support, transaction processing, on-page product customization);
- Landing page (a conversational experience where chatbot takes the central stage, ideal for marketing campaigns, event signups, and product launch).
How to Create a Chatbot for WordPress
To install a chatbot for your website on WordPress, you first must create one.
Don’t worry; it’s not as hard as it sounds.
1. Pick a Chatbot Solution
Creating a chatbot is not as difficult or costly as it once used to be. The accessibility of conversational assistants directly results from the rise in no-code and low-code chatbot builders like Landbot. These chatbot software solutions enable you to make bots using simple drag and drop interfaces.
When picking the best chatbot software on the market for you, consider the following:
- Chatbot integrations: Review what native features are available inside the builder (templates, human takeover, 3rd-party integrations, etc.). Some use cases might require more advanced features, so before you sign up, verify what you need.
- Available channels: Are you planning to connect your chatbot to other channels besides your WordPress site? Perhaps you would like to complement the service with a Facebook Messenger bot or a WhatsApp bot. Check what other channel connections your builder of choice offers!
- Pricing model: Review the pricing model carefully. Most builders charge per monthly chats, but also certain features might only be available with a premium plan.
- Support system: Last but not least, check the quality of customer support and learning materials. A sound support system will be essential to the success of your bot.
Many builders, like Landbot, offer a free trial so you can try all the features and see the setup before you make the final decision.
2. Familiarize Yourself with the Builder and its Features
Once you have picked your builder, it’s time to learn your way around it. Even if you opt for a bot-building service, it’s good to know the ins and outs of your chatbot tool as the maintenance, updates, and data reports will still be up to you.
Play around with the features, join the community, ask questions, and test some tutorials. Doing this will not only help you find your feet in a new environment but also open your eyes to chatbot possibilities you might not have seen before.
3. Build Your Conversational Flow (with Clear Use Case in Mind)
Next comes the conversational flow design.
Conversational flow is the path you want your website visitors to take. Based on your use case, think about the questions they would like to ask and what kind of answers (data) you need from them to personalize the flow.
You can help yourself get started by customizing a pre-designed chatbot template or start building from scratch.
For instance, in Landbot, every time you click to create a new bot, you are given the option to select a template or continue building on your own, from zero:
If you are curious about a more detailed guide to building a flow, check out our step-by-step article “How to Make a Chatbot for the Web" or visit our Academy for more bot-building video courses.
4. Define The Look of Your WP Bot
After the flow is set up, it’s time to turn to design.
The advantage of a website chatbot is the freedom of design. You can unleash your creativity and make the bot look and feel like an extension of your brand.
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Most builders offer a no-code design editor, so anyone on the team, designers included, can access the builder and make all adjustments necessary to make the bot look just right.
5. Test Your Bot
The last stage before adding your chatbot to WordPress is testing.
You can test your bot as you build it using a preview mode or a custom URL. Do a few test runs with your team and perhaps select a few customers to collect feedback!
For the best results, run chatbot A/B tests.
How Do I Add a Chatbot to my WordPress Site
The question really isn’t whether you can add a chatbot to WordPress or not but rather how easy you can to make the installation.
There are a variety of WordPress chatbot plugins, but just because they are WP chatbot plugins, it doesn’t mean they are of quality. As mentioned above, you should look for the best builder first and see what WordPress installation options are available. Not many builders have WordPress plugins, but that doesn’t mean the installation of the bots is any harder.
For example, with Landbot, it’s a matter of (pretty much) copy-paste, regardless of what chatbot format you choose (pop-up, widget, landing page, or embed). The video below describes how to add a Landbot chatbot to WordPress in all four formats just in five minutes:
It looks too easy to be true.
Yet, there you have it.
So, if you have been postponing creating a WP chatbot for quite some time, worrying it would be too complex to carry out, it’s time to leave your worries behind!
There’re plenty of great chatbot builders out there that will help you put the right assistant together. Though, since you are here, feel free to give Landbot a try 😉
Still in need of inspiration?
Check out website chatbot examples by our clients!
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