700+ Best Free WordPress Tutorials (Step by Step) https://www.wpbeginner.com Beginner's Guide for WordPress Wed, 23 Oct 2024 10:00:06 +0000 en-US hourly 1 How to Add Image Hotspots in WordPress (The Easy Way) https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-add-image-hotspots-in-wordpress/ https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-add-image-hotspots-in-wordpress/#comments Wed, 23 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.wpbeginner.com/?p=297068 Sometimes, adding images and visuals alone isn’t enough to hook visitors’ attention. That’s where image hotspots can come to the rescue. These clickable areas can turn a simple picture into an engaging, informative experience for your visitors. We’ve experimented with them ourselves to showcase points… Read More »

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Sometimes, adding images and visuals alone isn’t enough to hook visitors’ attention.

That’s where image hotspots can come to the rescue. These clickable areas can turn a simple picture into an engaging, informative experience for your visitors. We’ve experimented with them ourselves to showcase points on a map, tag team members in a photograph, and highlight product features.

If you’re wondering how to do the same, you’re in the right place. This guide will show you 2 simple methods to create an image hotspot for your WordPress website without any code.

How to Add Image Hotspots in WordPress

When to Add Hotspots to Your Images in WordPress

Image hotspots are clickable spots that can turn simple pictures into interactive content that visitors can explore. But when should you think about adding hotspots to your images?

One good time to use hotspots is when you want to show off different parts of a product image.

Let’s say you’re selling a new phone. You can add hotspots to point out its camera, screen, and other features. This helps customers learn about the product without reading long descriptions.

Lots of home goods websites also use image hotspots to highlight the product details of items displayed in staged photos.

IKEA's image hotspot example

Hotspots are also great for making infographics and data visualization more engaging. Instead of cramming all the information into one image, you can hide extra details behind hotspots. When people click on different parts of the infographic, they can see more facts and figures.

If you run an eLearning website, then hotspots can improve the user experience and make your lessons more interactive. For example, you could add hotspots to a map, letting students click to learn about different countries or landmarks.

With that in mind, let’s look at how to easily add image hotspots to your WordPress website. We’ve come up with 2 methods, and you can use the quick links below to navigate through the article:

Expert Tip: Don’t have the time or desire to design your own website? Consider using our professional WordPress design services. Our expert designers can build you a stunning website at an affordable price, bringing your next project to life!

Method 1: Add Image Hotspots With SeedProd (For Landing Pages/Custom Themes)

This first method uses SeedProd, a drag-and-drop page builder, to add image hotspots to your WordPress website. We recommend this method if you’re creating a custom landing page or a custom WordPress theme and want to use a platform with an image hotspot block.

What we love about SeedProd is it offers over 350 landing page templates and theme kits for different industry categories, from online boutiques and cleaning services to SaaS companies. So, there’s an option for every type of site.

One thing you should consider is that if you just want a free solution to create image hotspots, then this method may not be for you. This is because SeedProd’s hotspot block is only available in the paid SeedProd versions. In that case, we recommend going with method 2.

For more information about the plugin’s features and pricing, check out our SeedProd review.

Once you have purchased a SeedProd plan, you can download and install the WordPress plugin in your admin area. After that, go to SeedProd » Settings and enter your license key. You can find this information on your SeedProd account page.

Once done, just click ‘Verify Key.’

Enter your license key

After that, navigate to SeedProd » Landing Pages.

Then, click ‘Add New Landing Page.’

Adding a new landing page in SeedProd

You will now see all the templates SeedProd offers. There are options for a viral waitlist landing page, a Google ad landing page, a coming soon page, and more.

Make sure to scroll through the options and preview them one by one so that you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

SeedProd's template library

Once you have decided on a template, just hover over your selection.

Then, click the orange checkmark button.

Choosing a SeedProd template

Now, a new popup will appear, asking you to name the page and insert its URL slug.

After you do that, click ‘Save and Start Editing the Page.’

Inserting the landing page details in SeedProd

This will open the SeedProd drag-and-drop editor.

It works similarly to the WordPress block editor, where you can drag and drop blocks onto the page and click on them to customize them however you like.

The SeedProd drag-and-drop interface

To create image hotspots, you can find the ‘Hotspot’ block in the left sidebar.

Then, just drag and drop it right on your page.

Choosing the SeedProd Hotspot block

Next, you need to upload the WordPress image you want to add hotspots to.

You can do this by clicking on the ‘Hotspot’ block and choosing either ‘Use Your Own Image’ or ‘Use a Stock Image’ to select an image.

The first option will open the media library where you can pick an existing image or upload a new one. If the size is pretty large, you can check out our guide on how to upload large images in WordPress.

Uploading an image to the SeedProd Hotspot block

Once you have uploaded an image, you can input some alt text to describe the image for search engines and screen-reading tools.

You can also customize the image size and alignment.

Adding an alt text to the image hotspot in SeedProd

After that, you can scroll down to start adding your hotspots.

You can do this by clicking on the ‘+ Add Hotspot’ button.

Adding a hotspot to the image in SeedProd

An orange dot will now appear on your image. You can adjust its position by dragging the horizontal and vertical orientation bars.

Additionally, you can insert the text that should appear when a user’s cursor hovers over the hotspot.

Customizing the image hotspot settings in SeedProd

Moving down, you can change the color of the hotspot.

Simply click on the ‘Color’ settings to choose a color that suits your brand and website design.

Changing the hotspot color in SeedProd

If you keep scrolling down, you can enable the ‘Advanced Settings’ toggle.

This is where you can add a link to your hotspot’s tooltip text so that users can be redirected to your desired page.

Enabling the hotspot block's advanced settings in SeedProd

Besides that, you can choose a custom icon to replace the default circle shape.

To do this, just click the ‘Choose Icon’ button.

Replacing the hotspot icon in SeedProd

A popup window will appear where you can pick various icons from SeedProd’s library. You can also choose icons from Font Awesome if you need more options.

To use an icon, just click on it.

Choosing an icon for the hotspot in SeedProd

Once you have chosen an icon, you can drag the ‘Icon Size’ bar to make the shape smaller or bigger, depending on your preferences.

You can then repeat the steps to create more interactive image hotspots.

Below, you can add an animated effect to your image hotspots. There are 2 options: ‘Soft Beat’ and ‘Expand.’

Adding an animated effect to the hotspot block in SeedProd

Now, let’s move down to the ‘Tooltip’ section.

Here, you can change the position of the tooltip (right, left, above, or below the hotspot) and change the trigger.

If you select ‘Click,’ that means the tooltip will show when the user clicks on the hotspot. On the other hand, ‘Hover’ means the tooltip will appear when the cursor hovers over it.

Adding a tooltip trigger to the hotspot block in SeedProd

Next, you can change the duration of the tooltip.

This just refers to how long it will take for the tooltip to appear after the user hovers over or clicks on the hotspot. If you want to make the text show up instantly, then just set it to 0.

You can also disable the arrow of the tooltip, depending on your preferences.

Setting the tooltip duration for the hotspot block in SeedProd

Now, if you switch to the ‘Advanced’ tab, you can customize the image’s appearance even more.

For example, you can add a box shadow or adjust the padding and margin.

Configuring the SeedProd advanced block settings

Once you’re done, just click the ‘Save’ button in the top right corner.

Then, click ‘Publish’ to make the page live.

Publishing a landing page with an image hotspot made with SeedProd

And that’s it! Make sure you view the page on mobile, desktop, and tablet to see if it looks good across all devices.

Here’s what our interactive image hotspot looks like:

An image hotspot example made with SeedProd

Method 2: Add Image Hotspots With Image Hotspot Plugin (Free But Limited)

If using a page builder and switching your theme sounds like a bit too much, then you can use the free WordPress Image Hotspot plugin instead. This plugin is a great alternative to method 1, but do note that the free version only allows adding up to 6 hotspots on a single image.

To use Image Hotspot, you can install and activate the WordPress plugin in your admin area. Then, go to Image Map Hotspot » All Image Map Hotspot and click on the ‘Add New’ button.

Adding a new image in the Image Hotspot plugin

Now, go ahead and give your new image map hotspot a name. Then, select one of the tooltip display types. You can either make the hotspot’s tooltips appear by hovering or clicking.

Once done, click ‘Save.’

Saving a new image hotspot file in the Image Hotspot plugin

With that finished, let’s add your image.

To do this, just click the ‘Upload Image’ button.

Uploading a new image to the Image Hotspot plugin

This will open the media library, where you can upload a new image or select an existing one.

Next, you can add hotspots to your image map. Simply click on the ‘Add Point’ button to do this.

Adding a hotspot to an image with the Image Hotspot plugin

A popup window will now appear for you to configure your interactive image hotspot.

First, navigate to the ‘Marker’ tab. This is where you can customize what the hotspot image looks like. To change the icons, you can click the ‘+’ sign next to the ‘Icons’ and/or ‘Hover Icons’ fields.

‘Icons’ refers to the default hotspot symbol when it is not being clicked or hovered over. Meanwhile, ‘Hover Icons’ is the symbol that appears when the user is clicking or hovering on the hotspot.

Changing the default hotspot icon with the Image Hotspot plugin

Now, go ahead and select an icon to replace the current default option. The plugin has plenty to choose from.

Once you’ve made your choice, just click on it and hit the ‘Close’ button.

Choosing a hotspot icon in the Image Hotspot plugin

With your hotspot images set up, you can change the colors of the icons.

The plugin lets you make the default hotspot icon color different from the icon hover color. This way, users can easily tell if a hotspot is active when they click or hover on it.

Customizing the Image Hotspot plugin's hotspot appearance settings

To change the color, just click on the square color selection button and select the color you’d like to use.

You can then click anywhere on the page to move on to another setting.

Choosing a color for the default hotspot with the Image Hotspot plugin

You can also customize the hotspot’s icon size on desktop. The higher the number, the bigger the icon will be.

Once you’re happy with the icon’s appearance, just click ‘Save.’

Changing the hotspot's icon size with the Image Hotspot plugin

Now, scroll up and switch to the ‘Content’ tab. This is where you can customize the tooltip’s text and appearance.

The plugin gives you 4 templates to choose from, so you can pick the one that best suits your website design.

Configuring the hotspot's tooltip text with the Image Hotspot plugin

Other than that, make sure to replace the default title content with your own text.

And depending on your website design, you may want to make the font size bigger and change the text color to improve its readability.

When you’re satisfied with the settings, simply click ‘Save.’

Saving the tooltip settings of the Image Hotspot plugin

The last tab is ‘link.’ Here, you have the option to make your tooltip text hyperlinked, so that users can be redirected to a different page.

If you want to do this, then select ‘Yes’ in the ‘Do you Link Title?’ setting.

After that, insert your title link URL in the appropriate field and choose whether you want to make the link open in a new tab or not.

Finally, click ‘Save.’

Adding a link to the hotspot's tooltip text with the Image Hotspot plugin

Now, a new hotspot should appear on your image, which you can drag to your desired position.

You can also repeat the same steps as before to create more image hotspots.

Dragging the newly created hotspot on the image with the Image Hotspot plugin

Once you have your image map configured, you can click on the ‘Save’ button again.

To add the image hotspot to any of your pages, posts, and/or widgets, you can copy the shortcode above the image.

Copying the image hotspot's shortcode made with the Image Hotspot plugin

After that, just paste the shortcode into a shortcode block on your widget, page, or post in the block editor. You can learn more about doing this in our step-by-step guide on how to add and use shortcodes in WordPress.

Here is what our interactive image hotspot looks like:

Image hotspot example made with the Image Hotspot plugin

Discover More Exciting Design Features for Your WordPress Website

Besides creating interactive image hotspots, there are a lot more ways to make your website design engaging. Here are some guides to help you:

We hope this article helped you learn how to easily add image hotspots in WordPress. You may also want to check out our ultimate guide of WordPress sidebar tricks to get maximum results and our expert picks of the best WordPress theme builders.

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.

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How to Show Upcoming Events in WordPress (The Easy Way) https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-show-upcoming-events-in-wordpress/ https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-show-upcoming-events-in-wordpress/#comments Mon, 21 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.wpbeginner.com/?p=307066 Whether you are managing a local business, community organization, or personal blog, using WordPress to show upcoming events has a lot of benefits. It can help increase awareness about your activities and boost participation as a result. Plus, when people have access to all the… Read More »

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Whether you are managing a local business, community organization, or personal blog, using WordPress to show upcoming events has a lot of benefits.

It can help increase awareness about your activities and boost participation as a result. Plus, when people have access to all the necessary details about your events conveniently online, it also improves the user experience.

At WPBeginner and our other brands, we regularly display upcoming events on our sites. For example, we have shown upcoming events for webinars, workshops, interviews with industry experts, and more. Showing these upcoming events has helped us increase visibility and encourage user registration.

In this article, we will show you how to display upcoming events in WordPress.

How to show upcoming events

Why Show Upcoming Events on Your WordPress Website?

You can add all kinds of online events to your WordPress site. These can include conferences, workshops, webinars, concerts, interviews, Facebook events, and more.

However, if your events are not visible to users, then you might not get the best attendance rates. A well-designed event display can significantly increase the number of people who attend.

When visitors can easily discover and learn about your events, they’re more likely to participate. A clear and informative presentation can act as a virtual invitation, prompting visitors to register or make plans to attend.

For example, at WPBeginner, we showcased our upcoming free workshop event on growing email lists with a dedicated blog post.

Upcoming event details example

By displaying upcoming events, you also give visitors a reason to return to your site regularly. They can stay informed about future events, which creates engagement and encourages them to check back for updates.

For this reason, it can also be a good idea to display upcoming in-person events on your WordPress site. In this case, you could provide people with essential details like ticketing information and directions to the event.

That said, let’s look at an easy way to use WordPress to show upcoming events. Here’s what we’ll go over in this article:

Creating Events and Calendars in WordPress

The easiest way to create calendars and upcoming events in WordPress is by using Sugar Calendar. In our opinion, it is the best WordPress event plugin. We used and tested it extensively when writing our Sugar Calendar review.

Sugar Calendar offers everything you need to create multiple calendars, set start and end times for your events, sell tickets online, create recurring events, sync with Google Calendar, integrate with form plugins, and more.

Note: For this tutorial, we will use the Sugar Calendar Pro version because it includes advanced features like recurring events and selling event tickets. There is also a Sugar Calendar Lite version that you can use for free.

First, you’ll need to install and activate the Sugar Calendar plugin. If you need help, then please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you can go to the Calendar » Settings page from the WordPress dashboard and enter your license key in the ‘License Key’ field.

Adding a license to Sugar Calendar

You can find the key in your Sugar Calendar account area. After entering the key, simply click the ‘Verify Key’ button.

Once that’s done, the next step is to create a new calendar. Sugar Calendar will automatically add a calendar to your site, but you may want to create a more custom option.

To start, simply head to Sugar Calendar » Calendars from the WordPress admin dashboard and click the ‘+ Add Calendar’ button.

Creating a new calendar in WordPress

After that, you will need to enter a calendar name at the top and select a slug.

You can also choose a parent calendar, add a description, and select a color to differentiate different calendars.

Enter new calendar details

Once you’re done, simply click the ‘Add New Calendar’ button.

You can repeat this step to add as many calendars as you want to your WordPress site. To learn more, please see our guide on how to create a simple event calendar.

Next, you can add events to your site and show them on the calendar. To start, simply go to Sugar Calendar » Events from the WordPress admin panel and then click on the ‘Add New Event’ button.

Adding events to your WordPress blog calendar

After that, you will need to enter a name for your new event at the top.

From here, you can set the start and end date and time under the ‘Duration’ tab.

Enter upcoming event details

If the event occurs more than once, then you can switch to the ‘Recurrence’ tab and select when the event will repeat. For more details, see our tutorial on how to show recurring events in WordPress.

You can also add a location for physical events, enter a link to display event details on another page, or redirect users to a different page. Sugar Calendar also offers an option to sell event tickets online and make money (we talk about this more in our bonus section).

Set recurring event

Once you’re done, the next thing to do is select the calendar where your upcoming events will be shown.

After that, go ahead and click the ‘Publish’ button.

Select calendar and publish event

Displaying Upcoming Events in WordPress

Now that you’ve created a calendar and added events, it’s time to display them on your WordPress website.

To start, you can create a new page or edit an existing one. Once you’re in the content editor, go ahead and click the ‘+’ icon and search for Sugar Calendar blocks. You’ll see 2 blocks: ‘Events Calendar’ and ‘Events List.’

Add Sugar Calendar block

To display upcoming events on a page, you can select the ‘Events List’ block. This will show a list of all the events that are coming up in that month.

Here’s a preview of what upcoming events looked like on the demo site. You can change the view from list to grid or plain, change the week, and use filters to see different events.

View upcoming events preview

On the other hand, if you’d like to show upcoming events in a calendar view, then you should select the ‘Events Calendar’ block.

You will now see a preview of the calendar in the content editor. Go ahead and publish the page and visit your site to see upcoming events in a calendar view.

View upcoming events in calendar

It’s that simple!

Bonus: Make Money Online With Upcoming Events

Now that you know how to create and show upcoming events in WordPress, you can go to the next level and monetize your site. Let’s go over a few ways you can do that.

1. Run Members-Only Events in WordPress

If you run a membership site or offer subscription-based services, then you can limit access to different events. This way, only members can view and register to attend these events.

Members-only events also help strengthen your relationship with your audience. They create a sense of community and belonging among members.

View members only event MemberPress

There are several ways to restrict access to events. You can use MemberPress to lock content for subscribers or use a free plugin like Paid Memberships Pro.

To learn more, please see our guide on how to run members-only events in WordPress.

2. Sell Tickets for Upcoming Events

Another simple way to make money online with events is by selling tickets for them.

This can add a layer of convenience for customers since they’ll be able to purchase event tickets anytime and anywhere. It also helps you reach a wider audience beyond your local community. You may even be able to tap into a global market.

Sugar Calendar is one of the best WordPress event ticketing plugins. When you use it, you will get an option to enter ticket prices for your events and sell them online.

Event tickets

It also offers an Event Ticketing addon that allows users to purchase tickets directly from the event page using a debit or credit card.

There are several other ways to sell tickets online as well. You can find all the details in our guide on how to sell event tickets using WordPress.

We hope this article helped you learn how to use WordPress to show upcoming events. You may also want to see our guide on how to add event schema in WordPress and how to host virtual events in WordPress.

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.

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How to Create a HIPAA-Compliant Form in WordPress (Easy Way) https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-create-a-hipaa-compliant-form-in-wordpress/ https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-create-a-hipaa-compliant-form-in-wordpress/#comments Wed, 16 Oct 2024 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.wpbeginner.com/?p=301387 Creating a HIPAA-compliant form in WordPress might sound tough. But don’t worry – it’s totally doable, even if you don’t have any technical skills. At WPBeginner, our team has designed and tested a lot of different WordPress forms when writing tutorials and reviewing form plugins.… Read More »

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Creating a HIPAA-compliant form in WordPress might sound tough. But don’t worry – it’s totally doable, even if you don’t have any technical skills.

At WPBeginner, our team has designed and tested a lot of different WordPress forms when writing tutorials and reviewing form plugins. So, we’re experts when it comes to customizing WordPress forms for specific purposes.

In this guide, we’ll break down how to create a HIPAA-compliant form in WordPress.

You’ll learn how to keep patient information safe and follow the law. Whether you’re a doctor, therapist, or just someone handling medical data, this guide is for you.

Creating HIPAA compliant form in WordPress

Disclaimer

We are not lawyers, and nothing on this website should be considered legal advice.

What Is HIPAA, and Why Should My Forms Be HIPAA-Compliant?

HIPAA stands for the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It’s an American law that helps protect people’s private medical information.

Any WordPress website that handles patient data in the United States, such as medical records on healthcare provider sites, telehealth platforms, and online patient portals, needs to ensure this information is safe and secure.

So, why should your forms be HIPAA-compliant? It’s simply because the law says so.

HIPAA-compliant forms help build trust with your patients, as they’ll feel more comfortable knowing their personal health information is protected. And if you don’t follow HIPAA rules, you could face serious fines and penalties.

With that in mind, we’ll show you how to create a HIPAA-compliant form in WordPress. Here’s a quick overview of what we’ll cover in this guide:

Ready? Let’s get started.

How to Create a HIPAA-Compliant Form in WordPress

Creating a WordPress HIPAA-compliant form can seem complicated, but there’s no need to panic. It’s entirely manageable with the right tools and guidance.

That said, most form plugins aren’t HIPAA-compliant because they don’t have essential features for protecting sensitive health information under the law.

Often, they won’t offer the right encryption standards, secure data storage, and the ability to enter into a Business Associate Agreement (BAA) with a web hosting service.

The good news is that we’ve done the research, so you don’t have to. In doing so, we found a few reliable HIPAA-compliant form builders that can help you meet these standards.

In this guide, we will be using HIPAAtizer. In our opinion, this free plugin stands out because it offers comprehensive security features tailored for HIPAA compliance.

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that before you create your HIPAA-compliant form, you’ll want to check that your web hosting provider is also HIPAA-compliant.

We did some research into this, and we found that a lot of the most popular web hosting companies do not support HIPAA.

If you’re looking for a HIPAA-compliant hosting provider, you can take a look at Liquid Web. You may also be interested in our guide on how to move WordPress to a new host with no downtime.

Installing and Activating a HIPAA-Compliant WordPress Form Plugin

Before we get started, you’ll need a HIPAAtizer account. Simply visit the HIPAAtizer website and click the ‘Sign up for free’ button.

Signing up for HIPAAtizer for free

On the next screen, you’ll see 2 options for your HIPAAtizer account.

A sandbox account is a testing environment that lets you experiment without affecting real data. For actual use, you will need to choose the ‘Covered Entity Account’ option.

Covered entity account option

Then, HIPAAtizer will ask you to register your email address.

Simply type your email into the field and click ‘Continue.’

Registering the email address in HIPAAtizer

From here, you’ll just need to follow the prompt to finish setting up your new account.

After a successful sign-up, you’ll need to install the HIPAAtizer plugin. If you need help with this step, you can read our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you’ll have to connect the WordPress plugin to your account. To do this, simply click on the ‘HIPAAtizer’ tab in the left-hand menu of your WordPress dashboard.

Connecting HIPAAtizer plugin and account

Once inside, you can select ‘I already have an account’ and click ‘Continue.’

Next up, HIPAAtizer will load the login form for you.

After that, enter your credentials and click the ‘Continue’ button.

Logging in to HIPAAtizer

Once connected, you’ll be redirected to the HIPAAtizer panel, where you can access all the forms you create using the plugin.

Building a HIPAA-Compliant Form Using the Plugin

Now, you’re ready to create your first HIPAA-compliant form.

First, you’ll want to head over to HIPAAtizer » Create Form from your WordPress admin area.

Create HIPAAtizer form

A new tab will open, as HIPAAtizer allows you to create forms using its own builder outside the WordPress admin area.

On this tab, you’ll see options for how to create the form.

Normally, we’d recommend using a template. However, you’ll need to install the HIPAAtizer desktop app to use its templates, which can be a bit time-consuming.

Install HIPAAtizer desktop app prompt

So, for a simpler process, choose ‘Start from Scratch’ and then click ‘Continue.’

Don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it sounds, and we’ll guide you through the process.

Creating HIPAAtizer form from scratch

HIPAAtizer uses a drag-and-drop editor. This makes it easier to build forms, even when you do it from scratch.

Here’s what the editor looks like:

HIPAAtizer form builder

You can start by clicking on ‘Header 1’ to change the form’s title. For example, we used the title ‘HIPAA Authorization Form’.

Then, you can drag ‘Input Field’ from the left panel and drop it to the preview on the right panel to add a text box.

Once you’ve done so, you’ll be prompted to label the field. You can use this text box to ask for the patient’s name, medical record number, telephone number, date of birth, and more. You can also toggle on the switches to make the field required or configure other customizations.

After that, you’ll want to scroll down the customization panel and click ‘Save Changes’ to store your settings.

Adding field's label and other settings

Now, you can repeat this step as many times as you need to add all the required fields for your form.

After that, you might want to add a disclosure of protected health information. You can add different ‘Displayed Options’ to create a multiple-choice field.

Adding multiple choice

In the customization panel that appears, you can edit the label name, adjust the choices, and make the field required.

You can also add more choices by clicking the ‘+ Add Option’ button. Then, simply fill out the necessary details for the choice. Don’t forget to scroll down and click ‘Save Changes’ when you’re ready.

The next step is to add the ‘Signature’ field to your HIPAA form. This field is important because it allows you to obtain patient consent and authorization. That way, you can make sure your WordPress form is compliant with HIPAA regulations.

Simply drag and drop ‘Signature’ to the right-hand side of the builder and adjust the necessary information.

Here’s an example:

Adding signature box

That’s it!

Our sample HIPAA form only includes the basics, but you can definitely add more fields to fit your needs. Feel free to play around with the input text fields and the other options available to you.

Customizing the HIPAA-Compliant Form

Once you’ve created your WordPress HIPAA-compliant form, you might want to add a personal touch. To do this, you can head over to the ‘Styling’ tab to customize it.

In this tab, you’ll see options to adjust your form’s theme. Go ahead and click the ‘Create theme’ button to open the customization options.

Creating custom looks in HIPAAtizer

You should now see options to change the form’s screen size, background color, font, submit button, and more.

For example, if you expand the ‘Background’ menu, you’ll see a color picker that lets you change the form’s default background color. Then, in the ‘Fonts’ section, you can find font combination options for your HIPAA form.

Styling fonts in HIPAAtizer

Under ‘Submit Button,’ you’ll find more comprehensive styling options. You can edit your submit button’s font size, border style, hover color, and much more.

The same goes for the ‘Labels’ settings.

When you’re done customizing the form, go ahead and click the ‘Save Changes’ button.

Saving changes in HIPAAtizer

You should then see a small notification message that says ‘Successfully Updated.’

Now, all you have to do is click the save icon in the top right corner, name the form, and hit the ‘Save’ button.

Saving the HIPAAtizer form

Embedding the HIPAA-Compliant Form Into Your WordPress Website

Once you’ve saved your form, another pop-up window will appear.

In this pop-up, you’ll see a message that says the form is saved but has not yet gone online.

Publish form popup window

Simply follow the prompt to make it live and hit the ‘Publish’ button.

With that done, you’ll get a new message that says your form has been published. Now, you’ll want to switch to the ‘Integrate or Embed Form’ tab.

Integrate or Embed Form tab

From there, you’ll want to click on ‘WordPress.’

HIPAAtizer will then show instructions on embedding the form into WordPress websites. At the very bottom, you’ll see a shortcode. Simply click the copy button.

Copying shortcode

Now, you can go back to your WordPress admin area.

Then, you can create a new post or page or open an existing post or page to embed the form. For this tutorial, we’ll create a page. So, we’ll navigate to Pages » Add New Page.

In the content editor, click the ‘+’ button and search for the ‘Shortcode’ block.

Adding the shortcode block

After that, select the ‘Shortcode’ block in the search result to add it to the web page.

Then, you can paste the HIPAAtizer form’s shortcode into the area that says ‘Write shortcode here….’

Write shortcode here

Don’t worry if you can’t see the HIPAAtizer form at this point.

Embedding a shortcode usually means that the element will only be visible once the post or page is published. So, if there’s nothing left to adjust, you can go ahead and hit the ‘Update’ or ‘Publish’ button.

Now, you can visit the post or page to see the HIPAA-compliant form in action.

HIPAA-compliant form on a live website

Bonus Tip: How to Create a Secure Form in WordPress

With all that said, not everyone needs a WordPress HIPAA-compliant form.

HIPAA-compliant forms are typically necessary for healthcare providers, therapists, and others who handle sensitive patient information. If you’re not dealing with this type of data, then a secure form may be sufficient for your needs.

To make your WordPress contact forms secure, you need two main things: a secure contact form plugin and a secure web hosting environment. These 2 elements work together to keep your data safe from hackers and other threats.

A secure contact form plugin helps you save entries safely on your website and allows for secure email notifications.

We recommend WPForms, which is the best contact form plugin and is trusted by over 6 million websites. It has tons of features to protect your site from spam, hacking, and data theft.

WPForms' spam protection and security settings

There’s even a free version, WPForms Lite, that is just as secure, though it has fewer features.

Note: At WPBeginner, we’re big fans of WPForms. We use it for all our contact forms and reader surveys, as well as for lead generation. For more information about the tool, you can check out our full WPForms review.

If you don’t already have one, you will also need a reliable hosting provider to keep your WordPress forms secure.

We suggest Bluehost because we have a lot of experience with this provider and can vouch for their excellent customer support and performance features.

Bluehost also offers free SSL certificates. Short for Secure Sockets Layer, SSL encrypts the data sent between a user’s browser and your website, preventing hackers from stealing information.

Other good web hosting options include SiteGround and Hostinger.

For detailed instructions, you can refer to our guide on how to create a secure contact form in WordPress.

FAQs About Creating a HIPAA-Compliant Form in WordPress

In this section, we’ll answer some of the most frequently asked questions about creating HIPAA-compliant forms in WordPress.

Is it possible to make a WordPress site HIPAA-compliant?

Yes, it’s possible. But you’ll need the right plugins like HIPAAtizer, secure hosting, and strict procedures to protect patient information.

Do I need HIPAA-compliant web hosting?

You need HIPAA-compliant web hosting if your medical website handles patient data. This hosting makes sure that patient info is stored and transmitted securely, which is essential for maintaining confidentiality and meeting legal requirements.

What is the best WordPress plugin for medical forms?

HIPAAtizer is a popular choice. The good news is that it has lots of features and can be customized to meet HIPAA standards.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create a HIPAA-compliant form in WordPress. Next, you might want to see our guides on how to password-protect your WordPress forms and how to redirect users after form submission.

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The post How to Create a HIPAA-Compliant Form in WordPress (Easy Way) first appeared on WPBeginner.

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