6 Simple Steps To Add Post Rating System To WordPress Websites
by
Rafi Chowdhury
|
March 8, 2019
by
Rafi Chowdhury
March 8, 2019
Converting HTML sites to WordPress or migrating from other platforms opens up infinite possibilities for website owners. They get to enjoy a flexible web building system that gives them total control over all aspects of their interface. In this article, we are discussing how a user can add post rating system to WordPress site. This is a fairly useful feature that can be helpful for all kinds of interfaces.
Most people think that user ratings can be beneficial only for online stores. However, this kind of visual feedback can be useful for blogs and review websites apart from business portals. The feature will allow users to put the best content or a chosen product under the spotlight. The following steps will help in introducing a user rating system on WordPress interfaces:
One of the biggest reasons for the popularity of the open source CMS is its amazing user-friendly character. It enables people with limited technical knowledge to easily build a functional interface without adding any code. Plugins are an advantageous feature of the platform, which allow users to extend the functionality of their websites. People have to search and install the correct plugin for their purpose and it will do the needful. We will be using the WP-PostRatings plugin to add the feature of post ratings to an interface.
Log in to the admin dashboard of your WordPress installation. In the “Plugins” section, click on the “Add new” option. Enter the name of the plugin in the search field. Locate it in the results and download its installation. Activate the tool and move to the next step.
2. Pick A Rating Image
In this step and the following ones, we will be configuring the settings of the tool. This will customize the solution according to our requirements. Go to the dashboard menu and under “Settings”, you will see the option “Ratings” with an image of a star. There will be two options listed under this heading- “Manage Ratings” and “Ratings Options”. Click on the “Ratings Options”.
First, we will choose a suitable rating image which will be displayed along with the posts. These visual indicators help visitors in easily understanding the quality of a post. There are numerous options of the pictorial representation of ratings. However, you must select one which goes perfectly with the tone of your website. You must also choose the maximum rating value. Remember if you change the default values then the individual rating text/value must also be modified.
The next step in the process to add post rating system to WordPress site is to configure the Ajax style. Go to the section titled “Ratings AJAX Style”. Choose whether you want to display a loading image with text or not. You can also decide whether you want the rating display to fade in and out. Scroll down to locate the “AllowTo Rate” option. Select what kind of users can leave visual feedback on the specified content. If you do not wish to make too many changes, you can leave the default settings unchanged.
4. Configure The Rating Templates Settings
Once you have customized the Ajax style, shift your focus to the “Ratings Templates” page. Here you can conduct further customizations to the appearance of your rating system. On top of the screen, various “Template Variables” are listed. These parameters can be organized to define the rating’s display. Scroll down and see the option for “Ratings Vote Text”. The values entered in this field will dictate how the visual feedback will look before it is used. The “Ratings Voted Text” will define how a visitor’s review will look.
We will now be adding code to some PHP files of the website such as archives.php, page.php, index.php, single.php, loop.php etc. However, the file setup of your interface may vary from the files mentioned here. The theme activated on a website defines what kind of such files it would have. The following code must be added within loop to the above-mentioned files:
This will enable the rating feature on all posts. In case, you want to allow voting only on selected posts, then use the following shortcode:
[ratings id=”1″ results=”true”]
Once people start giving their feedback, you can check the details on the “Manage Ratings” screen.
6. Display Rating Statistics Through A Widget
You can show interesting statistics like Highest Rated Posts, Lowest Rating etc. with time ranges and categories on the interface. This can be done by adding a widget to the sidebar. Go to “Appearance > Widgets” and locate the one for Ratings. Drag and drop it to a suitable location. Configure its settings and choose a title along with statistics type and the number of records to be displayed. Make additional modifications and save the changes to conclude the process.
This easy method to add post rating system to WordPress site will help people in introducing the useful feature on their interfaces. It will be helpful in boosting user engagement and improving the returns on investment.
Author Bio
Jacob Graves is a Sr. WordPress Developer at HireWPGeeks Ltd, a company that Converts psd to wordpress theme in a convenient manner. He is a passionate writer and loves to share WordPress and SEO related tutorials.
RAFICHOWDHURY
6 Simple Steps To Add Post Rating System To WordPress Websites
|
Converting HTML sites to WordPress or migrating from other platforms opens up infinite possibilities for website owners. They get to enjoy a flexible web building system that gives them total control over all aspects of their interface. In this article, we are discussing how a user can add post rating system to WordPress site. This is a fairly useful feature that can be helpful for all kinds of interfaces.
Most people think that user ratings can be beneficial only for online stores. However, this kind of visual feedback can be useful for blogs and review websites apart from business portals. The feature will allow users to put the best content or a chosen product under the spotlight. The following steps will help in introducing a user rating system on WordPress interfaces:
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1. Install A Plugin
One of the biggest reasons for the popularity of the open source CMS is its amazing user-friendly character. It enables people with limited technical knowledge to easily build a functional interface without adding any code. Plugins are an advantageous feature of the platform, which allow users to extend the functionality of their websites. People have to search and install the correct plugin for their purpose and it will do the needful. We will be using the WP-PostRatings plugin to add the feature of post ratings to an interface.
Log in to the admin dashboard of your WordPress installation. In the “Plugins” section, click on the “Add new” option. Enter the name of the plugin in the search field. Locate it in the results and download its installation. Activate the tool and move to the next step.
2. Pick A Rating Image
In this step and the following ones, we will be configuring the settings of the tool. This will customize the solution according to our requirements. Go to the dashboard menu and under “Settings”, you will see the option “Ratings” with an image of a star. There will be two options listed under this heading- “Manage Ratings” and “Ratings Options”. Click on the “Ratings Options”.
First, we will choose a suitable rating image which will be displayed along with the posts. These visual indicators help visitors in easily understanding the quality of a post. There are numerous options of the pictorial representation of ratings. However, you must select one which goes perfectly with the tone of your website. You must also choose the maximum rating value. Remember if you change the default values then the individual rating text/value must also be modified.
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3. Customize The AJAX Style
The next step in the process to add post rating system to WordPress site is to configure the Ajax style. Go to the section titled “Ratings AJAX Style”. Choose whether you want to display a loading image with text or not. You can also decide whether you want the rating display to fade in and out. Scroll down to locate the “AllowTo Rate” option. Select what kind of users can leave visual feedback on the specified content. If you do not wish to make too many changes, you can leave the default settings unchanged.
4. Configure The Rating Templates Settings
Once you have customized the Ajax style, shift your focus to the “Ratings Templates” page. Here you can conduct further customizations to the appearance of your rating system. On top of the screen, various “Template Variables” are listed. These parameters can be organized to define the rating’s display. Scroll down and see the option for “Ratings Vote Text”. The values entered in this field will dictate how the visual feedback will look before it is used. The “Ratings Voted Text” will define how a visitor’s review will look.
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5. Add Code To PHP Files
We will now be adding code to some PHP files of the website such as archives.php, page.php, index.php, single.php, loop.php etc. However, the file setup of your interface may vary from the files mentioned here. The theme activated on a website defines what kind of such files it would have. The following code must be added within loop to the above-mentioned files:
1 <?php if(function_exists(‘the_ratings’)) { the_ratings(); } ?>
This will enable the rating feature on all posts. In case, you want to allow voting only on selected posts, then use the following shortcode:
[ratings id=”1″ results=”true”]
Once people start giving their feedback, you can check the details on the “Manage Ratings” screen.
6. Display Rating Statistics Through A Widget
You can show interesting statistics like Highest Rated Posts, Lowest Rating etc. with time ranges and categories on the interface. This can be done by adding a widget to the sidebar. Go to “Appearance > Widgets” and locate the one for Ratings. Drag and drop it to a suitable location. Configure its settings and choose a title along with statistics type and the number of records to be displayed. Make additional modifications and save the changes to conclude the process.
6 Simple Steps To Add Post Rating System To WordPress Websites.
Conclusion
This easy method to add post rating system to WordPress site will help people in introducing the useful feature on their interfaces. It will be helpful in boosting user engagement and improving the returns on investment.
Author Bio
Rafi Chowdhury
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