One of the most difficult aspects of running an online business is turning your visitors into paying customers. There are so many factors involved that you can be forgiven for missing a step or two. However, if you are using WordPress to create a funnel, you have a better chance of winning customers.
in creating sales channels, for us, WordPress is better than our competitors. Whether you are a start-up or a business, it is scalable, flexible, and suited to your budget.
in this article, we will show you how to create a funnel analysis using WordPress. We will outline all the tools you need and guide you through the process.
ClickFunnels Quick start
before we actually get into the article, it’s worth taking a few minutes to talk about ClickFunnels. This is the leading solution for creating repeatable and effective sales channels. Thousands of users use the tool to generate traffic, customers, and revenue.
on paper, it has many exciting and innovative features and functions. For example,
- has a reliable funnel builder with drag-and-drop functionality.
- provides content marketing built into the platform. The
- community is rich and focused.
“Oh, yes!” There is more in. The column used to select the ClickFunnels. Even so, it doesn’t capture 100% of the user base.
Why you want to find an alternative to ClickFunnels
given the excellent features provided by ClickFunnels, it is not the only solution on the market. Here are a few reasons:
- price. The price of ClickFunnels is expensive, which is inevitable. The lowest level is $97 a month, which is not as fully functional as the $297-a-month plan.
- The ecosystem of ClickFunnels. While the all-in-one hosting platform with closed source code is perfect for getting started, you are always locked in ClickFunnels. In other words, there is no way to get your business out of ClickFunnels’s system.
- Function. ClickFunnels is a know-it-all. Therefore, while some features are first-class, others require some work.
- Its appearance and design. Just like WordPress used to have some “snitch” elements, so ClickFunnels will shout its name.
to further discuss the last point, if you look at any templates or default settings on the ClickFunnels website, they all have an outdated look associated with the entire sales channel:
so ClickFunnels has a default design for “spam”, although we admit that it is a successful design. In any case, there is a unique combination of reasons why you want to use WordPress to create a funnel– so let’s discuss it next.
Why you should use WordPress to create funnel
when building any type of website, we think WordPress ranks first, which should not be shocking. Let’s summarize the key aspects:
- WordPress core software is free. It not only costs zero to download and use, but also is open source. This means that you can control almost every aspect of the site without locking it.
- It can accompany your entire business journey. WordPress is very suitable for use as a blog platform. It is also a full-featured content management system (CMS) for enterprise websites that are clicked millions of times a month.
- WordPress can be extended with thousands of themes and plug-ins. In fact, many of them are free. The topics and plug-ins we will discuss throughout the article also have a rich premium market.
- The WordPress community is strong, diverse, and knowledgeable. There are easily accessible support channels and a rich network of developers to ensure that WordPress is always evolving and improving.
is just the tip of the iceberg. Even so, not everyone uses WordPress to create funnels without investigating competitors. Next we will focus on this point.
uses WordPress to create an alternative solution to the funnel
competition between any product or service is beneficial. The sales funnel is no exception. We have introduced login pages in the past, and in many cases they can compete with more “traditional” funnel builders.
nevertheless, we suggest that there are two tools that are closer to WordPress, the first of which we have already mentioned.
1. ClickFunnels
We will not discuss the same details again, because we have already discussed ClickFunnels in this and other articles. In any case, it’s worth summing up the appeal of ClickFunnels:
- is an all-in-one funnel builder platform. The
- community is designed to help you succeed.
- you will get a validated system to create, leverage, and succeed from sales channels. More importantly,
is easy to get up and running. After completing the registration process, you will perform the following steps:
- navigates to your dashboard, and then click the build funnel button.
- from the pop-up dialog screen, select the type of funnel to use.
- uses the startup list in the funnel generator to create your sales funnel.
The final step here involves designing squeeze and sales pages, order forms, confirmation and thank you pages. All this is well arranged, and you will soon have your funnel ready and waiting for visitors. Another solution for
2. Systeme
is Systeme.
positions itself as a direct competitor to ClickFunnels and has many of the same features: the
- drag-and-drop funnel builder and can also double as a website building tool.
- email and content marketing capabilities.
- is a built-in tool for selling subscriptions and courses.
- strong contact management.
in our comments, we think that Systeme and ClickFunnels contact different users. The latter focuses on core concepts, while Systeme wants to be the center of your entire business.
therefore has more diverse entry steps than ClickFunnels:
- clicks the create button to build a new channel.
- chooses the ultimate goal for your channel, such as capturing email or hosting a webinar.
- uses templates to build order forms and thank you pages.
- customizes each page according to your requirements.
- uses a built-in page builder to further design your channel.
We believe that both solutions have a good way to create funnels. Our next section will delve into our own views on what a good funnel builder is.
A good funnel builder should have features and functions
we think that all good funnel builders should have some constants. This is a quick list you should be looking for:
- is a way to design funnel core elements. The ability of
- to adjust funnel function. The
- feature can help you reconnect with people who exit the channel at some point.
- since your channel ends with sales, you need to be able to add payment gateways to your website.
we would also like to say that good pricing is also important, although it should not be a prerequisite for “first vote”. This is because we think you should pay for a solution that meets your needs. Even so,
, the budget is important. Therefore, once you weigh the rest of the requirements, it should be your determining factor. What does
need to create funnels with WordPress
speaking of budgets, it’s time to start integrating the tools and solutions of your choice to create funnels in WordPress.
you have a lot of “essential” tools and services that you will want to be ready to use. Here, we will provide you with some general guidance and rough cost, but we will introduce a specific option later:
- Hosting (from $5 per month). Dedicated WordPress hosts are critical, especially those that keep your site at its best. More importantly, no matter what your budget, there is always something right.
- A suitable theme (about $50-$100). We mentioned that there are many free themes available. However, advanced topics will provide you with better support and more powerful features and capabilities.
- Page builder plug-in ($0-100 per year). Although not every site requires a page builder, it is the primary arrow in your quiver when creating a funnel using WordPress. This allows you to achieve the same flexibility as other tools.
- Sell funnel function ($200-300 per year). Of course, creating a funnel requires a special solution. We’ll discuss our options later.
- E-commerce function (core plug-in is free). WordPress does not have out-of-the-box e-commerce capabilities. Therefore, you need an appropriate plug-in to fill the gap. In addition to
, you need to consider other important site-wide factors. Although they are not the focus here, security, backup and so on are important for stable and secure websites.
overall, your maximum annual income is about $600. Compared with other non-WordPress solutions, this is a steal of the additional functionality and flexibility you will get. We will also discuss some optional additional features later in
. These may incur additional costs or may be critical to your own business needs. First, let’s show you how to create a channel using WordPress. After
how to create the funnel
mastery tool using WordPress, you can use WordPress to create the funnel. Here’s what we’ll cover in the next few sections: how
- buys the WordPress hosting and installation platform.
- installs themes and plug-ins.
- selects and installs e-commerce plug-ins.
- Set up the CartFlows.
- pieced everything together to create a “process”.
, of course, cannot be run at any site without a host, so let’s solve this step first.
1. To purchase the appropriate host and install WordPress
, first of all, you need to provide a dedicated host for your WordPress website. The good news is that competition is fierce, which means you have plenty of choices. The WordPress host hosted by
will provide your website with greater stability and peace of mind. If you build a station for overseas, we highly recommend Linode and Vultr. In
, large manufacturers are recommended, such as Aliyun, Tencent Cloud, Huawei Cloud and so on.
each of these hosts allows you to install WordPress and manage your server according to your exact requirements. In addition, you can get a free secure Sockets layer (SSL) certificate– which is critical to protecting sensitive customer information.
talks about WordPress, and you also need to install the platform on your server. The good news is that your landlord will often help you.
many hosts-especially if you are using only WordPress option-will preinstall WordPress for you. This means that once you have completed the registration process, your website can be used.
If the host also has other important plug-ins and themes installed, this can save time and get better. This is one of the reasons why it is more appropriate for us to talk about hosting, although not every host will provide it as part of the service.
if you need to install CMS yourself, this is usually a piece of cake.
2. Install the theme and page builder plug-in
once your host is online and WordPress is set up, your site needs to view this section. Installing a theme should be one of your top priorities, as it will determine some of your future decisions. At the same time,
, you need to consider which page builder plug-in to use. If you want to create any other type of WordPress site, we recommend that you use the Block Editor. Over time, it becomes more powerful and will be at the heart of the platform’s full-site editing (FSE) in the future:
, but to create channels in WordPress, you need something that already has the functionality you need. We’ve covered a lot before, but we think Elementor is better:
provides a free version that meets all your needs. However, the Premium Edition provides more features to help you create channels in WordPress. Elementor also killed two birds with a stone to meet our needs. The professional version also includes a blank startup theme, which is ideal because we can build a funnel on it. After the
purchase plan, we will guide you through the steps you need to take.
1. Install Elementor and Elementor Pro
first, you need to install the core Elementor plug-in. If you insist on using the free version of the page builder, you will install the same version. Installing and activating plug-ins is the same as other plug-ins.
to access the Pro feature, you need to download the ZIP file from the Elementor website. Visit your Elementor dashboard and click the link next to your profile picture:
returns your WordPress dashboard from here and goes to the plug-in & gt; installation plug-in screen:
is at the top and you will see the upload plug-in button next to the title of the page. Clicking this button will open a file uploader:
from here, browse to your ZIP file, upload it, and then click install now. Click the activate plug-in button to complete the installation, and you are almost done.
two。 Connect your website to Elementor
before you continue, it’s best to connect to your site to get full functionality. To do this, you will find a link at the top of the plug-in screen:
clicking this button will take you to a launch page that asks you to connect and activate your site:
, of course, you need to click this button. In a few seconds, you will be taken back to your WordPress dashboard and confirmed to be successful:
at this point, you are ready to rock. Next is the getting started topic for installation.
3. Install the Hello Starter theme
Elementor provides a blank getting started topic to help you use the page builder to create your ideal Web site. To get it, go to the appearance & gt; theme page in WordPress and click the add New button.
next, search for “Hello Elementor”. You should only see it in the theme pop-up window. After clicking the install button, WordPress will do the following:
finally, click activate, and your work is done!
4. Select the appropriate website template
before you continue, it is necessary to keep your website design in order. Although you can do this at any time, now is a good time before you start designing the funnel.
to do this, you will use Theme Builder. In WordPress, go to the Templates & gt; Theme Builder page. This will show you an almost empty screen, but not for long after clicking the add New button.
you will see a dialog screen pop-up window where you can select the type of template you want to use and name it: when
clicks OK, the Elementor editor opens, displaying a near-blank page:
, next, hover over the folder icon on the live preview. This is where you select the page template:
, which will show the appropriate template library to import. For our example, we are selecting a product page, but you can choose anything that suits your business: after
hovers over the template and clicks Insert, your page will update:
at this point, you can leave your site. We’ll be back to Elementor later, but for now, you need to add e-commerce capabilities.
3. Install your favorite e-commerce plug-in
as we mentioned, WordPress does not have out-of-the-box e-commerce capabilities. But that’s not a problem-there are a lot of plug-ins to add it.
WooCommerce is the leading WordPress e-commerce plug-in, and for our purposes, it is as useful as a payment gateway. However, once you are fully up and running, you can still use the plug-in with greater capacity.
lets us show you how to set it up.
1. Install the WooCommerce plug-in and run the onboarding wizard
WooCommerce can be installed like any other free WordPress plug-in. After you have done this, you will have five steps to set up WooCommerce. First, enter the details of your store, and then select an industry:
for the product type screen, choose physical products or downloads based on the products you sell. Other options come with additional fees, which are not needed in our case.
for the Business details screen, you can fill in the information on the initial page, but make sure you flip to the Free Features tab and remove any features you don’t want to install.
In our case, the only functionality required is WooCommerce Payments, but you are welcome to choose whatever is appropriate for your business.
finally, on the Theme page, click the button Continue with my active theme. After the
is complete, you can continue to add products. Note that you also need to activate WooCommerce Payments. This process is unique, depending on the gateway you choose, but it is intuitive and needs to be verified by filling in several fields.
two。 Add products to your WooCommerce installation
add products will not be like the usual online store, because your funnel will do a lot of work. As a result, some fields that are usually critical are just placeholders.
to add a new product, please go to the WooCommerce & gt; main screen in WordPress and click add my Product:
you need to choose to add the product manually, and then enter a descriptive title and introduction on the edit screen. When finished, scroll down to the product data meta box:
here, you can enter the price of the product, and if your product is digital, select the virtual and downloadable boxes. For physical goods, it is recommended to fill in the appropriate size field.
you can now publish your page. At this point, you are ready to create the funnel, starting with installing the plug-in.
4. Buy and install the CartFlows plug-in
like many aspects of WordPress, there are many plug-ins that provide you with the functionality you need. In our example, we will skip the chase and recommend CartFlows:
because it links to WooCommerce, allowing you to create channels in WordPress that can compete with specialized platforms such as ClickFunnels and Systeme. There are many more things in the
box, but we will discuss them in a later section. Now, let’s install the plug-in. The good news for
is that the process of CartFlows is similar to that of Elementor:
- installs and activates the free core version of the plug-in.
- buys and downloads ZIP files from CartFlows.
- uploads it to your WordPress website and activates the extension. After
completes this operation, you can create the first funnel.
5. Create a “process”
in CartFlows’s parlance, a process is a funnel. At this point, almost everything on your site is ready except for the new process. How this is done.
1. Add a new process and select a template
to add a new process, go to the CartFlows & gt; Flows page in WordPress and click Add New:
where you can choose from multiple templates or start from scratch. You are welcome to choose the option that works best for you, although we will choose a predefined template. After clicking on
, you will see that CartFlows shows you the steps and pages that make up your process. Here, click Import stream. Next, choose a name for your process, and CartFlows will perform the necessary actions.
two。 Change your funnel order and add new steps
After
imports the process, you will get an overview of each step.
We want you to get color tags to show how users will make progress through your Flow. Even so, you may not like the way these steps are presented. If you want to change the order, you can drag them using the Hamburger icon. Designing Flow according to your exact requirements is very fast.
to add a new step, you can click the orange button on the right side of the screen or the “add New step” box at the bottom of the page. Doing so takes you to the template screen, which displays each page this time:
you’ll notice that templates are grouped by function, so it’s easy to choose the right template. After
imports the new step, it will appear in the overview, and you will be able to use it as you would any other step.
3. Edit the design and layout of the funnel
It’s time for
to reintroduce Elementor. We will use it to edit the design and layout of the funnel page, and then use WooCommerce to view the checkout. To start
, click the edit link on the steps you want to enhance:
next, click the edit button using Elementor:
this will take you back to the editing screen of the page builder. Here, you can adjust the layout to suit your tastes and goals.
we can’t tell you what your own page should look like, although you need to keep in mind that these templates are designed for success.
therefore, we recommend that you “tap” when learning ropes. Once you have more experience, you can create your own funnels and steps from scratch.
although you will use Elementor to design your page, you won’t want to touch the checkout section. After saving the changes in the editor, we will look at this next.
4. Edit your checkout function
finally, you may want to change the checkout process. To do this, click the edit link on any checkout page.
here, select the correct product from the Product & gt; add New Product tab and link it to your step.
you can use other tabs to further work on your design. For example, you can change the fields on the checkout. :
… Even add “Order Bump”: when
is complete, click the update on the step, and then view the new real-time sales funnel! The next step after
uses WordPress to create a channel after
uses WordPress to create a channel, you won’t have to do much. Even so, you may need to consider adding one or two plug-ins to cover many areas:
- Email marketing. Collecting email addresses for qualified prospects is critical and can bring you more sales. We have introduced many solutions in the past, and there is something in each budget.
- Abandoned wheelbarrow. This is an area you may not have considered, but you need a way to catch users who give up shopping carts and attract them back.
- Subscribe. Regular and stable income is a good business model. WooCommerce has a solution to this, although there are many other options available.
- Alliance plan. The alliance plan has two important tasks: finding new customers and bringing in more money. It’s a good idea to develop a solution for them.
- Chat online. Customer support is very important and may be the success or failure of your website. Adding a live chat plug-in means that you will be ready to keep prospects in your channel.
the deeper you use WordPress to create channels, you’ll notice how much of the platform can be customized to your exact requirements. Although we have mentioned many solutions here, there are still many solutions that need to be found.
nevertheless, by acquiring core functions, you will have a reliable sales channel to increase your revenue.
Summary
when building an online business, it is almost necessary to create a sales funnel. In short, you need to understand how visitors are interested in your products and services. More importantly, you also need to know whether these qualified potential customers are buying from you.
in this article, we learned how to create a funnel using WordPress and CartFlows. You also need some other tools, such as e-commerce plug-ins, appropriate themes, and page builders. From there, you will have almost everything to build an excellent sales channel on your WordPress website.