Consider the following scenario: you're working on your WordPress site, perhaps tweaking settings, installing a new theme, or configuring a plugin, and something breaks. Now you're trapped and need WordPress help to get things back on track.
What steps do you take to receive help with your WordPress site?
The simple solution is to go to Google and type in a search term similar to the problems you're having.
However, there is a danger in conducting a blind Google search: you have no way of knowing whether the results you receive are correct or current. You run the danger of accepting advice that isn't what you need unless you've already utilized the resources that Google directs you to and know they're trustworthy.
So, what do you do now?
Where Can I Get WordPress Help?
You may receive WordPress help from a variety of places.
• Official sources: WordPress Codex, Admin Help, and The Developer Handbook
• Stack Exchange, Facebook and LinkedIn Groups About WordPress, Slack, and Reddit are examples of forums, groups, and channels.
• You can also pay for personalized and premium WordPress support on top of all of this.
By selecting the most trusted and up-to-date sources of WordPress support, I'll help you kickstart the process of getting the proper answers to your inquiries when you're suffering typical WordPress difficulties. These will include forums and communities where you may ask a question and get a credible answer, well-known sites that already have a lot of answers, and other WordPress-focused useful resources.
I'll look at five main sorts of WP support in particular:
I'll also give you advice on how to get the most out of these resources, including how to contact them proactively, how to word your support inquiries, and how to avoid acquiring a reputation for asking too many questions!
Ready? Let's get started!
Identifying Your Assistance Requirements
Asking for assistance might be difficult at times. That's why, before you begin seeking for help and support on sites and groups, you should first figure out what troubles you're having with your WordPress site. This enables you to choose which form of assistance will best fit your requirements.
Consider:
• Is your query about your website's hosting or the technical aspects of your WordPress setup? Clients of Kinsta can receive solutions to these questions by contacting our support team.
• Do you have a specific question for which you require an answer? A support forum or Facebook group could be an excellent place to start looking for help.
• Do you wish to learn a certain skill? You might be able to benefit from a tutorial or course.
• Do you want further information regarding a certain WordPress code? Look into the Codex or the developer's manual.
• Do you require immediate assistance with an issue or a question? It's possible that you'll need to pay for premium help.
Your specific requirements are exclusive to you and your company. Knowing what you require can assist you in locating the finest source of assistance. So, let's start with the official support sources, which are often the first point of contact for new WordPress customers.
Official WordPress Support Sources
When you have a query concerning WordPress, the WordPress.org website contains a lot of resources that should be your first stop. These are some of them:
• Your site's admin screens' help pages.
• The WordPress Codex is a collection of resources for WordPress users.
• The Developer's Guide.
• The WordPress help forums are a great place to start.
• Individual WordPress theme and plugin support sites.
Admin Help
You can get assistance on your WordPress site by going to the Help tab in the upper right corner of your admin panels. This will bring up context-sensitive assistance, which will assist you in understanding the present screen.
The main dashboard page also has links that will assist you in learning how to get started, generate content, and maintain your site.
The Codex is a set of rules that governs how
The WordPress Codex provides a thorough reference for many of WordPress's functions, hooks, and classes. You'll find descriptions of how the code works and examples of how to utilize it if you're utilizing any of them in your own code. The Codex pages can be thousands of words long and quite comprehensive in some cases.
However, the Codex isn't only for programmers. These resources are a fantastic place to start if you want to learn more about the WordPress admin panels and how to setup your site.
The Developer's Guide and support
The Developer Handbook, on the other hand, is primarily for programmers.
It's the official handbook for the WordPress codebase. It offers guidance on topics like WordPress code standards and APIs. There are pages on plugin and theme creation, as well as the REST API and block editor, all of which were introduced with the Gutenberg interface.
The WordPress Message Boards
If you haven't been able to find a solution in the Codex or the developer manual, you may ask for help in the WordPress support forums. Here you'll find the WordPress community ready to help you with a wide range of questions.
The help forums are manned entirely by volunteers, who are not paid by WordPress. However, some of them work for WordPress organizations, agencies, or businesses that encourage their employees to contribute their knowledge on the forums. You may also expect to communicate with plugin and theme developers that provide assistance and support for their products (more on this below).
Finally, there are those who aren't sponsored by their company but wish to give back to the WordPress community by assisting more people to utilize WordPress. These individuals volunteer part of their free time to assist others in the support forums. So treat them well!
You'll find help pages for all of the themes and plugins released via the theme and plugin directories in addition to the general support forums. To get to a theme or plugin's support page, go to your site's Themes or Plugins page, locate the theme or plugin, and click the View details link. This will open a popup window with information about the theme or plugin.
Click on the WordPress.org Plugin Page link in the right-hand sidebar to go to the theme/official plugin's page on WordPress.org. Select the Support tab from the drop-down menu.
Always perform a fast search before asking your question to check whether anybody else has asked the same or a similar question and, if so, look at the replies. If not, you are free to ask your own inquiry. However, keep in mind that while keeping a free version of a WordPress plugin/theme does not generate direct revenue for the creators, they do give assistance to their customers.
So, don't be offended if they don't respond right away to your query; they may have other requests on their to-do list before yours, which are most likely related to their premium items.
How to Make Use of WordPress Help
It pays to use official sources of help in the most suitable way if you want to get the most out of them. This entails starting with the most appropriate resource, understanding how to get a speedy response, and without bothering others.
Here are some suggestions: support issue fix
• If your query is about how to use the WordPress admin, start by looking at the help pages in the WordPress dashboard, then go to the Codex and/or developer guide. There's a strong possibility you'll discover a solution to your problem there. Raising a support query takes time and results in a delay.
• Use the search box at the top right of the WordPress.org site if you need to do a search. I find that searching the WordPress site using Google is more effective in terms of resolving spelling issues and getting a larger range of results. Type 'wordpress.org' followed by your search term into Google and see what comes up.
• If a search doesn't provide results, browse the Codex and developer manual pages. These are organized logically and may be more useful if you don't know the technical term for what you're searching for.
• Always search current discussions in the help forums, whether they are general or specific to a theme or plugin, to see if someone else has already answered the topic. This can help you find an answer faster, save time for everyone (including yourself), and save you the embarrassment of having your support post terminated because it duplicates another one.
• Be kind and considerate in the help forums. Never make a negative comment about another WordPress user. This is a community, and those who respond to queries are volunteers. Your queries will not be addressed if you are a jerk.
• Be as explicit and specific as possible when asking a question. Make it as simple as possible for others to grasp the issue you're attempting to resolve.
• Don't anticipate a response right away if you create a thread. This isn't premium support, so don't expect it to be speedy. If you do, check the section below on premium WordPress support.
Support for WordPress Forums, Groups, and Channels
There are several forums, organizations, and channels where you may receive solutions to your WordPress questions in addition to official sources of help. These are aimed at everyone from beginners to experienced developers, and choosing one that is appropriate for you is part of the challenge.
These are some of them: Not one time support
• Online forums, with Stack Exchange being the finest.
• Groups on Facebook and LinkedIn.
• Slack channels are a great way to communicate with others.
Let's look at when and how you could utilize them, as well as how to get the most out of them.
Stack Overflow
Stack Exchange is a popular online community for web developers in general, not simply WordPress developers. It offers a separate section for WordPress help, which is where you should seek for solutions to your issues (don't ask WordPress-related questions in the main forum).
Beginner WordPress users and developers may find Stack Exchange intimidating. Its members are extremely skilled programmers who can respond to both simple and complicated inquiries. It might also be tough to figure out which answer is best for you because many questions have many answers.
The good news is that Stack Exchange features a voting mechanism that can help you find the most useful answers from other users. People can vote up or down on replies, assisting you in finding the greatest one.
When I use Google to look for a solution to a WordPress-related query, Stack Exchange is frequently the top result. Because it's such a vast site to visit, using Google to search it may be really helpful.
If you have a more general programming or developer query, Stack Overflow, their partner site, might also be a good location to look for answers.
WordPress Groups on Facebook
WordPress's popularity spawned a slew of Facebook groups geared at WordPress users and developers of various skill levels.
Here's a rundown of some of the most well-known Facebook pages:
• Advanced WordPress: Facebook's largest and greatest WordPress group. This is an exclusive community for WordPress developers, and it will give guidance and help on the platform.
• WordPress: This is a more generic community that caters to both users and developers.
• WordPress Help: A closed Facebook community for WordPress users and developers, with stringent self-promotional guidelines.
• WordPress Plugins: Ask about the best plugins and get information on new plugins and their usage in this group. The questions are less technical and more about assisting you in identifying plugins.
• WordPress Security: A forum for asking WordPress security questions and receiving updates on any security vulnerabilities or concerns.
• WordPress, SEO, and Internet Questions: As the name implies, this is a group where you can ask and answer questions on WordPress SEO.
• WordPress Freelancers: A group for folks who work as WordPress freelancers for a livelihood. It's less about coding and WordPress usage and more on using it for business.
• Supporting WordPress Products: This is a community for those who work in customer service. They discuss how to better provide assistance and how to do so. Do not come to this group expecting to gain answers to your support questions; instead, join if and when you are ready to help others. This group will assist you in learning how to do so.
WP Speed
• WordPress Speed Up: Join this group to learn more about how to make your site run faster.
• All About WordPress: This group is for discussion of what's new and what's going on with WordPress.
• WordPress Help and Support: A forum hosted by a premium WordPress support service where you may ask issues and get answers.
• Make Money With WordPress: Kinsta runs a community geared at assisting those who make a livelihood with WordPress.
WordPress Groups on LinkedIn
If you use LinkedIn, you'll discover groups dedicated to WordPress assistance there as well. These are some of them:
• WordPress Experts: A community for WordPress experts who are interested in business and marketing.
• WordPress Developers: The most active WordPress developer group on LinkedIn. The group is presently up for sale, therefore its future is uncertain.
• WordPress Web Designers: This is a community for those who use WordPress to create websites. It's a good location to obtain advise on which themes and plugins to use and how to tackle high-level web design and development difficulties. It's less marketing-focused than the WordPress Experts group and less technical than the WordPress Developers community.
• WordPress SEO: A community for anyone interested in learning more about WordPress SEO. A repository of suggestions, tips, and techniques.
• WordPress Designer Group: This is a group for those who use WordPress to create websites. Instead of blogging, the emphasis is on apps.
WordPress-related Slack Channels
Slack is becoming more and more popular among WordPress experts as a means of communication and assistance. Here are some of the best Slack channels for WordPress learning:
• Make WordPress: The WordPress project's official slack channel, available to anybody with a WordPress.org account. Find out what's new with WordPress and participate in debates regarding the platform's development.
• WP Developers' Club: A WordPress development community on Slack that is free to join. It's a great place to exchange ideas, ask questions, and learn more about WordPress development.
• WooCommerce: The WooCommerce slack channel is for everyone who works with or develops for WooCommerce. It's a great place to go for help with difficulties and inquiries, as well as to meet other WooCommerce users because it lists local gatherings.
• The WordPress Governance Project: This project, which was launched at WordCamp USA in 2018, is focused on the concepts that underpin WordPress leadership and governance. It's not exactly a place to go for technical help, but you can use it to learn more about how WordPress is run and have your say.
Reddit has a WordPress section.
Because WordPress is such a popular topic, it's only natural that there will be a slew of subreddits dedicated to it. Here are a few of the most well-known:
• WordPress: With over 67 thousand users, this Reddit is dedicated to all things WordPress.
• ProWordPress: A Reddit dedicated to professional WordPress developers, with a focus on advanced topics.
• WordPressPlugins: A resource for WordPress plugin support. Use it to ask questions and sift through the answers that have already been offered.
Quora and WordPress
Quora is a site where you can ask questions and get answers from individuals who have unique perspectives. You may discover answers or ask questions on a wide range of WordPress subjects and sub-topics.
How to Make the Most of Forums and Groups
You'll have a lot more success with these forums and groups if you use them properly, just as with the official channels. Here are some pointers to consider:
• Find a group or forum that’s at the suitable level for your query or interests. There’s no point putting a query about writing a post in a community for professional developers.
•Before posting a question, always review the current threads. Use the search function to locate what you’re searching for and browse through everything relevant.
• Check whether the group has any rules before posting. If you infringe rules pertaining to self-promotion or posting too early after joining the community, you might be booted off.
• Be nice and respectful. Nobody owes it to you to answer your questions: if they do, they’re doing you a favor.
• Ask questions that are clear and specific. You’ll be more likely to obtain a response and a better one at that.
WordPress Support at a Premium
If you want access to speedy, dedicated help, then you’ll have to pay for it. There are firms that provide premium help for a price, meaning you’ll get faster replies and be able to participate in a discussion with the person offering support.
Before you join up for premium WordPress support, take some time to study the supplier. Find out if they’ve been reviewed by other users and see what promises they make with regards to response times. Tags: website help, take care, ongoing call add, call us, plan issue, need plan for error solve, WP Website Help, plans, free time, request, errors fix, chat necessary, request for errors, small job necessary, need websites speed, things request,
Here are some sources of premium support:
• WPBuffs: WPBuffs, one of our happy partners, provides 24/7 support for ‘serious website owners’. They will help with site maintenance and updates and also have a support channel you can use to ask questions about anything WordPress-related. Check out our case study with Joe Howard, the head buff over at WP Buffs, to know more about them.
• WPFixit: WPFixit specializes in fixing problems with your WordPress site. Whether it’s a security breach or a speed problem, they can answer your questions or log into your site and fix the problem.
• WPMaintainer: WPMaintainer provides maintenance, support, backups, and security for your existing WordPress installation. You can use them for small jobs once a month: things like installing a plugin or adding some CSS.
• Maintainn: Maintainn provides updates, backups, security, and migrations. They also offer a support button in your WordPress dashboard and custom development requests.
• TemplateMonster: TemplateMonster offers help with updates, weekly debugging, 24/7 uptime monitoring, Live Chat & Ticket Support.
• GoWP: GoWP offers WordPress maintenance and support with a turnaround time of 8 hours max.
• Hiring a developer: You may find that the most cost-effective way of solving your problem is to hire a developer to fix it for you. This could be the start of a relationship that could help you manage and develop your site over time.
Make sure to read our in-depth guide on WordPress maintenance to keep your site in good shape!
WordPress Support: Blogs, Courses, and Tutorials
If you don’t want to ask a specific question but instead want to learn how to do something with WordPress, you’ll find that there are thousands of blogs, courses, and tutorials designed to provide answers.
However, it can be difficult to know which ones are reliable. Here’s our guide to the ones you can depend on for robust, up-to-date information, and guidance:
• WPMU DEV: A source of expert guidance for users and developers alike, the WPMU DEV blog in WordPress Multisite but also covers a range of WordPress-related topics. Subscribers also have access to the Academy, which includes in-depth courses.
• Tuts+: Hundreds of free tutorials, mainly aimed at WordPress developers at all levels. They also offer premium courses for developers and users.
• WPLift: Articles, guides, and tutorials on a range of topics from beginner to advanced.
• Elegant Themes: From the makers of the Divi page builder theme, the Elegant Themes blog has much more than information about their own products. A source of clear and comprehensive guides for WordPress users and developers.
• WP Tavern: WP Tavern won’t help you run your site or become a WordPress developer, but it will help you know what’s going on in the world of WordPress. The most authoritative source of WordPress news.
• Kinsta Blog: Our own blog is a source of in-depth guides and articles that go into more detail than many other resources out there. We try to cover topics that many other blogs don’t think of.
Summary
I know, you might now be feeling somewhat overwhelmed by the variety and volume of sources of WordPress support available.
But if you approach it the right way, with a solid understanding of what it is you need and why, then you can choose the resource that will best help you answer your question or fix your problem.
In an über-condensed version, here’s how to get WordPress support effectively:
1. Before asking a question online or raising a support ticket, do your homework.
2. Identify exactly what the problem is you need to resolve.
3. Find the most appropriate resource and check your question hasn’t already been answered.
4. If it hasn’t, then phrase your question clearly so people know exactly what you’re trying to achieve.
5. Don’t expect an immediate answer and always be polite and respectful to anyone who helps you out. That way, you should get answers to your questions.
Good luck!
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