{"id":20391,"date":"2018-10-23T08:01:24","date_gmt":"2018-10-23T13:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?p=20391"},"modified":"2019-07-26T15:18:10","modified_gmt":"2019-07-26T20:18:10","slug":"how-to-use-wordpress-shortcodes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/how-to-use-wordpress-shortcodes\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use WordPress Shortcodes"},"content":{"rendered":"

WordPress shortcodes<\/span> can be a very useful way to customize your site and add new features. All without having to code anything yourself. If you\u2019ve been using the WordPress content management system<\/a> for any time at all, or have installed any plugins, then you\u2019ve probably come across the term 'shortcode'\u009d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Naturally, this term isn\u2019t very self-explanatory, so you\u2019re probably wondering what is a WordPress shortcode?<\/span><\/p>\n

Soon you\u2019ll know the exact answer to this question, and even more useful, how to add them to your own site. <\/span><\/p>\n

Below we cover what shortcodes are, why they\u2019re used, and how to use them within your <\/span>WordPress hosting<\/span><\/a>. Finally, you\u2019ll learn about a few <\/span>WordPress shortcode plugins<\/span> that can help you use this valuable feature of WordPress. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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What Are <\/span>WordPress Shortcodes<\/span>?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Essentially, a shortcode is a piece of code that looks like this [shortcode]. <\/span><\/p>\n

The shortcode stands for an existing larger piece of code and is used to add functions to your site. Similar to how <\/span>WordPress keyboard shortcuts<\/span><\/a> work, shortcodes for WordPress are very versatile and can be added to almost any area of your sites including, pages and posts, headers, footers, and most widget areas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most existing themes and plugins are equipped with their own shortcodes that allow you to tap into additional features, or display certain plugins across your site. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Why Are <\/span>WordPress Shortcodes<\/span> Used?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Shortcodes are commonly used by plugin and theme developers to make site customization easy. <\/span><\/p>\n

Think about it from the perspective of a developer. You\u2019ve created a gallery plugin and you want to make it easy for users to embed different galleries into their site. <\/span><\/p>\n

Chances are that not every user will want to place the gallery in the exact same location. So, instead of hard-coding the plugin\u2019s function directly into the theme, you can use a shortcode to insert the gallery wherever you see fit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shortcodes are super flexible and let users display different plugins and implement WordPress theme customizations without having to touch the codebase itself. <\/span><\/p>\n

Shortcodes give you complete control over the design, layout, and functionality of your site. But without understanding how shortcodes work, you\u2019ll have a tough time making any meaningful customizations to your site.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most plugins rely upon shortcodes in order to add them to your site as well. Plus, most themes are equipped with shortcodes to add more features and truly unlock the built-in customization features.<\/span><\/p>\n

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How to Use Shortcodes in WordPress<\/span><\/h2>\n

WordPress is equipped with <\/span>built-in shortcodes<\/span><\/a> that are available to you no matter what plugins and themes you\u2019re using. These are default shortcodes that you can use at any time. (Note:<\/strong> We added a space so we could display them to you without the shortcode performing its intended function. To use them on your own WordPress blog, you’ll need to remove the space in between the brackets first.)<\/span><\/p>\n