If you’ve ever gone online for customer support, you’ve probably encountered a knowledge base whether you knew it or not. Knowledge bases are the organized collection of articles most companies offer up for self-help. And while there are whole firms built on providing knowledge base software, it’s also exceptionally easy to add a WordPress knowledge base\u00a0using some helpful plugins and themes.<\/p>\n
Knowledge bases don’t have to be limited to customer support, either. You can also use them to create any type of educational resource. They’re a great way to help your readers, boost your SEO, and establish yourself as an authority in your space.<\/p>\n
In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to use a free plugin to add a knowledge base to your WordPress site. Then, I’ll give you a few other\u00a0options you can explore if you need even more detailed functionality.<\/p>\n
Knowledge bases are great for helping your existing readers and bringing in new readers. Here’s why:<\/p>\n
If you’re running any type of product\/service business via your WordPress site, this one is a no-brainer. Your WordPress knowledge base can provide readers with all types of information about your offerings.<\/p>\n
If you’re using WordPress exclusively as a blog, you can still provide helpful information via a knowledge base. For example, if you’re running a gardening blog – and looking for ideas – you could provide information on basic plant care in a knowledge base.<\/p>\n
In my previous life as a working stiff, I was responsible for my company’s help articles. So I know this from firsthand experience:<\/p>\n
Knowledge base articles can rank very well in search engines. They provide ample opportunity for internal linking (think how often Wikipedia links between articles) and usually cover topics that people are already searching for.<\/p>\n
By implementing just some basic SEO tips<\/a>, I was able to bring in hundreds of targeted readers every day and boost my company’s\u00a0sign ups. You can do the same with your WordPress knowledge base!<\/p>\n A great knowledge base will instantly add some gravitas to your site. Readers will see that, not only did you take the time to create a great resource, but you also actually know what you’re talking about. Given how cluttered the internet can be, this is a great way to make yourself stand out in whatever niche your site is in.<\/p>\n There are numerous free and premium knowledge base plugins, but my favorite for beginners is WP Knowledgebase. It’s easy to use and has all the basics you need to create a great resource. I’ll give you a quick guide for how you can use it to create a knowledge base on your own site.<\/p>\n This step might sound intimidating at first, but it’s actually quite simple from a user’s point of view, provided that you pick the right firm to work with.<\/p>\n Namely, to make things easy on yourself, it’s recommended to go with a single company to handle your domain name, hosting, as well as WordPress installation.<\/p>\n For example, according to our experiments and the hosting survey that we did a while ago, one of the best options available in the market is a company called SiteGround<\/a>. Here’s why:<\/p>\nThey establish you as an authority<\/h3>\n
How to add a knowledge base to WordPress for free<\/h2>\n
Step 1 – Pick a domain name, web host, and install WordPress<\/h3>\n