How to setup booking for WordPress
Setting up online booking for WordPress has never been easier with the Start Booking WordPress plugin. This article will walk you through how to setup booking for WordPress and highlight some strategies for success.
If you have made it this far then chances are you already understand the power and flexibility of WordPress and are looking to setup booking functionality so that your customers can book time straight from your WordPress site. We have talked with countless customers searching for this same functionality and luckily with the Start Booking plugin, its never been easier to have a WordPress booking plugin.
Step 1 - Install the WordPress plugin
You can find the WordPress plugin here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/calendar-booking/. Once you have installed and activated the Start Booking WordPress plugin, you should see a welcome screen like below.
Once you see this screen, it's time to connect an existing Start Booking account or Get Started with a new account.
Step 2 (Optional) - Connect your existing Start Booking account
If you already have a Start Booking account, click the Connect existing account button and you will see a screen that looks like this:
Next, input your Start Booking email and password. This is not the same credentials that you use to log into your WordPress site, these are the credentials you use to log into https://app.startbooking.com/. Once you click connect, if it's successful, we will make a secure connection between the Start Booking platform and your WordPress site.
Step 3 - Complete Onboarding
Once you have gone through either of the above methods for connecting your account you will be brought to the Start Booking dashboard screen. The Start Booking dashboard confirms that you have setup booking for WordPress successfully.
If you have a new account then you will see the recommended next steps for configuring your account.
Step 4 - Embed Booking Forms
To review your embedding options, click on the Settings tab in the header and click on Embed Options.
Embedding Options
There are two different ways that you can setup booking flows on your WordPress site. You can either implement shortcodes and insert them on any page or post. You can also use the Gutenberg block option. To use the Gutenberg blocks, simply navigate to the page or post you are wanting to display your booking form.
Services and Classes will display separately. You will want to embed the class booking form and service booking form on two pages. The shortcodes for that are noted below.
All Services
[startbooking flow="services"]
Example: Let’s say you are a salon that has a handful of services. You would have the Book Now page with the [startbooking flow="services"] shortcode in the content. This page would show all of the services you offer with the price (optional) and a description of the service.
Single Service
[startbooking flow="single-service" service="service url string" details="true"]
Service: The URL string of your service you want to display.
Details: When set to true, the service box will be displayed. When set to false, the service box will be skipped and will go to the next step in the booking process.
All Classes
[startbooking flow="classes"]
This shortcode is used to take your customers to a page where your classes are listed. From here, they are able to book and pay (optional) for your classes.
Single Class
[startbooking flow="classes" class="class url string"]
Classes Shortcode Options
- Class: class="class url string"
- Hide Calendar: hide_calendar="true"
- Range Start: range_start="2022-01-06"
- Range End: range_end="2022-01-09"
- Show Filter: show_filter="true" * Only applies to Single Class shortcode.
Example with all class shortcode options
[startbooking flow="classes" class url string" hide_calendar="true" range_start="2022-01-06" range_end="2022-01-09" show_filter="true"]
If you have any trouble setting up booking for your WordPress site please contact our support team to help you get taken care of.