How to Allow Users to Notify You of Errors in WordPress Posts

Last month, a reader spotted a broken link in one of my posts on my personal site. By the time they emailed me about it, the post had already been live for three weeks. That’s when I started wishing there was an easier way for readers to report these issues immediately.

If you’re running a WordPress site, you know how challenging it can be to catch every typo, broken link, or outdated information. Even with careful proofreading, errors can slip through. And when they do, they can hurt your site’s credibility and frustrate your readers.

In this tutorial, I’ll show you how to allow users to notify you of your content errors. When done right, it can turn your readers into helpful allies who can instantly alert you about any issues they find.

Why Allow Users to Notify You of Errors?

When I first started my WordPress site, I relied solely on my own proofreading. But I quickly learned that readers often spot things I miss. Someone would leave a comment about a broken link or send an email about outdated statistics, and I realized I needed a better system.

Your readers are actually your best allies for maintaining content quality. They come from different backgrounds and expertise levels, and they’re actively engaging with your content. While one reader might spot a technical inaccuracy, another might notice a simple typo or grammar mistakes you’ve read past dozens of times.

Without a proper error reporting system, most readers who spot mistakes simply leave your site. Some might try to leave a comment, but comments aren’t ideal for reporting errors – they can get buried under other comments or appear unprofessional to other readers.

Here’s what happened when I added a proper error reporting system to my site:

• Content accuracy improved dramatically.
• Readers felt more engaged and valued.
• My site’s credibility increased.
• I saved time by not having to constantly review old content.

Think of it as having hundreds of volunteer editors helping you maintain the quality of your content. The best part is that they work around the clock, at no extra cost!

How to Use UserFeedback to Collect Error Reports

After testing several feedback plugins, I found UserFeedback to be the most straightforward solution for collecting error reports from my visitors.

From my experience, it’s the easiest method to create a form that collects feedback from your users.

Step 1: Install and Activate UserFeedback

First, head over to the UserFeedback website and download the plugin. After downloading, go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins » Add New.

Click the ‘Upload Plugin’ button at the top of the page. Choose the UserFeedback zip file from your computer and click ‘Install Now’. Once the installation is complete, click ‘Activate Plugin’.

You’ll now see a new menu item called ‘UserFeedback’ in your WordPress dashboard.

For more instructions, you may want to see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Note: The UserFeedback plugin also has a free version that you can install. However, I will be using the Pro plan for this tutorial to unlock more features.

Step 2: Create Your First Feedback Survey

In your WordPress dashboard, go to UserFeedback » Surveys. Then, you need to click the ‘Create New’ button to create your first feedback form.

UserFeedback will show you several templates to choose from.

Since we want users to report content errors, select the ‘Website Feedback’ template. This template is already set up with a question field for users to describe the problems they find.

However, to make each field stand out nicely, you can customize your form’s appearance the way you want.

Step 3: Customize Your Feedback Form

Now that you have created a basic feedback form, let’s customize it to fit your needs. In the UserFeedback editor, you’ll be asked to specify the question you want to ask.

Click on the ‘Question Title’ field to edit it. I changed mine to “Found an Error? Let Us Know!” because it’s more inviting and also explains the form’s purpose.

You can even click on ‘Add Question’ to add multiple user feedback questions to the form. However, since we want to make it a simple feedback form, let’s only use one question.

You can click on the ‘Settings’ tab to specify where and when you want to display the form and how long you want to display it.

To customize the display options, you’ll have to install the Targeting and Behavior addons. However, if you want to display the form to everyone who visits your site, then you can skip the remaining part of this step and click on the ‘Notifications’ tab at the top.

To install UserFeedback addons, open a new tab and visit your WordPress admin panel. Then go to ‘UserFeedback’ followed by ‘Addons’.

Then click the ‘Install’ button next to the addons you want to install. Don’t forget to activate them as well.

Then get back to the browser tab where you’ve opened the ‘Settings’ page. When you refresh the page, you can see new ‘Targeting’ and ‘Behavior’ sections where you can specify where and when your feedback form will appear.

You can choose the Device type and Pages where you want to display the forms. You can also decide how long the form has to remain visible, and more.

Step 4: Set Up Email Notifications

The last setup step is configuring your notifications.

In the ‘Notification’ tab, you need to enter your email address in the ‘Email all new responses to the specified email addresses’ field.

Then, make sure the ‘Send Email’ button is toggled on.

Then, click ‘Next Step: Publish’.

Simply scroll down until you find the Publish meta box. Then, click ‘Save and Publish’ to publish your survey form.

Step 5: Test Your Feedback System

Finally, I highly recommend testing your feedback system. You need to visit your website as a regular user would and look for the feedback form. Then, submit a test report.

You will want to make sure:

• The form appears where you want it.
• The form opens smoothly.
• All fields work correctly.
• You receive the email notification.

Once everything works as expected, your error reporting system is ready to go. Users can now easily help you spot and fix content issues on your site.

You can see the user submissions by visiting the UserFeedback » Results page from the WordPress dashboard.

From here, you can check the number of responses, impressions, and all the answers provided by your visitors.

Adding an error reporting system to your WordPress site is like having an extra set of eyes watching over your content. After setting this up on my own sites, I’ve caught and fixed numerous issues that might have gone unnoticed.

Bonus: Make Sure You Never Miss an Error Report Email

I learned something important while setting up error reporting: WordPress’s default email system isn’t always reliable. Sometimes, error report notifications can end up in spam folders or fail to deliver entirely.

After missing several important error reports, I started using WP Mail SMTP to fix the WordPress not sending emails issue. It’s made a huge difference in making sure I receive every single notification about content errors on my site.

Once you’ve switched from the default WordPress email settings over to WP Mail SMTP, your email deliverability issues will be solved for good.

For details on how to do this, just see our guide on how to use an SMTP server to send WordPress emails.

Related Guides for User Feedback in WordPress

• How to Create a Custom Contact Form in WordPress
• Best Feedback Plugins for WordPress
• How to Setup WordPress Form Tracking in Google Analytics

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.