Do you want to add QR codes to your blog posts and landing pages in WordPress?
QR codes first took off in 2010. Since then, millions of people scan them today for different purposes. You can add QR codes to your site and allow users to download files, get in touch with you, open your store’s location in Google Maps, get coupons, and more.
In this article, we will show you how to generate and add QR Codes in WordPress.
What Is a QR Code and Why Use Them?
QR code or Quick Response Code is a type of barcode. Since the arrival of barcode scanner apps on mobile phones, QR codes have been used by many websites and online stores.
A QR code is an image with white background and black squares and dots in a square shape container. It’s an enhanced version of an average barcode but can hold almost 350 times more information.
There are multiple ways you can use QR codes for your WordPress website. Let’s you have an online store. By scanning a QR code, your customers can get exclusive discounts and show special offers. You can also help people find your physical store locations in Google Maps through QR codes.
If you offer digital downloads like videos, eBooks, PDFs, or podcasts, then users can simply scan the QR code and download the content onto their smartphones. Similarly, you can also use QR codes to increase app downloads and direct users to the app store based on their device.
That said, let’s take a look at how you can create QR codes for your WordPress site.
Generating and Adding a QR Code in WordPress
The simplest way of generating and adding QR codes in WordPress is by using a WordPress plugin like Shortcodes Ultimate.
It’s a WordPress plugin that lets you create buttons, boxes, sliders, carousels, QR codes, and much more through shortcodes. There are over 50 shortcodes to choose from, and they work with any WordPress theme.
There’s also a Shortcodes Ultimate Pro version that offers premium addons and unlocks more shortcodes that you can use on your website. However, for this tutorial, we’ll be using the free plugin because it includes the QR code feature.
First, you’ll need to install and activate the Shortcodes Ultimate plugin. For more details, please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.
Upon activation, a new ‘Shortcode’ option will appear in your WordPress admin menu, and you’ll be redirected to the Shortcode Ultimate welcome screen.
Next, you can edit any blog post or page on your website to add the QR code.
Once you’re in the WordPress content editor, go ahead and add a ‘Shortcode’ block anywhere in the content.
After adding the Shortcode block, you’ll see an ‘Insert shortcode’ option.
Simply click the double brackets icon to open the shortcode selector tool.
The plugin will now open a list of shortcodes you can use for your website.
Next, you can search or navigate to the ‘QR code’ shortcode option and click on it.
Once you click on the QR code shortcode option, the plugin will show more options to enter details about your QR code.
Under the ‘Data’ field, you can enter text, URL, discount codes, contact us form page, and any other information that you want the QR code to store.
Besides that, there is an option to enter the title for the QR code, which acts as an alt-text. You can even adjust the size of the QR code.
If you scroll down, you’ll see more options to customize your QR code.
You can change its alignment or margins, enter a link and make it clickable for website users, and more.
Other than that, there’s also an option to change the primary color and background color of the QR code. By default, they’ll be black and white, but you can change that to any color that you want.
Once you’ve finalized the settings, you can see a live preview of how your QR code will look. Next, go ahead and click the ‘Insert shortcode’ button.
After that, publish your blog post or landing page and visit your WordPress website to see the QR code in action.
You can also add your QR code to the widgets area on your website, like the sidebar.
First, you’ll need to head over to the Appearance » Widgets page from your WordPress dashboard.
After that, add a ‘Shortcode’ widget block to your site’s widget area. It could be your main sidebar, header, or footer.
Next, you can click on the ‘Insert shortcode’ option (the double brackets icon), just like you did earlier when adding QR code to a WordPress blog post or page.
This will open different shortcodes that you can use for your site, including QR codes.
You’ll see a list of shortcodes offered by the plugin.
Go ahead and select the ‘QR code’ shortcode.
After clicking on QR code shortcode, you’ll find the options for customizing the QR code and adding the data it should store.
You can also change its size, adjust the margins, alignment, color, and more.
Once you’re happy with the settings of your QR code, simply insert the shortcode to your widgets block.
After that, go ahead and click the ‘Update’ button.
You can now visit your website and see the QR code in the sidebar.
We hope that this article helped you learn how to generate and add QR codes in WordPress. You may also want to see our guide on how to choose a website builder and the best WooCommerce plugins.
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Hazel says
Uhm, this plugin is not maintained. You may want to talk about a newer QR code plugin
WPBeginner Support says
Thank you for letting us know, we’ll be sure to take a look
Admin
Smile Onwughara says
Thank you for your beautiful tutorial. Please i’d like to know how to add qr code to a wordpress form. When the user is about to print the form, there should be a QR code printed along with the form. You reply will help a lot
Tanish Sehgal says
Hi,
I want to make a qr code instantly whenever the user enter his details and when a person scans the qr code all the details typed by the user should be displayed.
Akinola says
Hi,
I want to use the QR code to register people for a event, such that when they book their seats, they get a receipt with a unique QR code which can be printed or saved (as image or pdf) on their mobile devices. Once they get to the event venue, they can have their QR codes scanned and verified.
Is this possible?
Cesar Sacconi Falcao says
I´d like to use QR codes in certificates of my online education site, so people can verify if its authentic.
But creating the code is just one part of the problem, maybe I´d need some forms to create a unique serial number, create the QR and then create a page where you type the serial or scan the code and then it shows the info of the exam.
Nick says
Cesar, it may be a while since you posted, but this may be of help to you ?
We provide validation qr codes to keep documents secure, with each applicable page or document having it’s own unique qr code, mostly devised by the validator. The licence can allow hundreds of these validating codes where you register each one as you print/provide it, and allows you to enter the name, certificate number, your contact details etc for anyone who needs to validate it’s authenticity.
Let me know if this might be of use to you.
Thanks
Nick
Mike Panic says
rant
Until the iPhone (iOS) and Android operating systems come with a built in, default QR code reader, the only people who get really excited about them are marketing directors and misinformed business leaders / owners.
Who on earth has actually scanned a bar code on a computer screen. Another point, what happens when I’m viewing a site on my phone (a demographic growing at a staggering rate), it’s no impossible to do anything with this fancy QR code until I get another device out and now I’m scanning my iPhone with my iPad.
Seriously, what happened to UX people and what UI designers are allowing this wretched marketing ploy take over the Internet?
/rant
Mark says
Hi. In your shortcode example, you have credit=false with no closing quote. should fix that before people that only use the admin panel editor lock themselves out of their sites with a fatal error
Editorial Staff says
Good catch. Fixed.
Admin