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This plugin brings it to your WordPress site:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The smart widget.<\/strong> A help button on your pages that opens your help center in place: visitors search, read articles and ask AI without leaving the page.<\/li>\n<li><strong>FAQ sections.<\/strong> Write the answers once in HelpCenter.io and show them on any page with a block or a shortcode. Edit a question in HelpCenter.io and every page that shows it changes with it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h4>Set up in a minute<\/h4>\n\n<p>Paste an API key and the plugin:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li>installs the widget on every page, with no code to copy;<\/li>\n<li>adds your site to the help center's allowed websites, so the widget is not refused (the most common reason a widget does not appear);<\/li>\n<li>shows a checklist of what is left to set up, each item with its fix;<\/li>\n<li>lists your FAQ sections in the block editor, so you pick one instead of copying its code.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h4>Widget options<\/h4>\n\n<ul>\n<li>Show it on every page, only on some, or on every page except some (<code>\/pricing<\/code>, <code>\/docs\/*<\/code>).<\/li>\n<li>Bottom right or bottom left.<\/li>\n<li>Follow the page's language. With WPML, Polylang or another translation plugin, each page opens the help center in its own language.<\/li>\n<li>Hide the help button and open the widget from your own menu links: link a menu item to <code>#helpcenter<\/code>.<\/li>\n<li>Turn proactive messages on or off.<\/li>\n<li>Respect visitors' cookie choices with any consent plugin that supports the WP Consent API.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h4>FAQ sections<\/h4>\n\n<ul>\n<li>The <strong>FAQ Section<\/strong> block: pick a section, see its questions in the editor, and fix \"not shown on this site\" in one click.<\/li>\n<li>The <code>[helpcenter_faq id=\"\u2026\"]<\/code> shortcode, for the classic editor, widgets and page builders.<\/li>\n<li>FAQ structured data (schema.org <code>FAQPage<\/code>) for the questions on each page, so search engines and AI assistants can read them.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h4>Sign WordPress users in<\/h4>\n\n<p>Already have members on WordPress? With HelpCenter.io single sign-on, signed-in users read your private articles in the widget, and on the help center itself, without a second account. Choose which roles are signed in. HelpCenter.io makes each one a reader, never a member of your team.<\/p>\n\n<p>The widget, FAQ sections and single sign-on are part of HelpCenter.io plans that include them. <a href=\"https:\/\/helpcenter.io\/pricing\">See pricing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<h3>External services<\/h3>\n\n<p>This plugin connects your site to HelpCenter.io, a hosted help center service run by HelpCenter.io. It is what the plugin is for: without it, nothing shows.<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The widget script<\/strong>, <code>https:\/\/helpcenter.io\/js\/init.js<\/code>, loads in your visitors' browsers on the pages the widget or a FAQ section shows on. The browser then talks to HelpCenter.io to draw the widget and FAQ sections, to search and read your help center, and to answer AI questions. It sends the page's address, the visitor's language, what they search for or ask, and, unless a consent plugin says the visitor declined statistics cookies, usage statistics.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The HelpCenter.io API<\/strong>, <code>https:\/\/api.helpcenter.io<\/code>, is called from your server with your API key when you connect, when the plugin's screen checks your setup, when the block editor lists your FAQ sections, and when you click Allow. It sends your site's host name, to add it to your help center's allowed websites and to FAQ sections' Display on URLs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>FAQ sections<\/strong>, <code>https:\/\/embed.helpcenter.io<\/code>, are read from your server for the block's preview and for the FAQ structured data on your pages. It sends the section's key and the page's language.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Single sign-on<\/strong>, when you switch it on, sends a signed-in user's email address, display name, language, avatar address (often a Gravatar address) and an ID made of your site's host name and their user ID to HelpCenter.io, in a token signed with your shared secret, when they use the widget or sign in to your help center.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>HelpCenter.io <a href=\"https:\/\/helpcenter.io\/legal\/terms\">terms of service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/helpcenter.io\/legal\/privacy\">privacy policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<!--section=installation-->\n<ol>\n<li>Install and activate the plugin.<\/li>\n<li>Open <strong>HelpCenter.io<\/strong> in the admin menu.<\/li>\n<li>In HelpCenter.io, go to <strong>Settings \u2192 API keys<\/strong>, create a key named \"WordPress\" with <strong>Read &amp; write<\/strong> access, and paste it into the plugin.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p>That's it: the widget is live. Add a FAQ section to any page with the <strong>FAQ Section<\/strong> block.<\/p>\n\n<p>No API key? Paste your widget ID instead, from <strong>Embeddables<\/strong> in HelpCenter.io. You then add your site to <strong>Settings \u2192 Embedding origins<\/strong> yourself, and paste each FAQ section's key into the block.<\/p>\n\n<!--section=faq-->\n<dl>\n<dt id=\"the%20widget%20does%20not%20appear.%20what%20do%20i%20check%3F\"><h3>The widget does not appear. What do I check?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>Open <strong>HelpCenter.io<\/strong> in the admin menu. The Setup checklist names what is missing. Most often it is your site's address not being on the help center's <strong>Embedding origins<\/strong>: with a Read &amp; write key, click <strong>Allow<\/strong> next to it.<\/p>\n\n<p>Also check that the widget is switched on, that the page is not excluded by your page rules, and clear your page cache after changing settings.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id=\"my%20site%20is%20reached%20at%20both%20www%20and%20without%20www.\"><h3>My site is reached at both www and without www.<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>HelpCenter.io treats them as different websites. Add both to <strong>Embedding origins<\/strong> in HelpCenter.io, or a single entry starting with a dot (<code>.example.com<\/code>), which covers the domain and all its subdomains.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id=\"a%20faq%20section%20shows%20in%20the%20editor%20but%20not%20on%20the%20page.\"><h3>A FAQ section shows in the editor but not on the page.<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>HelpCenter.io draws a section only on the websites listed under its <strong>Display on URLs<\/strong>. The block warns you when your site is missing; click <strong>Show it on<\/strong> to add it, or use <strong>Allow all on this site<\/strong> on the plugin's screen.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id=\"how%20do%20i%20sign%20wordpress%20users%20in%20to%20my%20help%20center%3F\"><h3>How do I sign WordPress users in to my help center?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><ol>\n<li>In HelpCenter.io, open <strong>Settings \u2192 Single sign-on<\/strong>, choose <strong>JWT (HS256)<\/strong>, generate a <strong>Shared secret<\/strong> and copy it.<\/li>\n<li>In WordPress, open <strong>HelpCenter.io<\/strong>, switch on <strong>Sign WordPress users in to the help center<\/strong>, paste the secret and save.<\/li>\n<li>Copy the <strong>Login URL for your help center<\/strong> the plugin shows (it ends in <code>admin-post.php?action=helpcenter_io_sso<\/code>), paste it as the <strong>Login URL<\/strong> in HelpCenter.io and click <strong>Save JWT settings<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<p>Signed-in users now read private articles in the widget. On a private help center, a reader who is not signed in is sent to your WordPress login and comes straight back. If you set an issuer or audience in HelpCenter.io, enter the same values under <strong>Issuer and audience<\/strong>.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id=\"does%20it%20slow%20my%20site%20down%3F\"><h3>Does it slow my site down?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>The widget loads asynchronously, after your page. FAQ structured data is cached on your server, so a page view does not wait for HelpCenter.io.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id=\"where%20is%20my%20api%20key%20stored%3F\"><h3>Where is my API key stored?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>In your WordPress database, never in your pages. Visitors never see it. The single sign-on secret is kept the same way.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id=\"does%20it%20work%20with%20page%20caching%3F\"><h3>Does it work with page caching?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>Yes. Clear the cache after you change the plugin's settings. With single sign-on, a signed-in user's page carries a short-lived, single-use sign-in token, and the widget asks your site for a fresh one whenever it needs it. Caching plugins serve signed-in users uncached pages by default; keep it that way.<\/p><\/dd>\n<dt id=\"can%20i%20change%20what%20the%20widget%20sends%3F\"><h3>Can I change what the widget sends?<\/h3><\/dt>\n<dd><p>Developers can use the <code>helpcenter_io_widget_options<\/code> filter for the widget's options, <code>helpcenter_io_show_widget<\/code> to decide per page whether it loads, <code>helpcenter_io_sso_claims<\/code> for the sign-in token, <code>helpcenter_io_sso_user_allowed<\/code> for who is signed in, and <code>helpcenter_io_faq_schema<\/code> for the structured data.<\/p><\/dd>\n\n<\/dl>\n\n<!--section=changelog-->\n<h4>1.0.0<\/h4>\n\n<ul>\n<li>First release: the smart widget, the FAQ Section block and shortcode, FAQ structured data, guided setup with one-click fixes, and single sign-on for WordPress users.<\/li>\n<\/ul>","raw_excerpt":"Add the HelpCenter.io smart widget to your site and place FAQ sections on any page. 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