Making Your WordPress Login Page Unique

If you’re the only WordPress user for your site, you probably never gave much thought to the default login page. But if you have other users or contributors, you may want the login page to better match your website design. Or, you may just be looking for a way to improve your user’s experience.

LoginPress makes those kinds of changes easy. Not only can you change the appearance of the sign-in page, but you can also even change the default messaging. That’s something that would otherwise require complicated changes to the WordPress login files and single-handedly justifies installing the plugin.

How to Add LoginPress to WordPress

Let’s install the plugin and see how it works.

1. Installing the LoginPress Plugin

Log in to your WordPress admin panel.

In the left column navigation, mouse over the “Plugins” link and click the “Add New” link.

In the “Search plugins…” box, enter “LoginPress.”

When you find the plugin, click the “Install Now” button.

Now the plugin is installed, but it has to be activated before you can use it.

Click the “Activate” button.

That completes installation and activation. Now let’s move on to getting the plugin up and running on your website.

2. Configuring LoginPress

As soon as the plugin is activated, it adds a background image to your login page.

Before you make any changes to the login page, there are some default configurations that you may want to adjust.

In the left column navigation, mouse over the “LoginPress” link and click the “Settings” link.

The first time you access the plugin, it will ask for your permission to collect data about your site. If you prefer not to send your site data, click the “Skip This Step” link.

The “Settings” page gives you access to half a dozen settings.

• Session Expire sets the admin session expiration time in minutes. Meaning if there’s no activity in the admin section for XX minutes, you’ll be logged out. By default, no timeout is set.
• Auto Remember Me lets you pre-select the “Remember me” option on the login page. It is disabled by default.
• Custom Password Fields allows you to add custom password fields to the registration form. It is disabled by default.
• Login Order lets you choose whether to ask for the username or email address to log in (or both).
• Reset Default Settings deletes any customizations you’ve made and resets the default plugin values.
• Remove Settings on Uninstall deletes database tables when the plugin is uninstalled. It is disabled by default, so the plugin settings will remain if the plugin is uninstalled.

Click the “Save Changes” button if you make any changes to the settings.

3. Changing the Background of Your Login Page

The background image the plugin has provided is lovely, but let’s change it and get started on our custom login.

The changes to the appearance of the form are made in the WordPress customizer. To access it, in the left column navigation, mouse over the “LoginPress” link and click the “Customizer” link.

There are a lot of options available. Some of them require that you buy the “pro” version of the plugin. We’ll focus on what’s available in the free version.

For quick access to certain features, mouse over the login page preview. You’ll see a number of editing links appear.

We’ll click the “Change Background” icon first.

There are a number of images provided by the plugin. You can click one of them to load it into the preview.

But you can also provide your own image, either via upload or from the Media Library.

In the left column, scroll down and click the “Select Image” button.

That will open the WordPress image overlay, letting you either upload an image or choose one from the Media Library.

I’ve chosen an image from the Media Library and added it as the background.

To save your changes at any time, click the “Publish” button in the left column.

In addition to setting a page background image, you can also set a second image as the form background.

4. Alter the Login Form’s Background

Click “Customize Login Form” in the left column.

Then under “Form Background Image,” click the “Select Image” button.

Here, I’ve selected another image from the Media Library, and it becomes the form background.

While we’re still in the “Customize Login Form” section, there’s another way to feature your page background image.

Click the “Enable Form Transparency” toggle button and look at what happens.

5. Changing the Login Page Text Color and Size

That transparent form is pretty cool, but now we can’t read all the text around the form.

We’ll fix that by changing the text to a lighter color and making it bigger and easier to read.

Mouse over the preview and click the “Customize Navigation” link.

In the left column, we’ll change the color of the footer text and increase the font size.

Now the “lost password” and “back” links are legible and more prominent.

6. Changing Other Page Elements

Every element of the page can be changed in the same way we changed the background images and form text. Here are just a few of the highlights.

The button color, size, and padding can be changed:

All of the login form error messages can be edited:

All of the login form dialogs can be edited:

Virtually every element of the login, registration, and lost password pages can be changed and adjusted. Including:

• Logo
• Background
• Login form
• Forgotten password form
• Buttons
• Error messages
• Welcome messages
• Form footer

What Happens if You Uninstall the LoginPress Plugin

If you uninstall the plugin, your login page will revert to the default WordPress login.

The plugin creates entries in the options database table that are not removed when the plugin is uninstalled. (Even if you activated the “Remove Settings on Uninstall” setting.)

If you need to delete the database entries, look the option rows containing “loginpress.”

Here’s what they look like in phpMyAdmin:

It’s Never Been Easier to Customize the WordPress Login Page

All WordPress plugins use server resources and can potentially add time to page loads. But considering how easy login page changes are with LoginPress, the tradeoff may be justified.

When you consider what’s involved with manually making login page changes, you can see the benefits of using LoginPress. It will save you a serious amount of time and trouble.

The paid version of the plugin is a bit pricey as far as plugins are concerned. But the “Startup” tier and higher boasts some impressive add-ons. Social account logins, a login widget, the ability to limit login attempts, hide the login, and even automatically log in users.

With those added features and the time-savings the plugin provides, this is one “pro” upgrade that I can recommend.

Have you ever tried to make manual changes to your WordPress login page? Could you benefit from easy login page customization?

As always, let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.

The post How to Use LoginPress to Customize the WordPress Login Page appeared first on GreenGeeks.

Why is a WordPress Temporary Login Ideal?

There are a few reasons why a site owner may allow someone a temporary login without a password. These situations often fall under a developer wanting access, but other reasons include:

• Editor reviews
• Authors who may need very short-term access
• Allowing a client to access a site you’re creating
• Third-Party help resources

These are a few good reasons why a temporary login to WordPress is more ideal than creating a full user account. This way you can set login limits and set the amount of time someone has access to your website before their WordPress temporary login credentials expire.

Let’s take a look at how you can easily enable WordPress temporary login for a user.

Temporary Login Without Password

There is a fantastic plugin called Temporary Login Without Password that will allow you to easily create self-expiring, automatic login links for your WordPress website.

Basically, the plugin allows you to create a temporary login link based on the rules you set. This includes the amount of time the link works, as well as the user role allowed to use the link.

You create the temporary login without a password link and send it to the user who wants access to your website. They can then access your site without being a user and without having a password. The link you create will automatically expire and stop working based on the configurations you choose during setup.

For instance, let’s say you are creating a website for a client. You can then send him or her the link in an email which they can use to access the site. Once the time limit you set expires, the link no longer works and no one can access that specific credential.

It is a lightweight and very easy-to-use plugin that gets the job done. Let’s take a look at how to use the Temporary Login Without Password plugin to create a link that requires no password to log into WordPress.

Install and Activate Plugin

In order to create WordPress temporary logins, you need to install and activate the plugin. You can do this from the plugin’s page in your WordPress admin dashboard.

Once the plugin has been installed and activated, click on Users > Temporary Logins to access the settings and the page where you can create temporary logins for WordPress.

You will see this on the left side menu inside your WordPress admin dashboard.

Create a WordPress Temporary Login

Once you are on the main configuration page for the plugin, go ahead and click on the setting’s tab. Just to review what you can set by default before setting up any temporary logins for WordPress.

You will see that all the visible roles available for your particular website are displayed. You can select one of these or leave it and set the defaults. This is up to you.

Also, notice how the plugin will include custom user roles as well.

When you are done with that, click back on the Temporary Logins tab. You will see a “Create New” button located on the top of the page. Click on that to create a new WordPress temporary login.

You will see a pretty simple box appear. Fill out the temporary login settings for the name and email of the person you want to have access to your site.

You can also choose their role, how long the temporary login for WordPress will be good for, and also choose a language. When you have made your selections, click on “Submit.”

That’s it. You will now see the new WordPress temporary login that you created displaying on the bottom of the page. All the information about all the temporary logins for WordPress you create will be displayed here.

You will also receive the auto-generated link that was created. Share this with the person you want to have temporary access and you are all set.

Final Thoughts

You no longer need to add a full user to a WordPress website to allow login access. You also don’t need to give out your own username and password for developers.

By using this easy-to-understand method, you can create as many WordPress temporary logins as you need and extend the life of the login as long as you want.

Have you found an easier way to create temporary logins without a password? Did you find the Temporary Login Without Password plugin to be simple and easy to use?

The post How to Enable WordPress for a Temporary Login without a Password appeared first on GreenGeeks.

Social one-click logins like Facebook have become increasingly popular over time and it is only natural Google be treated the same way. You give your site users an easy and fast way to log in using a one-click method and using their social profiles.

You also allow potential and future site users to register quickly and easily by using the Google login to WordPress website function. The process is safe, fast, secure, and easy to set up.

In this article, I will show you how to quickly and easily add Google one-click WordPress login to your website. Let’s dive and see what all it is going to take to get this process installed and set up on your WordPress website.

To get this process going we are going to use an app called Google Apps Login. This will be the easiest, most efficient way to accomplish what we want to do today. Let’s take a quick look at the app and then we will install it and perform set up together.

Google Apps Login

Google Apps Login will give you the ability to allow existing WordPress user accounts to login to your website using Google to securely authenticate their account. What this is basically allowing is this.

If a user is already logged into their Gmail account, then they can simply click their way through the WordPress login screen using the one-click login process. No username or password will be required if using this functionality.

If you are worried about the security standards of the process, don’t be. As we know, Google and WordPress take security seriously. The Google Apps Login plugin uses the latest secure OAuth2 authentication recommended by Google. this includes 2-factor Auth if enabled for your G Suite (formerly Google Apps) accounts.

Let’s take a look at how to get the plugin installed and activated. Then we will go over setup together.

Adding Google One-Click Login

The first thing you need to do is to install and activate the Google one-click login app. You can do this by heading to the plugins page in your WordPress admin panel.

Simply search the plugin name and install it right from there.

Once you have activated the plugin go to Settings > Google Apps Login Page. You will see this now located in the left side menu area of your dashboard. You will be instructed to add a Client ID and a Client secret code.

Getting the Right Google Developer Information

In order to get the information that is requested you will need to visit the Google Developer Console. If you are already logged in you will be automatically directed, if not, go ahead and log in with your Google account.

Once inside click on Start a project from the top menu. It will open a popup where you would click on New Project button to continue.

When the new project screen pops up go ahead and enter the information you need to. Your project name can be whatever you want. Location will be the domain name you are using for this project. If you are logged in to your company’s Google account then location and organization will be automatically filled.

*Please note: If you are creating a project from your personal Google account then you are able to leave the location with No Organization selected.

Click on the Create button to move forward. This will take you to the APIs and Services dashboard. From here click on the OAuth consent screen page.

You will need to enter the email info that you see available to you. This includes adding the email address that you are using for this specific project and then adding the website URL in the Homepage URL field. Once you have done that click the Save button.

OAuth Client ID

Once that is done you will be taken to the Credentials page again. Click on Create Credentials button to select OAuth client ID option.

For what we are doing today please select Web application as an Application type. In the Authorized JavaScript origins field, you need to enter your website URL:

(www.example.com)

And add the WordPress login page URL as well:

(https://www.example.com/wp-login.php) in the Authorized redirect URLs field.

When you have completed that relevant information in the fields click on the Create button and you will see your Client ID and Client Secret information come up in a popup box.

Copy and paste the keys you see back into the WordPress settings page for the plugin on your website.

Head Back to Your Website and Check it Out

Once you have done this, then go ahead and log out of your WordPress site. You can now go back to the login screen to see what it looks like. If you have performed the steps above properly you will see the Google app login button now available as part of the WordPress login page. Other WordPress social login buttons may be there as well, depending on what you have added in the past.

Users can now click on this button and utilize the Google one-click WordPress login. You want to remember that users may only log in with Google one-click by using the email address that they have used on your website.

That’s it! You are all set.

Why Should You Add Google One-Click to Your WordPress Website?

The Google one-click WordPress login allows your website users the ability to use their Google account to securely authenticate their WordPress site account and then log in.

This means that if they are using their Gmail accounts and one-click Google accounts for other things, they can click their way to the WordPress login screen and use a WordPress social login without having to have their username and password on them.

Furthermore, if you are the head of an organization that runs something like G Suite for business emails, then all your business team members can use the Google app login ability. This is just one of the many benefits of using G Suite for your business.

With all that being said, let me show you how easy it is to add Google one-click WordPress login to your website.

Aside from all the tools that a user has access to by logging in to your WordPress site this way, they also have the ability to do it quickly, easily, and without having to remember complicated passwords.

Final Thoughts

Using one-click social logins are becoming extremely popular in WordPress. Not just for Google, but for all social platforms. This allows easier access for your website users and an overall easier registration process.

This is because they can use their social profiles. This allows for quick and easy registration and log in methods.

I hope this article showed you an easy way to add the Google one-click login to your WordPress website. Having this functionality on your site will only make it more popular and easier to access for your registered users.

What other WordPress social login buttons have you incorporated on your website? Which one is your favorite?

The post How To Add Google One-Click Login to Your WordPress Website appeared first on GreenGeeks.

In today’s tutorial, I’ll go over a few things you can check to solve the login redirect and refresh problem in WordPress. Because there are so many things that can cause this issue, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what your specific problem is.

Let me help you do a bit of troubleshooting.

Clearing Browser Data

Sometimes, browsers are at fault by saving too much outdated or corrupted data. In reality, clearing the cache in the browser solves a lot of online problems when it comes to experiencing a website issue.

Start by clearing the cache and cookies of your web browser. Restart the program and try to log into your website again.

This will remove any bad or obsolete data your computer is trying to load when visiting the site. Essentially, it tells your browser to download the information again.

This is perhaps the easiest place to start, and it only requires a minute or two.

Deactivate Your Plugins

In some cases, installed plugins have been known to corrupt a website. This is often due to outdated or poor programming from the developer. It’s also one of the reasons why I suggest only using plugins that are regularly maintained.

An older plugin may have problems when it comes to new updates in WordPress.

To deactivate your plugins, you’ll need to access your website’s root folder. You can do this easily by using FTP software like FileZilla. However, I’m going to use cPanel‘s File Manager to save some time.

From the root directory of your site, access the “wp-content” folder. You can do this in File Manager by double-clicking it.

Rename the “plugins” folder to “plugins_backup.”

This will disable all of the plugins on your website and give you access. That is if it’s a plugin that is causing the login redirect problem in WordPress.

If you still have the redirect issue, then you know it’s not a plugin causing the problem. You can then rename “plugins_backup” to “plugins.”

If you’re able to log into your site after renaming the plugin folder, you’ll have to troubleshoot plugins even further. The best way to find the problematic plugin is to create a new “plugins” folder in your web host directory and add the plugins one-by-one while testing in between each.

As soon as you’re unable to access the site, you’ll know which plugin is causing the problem.

Deactivating the Theme

Plugins are not the only tools that can stop WordPress from responding correctly. Themes also need consideration. An outdated or improperly developed theme has potential to cause WordPress to redirect after a login attempt.

By deactivating your current theme, WordPress will automatically revert to its default. This may give you a chance to log into your site and make further corrections.

To access the directory, click into the “themes” folder. It’s located in the same place as your plugins from the solution above.

Rename the current theme to something you’ll recognize. I suggest using the same tactic as the plugin and add a “_backup” at the end of the name.

If the theme is the problem, this will give you access to your site. At which point, you’ll know the theme needs updates or further repairs.

Check .htaccess File

The .htaccess file has the potential to cause some of the most common WordPress errors including not being able to log in. Deleting this file is a viable option for being able to access your admin panel.

Luckily, .htaccess is easy to replace in WordPress.

By default, the .htaccess is hidden. You’ll need to “unhide” files before you can access it. Go into the Settings of cPanel and check the “Show Hidden Files” option. After you click save, .htaccess will become visible.

Your preferred FTP program should have a similar setting.

Now, let’s get rid of the .htaccess. From the website’s directory, find and delete the “.htaccess” file.

Alternatively, you can rename this file as in the examples above. This is helpful if you have custom entries within it. If you still can’t log into your site, then you can rename the file back to .htaccess and keep your custom coding.

If you’re able to log into your site now, you can rebuild the .htaccess file directly from WordPress.

To create a new .htaccess file, go to the Permalinks area in the Settings of WordPress and click, “Save Changes.” WordPress will then construct a new and basic .htaccess file. At which point, you can place your custom additions one-by-one to make sure the redirect loop isn’t caused by something you added.

Changing the Site’s URL in WordPress

Defining the URL often fixes the problem when the WordPress admin login is not working. This can be from an improper settings change by a plugin, theme or an incorrect method when adding an SSL to your website.

If this is the case, you’ll need to edit the URL in the wp-config.php file.

To make changes, edit the “wp-config.php” file in your WordPress site directory.

Add this coding to the wp-config.php file (replace “ggexample.com” with your domain):[ht_message mstyle=”info” title=”” show_icon=”” id=”” class=”” style=”” ]define(‘WP_HOME’,’https://ggexample.com’);
define(‘WP_SITEURL’,’https://ggexample.com’);[/ht_message]

Make sure you change the “ggexample.com” portion to your domain name. Also, include the “www” in the domain name if your site uses it. This is often determined when first setting up your web hosting account.

Once you click the save button, your site will have the most valid data for the URL. You may have access to your admin panel.

Get Your Site Back

If all else fails, you can always restore from a backup copy of your website. Of course, you might lose any current data if you don’t perform these backups regularly. A WordPress login redirect problem is only one of many reasons why I suggest you always perform backups. It’ll make getting your site back much easier.

What kind of errors have you come across in WordPress? How often are your plugins and themes updated?

The post How to Fix the Login Redirect and Refresh Problem in WordPress appeared first on GreenGeeks.

However, this can all be avoided by creating a front-end login page section for visitors. By doing this, you can add a “Register Now” or “Create New Account” option to help new visitors sign up. Doing so can significantly boost how many accounts get created on your website.

Today, I will demonstrate how to create a front-end login page using the Theme My Login plugin.

Why Create a Front-End Login Page in WordPress

Like most subscriptions and memberships, it is quite difficult to get people to sign up for one. By creating a login area and page, visitors will see it more often. The more exposure you can give your subscription, the higher the chance that someone will actually subscribe or sign up for your website.

However, by default, visitors will be brought away from their current page and brought to the WordPress admin area to sign up.

Not only is this inconvenient to the visitor, but it also looks terrible when compared to other websites that have taken the time to set up a front-end login page. If this is a paid membership, it is unacceptable to have visitors use the back-end to log in.

This is not just a benefit for new user registration, but existing users will have a better experience logging in. This will keep visitors out of the admin area and keep them surfing your content.

Installing Theme My Login

The Theme My Login plugin is the perfect choice for adding a login page in WordPress. It can not get any easier because the plugin works after activation. That’s right, you won’t have to design a single page. And with over 100,000 active installs, you know you can trust it.

However, while there are no settings to customize, you can take the time to change the appearance of the login pages themselves. But this is optional, the plugin ensures that thee pages will match your current theme.

Let’s start by clicking on Plugins and selecting the Add New option on the left-hand admin panel.

Search for Theme My Login in the available search box. This will pull up additional plugins that you may find helpful.

Scroll down until you find the Theme My Login plugin and click the “Install Now” button and activate the plugin for use.

Setting Up Theme My Login

After activation, you will find 5 pages including login, log out, register, lost password, and reset password. All of these pages are live after activation and will replace the backend login.

On the left-hand admin panel, click on Theme My Login and select the General option.

Here you will find links to the 5 login-related pages that the plugin automatically generates. You will also find a few settings to customize those pages, but they are very simple.

The first setting is the login type. This decides if the visitor can enter the default login credentials (username or email), username only, or email only.  Pick the one that is best for your visitors.

The second setting is Registration. This is what determines what information the user will have to enter. Your choices are between the default (create a user name and enter email) or just enter an email. Pick the best option for your website.

Note: While the choice is up to you, make sure it matches what your login requires. If you ask for a username, they should be asked to create one in registration.

There are two more options. The first allows users to set their own password and the second automatically logs in users after registration. These are both off by default, but you can enable them if you wish.

Setting Slugs

Underneath the settings, you will find the slugs section. By default, the plugin creates the simplest slug for each of the pages it creates.

In case you are unaware, the slug is the part of the URL that ensures visitors access the correct page. As a general tip, it is ideal for a slug to make it clear what page they are on. Thus, the plugin’s default options are actually ideal.

With that said, you can change them if you wish. However, make sure you do not leave an empty space in your slugs. The empty space will not appear as intended and it will be replaced with a %20.

Instead, I highly recommend using a hyphen. For example, the slug “lost password” would become “lost-password.” This also makes it clearer for visitors.

Theme My Login Widget

The plugin also adds a new widget that you can use in your sidebar and footer areas. The widget is very simple and will add one login option for you. You can choose between a Login, Register, or Lost Password.

I strongly recommend adding the Login option to your sidebar or footer area to help people log in as easily as possible.

Also just in case, if you are already logged in, you will not see anything related to this widget. Thus, if you want to check what it looks like, you will need to logout.

Note: You can add the widget 3 times and select a different option in each if you really want all three. However, this is not recommended since they take up a lot of room.

Consider Extensions

A big part of the plugin is the wide array of extensions you can add to it. However, be forewarned, these extensions are not free to add, but some websites might see the value in paying for a specific extension.

At the time of writing this, the plugin supports 12 different extensions that include Mailchimp, Favorites, Avatars, Social, 2FA (two-factor authorization), Restrictions, Moderation, Security, Redirection, reCAPTCHA, Profiles, and Notifications.

You might be planning to add some of these features anyway so consider, purchasing an extension to streamline the process.

Note: It is also possible to add many, if not all of these features for free using other plugins. However, keep in mind the goal is to use as few plugins as possible. This helps keep your website running fast and reduces the risk of compatibility issues.

Make Logging in Easy

Logging in is not the highlight of anyone’s day, but it is necessary. Making a dedicated login page can help make it easier and overall, a better experience. The Theme My Login plugin helps create simple login-related pages that are designed to match your theme.

This ensures they look better and keep visitors on the front end of WordPress.

Another consideration you should make is adding a login option to your sidebar. Let’s be honest, not many people will bookmark the login page of their favorite website. No, instead most people will bookmark the main page. This can be problematic if they get logged out.

A sign-in option in the sidebar makes this easier.

How easy did you think the Theme My Login plugin was to use? Did you consider using an extension and if so which one?

The post How to Create a Front-End Login Page in WordPress appeared first on GreenGeeks.

Of course, just having a logo is not enough, it has to actually look good.

Many websites lock certain features behind logging in to the website. This gives visitors an incentive to signup for an account, which can help add subscribers to your email list. Of course, this means they are going to need to log in to the website.

Today, I will demonstrate how to change the login logo in WordPress using two methods.

Why Use a Custom Login Logo in WordPress

Like any other page you create, the login page should be well designed, but the problem is there is not much content you can put on a login screen.

Its purpose is to allow the user to log in. Generally, you will see a username and password field along with the signup or forgot your password option on a typical login screen. This is where the login logo comes into play, it allows you to make your login page look better and can let your logo be the center of attention on the page.

Keep in mind that a logo is not just for logging in and should be one of the first pieces you design for your website. The logo will help your website feel more personal, and a personal website is usually well received by visitors, as long as it is good.

“A picture is worth a thousand words” is what most people say, but since a logo represents your brand, a logo should be worth two thousand words. There are many web tools that can help you make a logo for free if you don’t feel up to the task.

How to Change the Login Logo of WordPress

Like most things in WordPress, there are multiple ways to change the login logo within WordPress. I will demonstrate how to do it using code and how to do it using the Custom Login Page Customizer plugin. Both methods are fine for beginners.

Since you will be editing the code of your theme it is a good idea to backup your website beforehand in case you make a mistake. This will allow you to revert your website to the previous version if something goes wrong.

Method 1: Using Code to Customize the Login Logo

Step 1: Locate the Functions File

Let’s head over to the cPanel for your website. Click on the File Manager option to find all of the files we need.

Search for the wp-content folder in the file directory. Once you have found it, enter the folder. Click on the themes folder inside. Select the theme you are currently using on your website. Find the functions.php file and right-click it. Select the Edit option.

Note: This is your last chance to create a backup of your website. I strongly recommend making one if this is your first time editing code.

Step 2: Input the Code

The code in the folder should open in a new tab. I recommend scroll to the bottom and paste the code there, that will ensure you are not putting the code within another function. You need to copy the following lines of code and then paste them into the functions file.

function my_login_logo_one() { 
?> 

 

In this code, the “/wordpress/My_logo.png” is what my sample logo file is named. You must insert whatever the URL of your logo’s file is in its place.

You’re almost done. Click the “Save Changes” button to save your work.

Step 3: Upload the Logo File

You now need to add the actual logo file to your theme’s image folder. Make sure you are picking a version of your logo that is properly sized for the login screen. You can change it if a mistake is made, but uploading a tiny or huge one will look ridiculous.

So try to get it right the first time.

In the same location as the functions file, you should see a folder labeled images. Click on the images folder and upload the file into it.

Note: Make sure that the logo file is properly named to match the code from the previous step. If it is not, the logo will not appear.

You can change this image at any time, just make sure that if you decide to add another, you give it the correct name from the code you entered. Alternatively, you can add the name to the code. Either method will result in the same outcome.

Congratulations, you can now go check your website to see your login logo appear.

Note: Since this code has been entered into your theme’s functions file, that makes it theme dependant. Thus, if you choose to change your WordPress theme, you will have to re-enter the code and re-upload the logo file to the appropriate folder.

Method 2: Using a Plugin to Change the WordPress Logo

Step 1: Install Custom Login Page Customizer

The Custom Login Page Customizer allows you to easily customize the WordPress login page in real-time. That’s right, you can see all of the changes as you make them.

While you can do a lot of things with this plugin, we will focus on how to change the WordPress logo to a custom one.

Let’s start by clicking on Plugins and selecting the Add New option on the left-hand admin panel.

Search for  Custom Login Page Customizer in the available search box. This will pull up additional plugins that you may find helpful.

Note: There are quite a few plugins with this name, so be sure to install the one by Colorlib.

Scroll down until you find the  Custom Login Page Customizer plugin and click on the “Install Now” button and activate the plugin for use.

Step 2: Change the Logo

On the left-hand admin panel, click on the Login customizer option.

This will open up the WordPress customizer area. You will see your current login screen. On the left-hand side, you will see a list of options you can configure. For the purpose of this tutorial, click on Logo Options.

By default, WordPress brands your entire login page with its own information. You can find options to change this and enter your own. Scroll down on the left-hand side to the custom logo section.

Click on the “Select Image” button to select your own logo.

Note: Just a quick reminder to check the size of the image you are using. The logo size is not particularly big, thus, larger images will get cut off, which looks terrible. You can actually adjust the size of the logo using the sliders in this section if needed.

This will open up the media library. Select the image you want to use and click on the “Choose Image” button. The logo will update to the selected image.

Feel free to adjust any of the other settings in this section or another. When you are satisfied, click on the “Publish” button at the top.

Congratulations on removing the WordPress logo from your login page.

Brand Everything Related to Your Website

The login area of WordPress is only one aspect of your website. You can add your logo to a variety of other places that can help share your brand.

One of the most popular places to add your logo outside of your website is on social media. If you have a social media account, and let’s be honest, you do, your website’s logo should be present on it. Use it as the avatar or the banner, but make sure it’s visible.

Another excellent choice is to add it to any email your website sends out. Regardless of the type of email, your logo should be present and should probably be right at the top. This also helps visitors know that the email is not fraudulent because it contains your logo.

If you have a physical location and send out flyers or other mail, your logo should be present on them. You should add it to any document your customers receive. This can be anything from a bill they receive to the menu when they sit down at a table.

Wherever your website or business is present, your logo should be too.

A Good Logo Leaves a Lasting Impression

Look at any major website or business and you will see every single one of them has a logo.

This logo is easily recognized by most people instantly and is a strong representation of their brand. If visitors can see the brand on a product or piece of content, they will generally expect a certain level of quality and it is important to live up to that expectation.

For example, imagine the Nike® logo on a pair of poorly constructed shoes. It would not look good for Nike® and the same can be said about your website if you had bad content. It is important to have certain quality standards that make customers feel good about buying or looking at your brand’s products or content.

Do you like seeing your logo on your login page? Do you feel like more visitors know what your brand is by having your logo on the login page?

The post How to Easily Change the Login Logo in WordPress appeared first on GreenGeeks.

And just like every other part of WordPress, there are a ton of customizations you can do to this area.

Today, I will demonstrate how to customize your login screen in WordPress.

Logging into WordPress

Here is the information that you should have available after installing WordPress. It is necessary for logging into your website. Thus, I recommend writing it down and storing it in a secure location.

This will ensure you will never be locked out of this information or run into login troubles later on.

WordPress Domain Name and URL

One of the first things you are going to need is a location to go to log into WordPress. This is known as the URL of your website and it is determined by the domain name you select. It can appear differently depending on the method of installation you chose.

For example, https://ggexample.com/ or https://ggexample.com/blog or https://ggexample.com/wp. If you used Softaculous, your URL would be what you selected in the “Choose Domain” section during installation.

WordPress Username

As everyone knows, to log into anything online requires two pieces of information, the username, and password. In this case, the username is your Admin Username that you select when you set up your WordPress account.

During the installation process, you will have the opportunity to change this to anything.

For this reason, it is strongly recommended that you pick something you will remember, but it should also be unique.

For example, you should not pick “Admin” as your username. This creates unnecessary security risks as it gives hackers and bots half of the administrative credentials to gain access to WordPress.

Note: Alternatively, you can use the email address you entered in the place of a username. You can disable email as a login method later on by using a plugin. This can help you secure your website if you frequently use that email address.

WordPress Password

The password is the other piece of information necessary to log into WordPress. Just like the username, this is selected when you are going through the WordPress installation process. Again this is something that you will create from scratch.

Passwords are recommended to be strong, in some cases, you will be forced to choose a strong password to continue. This helps keep your website safe from hackers so not only should you choose a strong password, but you should store it safely as well.

Note: The above information may have been sent to the e-mail address you provided during the installation process.

How to Access Your WordPress Login Page

With this information available to you, you are now ready to log into WordPress.

There are two main ways to get to the login page. The first is to simply go to it via the address bar, which is what you will do normally to log in. The second is to use the Softaculous portal to reach the login page, which is typically done right after installation.

Thus, I will demonstrate both ways to do it.

Method 1: Log Into WordPress From the Address Bar

The first way I will demonstrate will be the simplest and most direct approach to log into WordPress, through the address bar, also known as the wp-admin login. Or, to be even more clear, enter your website’s URL in the address bar.

To begin, you need to know how to access the WordPress admin area, and thankfully, it’s pretty straightforward.

At the top of your web browser, enter your website’s URL and add “/wp-admin” to the end.

You will now be at the login screen for your website. Simply enter your username or email address into the line at the top and enter your password to the bottom.

Once your information has been added, click on the “Log In” button.

Note: You can check the “Remember Me” option. This will autofill the information every time you try to log in from your current device.

As long as this is a private computer, it is safe to use this feature. However, never use it on a public computer.

You will now be logged into your WordPress website and can begin to create content.

Note: In case you were wondering how to get to the WordPress dashboard, the moment you log in, you will be at the dashboard. Thus I recommend customizing it to help you navigate your website faster.

Method 2: Using Softaculous to Log Into WordPress

The second method is commonly done when you are logging into your WordPress website for the first time after using Softaculous to install it. This is because immediately after the installation process finishes, you will see a link that leads you to the login page and all of the login credentials you will need.

However, you can use it to log in at any time, but it does require different information to do so. Instead of needing your WordPress login information, you will need your web hosting account login information. This is provided to you when you create an account via email.

Note: You need to have used Softaculous to install WordPress. Otherwise, this method is not available for you.

Log into GreenGeeks and go to cPanel by clicking the “CPANEL” button.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page. There you will find the Softaculous Apps Installer section. Click on the “WordPress” link or icon.

You will now be in the WordPress section of Softaculous. Click on the “All Installations” icon at the top of the screen.

This will show you a full list of every app you have used Softaculous to install. Locate the WordPress section and click on the human to enter the admin area of that WordPress install.

Note: If you have created a subdomain it will also be visible, so make sure to pick the right one.

You will now be logged into your WordPress website and bypass having to enter your WordPress credentials.

Trouble Logging Into WordPress

It is very possible that you may encounter some login trouble. The most common login problem is not entering the information correctly or entering the wrong login credentials.

The first step I strongly recommend is to review your login information. Is your username spelled correctly? If so, it is most likely your password. Unlike the username, you can not see the password you typed in.

A simple way to get around this is to write your password somewhere else, like in a notepad, and copy and paste it into the password box. This ensures you can see it written and confirm that it is spelled correctly.

If you have forgotten your password, you can reset it manually by going through a few easy steps.

Another issue can arise if you’re trying to access the login page after creating a new webpage too soon. It takes anywhere from five minutes up to 48 hours for domains to register across the Internet.

So, trying to access the login page before that happens can result in a missing website.

Don’t worry, though, it will be up shortly.

How to Find and Protect Your WordPress Login Screen

Before you can do any work in WordPress, you need to log into the system. This will give you access to the admin panel and editing tools to make your website shine.

However, not everyone knows where to find the WordPress login screen.

How to Find the Login Area

WordPress installations are the same. That means the various URLs are universal, at least on a basic WordPress install. Sometimes a web host may take the time to customize WordPress installs on their servers, so there can be variations.

In about 99% of cases, https://www.yourdomain.com/login will bring you to your website’s login area. However, it is not the only URL that will bring you there.

For example, https://www.yourdomain.com/wp-login.php will also bring you to the login screen. Or alternatively, if you typed in https://www.yourdomain.com/admin, you would be redirected to the login page if you were not already logged in.

Keep in mind that these examples do not work in all installations of WordPress. If you have a subdirectory, the situation is different.

This is often used by eCommerce companies to separate blogs or to have specific content management systems to control various parts of the website.

If you have WordPress installed in a separate subdirectory, then you will need to know that location before accessing the login page.

For example, let’s say you installed WordPress on your website into its own directory instead of the primary account. It may look something like https://www.yourdomain.com/wordpress/.

If this is the case, the same logic from the previous examples all apply, but the difference would be that extra “/WordPress” slug.

Thus, http//www.yourdomain.com/wordpress/login would bring you to the login screen.

Keeping the Login Screen Protected

Because the login screen is essentially the gateway to your WordPress website, you want to keep it protected. There are many ways you can keep this access point secure. Here are just a few of the effective ones we’ve found to help you.

Secure Socket Layers

Providing Secure Socket Layers, or SSL is one of the best ways to protect your login screen as well as your website. These layers encrypt the data between the site and the user. This can prevent things like data snooping and information theft while others access the site.

IP Blacklisting

Blacklisting an IP address from accessing the login screen is an effective way to limit traffic. For instance, some IP addresses are known for hacking activity. Plugins like Loginizer will keep track of login attempts from hackers and bots and blocks those IP addresses completely. This means the login screen becomes completely inaccessible.

Two-Factor Authentication

A lot of people will employ the two-factor identification method to keep the login process protected. Plugins such as Google Authenticator give you the option to incorporate SMS text messaging into the login process. Another method could be in the form of scanning a QR code from a computer monitor with your smartphone to access the admin area of WordPress.

reCAPTCHA

While many users may find this annoying, reCAPTCHA is still one of the most effective strategies to protect your login area. Every time a user tries to log in, they will need to enter a series of letters, solve a puzzle, or pick out images.

It stops bots from entering your site. There are plenty of plugins that add this, but reCAPTCHA by BestWebSoft is among the best.

Hiding Your WordPress Login Page

Another way to protect the login area is to hide it. Why does this work? Well, it’s pretty simple, if a hacker doesn’t know where to look, they can’t access it.

By default, WordPress installs are identical. In the case of the login screen, it is always in the same location:
htps://www.yourdomain.com/login.

As you can imagine, anyone can add the “/login to a URL. Thus, hackers can quickly locate it and start trying to brute force their way in.

However, if you change it to something unorthodox, well, they will have a harder time finding the login page. Now, it doesn’t make it impossible to find, but it will certainly increase the security of your website.

Step 1: Install WPS Hide Login

Let’s start by clicking on Plugins and selecting the Add New option on the left-hand admin panel.

Search for WPS Hide Login in the available search box. This will pull up additional plugins that you may find helpful.

Scroll down until you find the WPS Hide Login plugin, click on the “Install Now” button, and activate the plugin for use.

Step 2: Choose A New Login URL

The WPS Hide Login plugin is extremely simple. All you actually need to do is customize the slug and save the changes. It’s quite easy to set up and will only take a minute at most.

On the left-hand admin panel, click on Settings and select the WPS Hide Login option.

You’ll see the Login URL area. Here, you can enter the new login slug you want to use. For reference, the default is “/login” so you can pick literally anything else.

For instance, I will use “/taco.”

NOTE: It is imperative that you write this new slug down somewhere. Otherwise, you will not be able to log into your own website. Either make the URL something easy to remember or keep track of it somewhere.

Step 3: Choose A Redirection URL

Now, there is also an option for a Redirection URL. This is where users that enter the default WordPress login URL will be sent. By default, the plugin sends them to a 404 page, which is perfectly fine.

The only thing you don’t want to enter here is your new login slug, as that would defeat the purpose.

Now, just click on the “Save Changes” button and you have successfully hidden your login area.

What If You Forget Your New Login Page?

Without knowing the login slug, you’re not going to be able to access your website. In the event you forgot what you named the new login screen, remove the plugin from your WordPress directory.

You’ll have to log into File Manager from cPanel or use an FTP program to access your site’s root folder. From here, just go to wp-content > Plugins, and remove WP Hide Login from your website.

How to Customize WordPress Login Error Messages and Hints

Another security measure you should incorporate is to customize the messages and errors of your custom login page for WordPress.

For example, let’s say that a hacker has an idea of what your username is. If he or she tries it with the wrong password, WordPress will respond with an error message: “The password you entered for the username BobsAccount is incorrect.”

This is a clear hint that the username, “BobsAccount” is an actual account in WordPress.

Now, this is a fine line to walk. On one hand, you want to make it hard for hackers. On the other hand, users may need a little help to identify what is wrong. Thus, removing the messages may not be a good idea, but it really depends on your situation.

In any case, making these changes is quite easy with the right tool.

Step 1: Install LoginPress

In this tutorial, I’ll demonstrate LoginPress. It’s a very useful tool that helps you customize login error messages as well as the login screen itself. It’s a great way to add more visual appeal if you allow users to register or simply protect your site if you’re the only one accessing the site.

In terms of usability, it’s exceptionally easy. Normally, you would need to edit some code to make these changes, but instead, you just use the customizer to edit the default WordPress login messages.

You can see the changes immediately after making them. The plugin does have other features, but for the purpose of this tutorial, we will not explore them.

As is tradition for all plugin-based tutorials, you need to start out by installing and activating the “LoginPress” plugin.

Step 2: Customize Login Error Messages

A new function will appear in the left admin column. Click “LoginPress” to open the settings screen.

From here, you can enable things like reCAPTCHA, custom password fields, and the log-in order. This is convenient especially if you want to only allow usernames or passwords. By default, WordPress allows both.

Click on the “Customizer” link in the left column.

This screen is similar to the Customizer used to modify themes. In these instances, the tool is used to customize your login screen. You can change colors, images, or add your own CSS. Click the LoginPress option on the left.

Here is where the real functionality of LoginPress resides. From here, you have a myriad of abilities to create the perfect login page for your WordPress website. For this tutorial, click the “Error Messages” option.

From this screen, you can change any of the login error messages to remove hints from WordPress. For instance, you can change the message that appears if someone tries to register an account using an email that already exists. This lets hackers know a specific email is registered on the site.

You can change messages such as these to be more generalized. Something as simple as “Error: Email Address Invalid” neither confirms nor denies a specific email address is accessible on the account.

For this example, I’m going to change both the incorrect username and password to this message: “Invalid User.”

Step 3: Save Your Settings

Once you customize the WordPress login error messages, click the “Publish” button on the top left. This will save your changes, which will be live immediately.

Click the “X” icon on the top left corner to close the Customizer.

Now when you try to put in either the wrong username or password, the error message simply states “Invalid User.”

This kind of generic error removes any hint of an existing username or password. It’s simple but highly effective.

Ways to Add the Login Screen to WordPress

Now obviously, while some websites will go out of their way to hide the login section of their website, it is also an essential part of the website. Simply put, if you don’t log in, you can’t actually edit the website.

Therefore, you don’t want this to be an annoying experience for yourself, the staff, or visitors.

That’s why most websites have a way to get to the login area front and center on their website. And like most things in WordPress, there are a variety of ways you can add the login screen in WordPress.

1. Meta Widget

One of the default widgets in WordPress is Meta. This widget provides links to log in and out of the website as well as display the link to areas such as the RSS feed.

All you need to do is add it to a widget area, such as the sidebar, footer, or header. Then you can just add a title and save the changes. There’s really nothing to it and it can make your life much easier.

2. Login Widget Plugin

It should come as no surprise to learn that there are multiple plugins that deal with the login area of WordPress. One such is the Login Widget With Shortcode plugin.

As the name suggests, it adds a widget that allows you to place a login area on your site with a shortcode.

This is not limited to widget areas either, you can add the shortcode directly onto a page or post. It’s one of the simplest tools to use in WordPress, so no matter your skill level, you won’t run into trouble.

3. Login Menu

All websites should incorporate a navigational menu. It helps users go from point A to point B without any trouble. One of the most common components of such a menu is the login area.

When creating the menu, all you need to do is add the URL to your login area and whenever it is clicked, you will encounter the login screen. It’s simple but effective.

How to Make a Custom WordPress Login Page

So far, we’ve talked about finding and protecting the login area, but now it is time to start customizing it. By default, your login area is branded by WordPress to promote WordPress.

Instead, your login page should contain your brand and promote your website. Someone should know they are on your website when they are trying to log in. And that’s why you need to build a custom login page.

This might sound complicated, but a login page is actually rather simple. After all, it just contains a login screen.

Now just to be clear, not every site needs to take this step. For instance, if you are the only one that needs to log into WordPress, then you don’t really need to do this. However, if you have staff or collaborations, you should.

It makes your website seem more professional and that can be really important for some work environments.

Step 1: Install Custom Login Page Customizer by Colorlib

If your looking to customize the WordPress login page, then the easiest way is with the Custom Login Page Customizer plugin. This plugin contains multiple templates that you can configure for your needs.

You can even just use the templates as they are if you wish. Thus, it’s perfect for beginners.

Start off by installing the plugin on your website.

Step 2: Choose A Custom WordPress Login Page Template

With the plugin installed, click on the Login Customizer option.

This will bring you to the theme customizer. Click on the Templates option.

Here you will find four templates to choose from. Simply select the one you like the most.

Step 3: Customize the Custom WordPress Login Page Template

Everything about these templates is customizable. All you need to do is locate the proper settings and adjust the. Let’s cover a few of them.

Now, you may not be a fan of the background images the templates use, and that’s not a problem. You can upload a custom image if you wish. Select the Background Options.

Then upload the image from your media library.

If you click on layout Options, you will be able to customize the layout of the template.

Similarly, just about anything else can be edited by going to the right option. The best part is that you can see the changes being made in real-time.

The Login Screen in WordPress is Versatile

As you can see, there are a lot of things associated with the WordPress login screen. It’s more than just a way to access your website. And just like everything else in WordPress, the page is flexible to be whatever you need it to be.

Keep your site safe while customizing the experience for those who need to use the login page.

The post How to Customize and Manage Your WordPress Login Screen appeared first on GreenGeeks.