How to Create a Notice on Your WordPress Site

Right now, many businesses have special messages or ‘alerts’ on their websites to communicate operational changes due to the COVID 19 outbreak – changes to their hours, steps they are taking to protect employees and clients, etc. 

Being able to share a can’t-miss update on every page of your WordPress website can be an important and effective tool for ensuring you get the attention of every visitor. Right now, you may need to add a COVID 19 update to your site but knowing how to display a sitewide message can be helpful for a variety of non-crisis purposes, including driving conversions.  So, it’s worth learning how to create a sitewide notice, even if you don’t need to add one at this time. 

We’re going to walk you through it, step by step. 

Install the Plugin for Creating a WordPress Sitewide Notice Banner

There are a few good plugins that will allow you to create a sitewide notice, but our plugin of choice is Sitewide Notice WP. It’s easy to install and update, and the code required to run the plugin will not slow your website down at all. 

So, let’s begin by installing and activating the Sitewide Notice WP plugin:

• Sign into your site as an admin
• Select “Plugins” from the left menu within your WordPress dashboard
• Select the option to “Add New”
• On the top right, enter Sitewide Notice WP into the search bar
• Click “Install Now”
• Once the plugin has been installed, click “Activate,” which will appear where the “Install Now” button had been

“Sitewide Notice” will now appear as an option in the main left menu. Click on it in the menu, and you will be directed to its settings and setup, which will look like the image below.

Add Your Message and Update Display Settings

You’ll see that the plugin is very intuitive and user-friendly. Enter the sitewide message you wish to display in the box on the bottom right and adjust any of the available settings you wish to change on this screen. For example, the default setting is to display the message across the bottom of every page on your site. If you want the message to appear at the top of the screen, check that option on the settings’ screen.

Then click on the “Save Settings” button (see above, in red on lower left), and you’re all set. 

When you need to remove or revise the message, simply repeat the steps for adding a message described above.

You Have a New Trick!

We hope our tutorial was easy to understand and apply, especially if you need to quickly add updates that will grab site visitors’ attention and keep them up to speed with your business during this unique time. But don’t forget: You may find that this plugin comes in handy for other purposes, such as alerting people to changes in your industry or its regulations, promoting a sale or fast-action bonus, and so on.