Adding JavaScript to your WordPress pages or posts can improve functionality and user engagement.However, WordPress doesn’t allow you to insert JavaScript directly into your content by default.
We understand that this limitation can be frustrating, especially if you want to customize your site with interactive features or tracking scripts.
Fortunately, there are simple ways to add JavaScript to your WordPress site.You can apply it to specific pages or posts, or even across your entire website.What’s more, you can use a code snippet plugin such as WPCode, like we do at WPBeginner, to make everything easier.
In this article, we will walk you through two easy methods to implement JavaScript in your WordPress pages or posts.
What is JavaScript?
JavaScript is a programming language that runs on the user’s browser, not your server.This client-side programming allows developers to do a lot of cool things without slowing down your website.
If you want to embed a video player, add calculators, or some other third-party service, then you will often be asked to copy and paste a JavaScript code snippet into your WordPress website.
A typical JavaScript code snippet may look like this:
But, if you add a JavaScript code snippet to a post or page, WordPress will delete it when you try to save it. With that in mind, we’ll show you how to easily add JavaScript to WordPress pages or posts without breaking your website.You can use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use. Let’s dive in! Method 1.Add JavaScript Anywhere on Your WordPress Site Using WPCode (Recommended) Sometimes a plugin or tool will need you to copy and paste a JavaScript code snippet into your website to work correctly. Usually, these scripts will go in the header or footer section of your WordPress blog, so the code is loaded on every page view. For example, when you install Google Analytics, the code needs to run on every page of your website so it can track your website visitors. You can manually add the code to your header.php or footer.php files, but these changes will be overwritten when you update or change your theme. That’s why we recommend using WPCode to add JavaScript anywhere on your entire WordPress site. WPCode is the most powerful code snippet plugin available for WordPress.It lets you easily add custom code to any area of your site, and best of all, it’s free. First, you need to install and activate the free WPCode plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin. Once activated, you need to go to Code Snippets » Headers & Footer. Here, you will see three separate fields labeled ‘Header,’ ‘Body,’ and ‘Footer.’ You can now add your JavaScript code to one of these boxes and then simply click the ‘Save’ button.WPCode will now automatically load the code you added to every page of your website. You can also add code snippets to any other place on your site, such as inside posts or pages. To do this, simply go to Code Snippets » + Add Snippet and then click on ‘Create Your Own.’ Next, select ‘JavaScript Snippet’ as the code type from the list of options that appear on the screen. You will now see a ‘Create Custom Snippet’ page where you can add a title for your code.This can be anything to help you remember what the code is for. After that, paste your code into the ‘Code Preview’ box. Then, you’ll want to scroll until you find the ‘Insertion’ section. Now, all you have to do is select a ‘Location’ for the code from the dropdown menu.Find ‘Page, Post, Custom Post Type’ and choose where you want the code to appear in the page or post. If you choose to have WPCode insert the snippet before or after a paragraph, you will be able to choose which specific paragraph in the post it will appear before or after. For example, if you put 1 in the ‘Insert Number’ field, the code snippet will appear before or after the first paragraph. Use 2 for the second paragraph, and so on. After that, you just have to click the toggle near the top of the screen to switch to ‘Active’ and then click the ‘Save Snippet’ button beside it. That’s all it takes to make your code snippet live on-site! Method 2.Adding JavaScript Code to WordPress Manually Using Code (Advanced) Note: The following methods are for beginners and website owners.If you are learning WordPress theme or plugin development, then you need to properly enqueue JavaScript and stylesheets to your projects. With this method, you need to add code to your WordPress files.If you haven’t done this before, then you’ll want to check out our guide on how to copy and paste code in WordPress. First, we’ll show you how to add code to your WordPress site’s header.You need to copy the following code and add it to your functions.php. function wpb_hook_javascript() { ?> https://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/25-extremely-useful-tricks-for-the-wordpress-functions-file/). If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our [YouTube Channel](https://youtube.com/wpbeginner?sub_confirmation=1) for WordPress video tutorials.You can also find us on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/wpbeginner) and [Facebook](https://facebook.com/wpbeginner)..
