If you run a company that depends on customers scheduling appointments, you can make it as convenient as possible to do so online. If you are wondering how to add an online booking plugin to your WordPress website, here in this blog, we answer your questions.
Does WordPress have a scheduling tool?
Unfortunately, WordPress doesn’t come with a built-in appointment scheduling tool.
This means you must use one of the many third-party WordPress appointment tools to accept client bookings on your website.
Is it essential to add an online booking system to your website?
An online appointment management system is a must in the modern age. It will not only support your clients by removing the need for them to speak with others but also benefit you, your staff, and your business.
Since computers don't get sleepy, online booking means less hassle and fewer errors.
There are many technical solutions available today to do this. But how do you integrate an online reservation system into your website? Besides, which form do you choose?
The reality is that each online scheduling software has disadvantages and advantages. Your selection will most certainly depend on your budget, human capital, etc.
We'll examine the different ways to add booking to a website in-depth to help you balance the benefits and drawbacks against these considerations.
Ways to add an online booking system to your website
There are many ways to add an online booking system to your WordPress website. Here are them:
Add an external link to your website
Inserting a connection to an external booking engine is the most straightforward way to include an online booking alternative. Everything you have to do is choose an online booking system that you like, configure your account on it and add a link to your website.
External tools such as Calendly and Acuity scheduling are good examples of such solutions.
Building your personalized online booking platform takes little time but quite a bit of money with this process.
The only significant downside aside from cost with this approach is having to direct your traffic to another website, so data processing and storage happen on third-party platforms. This can be dangerous for data privacy, and even illegal in certain regions affected by GDPR (EU) and CCPA (California).
Another thing to remember is that you're relying on another booking site's infrastructure, so you do not have any leverage over everything. The external connection will almost certainly have its own identity, and your reputation will be linked to the success of a third-party booking service.
Incorporate a Booking System IFrame into Your Web
Another option is to add a scheduling system to the website using a "booking device IFrame," which involves adding JavaScript to create a reservation calendar, similar to embedding a video.
It takes little time, and you don’t need major technical expertise to do it (aside from copying and pasting).
Your customers remain on your page while making reservations, so there's no chance of them losing confidence or patience while making a reservation.
However, the disadvantage is that you're once again relying on the code and infrastructure of a third-party online booking system operator, which can be unreliable.
Externally embedded code that you place on your web can be challenging for search engines to index at times. It can cause significant problems in the mobile-friendliness of your website As a consequence, this solution may not be the right match for user experience and SEO.
With online plugins, you can easily connect a booking system to your website. Booknetic is one such example. It's a WordPress-based online scheduling plugin with many features. It sends appointment bookers confirmation updates and combines well enough to enable users to book appointments right from their mobile device.
Small companies with WordPress pages, such as art studios, asset management consulting services, and hair salons, will benefit from this plugin.
It comes with a lifetime license, which includes the core functionality except the option to allow online payments.
These plugins' online booking system is entirely mobile accessible and provides an admin panel that is easy to access. This plugin takes no coding skills to install and use, making it easy for any website administrator, regardless of their experience level.
Another advantage of using these plugins is that you can modify and customize the online booking mechanism to fit the design specifications. They also come with an analytics feature that offers details on all bookings, which can be used to enhance your services.
An API (application programming interface) for online booking systems is another alternative. Most CMS sites have an online booking framework API to use to your heart's content. It's typically the perfect fit as an online booking system for the CMS.
Since API-enabled booking systems are embedded into the website's CMS, search engines can quickly index them, making them incredibly SEO-friendly. To provide you with valuable insights, these booking mechanisms incorporate all external data obtained by the website and internal data collected from prior bookings. Open-source scheduling software lets users change how the proprietary software interacts with their own software.
Two things to know before using APIs: first, they need technological skills, so if you're not very technical yourself, we recommend putting aside some resources to employ an expert. Second, to prevent your booking system from crashing and being outdated, we suggest you keep your APIs up to date with the most recent update.
Create a custom-coded reservation system
Finally, if your company is complicated and heavily reliant on a booking system, creating a custom-coded online booking system for your website is the easiest, most reliable option. Remember that you'll need to recruit a team to make this solution (a planner, a developer, and a product manager).
The advantage of choosing this method is that it is a long-term option. As a result, you'll feel like your money was well invested over time. If you have many bookings with complex data, we suggest using this approach so that your network investment is well-justified.
Backups are your insurance against anything that might happen. Regular WordPress backups provide protection and peace of mind by allowing you to quickly recover your website in case of accidents, hacks, or data loss. Backups ensure the safety of your valuable content, allow easy testing and development, and simplify website migration or cloning. That's why taking a WordPress backup is an essential part of any management process.
Conclusion
If you create a professional website with WordPress, well-developed plugins provide the highest value for money because they reduce production and maintenance costs.
That's why we created Booknetic, a premium online appointment scheduling plugin that combines best coding practices with a user-friendly and attractive interface. Try Booknetic’s demo version .
