Looking for one of the best WordPress documentation plugins and themes that can assist you provide documentation or assist content material in your website?
If you wish to provide documentation, there are just a few totally different routes that you would be able to take:
- You should use an off-the-rack WordPress documentation plugin so as to add a information base/documentation hub to your present website.
- You should use a devoted WordPress documentation theme to create a brand new WordPress set up solely on your documentation. For instance, you possibly can provide your documentation at docs.yoursite.com, which is an method that numerous websites use.
- You should use the DIY method and add your documentation as both posts, pages, or a devoted customized submit kind. On this case, you continue to may need some plugins to boost the expertise, comparable to including a desk of contents to your documentation.
On this submit, we’re going to share one of the best plugins and themes that may enable you to implement any one of many use circumstances above.
To make that occur, we’re going to divide these instruments into three classes:
- All-in-one WordPress documentation plugins
- WordPress information base themes
- Particular person plugins to boost documentation-centric websites
Let’s dig in!
Greatest WordPress Documentation Plugins for All-in-One Performance
When you simply wish to use a single plugin so as to add all of the essential options you want for documentation, the plugins on this first class are the place you wish to begin.
As a result of these are documentation plugins, you’ll be able to simply add them to your present WordPress set up. They’ll additionally adapt the styling of your present theme to make sure a cohesive design, although you may wish to tweak issues right here and there.
For instance, you possibly can use these plugins to create a devoted documentation hub at yoursite.com/docs that makes use of the identical design as the remainder of your website.
For a deeper take a look at these kinds of plugins, you additionally may wish to take a look at our comparability of one of the best WordPress information base plugins.
Heroic Information Base
Heroic Information Base is an all-in-one information base and documentation plugin that provides every little thing that you must add a user-friendly documentation hub to your website.
On the backend, you should utilize the native WordPress editor so as to add your documentation. You may categorize articles with classes and tags and use drag-and-drop to prepare every little thing.
Then, the plugin will routinely create a user-friendly frontend documentation hub, full with the next options:
- Dwell search solutions to assist folks discover what they’re on the lookout for.
- Constructed-in desk of contents.
- Devoted blocks to focus on callouts and warnings.
You may as well add a assist assistant widget that lets customers entry documentation from a reside chat-like widget.
Behind creating a pleasant expertise on your guests, Heroic Information Base additionally gives analytics and options that can assist you enhance your documentation:
- Useful/unhelpful score for particular person documentation articles (with elective textual content suggestions)
- Search analytics to see what subjects individuals are trying to find (and which searches return zero outcomes)
- Dwell assist switch analytics (in case you provide reside assist channels)
Value: From $149
BetterDocs Professional
BetterDocs Professional is one other all-in-one WordPress documentation plugin that helps you create high quality documentation articles and show them in a user-friendly information base.
You may add documentation articles utilizing the native WordPress editor.Â
Then, on the frontend, customers get numerous options to assist them out, together with the next:
- Dwell search solutions
- Constructed-in desk of contents
- Class group
You additionally get analytics to trace documentation helpfulness and searches, although it lacks the reside assist switch analytics from Heroic Information Base.
Value: From $149
weDocs
In distinction to the earlier two plugins, weDocs is a extra light-weight documentation plugin that provides all of the core options that you simply want, however lacks a few of the extra superior options and analytics instruments.
It may work tremendous for easy documentation use circumstances, however the earlier plugins is perhaps higher choices in case you’re prepared to pay to create the very best documentation expertise on your customers.
You may add your content material utilizing the native WordPress editor and set up articles utilizing classes and drag-and-drop.
Then, weDocs will set up them in a frontend interface, which nonetheless consists of some helpful options comparable to article helpfulness rankings.
Nevertheless, it lacks options comparable to reside search solutions, superior search analytics, and a few others.
Value: 100% free
Greatest WordPress Documentation Themes to Create Standalone Documentation
The documentation plugins above are nice if you wish to add a documentation hub to your present website.
Nevertheless, numerous companies favor to make use of standalone websites for documentation. For instance, you’ll see numerous companies use subdomains comparable to docs.yoursite.com. Whereas these subdomain documentation hubs do hyperlink again to the principle website, they’re separate entities.
This subdomain method is what we use for the documentation for our Highlight plugin, in addition to our WP RSS Aggregator plugin.
On this scenario, you may favor to make use of a devoted WordPress documentation theme, as this allows you to 100% focus your website’s design on offering documentation.
KnowAll
KnowAll is a devoted WordPress documentation theme from the identical developer because the Heroic Information Base plugin above.
In actual fact, it depends on the Heroic Information Base plugin to energy the core documentation performance, so that you get entry to all the identical options that you simply noticed within the Heroic Information Base part above.
The important thing distinction, although, is that these options are built-in right into a pre-made design powered by the theme.
Mainly:
- If you wish to add documentation to your present website, use the Heroic Information Base plugin.
- If you wish to create a standalone documentation hub with its personal design, the KnowAll theme is perhaps a greater choice.
You get KnowAll at no additional value together with your buy of Heroic Information Base, so you’ll be able to all the time wait to make your determination.
Value: From $149 for Heroic Information Base (the theme is free together with your buy)
Docy
Docy is a devoted WordPress documentation theme that’s accessible through ThemeForest.
Along with trendy designs, it additionally gives built-in options that can assist you handle your whole documentation articles on the backend.
On the frontend, you additionally get superior options comparable to a built-in desk of contents and reside search solutions.
It additionally gives deep compatibility with the bbPress discussion board plugin, which is useful if you wish to embody a assist discussion board as a part of your documentation hub.
Value: $69
Greatest WordPress Plugins to Improve Documentation Websites
On this final class, we’re going to try some extra narrowly targeted plugins that don’t provide all-in-one documentation performance like the primary group of plugins however nonetheless may be helpful for documentation-centric websites.
In some circumstances, you may wish to pair these plugins together with your devoted documentation plugin or theme to supply improved performance for customers on the entrance finish or admins within the again finish.
Or, you possibly can additionally use these plugins to boost a DIY answer. For instance, you possibly can create your personal customized submit kind for documentation content material after which use these plugins so as to add useful performance. That will help you do that, a customized content material plugin like Toolset may be actually helpful.
Posts Desk Professional
Posts Desk Professional is a extremely nifty choice for creating the frontend interface that individuals can use to browse your documentation articles.
At a excessive stage, the plugin permits you to show any content material out of your website (posts, pages, customized submit varieties) in a searchable, filterable desk view.
So not solely will clients be capable to view a listing of all of your documentation, however they’ll additionally be capable to:
- Seek for articles by key phrase
- Use filters to filter by classes, tags, or customized taxonomies
- See any customized info within the desk, comparable to customized fields that you simply’ve added with Toolset or ACF. For instance, you probably have totally different variations of a product, you possibly can show whether or not the documentation article applies to model 1.0 or model 2.0.
The plugin authors have created a tutorial about use Posts Desk Professional to create on-line documentation, which incorporates full setup directions.
Value: From $79
SimpleTOC
Having a desk of contents is vital for documentation websites because it lets readers shortly bounce to the a part of an article that’s most related to their downside.
Whereas there are numerous high quality desk of contents plugins, we like SimpleTOC as a result of it’s…nicely, easy (and light-weight).
You may simply add your desk of contents to the content material editor or your sidebar utilizing the devoted block, together with choices to regulate the utmost depth of headings.
If you’d like one thing with extra options (or in case you’re not utilizing the Block editor), you may wish to take into account choices comparable to Simple Desk of Contents or LuckyWP Desk of Contents.
Value: 100% free
Folders
Folders is a backend plugin that may enable you to set up your documentation content material and media.
In a nutshell, it permits you to set up your content material utilizing digital folders within the dashboard, very similar to how you employ folders to prepare your laptop’s information.
Contained in the Media Library, you should utilize folders to prepare the photographs and movies that you simply use in your documentation.
Past that, you can even use folders to prepare your documentation articles themselves, whether or not you’ve added them as posts or a customized submit kind.
Value: Free model. Professional from $39.
Easy Web page Ordering
Easy Web page Ordering is one other free choice that can assist you set up your documentation articles.
It permits you to use drag-and-drop to rearrange your pages or hierarchical customized submit varieties from inside your WordPress dashboard. This may be actually helpful for organizing your articles and managing the construction of your documentation.
Value: 100% free
Allow Media Change
Allow Media Change is a extremely helpful free plugin if that you must replace the photographs in your documentation, which is able to typically occur as you make adjustments to your product.
The plugin has two important options to make your life simpler:
- You may add a brand new picture to switch an present picture with out altering the picture’s URL.
- Alternatively, you can change the URL, however the plugin will nonetheless replace all different situations of that picture to keep away from damaged photographs.
Value: 100% free
Begin Creating Higher Documentation Immediately
Providing high-quality documentation is a good way to coach your customers/clients and present them with a greater expertise.
Nevertheless, if you wish to create efficient documentation, you’ll want some devoted instruments that can assist you get the job completed.
On this submit, we shared quite a few WordPress documentation plugins and themes that can assist you create higher documentation-centric WordPress websites.
If you’d like an all-in-one plugin that you would be able to simply set up in your website and begin creating documentation, you’ll be able to take into account a plugin comparable to Heroic Information Base.
Alternatively, you possibly can use one of many themes or extra narrowly targeted plugins to create your personal DIY documentation system.
For instance, you possibly can create a documentation customized submit kind with Toolset, add a desk of contents to articles with SimpleTOC, after which show them on the entrance finish utilizing Posts Desk Professional.
Get began in the present day and also you’ll have your documentation up and operating very quickly.
