# Install RightMessage on WordPress

You'll install RightMessage with its WordPress plugin, check that data is coming through, and make your posts' categories and tags available for targeting.

Install the RightMessage plugin so you can ask visitors questions, personalize your site, and target offers by the WordPress content they read. The plugin adds the snippet for you and sends page, post, category, and tag data to RightMessage.

## Add the plugin to your site

You'll need a [RightMessage project](https://rightmessage.com/help/create-an-account) and WordPress administrator access for plugin uploads and settings. Self-hosted WordPress must allow third-party plugins. On WordPress.com, plugins are available on the paid Personal, Premium, Business, and Commerce plans, not the free plan.

Back up your site and check compatibility first. The downloadable plugin declares WordPress 6.2 or later and PHP 5.6 or later, with WordPress 6.7 as its tested version. That doesn't guarantee compatibility with newer WordPress releases.

1. Download the [official RightMessage plugin ZIP](https://media.rightmessage.com/files/rightmessage.zip) and keep it zipped.
2. In WordPress, open **Plugins** > **Add New Plugin** > **Upload Plugin**.
3. Choose the ZIP, then **Install Now** and **Activate Plugin**.
4. In RightMessage, select your project and open **Settings** > **General**. Copy **Project ID** beside the project name.
5. Back in WordPress, open **Settings** > **RightMessage**.
6. Paste the ID into **Project ID** and choose **Save Changes**. Use only the ID, not the JavaScript snippet, an API key, or your WordPress site ID.
7. Leave **Default Embedded Widget** empty unless you've set up a site-wide embedded placement.

The plugin adds the live script across your site through WordPress's footer hook. Your theme needs that hook, but you don't need to paste code into each post.

Use the plugin as your single installation. Remove any overlapping theme, code-injection, or tag-manager copy. Saving plugin settings changes your website directly, without waiting for RightMessage's **Publish** action. Questions, offers, and personalizations already published in RightMessage can appear immediately. Publish or update any edited WordPress pages and posts separately.

If you need to inspect the full snippet, it's in RightMessage under **Settings** > **JavaScript Snippet**, with **Live website** selected. Don't paste a second copy into WordPress after installing the plugin.

![RightMessage live-website Snippet Code panel with the Copy to clipboard icon highlighted in orange](https://rightmessage.com/help/screens/platforms-snippet-copy.light.webp)

For WordPress's installation controls, see [managing plugins](https://wordpress.org/documentation/article/manage-plugins/) or [installing a plugin on WordPress.com](https://wordpress.com/support/plugins/install-a-plugin/).

For a widget embedded inside a post or page, see the [WordPress placement options and shortcode](https://rightmessage.com/help/everything-you-need-to-know-about-your-rightmessage-tracking-script#wordpress-embedded-placements).

## Check that it's working

1. Open a published page and a published blog post outside WordPress admin.
2. Follow your consent prompt if it controls the snippet.
3. In RightMessage, open **Settings** > **JavaScript Snippet** and look for a recent timestamp in **Snippet Health**.

A recent timestamp means RightMessage is receiving data. Use the [debugger](https://rightmessage.com/help/best-practices-for-testing) to see what it knows about you and what it's showing.

You can now use [WordPress conditions](https://rightmessage.com/help/conditions-wordpress) to target pages, posts, categories, tags, and favorites based on reading history. That reference covers comparisons, tied favorites, and visitors with no reading history. These conditions don't identify an email subscriber. Browser identification and your email-platform connection are separate.

The content pickers use your site's WordPress REST API. If they're empty, check that your RightMessage project's website points to the right WordPress site and its public REST API is reachable. Receiving snippet data and loading the content catalog are separate requirements.

If no activity arrives, check the [project ID](https://rightmessage.com/help/how-to-find-your-project-id-in-rightmessage), plugin activation, cached pages, and your theme's footer hook. Then follow [installation troubleshooting](https://rightmessage.com/help/common-set-up-issues).

Next, [build a resource recommendation in the app](https://rightmessage.com/help/first-experience-in-the-app).