How to Add a YouTube Subscribe Button in WordPress

As a webmaster with over 15 years of experience, I can‘t recommend enough adding a YouTube subscribe button to your WordPress website.

It‘s one of the best tactics to rapidly grow your YouTube channel and turn website visitors into subscribers.

According to [research by Social Media Today](https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/new-data-from– Buffer-and-BuzzSumo-reveals-the-latest-social-media-trends-and/557613/), YouTube is the second most popular social network, with over 2 billion monthly active users. Tapping into even a fraction of this huge user base can work wonders for expanding your channel.

There are a couple of different methods you can use to add a YouTube subscribe button on your WordPress site. Let‘s look at each in-depth, along with tips to maximize conversions based on my experience as an industry insider:

Method 1: Manually Adding the YouTube Subscribe Button

The first option is adding the subscribe button HTML code manually.

Pros of manual code:

• Complete design customization – choose layout, theme, colors etc
• Flexibility to add the button anywhere via shortcodes
• Change designs and placements as needed

Cons of manual code:

• Requires copying/pasting code into different areas
• No automatic integration with YouTube embeds

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Follow these steps to manually add a YouTube subscribe button:

1. Go to the YouTube subscribe button creator page.

2. Enter your YouTube channel ID or username in the field. To find your channel ID, go to your YouTube account settings and click on "Advanced Settings".

3. Customize the appearance of your button:

   • Choose between a default or full layout
   • Select a light or dark color theme
   • Decide to show or hide subscriber counts

4. Copy the embed code once you‘re happy with the button design.

5. Paste the code into a text widget, post, page or even your theme code via a shortcode.

Tips for Customizing Your Subscribe Button

As an insider, here are my top tips for optimizing your YouTube subscribe button design:

• Use the "full" layout with channel icon and name for social proof.

• Show subscriber counts to establish authority and trust.

• Pick a bright, contrasting color for the button to capture attention.

• Add a compelling call-to-action like "Don‘t Miss Another Video! Subscribe Now."

• Test different placements on sidebars, in posts, site headers, etc.

• Change the design seasonally or for promotions to keep it fresh.

The great thing about manually adding the code is you can completely customize the subscribe button for maximum conversions. Don‘t be afraid to experiment with different looks and placements!

Method 2: Using a Plugin

The second option is using a plugin like Ultimate YouTube or YouTube Subscribe Button.

Pros of using a plugin:

• Subscribe buttons automatically added to YouTube embeds
• Super simple setup – just activate and add channel ID
• Saves time over manually inserting code

Cons of using a plugin:

• Less customization options for button design
• Limited to auto-inserting on embeds only

How to Use a YouTube Subscribe Plugin:

Here are the steps for setting up a YouTube subscribe plugin:

1. Install and activate the plugin.

2. Go to the plugin settings page and enter your YouTube channel ID.

3. If available, customize the text, color or styling.

4. Embed YouTube videos using the oEmbed method.

5. The plugin will now automatically insert a subscribe button under your video.

The main perk of using a plugin is it saves you time by automatically adding the button without any copy/pasting needed. Just embed videos as normal, and the plugin does the work!

However, design options are more limited compared to manually added buttons. I suggest picking a visually engaging plugin or styling it with CSS customization.

Expert Tips for Turning Visitors into Subscribers

As a webmaster, I‘ve tested many tactics over the years for converting website traffic into YouTube subscribers.

Here are my top insider tips:

• Match website and video content so audiences are more engaged. For example, create a written tutorial then a video version covering the same topic.

• Use high-quality custom thumbnails and titles to make videos more enticing. Click-through rates impact YouTube algorithm rankings.

• Promote your 3-5 most recent videos prominently on your site to showcase an active channel.

• Run monthly giveaways or contests requiring a subscribe to enter – great for growing your audience quickly.

• Create playlists to encourage binge watching and prompt subscribers. Feature playlists on your site.

• Ask viewers to subscribe at the end of each video or via annotations – subtle reminders go a long way.

• Reply to all YouTube comments and heart likes – active engagement builds loyal fans.

• Analyze traffic sources to your channel using YouTube Analytics to optimize efforts.

• Send website popups or newsletter promos with links to drive traffic to must-watch videos.

Don‘t rely solely on the subscribe button! Combining it with other conversion tactics will help get viewers hooked on your channel and hitting that subscribe link.

I hope these tips from my many years as a professional webmaster help you grow your YouTube following! Let me know if you have any other questions.