How to Add an AI Chatbot 🤖 to Your WordPress Website in Minutes

Ever thought about having an assistant on your website ready to answer customer questions day or night? Imagine a chatbot that works 24/7 and instantly answers questions like: "Is this item in stock?" or "When will my order arrive?" It sounds like something only big companies could afford, right? Well, you’re about to see just how easy and affordable it can be to add an AI chatbot to your WordPress site—even if you’ve never done it before.

I'll walk you through a quick setup using a fantastic tool called Tidio. It’s going to help you add a chatbot to your site that can enhance customer service, save time, and potentially increase sales. Let's get into it!

Step 1: Create an Account on Tidio

First things first, you need to create an account on Tidio. It only takes a minute, and it’s free to start. Follow these steps:

1. Click the link provided in this post for Tidio.
2. Click the "Get Started" button.
3. Enter your email address and set up a password.
4. Add your website's URL in the appropriate field. Don’t have a website yet? You can create one (they even have a tutorial for that!).
5. Agree to the terms, then click “Get Started.”

Now you’re in! You’ll land on the Tidio dashboard, which is where all the magic happens.

Step 2: Set Up Your AI Chatbot

Once you’re in the dashboard, it’s time to set up your chatbot.

Customize the Look

Scroll down to customize the look of the chatbot widget on your site:

• Name: Let's call it something like "Rachel" (feel free to personalize it).
• Profile Picture: Give the chatbot a face by uploading an image. You can upload any image file directly here.
• Color: You can change the color of the chatbot to match your brand.

When you're happy with how it looks, click continue.

Select Platform

Here comes the important part—choosing the platform where you'll install the chatbot. We’re focusing on WordPress, but if you’re using another platform, don’t worry—Tidio offers detailed instructions for various setups.

If WordPress is your jam, keep reading because you’re almost there!

Step 3: Add the Chatbot to WordPress

Alright, time to make that chatbot live on your website. Here's how to do it for WordPress:

1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Head to Plugins and click "Add New."
3. Search for Tidio in the search bar.
4. Install and activate the Tidio plugin.
5. Open the Tidio Chat plugin in your dashboard and login to your Tidio account.
6. Select your website from your Tidio account and click "Integrate."

You’ll also be prompted to integrate with your store’s product database. This feature is great if you’re running an online shop because the chatbot will automatically pull product info when customers ask about availability.

Let’s see how it works by opening your site. At the bottom right—boom! The chatbot is now live.

Step 4: Train the Chatbot

Your chatbot is installed, but it needs to be trained before it can intelligently answer questions. Luckily, this doesn’t take much time.

Tidio’s chatbot can learn from your website’s content. Here’s how to train it:

1. Head back to Tidio’s dashboard and select “Set Up LRO AI” (that’s what they call their AI feature).
2. Enter your website URLs one by one so the bot will learn from those pages.

Want to go deeper and teach it more about specific sections of your site? No problem—add more page URLs to give it a broader knowledge base.

Once you’ve added your URLs, click "Upload." You'll see a message that the chatbot is training, and when it says "Used," it means the training is done.

Testing the Chatbot

The moment of truth. Go to your website, open the chatbot, and send a question. Let’s say you ask, “Are there any medium-sized hoodies available?” The bot should now show you the available products and link directly to their pages.

Not only does it respond instantly, but it also looks professional, providing links and proper product details.

Let’s ask something else like, "Is this product in stock?" The AI chatbot should have no trouble answering, provided that the necessary information is available on your site.

When the Bot Can’t Answer

No bot’s perfect. Once in a while, customers may ask something the bot can't answer. When that happens, the chatbot will offer real-time chat with a human agent. Here’s how to respond when this happens:

1. You’ll get a notification on your Tidio dashboard.
2. Click it to see the conversation and take control.

You also have the option to use the Tidio mobile app. It’s super convenient, allowing you to respond to customer chats instantly, even when you’re away from your computer. The app’s available for both Android and iPhone.

Train the Bot with FAQs

One way to make your bot more helpful is to manually add FAQs. If you notice the same question popping up and stumping your bot, it’s a good idea to teach it the answer.

1. In the Tidio dashboard, go to "LRO AI" then click "Data Sources."
2. Click "Add Manually" to insert common questions and their answers.
3. Save after you’ve added each one.

This feature ensures the chatbot gets smarter with each interaction.

Upgrade for More Features

As you get more traffic and interaction, you might want to consider upgrading your Tidio plan:

• The free version lets you use up to 50 chatbot interactions per month.
• With the paid versions, you get unlimited interactions, plus you can remove Tidio branding and add your own.

Using the link in this post, you’ll receive a 20% discount on the total price, making it even more affordable.

Conclusion

Adding an AI chatbot to your WordPress website is much simpler than you’d think. In just a few steps, you've got a round-the-clock assistant that can improve your customer service and help you close sales. Best of all, you don’t need to be a tech expert to make it happen. Whether you're running a small blog or a full-scale online store, Tidio offers an easy and budget-friendly way to elevate your website experience.

Ready to give your customers faster, more efficient support? Get started with Tidio and transform the way you manage your website today!