This article was published 4 years ago, therefore the contents of this post may be out of date.

If you have ever gone online for customer support, you’ve probably come across a knowledge base whether you knew it or not. Knowledge bases are the organised collection of articles most companies offer up for self-help. And while there are whole firms built on providing knowledge base software, it’s also straightforward to add a knowledge base to WordPress by using a knowledge base plugins.

Knowledge bases don’t have to be limited to customer support, you can also use them to create any type of educational resource. They are also a great way to help your readers, boost your SEO and establish yourself as an authority.

Benefits of adding a knowledge base to WordPress

Knowledge bases are great for helping your existing readers and bringing in new readers. Here’s why:

They provide relevant information to readers

If you’re running any type of product/service business via your WordPress site, this one is a no-brainer. Your WordPress knowledge base can provide readers with all types of information about your offerings.
If you’re using WordPress exclusively as a blog, you can still provide helpful information via a knowledge base. For example, if you’re running a automotive blog – and looking for ideas – you could provide information on basic car care in a knowledge base.

They bring in new readers via search engines

Knowledgebase articles can rank very well in search engines. They provide ample opportunity for internal linking and usually cover topics that people are already searching.

They establish you as an authority

An excellent knowledge base will instantly add some gravitas to your site. Readers will see that, not only did you take the time to create a great resource, but you also actually know what you’re talking about.

In this WordPress Wednesday, I’ll show you five free plugin that will add a knowledge base to your WordPress site.

1. WP Help

Wp Help

WP Help is another free documentation and knowledgebase plugin for WordPress. You can create, edit, and organize your knowledge base very efficiently using this plugin.

The plugin doesn’t have many features, but it’s really helpful for those looking for a free knowledge base plugin.

Price: Free

2. Echo’s Knowledge Base

Echo's Knowledge Base For Documents And Faq

Echo Knowledge Base is a free WordPress knowledge base plugin that can create documentation on your website, the plugin is very simple and works with any theme.

You can organise your knowledge base by team, content or service using this plugin.

It also features an instant search and a table of contents. Here’s some of the features of the plugin:

  • Table of content
  • Fast search
  • Responsive support
  • Multiple levels of categories
  • Tabs layout
  • Article ordering
  • sixteen pre-defined colour themes
  • 4 pre-defined style combinations
  • Visual builder
  • Compatible with Gutenberg
  • Sidebar and Grid layouts

Price: Free

3. Very Simple Knowledge Base

Very Simple Knowledge Base

This is a lightweight plugin to create a Knowledge Base, Bulletin Board, FAQ, Wiki or Link Portal. Add the shortcode on a page or use the widget to display your categories and posts. While adding the shortcode or the widget, you can add several attributes to personalise your knowledge base. You can also list categories and posts from a custom post type (such as “product” or “event”).

Price: Free

4. BetterDocs

Betterdocs

BetterDocs is an advanced documentation & knowledge base WordPress plugin that will help you improve your user experience and reduce support tickets. This plugin comes with ready-made templates that you can use to create a documentation page.

You can also customise the documentation pages to add shortcodes, widgets or anything else to make your documentation even better. The plugin comes features with a chat window where users can ask questions and get instant answers, thereby improving the user experience.

BetterDocs comes with a scrollable table of contents that moves on scrolling to let your visitors access the table of contents quickly and easily. At the same time, you can also track the documentation pages and get insights on which pages are performing well and which pages need improvement.

Here are some features available in BetterDocs plugin:

  • Ready-made templates
  • Advanced live search
  • Floating TOC
  • Insightful analytics
  • Shortcode support
  • Chat window support

Price: Starting at $49.00

5. Helpie WP

Helpie Wp

Helpie WP is a simple knowledge base plugin for WordPress that is packed full of helpful features.

Helpie WP comes with a front-end editor that lets you easily create articles, review and publish them. The editor supports rich content such as images, videos and tables.

Helpie WP also has an auto-linking feature that lets you automatically link articles, and the plugin features a fast live search that provides instant results that are relevant to the keywords the user entered.

You can also control the content and protect certain pages or articles by passwords or user roles, while a table of content is significant for a knowledge base. Helpie WP provides a complete table of contents on every article page. The table of content is also interactive with toggles allowing you to expand or collapse topics.

Here’s a quick list of the features of Helpie WP:

  • Template layouts
  • Category listing styles
  • Search & views insight
  • Article voting system
  • Multilingual
  • Password protected topics
  • Dynamic capabilities
  • Instant live search
  • Front-end editor
  • Revision system
  • Publishing capabilities
  • Shortcode support
  • Widgets

Price: Starting at $49.00

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WordPress Wednesday – 5 Knowledge Base Plugins