Custom post types are the first step in turning your basic WordPress site into something professional which can stand out from the rest. You can use custom post types to create a custom site with your style.
But not only that, it will make it even easier for your users to navigate your site and find what they want.
One of the most misconception with custom post types that you are require to code them in PHP which can put a lot of people off. However, you can develop these custom post types easily by using a WordPress plugin.
What is a custom post type?
When you use a Custom post types it allow you to create a range of different sections on your site. As the problem with WordPress, it only comes with two post types, posts and pages, this is why we need custom post types, and there’s are two main ways to create them.
How to create custom post types
The first way is the easiest way to create them by using a WordPress plugin as you don’t need any coding experience and can create them in minutes.
The second way is by coding them from scratch, and this way would be fine if you’re a PHP expert, but what if you’re a novice programmer? Creating custom post types this way will take you hours in learning how to code PHP before you even begin to build them.
So for this WordPress Wednesday, I’ve collected five Custom Post Types plugins that let you do it the quickest and easiest way.
1. Custom Post Type UI
The first one of today’s WordPress Wednesday list is one of the most popular plugins for custom posts and taxonomies, Custom Post Type UI brings a series of options and features all for free.
This plugin is easy to use and after installing it, you get a awesome dashboard to work with, where you find all of the plugin options and features. With this plugin it let’s you create new post types, and new corresponding taxonomies and also you can edit the post types you already may have on your site.
Another great thing when using this plugin is that you can import a custom post that you already may have on another site and it also comes with an option where you can exporting yours too.
The main downside I’ve found with this plugin is that it will not handle display of registered post types or taxonomies in your current theme as it will only register them for you.
Price: Free
2. Pods
Pods is another user-friendly plugin for custom post types, taxonomies, and fields. The plugin stands out to its original user interface and the whole process you go through when using the plugin, the experience is more of a wizard-like process, instead of a dashboard-like environment.
This plugin uses something called “Pods” to organise all the custom post types and taxonomies you create with this plugin. Pods also lets you create custom settings pages, and even advanced content types. You can also extend the existing content types, taxonomies, media, users, and even comments.
Price: Free
3. Custom Post Type Maker
The third plugin on today’s list is much simpler than the others on this list. But it does provide you with all the mandatory custom post types functionality you’d need in most situations. There are two main sections in this plugin: Post Types and Taxonomies.
You’re not required to have any coding skills to use this plugin, and everything is available through a handy interface. It will also show you all the other custom post types you already have registered on your site and even the ones not created.
Price: Free
4. Toolset Types
This plugin is a premium plugin of the above plugins. Apart from fast support, you’ll also get front-end posting, a feature that will make it easy for you to display custom content on the front-end. You will be able to design templates, lists, and archives so that your custom post types will look appealing to your visitors.
Extra feature that Toolset comes with is built-in input validation, so when someone fills out a field, they will see a warning if the text is incorrect or incomplete. People won’t be able to move forward without filling the answer properly.
Price: From $69.00
5. WCK – CPT & Custom Fields
The last plugin on today’s list is a free plugin that works plainly and provides an intuitive interface. It’s nice that you can upgrade to the premium version if you need extended features in regards to custom post types.
To add a new post type is easy. Proceed to WCK in the dashboard menu and click on Post Type Creator. There, you need to only go through a few settings to have your custom content read, and once you create a new entry, it will appear as a separate menu item in your dashboard, from where you can customise it further.
With this free version of WCK plugin, you can also create custom taxonomies, fields, and meta boxes, which you can beautifully link with the custom post types.
Price: Free