Want to Accept PayPal Payments in WordPress? Here‘s How to Add a Payment Form

Do you offer paid services, sell digital goods, or accept donations on your WordPress site?

Integrating PayPal payment forms allows you to easily collect payments from the over 322 million active PayPal users globally.

In this beginner-friendly guide, I‘ll provide step-by-step instructions on adding a PayPal payment form or donate button in WordPress.

By the end, you‘ll know:

• How PayPal integrates securely with WordPress sites
• The exact plugins and settings needed
• How to customize and embed the payment forms

Let‘s dive in!

Why Choose PayPal for Accepting Payments

PayPal dominates the payments space with over 76% market share, ahead of Stripe‘s 24% as per Business of Apps.

Here are some of the key reasons why PayPal is the preferred payment option for many site owners:

• Secure encryption – PayPal uses advanced encryption and fraud prevention to keep payments safe
• Trustworthy brand – 62% of Americans trust PayPal to handle their sensitive financial information
• Seamless integration – Embed payment forms or buttons with a few clicks via plugins
• No extra fees – Basic PayPal payments have no monthly costs outside transaction fees

PayPal essentially handles the entire transaction process securely from payment to transfer of funds.

This saves you the hassle of getting a payment processor or building your own solution.

Next, let‘s look at how to integrate PayPal payment acceptance into your WordPress site.

How to Add a PayPal Payment Form in WordPress

The easiest way to add PayPal payment forms or donate buttons is by using the WPForms WordPress plugin.

WPForms is used on over 5 million websites and offers a drag-and-drop form builder that‘s perfect for payments.

Here is an overview of the steps involved:

1. Install and activate WPForms
2. Enter license key to enable PayPal add-on
3. Install PayPal Standard add-on in WPForms
4. Build custom payment form
5. Configure PayPal settings
6. Save form and embed on site

Let‘s look at each step in more detail:

Step 1: Install and Activate WPForms

First, you need to install and activate the WPForms plugin from your WordPress dashboard:

1. Go to Plugins > Add New
2. Search for "WPForms"
3. Install and activate the plugin

💡Tip: WPForms has a free lite version, but you need WPForms Pro to use the PayPal integration.

Step 2: Enter Your WPForms License Key

With the plugin installed, the next step is entering your WPForms license key:

1. Go to WPForms > Settings
2. Click Unlock PRO
3. Enter your license key and verify

You would have received the license key after purchasing any of the WPForms paid plans.

This unlocks all the Pro add-ons including PayPal integration.

Step 3: Install the PayPal Standard Add-On

WPForms integrates with PayPal via an add-on included in paid plans:

1. Go to WPForms > Add-ons
2. Find PayPal Standard
3. Click Install to activate the add-on

And that‘s it! The PayPal add-on is now ready to use.

Step 4: Build Your Payment Form

We can now build a custom payment form using the form builder:

1. Go to WPForms > Add New
2. Enter form title
3. Select the Billing / Order template
4. Customize fields as needed
5. Delete any unneeded fields

For example, you can add pricing fields for the items/services you offer.

Drag and drop fields to assemble the payment form that best fits your needs.

The form builder makes it easy to create the exact fields you need.

Step 5: Configure PayPal Settings

The final step is configuring PayPal payment settings:

1. Go to Payments > PayPal Standard
2. Check Enable PayPal Standard Payments
3. Enter your PayPal email
4. Select preferences for transactions
5. Click Save to store settings

See PayPal‘s technical documentation for details on the different options available.

Important: Use Sandbox Mode while testing to avoid live charges.

And that‘s it! Your PayPal-integrated payment form is now ready.

Step 6: Embed Form on Your Website

You can easily embed the PayPal payment form on any post, page, or widget area:

1. Open page to embed form
2. Click Add Block icon
3. Search for "WPForms" block
4. Select your form

Save the page, and your form will appear live!

When visitors submit payments, they will be securely redirected to PayPal to complete the transaction.

Additional Tips and Resources

Here are some best practices I recommend for accepting payments:

• Use Test Mode while experimenting to avoid live charges
• Enable email and app notifications when payments are received
• For donations, pick an appropriate Payment Type in settings
• Provide multiple payment options like credit cards via Stripe
• See PayPal‘s fees guide for transaction costs

WPForms also integrates with other services you can connect to payment forms:

• Email marketing tools like Mailchimp, Constant Contact
• CRMs like Salesforce, HubSpot
• Form analytics with MonsterInsights
• Automations via Zapier

Check out WPBeginner‘s tutorials for more on leveraging these.

I hope this step-by-step guide was helpful for setting up PayPal payments on your WordPress site. Let me know if you have any other questions!