Dressing up your WordPress website is pretty easy. While a lot of WordPress themes do come with lots of different bells and whistles (but none have as many as this plugin does). Hell, some even come with a few shortcodes. There is one WordPress plugin that I find myself using over and over again. If you have found inserting tabs, columns/rows, accordions, videos, buttons, Google maps, colored boxes, and audio hard to do in WordPress your in luck because Shortcodes Ultimate does it all and more. In fact, there are over 40 shortcodes this plugin is packed with (all for free). In this article, I am going to show the things you can do with Shortcodes Ultimate.
Thanks to Kim Doyal at thewpchick.com for this awesome video!
To use the plugin all you have to do is install the plugin and click on the “shortcodes” button on your WordPress page or post. Gone are the days of messing with HTML code! It’s so simple to use, and just in case your wondering anyone, even those with limited knowledge can easily use this plugin.
Here are just “some” of the features you can use with Shortcodes Ultimate.
Obviously, breaking up your content into smaller chunks is a must for any webmaster. To insert rows and columns you don’t have to bust out the HTML book or troll many sites for the code you’ll need to get the job done. To use this, you just click on rows or columns.
Columns
Rows
Tabs are fantastic if you have various subjects about something you have written on. For instance, let’s say you run an eCommerce site and have a product description, reviews, videos, images, etc. You can quickly set up tabs with Shortcodes unlimited and give your product a beautiful and tidy structure. An excellent way to break up your content in a neatly organized way.
Here is an example of a tab I setup in under 1 minute:
The accordion feature in Shortcodes Unlimited is by far one of my favorite and most useful features. Allows those 3,000-4,000 word articles to be broken up in a way that looks ascetically pleasing. For instance, you will have a “spoiler” which tells what that part of the accordion feature is. Then the user will click on the accordion to view that part of the content. Very useful feature!
Here is a real simple accordion that I created in under 30 seconds:
Add some boxes to your WordPress site with ease. These are great for dressing up your site with minimal work. I use this feature on all my reviews on my site. For instance, if you run a review style site you can easily insert a box and change the colors. Works great on my site because pros I want in green and cons in red for my web hosting reviews. Here are some examples of boxes:
For your boxes, you can choose from any color and have different styling options. The styling options are soft, glass, bubbles, and noise. Also, you can adjust the radius; 1 to 20.
Carousels or sliders are great for picture sliders. There are a ton of carousel plugins for WordPress. However, this feature is integrated into Shortcodes Ultimate. With this shortcode you can:
- Limit the number of pictures in a carousel 1-100.
- Link to an image, attachment page, or post (or none).
- Specify if they should be opening in a new or the same window.
- Set the height and width.
- Responsive (by clicking yes or no.)
- Show titles.
- Center.
- Arrows (turn on and off).
- Pagination.
- Autoplay and speed settings.
- Configure custom CSS.
Lightboxes are another great feature. If you want to setup one, it’s a breeze with this plugin. You can specify whether the content is an iframe, image, or inline HTML. Can be very useful for putting a lightbox on a page with a video, after an email opt-in, or any other way you see fit.
If you’re tired of going to YouTube or Vimeo to embed your videos, it’s a breeze with Shortcodes Unlimited. All you have to do is go to a video you want on your site and cut and paste the URL into the shortcode. There are a couple of different features that this plugin offers:
YouTube
For YouTube videos, you can easily just cut and paste the URL into the correct field.
There is also a YouTube advanced shortcode. You have more control over your videos.
Vimeo
For Vimeo, you can always just cut and paste the URL into the shortcode.
Let’s face it embedding audio has always been kind of wonky in WordPress. I can’t count how many times I have embedded video and made some changes and saw my sound disappear. Very frustrating! Do yourself a favor, though; don’t ever use autoplay. Autoplay annoys the living crap out of users!
One of the most time-consuming things in WordPress is adding tables. In the past, I have just used Dreamweaver to cut and paste my HTML code and then put my data into the correct fields. For a big table, it took me 10-15 minutes just to cut and paste my information. Those days are over now thanks to the tables shortcode.
| Field1 | Field2 |
| Field3 | Field4 |
Also with the tables shortcode, you can also import .cvs files. How awesome is that?
Displaying documents have always been kind of finicky on WordPress. But, now it’s very easy to integrate into your site. The supported file types are .doc, xls, and .pdf. You have full control over the width and height and can even make them responsive.
If you want to include a map on your website Shortcodes Ultimate makes it easy. You can customize the height and width. Also, you can place the marker address.
The typography setting in Shortcodes Ultimate is awesome! They have some shortcodes which can quickly add some personal touch to your website. Here is a list of them:
- Heading – Obviously, I have used them in this article. They are fully customizable, and you can even purchase a set up pre-made from the developer for $15.
- Pullquote – Maybe this isn’t typography, but it allows you to use pull quotes and justify them right or left.
- Dropcaps – You can easily use a drop cap and specify how big you want it. You have full control over your drop bars.
- DummyText – If you have a WordPress developed for a client or are developing one for yourself you can always use the DummyText shortcode. Here you can control how many paragraphs, words or bytes you want as dummy text.
Shortcodes Ultimate Has More, Though!
- Divider.
- List.
- Permalinks.
- Subpages.
- Animations.
- Spacer.
- Buttons.
- Tooltips.
- Members.
- Siblings.
- Meta.
- Highlight.
- Frame.
- Service.
- Private.
- Guest.
- Post.
- Users.
- Spoiler.
- Label.
- RSS feed.
- Quote.
- Notes.
- Menus.
- Templates.
- Dummy Images.
Pro Version of Ultimate Shortcodes
Obviously, the free version of Ultimate Shortcodes is one of the best and most useful free plugins you can get. In fact, it’s my highest rated shortcodes plugin so far that I have reviewed at tbwhs.com There is just so much you can do with it. It has more features than some paid plugins like All-In-One Shortcodes.
But, if you want to unlock more of the greatness you can always purchase some extras.
Extra Shortcodes
You can purchase more than 15 extra skins for $25. Some of the additional shortcodes are:
- Parallax sections.
- Pricing tables.
- Testimonials.
- Icons & progress bars.
- Content slider.
- Panels.
- Shadows.
- Splash screens.
More Skins
If you want even more skins, you can purchase over 60 of them for $15. Not that you are all that limited with the colors and designs to choose from with the free version, but more is always better right? Will give you more flexibility on what you can do with spoilers, tabs, quotes, and headings. It’s certainly well worth the money.
Maker Add-on
One of the best things about Ultimate Shortcodes is the Maker Add-on. Cost $15. Allows you to create your custom shortcodes and uses them anywhere on your website. You can create anything from a simple HTML shortcode to a more complex shortcode with PHP. Also, you do have the option to import/export your shortcodes and transfer them between your websites.
Bundle All The Extras Together
However, if you want to purchase them all together, you can do that, as well. There is no need to pay a monthly fee or anything. In fact, there is just a one time fee. If you added up them all separately, it would cost you 25+15+15=$55. If you purchase them all together, it only cost you $40. That is a savings of $15.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, if your struggling with the above modifications in WordPress you should highly consider installing this plugin. It has gotten nearly 600+ five stars ratings from WordPress users. The plugin is light on your server and won’t leave your site taking minutes to load. I have about five sites that I have installed Shortcode Ultimate.
The developers of this plugin are always updating this plugin unlike a lot of WordPress plugins. You don’t have to be worried about your site being broken once the next WordPress update is rolled out.
Go ahead and check out the plugin here: https://wordpress.org/plugins/shortcodes-ultimate/screenshots/ Also, check out the extras you can purchase from the developer which can be found here: https://gndev.info/shortcodes-ultimate/skins/
Have you used Ultimate Shortcodes on your WordPress websites? Let me know what you think of the plugin. Please leave your comments down below.
I agree that ultimate shortcodes is a great plugin for shortcodes. It is packed with almost every type of shortcode you could imagine. I am even happier to say that the Ultimate Shortcodes team is super quick at replying to security holes and fixing them right away to keep their users safe. If you haven’t updated to version 4.9.4 do so right away, you should.
Hey Ryan,
Thanks so much for the heads up. I made these changes right away 🙂
I really like your post! Lot’s of information. Almost too much. I learned a lot from this Thanks. Easy to read with video,which is nice. Love the way you showed picture sliders. Nice site!
What is fascinating in life is that we never stop learning, well it is the quality of the information provided in this website is true to the word. I just love this website and information and without hesitation I will plug it in,the question I have can we adjust text with this plug in? Thanks Again
Grant, What do you mean by adjusting text?
Hello, I would like to know how you did added the image inside the box. I have tried diferent methods but they are not working…
Thanks for your help!
Just use the shortcode [box] html code for inserting [/box] and should work. If you need to know how to insert image shortcode the code can be found at:
https://www.w3schools.com/html/html_images.asp
Hello guys, thanks for the reply…
I actually have used the box, but then, when I insert the image, and then the text like your box, at the end of this post, my image is placed below the text. Do I need to split the [box] intro divs, for exemple, do I need to add [su-columns} inside the box?
Thanks again.
What is the URL in question? Shouldn’t need to do anything with divs or columns. Your image would just bee nested inside the box.
Hello guys,
Ok, managed to sort out the picture…I actually worked the way you mentioned. Thanks for your Help!
Do you happen to know if the Ultimate Shortcodes premium version is a one time fee or a monthly fee?
Yes I do; It’s a one-time fee. I hate extra monthly expenses 🙂
hello, very good information. I would like to ask you two questions:
1. How did you do the section of “related Articles” there putting 6 items? can you please tell me, how I can do it?
2. at the end of your page is the section “ALSO ON TBWHS.COM” in that you put 4 articles, how do you do? what tool do you use? how I can do it?
Very good article. You are definitely very proficient in your writing, and obviously, have a passion for IT, etc.
I’m not entirely IT/ Computer literate, but I can see the sense that you are writing about.
I am certainly going to have to try out this plugin. It will make my life so much easier!
Happy Blogging.
Thanks a lot for stopping by. Shortcodes Ultimate is certainly a must have plugin. So many great features. Also, you don’t have to know any coding, which is awesome for me!
Hello Garen,
This is a well-written article on Shortcodes Ultimates.
I have been using this free plugin for several months now. I really do love it! I was thinking about purchasing the add-on. I want to purchase the “Shortcodes Maker” for $15. I got a couple questions first:
Will it work on any website? Or do I have to have multiple licenses for it?
Do you own the “Shortcodes Maker” add-on? And, do you think it’s worth it?
Hey Nnamdi,
Yes, Shortcodes Ultimate will work on unlimited sites. I verified this by checking out the developer’s site, and it states you can use on unlimited sites. It’s a one time fee, too. Never have to pay a yearly fee like a lot of plugins today charge.
Also, I do not own the “Shortcodes Maker” add-on, as of right now. But, I have a couple projects I am going to be starting up soon. I will certainly be purchasing it soon. Yes, I think it’s worth it. Shortcodes Ultimate is a great plugin!
Very well written review and I love that plugin, I am going to give it a try. Thank you so much for sharing the information.
I did have a quick question, though.
I’m not all that tech savvy so please forgive me.
This is a plugin I have really been looking for. I have tried out a few of similar plugins for tabs. But, they seem to be very confusing. Shortcodes Ultimate does allow you to do vertical tabs right?
Yes, Helen, you can use vertical tabs. It is very easy to work with Ultimate Shortcodes. The developer is very active on their support forums. I am sure if you have any problems you can always ask on their support forums at https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/shortcodes-ultimate
I agree it’s a great plugin.
Sadly, however, the developer has stopped updating it and consequently some of the shortcodes are beginning to have issues as wordpress continues to update itself.
Thanks for letting me know this plugin hasn’t been updated in awhile. However, I did check, and it looks like it was updated 6 months ago. I have been using it for years, though. I haven’t noticed any problems with Shortcodes Ultimate, though.
Hey Garen,
Ultimate Shortcodes is really a must have plugin. I love the Typography part where we can emphasize words make first/last letter beautiful and beautify our content.
My friend recommended it to me, and since then I have been using it. I just love it.
Your review reveals few features I wasn’t aware of, and I am going to try those.
Thanks for informative post.
Hello Garen,
Could you let me know how did you write this: “If you don’t get excited about this plugin then there is something seriously wrong with you!” in a yellow box using shortcode ultimate plugin?
It will be very helpful, if you could let me know.
Thank you friend for such a wonderful post!
The little things is life are what should get your excited LOL.
Can you please guide me on how to create a good looking pros and cons table using this plugin. thanks !