How to Set Up a Countdown Timer on Your WordPress Website

As an online business owner, web developer, or blogger, you may have needed to set up a countdown timer on your WordPress website at some point. Regardless of whether it is meant to create hype for an upcoming product, let visitors know when your site will be ready, or keep track of a public event, a countdown timer can be pretty handy to have.

Fortunately, WordPress offers a ton of free plugin solutions that are designed to help you set up a fully functional countdown timer on your website and generate the user engagement you’re looking for. In this post, we’ll show you how you can set up a countdown timer on your website in a few easy steps. We’ll also suggest some of the best countdown timer plugins out there and list their standout features.

But before we begin, let’s go over some scenarios in which you might need to set up a countdown timer.

When Might You Need to Set Up a Countdown Timer?

One of the best things you can do with your WordPress website is to keep your visitors up-to-date with whatever it is that you’re up to – even if your next project is still a work in progress. Countdown timers let you do this and much more. Here are some of the main reasons why you might consider setting up a countdown timer on your website:

• They create hype. Countdown timers allow users to generate excitement for product launches or create hype for an upcoming event by letting their visitors know exactly when it’s set to launch.
• They instill a sense of urgency. Studies show that instilling a sense of urgency in your visitor’s or customer’s mind can help you sell more. And the visual aid offered by a countdown timer adds to it.
• They help you set up limited registrations. If you host webinars or want to sell a limited amount of tickets to a local event, countdown timer plugins are a great way to make sure your event is booked up.

Setting up a countdown timer can help you out in more ways than one. So, with that out of the way, let’s dive right into the tutorial!

How to Set Up a Countdown Timer in WordPress Using Uji Countdown

The easiest way to get started with a countdown timer in WordPress is by using a plugin. In this section, we’ll show you how you can set up a timer on your website using the Uji Countdown plugin.

Start off by navigating to Plugins > Add New from the WordPress admin panel and search for Uji Countdown. Once you’ve found the plugin, install and activate it to your website.

Once you have the plugin activated, head over to Settings > Uji Countdown > Add new style. From here, you can create your own countdown timer by selecting a font style, picking out colors, and much more.

Once you’re done designing your countdown timer, be sure to hit the Save Style button. You can see your changes in the preview area at the bottom of the screen.

Now, open up the page (or post) where you want to add the countdown timer. You’ll notice that an Uji Countdown icon has been added to the WordPress text editor.

Click on the Uji Countdown icon to add the countdown timer you created to your page (or post).

From here you can select the timer style that you configured before, set an expiration date and time, choose what to do after the timer expires, configure recurring time settings, and give your campaign a name. Once you’re done, click the Insert button to add the countdown timer to your page (or post).

A shortcode for the Uji Countdown plugin will be added in the text editor. It should look something like this:

Click the Publish button to have the countdown timer display on your site’s front-end.

The countdown timer should display the remaining time in days, hours, minutes, and seconds.

What Are Some Other Plugins I Can Use to Set Up a Countdown Timer?

Although there are many countdown timer solutions out there – both free and paid – not all of them are high-quality offerings. In this section, we’ll round up some of the best countdown timer solutions for WordPress websites and highlight the standout features each one offers.

Uji Countdown

Uji Countdown is a lightweight plugin that allows users to display a fully functional countdown timer on their website’s pages and posts. It comes with a recurring timer and email subscription functionality right out of the box. You can customize your countdown timer to fit in with your website’s design by tinkering with the colors, animations, and time settings.

Key Features:

• Support for shortcode functionality.
• Built-in options for redirection after timer expires.
• HTML5-based timer (with JavaScript).
• Options to export subscription list as CSVs.

T(-) Countdown

Using the T(-) Countdown timer, you can display an HTML5 countdown timer as a sidebar widget or within a post (or page) on your website. It comes with a set of CSS styles right out of the box and allows users to customize it even further with custom CSS. In addition to all of this, you also get access to a list of shortcode options using which you can display the timer, set a launch date and time, define multiple attributes, configure the placement, and much more.

Key Features:

• Fully customizable HTML5 countdown timer.
• Ships with pre-designed CSS styles.
• Supports shortcodes.
• Allows users to add countdown timer as a sidebar widget or in a post/page.

Countdown WordPress plugin

If you’re not particularly tech-savvy, then you may want to spring for the Countdown WordPress plugin. You’ll be able to add countdown timers anywhere on your posts, pages, or widgetized areas. The best part is that it doesn’t require any prior coding knowledge! The plugin is designed with CSS3 styling, which means that you can customize it by adding custom CSS code.

Key Features:

• Incredibly easy to install and use.
• Allows you to configure countdown timer expiration action.
• Makes it easy for users to position it by defining position from the top and bottom.
• Fully responsive from the get-go.

WordPress Countdown Widget

WordPress Countdown Widget is a jQuery-based countdown (and count-up) timer. Once you’ve activated the plugin, you’ll be able to add it to your sidebar. Since it’s a sidebar-exclusive countdown timer, you can position it by simply dragging and dropping it into place. What’s more is that you can create multiple instances of countdown timers on your website.

Key Features:

• jQuery-based countdown and count-up timer.
• Supports shortcode usage.
• Allows users to customize its color and create multiple instances.
• Comes with documentation and tutorials.

Countdown

POWr’s Countdown is a cloud-based plugin that is designed to boost conversions by creating hype. It allows users to add the countdown (or count-up) timer anywhere on their website’s post (or page) using the POWr icon. The standout feature on offer with this plugin is that it counts events over time and adds brings your timer to life through animations.

Key Features:

• Configuration options for fonts, colors, and backgrounds.
• Comes with lightweight animations.
• Allows users to adjust its size and spacing.
• Mobile-responsive design.

Conclusion

There’s no shortage of countdown timers for WordPress. That said, each offering comes with a slightly different set of features that could be the deciding factor for you. Of course, the plugin solution you end up choosing depends entirely on what you’re looking for in a countdown timer:

• If you’re looking for a feature-rich countdown timer that integrates with email subscription lists, then Uji Countdown is an excellent option. Plus we covered a tutorial on how to get started with it!
• Those of you who aren’t particularly programming literate can spring for the Countdown WordPress plugin. As a bonus, it’s also fully responsive!
• If your goal is to create some hype then you should give POWr’s Countdown a shot. It allows you to customize the timer’s design, set its placement, and add animations to it.

Have you experimented with any of the countdown timer plugins we covered? Do you have any questions about setting up a countdown timer on your WordPress website? Let us know in the comments section below!