How to Add Bitcoin to WordPress as a Payment Gateway

Cryptocurrency has become wildly popular over the last few years. The fact of the matter is that it continues to grow more popular as a method of payment. If you have been thinking about adding Bitcoin to WordPress, there is a great plugin that will help you get this done easily.

What is Bitcoin?

Simply put, Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, a virtual currency, or a digital currency; it is all three. Cryptocurrency is a type of money that is completely virtual, unlike cash, which is physical.

It is an online version of cash that you can use to buy products and services. While a lot of places still do not have a Bitcoin payment gateway, or allow Bitcoin as a method of payment, the number of places that do is growing and those numbers continue to rise.

It is for this reason that you should consider adding a Bitcoin payment gateway to your website. Giving customers the option to pay for your online goods, services, and downloads, will only create the opportunity for you to reach a bigger audience.

How Does Bitcoin Work?

Oftentimes, you will see a picture of a Bitcoin. This is actually just a novelty, as Bitcoin is worthless without the private codes printed inside them. Basically, every Bitcoin is a computer file stored within a wallet. These wallets are actually digital wallet apps you can get from a number of places through a computer or a smartphone.

You can send Bitcoins (or part of them) to and from these digital wallets. You can also send them to other people. Every transaction that is made is recorded in a public list that is called a “blockchain.”

For this reason alone, it makes the currency secure because it is possible to trace the history of Bitcoins. This stops people from spending coins that they do not own and effectively prevents fraud and copies.

Should You Have a Bitcoin Payment Gateway?

The short answer here? Yes! Giving site users the ability to pay for goods and services using a WordPress Bitcoin payment allows you to reach customers globally that otherwise would not buy on your site using USD.

Millions of people have digital wallets set up that have all sorts of different digital currencies inside them. Obviously the most popular one is Bitcoin. The transaction will be secure, fast, and easy to handle.

That being said, the initial setup for allowing people to pay on your website using Bitcoin used to be very difficult. That is not the case anymore, as there is a solid WordPress Bitcoin plugin that I have found that will make setup quick and easy.

Let’s take a look at the plugin together and see what it offers.

GoUrl Bitcoin Payment Gateway

The GoUrl Bitcoin Payment Gateway plugin is a fantastic open-source plugin that allows you to quickly and easily set up a Bitcoin payment gateway on your WordPress website. Essentially, the plugin acts as the gateway for cryptocurrency payment coming from digital wallet addresses.

All Bitcoin in WordPress payments that are received using this gateway are automatically sent to the wallet address you have in the system. The external wallet addresses receive the payment within 30 minutes of the transaction being made.

No Bitcoin payment, or any other altcoin payments, are kept on servers. This, combined with the SSL encryption technology, provide both the website owner, and the customer, a secure shopping and payment experience.

This particular Bitcoin for WordPress plugin also allows setup for paid downloads, as well as the setup for paid Bitcoin membership fees on a site. Furthermore, if you want to, you will have the ability to accept other types of cryptocurrency payments as well. However, in this tutorial we are sticking with Bitcoin.

This WordPress Bitcoin plugin is packed full of functionality. Some of the main features include:

• White Label Solution
• No Monthly Fees
• Set Transaction Fees to 0%
• Set Your Own Prices in Over 100 Currencies
• Accept Over a Dozen Different Cryptocurrencies
• Auto Sync

If you want to accept Bitcoin in WordPress, this is the plugin for you. You will also be able to set up pay-per-product, view or page, download, and membership.

Basically, if you want to accept Bitcoin in almost any way, then GoUrl is the plugin you want.

Let’s take a look at how to install and activate the plugin. After that we will go over the configuration together.

Install and Activate Plugin

In order to start accepting Bitcoin in WordPress, you first need to install and activate the plugin. You can do this by going to the Plugins page in your WordPress admin dashboard. Simply search the plugin name.

Once the plugin has been installed and activated, you will need to access the main configuration page to set it all up. To do this, click on GoUrl Bitcoin > Settings. You will find this in the left side menu area of your dashboard.

Let’s take a look at setting up the plugin together and get you on your way to accepting Bitcoin payments on your WordPress website.

Add Bitcoin Payment Gateway

Now that you are on the main configuration page, you will see the first thing you need to do is to go get your free GoUrl public/private keys. This registration process will give you the information you need to enter keys into all the different types of cryptocurrency you want to allow for payment on your website.

In this case, we are going to demonstrate the setup for Bitcoin. But the concept is the same for adding keys to any of the available cryptocurrencies you want to set up and use to take payment on your website.

You will see some available links when you land on the main configuration page. You can click on the “Instructions here” link and be taken to a list on getting the private and public keys, or you can click through to the main plugin website and follow the steps.

Register Your Free Account

In this case, let’s go ahead and get our keys by clicking on the “GoUrl” link and heading over to the registration process. Click on the link and you will be taken to a human verification page. Go ahead and click on the “I’m a Human Being” button and move on.

You will be taken to the main registration page for the plugin. Go ahead and follow the steps to register for free.

Once you fill out the registration page with relevant info, you will get a message that says an email link has been sent to the address you provided. Head over to that email and confirm the address.

Click on the link in your email and log into your account with your credentials. Your main account page will open and you will see quite a bit of information.

Create a Payment Box

Feel free to explore all of those links down the road and set up your affiliates and anything else you want.

However, for now, we are going to focus on getting the info you need to set up Bitcoin in WordPress. Scroll down the page a little until you see the blue “Create a New Payment Box For Your Website” button. Go ahead and click on that.

Another screen will come up where you want to enter all the relevant information you need to fill out your Bitcoin payment box the way you see fit.

There will be detailed instruction popup boxes from each entry. So if you need help with anything, click on those to get you answers.

Note: You will find your “Callback Url” back on the configuration page of the plugin in your WordPress site. Go ahead and copy and paste that in.

When you are finished, go ahead and fill in the “Verifying it’s you” box by letting them send a code to your email.

Copy and paste the code that they send into the relevant field. After you do that, click on the “Save” button on the top right of the form.

A Bitcoin public and private key will automatically be generated, and your new Bitcoin for WordPress payment box is now generated.

Configure Payment Box Settings

Now that you have created your Bitcoin payment box, it is time for the final step. Go back to your WordPress admin dashboard. Configure your payment box settings the way you want them.

The first few rows will include:

• Payment Box Type
• Payment Box Theme
• Company Logo (Branding)

Fill those out how you see fit.

Now scroll down a little. If you want to accept other currencies, then you can generate a currency converter to show on your website using the link provided. Once you get that API, put it in the field. Otherwise, go straight to the “Bitcoin Payments” box and add the BTC private and public keys you generated when you created a payment box.

Note: You can perform the same steps above for any cryptocurrency you want. If it is provided by the plugin, you can accept it.

Finally, scroll all the way down past all the crypto boxes and fill out the rest of the payment box settings you see there. You will be able to:

• Choose iFrame Sizing
• Box Styles
• Payment Messages
• Payment Box Images
• Other Records Regarding Downloads and Memberships

Make sure you click on the “Save Settings” button located on the top right of the page when done. That’s it! You have successfully created a Bitcoin for WordPress payment box. Now you can accept this digital currency as payment on your website.

Final Thoughts

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are becoming popular forms of payment around the world. It is a good idea to offer this type of payment gateway in order to connect with a wider range of buyers. These are the buyers that enjoy using their digital wallets to make purchases online.

Have you set up a Bitcoin for WordPress payment gateway before? Did you find it difficult?