How to Add Custom User Registration in WordPress (5 Easy Steps)

Looking to create a custom page or form that allows users to register on your site?

Maybe you want users to register for an account, sign up for an event, or join your awesome online course (like we do at WP101).

Letting users register can really boost your site’s appeal and keep people coming back for more.

Now, don’t worry if you’re not a coding wizard. There are some pretty powerful plugins out there that do all the hard work for you.

The trick is figuring out exactly what you need. Are you looking for a simple sign-up form? Or do you need something fancier for a membership site?

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through different ways to add user registration to your site.

Let’s start by exploring the different types of user registration needs you might have, and then we’ll delve into the various methods to address them.

Understanding User Registration Needs

Different websites have different requirements when it comes to user registration. Let’s explore some common scenarios:

1. Basic Account Creation

This is the simplest form of user registration. Users create an account to:

Access exclusive content
Leave comments on blog posts
Receive newsletters or updates

2. Membership Sites and Online Course Sites (LMS)

For membership websites offering premium content, courses, or services, user registration will likely involve:

Multiple membership levels
Recurring payments
Access control to specific content or features
Course enrollment
Progress tracking
Certificates and achievements

3. eCommerce Registration

Online stores often require user registration for:

Order tracking
Wishlists
Personalized shopping experiences

5. Event Registration

For websites that need event bookings and registrations, you might need:

Event selection
Ticket purchases
Attendee information collection

6. Community or Forum Websites

These online community sites typically require registration for:

Posting and replying to topics
Private messaging
User profiles

7. Multi-author Blogs

Blogs with multiple contributors might use registration for:

Author accounts
Content submission
Editorial workflows

Based on the various needs you might have, I’ve detailed 4 methods you can use, starting with WordPress’s built-in registration feature. After that, I’ll also give you a list of helpful plugins that you could use.

Method 1: Enable Built-in User Registration in WordPress
Method 2: Creating a Custom User Registration Page with SeedProd
Method 3: Creating a Custom User Registration Form with WPForms
Method 4: Creating a Custom User Registration with BuddyBoss

Method 1: Enabling Built-in User Registration in WordPress

WordPress comes with a basic user registration feature that’s suitable for simple needs. Here’s how to enable and customize it.

Now check the box next to “Anyone can register”.

Below this, you can select the default user role that will be assigned to new users who register. Usually, this is Subscriber.

I recommend that you never use Administrator as the default user role for user registrations. Admin roles should be granted only to people you trust as they will have complete access to your website to make any and all changes they want. If you grant this user role to new users, they may be able to take over your website and lock you out.

Don’t forget to “Save Changes” at the bottom of the page.

Now, you can visit your WordPress login page, and you will see an option to register as a new user.

Now if you want to create a custom login and registration page, I’ll show you how to do that next.

Method 2: Creating a Custom User Registration with SeedProd

SeedProd allows you to create custom login pages that match your website’s design. This can replace the default WordPress login page with a more branded and user-friendly version.

SeedProd comes with premade templates that are ready to go. Check out this template that you can just enable on your site in a few clicks.

If you want to customize the templates, there’s a drag-and-drop builder that’s so easy to use. This gives you more control over the content, images, fields and layout of your registration form compared to the default WordPress registration.

To get started, install and activate the SeedProd plugin on your site. From your WordPress admin menu, open the SeedProd dashboard.

You’ll see four options for Coming Soon Mode, Maintenance Mode, Login Page, and 404 Page.

Click on ‘Set up a Login Page’.

This will open up the library of page templates which are already filtered by ‘login’ so you can pick a relevant one.

Once you select a template, you’ll see an option to add a page name and page URL. Now click on ‘Save and Start Editing the Page’ and you’ll be redirected to the visual builder.

SeedProd has a pretty cool builder that’s so easy to use. If you’re a beginner, you should have no trouble at all navigating this.

First, you’ll see a preview of your design on the right and the editing taskbar on the left.

To edit any text on the page, simply click on it and change it. You’ll also see settings open up on the left where you can change the alignment, add a link, and tweak the text format.

If you want to add a new block, simply select it and drag and drop it into the design where you want it to appear.

For my login page, I wanted to display links to my social media pages. I ran a search for ‘social’ and selected the ‘Social Profiles’ block. When I dragged and dropped it into the design, it already had the main social icons added.

All I had to do was add my profile links and it was done.

When you’re happy with your design, save and publish the page. Head over to the Page Settings tab and switch the Page Status to ‘Publish’.

Now if you try to exit the builder, it will display a popup that tells you the page is not active. If you’d like to activate the login mode, you can click on the ‘Yes, Activate’ button here.

If you’d like to do it later, you can enable login mode back on the SeedProd dashboard by clicking the toggle switch here:

That’s it. Now your custom login and registration page will be live on your site and available for users at the URL you created.

Next, I’ll show you how to create user registration forms.

Method 3: Creating a Custom User Registration with WPForms

WPForms is hands down the best form builder for WordPress. You can use it to make contact forms, sign-up forms, and even login and registration forms.

What I love is that there’s a variety of pre-built templates that you can use to create your login and registration forms. These templates cover different styles and layouts, so you can find one that matches your purpose.

Here’s a registration form I created in just 2 mins with WPForms:

It has a simple interface that even beginners can understand. You don’t need to be a tech expert to create great forms.

Now WPForms has a dedicated add-on for User Registration. This provides pre-configured fields and settings for user registration, saving you time and effort.

Let me show you what it’s all about and how to use it.

First, install and activate WPForms on your website. If you need help with that, follow our guide How to Install a WordPress Plugin (Beginner’s Guide)

Head over to the WPForms » Settings page and add your license key. You can find this key in your account on the WPForms website.

When your key is successfully verified, head over to the WPForms » Add New page. Here, you can add a name for your form. I’m calling it ‘User Registration’.

Then on the left, you can search for the form template you want or use the filters available to narrow your search.

For this tutorial, I’m going to select the ‘Sign Up Registration Form’.

Once you click on the ‘Use template’ button, the drag and drop form builder will open.

Here, you’ll see a premade form ready to be published! This is why I love WPForms so much. You hardly need to make any changes.

The builder will display a form preview on the right, so you can build it as you would see it on the front end of your site.

If you need to make any changes, choose the field in the preview. You’ll see editing options open on the left. You can change the label, format, and description, and make it a required field as well.

You can make all the changes you need. Once done, go to the Settings tab on the left of the builder.

You’ll see ‘User Registration’ in the menu greyed out. Click on it and you’ll see a popup appear. This will ask you if you want to activate the User Registration addon. Click on ‘Yes, activate’.

Once it’s activated, you can click on the ‘Yes, save and refresh’ button.

In case you’re unable to activate the addon here, you can do so under WPForms » Addons page. Search for ‘User Registration’ and install the addon.

Now you can Enable User Registration and you’ll see a field mapping form appear. There’s a dropdown menu next to each field that makes it easy to fill out the form.

Scroll down further and you can choose User Roles, and add more settings for user activation and login. You can also set up email notifications and add smart conditional logic to your form.

That’s it. You can save the form and embed it anywhere on your site. WPForms gives you a shortcode to add to posts, pages, and sidebars. You can also use the readymade block available in Gutenberg and other popular page builders.

All you have to do is add the block to your page, post, or widget-ready area. You’ll get a dropdown menu of all the forms you’ve created. Choose the right form and hit ‘publish’ and your form will appear on the front end.

Now you’ve learned how to create a custom user registration form in WordPress using WPForms. Check out How to Add a Contact Form in WordPress (5 Easy Steps).

WPForms is a powerful form builder and there’s a lot more to this plugin. Learn how to use WPForms and make the most of this plugin through step-by-step tutorials:

WPForms 101 Course

Method 4: Creating a Custom User Registration with BuddyBoss

BuddyBoss is a comprehensive WordPress plugin that transforms a standard WordPress site into a feature-rich social network or online community. It’s particularly popular for creating membership sites, online learning platforms, and professional networks.

I picked BuddyBoss for this tutorial because it has powerful registration features including:

Custom registration forms
Social login options
Member approval processes
Profile field customization
Account types and user roles

Let’s get started. When you sign up, you get the BuddyBoss Theme and the BuddyBoss Platform Pro.

When you install the plugin on your WordPress site, you can activate the BuddyBoss theme under Appearances » Themes.

Now let’s enable user registration. Navigate to BuddyBoss Settings page.

Under the General tab, you’ll see options for accounts, registration, users, and more.

Scroll down to the Registration section. Here, you can check the box that says ‘Allow non-members to register new accounts’.

There are options below that to use the BuddyBoss Registration form or a custom one like the form you built with WPForms.

You can add a legal agreement checkbox, email confirmation, and password confirmation.

Below this, you can choose which page you want the user to land on when they log in and log out of their accounts.

Switch to the Pages tab in the top menu and you’ll see options to choose which form or page to use for registration, terms of service, privacy policy, and account activation.

You can create a page with BuddyBoss here. If you want a custom page, then I recommend using SeedProd to create those pages that match your website’s design.

Then you can select it from the dropdown menu here.

Once you save your settings, visit your website and you should see options to ‘sign in’ and ‘sign up’ in your header menu.

Users can now choose to sign up and they’ll be greeted with a form like this that lets them create an account.

Now you know 4 ways to add user registration to your website. While we’ve explored the popular user registration solutions, the WordPress ecosystem offers a wide array of plugins to cater to various registration needs.

Each website has unique requirements, and what works best for one might not be ideal for another. That’s why it’s crucial to understand the diverse options available.

Bonus: Other Recommended User Registration Plugins

Let me introduce you to 3 other noteworthy user registration plugins. These tools offer different features, strengths, and specializations that might be the perfect fit for your specific project.

Formidable Forms: Build advanced signup forms like eligibility calculator forms or long questionnaires.
MemberPress: Create a membership site with user registration and get powerful user management features.
Nextend Social Login: Let users sign up and log in using their social media accounts.

Find the full list of User Registration Plugins here »

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on WordPress User Registration

1. Do I need coding skills to add custom user registration to WordPress?

Not necessarily. While some coding knowledge can be helpful, many plugins offer user-friendly interfaces that allow you to create custom registration forms without coding.

2. Can I add custom fields to my registration form?

Yes, most custom registration plugins, like WPForms, allow you to add various custom fields such as dropdown menus, checkboxes, radio buttons, and more.

3. How can I ensure my custom registration form is secure?

Use reputable plugins, implement CAPTCHA or reCAPTCHA, enable SSL on your site, and regularly update your WordPress core, themes, and plugins.

4. Can I style my registration form to match my website’s design?

Absolutely. Many plugins offer customization options to adjust colors, fonts, and layouts. Some even allow custom CSS for more advanced styling.

5. Is it possible to automate user approval after registration?

Yes, you can set up automatic approval or implement a manual approval process, depending on your needs and the plugin you’re using.

6. Can I integrate social media login with my custom registration form?

Many registration plugins offer social media login integration. You’ll need to set up developer accounts with the social platforms you want to use.

7. How can I test my registration form before making it live?

It’s best to set up a staging environment or use a local development site to test your form thoroughly before deploying it on your live site.

8. Can I send custom emails to users after they register?

Yes, most registration plugins allow you to customize the content of confirmation emails sent to new users.

9. Is it possible to create different registration forms for different user roles?

Some advanced registration plugins allow you to create multiple forms and assign different user roles based on the form used or user input.

10. How do I handle GDPR compliance with my custom registration form?

Include clear consent checkboxes, provide links to your privacy policy, and ensure you’re only collecting necessary information. Many plugins offer GDPR-specific features to help with compliance.

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How to Add Custom User Registration in WordPress (5 Easy Steps)