# WordPress

Install the Small Business Chatbot plugin and connect it to your account, so the AI chatbot loads on your WordPress site with no code.

Updated Oct 28, 2026. Source: https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/integrations/your-website/wordpress

- **Direction:** In
- **Sign-in:** Your account, opened from the plugin

## What this does

The Small Business Chatbot plugin connects a WordPress site to your account. Once you approve the site, it loads the chat widget there. Connecting also starts a [scan of the site](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/chat-widget/train-on-your-website), so the chatbot can answer from it.

> **Note:** The plugin is on wordpress.org as Small Business Chatbot. In the app, **Chat Widget › Add to Website › Connect with WordPress** opens its page.

## Before you start

- An administrator login for the WordPress site. The plugin needs WordPress 5.8 or later and PHP 7.0 or later.
- A site address that starts with `https://` and is reachable on the public internet.
- On a multisite network, connect each site from its own admin.

## Install the plugin

1. **Add and activate it**

   In WordPress, open **Plugins**, add **Small Business Chatbot**, and activate it.

2. **Open the plugin's page**

   In the WordPress admin menu, open **SBC Chatbot**. It shows **Disconnected** and **Connect your account to activate chat.**

## Connect your account

1. **Choose how to connect**

   On **SBC Chatbot**, click **Create an account** for a new account, or **Connect an existing account** if you already use the app. WordPress sends you to smallbusinesschatbot.com.

2. **Sign up or sign in**

   Finish the sign-up or sign-in on smallbusinesschatbot.com.

3. **Approve the site**

   The page **Connect this site to your account?** shows your site's address and your account's email. Check that the address is your site, then click **Approve and connect**.

4. **See it connected**

   You return to **SBC Chatbot** in WordPress. It shows **Connected** and **Your chatbot is live on this site.**, with the notice "Your site is connected. The chatbot widget is now active and the initial website scan has been queued."

An existing account keeps its own chatbot, with the settings you already made.

## Check it loads

Open the site in a private browser window. The launcher shows in the bottom right corner. The other checks are in [Any website](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/integrations/your-website/any-website#check-it-loads).

## Settings

### Open platform

Opens the app, where you change the widget's [look](https://smallbusinesschatbot.com/docs/user-guides/chat-widget/look-and-feel), the chatbot's answers and its instructions. All settings live in the app.

### Disconnect

Turns the widget off and clears the connection in WordPress. WordPress shows "This WordPress site is disconnected. The public widget is off." To use the site again, connect it with the same account. The app keeps the site linked to that account.

Deactivating the plugin stops the widget but keeps the connection, so it comes back when you activate the plugin again.

## What it does

- Loads the same widget as the installation code, from smallbusinesschatbot.com.
- Uses the chatbot of the account you connected.
- Starts a scan of the site when the connection finishes.

## If something goes wrong

| You see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The connection expired or its security state did not match. Please start again. | The connection took too long or was started twice | Start again from **SBC Chatbot** |
| WordPress could not reach Small Business Chatbot. Please check outbound HTTPS and try again. | Your host blocked WordPress from calling smallbusinesschatbot.com | Ask your host to allow outbound HTTPS, then try again |
| This WordPress site is already connected to another account. | Another account connected this site first. **Disconnect** in WordPress doesn't release it. | Connect with that account. To move the site to another account, contact support |
| WordPress connections require an HTTPS site URL. | The site address starts with `http://` | Serve the site over HTTPS, then start again |
| WordPress connections require a publicly routable site hostname. | The site runs on a local or private address | Connect from the live site |
| Too many WordPress connection attempts. Wait a few minutes and try again. | More than 30 attempts from one address in five minutes | Wait five minutes, then try again |
| This WordPress connection expired | More than ten minutes passed before you approved | Start again from **SBC Chatbot** |
| Update the Small Business Chatbot plugin | The plugin is version 1.0 | Update the plugin in WordPress, then connect again |
| Sign-in was cancelled. Nothing was connected or activated. | The sign-in was cancelled | Start again from **SBC Chatbot** |