Connect your WordPress site (one-click)
If your website runs on WordPress, this is the easiest way to add Costello web chat. Costello opens your WordPress admin straight at our official plugin — no searching the plugin directory, no zip to download, and no code to paste.
Before you start
Web chat is a separate channel from your Instagram and Messenger connections — connecting those doesn't add the chat bubble to your website, so you set it up here on its own.
You'll need administrator access to your WordPress dashboard (the admin area at yoursite.com/wp-admin) so you can install and activate a plugin.
Unlike Wix or Shopify, WordPress has no central login — your dashboard is part of your own website, at yoursite.com/wp-admin. That's why Costello asks for your site address: it's the only way to open your admin. The button below takes you there and, if you're not already signed in, WordPress will ask you to log in first and then drop you on the plugin screen.
This plugin works on self-hosted WordPress sites (WordPress.org). If you're on a WordPress.com plan that doesn't allow custom plugins, use the manual snippet route in the Not working? Install it manually section at the bottom of this page instead.
Connecting your site
In Costello, go to Integrations → Web chat, then find Install instructions and select the WordPress tab. Your WordPress site address is already filled in from the website you gave during onboarding — check it's right (it should be the address people visit your site at).
Click Open WordPress →. A new tab opens your site's admin, landing straight on the Costello plugin's install screen. If you're not signed in to WordPress, it'll ask you to log in first, then bring you right back to the plugin.
On that screen, click Install Now, then Activate Plugin. The Costello settings page opens automatically once it's active.
On the Costello settings page, click Connect to Costello. This runs a secure connection between your site and your Costello account — no code or Agent ID to copy.
You'll be taken to Costello to approve. Confirm, and you'll be sent straight back to WordPress, fully connected.
Back on the Integrations → Web chat page in Costello, click Verify install to confirm the widget is on your site.
Once connected, the chat bubble appears on your site automatically. To change its colour, opening message, or position, head to Integrations → Web chat in Costello — see Web chat widget settings.
Troubleshooting
Clicking "Open WordPress" just loaded my website
The button opens yoursite.com/wp-admin — your WordPress admin. If it showed your normal homepage instead of a login or the plugin screen, the address in the box probably isn't a live WordPress site (for example, a placeholder or a site that isn't on WordPress). Double-check the site address is the real WordPress site you want the chat bubble on.
The Costello settings page didn't open after activating
Click the Costello item that appears in your WordPress left-hand menu — that's the same settings page. From there, click Connect to Costello.
The connection didn't complete
If you got sent back to WordPress but the page still shows Connect to Costello, click it again. Make sure you're logged in to Costello in the same browser, and approve the connection when prompted. If pop-ups are blocked, allow them for your site and retry.
The widget isn't showing on my site
This is almost always a caching issue. If you use a caching plugin (such as WP Rocket or W3 Total Cache) or a CDN, clear your site cache, then refresh your website in a private browsing window. Give it a minute or two to update.
Not working? Install it manually
If the one-click route won't work for you — you're on WordPress.com, your host locks down plugin installs, or the button just won't cooperate — you can add Costello by hand with the embed snippet. This is the same chat bubble; it just skips the plugin.
In Costello, go to Integrations → Web chat and click Copy embed snippet. It's a small <script> block — you'll paste the exact same snippet, once, and it covers every page of your site.
In WordPress, go to Plugins → Add New Plugin, search for WPCode, then Install and Activate it. WPCode lets you add code to your site without editing theme files.
Go to Code Snippets → Header & Footer in your WordPress menu.
Paste your Costello snippet into the Footer box and click Save Changes. The widget now loads on every page.
Back in Costello, on Integrations → Web chat, click Verify install to confirm we can see the snippet on your site.
You can also install the plugin manually: download it from platform.costellohq.com/downloads/costello-ai-chat.zip, then in WordPress go to Plugins → Add New Plugin → Upload Plugin, choose the zip, click Install Now, then Activate — and continue from the Connect to Costello step above.
With the manual snippet route, the widget only loads on domains you've whitelisted. If the bubble doesn't appear, check your domain is in the allowed domains list under Integrations → Web chat. (The plugin route adds this for you automatically.) See Web chat widget settings.