How to Build a Chart in WordPress with Chartify

Displaying information online is never easy, but one of the best ways to do it is by turning it into a chart. While there are several ways to create charts and graphs in WordPress, Chartify is one of the best options.

This plugin supports various chart types including line graphs, pie charts, and more. It even offers integration with Google Sheets so you can easily add the data directly into the graphs this plugin supports.

It is also possible to take data directly from a database and turn it into a chart. Each chart has multiple options for colors, so you can customize them to meet your site’s design and help make the information they contain clearer.

Today, I will demonstrate how to create charts in WordPress using the Chartify plugin.

This tutorial is for:
WordPress 6.7.2
Plugin: Chartify v3.2.4

When to Create a Chart In WordPress?

Charts and graphs are best utilized when multiple statistics need to be shared about the same topic.

For example, let’s say you were sharing your business’s sales data with an investor. You would not want to sit there and list off shirts made up 37% of our sales, socks made up 12% of sales, and so on.

Instead, you would create a pie chart that contained all of the necessary information. This is easier to look at and does a better job of displaying the data. In other cases, it might be more appropriate to use a different type of chart.

It depends on what kind of data you are handling, and what kind of message you are trying to send.

Keeping with our same example, the pie chart is the best option for what percentage each component makes up. However, if you wanted to show how things were changing compared to last year, you would want to use a line chart.

This is because the line chart can easily compare multiple statistics against each other to see trends and patterns.

How to Create a Chart In WordPress

Chartify is a great plugin for building charts. First, you will add the Chart Builder block to your post or page, then select the chart you want to build. From there, you’ll just need to enter the data to build the chart.

You’ll have several options to enter data. These include manually entering the data, using Google Sheets, using a database, and more. However, when it comes to the free version of the plugin, you can only enter data manually.

Once the data is entered, the chart will appear. You can then use the customization options to change the colors.

Overall, the most time-consuming part is entering the data. If there is not a lot, I recommend manually entering the data. If there is a lot, Google Sheets is the better option. That said, it does require purchasing the Pro version.

Step 1: Install Chartify

Let’s start by clicking on Plugins and selecting the Add New option on the left-hand admin panel.

Search for Chartify in the available search box. This will pull up additional plugins that you may find helpful.

Scroll down until you find the Chartify plugin, click on the “Install Now” button, and activate the plugin for use.

Step 2: Create A Chart

The plugin is rather simple to use. You will need to create the chart before you can add it to a post or page. To do this, click on Chart Builder and select the Add New option.

Note: If you click on the How to Use option, you will find a video tutorial outlining how to build charts with the plugin. It is a great guide.

Upon doing so, you will see a window containing all of the chart options the plugin offers. At the very top will be a drop-down menu allowing you to choose the chart source. By default, this is set to Google Charts.

The other option is the default. Since everything is included in Google Charts, I recommend leaving this as the Chart Source.

Below this, select the chart you want to use. In this case, I will select a Pie Chart, but the method is almost identical regardless of what you choose. There will only be slight input differences that correspond to that specific chart type.

Once the chart type is selected, click on the “Next” button at the bottom. The plugin will generate a generic chart with some filler information. You now need to edit this information.

Step 3: Enter Chart Data

At the very top is a Title section. Enter the title for the chart you are creating. After this, you will need to choose what method you are using to enter the data into the chart. By default, it will give you the manual option, so let’s look at that.

Note: The free version only allows you to enter data manually.

By default, the pie chart was filled with counties and their corresponding populations. All you need to do is enter the name and percentage of what you want the chart to display.

For example, I made a chart displaying what items my store sells.

It would look something like this:

You can use the “Add Row” button to add additional options. Other chart types will have slightly different options, so they may not be identical to what is above. You can now use the other tabs to customize the chart.

The settings tab allows you to create a description underneath the chart, hide that description, hide the title, and things of that nature. The style tab allows you to customize the size of the chart, font options, border options, background color selection, and more.

The final tab will be specific to the chart you selected. In my case, it was called Pie Settings because I chose a Pie Chart. This allows you to change specific elements related to that chart.

Once you have customized the chart, be sure to click on the “Save and Close” button on the bottom left of the page.

This will save the chart in the plugin. It can now be selected when you use the Chart Builder block. Alternatively, you can use the Shortcode it generated to place it.

Step 4: Adding the Chart

With the chart created, all that is left is to add it to a post or page. While you can use the shortcode, I would recommend using the block. Go to the post or page where you want to add the chart.

Start by adding the Chart Builder block to the post or page you are editing.

Now, use the drop-down menu to select the chart you want to add. It will list the charts by the title. If you did not enter a title, it should say “Untitled Chart”. In my case, I name it Store Pie Chart.

Note: The plugin comes with two Default Charts to select. You can delete these on the chart list page so they do not clog up the drop-down menu.

The chart will not be visible inside of the editor. You can use the preview option to view it or save the changes and view it on a live page.

And that’s it. The Pro version of this plugin has additional chart types to choose from as well as access to Google Sheets integration. As such, it is worth upgrading if you plan to regularly use this tool.

Improve Your Content Today With Chartify

Charts can help enhance content by presenting data in an easy-to-understand format. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. And I think a chart may be worth even more than that.

It is also worth pointing out that charts, and graphics in general, get shared far more on social media platforms. As such, this can help you gain traction on other platforms if users choose to share your graphics, but be sure to add your site name to the graph.

This way, people will know where it is from. I hope you found this tutorial helpful in learning to add charts with Chartify.

What type of charts did you add to WordPress? How easy did you find Chartify to use?

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