This guide is for course providers and website administrators who want to show Cademy courses on a WordPress website. Cademy for WordPress adds course pages inside your WordPress theme, the design that controls your website’s appearance.

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A course listing is a page showing several courses. Individual course pages show the details of one course. You manage the course information in Cademy and choose where to show listings in WordPress.

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Customers browse the course pages on your website. Normal bookings, enquiries and waitlists take them to Cademy. If a course uses External Bookings, its supported booking actions open the configured external website instead.

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Search engine optimisation (SEO) helps search engines understand a page. Cademy for WordPress provides readable course content and information about each published course on your domain.

These features do not guarantee indexing, a search ranking or a particular search result. Your WordPress theme, SEO plugins and website settings also affect the published page.

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Use the Standard Website Embed to place Cademy content inside an existing website page. It is free from Cademy and includes a Calendar layout. Use Cademy for WordPress when you want individual course addresses inside your WordPress website and listings that form part of its pages. Your website host can have its own fees and restrictions.

If the Standard Website Embed is the best fit, see Embed Courses or Forms on Your Website. Continue below to install Cademy for WordPress.

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You need:

Download the plugin ZIP from Apps > Cademy for WordPress in Cademy. Use that file for installation; do not search the WordPress plugin directory for it.

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If you use WordPress.com’s default dashboard instead of WP Admin, open Plugins and select Upload. That interface installs and activates the uploaded ZIP. If uploading plugins is unavailable, ask your website administrator to check your access and hosting plan before continuing.

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Older screenshot: Download Plugin in the Cademy for WordPress app. The key list does not confirm a working website connection.

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Older WordPress screenshot: the Add Plugin entry and Upload Plugin button. Labels differ between WordPress interfaces.

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The site slug identifies your Cademy provider account. The API key is a private credential that lets the plugin request your course content. Keep it secret and paste it only into your intended website’s Cademy settings. Every API key on your account gives the same access, so any of them can change the WordPress website address and course path saved in Cademy. For what a key gives access to and how to store it, see Create and Manage API Keys.

WordPress saves the settings locally before it tries to sync. A message saying the settings were saved locally but sync failed does not confirm a working connection. Check the slug, key and public Site URL against the intended account and website, then retry Save & Sync. If the message says sync succeeded but the connection check failed, note that specific result and ask Cademy Support or your website administrator to investigate. Do not repeatedly create new keys to clear an unrelated connection error.

Older screenshot: Create API Key in Cademy. The full new key dialog is not shown.

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Adding the plugin does not automatically put a listing on an existing WordPress page. Saving its connection settings and publishing a page containing a listing are separate actions.

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Search, filters and page links record the visitor’s selections in the page address, so the same result can be reloaded or shared. Page links appear only when the listing has more than one page of results. Grid and Rows hide the search and filter area when there are six or fewer displayed courses and no active search or visitor filter. Dated layouts do not use that six-course rule.

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You can use the [cademy_courses] shortcode instead of the block. The shortcode section below includes the options, examples and Elementor instructions.

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Older WordPress screenshot: search for Cademy in the block inserter and choose Cademy Courses.

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Older WordPress screenshot: Listing Options for a selected Cademy Courses block. This image does not show every current settings panel.

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Open Search & Filters in the Block settings to choose which tools visitors can use to narrow down the courses in the listing.

Search Bar and all filter checkboxes are selected by default in the block. Turn off Search Bar and clear every filter checkbox to hide those controls. If the page address still contains a search or filter, Clear Filters remains available to remove it. Save the page after changing these options.

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Location, Collection, Category and Tags depend on the relevant course information being available. Delivery and Level do not use that same check. If one collection is selected under Listing Options > Collection, the Collection checkbox is hidden because the listing is already limited to that collection. The six-course rule for Grid and Rows still applies.

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The block’s CPD checkbox is selected by default, but it does not enable CPD for your account. Teams includes CPD. If your plan is shown as Enterprise, it is a plan agreed with Cademy, so confirm with Cademy Support whether it includes CPD. CPD must also be enabled in Cademy, and a course needs CPD values to show a badge. Pro includes CPD separately, but does not include the WordPress plugin.

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Visitors open the CPD filter, select Awards CPD, optionally enter Minimum CPD points or Minimum CPD hours, then select Apply. Decimal minimum values such as 0.5 are supported. If your organisation uses custom CPD labels, those labels appear in the filter; a shared scheme name can replace CPD in the button and Awards label.

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Selecting Awards CPD and Apply reloads the current WordPress course list with cpd=awarded in the address. Copy the complete address to share that selection. An eligible account’s CPD filter can appear even when no published course awards CPD; selecting it then gives an empty result. The Grid/Rows six-course visibility rule still applies.

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If the block is limited to selected filters, keep CPD selected. With [cademy_courses], include cpd in the filters option or omit that option to use the default filter set.

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For CPD setup, custom labels and troubleshooting, see Set Up and Award CPD Points and Hours.

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Open Card Details in the Block settings to choose which information appears on course cards.

Dates, Delivery & Location, Price, and Rating are selected by default.

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CPD is off by default. Select it to show the course's CPD points, hours or both on its card. Courses without CPD do not show an empty badge.

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Details without data stay hidden automatically. Price or Rating also remains hidden when pricing or reviews are hidden in the course provider's Cademy account settings.

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With Dated Rows and Date Cards, the large date area always remains. Dates controls only the smaller date and time detail. Rating is not shown on Rows or Dated Rows, even when it is selected.

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Clearing every Card Details checkbox removes the optional details. The course image and name remain. Dated Rows and Date Cards also keep their large date area; sold-out badges remain where applicable.

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Older WordPress screenshot: Search & Filters and Card Details before the CPD choices were added. It also shows a newer-autosave warning; use the current controls and check your saved page.

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The [cademy_courses] shortcode adds a Cademy course listing wherever the shortcode is placed on a WordPress page. WordPress replaces the shortcode with the current course listing when the page is viewed.

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The shortcode supports the listing options described below. Use it with Elementor or another page builder that accepts shortcodes, or place it in a WordPress Shortcode block.

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The Cademy Courses block is available in the standard WordPress block editor. It does not appear as a native Elementor widget.

If you enter only [cademy_courses], the listing uses:

Selected controls and details remain subject to the visibility rules above, including the six-course rule for Grid and Rows, account settings and available course data.

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Add options after cademy_courses, with a space between each option. Put each value inside quotation marks. Use commas only when listing several filters or card details.

When collection is used, the listing is already limited to that collection, so the collection filter and collections area are not needed.

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The block also has an advanced Course Link Path setting. Its shortcode equivalent is course_link_path. It changes where course cards link, but does not create pages at the new path or change the Courses base path that serves course pages. Leave it empty unless your website administrator has arranged the destination pages.

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Use the default options

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[cademy_courses]

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Show upcoming courses as Date Cards

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[cademy_courses layout="dated_cards" date_filter="upcoming"]

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Show collections in a carousel

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[cademy_courses collections="carousel"]

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Show only selected filters

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[cademy_courses filters="delivery,location,level,cpd"]

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Hide the search bar and every filter

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[cademy_courses show_search_bar="false" filters="none"]

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Choose which details appear on course cards

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[cademy_courses card_details="dates,delivery,price,duration,level,cpd"]

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Show one collection

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[cademy_courses collection="COLLECTION_ID"]

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Replace COLLECTION_ID with the actual ID of the intended Cademy collection. It is not the collection’s name. If you do not have its ID, use the block’s named Collection picker instead.

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Combine several options

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[cademy_courses layout="dated_cards" date_filter="upcoming" collections="carousel" checkout_on_date_click="true" show_search_bar="true" filters="delivery,location,level,cpd" card_details="dates,delivery,price,cpd"]

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Enter the example on your WordPress page, save or publish the page, then open its public address to check the result. CPD still requires account access and settings. The combined example uses Date Cards so Checkout on Date Click applies.

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After a successful connection, courses published for your minisite and embeds can be served as WordPress course pages. The default address is /courses/{course-slug}. A course slug is the course’s address name. These pages are supplied by the plugin; you do not create or edit a separate WordPress Page record for each course.

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The page at /courses/ remains a normal WordPress page. To show a course listing there, edit that page and add the Cademy Courses block or [cademy_courses] shortcode.

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Under Settings > Cademy, you can change:

Leave Advanced Settings at their defaults unless your website administrator needs to adjust them. For example, Cache TTL (seconds) controls how long a stored copy stays fresh; 0 uses the automatic setting. After changing plugin settings, select Save & Sync, read its result, then recheck the public listing and course page.

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Courses base path is the shared part of the website address that appears before every course's unique course slug.

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For most websites, keep the default value /courses.

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No custom value is required. If the field is left blank and Save & Sync is clicked, Cademy for WordPress automatically uses /courses.

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The plugin always uses a base path, so leaving the field blank does not place course pages directly at the main website address.

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Enter only the path that should appear after the website address. Do not enter the complete website address or an individual course slug.

Fictional address examples for a course with the slug first-aid-at-work:

The page at /courses, or the custom base path selected, remains a normal WordPress page. Cademy for WordPress does not automatically add a course listing to that page.

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To show a course listing there, edit or create that WordPress page and add the Cademy Courses block or [cademy_courses] shortcode. Individual course pages are created automatically underneath it.

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Yes. In WordPress, open Settings > Cademy, change Courses base path, then select Save & Sync. Check the result and open a course at its new address. Changing the path changes every WordPress course address; old addresses no longer match the plugin’s new route.

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If the old addresses have already been shared, linked, or indexed by search engines, add redirects from the old addresses to the new addresses in WordPress.

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Older WordPress screenshot: Courses base path under Settings > Cademy. Page No Title is this example’s selected template, not the default. Save & Sync is below the visible area.

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Keep editing course information in Cademy. Course publication and updates trigger refresh requests to the connected website, but website caches, failed requests and search indexing affect when visitors see the change. After an important change or unpublishing a course, check its public listing and page. Do not rely on a fixed update or removal time.

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Plugin updates are separate from course changes. Check WordPress Plugins or Dashboard > Updates for an available update, or use WordPress auto-updates if your website administrator permits them. The plugin keeps its settings during an update; check the connection and public pages afterwards.

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To stop a website using a particular API key, revoke that key in Cademy. Check its website name carefully before confirming; revocation cannot be undone. Keys created on the Cademy for WordPress page are also listed under Settings > API Keys, with names that start with “WordPress”. For the API Keys page, and for replacing a key, see Create and Manage API Keys.

Revocation invalidates that key for future authentication checks, but cached access and pages can remain until they are checked again. When WordPress no longer has a stored copy to use, a listing shows “Courses are temporarily unavailable.” and a course address shows your website’s page-not-found screen. There is no fixed time for this. Revocation does not remove the plugin or WordPress pages, or clear the account’s saved WordPress website address. If you need to remove the website integration completely, ask your website administrator and Cademy Support to coordinate the removal and check the public result. To reconnect the intended website, create a replacement key and complete the connection steps, including Save & Sync and the public-page checks.

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A plan change does not revoke keys. On a plan without the WordPress feature, Download Plugin and Create API Key cannot be used. On a plan without the API keys feature, the Connected websites list is not shown. Revoke the keys you no longer need before your account moves to a plan without these features. If you need a key revoked after that, contact Cademy Support.

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If the connection or public pages still fail, contact support@cademy.io or use the chat in Cademy Admin. Include the public website address, installed plugin version, the exact Save & Sync message and whether the problem affects the listing, an individual course or both. Do not send the API key. Your website administrator can help with plugin permissions, templates, redirects and website caches.

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Can I use Cademy for WordPress with Elementor?
Yes. Use Elementor’s Shortcode widget and enter [cademy_courses], with any listing options inside the brackets. The Cademy Courses block belongs to the WordPress block editor, not Elementor’s widget list. Save or publish the page and check its public address.

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Does the [cademy_courses] shortcode include all the block's listing options?
Yes. The listed layout, date, collection, checkout, search, filter and card-detail settings have shortcode equivalents. The advanced Course Link Path uses course_link_path; leave it empty unless your website administrator has prepared those destination pages.

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Do I need to recreate my courses in WordPress?
No. Manage course information in Cademy. The plugin serves published course pages and listings on WordPress; it does not create a separate editable WordPress Page record for each course.

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Do I need to know how to code?
No. You need the Cademy and WordPress access described under Before you start. Use the Cademy Courses block’s controls, or enter a shortcode. Your website administrator can handle hosting, templates and redirects.

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Can I install it from the WordPress plugin directory?
No. Download the ZIP from Apps > Cademy for WordPress > Download Plugin in Cademy, then use your WordPress plugin upload option. The installation section explains the different WordPress interfaces.

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Where do I find my Cademy site slug and API key?
Open Apps > Cademy for WordPress as a Cademy System Admin. Copy Your Cademy site slug and use Create API Key. The full key is shown only once; keep it private.

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Does each WordPress website need its own API key?
Yes, use a separate key for each website. However, Cademy stores one WordPress website configuration for the account. A second website’s sync can replace it, so contact Cademy Support before connecting another website. Separate keys do not establish independent multi-site support.

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What if I close Your New API Key before copying the key?
Create a replacement with Create API Key; the complete old key cannot be shown again. Revoke the unused key under Connected websites. Check its name carefully, then paste the replacement into the intended WordPress site and select Save & Sync.

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Why are courses not automatically showing on my main courses page?
The page at your Courses base path remains a normal WordPress page. Edit or create it, add the Cademy Courses block or [cademy_courses], save or publish it, then open its public address.

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Will course changes appear automatically?
Yes. The integration requests updated course content automatically, but cached pages, search indexing and connection failures affect when it appears. Check the public listing and course page after important changes; there is no fixed update time.

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Does the plugin add Cademy tracking or send visitor data to Cademy?
Visitor search and filter values can be sent to Cademy through your WordPress server when it requests results. The plugin does not add Cademy’s interactive browsing scripts or set Cademy cookies for browsing, but this is not a promise that no visitor data reaches Cademy. Other website components have their own behaviour.

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Where do customers complete bookings, enquiries, and waitlists?
Normally on Cademy: customers leave WordPress for the relevant booking, enquiry or waitlist journey. Normal native-plugin checkout uses the same tab. External Bookings sends supported booking actions to the configured website in a new tab; Contact Us and Cademy waitlists remain in Cademy. See Send Customers to an External Booking Website.

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Can I change the course page address?
Yes. In WordPress, open Settings > Cademy, change Courses base path, then select Save & Sync. Check the result and a course at its new address. Arrange redirects for old addresses that have been shared or indexed.

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What happens when a course is unpublished or the address is wrong?
After a fresh request confirms that a course is unknown or unpublished, its page uses your website’s page-not-found screen. Cached content can remain visible before it refreshes. A connection failure without a usable cached copy can also produce a page-not-found screen.

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How are plugin updates installed?
Use WordPress Plugins or Dashboard > Updates when an update is available. WordPress auto-updates are another option if your website administrator permits them. Check the connection and public pages after an update; settings are retained.

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How does Cademy for WordPress help with SEO?
It provides readable course pages on your domain with titles, descriptions, preferred addresses and structured course information. Filtered and paginated listings ask search engines not to index those variations. These features do not guarantee indexing or rankings, and your website’s other settings still matter.

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Where do I choose which filters and card details appear?
Select the Cademy Courses block, open Block settings, then use Search & Filters and Card Details. For shortcodes, use show_search_bar, filters and card_details. Save the WordPress page and check the public result.

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Can I remove the complete search and filter area?
Yes, when there is no active search or filter to clear. Turn off Search Bar and clear every filter checkbox, or use [cademy_courses show_search_bar="false" filters="none"]. An active query can still show Clear Filters.

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Why is Collection missing from Search & Filters?
One collection is already selected under Listing Options > Collection, so the listing is limited to that collection and the Collection checkbox is hidden.

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Why is a selected filter or card detail not visible?
Grid and Rows hide the entire search/filter area when six or fewer courses are displayed and no search or visitor filter is active. Some individual filters depend on matching data; selected Delivery and Level do not use that check. CPD needs account access and settings. Card details need relevant data, and Price or Rating remains hidden when the provider hides pricing or reviews.

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Why is Rating not appearing on Rows or Dated Rows?
​Rating is not displayed on Rows or Dated Rows, even when selected under Card Details. It is a supported optional detail on Grid and Date Cards, subject to available reviews and account settings.

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What happens if I clear every Card Details checkbox?
The course image and name remain. Dated Rows and Date Cards keep their large date area, and sold-out badges remain where applicable. Only the optional details are removed.

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What should I enter under Courses base path?
Keep /courses for most websites. Use another shared path, such as /training or /training/courses, only when your website needs that structure.

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Is Courses base path mandatory?
No custom value is required. Leaving the field blank and selecting Save & Sync uses /courses. The plugin always needs a base path.

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Can I leave Courses base path blank to remove it from course URLs?
No. A blank value uses /courses; it does not put course pages directly at the website’s main address.

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Should I enter my complete website address?
No. Enter the path only, such as /courses. The full website address belongs in Site URL.

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Do I need to add each course slug?
No. Enter the shared base path. The plugin appends the course’s address name automatically.

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Does the page at /courses automatically show all courses?
No. It remains a normal WordPress page. Add a listing block or shortcode, save or publish the page, then check its public address.

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Can I change Courses base path later?
Yes. Changing it changes every WordPress course address. Save with Save & Sync, verify the result, and arrange redirects for old addresses that have been shared or indexed.

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How do visitors filter WordPress courses that award CPD?
Open CPD, select Awards CPD, optionally enter minimum points or hours, then select Apply. The page reloads with the selection in its address, including cpd=awarded. Custom organisation labels can replace the CPD wording.

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Why is the CPD filter missing?
Check that CPD is included and enabled under Settings > CPD in Cademy. Keep CPD selected under the block’s Search & Filters, or include cpd in the shortcode’s filters option. Teams includes the plugin and CPD. If your plan is shown as Enterprise, confirm with Cademy Support whether it includes them. Grid and Rows also hide the filter area with six or fewer displayed courses and no active search or visitor filter.