Cademy for WordPress creates real course pages on your own WordPress website. The pages sit inside your WordPress theme, use your website's header, navigation, footer, and fonts, and can appear in search results on your domain.
You continue managing course information in Cademy. It stays up to date on WordPress automatically, while checkout, enquiries, and waitlists continue to be handled securely by Cademy.
Why choose Cademy for WordPress?
Every published course gets its own page on your WordPress website automatically
Course pages fit inside your WordPress theme
Individual course pages can appear in search results on your own domain
Add course listings with the Cademy Courses block or
[cademy_courses]shortcodeSearch, filters, and pagination work automatically on course listings
Choose Grid, Rows, Dated Rows, or Date Cards for each listing
Course changes made in Cademy usually appear on WordPress within seconds
No iframe or helper script is needed
No Cademy JavaScript or Cademy cookies are added while visitors browse your WordPress course pages
Previously loaded course pages can continue using a cached copy if Cademy is temporarily unavailable
SEO benefits
Cademy for WordPress creates a separate, search-friendly page on your domain for every published course. Search engines can read the full course content directly from the page.
Each course page includes its own page title and meta description
A canonical URL identifies the main address for the course page
Structured course data helps search engines understand that the page describes a course
Filtered, searched, and paginated listing pages are kept out of search results to reduce duplicate pages
When Cademy for WordPress is connected, Cademy identifies the WordPress course page as the main version for search engines
These features give each course a strong technical foundation for search visibility. They do not guarantee a particular search position or ranking.
Choose the best WordPress option
There are two good ways to add Cademy courses to WordPress. The Standard Website Embed is the quicker free option and includes Calendar. Cademy for WordPress is designed for separate course pages on your domain, a WordPress-native appearance, and stronger course-level SEO.
Feature | Standard Website Embed | Cademy for WordPress |
Best for | Quickly adding courses to almost any website | Creating a native WordPress course experience with separate course pages |
Website support | WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, and most websites that accept custom embed code | WordPress 6.4 or later, with PHP 7.4 or later |
Setup | Choose the instructions for your website platform and copy the supplied code | Install the plugin and connect it to Cademy once |
Appearance | Cademy layouts using your Cademy brand colour | Course pages inside your WordPress theme, using its header, navigation, footer, and fonts |
Showing courses | Show multiple courses, a collection, or a single course | Every published course gets its own page; add listings using the Cademy Courses block or shortcode |
Course browsing | Course browsing happens inside the embedded Cademy experience | Search, filters, and pagination are part of the WordPress listing page |
Customer journey | Customers can browse and complete checkout inside the embed on your website | Customers browse native WordPress pages, then bookings, enquiries, and waitlists are completed securely on Cademy |
SEO and search visibility | Your existing website page can appear in search results while the course content is displayed inside the embed | Each course has its own search-friendly page on your domain, with SEO information and structured course data |
Course listing layouts | Grid, Rows, Dates List, Date Cards, and Calendar | Grid, Rows, Dated Rows, and Date Cards |
Course updates | Updates automatically when you change courses in Cademy | Updates automatically when you change courses in Cademy |
Availability | Free | Teams plan |
If the Standard Website Embed is the best fit, follow the Standard Website Embed guide. Continue below to install Cademy for WordPress.
Before you start
You need:
A Cademy Teams plan
A WordPress website running WordPress 6.4 or later
PHP 7.4 or later on the WordPress website
Administrator access to WordPress
Important: Download Cademy for WordPress from Apps > Cademy for WordPress in Cademy. It is not installed from the WordPress plugin directory.
1. Download and install the plugin
In Cademy, go to Apps > Cademy for WordPress.
Click Download Plugin. This downloads a ZIP file.
In WordPress, go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
Select the ZIP file, click Install Now, then click Activate Plugin.
2. Connect WordPress to Cademy
Return to Apps > Cademy for WordPress in Cademy.
Copy the value under Your Cademy site slug.
Under Your API key, click Create API Key.
In Create an API Key, enter a name under Which website is this key for?, then click Create Key.
In Your New API Key, click Copy Key. Copy it before closing the window because the complete key is shown only once.
In WordPress, go to Settings > Cademy.
Paste the site slug into Cademy Site Slug and the key into API key.
Check that Site URL shows the correct public WordPress address, then click Save & Sync.
When the connection succeeds, WordPress shows: Settings saved and synced - connection verified, your courses are ready to display.
Use one API key per website. Each website you connect needs its own key. This makes it clear which website is connected and lets you disconnect one website without affecting another.
3. Add a course listing
Edit the WordPress page where the course listing should appear.
Add the Cademy Courses block.
Open Listing Options.
Choose the settings described below, then publish or update the page.
Listing Options
Layout - choose Grid, Rows, Dated Rows, or Date Cards.
Dates - choose All Courses or Upcoming Only.
Collection - choose All Collections or one collection.
Collections at the Top - when All Collections is selected, choose Auto, Grid, Carousel, or Hidden.
Checkout on Date Click - sends visitors straight to checkout when they pick a date.
Visitors can use search, filters, and pagination on the published listing automatically. Their selected search, filters, and page remain in the address, so they can reload or share the same results.
You can also add the [cademy_courses] shortcode instead of the Cademy Courses block.
Course pages and settings
Every published course automatically gets its own WordPress page. The default address is /courses/{course-slug}.
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.
Under Settings > Cademy, you can change:
Site URL - detected automatically. Change it only if the website uses a different public address.
Courses base path - controls the first part of every course page address.
Course page template - choose the WordPress theme template used by course pages. The default is Theme default.
Default listing layout - used by
[cademy_courses]when a layout has not been specified.
Advanced Settings normally does not need to be changed.
Performance, privacy, and reliability
Course listings and course pages are created as server-rendered WordPress content, so visitors and search engines can read the page without Cademy JavaScript.
The plugin sets no Cademy cookies and sends no visitor data to Cademy while a visitor browses the WordPress course pages.
When a visitor chooses to book, enquire, or join a waitlist, they continue securely on Cademy.
Course pages are cached on WordPress. If Cademy is temporarily unavailable, a previously loaded page can continue showing its cached copy.
If no cached copy exists, courses may temporarily show as unavailable until the connection recovers.
Course changes, plugin updates, and disconnecting
Course changes made in Cademy update on WordPress automatically, usually within seconds.
Plugin updates appear in the normal WordPress Plugins and Dashboard > Updates screens. Updating the plugin keeps its existing settings and Cademy connection.
To disconnect a website, go to Apps > Cademy for WordPress in Cademy. Under Connected websites, use Revoke API Key for that website and confirm Revoke.
After revoking the key, its course pages keep working briefly, then stop updating and show courses as unavailable. You can reconnect the website with a new key.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to recreate my courses in WordPress?
No. Continue managing courses in Cademy. Cademy for WordPress shows them on your WordPress website automatically.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. You need administrator access to install the plugin, connect it under Settings > Cademy, and add the Cademy Courses block.
Can I install it from the WordPress plugin directory?
No. In Cademy, go to Apps > Cademy for WordPress and click Download Plugin. Upload that ZIP file under Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin.
Where do I find my Cademy site slug and API key?
In Cademy, go to Apps > Cademy for WordPress. Copy Your Cademy site slug, then click Create API Key.
Does each WordPress website need its own API key?
Yes. Create a separate API key for every website you connect.
What if I close Your New API Key before copying the key?
The complete key cannot be shown again. Click Create API Key to create a replacement, then use Revoke API Key under Connected websites for the unused key.
Why are courses not automatically showing on my main courses page?
The page at your Courses base path remains a normal WordPress page. Edit it and add the Cademy Courses block or [cademy_courses] shortcode.
Will course changes appear automatically?
Yes. Changes made in Cademy update on WordPress automatically, usually within seconds.
Does the plugin add Cademy tracking or send visitor data to Cademy?
Not while visitors browse the WordPress course pages. The plugin adds no Cademy JavaScript, sets no Cademy cookies, and sends no visitor data to Cademy. Visitors move to Cademy only when they choose to book, enquire, or join a waitlist.
Where do customers complete bookings, enquiries, and waitlists?
They are completed securely on Cademy.
Can I change the course page address?
Yes. In WordPress, go to Settings > Cademy and change Courses base path.
What happens when a course is unpublished or the address is wrong?
An unpublished or unknown course page shows your website's normal page-not-found screen.
How are plugin updates installed?
Updates appear under Plugins and Dashboard > Updates. You can also enable WordPress auto-updates. Existing settings and the Cademy connection are kept when the plugin updates.
How does Cademy for WordPress help with SEO?
Each published course gets a separate page on your domain. The page includes a title, meta description, canonical URL, and structured course data. Cademy identifies the WordPress page as the main version, and filtered or paginated listing pages are kept out of search results to reduce duplicate pages. These features support discoverability but do not guarantee a particular ranking.
Need help?
Message us using the chat in your Cademy dashboard or email support@cademy.io.