Every day millions of sites generate content without sense and structure. How can visitors know the contents are worth their time? What is the marker for them in this area? Let's estimate this issue time and money-wise.
I think the elaborated charts/graphs are that watershed, which sets apart the worth-seeing content. Here is another pitfall 一 it's not enough to simply structure data. It’s necessary to develop a picturesque and attractive data layout that is diverse, supple, and sometimes text-free.
Recognizing the importance of Excel, Сanva, and other editors, web design envisages another approach for web charts/graphs. It means easy updates and a variety of charts/graphs that refer to the user's needs.
Here, I'd like to present some of the best WordPress chart plugins and tools for data visualization, including WordPress
What Are Charts/Graphs?
WordPress charts cover bar charts, pie charts, line charts, geographic charts, stream schedules, line graphs, bubble charts, etc. They are more than just usability elements. WordPress dynamic charts contribute to SEO and indexing, promote business, and attract visitors.
In detail, charts, and graphs:
- structure content and make it more clear;
- provide convenient interaction with data;
- attract the user's attention and highlight the product’s strengths;
- become calls to action (inspire to buy, download, subscribe, etc.);
- increase credibility to information, especially statistics;
- captivate readers by presenting the information visually;
- help to memorize data and stats;
- can receive a higher website rank from Google;
- can reduce bounce rates.
When to Add Charts & Graphs?
WordPress charts are a great way to turn complex information into easy-to-read information. They can be helpful for the following purposes:
- quick overview of the topic;
- explanation of a complex process;
- submission of survey results or survey data;
- summarize a long blog post or report;
- comparison of several opinions;
- draw attention to a problem or idea.
In other words, any user can use WordPress charts in any field.
Top 5 WordPress Charts Plugins
Here I’d like to present some of the best WordPress charts plugins. But, first, let’s specify the reasons to use them:
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graphs, charts, and illustrations are easier to understand than text;
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charts and graphs are responsive and interactive;
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beautiful charts are user-friendly; they can appear followed by animations that draw attention.
wpDataTables
The wpDataTables plugin is one of the best-sellers. It can use different data sources (MS-Excel, Google Spreadsheet, CSV, MySQL query, JSON, XML, PHP, etc.) to develop big responsive tables with search and filters. Besides, it builds WordPress dynamic charts: Bar, Line, Pie, Columns, etc. There are custom columns with different types of content (strings, integers, floats, links, dates, images).
This plugin uses Google Charts and Highcharts for graph visualization, easy updating, and editing. The plugin provides advanced functions for tables: preview, copy, and save to PDF, CSV, and Excel.
JetEngine
The JetEngine plugin by Crocoblock provides seamless integration with all Crocoblock products, WooCommerce, and Google Developers Charts. This plugin focuses on dynamic elements: chart widgets, chart blocks, and tables.
Using the Tables Builder module, You can build 12 types of WordPress dynamic charts (Bar, Line, Area, Pie, Donut, Columns, Geo, and others) and manage tables (queries, fetch column data, preview). Some unique functions include adding video stats from a YouTube channel to the SQL database, outputting REST API data in the Area chart type, and advanced chart styles.
Visualizer
The Visualizer plugin allows you to build WordPress charts and tables by picking a layout from its library or importing it from Google Tables or CSV for further customization (style, design, color, etc.). This plugin supports nine types of charts (for the free version) and six additional types (premium version), from Chart.js and Google charts to animated graphs.
Visualizer uses many data types, including numbers, strings, booleans, dates, and times. It manages tables, including search and filters, multi-columns order, viewing and editing graphs.
JetElements
Although the JetElements plugin focuses on 45+ widgets, it pays worthy attention to WordPress dynamic charts/graphs. This plugin makes it possible to consider charts/graphs as visuals.
The plugin manages complex numerical data to build responsive tables with any contents and graphs/charts with data comparison in the bar charts.
Besides, it creates vertical and horizontal timelines, roadmaps, progress bars, and circle progress, including animation. Therefore, the tables are adaptive, and the graphs envisage animation.
WP Business Intelligence
The WP Business Intelligence plugin helps you build responsive real-time data tables and WP dynamic charts (bar, donut, line, etc.). It manages big data tables, updates them quickly, and presents real-time information to clients. Users can create custom SQL queries for live connections to the WordPress database. Businesses widely appreciate the plugin.
How to Create a Chart with JetElements?
Here I would like to explain how to use the JetElements plugin to build a static chart with plain data.
Step 1 一 Purchase the
There are two ways to do it:
- You can add the desired plugin to the shopping cart and buy it for $43 per year. That’s called the Custom subscription, which – in this case – embraces JetElements, its 45+ widgets, and one-year product updates.
- Check out the All-inclusive for 1 year and Lifetime subscription plans. The pricing for it starts at $199 per year. All-Inclusive houses 20 Crocoblock plugins, 150+ widgets, and one-year product updates.
This plugin has no free version, but you are entitled to a 30-day moneyback guarantee.
Once purchased, download the plugin from the Crocoblock account, install and activate it.
Step 2 一 Use the widget you need in Elementor.
JetElements envisages three types of charts: Bar Chart, Line Chart, and Pie Chart.
Here I use the Bar Chart widget, so I drag it to the Elementor page and drop it to where I want to add a chart.
Step 3 一 You can edit three sub-menu settings for charts – Content, Style, and Advanced – through the Edit Chart menu.
The first tab, Content, envisages two sub-tabs: Chart Data and Settings. By default, three lines/rows/parts refer to the specified type of the chart. If you’d like to add an extra data set, press the “Add item” button. Besides, you can change the bar type, labels, scale axis range, and step size.
Its sub-tab, called Settings, manages general options of the chart: chart height, grid lines, labels, tooltips, legend (display, position, reverse), and tooltips (prefix, suffix, thousands separator).
The second tab, Style, manages the following options:
- chart (border, width, grid color);
- labels (font-weight, style, and color);
- legend (box weight, font family, font size, font weight, font style, font color);
- tooltips (background color, space between points, padding, body font).
If you apply all the options simultaneously, you get something like this. It’s too much.
The third tab, Advanced, manages the following options:
- margins;
- paddings;
- Z-index;
- CSS ID;
- CSS classes.
In practice, users apply these options time-to-time, but I propose you try all options to understand how it works.
Conclusions
Charts and graphs are the best way to present relevant data on web pages and update them.
Data visualization on sites:
- catches the user's attention;
- makes the statistical information more structural and trustworthy;
- helps users to memorize information.
As you see, there are many free plugins with the same standard features. They are a great starting point if you are just getting started with data visualization. But if you wish to upgrade your skills, think about more advanced WordPress charts and tables plugins.
Those mentioned above are not the only ones on the market. And there is a place for everything, for instance:
- If you need a free plugin with beautiful charts and a good set of features, choose Visualizer.
- If you operate with big real-time business data, install WP Business Intelligence.
- If you need tables in addition to charts, take wpDataTables.
- If you need an easy-to-use plugin focusing on charts/graphs, use JetElements.
- If you want to create complex or dynamic charts, have a look at JetEngine.
What plugin do you use for creating graphs and charts? 🙌