How to add a tooltip on WordPress without a developer
A contextual hint on WordPress: one sentence next to the element where visitors hesitate, placed with a click in the visual editor and shown exactly when it helps.
- Time
- ● 10 minutes
- Price
- Free plan
- Who does it
- WordPress administrator
Example: a tooltip on WordPress
A WooCommerce shop sells digital templates, and customers can’t find their files. On /my-account a tooltip points at the Downloads tab: “Your files are here — links never expire”.
Free on the Clew Free plan — no card, no time limit: one site and up to 3 published tours or tooltips. Audience rules and A/B tests come with Pro.
How to add the tooltip on WordPress, step by step
- Step 01
Copy your Clew snippet
Create a free account (or sign in), add your site and open Admin → Overview. Click the line in the “No signal from the widget yet.” card to copy it — it carries your real site key instead of the placeholder.
<!-- Clew: replace PASTE_YOUR_SITE_KEY with the site key from Admin > Overview --> <script src="https://tryclew.io/widget/PASTE_YOUR_SITE_KEY.js" async></script>
Step 1 · schematic illustration - Step 02
Install a header code plugin
In Plugins → Add New install and activate the free WPCode plugin (or use your theme’s own “header scripts” option). Don’t edit
header.php: theme updates overwrite it.
Step 2 · schematic illustration - Step 03
Paste the line into the Header box
Open Code Snippets → Header & Footer, paste the Clew line into Header and press Save Changes.
Step 3 · schematic illustration - Step 04
Purge the cache
If you use WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache, W3 Total Cache or a CDN, purge the cache. In “delay JavaScript” settings, exclude
tryclew.io/widget.
Step 4 · schematic illustration - Step 05
Attach the tooltip to the element
In Clew open Flows → + New flow, keep Step-by-step tooltips and press Edit on your site. On your page press Pick element, click the field or button, and write a short title and one sentence. Set Placement if the automatic position covers something important.
Step 5 · schematic illustration - Step 06
Choose where, when and for whom it shows
In the same editor, set Where to show (page URL), When to show, Audience targeting and Frequency. These are the settings of the example above:
Setting Value Format Step-by-step tooltips Where to show (page URL) Section by prefix /my-accountWhen to show Right on page load Audience targeting No rules — everyone who opens the page Frequency Once per visitor 
Step 6 · schematic illustration - Step 07
Publish and check it on the live site
Set Status to Published and save. Open the page in a private window — Clew remembers who has already seen a “once” item, so your usual browser may skip it. Views, completions and drop-offs appear in the tour stats.
Step 7 · schematic illustration
Pitfalls: tooltip on WordPress
“Delay JavaScript” hides the tooltip until interaction
WP Rocket, LiteSpeed and Perfmatters can postpone scripts until the first scroll or click. The widget then starts late and a Right on page load item looks broken. Add tryclew.io/widget to the exclusions.
Theme and plugin updates rename tabs and buttons
WooCommerce and theme updates occasionally change the markup of account tabs and product forms. Anchor the hint to an element with a stable class such as woocommerce-MyAccount-navigation-link--downloads rather than its position, and glance at Health after updating plugins.
Prefer ids and data attributes
If Pick element suggests a long chain of classes, choose the nearest parent with an id or ask for a data-tour attribute — a stable selector keeps the hint alive through theme updates.
Questions and answers
Does it work with page builders like Elementor?
Yes. Clew works on the rendered page; pick the element with Pick element whatever built it.
Does it work on WordPress.com?
Plugins such as WPCode need a WordPress.com Business plan or higher. Self-hosted WordPress works on any hosting.
Will it show in wp-admin?
Header plugins usually add code to the public site only. For guides inside /wp-admin, add the line with an admin-side snippet (WPCode can target the admin area).
Is the tooltip free?
Yes, on the Free plan — up to 3 published tours and tooltips on one site.
Can the hint open on click only?
Yes. Choose On click on an element and enter the selector of the icon or link that should open it, and set Every visit.
What else you can add on WordPress
- How to add a popup to a WordPress site without a developer
- How to create a product tour on WordPress without a developer
- How to add a rating popup to a WordPress site without a developer