Install Helpon, run the setup wizard, and send your first AI-powered chat message — all in under 5 minutes.
Before installing Helpon, make sure your WordPress site meets the following requirements:
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | 5.8+ | 6.4+ |
| PHP | 7.4+ | 8.1+ |
| MySQL | 5.7+ | 8.0+ |
| SSL | Required (HTTPS) | |
| Browser | Chrome 90+, Firefox 88+, Safari 14+, Edge 90+ | |
WebRTC video calls and some browser APIs require a secure HTTPS connection. Ensure your site has an active SSL certificate before installing Helpon.
Helpon can be installed directly from the WordPress plugin repository or by uploading the ZIP file manually.
In your WordPress admin dashboard, go to Plugins → Add New.
Type Helpon in the search bar and press Enter. Look for the official Helpon plugin with the blue and orange logo.
Click Install Now, then click Activate. The setup wizard will launch automatically.
Download helpon.zip from the official website or your purchase confirmation email.
Go to Plugins → Add New → Upload Plugin. Click Choose File, select the ZIP, and click Install Now.
After upload completes, click Activate Plugin. The setup wizard will appear in your WordPress admin.
If you're updating from an older version, deactivate the old plugin first, delete it, then install the new version. Your settings and data are stored in the database and won't be lost.
After activation, Helpon creates its database tables and adds a new Helpon menu item to your WordPress admin sidebar. You'll see these sub-menus:
The setup wizard walks you through the essential configuration in 4 simple steps. It launches automatically on first activation, but you can re-run it from Helpon → Settings → Run Setup Wizard.
Enter your business name, industry (healthcare is pre-selected), timezone, and primary language. These settings affect the AI's behavior and greeting messages.
Choose between Claude (Anthropic) or OpenAI as your AI engine. Enter your API key — the wizard validates it immediately. You can switch providers later in AI Settings.
Choose your widget's primary color, position (bottom-right or bottom-left), welcome message, and avatar. The live preview shows how it will look on your site.
Enable or disable modules you want active on launch. You can always toggle features later from the settings panel. Common starter selection:
After completing the setup wizard, the chat widget is live on your site. Here's how to test it:
Visit your website's frontend in a new browser tab or incognito window. You should see the chat bubble in the bottom-right (or bottom-left) corner.
Click the chat bubble. The welcome message you configured will appear. Type a test question like "What are your business hours?" and press Enter.
The AI will respond based on your configuration. If you enabled AI auto-reply, the response comes from Claude or OpenAI. If an agent is online, the message goes to the live chat console.
Go to Helpon → Conversations in your WordPress admin. You'll see the test conversation with the full transcript, visitor details, and AI confidence scores.
Use an incognito/private window for testing so you see the exact experience your visitors will have, without any admin session interference.
The chat widget can be displayed using two methods:
By default, Helpon automatically injects the widget on all pages of your site. Control visibility in Helpon → Settings → General → Display Rules.
For more control, disable auto-injection and use the shortcode to place the chat widget on specific pages:
[helpon_chat]
You can also pass parameters to the shortcode:
[helpon_chat position="bottom-left" color="#2D8BC9" greeting="Need help? Ask away!"]
Fine-tune where the widget appears using the display rules table:
| Rule | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Show on all pages | Display the widget globally across the entire site | Enabled |
| Hide on specific pages | Enter comma-separated page IDs or slugs to exclude | None |
| Show only on specific pages | Only display the widget on listed pages (overrides global) | Disabled |
| Hide for logged-in users | Hide the widget for authenticated WordPress users | Disabled |
| Mobile visibility | Show or hide on mobile devices (screen width < 768px) | Show |
Common issues during setup and their solutions:
z-index value. Helpon uses z-index: 999999If you use a caching plugin, add Helpon's AJAX endpoint (/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php) to your cache exclusion list. Some caching plugins can interfere with real-time chat functionality.