Step 1 — Install and Activate
If you haven’t installed the plugin yet, see Installation first. Once activated, the plugin is ready to use immediately with sensible defaults — no configuration required to get started.
Step 2 — Visit a Post
Open any published post on your site. You will see the like button injected automatically after the post content — this is the default behavior out of the box.
The button will look like this in its default style:
🤍 Like · 0Click it — the button updates instantly via AJAX, the count increments, and the icon fills to show the liked state. Click again to unlike.
Step 3 — Configure in Settings
Go to Settings → Simple Post Like in your WordPress admin to configure the plugin.
The Settings page has two tabs:
Settings tab — controls how and where the button appears:
- Choose a display style — Button, Icon + Counter, or Icon Only
- Select which post types to enable the like button on
- Configure auto-injection placement — after, before, both, or none
- Toggle archive page injection on or off
- Enable or disable guest likes
Statistics tab — shows your engagement data:
- Total likes across all posts
- Number of posts with at least one like
- Top 10 most liked posts leaderboard
Save your settings and refresh a post to see the changes.
Step 4 — Choose Your Setup
There are two common setups depending on how much control you want over placement.
Auto-Injection (default)
Leave Auto Injection enabled. Simple Post Like handles placement automatically via the the_content filter. Choose your position — after content, before content, or both — and the button appears on all enabled post types without any template edits.
This is the right choice for most sites.
Shortcode Only
Disable the master Auto Injection toggle in Settings. Then place the button manually using the shortcode wherever you need it:
[simple_post_like]Use this when your theme’s templates already have a dedicated spot for post actions, or when you want precise control over placement in block editor layouts.
What’s Next
Now that the like button is running, explore the full configuration options:
- Settings Overview — every setting explained
- Display Styles — button, icon + counter, icon only
- Shortcode Reference — all shortcode attributes
- CSS Custom Properties — restyle the button from your theme