Display ads pay pennies per pageview and affiliate links only work when a reader is already close to buying something. A support button skips both constraints — it asks readers who already trust the site to back it directly, whether that’s a one-off tip or a recurring Patreon pledge. This works best on sites with a real audience relationship: a blog, a niche resource, a podcast companion site — anywhere readers come back regularly rather than landing once from a search result. The setup itself is simple; the harder part is placing the button somewhere readers actually notice it, and being honest about whether the audience is warm enough to convert.
Setting Realistic Expectations First
Worth knowing a real number before setting this up, rather than guessing: once a visitor actually clicks through to a creator’s Patreon or Ko-fi page, the landing-page-to-paid-supporter conversion rate runs roughly 3.9% on Patreon and 4.5% on Ko-fi. That’s conversion from people who’ve already clicked the button and arrived on the pitch page — not a percentage of overall site traffic, which will always be far lower once the click-through rate on the button itself gets factored in. Two implications follow: the pitch page description matters almost as much as the button placement, since roughly 95-96% of the people who make it that far still don’t convert, and a small, engaged audience genuinely can outperform a much larger, colder one here.
Setting Up the Pitch Page
Create a creator account and write a page description explaining what supporters are actually funding — server costs, research time, a specific project. Readers give more readily when they know where the money goes, which is exactly the difference the conversion numbers above are sensitive to. If recurring monthly pledges feel like overkill, Ko-fi or Buy Me a Coffee are lighter one-off tipping alternatives that plug into the same WordPress setup.
Adding the Button in WordPress
Three practical options: the official Patreon plugin (developed and maintained directly by Patreon) gives a ready-made widget and shortcode, useful for a supporter count or tiered display. A Custom HTML block with the platform’s embed code works for a clean button with no plugin overhead. Or a Buttons block, styled to match the site and linked directly to the Patreon or Ko-fi page — the lightest option and usually the right first attempt, since it adds zero extra plugin weight.
Three placements consistently perform better than others: the end of a post (right after the conclusion, when goodwill is highest), the sidebar (persistent, low-friction), and the footer (catches readers on every page, including ones without a natural end-of-content moment). Avoid placing it above the fold on every page — it reads as needy rather than confident, undermining exactly the trust the whole approach depends on.
“Support this site” converts worse than a specific ask — something like “This guide took a full day to research; if it saved you time, a small tip keeps the next one coming” signals a real person behind the request rather than a generic donation widget. Click through the button on both desktop and mobile to confirm it lands correctly, and add a UTM parameter so analytics can show actual click volume before deciding whether more effort here is warranted — that click-through number, combined with the ~4% conversion rate above, gives a genuinely realistic sense of what to expect rather than an optimistic guess.
Keep the button visually distinct from navigation but not animated — that reads as spammy rather than inviting. Mention support options on the About page too, since readers who click through there are already primed to consider it. Update the Patreon description whenever the site’s focus shifts; a stale pitch about a finished project a year ago convinces nobody. If running display ads too, keep the support button visually separate from the ad space — mixing the two makes both look less credible. Adding the button before the site has any real returning audience is the most common mistake — support buttons convert existing goodwill, they don’t create it from nothing. A generic “Donate” label with no context underperforms a specific reason every time, and forgetting to check the link after a Patreon URL or username change leaves a broken support link, worse than no link at all.
A support button suits sites with a loyal, returning readership but not necessarily huge traffic — it rewards relationship over volume. Mostly one-off search traffic instead? Display ads or affiliate links will likely earn more with less effort, since they don’t depend on readers already knowing or trusting the site. Content valuable enough that people would pay outright for early or exclusive access is better served by a paywall, which captures more revenue per supporter than voluntary tipping. Most sites end up running two or three of these side by side rather than picking just one.
Etienne Basson works with website systems, SEO-driven site architecture, and technical implementation. He writes practical guides on building, structuring, and optimizing websites for long-term growth.