Quick Start

From install to first lead in under 15 minutes.

1. Install the Plugin

In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New, search for ApproxIt, click Install Now, then Activate.

You will see a welcome notice at the top of the admin and a new Estimators menu item in the left sidebar.

2. Build Your First Estimator

Click Estimators → Add New Estimator. You will land in the estimator workshop with a template picker.

Pick the industry that matches your business:

  • HVAC
  • Window Cleaning
  • Pool Service
  • Lawn Care & Landscaping
  • House Cleaning
  • Painting

(Seven more industries — Roofing, Tree Service, Plumbing, Concrete, Garage Door, Power Washing, Solar — are available in ApproxIt Pro.)

The template loads a pre-filled catalog of services, add-ons, packages, and project questions. You can edit everything — prices, names, add-ons, billing periods. Adjust until it matches your actual pricing.

Don’t want to start from a template? Click Start from scratch instead below the template grid.

When you are happy, give your estimator a title (e.g., “Residential Lawn Care Estimate”) and click Publish.

3. Put It on Your Website

Open any page or post in WordPress, then either:

Option A — Use the block (recommended):

  1. Click the (+) button.
  2. Search for “ApproxIt Estimator”.
  3. Select the block and pick which estimator to display.

Option B — Use the shortcode: Copy the shortcode shown next to your estimator in the Estimators list (looks like [approxit id="42"]) and paste it anywhere in your content.

Publish the page. Your estimator is now live.

4. Configure Your Contact Details

Go to Estimators → Settings → General and fill in:

  • From Name — What shows in the sender field of estimate emails (e.g., “Acme Lawn Care”).
  • From Email — What shows as the sender’s address. Use an address on a domain you control.
  • Owner Alert Email — Where you want new-lead notifications to arrive.
  • Business Phone — Appears in the customer receipt so they can call you back.

Click Save Changes.

5. Submit a Test Lead

Open your published page in a private/incognito browser window, fill out the estimator as a customer would, and submit. Within a minute or two you should see:

  • An owner alert email in your inbox with the lead’s details and a score.
  • A customer receipt email at the email address you submitted (this is what your customers will receive).

If neither email arrives, check the Email Deliverability page — most hosts need an SMTP plugin to reliably send mail.

6. View the Lead

Back in WordPress admin, go to Estimators → Leads. Your test submission is there with:

  • A score badge — hot, warm, or cold.
  • The customer’s contact info.
  • The estimate breakdown they built.
  • A status dropdown — move leads through your pipeline (New → Contacted → Quoted → Won/Lost).

Click any lead to expand the detail card. Add notes, update the score manually if you disagree, or change the status.

You Are Live

That is the full loop:

  1. Customer visits your site.
  2. They build an estimate.
  3. They submit their contact info.
  4. You get an alert and they get a receipt.
  5. You manage the lead from the dashboard.

Where to Next?

  • Building Estimators — Go deeper on services, add-ons, packages, and project questions.
  • Managing Leads — Full dashboard reference.
  • Settings & Notifications — Every setting explained.