Skip to content

Appearance

Protection badge

Every planAbout White Label

Show a small "This site is protected by Stack Guard" badge on the public site, with a shield icon. It works with any theme or page builder: let Stack Guard place it, or put it exactly where you want with a shortcode.

What it does

The badge is a one-line note with a purple shield and the words This site is protected by Stack Guard. The name links to the Stack Guard website.

Choose where it appears: a strip at the bottom of every page, under the theme's own footer; a floating badge in the bottom right or bottom left corner; or only where you place the shortcode.

Choose a style: a Light or Dark pill, or Match my site, which takes the colour and size of the text around it and suits a footer copyright line.

Why it matters

It shows visitors and clients that the site is actively looked after. Agencies and freelancers often use it to make their security work visible.

It also tells anyone looking which security plugin the site runs, which is why it is off by default. The badge never shows a version number.

Set it up

  1. Go to the Appearance tab, section Protection badge.
  2. Switch on Show the protection badge, then pick where it appears and a style.
  3. To place it yourself, choose Only where I place the shortcode and paste [stack_guard_badge] into a footer, widget or any page builder element.
  4. Click Save Changes and open the site to check it.

Good to know

The shortcode takes a style for one spot: [stack_guard_badge style="dark"], style="light" or style="plain" (the same as Match my site).

The shortcode shows only while the badge is switched on. Turning the badge off hides it everywhere at once, without editing pages.

With a strip or floating badge chosen, a shortcode on the page shows a second badge. Pick Only where I place the shortcode when you place it yourself.

If the floating badge covers a chat or cookie button, move it to the other corner.

The link tells search engines not to follow it, so a link repeated on every page never counts against your site in search results.

The link carries standard campaign tags that say a visitor came from the badge and from which placement. They are read only by the Stack Guard website when someone clicks; nothing is tracked on your site.

Which plan includes it

The badge, every placement and style, and the shortcode are free. Pro can change the wording before the name, for example to "Secured by", and can show the name without a link.

How it works, for developers
  • Class SMG_Badge. The badge is printed on the wp_footer hook, which every theme and page builder fires, or by the [stack_guard_badge] shortcode. Its stylesheet, assets/css/smg-protect-badge.css, loads only on pages that show it.
  • Settings: smg_badge_enabled, smg_badge_placement, smg_badge_style, and on Pro smg_badge_text and smg_badge_hide_link. The Pro settings are checked against the license each time the badge is drawn, so a lapsed license goes back to the standard wording with the link.
  • Colours are CSS variables on .smg-protect-badge (for example --smg-protect-badge-accent), so a theme can restyle the badge without editing the plugin.

Quick answers about protection badge

What does Protection badge do in Stack Guard?

The badge is a one-line note with a purple shield and the words This site is protected by Stack Guard. The name links to the Stack Guard website. Choose where it appears: a strip at the bottom of every page, under the theme's own footer; a floating badge in the bottom right or bottom left corner; or only where you place the shortcode. Choose a style: a Light or Dark pill, or Match my site, which takes the colour and size of the text around it and suits a footer copyright line.

Why use protection badge on a WordPress site?

It shows visitors and clients that the site is actively looked after. Agencies and freelancers often use it to make their security work visible. It also tells anyone looking which security plugin the site runs, which is why it is off by default. The badge never shows a version number.

How do I set up protection badge?

1. Go to the Appearance tab, section Protection badge. 2. Switch on Show the protection badge, then pick where it appears and a style. 3. To place it yourself, choose Only where I place the shortcode and paste [stack_guard_badge] into a footer, widget or any page builder element. 4. Click Save Changes and open the site to check it.

Which Stack Guard plan includes protection badge?

The badge, every placement and style, and the shortcode are free. Pro can change the wording before the name, for example to "Secured by", and can show the name without a link.

More in Appearance

Not running Stack Guard yet? It is free.

Download Free