MailChimp is a popular email marketing service that allows you to create, manage and send beautiful emails. These emails can be sent to a list of subscribers or individuals and can include text, images, links and more.
However, Mailchimp integration with WordPress forms can sometimes cause complications. Unfortunately, most errors occur as a result of misconfiguration, but the good news is there’s always a fix.
“The requested resource could not be found” is a prime example of an error message that displays when a user tries to subscribe to a web form or subscription box. Follow the steps below to diagnose and fix the issue.
Why are you getting this error? and how to fix it.
The requested resource could not be found means either no object exists with the ID provided in the path, or the path is incorrect. Follow the checklist below to troubleshoot.
API key wasn’t copied correctly
It’s easy to miss a few letters when copying the Mailchimp API key. Make sure to double-check that the key is properly pasted on your website. A simple way of telling if the API key is wrong is to check if the correct list is displayed on your site when setting up a form. To learn more about Mailchimp’s API key, click this link.
For those unfamiliar with APIs: An API key allows you to connect your Mailchimp account with your website (usually through a plugin) without the need for a password.
Plugin conflict
Some plugins don’t play well together. To easily troubleshoot, install the Health Check & Troubleshooting plugin to easily diagnose the problem without affecting the front end. Or you can disable all plugins and reactivate one at a time to narrow down the issue. Once you find the incompatible plugin, the next step would be to uninstall it or find an alternative.
Website Cache needs to be cleared
Maybe you made some changes to your Mailchimp settings by creating a new list or updating a field in your forms. Sometimes clearing the website cache fixes the error. If you’re using a cache plugin, go to the settings and clear all cache. (Try to also clear the browser cache)
Install this plugin
Download this Mailchimp plugin. Now create a form and connect your Mailchimp account. (This plugin may fix the error, even when deactivated or if you choose to use a different Mailchimp plugin.)
Use the correct list ID
This is unlikely to be the issue, but a user on Stackoverflow pointed out that the ID list may need to be updated. Here’s a link to the guide. (Again, it’s highly unlikely that this is the issue if the account is new.)
The selected list is no longer available
Check if the selected list exists or if the right one is selected. It can get confusing when multiple Mailchimp accounts are in use.
If you’re a developer or an individual who loves to tinker, here’s a link to an article that can aid you in troubleshooting.
Does your Mailchimp form look incomplete in the front end?
Created forms may not include all created fields when viewed on the front end. This can happen when your website header is overlaying the form.
To fix this, put a few empty lines above the form to reach both fields. You can also put text instead of empty lines. Additionally, you can contact the theme developer to fix this bug.
What are the benefits of using Mailchimp?
MailChimp is a powerful email marketing tool that makes it easy to design, send, and track email newsletters. MailChimp does have a free plan, which is great for getting started with email marketing.
The platform has a wide range of features including:
Personalized campaigns
Personalize each email in your campaign with a picture and name, making the subscriber/customer feel special while increasing the chances that they’ll open the email.
Social media integration
Integrate social media into your campaigns with other tools such as Shopify, WordPress, Salesforce, Pinterest, Facebook Messenger, Google Analytics, Zendesk and more.
Easy-to-use analytics
Easy-to-use analytics that shows performance and how recipient behaviour.
Marketing Automation
MailChimp has many features that make it easy to create segmented email campaigns based on customer behaviour over time. These include triggered events such as abandoned shopping carts or abandoned checkouts. You can also use their drag-and-drop builder to create custom forms that collect customer data in real-time or build online contests that drive engagement with your brand and content creation at scale.
Bulk Email Sender
MailChimp allows you to send out large amounts of emails quickly by using their bulk email sender service which integrates with third-party applications such as Salesforce.
Easy-to-use templates and responsive design tools
Easy-to-use templates and responsive design tools that make it simple to create beautiful emails
A/B testing
Try different methods and see what works best in your campaigns.
Email automation tools
Allow you to build customized sequences of emails that get sent automatically to subscribers.
Are there any MailChimp alternatives?
Mailchimp is probably the best email marketing tool. But it is quite expensive. If you’ve been searching for an alternative, check out this article.
