WordPress Plugin to Block Access from Specific Regions: iQ Block Country

In some special cases, such as a Foreign Trade Independent Website owner not wanting competitors to access their site, there might be a need to block users from China. So, how can this be done?

If your website is built with WordPress—and many foreign trade sites are—it's actually quite simple. You just need to install this plugin that restricts regional access: iQ Block Country, and the problem is easily solved.

Introduction to the iQ Block Country Plugin

iQ Block Country is aWordPress Pluginthat allows you to restrict user access to your website. You can allow or block visitors from custom countries/regions from viewing all or part of your site's content.

With iQ Block Country, you can also customize the content and style for blocked access. For example, you can block access to articles in a specific Category, a specific Post, or the entire website.

When a visitor is blocked, you can customize the notification content, including setting it to a text message, redirecting to a specific Page, or a URL.

Admin Dashboard Screenshot

Since iQ Block Country's settings are highly customizable and there are many pages in the Admin Dashboard, I won't screenshot them all. The backend is in English, but you can understand it with the help of Google Translate.

In the backend, you can customize what Page or text message is displayed. The region selection is by country. If you want to block access from a specific area within a country, you would need to rely on IP address detection.

The content blocking can be for all content, specific content, including Category posts, Tags, published Post types, etc. The functionality is quite powerful.

The Plugin is in English, but you can use translation software to read the content. The main settings are in the Plugin's Backend interface.

Block countries selected below: Block the selected countries below:
Block all countries except those selected below Block all countries except those selected below

Then in Select the countries: Use the CTRL key to select multiple countries (Select the countries: Use the CTRL key to select multiple countries)

Frontend Demo

GeoLite2 Database Installation

If you see a prompt similar to the one below after enabling the Plugin, it means your server does not have the GeoLite2 database installed. You need to manually download the database and upload it to the corresponding folder on your website.

You can download it from the official website via the link provided by the Plugin, or directly from the cloud storage link below. After downloading, extract it and upload the extracted GeoLite2-Country.mmdb file to your website's/wp-content/uploadsunder the folder.

GeoLite2 Database Download

Naiba's Summary:

Friends who need to prevent their website from being accessed from specific regions can definitely utilize this feature. For example, a foreign trade website can block access from China. Of course, you can also add IP whitelists/blacklists, ensuring you yourself are not blocked.

A while ago onthe Liaowang siteI saw a more comprehensive article about blocking website access from specific regions. You can also go and study that.

However, these methods can only stop ordinary users. Determined users can bypass them by using a proxy or changing their browser language. The best solution is to be constantly imitated but never surpassed. Focusing on building a quality site is the true way.