Full Answer

The installation takes under five minutes but the decisions around it deserve more attention than the process itself.

Start in your WordPress admin panel. Navigate to Plugins > Add New and search for Klaviyo. The official plugin is published by Klaviyo Inc — verify the author name before installing because several third-party Klaviyo integrations exist with different capabilities. Install, activate, and navigate to the Klaviyo settings page that appears in your WordPress sidebar.

The plugin requires two API keys. The Public API Key is the six-character identifier for your Klaviyo account, used for client-side tracking. The Private API Key handles server-side communication including order sync, customer profile creation, and product catalog updates. Both keys are found in your Klaviyo account under Settings > API Keys.

Once connected, the plugin triggers an automatic historical sync. Every completed WooCommerce order in your database is pushed to Klaviyo, creating customer profiles with full purchase history. This sync runs in the background and does not affect site performance for visitors. Product catalog data syncs separately, enabling dynamic product blocks in Klaviyo email templates.

After the initial sync, the plugin operates continuously. New orders trigger server-side webhooks to Klaviyo within seconds of completion. Customer profile updates propagate automatically. The server-side architecture means order data reaches Klaviyo regardless of whether the customer's browser blocks JavaScript — a significant advantage over browser-dependent tracking methods that lose data to ad blockers and consent rejection.