WordPress shortcode: difference between echo and return

When using WordPress shortcodes within a custom function, you may encounter problems with the positioning of the output. Specifically, when you use echo within a function to output a shortcode, it may appear at the top of the page.

This is because echo produces immediate output, so the shortcode appears before the expected position. As a solution to this, it is recommended to use return to return the result.

Here is an example: my_shortcode_function

function my_shortcode_function() { 
 // improper method: use echo 
 // echo 'Hello, World!'; 

 // recommended method: use return 
 return 'Hello, World!'; 
} 
add_shortcode('my_ shortcode', 'my_shortcode_function');

In this way, returning the result of the shortcode with return ensures that it is output exactly where it is expected to be.