Many business experts often raise the point that people generally tend to buy from businesses they already know, like and trust.
If you are looking for quicker and easier ideas to sell more products online or get people to stay longer on your site, then help visitors get to know you and your business better.
If you are a WordPress user, a simple way to help people get to know you better is to display information about your key partners, your business team, or your staff using a WordPress directory plugin.
In this tutorial, we explain how to easily add an updatable directory of employees or faculty members to your website with no coding skills required.
Step-By-Step Tutorial: How To Add An Employee List Directory To Your WordPress Site
In this tutorial, you will learn how to install, activate and configure a free WordPress plugin called Simple Staff List.
Simple Staff List WordPress Plugin
(Simple Staff List WordPress Plugin)
The Simple Staff List plugin is free and lets you easily build a basic staff directory list for.
The first step is to install and activate the plugin.
Log into the WordPress administration and go to Plugins > Add New …
(WP Plugins Menu – Add New)
In the Plugins screen, search for “simple staff plugin”. This should bring up the Simple Staff Plugin in your plugin search results.
Click on the Install Now button …
(WordPress Plugins – Add Plugins screen)
Activate the plugin …
(Activate plugin)
After installing and activating the plugin, you will notice that new menu will be added to the main WordPress admin menu section called Staff Members …
(Staff Members)
Here is where you will manage and configure all of the options and settings for this plugin are configured and managed in this menu.
How To Configure The Simple Staff List Plugin
Depending on how many people are in your organization and how you want to structure your employee directory, you could start adding new staff details at this at this stage, or create several groups (i.e. categories) that you will assign to your employees.
Staff Members – Groups
Let’s start by setting up your directory groups. From your dashboard menu, choose Staff Members > Groups …
(Staff Members Menu – Groups)
This takes you to the Groups panel …
(Groups settings screen)
Note: Configuring directory groups works just like categories in WordPress …
(Groups work just like categories)
Create a new group by typing in the following information:
- Group Name – Type in your group category name
- Slug – Enter the URL-friendly version of your category. Note: make sure that all letters are in lower case and use hyphens instead of spaces.
- Parent – Use this section to set up a directory hierarchy
- Description – Type in the category description in this field
- Click the Add New Group button when done to create the new directory group …
(Groups settings)
If you work with a larger organization, being able to assign people to different groups can be very useful. For example, you can create a group for investors, developers, departments, etc.
Create as many groups and nested groups as you need by adding new Groups and then using the Parent drop-down menu to organize these into a hierarchical structure …
(Nested groups)
Remember to click the Add New Group button after entering new items …
To edit Groups for individual items, hover over a category title and click on the Edit link …
The category open in the Edit Group screen. Select a new group from the Parent drop-down menu …
(Edit Group screen)
Click Update to save your changes …
To change your Group name or slug, hover your mouse over the group name and choose the Quick Edit menu feature …
Click the Update Group button after making changes …
Add as many groups as you need to until you are done creating your directory structure …
Add as many nested categories as you like …
(Add nested groups to your staff directory)
After you are done setting up your directory structure, you can begin adding names to your directory.
Staff Members – Add New
In your admin menu, choose Staff Members > Add New …
(Staff Members Menu – Add New)
The Add New Staff Member settings …
(Add New Staff Member screen)
This page provides you with an easy-to-use interface for adding your staff member details and includes the following fields:
Name Section (1)
- Name: Your employee’s name
- Permalink: You can change each staff members’ permalink URL (you will see this section after saving your details).
Staff Photo Section (2)
- Photo: Add a photo here
Staff Member Info Section (3)
- Position: Your staff member’s role
- Email: Enter the person’s email here
- Phone Number: Your staff member’s phone number
- Facebook URL: Enter your company’s Facebook URL here (note: use the full URL, e.g. http://www.facebook.com/username)
- Twitter URL: Type in the employee’s Twitter username (note: only enter the username, not the full twitter URL)
Staff Member Bio Section (4)
- Staff Member Bio: Add a profile description for your employees here. As this uses the built-in WordPress Text Editor, you can add formatting to the content entered in this section.
Groups Section (5)
- Groups: Assign a staff or team member to a specific group (see above to learn how to set up groups).
Click on the Screen Options tab at the top of the screen …
(Screen options)
You can enable additional page settings …
(Enable additional fields in screen options)
Now that you know what each section does, enter your employee’s details …
(Add Staff Member settings)
Once you have entered each of you staff member’s details, assign the new item to a directory group in the Groups feature located in your sidebar …
(Groups feature)
Note: If you have not set up groups before adding staff member details, you can create a group now by selecting Groups > + Add New Group …
(Add a new group inside your Groups box)
A field will appear allowing you to enter a new group name, with a dropdown menu that lets you assign your new entry to a parent group. Enter your new group and click on Add New Group …
A new category will be added. Remember to tick the check box to assign an entry to the group …
(New group)
Note: Groups cannot be edited when adding or editing employee details. To edit a group entry, go to the Groups section of the plugin’s settings (see “Groups” section above for details).
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After filling in your employee’s details, click the Publish button to add them to the employee directory …
Click View Post …
You can modify the person’s profile by clicking the Edit Staff Member link in the admin toolbar …
(Edit Staff Member link – admin toolbar)
We have created a detailed tutorial about using the dashboard admin toolbar here:
Note: If you get ’page not found’ errors like the one shown below, check that you have configured your permalinks correctly …
(Check your permalinks if you get errors)
We have written a detailed tutorial about using permalinks in WordPress here:
Repeat the above process to continue adding more entries to your staff directory directory.
Staff Members – All Staff Members
After entering staff members into your directory, you can view and edit their details by selecting Staff Members > All Staff Members in your menu …
(Staff Members – All Staff Members)
This brings up a list displaying all the directory entries and the details you have added for each entry …
(Staff Members table)
If you need to change an individual’s details, hover your mouse over their list name, and a menu will appear.
Click on Edit to edit the item’s Staff Bio, or Quick Edit to update details like name, slug, group, and publish status. You can also delete an entry from your directory by clicking on Trash, or view the entry on your site by clicking View …
(Edit Staff Members profile information)
Depending on what you are using the plugin for, your list can get quite long.
You can use the Search Staff Members search box to locate a member …
(Search members)
The plugin also allows you to specify which fields can display in this screen. To show or hide fields on your screen, click the Screen Options tab at the top of your page …
(Screen Options tab)
Tick or untick the checkboxes to display or hide specific fields. You can also specify how many staff members are shown per page. Click the Apply button when finished to save your screen options …
Staff Members – Order
The plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to specify the order in which listings appear on your directory page.
Click Staff Members > Order in your main menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Order)
To rearrange the order of your listings, click and drag the item to its new position …
(Reorder items using drag and drop)
Your directory will automatically be reordered …
(Reordered listings)
Once you have added all of your member details to the directory, the next step is to make your directory display to your site users.
Staff Members – Order
The Simple Staff List plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface allowing you to specify the order that listings appear on your directory pages.
Click Staff Members > Order in the main admin menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Order)
To reorder your entries, click and drag the item to the desired location …
(Rearrange employee listings using drag and drop)
Your list will be automatically rearranged …
(Reordered list entries)
Once you have added all of your members’ details to your directory, the next step is to display your directory to your visitors.
Simple Staff List – Additional Notes
Simple Staff List lets you edit the style and layout of your staff directory listings using template tags and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).
Templates Menu
To customize the style and layout of your staff directory, select Staff Members > Templates from the menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Templates)
This brings up the Templates screen …
(Customize your directory template)
To customize your directory listings, reorganize any of the allowed template tags inside the [staff_loop] [/staff_loop] code.
For example, below is a screenshot of the Default Template …
(Default Simple Staff List Template)
The This code displays your directory listing as shown below …
(Default Plugin Template Listing)
Notice that no Facebook or Twitter URLs are showing in the above listing. To display these fields, we will need to include the [staff-facebook] and [staff-twitter] template tags, as shown in the screenshot below …
(Use template tags to customize your listings page)
Your directory profiles will now display as as the example below shows …
(Directory listings with social media URLs)
Note: If you want to customize your directory listings but don’t want to mess with code or are not sure how to edit the template as shown above, please contact us for assistance.
Usage Menu
As well as being able to customize your listing templates, the Simple Staff List plugin allows you to display your staff profiles differently using modified shortcodes.
In your main admin menu, select Staff Members >Usage …
(Staff Members Menu – Usage)
This brings up the Usage page …
(Usage shortcodes)
This screen lists all the shortcode variations allowed by the Simple Staff List plugin.
For example, a useful variation you can add to display only members belonging a specific group is the shortcode [simple-staff-list group=”group name”], (e.g.:[simple-staff-list group=”property managers”])
You can also make your listings display in ascending or descending order by inserting the shortcode [simple-staff-list order=”ASC”] (ascending).
Options Menu
Select Staff Members >Options in the menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Options)
This opens the Options screen …
(Options settings)
This section lets you edit some of the labels used in the plugin
You can also export your staff members details by going to your main admin menu and selecting Tools > Export …
(Export Staff Members information)
If you need plugin help or support, visit the Simple Staff List faq page and contact the plugin author.
Additional Staff Directory Plugins For WordPress
Simple Staff List is not the only plugin you can use. For example, here are a few other free plugins you can use for creating a directory on your website:
Modern Team Staff Directory
(Modern Team Staff Directory)
The Modern Team Staff Directory plugin helps you collect your team information and showcase it anywhere on your site in beautiful grids, columns and tables. This premium plugin features over a dozen presets and provides editors that make it easy to edit and update your directory.
(Modern Team Staff Directory – Responsive Templates)
More info:
Staff Directory
(Staff Directory – WP Plugin)
With Staff Directory, you can easily display a list of staff/team/faculty members. The plugin supports staff categories and can be used for companies, schools, etc.
This plugin lets you set up custom fields …
(Custom Details Fields. Screenshot sourced from plugin website)
For more details go here:
Faculty And Staff Directory
(Faculty And Staff Directory – WordPress Plugin)
Faculty And Staff Directory provides a simple and flexible faculty and staff directory for a small college, school or university.
The plugin also installs a widget that allows you to feature profiles in a widget area.
Go here to learn more:
Company Directory
(Company Directory – Plugin For WordPress)
With Company Directory, you can add your staff to your website. Different layouts are available, including grid and table views, plus as fields like job title, email address, phone number, photo and bio, allowing you to present your company and capabilities.
Visitors can click through from your list, grid, and table views to read more about each staff member in a customizable single view …
(Display your staff and faculty in an easy-to-view format. Screenshot sourced from plugin website)
This plugin also uses simple shortcodes.
Learn more here:
Employee Spotlight
(Employee Spotlight – WP Staff Directory Plugin)
Employee Spotlight displays team members, founders or just an individual person in a four-column circle grid page. This page can be easily created with a setup assistant on plugin activation.
Employee Spotlight includes two sidebar widgets that let you display featured and recent employees selected in the editor, plus two responsive views which adjust to the device screen size.
Detailed information about each team member can be displayed in their own page, as well as in summary …
(Responsive layout with employee circle grid. Screenshot source: plugin website)
More info:
Staffer
(Staffer – Plugin For WordPress)
Staffer uses custom post types for employee management and supports the display of staff members via a shortcode, allowing you to easily create and manage a staff directory on your site …
(Staffer archive page. Screenshot sourced from Staffer website)
Staffer works immediately with many popular WordPress themes, and also allows for custom template use and custom content wrappers.
For more details go here:
If the directory plugins listed above aren’t what you’re looking for, just go online or visit the WordPress plugin directory and search for:
- Add Staff Directory To WordPress
- WordPress Staff Directory Plugin
- WordPress Plugin Staff Directory
- Simple Staff List Template WordPress
- etc.
Hopefully, this step-by-step tutorial has shown you how to create a simple and easy-to-maintain directory of staff in your WordPress site.
Images used to display staff members were sourced under creative commons license from pixabay.com
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