You have no doubt heard that people generally will buy from those they already know, like and trust.
Are you searching for quicker and easier ideas to grow your business online or get people to stay longer on your site? Then something you can do, is help prospects get to know your organization better.
If your online business is powered by the WordPress CMS, one way to easily help visitors get to know you better is to use a directory plugin that will let you add a directory containing information about your key people, your team, or your staff.
In this step-by-step tutorial, we show you how to easily add an updatable directory of staff members in a WordPress site using free WordPress plugins.
Step-By-Step Tutorial: Adding A Staff List Directory
In this tutorial, we will install, activate and configure a no cost WordPress plugin called Simple Staff List.
Simple Staff List Plugin For WordPress
(Simple Staff List Plugin For WordPress)
The Simple Staff List plugin is a free plugin that lets you easily staff members.
First, let’s install and activate this plugin.
Log into the WP administration and from the admin menu, select Plugins > Add New …
(WP Plugins Menu – Add New)
In the Plugins screen, search for “simple staff plugin”. This brings up the Simple Staff Plugin in your search results area.
Click on Install Now …
(WordPress Plugins – Add Plugins screen)
Activate the plugin …
(Activate plugin)
After the plugin has been installed and activated, a new entry will appear in your WordPress menu bar called Staff Members …
(Staff Members menu)
Here is where you will configure and manage all of the settings and options for this plugin are configured and managed in the Staff Members menu.
Configuring Simple Staff List
Depending on the size of your business and how you want to structure your directory, you can begin to add new staff details after installing the plugin, or create various groups (i.e. categories) to place your individualgroup members into.
Staff Members – Groups
To set up your directory categories go to your WP dashboard menu and select Staff Members > Groups …
(Staff Members – Groups)
The Groups screen …
(Groups settings screen)
Note: Configuring directory groups works in the same way as adding categories in WordPress …
(Groups are like categories)
Add 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 name. Note: make sure that all letters are in lower case and use hyphens instead of spaces.
- Parent – Use this drop-down menu if you plan to set up nested groups
- Description – Enter a group description in this field (optional)
- Click Add New Group when finished to set up the new category …
(Groups settings)
If you work with a business that employs many people, the ability to set up different groups can be very useful. For example, you can create a group for partners, project teams, faculties, etc.
Create as many categories and nested categories as you need by adding new Groups and then using the Parent drop-down menu to assign these to a directory hierarchy …
(Nested categories)
Remember to click the Add New Group button after creating each new item …
To change Groups for a specific entry, hover your mouse button over a category title and click on the Edit link …
Your selected item will open in the Edit Group screen. Select a new parent group category from the Parent drop-down menu …
(Edit Group screen)
Click Update when done …
To edit the Group name or slug, hover over the group name and click on the Quick Edit menu feature …
Click on Update Group to save your changes …
Continue adding categories to this section until you are done creating your directory structure …
Add as many nested groups as you like …
(Add nested categories your staff directory)
After you have finished setting up your groups, you can start to add your people to your directory.
Staff Members – Add New
In your WordPress admin menu, select Staff Members > Add New …
(Staff Members Menu – Add New)
The Add New Staff Member section …
(Add New Staff Member settings)
This screen provides an easy-to-use interface for adding and editing your staff member details and includes the following fields:
Name Section (1)
- Name: Your staff member’s name
- Slug: Change your employees’ slug (you will see this section after saving your details).
Staff Photo Section (2)
- Photo: Add a photo here
Staff Member Info Section (3)
- Position: Type in your employee’s position
- Email: Enter the person’s email
- Phone Number: The employee’s phone number
- Facebook URL: Type in the person’s Facebook address (note: use the full URL, e.g. http://www.facebook.com/username)
- Twitter URL: Type the employee’s Twitter username (note: only enter the username, not the full twitter URL)
Staff Member Bio Section (4)
- Staff Member Bio: Enter a profile description for your employee here. This uses the WordPress Text Editor, so you can add formatting to the content entered in this section.
Groups Section (5)
- Groups: Assign your staff member to a specific group (see above to learn how to set up your groups).
Click on the Screen Options tab …
(Screen options)
You will see options to enable additional features …
(Enable additional fields in screen options)
Now that you know what each section does, enter each of your staff member’s details …
(Add Staff Member fields)
Once you have finished entering your staff member’s details, assign your item to a directory group in the Groups section in your sidebar …
(Groups feature)
Note: If you have not set up groups before adding new staff members, you can add a new group by clicking on Groups > + Add New Group …
(Groups > + Add New Group link)
A field for creating a new group name will display, with a drop-down menu that lets you assign your new entry to a parent group. Type in the name of your new category and click on the Add New Group button …
The new directory category will be added. Make sure that the checkbox is ticked …
(New group added)
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 of the tutorial above for details).
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After filling in the person’s details, click the Publish button to add them to the employee directory …
Click View Post …
You can edit the person’s profile by clicking the Edit Staff Member link in the admin toolbar …
(Edit Staff Member link – admin toolbar)
We have written a detailed tutorial about using the 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 a page error)
To learn more about setting up permalinks, go here:
Continue adding more entries to your employee or team directory as described above.
Staff Members – All Staff Members
After entering staff members to your directory, you can view and edit their details by clicking Staff Members > All Staff Members on your main menu …
(Staff Members – All Staff Members)
This brings up a table of all the directory items and details you have added related to each entry …
(Staff Members list)
If you need to modify individual details, hover your mouse over their list name, and a submenu will appear.
Click on Edit to make changes to their Staff Bio, or Quick Edit to change details such as their name, slug, group, and publish status. You can also remove someone from the employee directory by clicking on the Trash link, or view the entry on your site by clicking on View …
(Editing Staff Members details)
Depending on what you are using the plugin for, your table can get quite long.
You can use the Search Staff Members search feature to locate member details if required …
(Search Staff Members search field)
The plugin also allows you to specify which fields can display in this screen. To hide or hide fields on your screen, click on Screen Options …
(Screen Options tab)
Tick or untick the checkboxes to show or hide specific fields. You can also choose how many staff members are shown per page. Click the Apply button when finished to update your settings …
Staff Members – Order
The Simple Staff List plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to set the order in which entries display on your directory pages.
Select Staff Members > Order in your main admin menu …
(Staff Members – Order)
To reorder your items, click and drag the entry to the desired position …
(Rearrange listings using drag and drop)
Your list will be automatically reordered …
(Reordered list items)
Once you have added member listing details to the directory, the next step is to add your directory on your site.
Staff Members – Order
Simple Staff List also features a drag-and-drop interface that allows you to specify the order that entries show on your directory page.
Choose Staff Members > Order on your main admin menu …
(Staff Members – Order)
To rearrange the order of your items, click and drag the entry to its new position …
(Rearrange employee listings using drag and drop)
Your list will be automatically reordered …
(Reordered list items)
Once you are done adding all of your employees’ listing details to the directory, the next step is to display the directory to your site users.
Simple Staff List – Additional Notes
Simple Staff List also lets you create the layout and style of your staff directory entries using template tags and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).
Templates Menu
To customize the style and layout of your directory, select Staff Members > Templates from your menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Templates)
This brings up the Templates screen …
(Customize your directory template)
To customize your directory listings, reorganize any of the permitted template tags inside the [staff_loop] [/staff_loop] code.
For example, here is the default template used for displaying listings …
(Default Plugin Template)
The above code displays the listing shown below …
(Default Staff Loop Template Listing)
Notice that no Facebook or Twitter URLs are showing in the above example. To make these fields display in your directory, we will need to include the [staff-facebook] and [staff-twitter] template tags, as shown in the screenshot below …
(Template tags added to Staff Loop Template)
Here is what your staff list will now look like …
(Directory with social media links added)
Note: If you want to customize your directory but don’t want to mess with CSS code and template tags or are unsure of what to do, please contact us for assistance.
Usage Menu
As well as being able to customize your directory templates, the Simple Staff List plugin lets you display your listings differently using modified shortcodes.
In your WordPress admin menu, select Staff Members >Usage …
(Staff Members – Usage)
This opens the Usage page …
(Simple Staff List – Usage shortcode variations)
This screen lists all the shortcode variations that the Simple Staff List plugin allows you to use.
For example, a useful shortcode variation you can add to your page to display only members of a specific group is the shortcode [simple-staff-list group=”group name”], (e.g.:[simple-staff-list group=”sales trainers”])
You can also display listings in ascending or descending order by adding the shortcode [simple-staff-list order=”DESC”] (descending).
Options Menu
Select Staff Members >Options in the WP admin menu …
(Staff Members – Options)
This brings up the Options page …
(Options settings screen)
Here you can edit labels like Staff Members URL Slug and Staff Member title
You can also export your staff members data by going to your main menu and choosing Tools > Export …
(Export Staff Members plugin info)
If you need plugin support, visit the plugin support page and request help from the plugin developer.
Other Staff Directory Plugins For WordPress
Simple Staff List is not the only plugin you can use to build a listing of your faculty members in WordPress. For example, here are other plugins you can use to add a directory on your site:
Modern Team Staff Directory
(Modern Team Staff Directory – Plugin For WordPress)
This 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 – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin)
The Staff Directory plugin lets you easily display a list of staff/faculty/team members. The plugin supports staff categories and can be used for churches, teams, etc.
This plugin lets you add custom fields …
(Custom Details Fields. Screenshot sourced from plugin website)
More info:
Faculty And Staff Directory
(Faculty And Staff Directory – WP Staff Directory Plugin)
This plugin provides a simple and flexible faculty and staff directory for a small college or university.
The plugin also installs a widget that allows you to feature a profile in a widget area.
Learn more about the plugin here:
Company Directory
(Company Directory)
Company Directory lets you easily add your employees to your site. Different layouts are included, including grid and single views, as well as fields like job title, email, phone number, photo and staff bio, allowing visitors to get to know your company and capabilities.
Visitors will be able to 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 members in an easy-to-view format. Screenshot source: Company Directory plugin website)
This plugin uses simple shortcodes.
More info:
Employee Spotlight
(Employee Spotlight – Plugin For WordPress)
Employee Spotlight displays staff members, founders or just one individual person in a 4-column circle grid page. This page can be easily created with a setup assistant on plugin activation.
The Employee Spotlight plugincomes with two sidebar widgets that let you display featured and recent employees selected in the editor, plus two responsive views which adjust to the screen in the viewer’s device.
Detailed information about each faculty member can be displayed in their own page, as well as in summary …
(Responsive layout with employee circle grid. Screenshot source: Employee Spotlight website)
More info:
Staffer
(Staffer – Plugin For WordPress)
This plugin uses custom post types for staff management and supports the display of staff members via a shortcode, allowing you to easily create and manage a staff directory on your website …
(Staffer archive page. Screenshot source: plugin website)
Staffer works with many popular WordPress themes, and also allows for custom template use and custom content wrappers.
To learn more about this plugin 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 List
- Staff Directory WordPress Plugin
- Staff Directory Plugin WordPress
- etc.
Hopefully, now you know how to easily add an easy-to-manage simple employee directory to your web site using a free WP plugin.
Images of models used to depict fictitious staff members were sourced under creative commons license from pixabay.com
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"This is an awesome training series. I have a pretty good understanding of WordPress already, but this is helping me to move somewhere from intermediate to advanced user!" - Kim Lednum