As we’ve discussed in this article, one of the many benefits of using WordPress to manage and grow your website or blog is that you can easily add content, improve your site’s functionality, or redesign the layout of your website with no web coding knowledge required.
WordPress allows you to easily insert, remove, and rearrange content on your site’s sidebar (and header and footer sections, depending on what theme you are using) using widgets.
Once you know how to use widgets, you can easily add things to your site’s sidebar area (plus headers and footers and other areas, depending on the theme you have installed) like:
- website page list
- blog categories
- post archives
- menus that display only selected pages
- links to resources
- posts that you want to promote
- user comments
- clickable text ads
- testimonials
- surveys & polls
- RSS content
- opt-in form
- images
- social media buttons
- display widgets from external sites (e.g. Facebook friends)
- administrative forms (e.g. login, register, etc.)
(Widgets make managing and using WordPress easy)
To learn more about what widgets are, how widgets work and how using widgets can help you expand the functionality of your website, go here:
In this step-by-step tutorial series we explain how to use and configure various frequently-used widgets in WordPress.
Using Widgets In WordPress
Widgets – Basic Concepts
Before configuring and using widgets, let’s first cover some of the basics of using widgets:
Most WordPress Themes Support Widget-Ready Layouts
Most WordPress themes support widgets and provide built-in widgetized areas in the theme’s layout where widgets can be used, such as the sidebar, header area, and footer. Depending on what theme you are using, widgets can sometimes also be found in the content area …
(Many WP themes offer users a number of widget-enabled areas)
These widget-ready layouts correspond to a feature inside the Widget management screen called “Widget Areas” …
(Widget Areas)
Widgets Screen
The Widgets area displays a list of all the widgets that you currently have available.
The right-hand section of the window displays your “active” widgets …
(Activate or deactivate widgets with drag & drop ease)
Available widgets can be made Active or Inactive using drag-and-drop.
Widgets dragged from the Available Widgets section to widget areas like the sidebar, footer, etc. become activated for use.
In addition, the Widgets panel includes an Inactive Widgets section that lets you remove widgets that you no longer want to actively display on your website. Inactive widgets do not lose their settings.
Rearrange WordPress Widgets With Drag And Drop
You can easily add, activate, deactivate, rearrange and remove widgets by dragging and dropping items in the Widgets area …
(Rearrange widgets using drag-and-drop)
You can also easily reconfigure your theme’s layout with drag and drop ease.
For example, in the image below, the widgets have already been configured to show the following:
- An opt-in form,
- A click for support banner, and
- ’Click to call’ buttons from a widgetized WordPress plugin (i.e. a WordPress plugin with an accompanying widget) …
(Widgets control the order certain features on your site appear)
If we look inside the example site’s Widget area, you will see that these features correspond to the order of widgets inside the active widget section …
If we reorganize the above widgets in the Sidebar Widget Area by dragging & dropping elements …
(Drag-and-drop widgets in the widget area to rearrange their order)
The widget features have now been reordered in the sidebar …
As you can see, this instantly reorganizes the layout of the site’s sidebar.
Reorganizing sidebar layout using widgets can improve user experience.
Note in the screenshot below that the ‘click to call’ feature (3) is now the first item on the sidebar menu, and the ‘contact us’ graphic banner (2) now sits above the newsletter sign-up form (1) …
(Reorganize sidebar layout using widgets to improve user experience)
Removing Widgets From The Sidebar Navigation Menu
Deleting widgets from your sidebar is very easy.
For example, let’s show you how to remove the Search widget from the sidebar …
(WordPress Search widget)
To remove an active widget, you can either expand the widget settings and click the Delete link …
(How to delete widgets)
Or just drag the widget out of the Active Widgets area and into the Inactive Widgets area …
(Removing your WordPress widgets)
Repeat this process for all widgets you want to remove from the sidebar navigation section. You can always reactivate widgets by moving them back into the active widgets area.
Widget Settings
Most widgets can be customized. This includes making certain types of information hidden to your site visitors but visible to registered users, displaying additional forms, fields, or data, specifying sizes of sidebar images, videos, etc.
Clicking on the little triangle in the corner of a widget expands the item and displays the settings for that widget …
(Toggle to expand/collapse widget settings)
When the widget expands, you can change and save your settings, delete your widget from the “Active Widgets” section, close the widget, or click on the triangle to collapse the widget …
(Widget settings)
Some widgets may require or offer no customization, or they may only allow you to add something like an optional title …
(Some widgets give you little to no customizable options)
Previewing Your Widgets
Depending upon the WP theme you use, you’re also able to customize and manage your widgets without actually making changes to your site. This way, you can be sure that you like your customizations before committing anything to your website.
The ability to manage widgets inside your own dashboard is a valuable feature of WordPress. You can work in preview mode inside the WordPress Theme Customizer screen (Appearance > Customize) and see how the widget content will appear before publishing any changes (to avoid making errors), or change your widgets on the fly using the Widget editor screen.
(Edit widgets in the Customize section)
If you need to make changes to the site while viewing the frontend, just click on the Customize link …
(Toolbar Customize Link)
This brings you to the Customizer section in the backend.
You can do lots of edits and adjustments to widgets in preview mode (like inserting, removing and reorganizing your widgets), and this will all be done in real time. If you are happy with the results, click the “Save and Publish” button and the changes will be instantly updated and reflected on your site to visitors.
(Widget management – work in preview mode)
After saving changes, your new updates will automatically be displayed on your site.
Since the theme you choose tend to affect how elements display on your site, we recommend installing your theme first before configuring widgets on your sidebar.
Also, remember to use the Customizer feature to preview your changes. This will save you from having to keep two browsers open while you go through this tutorial.
Now that you know the basics of using widgets, let’s configure a number of commonly-used sidebar widgets in WordPress.
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This is the end of part one of this tutorial series.
To continue, click this link:
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"I was absolutely amazed at the scope and breadth of these tutorials! The most in-depth training I have ever received on any subject!" - Myke O'Neill, DailyGreenPost.com
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