Something that is generally well known in marketing circles, is that people generally tend to buy from people they already know, like and trust.
If you are looking for quicker, simpler and cost-effective ways to sell more products online and get people to stay longer on your site, then one of the things you can do, is make it easier for prospects to get to know you and your business better.
If your web presence is powered by the WordPress CMS, one way to easily help people get to know you better is to add a WordPress directory plugin that lets you display a directory containing information about your key people, your team, or your employees.
This tutorial explains how to create a simple and easy-to-maintain employee directory in your WordPress site.
Tutorial: How To Easily Add A Staff 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 Plugin For WordPress
(Simple Staff List)
Simple Staff List lets you easily build a simple staff directory for.
First, let’s install and activate this plugin.
Log into the WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Add New …
(WordPress Plugins Menu – Add New)
In the Plugins panel, 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 installing and activating your plugin, a new entry will have been added to your WordPress admin menu called Staff Members …
(Staff Members menu)
All of the options and settings for this plugin are configured and managed in this menu.
Simple Staff List – Plugin Configuration
Depending on how many people are in your team and how you want to structure your staff directory, you could just begin to add new employee entries at this at this stage, or create several groups (i.e. categories) to assign your individualemployees into.
Staff Members – Groups
Let’s set up your groups. In your WordPress dashboard menu, select Staff Members > Groups …
(Staff Members – Groups)
This brings you to the Groups settings …
(Groups settings area)
Note: Configuring directory groups works just like categories …
(Groups are like categories)
Add new groups by typing in the following information:
- Group Name – Enter your group category name here
- Slug – Enter the slug of your group. Note: make sure that all letters are in lower case and use hyphens instead of spaces.
- Parent – Use this section if you plan to set up nested categories
- Description – Type in a group description here (optional)
- Click Add New Group when finished to create your new group name …
(Groups settings screen)
If you work with a business that employs many people, the ability to set up different categories can be very useful. For example, you can create groups for founders, project teams, 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 or reassign Groups for an item, hover over a category title and click on the Edit link …
The group details will open in the Edit Group page. Select a new category from the Parent dropdown menu …
(Edit Group screen)
Click Update to save your changes …
To edit the Group name or slug, hover your mouse over the group name and choose Quick Edit …
Click on Update Group when done to save your changes …
Add as many group names as you need to until you are done creating your directory structure …
Add as many nested groups as you like …
(Nested categories)
Once you are done setting up your groups, the next step is to begin to add staff details to your directory.
Staff Members – Add New
In your admin menu, select Staff Members > Add New …
(Staff Members – Add New)
The Add New Staff Member settings area …
(Add New Staff Member area)
This screen provides an easy-to-use interface for adding your staff member information and includes the following fields:
Name Section (1)
- Name: The staff member’s name
- Permalink: Edit each staff members’ permalink URL (you will see this section after your first save).
Staff Photo Section (2)
- Photo: Upload a photo here
Staff Member Info Section (3)
- Position: Enter the person’s position
- Email: Your staff member’s email address
- Phone Number: Type the person’s phone number here
- Facebook URL: Enter the person’s Facebook URL (note: use the full URL, e.g. http://www.facebook.com/username)
- Twitter URL: Enter your company’s Twitter username here (note: only enter the username, not the full twitter URL)
Staff Member Bio Section (4)
- Staff Member Bio: Enter a profile description for your staff or team member here. Since this uses the default WordPress Text Editor, you can add formatted content in this section.
Groups Section (5)
- Groups: Assign an employee or faculty member to a group (see the previous section to learn how to set up your groups).
Click on the Screen Options tab …
(Screen options tab)
You can enable additional features …
(Enable additional fields in screen options)
Now that you know what each section does, enter your employee’s details …
(Add Staff Member fields)
Once you are done inputting details, assign your entry to a directory group in the Groups feature in the sidebar …
(Groups section)
Note: If you have not set up groups before starting to add new staff members, you can create a new group by selecting Groups > + Add New Group …
(Groups > + Add New Group link)
A field will appear allowing you to enter a new group name, with a drop-down menu that lets you assign your new entry to a parent group. Enter your new directory category and click on the Add New Group button …
Your new group will be created. Remember to tick the checkbox to assign your entry to the group …
(Groups box)
Note: You cannot edit groups when adding or editing a staff member’s 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 typing in your employee’s details, click the Publish button to add them to your directory …
Click View Post …
To update your member profile, click on the Edit Staff Member link in your WP admin toolbar …
(Edit Staff Member link – admin toolbar)
If you need help using the admin toolbar, refer to this tutorial:
Note: If you see a ‘page not found’ error like the one shown below, check that you have set up your site’s permalinks correctly …
(Check your permalinks if you get ’not found’ page errors)
If you need help setting up permalinks, see this step-by-step tutorial:
Repeat the above process to continue adding more members to your staff directory directory.
Staff Members – All Staff Members
After entering staff details to your directory, you can view and edit their details by choosing Staff Members > All Staff Members on your menu …
(Staff Members Menu – All Staff Members)
This brings up a table displaying all your directory items and their details …
(Staff Members details table)
If you need to change an individual’s details, hover over their list name, and a menu will appear.
Click on Edit if you need to modify the item’s Staff Bio, or Quick Edit to edit details such as their name, slug, group, and publish status. You can also remove a list item from your directory by clicking on Trash, or view the entry on your site by clicking on View …
(Edit Staff Members profile info)
If you have many employees, your table can become unwieldy.
You can use the Search Staff Members search box to find a member if necessary …
(Search Staff Members search field)
You can specify which fields can display in this section. To hide or hide fields on your screen, click the Screen Options tab at the top of your page …
(Screen Options)
Placing a tick in the item’s check box displays the field and unchecking a box hides the field. You can also select how many staff members are shown per page. Click the Apply button when finished to save your preferences …
Staff Members – Order
Simple Staff List also features a drag-and-drop interface that lets you set the order that listings show on your directory pages.
Click Staff Members > Order on the main admin menu …
(Staff Members – Order)
To reorder your listings, click and drag the item to the new position …
(Rearrange items using drag and drop)
Your list will be automatically reorganized …
(Reordered listings)
After adding your employees’ listing details to your directory, the next step is to make your directory show on your site.
Staff Members – Order
Simple Staff List also features a drag-and-drop interface allowing you to arrange the order in which entries show on your directory pages.
Choose Staff Members > Order in the menu …
(Staff Members – Order)
To reorder your entries, click and drag the entry to the desired location …
(Reorder employee listings using drag and drop)
Your directory will be automatically reorganized …
(Reordered list items)
Once you have added staff details to your directory, the next step is to display the directory to your visitors.
Simple Staff List – Additional Notes
The Simple Staff List plugin lets you customize the style and layout of your employee directory listings using template tags and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).
Templates Menu
To customize the layout and style of your staff list, select Staff Members > Templates from your main admin menu …
(Staff Members – Templates)
This opens the Templates screen …
(Templates page)
To customize your directory listings, insert any of the allowed template tags inside the [staff_loop] [/staff_loop] code.
For example, here is the Default Staff Loop Template …
(Default Plugin Staff Loop Template)
The The code shown above displays your listing as shown below …
(Default Plugin Template Listing)
Notice that there are no Facebook or Twitter URLs showing in the above example. To display these fields, you will need to include the [staff-facebook] and [staff-twitter] template tags, as shown below …
(Template tags added to Staff Loop Template)
Your directory entries will now display with Facebook and Twitter links as as the screenshot below shows …
(Employee profiles with social media URLs)
Note: If you want to customize your directory listings but don’t want to mess with template tags or are unsure of what to do, please contact us for assistance.
Usage Menu
As well as allowing you to customize your directory templates, the Simple Staff List plugin lets you display your staff profiles differently using modified shortcodes.
In your main menu, click on Staff Members >Usage …
(Staff Members – Usage)
This brings up the Usage screen …
(Usage shortcodes)
This screen provides a list of all the shortcode variations allowed by the Simple Staff List plugin.
A useful shortcode variation you can select, for example, to display a list of members belonging only to a specific group is the shortcode [simple-staff-list group=”group name”], (e.g.:[simple-staff-list group=”partners”])
You can also make your listings display in ascending or descending order by inserting the shortcode [simple-staff-list order=”ASC”] (ascending).
Options Menu
In the menu, select Staff Members >Options …
(Staff Members Menu – Options)
This brings up the Options screen …
(Options settings)
Here you can modify labels like Staff Members URL Slug and Staff Member titles
You can also export your staff members data by going to your main admin menu and clicking Tools > Export …
(Export Staff Members information)
If you need plugin help or support, go to the plugin site and request help from the plugin developer.
Additional Staff Directory Plugins For WordPress
Simple Staff List is not the only WordPress staff directory plugin you can use. For example, here are a few other free WordPress plugins you can look at for adding an employee directory on your site:
Modern Team Staff Directory
(Modern Team Staff Directory)
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)
Go here to learn more:
Staff Directory
(Staff Directory – WP Plugin)
This plugin lets you easily create a directory of team/faculty/staff members. The plugin supports staff categories and can be used for companies, schools, etc.
You can also insert custom fields …
(Custom Details Fields. Screenshot sourced from Staff Directory plugin website)
Learn more about this plugin here:
Faculty And Staff Directory
(Faculty And Staff Directory – WP Plugin)
Faculty And Staff Directory was developed to provide 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.
Learn more here:
Company Directory
(Company Directory – WP Plugin)
The Company Directory plugin lets you easily add your staff, team or faculty to your website. Different layouts are included, including grid and customizable single views, as well as fields like title, email address, phone, photo and member bio, allowing visitors to get to know your company and capabilities.
Visitors can click through from your list, grid, and table views to learn more about each staff member in a customizable single view …
(Display your staff and faculty in an easy-to-view format. Screenshot sourced from Company Directory website)
This plugin also uses shortcodes.
To learn more about the plugin go here:
Employee Spotlight
(Employee Spotlight – WordPress Plugin)
Employee Spotlight displays team members, partners 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.
With Employee Spotlight, you also get two sidebar widgets that let you display featured and recent employees selected in the editor, plus two responsive views which adjust to the viewer’s screen.
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: Employee Spotlight website)
Learn more about this plugin here:
Staffer
(Staffer – Plugin For WordPress)
Staffer uses custom post types for staff/employee management and supports the display of staff members via a shortcode, allowing you to easily create and manage an onsite employee directory …
(Staffer archive page. Screenshot source: Staffer plugin website)
Staffer works immediately with many popular WordPress themes, and also allows for custom template use and custom content wrappers.
To learn more about the 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 Directory Plugin
- Staff Directory WordPress Plugin
- Staff Plugin WordPress
- etc.
Hopefully, this tutorial has helped you learn how to create an easy-to-maintain directory of staff in your WordPress site.
Images of models used in this tutorial to portray 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