You have no doubt heard that people will mostly buy from people they know, like and trust.
Are you searching for quicker and easier ideas to grow your business online and get people to stay longer on your site? Then one of the things you can do, is make it easier for visitors to get to know you, your team and your business better.
If your site uses the WordPress CMS, a simple way to help visitors get to know you better is to display information about your key people, your business team, or your employees using a staff list plugin.
In this step-by-step tutorial, you are going to learn how to easily add an easy-to-manage list of staff members in your website.
Step-By-Step Tutorial: How To Easily Add A Staff List Directory
In this tutorial, you will learn how to install, activate and configure a plugin called Simple Staff List.
Simple Staff List WordPress Plugin
(Simple Staff List Plugin For WordPress)
Simple Staff List is free and lets you display information about your staff on your site.
First, let’s install and activate the Simple Staff List plugin.
Log into your WP admin and in your admin menu, choose Plugins > Add New …
(WordPress 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 the Install Now button …
(Plugins – plugin search results)
Click on Activate Plugin …
(Activate plugin)
After installing and activating the plugin, you will see that a new menu will have been added to your WordPress admin menu section called Staff Members …
(Staff Members)
The Staff Members menu is where you will configure and manage all of the settings and options for your plugin are configured and managed in the Staff Members menu.
Configuring The Simple Staff List Plugin
Depending on the size of your team and how you want to structure your directory, you can just begin adding new employee details after installing the plugin, or create various groups (i.e. categories) that you will assign to your staff members.
Staff Members – Groups
Let’s start by configuring your groups. From your dashboard menu, select Staff Members > Groups …
(Staff Members Menu – Groups)
The Groups settings panel opens up …
(Groups area)
Note: Adding directory groups is just like setting up categories …
(Groups work just like categories)
Add new groups by entering 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 drop-down menu if you plan to set up nested categories
- Description – Type in your category description (optional)
- Click Add New Group when done to create the new group name …
(Groups screen)
If you work with a business that employs many people, being able to set up different groups can be very useful. For example, you can create a category for founders, 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 groups)
Remember to click the Add New Group button after creating each new item …
To edit Groups for specific items, hover over a category title and select the Edit link …
Your selected category details will display in the Edit Group page. Select a new group category from the Parent drop-down menu …
(Edit Group settings)
Click the Update button when done …
To edit the Group name or slug, hover over the group name and click on the Quick Edit menu feature …
Click Update Group to save your changes …
Add as many group names as you need to until you have created your directory structure …
Add as many nested groups as you like …
(Add nested groups to your staff directory)
Once you are done setting up your directory structure, the next step is to start adding your people to your directory.
Staff Members – Add New
From your WordPress admin menu, choose Staff Members > Add New …
(Staff Members Menu – Add New)
This opens up the Add New Staff Member screen in your web browser …
(Add New Staff Member settings)
This page provides an easy-to-use interface for adding and editing your staff member profile and includes the following fields:
Name Section (1)
- Name: The staff member’s name
- Permalink: Here you can modify your employees’ 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: Type in the person’s position
- Email: Enter the staff member’s email address into this field
- Phone Number: Type your employee’s phone number into this field
- Facebook URL: Enter your staff member’s Facebook address (note: use the full URL, e.g. http://www.facebook.com/username)
- Twitter URL: Type your employee’s Twitter username (note: only enter the username, not the full twitter URL)
Staff Member Bio Section (4)
- Staff Member Bio: Type a profile description for your staff member here. This uses the WordPress Text Editor, so you can format content into this section.
Groups Section (5)
- Groups: This section lets you assign your staff member to a specific group (see above to learn how to set up your groups).
Click on the Screen Options tab at the top of your screen …
(Screen options)
You can enable additional page settings …
(Enable additional fields in screen options tab)
Now that you know what each section does, enter your staff member’s details …
(Staff directory fields)
After you have entered each staff member’s details, assign your entry to a directory group in the Groups box located in the sidebar …
(Groups section)
Note: If you have not set up categories before adding staff member details, you can add a new group by selecting Groups > + Add New Group …
(Groups - + Add New Group link)
A field for creating your group name will display, with a drop-down menu that lets you assign your new entry to a parent group. Enter your new category and click on Add New Group …
A new group will be added. Remember to tick the checkbox to assign your staff member to the group …
(Groups feature)
Note: Groups cannot be edited when a staff member’s details are being added or modified. 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 entering your employee’s details, click the Publish button …
Click View Post …
To make changes to the person’s profile, click on the Edit Staff Member link in your WP admin toolbar …
(Edit Staff Member link – admin toolbar)
To learn more about using the admin toolbar , go here:
Note: If a page error like the one shown in the screenshot below shows up, check that you have configured your site permalinks correctly …
(Check your permalinks if you get an error)
If you need help setting up permalinks, refer to this tutorial:
Repeat the above process to add more members to your staff directory directory.
Staff Members – All Staff Members
After entering staff details into your directory, you can view and edit details by choosing Staff Members > All Staff Members on your menu …
(Staff Members Menu – All Staff Members)
This brings up a list of all your directory items and details you have added with each entry …
(Staff Members table)
If you need to change individual details, hover your mouse over their listing, and a menu will appear.
Click on Edit if you need to update their Staff Bio, or Quick Edit to update details such as their name, slug, group, and publish status. You can also remove someone from your employee directory by clicking on Trash, or view the entry on your site by clicking View …
(Edit Staff Members profile info)
If you have many employees, your list can grow quite large.
Use the Search Staff Members search box to find listing items if necessary …
(Search Staff Members search field)
You can specify which fields to display in this screen. To show or hide fields on your screen, click on Screen Options …
(Staff Members Screen Options tab)
Tick or untick the checkboxes to display or hide fields. You can also select how many staff members are shown per page. Click the Apply button when finished to update your preferences …
Staff Members – Order
Simple Staff List also features a drag-and-drop interface that lets you set the order in which your staff entries show on your directory page.
Choose Staff Members > Order on your main menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Order)
To reorder your listings, click and drag the entry to its desired position …
(Reorder employee listings using drag and drop)
Your list will automatically be rearranged …
(Reordered listings)
After adding your members’ listing details to your directory, the next step is to make your directory display to your visitors.
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 page.
Choose Staff Members > Order in your dashboard menu …
(Staff Members – Order)
To rearrange the order of your entries, click and drag the item to the desired position …
(Rearrange items using drag and drop)
Your directory will be automatically reorganized …
(Reordered listings)
Once you are done adding employees’ listing details to the directory, the next step is to make the directory display to your visitors.
Simple Staff List – Additional Notes
Simple Staff List lets you edit the layout and style of your directory items using template tags and CSS (Cascading Style Sheets).
Templates Menu
To customize the style and layout of your staff list, 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, insert any of the allowable template tags inside the [staff_loop] [/staff_loop] code.
For example, here is a screenshot of the default template used for displaying listings …
(Default Plugin Template)
The above code displays the listing shown below …
(Default Simple Staff List Staff Loop Template Listing)
Notice that there are no Facebook or Twitter addresses showing in the above listing. To make these fields display in your directory, we will need to include the [staff-facebook] and [staff-twitter] tags in the template loop, as shown in the screenshot below …
(Template tags can be added to the Staff Loop Template to customize your directory page)
Your employee listings will now display as shown in the screenshot below …
(Directory listings with social media links added)
Note: If you want to customize your directory but don’t want to mess around with code or are not sure what to do, please contact us for help.
Usage Menu
As well as being able to customize your listing templates, the Simple Staff List plugin allows you to display your listings differently using modified shortcodes.
In your menu, click on Staff Members >Usage …
(Staff Members Menu – Usage)
This brings up the Usage page …
(Simple Staff List plugin shortcodes)
This screen lists all the shortcode variations you can use with the plugin.
For example, a useful shortcode variation you can choose to display only members of a specific group is the shortcode [simple-staff-list group=”group name”], (e.g.:[simple-staff-list group=”sales managers”])
Or, you can make your listings display in ascending or descending order by adding the shortcode [simple-staff-list order=”DESC”] (descending).
Options Menu
In the dashboard menu, select Staff Members >Options …
(Staff Members Menu – Options)
This opens the Options screen …
(Simple Staff List – Options screen)
This section lets you edit labels like Staff Members URL Slug and Staff Member titles
Finally, you can also export your staff members details by going to your main menu and choosing Tools > Export …
(Export Staff Members info)
If you need plugin help or support, go to the Simple Staff List faq page.
Additional WordPress Plugins For Creating Simple Staff Directories
Simple Staff List isn’t the only plugin you can use to create a directory of your staff in WordPress. Here are other plugins you can use:
Modern Team Staff Directory
(Modern Team Staff Directory)
Modern Team Staff Directory 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)
For more details, visit the plugin site here:
Staff Directory
(Staff Directory – Plugin For WordPress)
This plugin lets you easily create a directory of team/staff/faculty members. The plugin supports staff categories and can be used for companies, schools, etc.
The plugin lets you create custom fields …
(Custom Details Fields Screen. Screenshot source: Staff Directory website)
More info:
Faculty And Staff Directory
(Faculty And Staff Directory – WordPress Plugin)
This plugin provides a simple and flexible faculty and staff directory for a small college or university.
The plugin also includes a widget that allows you to feature a profile in a widget area.
Learn more here:
Company Directory
(Company Directory – WordPress Plugin)
With the Company Directory plugin, you can easily add your employees to your website. Different layouts are available, including grid and customizable single views, plus as fields like title, email, phone, image and 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 employee in a customizable single view …
(Display your staff and faculty in an easy to view format. Screenshot source: plugin website)
This plugin uses simple shortcodes.
For more details, visit the plugin site here:
Employee Spotlight
(Employee Spotlight – Plugin For WordPress)
Employee Spotlight displays team members, partners or just a single member of your team in a four-column circle grid page. This page can be easily created with a setup assistant on plugin activation.
With the Employee Spotlight plugin, you 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 faculty member can be displayed in their own page, as well as in summary …
(Responsive layout with circle grid. Screenshot source: Employee Spotlight website)
Go here to learn more about this plugin:
Staffer
(Staffer – WordPress Plugin)
The Staffer plugin 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 a staff directory on your site …
(Staffer archive page. Screenshot sourced from Staffer plugin website)
Staffer works with almost all WordPress themes, and also allows for custom template use and custom content wrappers.
More info:
If the above plugins 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
- Staff Directory Plugin WordPress
- etc.
Congratulations! Now you know how to add a simple directory of staff members to your WordPress site, so you can better showcase the people in your business, team, or organization.
Models used in this tutorial to display sample staff members were sourced under creative commons license from pixabay.com
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