Something that is generally well known in business and marketing, is that people tend to buy from people they already know, like and trust.
If you are searching for quicker, easier and cheaper ideas to grow your business online and increase user interaction on your site, then help your prospects get to know your business better.
If you are a WordPress user, one way to easily help visitors get to know you better is to add a staff list plugin that lets you display information about your partners, your team, or your employees.
In this tutorial, we are going to show you how to easily create and add a simple faculty directory in your site with no coding skills required.
Adding A Staff Directory To WordPress: Plugin Tutorial
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 WordPress Plugin)
Simple Staff List lets you display basic information to visitors about your staff on your website.
The first step is to install and activate this plugin.
Log into your admin and navigate to Plugins > Add New …
(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 …
(Plugins – Add Plugins screen)
Click on Activate Plugin …
(Activate plugin)
After installing and activating the plugin, you will notice that new menu will have been added to your WordPress menu bar called Staff Members …
(Staff Members menu)
The Staff Members menu is where you will configure and manage all of the options and settings for the Simple Staff List plugin are configured and managed in this menu.
How To Configure The Plugin
Depending on how many people are employed in your organization and how you want to structure your employee directory, you could begin adding new employee details at this at this stage, or create various groups (i.e. categories) that you will assign to your staff.
Staff Members – Groups
To configure your categories go to your dashboard menu and choose Staff Members > Groups …
(Staff Members Menu – Groups)
This opens up the Groups section …
(Groups section)
Note: Adding directory groups works in the same way as configuring categories in WordPress …
(Groups work just like WordPress categories)
Add new groups by typing in the following information:
- Group Name – Type in your group name
- Slug – Enter the slug of your group category name. 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 groups
- Description – Enter a category description (optional)
- Click Add New Group when finished to create a new directory category …
(Groups section)
If you are a business that employs many people, having the ability to assign people to different categories can be very useful. For example, you can create a category for investors, developers, departments, 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 entering each new item …
To change Groups for specific entries, hover over a category title and select the Edit link …
The group details will display in the Edit Group page. Select a new group from the Parent dropdown menu …
(Edit Group settings)
Click the Update button to save your changes …
To change your Group name or slug, hover over the group name and choose the Quick Edit menu feature …
Click Update Group when done …
Continue adding categories in this section until you have created your directory structure …
Add as many nested groups as you like …
(Add nested groups to your directory)
Once you are done setting up your groups, the next step is to start to add names to your directory.
Staff Members – Add New
In your admin menu, choose Staff Members > Add New …
(Staff Members – Add New)
The Add New Staff Member screen …
(Add New Staff Member settings)
This area provides an easy-to-use interface for adding and editing your staff member details and includes the following fields:
Name Section (1)
- Name: The staff member’s name
- Slug: Edit the permalink URL associated with your staff member if required (this section appears after your first save).
Staff Photo Section (2)
- Photo: Upload a photo of your staff member
Staff Member Info Section (3)
- Position: Add your employee’s role
- Email: Add the person’s email here
- Phone Number: Add the person’s phone number
- Facebook URL: Type in your company’s Facebook address into this field (note: use the full URL, e.g. http://www.facebook.com/username)
- Twitter URL: Type your company’s Twitter username into this field (note: only enter the username, not the full twitter URL)
Staff Member Bio Section (4)
- Staff Member Bio: Type a profile description for your employee or faculty member here. Since this uses the default WordPress Text Editor, you can add formatted content in this section.
Groups Section (5)
- Groups: This section lets you assign an employee or team member to a group (see above to learn how to set up your groups).
If you click on the Screen Options tab …
(Screen options tab)
You will see options to enable additional page settings …
(Enable additional fields in screen options)
Now that you know what each section does, enter your employee’s details …
(Add New Staff Member settings)
Once you are done entering details, assign your new entry to a directory group in the Groups feature located in your sidebar …
(Groups box)
Note: If you did not set up categories before adding staff member details, you can create a group now by clicking on Groups > + Add New Group …
(Add a new group inside your Groups box)
A field will display allowing you to enter a new group name, with a drop-down menu to assign your new entry to a parent group. Enter your new category and click on the Add New Group button …
A new group will be created. Make sure that the check box is ticked …
(New group added via Groups feature)
Note: You cannot edit groups when adding or making changes to new 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 typing in your employee’s details, click the Publish button …
Click View Post …
To update your staff member’s profile, click on the Edit Staff Member link in the admin toolbar …
(Edit Staff Member link – WordPress admin toolbar)
If you need help using the admin toolbar, see this step-by-step tutorial:
Note: If ’not found’ page errors shows up like the one shown in the screenshot below, check that your site permalinks have been configured correctly …
(Check your permalinks if you get ’page not found’ errors)
If you need help setting up permalinks in WordPress, go here:
Keep adding new entries to your directory directory as described above.
Staff Members – All Staff Members
After entering employee details to your directory, you can view and edit details by clicking Staff Members > All Staff Members in your dashboard menu …
(Staff Members – All Staff Members)
This brings up a list displaying all the employees and details you have added related to each entry …
(Staff Members table)
If you need to edit an individual’s details, hover your mouse over their name, and a submenu will appear.
Click on Edit if you want to edit the item’s Staff Bio, or Quick Edit to edit details such as their name, slug, group, and publish status. You can also delete a member from your staff directory by clicking on the Trash link, or view the entry on your site by clicking on View …
(Editing Staff Members profile)
Depending on what you are using the plugin for, your list can become unwieldy.
Use the Search Staff Members search field to find entries if necessary …
(Search members)
You can specify which fields can display in this screen. To show or hide fields on your screen, click the Screen Options tab …
(Staff Members Screen Options)
Tick or untick the checkboxes to show or hide fields. You can also choose how many staff members are listed per page. Click Apply when finished to save your screen options …
Staff Members – Order
Simple Staff List also features a drag-and-drop interface that lets you set the order in which entries display on your directory pages.
Click Staff Members > Order in your main admin menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Order)
To reorder your listings, click and drag the entry to its desired position …
(Rearrange listings using drag and drop)
Your directory will be automatically reorganized …
(Reordered listings)
After adding all members’ listing details to the directory, the next step is to make your directory show on your site.
Staff Members – Order
The plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface allowing you to set the order that listings show on your directory page.
Select Staff Members > Order in your WP admin menu …
(Staff Members – Order)
To reorder your entries, click and drag the entry to a desired location …
(Rearrange staff listings using drag and drop)
Your staff list will automatically be reorganized …
(Reordered list)
Once you are done adding all of your members’ listing details to the directory, the next step is to make your directory display to your site visitors.
Simple Staff List – Additional Notes
Simple Staff List lets you create the style and layout of your 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 the WP admin menu …
(Staff Members – Templates)
This opens the Templates screen …
(Customize your directory template)
To customize your directory listings, reorganize any of the allowable template tags inside the [staff_loop] [/staff_loop] code.
For example, below is the default template used for displaying directory listings …
(Default Plugin Staff Loop Template)
The The code shown above displays your directory listing as shown below …
(Default Plugin Template Listing)
Notice that there are no Facebook or Twitter addresses showing in the above listing. To make these fields show up in your directory, you will need to include the [staff-facebook] and [staff-twitter] tags in the template, as shown below …
(Template tags can be added to Staff Loop Template)
Here is what your directory will now look like …
(Directory listings with social media links)
Note: If you want to customize your directory but don’t want to mess with code or are not sure 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 allows you to display your listings differently using modified shortcodes.
In your main menu, select Staff Members >Usage …
(Staff Members – Usage)
This brings up the Usage screen …
(Simple Staff List – Usage shortcode variations)
This screen lists all different shortcode variations that the plugin lets you use.
For example, a useful shortcode variation you can decide to use 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”])
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 your menu, select Staff Members >Options …
(Staff Members Menu – Options)
This brings up the Options screen …
(Simple Staff List – customizable options)
This section lets you change labels like Staff Members URL Slug and Staff Member title
You can also export your staff members info by going to the WP admin menu and clicking Tools > Export …
(Export Staff Members information)
If you need help with the plugin, visit the plugin site and request help from the plugin author.
Other Staff Directory Plugins
Simple Staff List isn’t the only plugin you can use to display a listing of your faculty members in WordPress. For example, here are a few other plugins you can look at for adding an employee directory on your website:
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)
Learn more here:
Staff Directory
(Staff Directory – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin)
With Staff Directory, you can easily create a directory of faculty/team/staff members. The plugin supports staff categories and can be used for companies, schools, etc.
You can also set up custom fields …
(Custom Details Fields Screen. Screenshot source: Staff Directory website)
For more details, visit the plugin site here:
Faculty And Staff Directory
(Faculty And Staff Directory – WordPress Plugin)
This plugin 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.
For more details, visit the plugin site here:
Company Directory
(Company Directory – Plugin For WordPress)
With Company Directory, you can easily add your employees to your website. Different layouts are available, including grid and single views, as well as fields like job title, email address, 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 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 plugin website)
This plugin uses shortcodes.
Go here to learn more about this plugin:
Employee Spotlight
(Employee Spotlight)
Employee Spotlight displays staff members, partners or just one individual member of your team 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, and two responsive views which adjust to the device screen size.
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 sourced from Employee Spotlight website)
More info:
Staffer
(Staffer – WP Plugin)
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 employee directory on your site …
(Staffer archive page. Screenshot sourced from Staffer plugin website)
Staffer works immediately with almost all 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, search the WordPress plugin directory or go online and search for:
- Add Staff Directory To WordPress
- WordPress Staff List
- WordPress Plugin Staff Directory
- Simple Staff List Template WordPress
- etc.
Hopefully, now you know how to add a simple and easy-to-update list of staff members in your web site with no coding skills required.
Models used to display fictitious staff members in this tutorial were sourced under creative commons license from pixabay.com
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"I have used the tutorials to teach all of my clients and it has probably never been so easy for everyone to learn WordPress ... Now I don't need to buy all these very expensive video courses that often don't deliver what they promise." - Stefan Wendt, Internet Marketing Success Group