It’s often said in business that people tend to buy from people they know, like and trust.
Are you looking for ideas to sell more products online and get people to stay longer on your site? Then make it easier for your visitors to get to know you and your organization better.
Adding a directory of staff to your website can help to generate more trust, boost your credibility online and get more prospects to buy from you.
In this step-by-step tutorial, we are going to show you how to easily add an easy-to-manage directory of staff members in your site using a free plugin.
Adding A Staff List Directory: Tutorial
In this tutorial, you will learn how to install, activate and configure a no cost WordPress plugin called Simple Staff List.
Simple Staff List – WordPress Plugin
(Simple Staff List – WordPress Plugin)
Simple Staff List lets you easily build a simple staff directory list for.
First, let’s install and activate the plugin.
Log into the WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins > Add New …
(WP Plugins Menu – Add New)
In the Plugins area, search for “simple staff plugin”. This brings up the Simple Staff Plugin in your plugin search results.
Click on Install Now …
(Plugins – Add Plugins screen)
Click on Activate Plugin …
(Activate plugin)
After the plugin has been installed and activated, you will see that a new entry will appear on the main WordPress menu section called Staff Members …
(Staff Members menu)
All of the options and settings for your plugin are configured and managed from this menu.
Simple Staff List – Plugin Configuration
Depending on the size of your business and how you want to structure your employee directory, you can start adding new employee details at this point, or create several groups (i.e. categories) to assign your individualmembers into.
Staff Members – Groups
To set up your directory groups go to your dashboard menu and choose Staff Members > Groups …
(Staff Members – Groups)
This takes you to the Groups settings panel …
(Groups area)
Note: Configuring groups works just like categories in WordPress …
(Groups work just like categories)
Add new groups by typing in the following information:
- Group Name – Type in your category name
- Slug – Type in the slug of your group. 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 in this field
- Click the Add New Group button when done to create a new category …
(Groups settings area)
If you are a medium to large organization, the ability to set up different groups can be very useful. For example, you can create a group for partners, project teams, departments, etc.
Create as many categories and nested categories as you want by adding new Groups and then using the Parent drop-down menu to assign these to a hierarchical structure …
(Nested categories)
Remember to click on the Add New Group button after creating new items …
To edit or reassign Groups for an individual item, hover over a category title and select the Edit link …
The group details will open in the Edit Group screen. Select a new group from the Parent drop-down menu …
(Edit Group settings)
Click Update when done …
To change your Group name or slug, hover over the group name and choose Quick Edit …
Click the Update Group button when done to save your changes …
Add as many categories as you need to until you have created your directory structure …
Add as many nested groups as you like …
(Nested groups)
After you have finished setting up your hierarchical structure, the next step is to begin adding names to your directory.
Staff Members – Add New
In your WordPress admin menu, choose Staff Members > Add New …
(Staff Members Menu – Add New)
The Add New Staff Member area …
(Add New Staff Member settings)
This screen provides you with an easy-to-use interface for adding and editing your staff member profile and includes the following fields:
Name Section (1)
- Name: Your staff member’s name
- Slug: Change the permalink URL associated with your staff member if you want (you will see this section after your first save).
Staff Photo Section (2)
- Photo: Upload a photo of your staff member
Staff Member Info Section (3)
- Position: The employee’s position
- Email: Your staff member’s email address
- Phone Number: The employee’s phone number
- Facebook URL: Enter the person’s Facebook address into this field (note: use the full URL, e.g. http://www.facebook.com/username)
- Twitter URL: Add your company’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 staff member here. This uses the WordPress Text Editor, so you can add formatting to the content entered into this section.
Groups Section (5)
- Groups: You can assign the individual to a specific group (see the previous section to learn how to set up your groups).
If you click on the Screen Options tab at the top of the screen …
(Screen options tab)
You will see options to enable additional features …
(Enable additional fields in screen options tab)
Now that you know what each section does, enter each staff member’s details …
(Add Staff Member fields)
After you have entered each staff member’s details, assign your item to a directory group in the Groups feature located in your sidebar …
(Groups box)
Note: If you have not set up categories before starting to add 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 for creating your new group name will display, with a drop-down menu that lets you assign your new entry to a parent group. Enter your new group and click on the Add New Group button …
Your new directory category will be created. Make sure that the checkbox is ticked …
(New group added via Groups section)
Note: Groups cannot be edited when adding or making changes to employee details. To edit a group item, go to the Groups section of the plugin’s settings (see “Groups” section of the tutorial above for details).
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After entering the person’s details, click the Publish button to add them to the directory …
Click View Post …
To modify your member profile, click on the Edit Staff Member link in the admin toolbar …
(Edit Staff Member link – admin toolbar)
If you need help using the dashboard admin toolbar, refer to this step-by-step tutorial:
Note: If you see ’page not found’ errors like the one shown below, check that your permalinks have been configured correctly …
(Page error? Check your permalinks)
To learn more about setting up permalinks in WordPress, refer to this step-by-step tutorial:
Repeat the above process to continue adding more details to your staff or team directory.
Staff Members – All Staff Members
After you have added employee or faculty members into your directory, you can view and edit their details by choosing Staff Members > All Staff Members in the menu …
(Staff Members Menu – All Staff Members)
This brings up a list of all your staff members and details you have added with each entry …
(Staff Members details table)
If you need to modify individual details, hover your mouse over their listing, and a submenu will appear.
Click on Edit if you want to edit the Staff Bio, or Quick Edit to change details like name, slug, group, and publish status. You can also remove a list item from the directory by clicking on the Trash link, or view the entry on your site by clicking View …
(Editing Staff Members profile info)
Depending on what you are using the plugin for, your table can get quite long.
Use the Search Staff Members search field to find listing items if necessary …
(Search members)
You can specify which fields to display in this screen. To hide or hide fields on your screen, click the Screen Options tab at the top of your page …
(Staff Members Screen Options)
Selecting a checkbox displays the field and unselecting it hides the field. You can also specify how many staff members are shown per page. Click the Apply button when done to update your preferences …
Staff Members – Order
The plugin also features a drag-and-drop interface that lets you arrange the order in which your staff members appear on your directory pages.
Click Staff Members > Order in the dashboard menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Order)
To reorder your items, click and drag the entry to the new location …
(Reorder staff listings using drag and drop)
Your list will be automatically reorganized …
(Reordered listings)
After adding your employees’ listing details to the 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 that allows you to arrange the order that entries appear on your directory pages.
Choose Staff Members > Order in the menu …
(Staff Members – Order)
To rearrange the order of your entries, click and drag the entry to a new location …
(Rearrange listings using drag and drop)
Your directory will be automatically reorganized …
(Reordered listings)
Once you have added members’ listing details to the directory, the next step is to display the directory to your visitors.
Simple Staff List – Additional Notes
Simple Staff List allows you to customize the style and layout of your employee 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 the WP admin menu …
(Staff Members Menu – Templates)
This brings up the Templates screen …
(Customize your directory template)
To customize your directory, insert any of the permitted template tags inside the [staff_loop] [/staff_loop] code.
For example, here is a screenshot of the default template used for displaying listings …
(Default Staff Loop Template)
The above code displays the listing shown below …
(Default Staff Loop Template Listing)
Notice that there are no Facebook or Twitter addresses showing in the above listing. To make these fields appear in your directory, you will need to include the [staff-facebook] and [staff-twitter] template tags, as shown in the example below …
(Template tags can be added to the Staff Loop Template to customize your directory page)
Your employee profiles will now display Facebook and Twitter addresses as as the example below shows …
(Directory with social media links)
Note: If you want to customize how your directory looks 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 lets you display your staff profiles differently using modified shortcodes.
In your main menu, select Staff Members >Usage …
(Staff Members – Usage)
This brings up the Usage screen …
(Simple Staff List shortcodes)
This screen displays all different shortcode variations that the Simple Staff List plugin allows you to use.
For example, a useful shortcode variation you can select to display only members belonging 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 using the shortcode [simple-staff-list order=”DESC”] (descending).
Options Menu
Choose Staff Members >Options on your menu …
(Staff Members – Options)
This opens the Options screen …
(Simple Staff List – customizable options)
This section lets you change labels like Staff Members URL Slug and Staff Member titles
You can also export your staff members info by going to the menu and choosing Tools > Export …
(Export Staff Members plugin information)
If you need plugin help or support, visit the Simple Staff List faq page and request help from the plugin developer.
Other Staff Directory Plugins
Simple Staff List isn’t the only plugin you can use to display a directory of your staff in WordPress. For example, here are some other free WordPress plugins you can check out:
Modern Team Staff Directory
(Modern Team Staff Directory – Plugin For WordPress)
The Modern Team Staff Directory 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)
Learn more about this plugin here:
Staff Directory
(Staff Directory – Plugin For WordPress)
The Staff Directory plugin lets you easily display a list of staff/team/faculty members. The plugin supports staff categories and can be used for churches, teams, etc.
The plugin also lets you insert custom fields …
(Custom Details Fields Screen. Screenshot source: Staff Directory plugin website)
More info:
Faculty And Staff Directory
(Faculty And Staff Directory – Plugin For WordPress)
Faculty And Staff Directory 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 profiles in a widget area.
For more details, visit the plugin site here:
Company Directory
(Company Directory – WP Staff Directory Plugin)
The Company Directory plugin lets you easily add your staff to your website. Different layouts are available, including grid and table views, as well as fields like position title, email address, phone, photo and staff bio, allowing you to present your company and capabilities.
Visitors can 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 also uses a simple shortcode system.
Learn more here:
Employee Spotlight
(Employee Spotlight – WordPress Plugin)
Employee Spotlight displays employees, partners or just a single member of your team in a 4-column circle grid page. This page can be easily created with a setup assistant upon plugin activation.
With this plugin, 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 device screen size.
Detailed information about each team 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:
Staffer
(Staffer – WordPress Staff Directory Plugin)
Staffer uses custom post types for 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 sourced from Staffer plugin website)
Staffer works with almost all WordPress themes, and also allows for custom template use and custom content wrappers.
Learn more about this plugin 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 Directory Plugin
- Staff Directory WordPress Plugin
- Staff Directory Plugin WordPress
- etc.
Congratulations! Now you know how to add a simple employee directory to your WordPress site, so your site visitors can get to know you and the people in your company better.
Images of persons used in this tutorial to depict staff members were sourced under creative commons license from pixabay.com
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