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How To Add A Sidebar In WordPress: Complete Guide For Beginners

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Sidebars are a great way to add more information about your content or link to other related pages on your site.

They are also a great way to provide information like social media icons and lead capture forms on your blog without cluttering up the main body of the page.

In this article, we’ll show you how to add a sidebar in WordPress so you can quickly get back to creating awesome content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Sidebar in WordPress?

You can find the sidebar by selecting Widgets from the left panel of your dashboard.

A list of the Widget available on your website will be displayed.

The name may change based on the WordPress theme, but it usually contains the word “sidebar.”

Is a Sidebar Necessary for a Website?

Sidebars allow you to include many quick links to crucial items for your business while assisting site users in navigating the site easily and without confusion.

But blog design is subjective, so you can eliminate the sidebar if you have other innovative ways to handle navigation easily.

What You’ll Need To Add Sidebar In WordPress

WordPress Themes

WordPress houses a catalog of themes, both free and premium.

We suggest experimenting with a few of them and finding one that looks aesthetically good and allows customization in their interface.

Several themes do not allow customization.

Content Aware Sidebar

Content Aware Sidebars is highly recommended; it is one of the top plugins that has been around for a while.

It is a free WordPress sidebar plugin for adding widget-ready sections to websites, such as sidebars.

With the help of the versatile features in Content Aware Sidebars, you can add sidebars for any posts, custom categories, and other content created with this plugin.

How To Add A Sidebar In WordPress With Customizer: Step-By-Step Instructions

You can display content that isn’t a part of the main homepage in the widget sidebar of your WordPress website.

Depending on your theme, you can edit one or more sidebars.

The WordPress Customizer feature in the dashboard allows you to modify your sidebar. We’ll show you how to do that below:

Step One. Click the Appearance > Customizer within the WordPress dashboard.

Step Two. Select Widgets in the customizer, then select the sidebar you wish to change.

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Step Three. Select a widget from the menu after clicking on it. The Widget is added to your live preview and active widgets list in the left panel.

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Step Four. Make changes to the Widget’s settings. To remove a widget you don’t want, click Delete.

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Step Five. Whenever you like, add widgets to your sidebar. Widgets can be moved around on the left side panel by clicking and dragging them, or you can click Reorder and switch the order of your widgets using the up/down arrow buttons.

Step Six. Click Publish after you’re finished.

How To Add A Custom Sidebar In WordPress: Step-By-Step Instructions

You can customize your sidebar in any way, and since sidebars can accommodate widgets, WordPress offers several options.

You make the changes from “Customizer” or go to Appearance > Widgets and customize your sidebar there.

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Currently, you can add multiple widgets to your sidebar and get many options to choose from.

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You can link to your socials, YouTube channel, media, multiple buttons, and texts; you can add installed plugins and multiple media formats.

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You can also add widgets that help your business grow, such as payment buttons, available hours, contact forms, emails, and upcoming events.

Simply click on the widgets you want to show on your sidebar, provide the necessary information and save your new settings.

How To Add A Sidebar In WordPress Using Plugins: Step-By-Step Instructions

Although many WordPress themes offer some sidebar capability, the placement of those sidebars will limit your options.

You can use a third-party plugin to create a custom sidebar for your WordPress website if you feel constrained by the theme’s built-in sidebars.

I’ll demonstrate how to design a brand-new sidebar in this part using the free Content Aware Sidebar plugin.

Step One: Start by going to Plugins > Add New and install and activate the Content Aware Sidebar Plugin.

Step Two: Once the plugin is installed and activated, you’ll find a separate menu in the dashboard where you can customize sidebars.

Step Three: Click on Content Aware > Add New.

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Step Four: Conditions allow you to insert widget areas and swap out the sidebars on your current theme.

The following image shows available Display Conditions.

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Step Five: Save your new changes by clicking “Create.”

No coding is necessary to create sidebars or any other custom ones you require.

Even if you design a lot of customized sidebars and conditions, this plugin won’t slow down your website’s loading speed.  

With the PRO edition, you can customize the HTML and CSS classes of widget areas and names without writing any code.

No matter what theme you choose, you have complete control over the appearance of your sidebars and widget sections.

What To Add In A WordPress Sidebar?

Your WordPress sidebar can contain any widgets you choose. Nevertheless, some widgets are generally more useful than others. Here are a few of them:

  • Email Opt-In: By including this form in the sidebar, you give your visitors a choice to sign up for your newsletter.
  • Social Media Buttons: By including links to your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles, you could update readers on your content across the websites they visit.
  • Recent Blog Posts: This Widget encourages readers to stay on the site by making it simple for visitors who arrive via a single blog post to access your most recent articles.
  • Search Bar: Instead of sifting through your content archives, a search bar makes it simple for viewers to access information using a keyword or phrase.
  • Calls-to-Action: Use the WordPress sidebar for any CTA pertinent to your blog and direct viewers to a landing page for a product offer, subscription, or other important resources.

Similar Tutorials Types To Check Out

  • How to Build a Website With WordPress: Are you a budding entrepreneur or blogger looking to start a website for your company? We’ll show you how to build a website with WordPress.
  • How to Create a WordPress Landing Page: You can create more efficient marketing campaigns, increase site traffic, and boost revenue with a landing page. We’ll show you how to create a WordPress landing page.
  • How to Remove a WordPress Sidebar: Do you want to remove WordPress sidebars but don’t know how? In this article, we will show you how to accomplish this.

Wrapping Up

There’s no reason to reuse the same sidebar layout for your content, especially because WordPress has many options.

Depending on the page your viewers can see, a custom sidebar can help you change up the look of your website and add interesting elements.

Additionally, it could facilitate easier site navigation, which is always good.

Use plugins if your theme doesn’t let you customize sidebars.

All you have to do is install and activate the plugin, designate the placement of your first custom sidebar, and repeat the steps if you want to set up more than one.

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