What are Widgets in WordPress?
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2024 9:43 am
Everyone who has used WordPress has had some contact with Widgets, but what are they for? In short, they are used to add extra content to the sides and bottom of the website. In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about Widgets and how to enhance your WordPress website with this tool.
The structure of a website
To better understand the function of a Widget, it is important to understand the structure of a website and the role of each part. In general, websites have the same content structure, consisting of the menu, where links to other pages are found, and the body of content, which takes up most of the page and is where the most important information is displayed, such as blog posts, products, services, classes, etc.
Another component of the structure is the footer, located at india business fax list the bottom of the page. It contains rich, useful information that does not change, such as contact information, address, social networks and links. The sidebars are breathing areas that are located to the left and right of the content area, and it is in the sidebar area that Widgets usually appear.
What is the purpose of the Widget?
As mentioned, Widgets are used for additional actions on the website. There are several options that can be added to various website formats and structures. Within WordPress we can find music widgets, shopping cart widgets, recent comments widgets, social networks widgets, call to action widgets, topics widgets, among many others.
With so many possibilities, it takes care and strategy when choosing Widgets for your website. Many people think that by adding several widgets, the website will be complete, but it is necessary to evaluate the need for each widget and analyze whether it is really worth having them. The most important thing is their usefulness, not their quantity.
Once you have chosen the right Widgets for your website, you need to understand the ways to place one, which are:
Use the widgets that already come with WordPress;
Add widgets from the plugins directory;
Purchase a premium plugin that includes a widget.
Check out now how to place Widgets within these three categories and understand when to use each of them.
Using WordPress Widgets
There are widgets that come pre-installed on WordPress. They are great to use because they save you time and effort searching for them. Even though you don't have all the widget options available there, there are several options that can be good for your blog.
To use the available WordPress widgets, you need to go to WordPress, click on “Appearance”, which is on the left side menu, and finally go to “Widgets”.
There are several Widgets pre-installed in WordPress, such as: agenda, calendar, “follow” button, categories, comments, gallery, Google translate, RSS links, “search” button, among others.
To install them, you need to click on the option of your preference and go to “Add Widget”, as shown in the example below:
Widgets
If you don't have the widget you need among the pre-installed ones, you can choose to get it through a plugin. We'll see how this works better from now on.
Adding Widgets from the Plugins Directory
Within the WordPress plugin directory, you will find several free plugins that offer other Widgets that are not available in the pre-installed category. To find the Widget you need through the plugins, simply follow these steps:
Open the Plugins tab: Within the side menu, the “plugins” category is located within “Tools”. When accessing the plugins tab, you will find several types of plugins, with different applications;
Look for plugins that are related to the widget you are looking for. A good tip is to enter the word “widget” in the plugin search;
After installing, you need to test the widget to see how effective it is. If it is not what you were looking for, you can uninstall it and look for others that offer the same service.
Adding Widgets from a Premium Plugin
If you haven't found the widget you need in the plugin directory, you can still get it through premium plugins. These plugins are paid and offer better options for blogs and websites, in addition to having technical support and a very satisfactory after-sales service.
The best premium plugins to add to WordPress are: Material (allows customization of the overall appearance of the dashboard), UserPro Dashboard (easy control over user profile information and design), Dashy (dashboard creation and customization), WooComerce (site statistics generator), among others.
Before purchasing a plugin, you should check whether it has a money-back guarantee or a free trial period. This way, you can test it out and, if you don't like it, return it and look for another option that you like better.
Conclusion
In this article, you saw what Widgets are, what they are for, and how to use them in WordPress to make your blog/website more functional. It is important to note that there is no right plugin, but rather one that fits the digital strategy that is being applied to the blog or website.
Think about the user journey and what items would be interesting to include in your blog to improve their experience and help build customer loyalty. By understanding which widgets are part of your digital strategy, it will be easier to choose the best ones and, with the tips given in this article, put them into practice, reaping positive results.
The structure of a website
To better understand the function of a Widget, it is important to understand the structure of a website and the role of each part. In general, websites have the same content structure, consisting of the menu, where links to other pages are found, and the body of content, which takes up most of the page and is where the most important information is displayed, such as blog posts, products, services, classes, etc.
Another component of the structure is the footer, located at india business fax list the bottom of the page. It contains rich, useful information that does not change, such as contact information, address, social networks and links. The sidebars are breathing areas that are located to the left and right of the content area, and it is in the sidebar area that Widgets usually appear.
What is the purpose of the Widget?
As mentioned, Widgets are used for additional actions on the website. There are several options that can be added to various website formats and structures. Within WordPress we can find music widgets, shopping cart widgets, recent comments widgets, social networks widgets, call to action widgets, topics widgets, among many others.
With so many possibilities, it takes care and strategy when choosing Widgets for your website. Many people think that by adding several widgets, the website will be complete, but it is necessary to evaluate the need for each widget and analyze whether it is really worth having them. The most important thing is their usefulness, not their quantity.
Once you have chosen the right Widgets for your website, you need to understand the ways to place one, which are:
Use the widgets that already come with WordPress;
Add widgets from the plugins directory;
Purchase a premium plugin that includes a widget.
Check out now how to place Widgets within these three categories and understand when to use each of them.
Using WordPress Widgets
There are widgets that come pre-installed on WordPress. They are great to use because they save you time and effort searching for them. Even though you don't have all the widget options available there, there are several options that can be good for your blog.
To use the available WordPress widgets, you need to go to WordPress, click on “Appearance”, which is on the left side menu, and finally go to “Widgets”.
There are several Widgets pre-installed in WordPress, such as: agenda, calendar, “follow” button, categories, comments, gallery, Google translate, RSS links, “search” button, among others.
To install them, you need to click on the option of your preference and go to “Add Widget”, as shown in the example below:
Widgets
If you don't have the widget you need among the pre-installed ones, you can choose to get it through a plugin. We'll see how this works better from now on.
Adding Widgets from the Plugins Directory
Within the WordPress plugin directory, you will find several free plugins that offer other Widgets that are not available in the pre-installed category. To find the Widget you need through the plugins, simply follow these steps:
Open the Plugins tab: Within the side menu, the “plugins” category is located within “Tools”. When accessing the plugins tab, you will find several types of plugins, with different applications;
Look for plugins that are related to the widget you are looking for. A good tip is to enter the word “widget” in the plugin search;
After installing, you need to test the widget to see how effective it is. If it is not what you were looking for, you can uninstall it and look for others that offer the same service.
Adding Widgets from a Premium Plugin
If you haven't found the widget you need in the plugin directory, you can still get it through premium plugins. These plugins are paid and offer better options for blogs and websites, in addition to having technical support and a very satisfactory after-sales service.
The best premium plugins to add to WordPress are: Material (allows customization of the overall appearance of the dashboard), UserPro Dashboard (easy control over user profile information and design), Dashy (dashboard creation and customization), WooComerce (site statistics generator), among others.
Before purchasing a plugin, you should check whether it has a money-back guarantee or a free trial period. This way, you can test it out and, if you don't like it, return it and look for another option that you like better.
Conclusion
In this article, you saw what Widgets are, what they are for, and how to use them in WordPress to make your blog/website more functional. It is important to note that there is no right plugin, but rather one that fits the digital strategy that is being applied to the blog or website.
Think about the user journey and what items would be interesting to include in your blog to improve their experience and help build customer loyalty. By understanding which widgets are part of your digital strategy, it will be easier to choose the best ones and, with the tips given in this article, put them into practice, reaping positive results.