How to Add a Sidebar in WordPress: 5 Step-by-Step Methods

One of the first things you should consider when building your website is how easily your visitors will be able to navigate. A sidebar is often an important feature that allows users to skip around to the various parts of your site. But do you know how to add a sidebar in WordPress? 

Are you ready to learn more about improving the navigation of your site? 

Let's get started! 

Choosing a WordPress Theme with Sidebar Options

The first and easiest way to add a sidebar to your WordPress page is to select a theme that allows for plenty of sidebar options.

For example, you might use a sidebar to:

• Showcase your latest blog posts
• Categorize topics
• Post a calendar of events

Designing your website can be quite time-consuming but you can save some time on the creation of sidebars by choosing one of these theme options: 

This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the theme options you could use to install a sidebar widget. This simply gives you a nice selection of themes you could consider if you are open to revamping your website or building around one of these themes to begin with. 

Once you have installed your new theme, head to the sidebar and select Appearance. From the menu, select Customize. 

If your theme is compatible right off the bat, you will see an option for Global at the top of the Customize menu. This will bring up the ability to select Layout and then Sidebar Layout. 

Select which one you want to bring up a live preview of what the page will look like with your sidebar. 

From here, you can add widgets to the sidebar area to customize what your visitors will see. Hit Publish when done.  

Editing Sidebar with Widgets in Customizer

Another method for learning how to add a sidebar in WordPress is to utilize the Widgets function. This is very similar to the steps listed above, but it can help if your theme does not have specific sidebar layouts.

You will follow the same first few steps: 

This will open up an entire list of blocks that can be added to your sidebar including quotes or text. It also opens up the possibility of adding a variety of widgets.

You can add social media icons, a calendar, the latest comments on your blog post, and more. 

If the widgets don't pop up in the exact order you want them in, it's easy to move them around. Simply drag and drop them into order.

You can even retitle them or delete the titles from each widget. 

Registering the Sidebar with WordPress

This method for learning how to add a sidebar to WordPress is a bit more complex and requires some knowledge of coding.

However, site owners who have some experience with coding may find this to be a simple process. 

If you want to tackle this method, start by preparing to add code to the functions.php file. You will enter register_sidebar() along with the following string of code: 

For more detailed instructions on how to label each section of code, WordPress put together a handy instruction template that provides examples. 

You can also use this method to add multiple sidebars or a different sidebar. Instead of adding the code as register_sidebar(), you can instead add register_sidebars() to get multiple areas. 

Customizing Widgets on the Dashboard

Once you have your sidebar made by adding the lines of code or through the Customizer, it is time to rearrange your widgets.

This will open up a new screen with all of the areas where you currently have widgets, including the sidebar and content on the bottom of your theme. 

Once you have selected the sidebar option, you can click the tiny + in the bottom right-hand corner of the sidebar area. This will allow you to add blocks and widgets to your custom sidebar. 

By clicking the black Browse All button, you can see the full list of widgets that can be added to your sidebar. 

Click the areas to direct the widget up or down in the order that you need it to go. 

You could also click the six dots and drag your widget into the desired position if you don't want to move it around manually with the arrows. 

Custom Sidebar Plugins

If all of the methods above still feel too cumbersome to you, then you might want to try installing a sidebar plugin. These are easy to use and take some of the coding and guesswork out of learning how to add a sidebar in WordPress (check out how to edit code in WordPress here).

To get started, head back to the main menu on your WordPress dashboard. On the left-hand side, select Plugins. This will redirect you to the area where you can select and install a new sidebar plugin. 

Decide which custom sidebar plugin you want to install and search for it. Select Install. When it is finished, you will need to click Activate to start using it. 

Here are some of our top picks for installing a custom sidebar on your page: 

Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Widget Area Manager

The first WordPress plugin that you may want to consider using is the Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Widget Area Manager. It is a lightweight plugin that eliminates the need for involved coding.

This plugin allows you to reconfigure your widgets in a wide variety of ways, including on your: 

• Pages
• Posts
• Categories
• Archives

Depending on what version of WordPress you are using, you may also have to install the Classic Widgets plugin to use Custom Sidebars.

I'm on the latest version of WordPress and had to go back through to reinstall this plugin before it would allow me to use the plugin (however it is sometimes possible to rollback WordPress plugins). 

Once this is taken care of, you can go to Appearance and Widgets. It will open up a new window that looks nothing like it did before.

It is as simple as a few clicks of the mouse to start designing your new sidebar. 

Easy Custom Sidebars

Another great plugin option to adjust your sidebars or navigation menus is the Easy Custom Sidebars. It is a little clunkier to use than the Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Widget Area Manager but not impossible.

After installing and activating the plugin, head over to your dashboard. Hover over the Appearances menu and select the Sidebar Replacement option to be directed to an admin screen. 

This allows you to create your own custom sidebar by giving it a name and selecting which sidebar you would like to replace on the front end of the site. 

Click Save Sidebar once all of your fields have been filled out, and then return to the Widget area of your Appearances menu.

Add the widgets that you would like included on your sidebar, and you will be done in no time! 

If you get caught up in the process, the WordPress tutorial video at the top of the section should help. 

Elementor

Elementor is another great tool that makes creating custom sidebars a cinch. We reviewed this tool in-depth in our Elementor review.

It is designed to help you build your entire website without entering a line of code, and it makes good on the promise.

Utilizing their theme builder is a great way to save time and avoid the confusing strings of code that are sometimes required. 

The process is simple: 

If you prefer to walk through the process with a WordPress tutorial, this video shows you just how easy it is to drag and drop the various elements that you want to include in your sidebar. 

Much like the first two plugins designed to help you create custom sidebars, Elementor has a free version you can use. Keep in mind that with this free version, you will not be able to access all templates or the Theme Builder.

Because these are crucial elements to building a sidebar, you may want to consider investing in a paid plan. 

Pricing

Pricing is based on how many sites you intend to use Elementor on. See the breakdown below to learn more about what you can expect to pay to get access to all of the features: 

• Personal Plan (1 website): $49/year
• Plus Plan (3 websites): $99/year
• Expert Plan (1,000 sites): $199/year

I would recommend trying Elementor out on the free version before committing to a paid plan. You will have access to more robust features with a Pro plan, but you may be able to navigate around using their user-friendly interface without the need to pay for services. 

Which Method Will You Use? 

There are tons of options available to you if you want to learn how to add a sidebar in WordPress. Whether you feel comfortable adding your own code or you prefer the simplicity of using a plugin, you can choose which method will ultimately work for you. 

We recommend trying Elementor today if you want to add custom sidebars and set up a unique template for your website! 

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