Styling WordPress with Widgets and Plugins

If you've uploaded and installed Wordpress (WP), you're probably anxious to style your site with widgets and plugins. In this article, Linda provides tips and tools that can make these design options work best for you.

Widget Issues: Links

Since it's often more fun to experiment with widgets than to be told what to do, I'll not spend too much time on the default WP widget options. Instead, I'll cover an issue that I know clients have encountered time after time in the past. This issue centres on links for the sidebar, because the link widget does not allow you to add links. Instead, you must create categories and manually add links, then return to that Link widget to create your link scenario.

First, if you want to add links to the sidebar (or in any other section of the site if you are using another template), just drag that link widget to the area you want for placement. In this case, I'm still using the sidebar:

Notice that the Links widget is now below the Pages widget in the sidebar window. The Pages widget is closed, as I saved it and closed it. The Links widget, in this particular site, currently has only two options in that drop-down menu: "All Links," and "Blogroll." Here's how I can change that issue:

1.Go to the "Links" option in the left sidebar of your dashboard. Click on that option to open it.

2.Click on "Categories" within that "Links" area to create more categories.

3.When you create categories, you also create options on where to store your links, and those options will show in the widget as well.

In the image above, the only link category that currently shows is "Blogroll." I can change that name to "News" or some other title by clicking on that "Blogroll" link and altering it in the link category area in the middle of that screen above. I also can create a new category by adding a category name in that middle area. Don't worry about the "slug," as WP automatically creates the slug for you (unless you want to alter that slug name, but I can't find a reason to do this yet). The next part, the "Description," is very important, as you want to fill that area with keywords or keyword phrases for search engines.

I took a snapshot of the right section of the link categories page to show what this section would look like after I added a "Bahamas" category and changed the "Blogroll" category to "News" above. Note the arrow pointing to the click radio box by the "Bahamas" category. This box will enable me to delete that category later if I want that option. But, the News category (originally the "Blogroll" category) does not have that option – this is because WP does not want you to eliminate all link category options. You always will have one link category (no matter what you name it) despite your desire to eliminate that option. If you do not want those links to show on your Web site, then don't add the link widget. This is easier than going into WP code to eliminate those link options.

NOTE: The descriptions above were added in the lower box on the "Add Category" option. Note that I added the category name as well as the Web site name for search engine optimization (SEO).

Now, before those links can show up on your link options, you must gather some links. I added three Bahamas links to the link page by going to "Links" in the left sidebar of the dashboard (same area as the link categories) and by clicking on "add new."

The image above shows how I added one link to that Bahamas category. Fill in the name of the site, add the URL (Web Address), provide a description (which may or may not show up on your Web page depending upon your preference or the template design), and click on the category you want that link to belong. Note that in the right column above, you also have an option to keep a link private. This option can enable you to build a link base that is similar to bookmarking if you choose.

You might notice, also, that I build the description from the "Name" area – in other words, the "Name" and "Description" are the same. If I chose to add the description to the site so that it is visible, I might be more or less descriptive depending upon the design. Since I don't often add the descriptions that are visible, I keep life simple for myself (using the name for the description on a link also is what I would do when I add a "title" to linked code).

You can scroll down on that page to see more options, but I mostly ignore them except for the "Target." For accessibility purposes, I never use the "open new window" option. I always have the link open on that same page. Additionally, if you scroll to the bottom, you will see options that allow you to add a site's RSS, an image and more. Play with those options to see what you like and you also can learn more about those accessories at WordPress Codex or through WordPress Support for Links.

Now that I've added a new category and some links, I'm going to return to the "Appearance" tab in the right column of my dashboard and click on "Widgets" again. I'll go to the Sidebar area in the right column, open it, and click on the arrow of the Links widget to open that widget.

Now, when I click on that drop-down menu, I see the Bahamas category. I choose that category and I decide what I want to show in the list below that menu. I'll save it and close the box and check the homepage to see how everything looks:

The three links I chose for that homepage now show up under the Bahamas category, without descriptions and images. If I want more link categories, I simply add more link widgets. That's the beauty of WP widgets, as you can add as many links, text boxes and other widgets that you want – so, there's no need to over amplify the widget choices. Just use what you need and leave the rest behind.