A sidebar in WordPress refers to a widget-ready area used to display supplementary content separately from main page content. Though commonly vertical columns, sidebars may be horizontal sections, footer widgets, header widgets, or other creative placements based on the theme design.
Sidebars have been a pillar of web design for decades, and their usage continues to evolve with new trends like mobile responsiveness. Traditional sidebars originated on desktop as vertical columns flanking a central content area. This remains a common layout, though many modern themes allow sidebars along the top, bottom, or between page sections.
Horizontal sidebars above or below main content have increased with mobile optimization. Research shows horizontal placements typically receive more user views than narrow side columns on mobile. In responsive themes, developers can assign sidebars to appear vertically on desktop but shift horizontal on smaller screens.
Effective Sidebar Content
When it comes to choosing sidebar content, the most effective widgets are highly relevant to your site or current page. For a blog, recent posts, categories, and comments foster user engagement. E-commerce sites may highlight top products, cart info, or related purchases.
Optimal sidebar length depends on context but shorter is often better. Concise snippets of 5-10 recent posts often suffice versus lengthy excerpts. For comments, 3-5 items is typically adequate. Avoid overloading sidebars to the point of distraction from primary content.
Advertisements remain common sidebar occupants though should be used judiciously. Factors like placement, size, and label (i.e. "Sponsored") impact receptiveness. Many bloggers limit ads to one or two per sidebar aligned with content rather than attention-grabbing sizes and locations.
Sidebar Best Practices
When designing with sidebars in WordPress, adherence to web standards ensures an accessible, SEO-friendly implementation:
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Use HTML5
<aside>tags to semantically designate sidebar regions. -
Check color contrast and font sizes meet minimum thresholds for visibility.
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Avoid text-heavy sidebars without sufficient line spacing for readability.
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Enable keyboard navigation to widgets for accessibility.
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For SEO, include unique
idattributes on sidebars and target widgets to contextual pages.
Optimal sidebar placement balances utility with minimal distraction:
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Right side vertical columns receive more natural views for LTR languages.
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Horizontal sidebars work best above page content so they are visible when scrolling.
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Limit sidebar width/length to avoid crowding main content area. More white space = greater readability.
Based on my 15 years of web design experience, a combination of horizontal and vertical asymmetrical sidebars often provides the most aesthetically pleasing and usable configurations for balancing content.
