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The most diverse side elements can be used for WordPress with just a few clicks in the administration area. This also includes widgets that can be placed in the so-called sidebars. The number of sidebars, as well as the available standard widgets, differs with the used Theme - the template for the appearance. An extension is possible with the sidebars with programming skills, regarding the range of functions and widgets by subsequent installation. If you start with WordPress and are looking for a theme, it is advisable to decide not only by visual aspects, but also immediately consider the number of sidebars and widgets that can be used immediately. This way you can use the most important functions and page elements without additional effort.
What are Widgets in WordPress?
Widgets are content blocks or tools that have been an integral part of the popular CMS since version 2.3. The available options are listed in the "Design" menu item in the administration area and can be dragged to one of the theme's sidebars to display them on the page if required. If there are configuration options, this is also possible via the administration area. For example, you can specify how many of the latest posts are to be displayed, how the categories are to be displayed, or whether and how a post archive is to be integrated.
Popular standard widgets
Numerous modern themes, such as those that can be downloaded under Themeforest for various Word press versions, come with widget-capable sidebars and also provide a selection of elements that can be placed there as desired. Some of them are virtually a "must-have" for a blog owner and are therefore usually integrated by default.
A well-structured website can hardly do without categories to sort the contents thematically and offer the visitor a clear menu navigation in which he can find his way around quickly. A widget for listing the categories is therefore part of the standard. If static pages such as the imprint or other information are available, these can also be listed as a widget in the sidebar.
A blog lives from its contributions and regular visitors naturally want to find out what's new right away. You can do this by displaying the latest posts, and you can usually specify the number. Or do you prefer the most read posts? There is also an option for this. The same applies to comments: In the sidebar you can display the latest comments in any number. This way, visitors can see which contributions others have commented on.
For older contributions there is an archive in WordPress. Two widgets are used for the display in the standard version - one shows a calendar, another one lists the past months. After clicking on a day or a month, all contributions published in the specified period are displayed. A search function should not be missing in a blog with many texts and is already integrated as a widget in most themes as an input field. This allows your visitors to quickly find the desired content after entering a keyword.
If you would like to draw attention to different topics independent of categories and archive, you can define relevant keywords for every post you write. If these are displayed as a word cloud in the sidebar via widget, the visitor can click on a keyword of his interest. He will then receive an overview with the corresponding contributions.
If your blog finds interested parties, they may want to be informed about new content without visiting your site every day. They can access this service via widgets. There are several possibilities: To be notified by email, the interested party enters their email address and, after confirming their subscription, they will receive a message every time you post a new article. In addition, widgets for following via RSS can be included for both your contributions and comments.
What kind of appeal does your blog actually have? Show it to your visitors with a counter. To make your blog better known and thus to provide for respectable statistics, the connection to social networks must not be missing. If you program a theme with foresight, you also think about adding a corresponding widget. This way you, but also your visitors, can use the blog at Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other widely used platforms.
Who is actually behind the blog, you can of course explain in a separate page. However, it is also possible to display information about the person in the sidebar via a widget. This can be done by integrating your Gravatar profile, if available, or by manually entering personal information or contact details directly in the administration area.
In addition to firmly defined and described contents and functions, some flexibility should of course also be guaranteed. Themes often take this into account by providing widgets for inserting an image, text or HTML code. This gives you the possibility to place a motto or a quotation in the sidebar, to show a photo or a graphic or to integrate any other content by means of HTML code.
Many blog operators network with other blogs or want to link relevant websites. Many themes offer a solution for this as well, by allowing you to define the desired links via widget. Another way to draw attention to external content is to define an RSS or atomic feed whose current entries appear on your own sidebar.
What is mostly available and appreciated by blog operators is the meta widget with login area, RSS and link to the administration area. This is especially useful if you want to switch from the blog page to the administration page with a single click or if several users use the blog or if you want to make certain content available only to registered and logged in users.
Individual availability of further widgets
The possibilities of a theme always depend on the respective programmer, but also on the intended application area. A commercial theme for a company in eCommerce is designed differently than one for a private blogger or a freelance photographer. Accordingly, not only the layouts and the available sidebars differ, but also the content that can be placed there: Here it should be company-relevant information or a Google Maps widget to display the location, there the most popular standard widgets are sufficient, but for a photographer the main focus is on his pictures and possibly the equipment used.
In addition, both programmers and bloggers place value on different priorities. If the blog is also intended to generate additional income, plug-ins for affiliate programs are available, so that products or services can be advertised via a widget in the sidebar. If it is primarily about social networking, choose a theme that allows direct connection to your Facebook or Twitter profile - for example, by having the latest tweets appear in the sidebar. Social Count Plus, on the other hand, allows you to display detailed information on the profiles in different networks, whereby the profiles can be freely selected.
Corresponding extensions can alternatively be installed at any time, even at a later date, if they are not provided for in the theme. You only have to ensure compatibility with your WordPress version. Jetpack, for example, offers quite extensive possibilities. Here, some standard widgets are integrated, but also those for connecting to various social networks or the possibility to display posts from another WordPress blog. Other popular content boxes revolve around events, polls, Youtube channels and much more. The possibilities are almost unlimited.
To keep it clear, it makes little sense to put all kinds of content in a single sidebar. Some preliminary thoughts about what should be offered to the visitors are therefore appropriate. Based on this, you can select a theme with a suitable number of widgettable sidebars and corresponding options. In this way, you ensure a clear structure from the very beginning and can subsequently install and integrate any extensions you may wish to add without losing track of the whole process. Above all, your visitors will find their way around the blog and will appreciate the added value.
