WordPress Navigation ~ 2 simple gadgets for your site

This post will cover a few basic ways to make the navigation of your wordpress dot com site easier for the reader. They will be able to find what they are looking for faster.

(Also applies to wordpress dot org, but the images used are taken from dot com) 

Smoother Navigation for your WordPress site

It is beneficial for you to provide easy access for your readers and followers. If they can find what they are looking for quicker they are more likely to return.

I decided to write this article as recently I have come across a couple of fantastic blogs, content and writing wise. But the only way to get to an older post is to scroll down. And that can sometimes be a long way. Once you have published more than 20 articles on your blog this becomes very laborious for the user.

Here are two simple things you can do so your site is more accessible… Try them both or even just one of them – preferable option two – it will make a difference to your site…

One ~ Add the MORE tag to your posts

The more tag is a must in my opinion. It is added after the first paragraph and tells the reader to click to read the rest of the post. This means that on your front blog page, where all your posts appear,  only a snippet of each post is shown – so it is far quicker for your reader to scroll down the page.

If you have loads of posts then just use the more tag going forward, with new work, and perhaps update your 5 most recent articles as well. Here’s how to do that.

-Block Editor – More Tag

If you are writing a post using the paragraph block within the block editor then once your first paragraph is written you simply press enter and then the plus sign will appear. In the search for a block field enter the word more. And click on the more option when it appears. See below.

-Classic Editor – More Tag

If you are using the Classic Block then the more tag can be directly clicked on from the classic dashboard – see the icon with two bold lines, which contain dashes, in figure 2.

Once added a dashed line that says READ MORE will appear across your post. When the published post is shown on your blog page, with all your other posts, the reader will see the image the title and the first paragraph and then a READ MORE… link, which will go through to the full post. This is more economical with space.

NB: Some themes automatically do not show all the narrative from your posts on the front blog page.

Two ~ Widgets help the navigation of wordpress sites

A widget is a tool you can place on your site to fulfill a task. Such as display your categories.

Adding a few widgets can really help a reader find what they are looking for, via topic or date. The widgets will appear on your main blog page (the first page people find when clicking your URL) and – depending on your theme – on a post page too

In your left sidebar click to open Design and then click on Customize – see below…

Once in customize then open Widget.  You will be shown various places your site can make use of widgets. Sidebar is the best option but some themes only utilise the footer bar.

Click on Sidebar (or footer) and a button to add widgets will appear. If you are already using some widgets they will appear here too.

Once you have clicked to add a widget a whole array of useful tools appear. See below…

I suggest you try the following short list for starters.

• Search
• Categories
• Archives

Search for each and click to add. But of course now you know how to find them you can experiment with some of the others.

You will need to click on each individually and once added return to Add Widget to find the next one.  Each will have a few options. I usually display my Category and Archive widget as a drop down. But if you don’t have many categories for instance, then do not click that box in options. Make sure you click DONE to add each.

Once you have added the widgets click on Save Changes at the top of the page. See figure 4 above. Then on the X to exit from the widget options.

Now when you view your site you should find the new tools in the sidebar or footer.

Please address any questions you have in the comment section below.

Header image from Pexels.com.