Widgets are designed to make editing the WordPress sidebars easier by making unnecessary for the user of the WordPress script to have to edit the php files. You can easily use widgets to add a variety of content to your sidebar or other widget areas.
Supplies Needed:
- Access to Your WordPress Dashboard
- A widget ready WordPress Theme installed and ready to use.
Step 1: Find Your Widgets Dashboard
Most WordPress themes today come widget ready. To access the widgets you will just need to log into your WordPress dashboard and go to the “appearance” box and then click on widgets:
Step 2: Activate Widgets
Once you get to the widgets screen you will find available widgets on the left hand side:
These are the widgets that are already installed on your blog. Most widgets already installed come from the fresh install of WordPress, or may even come as extras with a premium theme you may have purchased.
On the right hand side you will see all areas of your blog where you can place widgets. For example: sidebar 1, and sidebar 2:
To activate a widget you simply drag and drop the widget of your choice from the left hand section (available widgets) to appropriate widget area (right hand section) you would like the widget to appear.
Step 3: Edit Your Widgets
Once the widget has been placed within the appropriate widget area, for example: sidebar 2, you can then edit the widget:
Step 4: Add New Widgets
If you would like to add new widgets to your available widgets queue just go to the plugins tab located in your WordPress dashboard and click on add new:
Search for widgets in the search box:
When you find the widget you want, just click install!
