Sidebar

Within a web page, the sidebar It plays a very important role, as it provides a unique space for showcasing things that interest us. Nowadays, it is very common to see forms to subscribe to a newsletter or download lead magnets in this section of the website. That’s why today we’re going to take a closer look at the sidebar concept and all the features you need to bear in mind.

Is the sidebar an important element because of the design? Among other things, but it is also relevant in terms of SEO, as it enables you to establish a coherent internal linking strategy. On the other hand, for the CRO It is also an important factor because it can boost a website’s conversion rate.

However, with the growth in mobile phone use From a user’s perspective, the sidebar is an element that is losing its prominence. Would you like to find out more? Let’s get started!

What is a sidebar? Definition

The sidebar can be translated into English as sidebar, being the space next to the content on a web page, both on the left as well as the right. Even so, rather than one bar, there are actually two columns in the margins, where we can add various blocks or widgets.

As we have been saying, the sidebar It is used to display elements that we are interested in, as they will be visible to the user right from the start as something sticky, fixed. It could be a subscription form, the latest blog posts or an image that links to a product page on the website. It therefore plays a key role in achieving the objectives of the website.

However, the sidebar is losing popularity for two main reasons: it can to distract the user, distracting him from his reading; and, as the mobile version, The sidebars are not displayed until the end of the content, which means they lose all their effectiveness. These, then, are the two reasons why they may disappear in the near future.

What is the sidebar used for?

To optimise a website so that it achieves all its set objectives, it can be very useful to use a sidebar to display the information we want to highlight. For example, if our aim is to attract traffic, featuring related articles can improve our link building and, consequently, boost our SEO for Google.

Next, we’re going to look at a breakdown of the benefits of a sidebar:

You’ll see more content

As we’ve already mentioned, one of the main widgets in the sidebar is a content compilation…that you want to show users. It’s a way of highlighting them in the sidebar, without interfering with the visitor’s normal reading experience. Furthermore, it addresses the interlinking and the content marketing strategy is strengthened.

You’ll attract more leads

The purpose of your website could be generate more leads so that they move through your sales funnel. That’s why it’s common practice to capitalise on the traffic generated by the blog by including a subscription form for a newsletter or with a lead magnet so that they can provide their email address. This contact database can then be used for email marketing.

You’ll generate more interactions

These sidebars also often feature buttons for navigating to social media sites for the brand. This is a good thing because we can make the most of organic traffic to gain followers on our social media platforms, but it also means we’re driving users away from our website. Once they’ve landed on Facebook or Instagram, it’s very difficult to get them to return to your website.

This reduces the time visitors spend on your website, which can also affect your search engine ranking.

You’ll increase your revenue

If you work, for example, with AdSense, on sidebar is the ideal place to publish the advertisements and encourage users to click. As it is located in the sidebar of the website and remains constantly visible to the user, it is natural that this increases the chances of receiving clicks. If, instead of monetising with AdSense, you have your own products, this is also a perfect place to redirect traffic.

You’ll strengthen your brand

This sidebar can be used to promote content about your brand to help users remember them better. For example, many bloggers include a brief summary about themselves and their activities. They build their brand and instil greater trust in visitors.

Advantages of using a sidebar

What are the advantages of using a sidebar on your website? This will help you make a decision.

Boost the visibility of your content

In the world of SEO, it is often a complicated and time-consuming process for new content to attract high traffic straight after publication. For this reason, placing this content in the sidebar can help increase visitor numbers right from the start.

Improve navigation

The sidebar It is the ideal place to include links to the most important sections of our website. It is also important that these links are relevant to the content the user is currently viewing. In this way, it we make navigation easier and, consequently, the length of time they spend on our website.

You can customise it to suit your tastes

To add and change the information in your sidebar, you don’t need to know anything about programming or HTML, because, if you use WordPress, It’s very easy to customise this element. What’s more, there are plugins available that add new features and widgets which you can add to this sidebar.

Drawbacks of the sidebar

At Euroinnova, we won’t just focus on the advantages; we’ll also look into the drawbacks of a sidebar. We’ll mainly be addressing two key issues.

Distraction

All the information we include in the sidebar is positioned in such a way that it is impossible to miss. Therefore, the user can to stray from the main objective where they arrived on the website and were taken to a new page without really knowing why. That’s why you need to choose very carefully which widgets to include in the sidebar.

Different mobile version

The mobile version of the sidebar, quite simply, it doesn’t exist. In these cases, the information we place in the sidebar is positioned at the bottom, after all the content. As such, there is little point in it appearing on the mobile version of a website.

How do you customise your sidebar in WordPress?

If you use WordPress, changing and customise the sidebar on your website It’s really simple, as the platform offers various templates for this. In our website’s editor, we can choose whether to place it on the right or left-hand side of the page, although we can also use one on either side. This is an unusual practice, but it is possible.

Via the tab “Appearance”, you can enable the sidebar and add the various options it offers. When you click on “customise” You’ll be able to access all the available widgets. All you need to do is activate them and configure them to work the way you want. If there’s a widget you’re missing, you’ll need to search the WordPress repository for a plugin that includes what you need.

By default, your WordPress theme offers a range of features, but you can add new ones via these plugins in a simple way. This way, you can customise your sidebar exactly as you wish. As a reminder, here are a few things you can include:

• Social proof.
• Social media.
• Internal search engine.
• Lead magnets.
• Support or customer service.
• Newsletter subscription form.