How to Use Your Sidebar to the Max

ProBlogDesign.com - SidebarSidebars are often overlooked, but in truth, an effective sidebar is key to retaining visitors.

Why?
Lemme explain.

With a standard (well designed) web site, visitors can arrive at a page (ideally) within 3 to 4 clicks. The nature of a standard static web site allows the navigation to work that way.
Blogs cannot work that way.

Blogs rely upon new an unique content that is sometimes posting new content 20+ times a day (like Engadget). It is impossible to build a site’s navigation to allot for that much content.

That is where the sidebar comes in.
The sidebar’s purpose is to drive visitors further into your web site.
Not all visitors may be drawn in by the particular posts that happen to be displaying on your home page at the time of their visit. Or even if they do, the sidebar should be designed to further grab their attention and turn a one-time-visitor in to a subscriber.

This requires a well designed and pruned sidebar for your web site.

What Goes in a Sidebar?

Common elements of a sidebar:

  • RSS Buttons
  • Search Form
  • Recent Posts
  • Advertisements
  • Popular Posts
  • A List of Categories
  • Navigation
  • Sideblog (a Asides, or Twitter Updates)
  • Author Info

All blogs are different – therefore what goes into the sidebar will vary from blog to blog.
New blogs won’t be able to have a “Popular Posts” section, some blogs won’t need a Sideblog – all blogs will vary. Some blogs won’t even need their RSS feed in the sidebar if they have it elsewhere!

Use it to the Max

When designing your blog, make a list of all the components you want in your blog (search form, popular posts list, RSS buttons, advertisements, etc.)
Then figure out what is going in the header and footer – what ever isn’t going in either (and is necessary) put it in your sidebar.

More important items should go towards the top.
Items like your RSS buttons, search box, and advertisements should always be above the scroll.
After those items the rest should follow in order of importance.

Each item should be unique and different from one another. Naturally, the more important items should stand out more.

Good Sidebar Designs

ProBlogDesign.com
PSDtuts.com
Skelliewag.org
I Love Typography - though possibly a little big…
Abduzeedo

It comes down to a logical thought process – analyzing your blog’s needs and the options before you.

Further Reading
ProBlogDesign.com’s Sidebar Redesign Thought Process
Sidebar on the Left or Right? – Pro Blog Design
50 Tips to Unclutter Your Blog (Including 27 tips on how to unclutter your sidebar) – Skelliewag

Plugins
Sideblog Plugin
Twitter for WordPress
Popularity Contest - note, plugin does not work with WordPress 2.5 as of 4/23/08