WordPress comes with various WordPress Widgets that are used to add multiple elements to web pages. Widgets were first introduced in WordPress version 2.2 and have gained immense popularity over the years due to their effectiveness. However, it might be confusing for several users to choose the best WordPress Widget for their websites from thousands of available options.
This article will provide a comprehensive understanding of WordPress, its features, and WordPress Widgets. The article will also list out the best available WordPress Widgets.
Table of Contents
Prerequisites
Basic understanding of elements of WordPress
Introduction to WordPress
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WordPress is one of the world’s most popular content management systems that can be used to create impeccable websites. It is an open-source cloud-based platform that allows users to create, host, and manage websites without having to install any specialized hardware at workplaces. According to Web Technology Surveys, over 40% of the world’s total websites are hosted on WordPress. The platform is being used by businesses of all sizes operating in various industries to publish their content online on their websites.
WordPress provides multiple pre-built templates that can be used to create websites for different types, including blogs, e-commerce, galleries, membership websites, forums, events websites, e-learning, online stores, and many more. Users can change the appearance of their websites using various customization tools provided by WordPress. In this article, you will explore some popular WordPress Widgets that will help you to create more effective websites.
The easy-to-use and intuitive interface of WordPress allow users with no prior knowledge of coding to use the platform effortlessly to manage websites. WordPress provides multiple video tutorials to users that help them better understand the software’s functionalities. Moreover, users get access to various WordPress forums where they can solve their queries with the help of the community. WordPress is written using PHP scripting language and primarily uses MySQL to store the uploaded data. However, users can also opt for other popular databases like SQLite.
WordPress comes with out-of-the-box support for multiple third-party integrations that can be used to customize the software and also enhance its capabilities. United States-based software company WordPress was founded by Matt Mullenweg in 2000. However, the Content Management System platform was launched later in 2003.
Key Features of WordPress
WordPress, being the world’s most popular Content Management System, offers numerous features that help users effectively publish their content online and manage their websites. Below mentioned are a few notable features of WordPress.
1) Content Publishing
WordPress comes with many drag-and-drop features that make content publishing an easy task for users. The software can be accessed from any browser and operating system that helps users publish content from multiple devices. WordPress allows users to save drafts and schedule posts to simplify the content publishing process. Users can also add pages, insert media, and perform various other related tasks using WordPress.
2) Theme Customization
WordPress provides a customization feature that can be used to change the look and feel of websites in both frontend and backend. The theme customization feature can be accessed from the appearance and customization option present in the WordPress sidebar. The extent of customization is different for each pre-built website template. However, users can edit the most common items in all of the templates that are offered by WordPress.
3) Mobile Ready
All the websites built on WordPress are well optimized for mobile devices, which is a massive advantage you gain while using the platform. WordPress also provides a smartphone application compatible with both Android and iOS that allows users to publish content online from anywhere in the world with a stable internet connection. The mobile application drastically increases the accessibility of WordPress by enabling users to manage their websites remotely.
4) Search Engine Optimization
Optimizing online content for search engines is crucial for every company to increase its online reach. WordPress provides support for multiple third-party plugins like Yoast, SEMRush, and many others to help users effectively optimize their content in order to rank better in search results.
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WordPress Widgets are various elements that allow users to add different features to their websites. They can be customized and be added in different sections of websites that not only make websites look aesthetically pleasing but also more functional and versatile. Users can access WordPress Widgets in the appearance and customization option available in the WordPress sidebar.
There are various kinds of WordPress Widgets like Text widgets, Search widgets, Call-To-Action widgets, and many more that can be used to perform several tasks. Users can place these WordPress Widgets on their websites according to their requirements. Widgets mostly come with a drag and drop option, making it easier for users to add them to their websites. Although WordPress provides multiple WordPress Widgets to choose from, users can also opt for other third-party widget bundles to further improve their websites.
Below mentioned are the best WordPress Widgets:
1) Countdown Timer
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This WordPress Widget allows users to create and add stunning countdown timers to their websites. Countdown timers are very effective widgets to increase the chances of sales in online stores as it creates a sense of urgency in visitors. It is a drag-and-drop widget, which can be placed in any section of websites. Users can type their own text in the day, hour, minute, and second fields.
The Countdown Timer WordPress Widgets come in both paid and free versions. The paid version comes with additional features like better animation effects, more customization options and is priced at $13 – $49.
2) Social Icons Widget & Block by WPZOOM
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The Social Icons Widget allows users to add icons with links to various social media handles in multiple sections of websites. This WordPress Widget helps users to increase traffic to their social media pages. Users get the option to choose from 400+ icons and also customize them according to their needs. Apart from specific social media icons, the widget allows users to add generic icons that can be linked to any website that users like.
Social Icons Widget is priced at $55, but a free plan is also available with limited capabilities.
3) Ninja Forms
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Ninja Forms allows non-technical users to create professional-looking forms for WordPress. Users can easily create complex multi-page forms with row and column layouts using Ninja Forms widget. Ninja Forms provides various customization options to help users design forms according to their needs. It comes with various useful features like multiple language support, mobile-friendly, more than 27 field types, WordPress GDPR compliance, and many more.
As Ninja Forms is an open-source widget, users can install and use it at no extra cost. Ninja Forms also offers paid subscription plans starting from $99.50 that come with additional features.
4) Relevanssi
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Relevanssi is a Search Widget, which replaces the default search engine provided by WordPress. The WordPress widget comes with various added features and configuration options when compared with the default WordPress Search Widget. Users can provide better search results to website visitors by using Relevanssi as their search widget. Relevanssi comes with multiple useful features like bbPress support, result organization by relevance, partial word matching, phrase search, and many more. The widget is also multisite and Gutenberg friendly making it a highly capable search widget.
Relevanssi offers both free and paid subscription plans to users. The pro version’s pricing begins from $119 annually and goes up to $420 for the permanent subscription.
5) WordPress Popular Posts
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The WordPress Popular Posts Widget displays the most read posts, including their thumbnails to visitors to help them reach the most popular content on websites. Users can view the status of their popular posts from their dashboards, which helps them to analyze the performance of their websites. WordPress Popular Posts widget comes with multiple features, including multi-widget support, custom post type support, numerous sorting options, custom themes, REST API support, and many more. It is also an open-source widget that is free for installation.
6) SiteOrigin Widget Bundle
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SiteOrigin Widget Bundle is an all-in-one option that provides multiple WordPress widgets to serve various needs of users. The widget bundle can be used to create modern, responsive, and engaging websites. Users can effortlessly add various widgets like images, call-to-action buttons, maps, icons, and many more using SiteOrigin Widget Bundle. Currently, the pool contains widgets including Google Map, contact forms, image grid, price table, testimonials, video, image slider, icon, hero image, social media buttons, Taxonomy, and the company is regularly adding more widget options for its users. All the widgets are well optimized and can be easily integrated with other WordPress SEO plugins. SiteOrigin Widget Bundle is available for free installation.
7) Poll, Survey & Quiz Maker
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It is a widget WordPress plugin that allows users to create impeccable polls, surveys, and quizzes for website visitors. Users can effortlessly create opinion polls, feedback surveys, and many other related elements using Poll, Survey, and Quiz Maker in WordPress. Effective utilization of the widget can considerably increase the traffic of websites. The poll widget can be used to understand the audience and make changes to the website accordingly to provide a better experience to customers and visitors. At the same time, the Quiz widget can be used to generate new leads. An added advantage of using Poll, Survey & Quiz Maker is that it comes with support for over 40 languages.
It is an open-source plugin developed by Opinion Stage that is free to download.
Conclusion
Widgets are an integral part of any website as it helps in providing various elements and features to help users provide a better experience to website visitors. In this article, you learned about WordPress and explored its key features. Moreover, you also explored the best WordPress Widgets available in the market. The aforementioned best WordPress Widgets are highly capable and can be readily used to improve the appearance and capabilities of every website.
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