Skip to content
Blog Marketing AcademyBlog Marketing Academy
  • WPConcierge
  • ServicesExpand
    • WP Speed FixFix your site’s performance
    • Strategy CallsMake your business… my business.
    • Implementation SessionsBook it. Then let’s build it.
    • Technical ServicesGet my hands-on help with your site.
    • HostingFast, reliable web hosting managed for you
    • Concierge ToolkitThe tools and services I use
    • Anytime CreditsUse credits to book calls and services.
    • TestimonialsWhat clients have said
    • All Client Services
  • ContentExpand
    • BlogLatest articles, guides and reviews
    • Video LibraryTutorials, training series and much more.
    • NewsletterArchives of the weekly newsletter, WP Edge
    • YouTubeFree tutorials, reviews, tips and WordPress training
    • DocumentsLibrary of worksheets and documents
    • Podcast ArchivesArchived episodes of my podcast
    • View All The Latest
  • About
Free Stuff
Account Client Login
Blog Marketing Academy

Issue #229

Should you have a blog sidebar?

Sent onDecember 12, 2018

Should You Have A Blog Sidebar?

You may have noticed that I’ve done a lot of switcheroos when it comes to my blog layout. Sometimes I’m testing things… sometimes my mood just changes. 😉

But, one of the things that has gone back and forth is my usage of the blog sidebar.

For awhile, I didn’t have one. Then, as of yesterday, I went ahead and put it back. Now, if you go to my blog (see this post on Twitter traffic for an example), you’ll see that I have a pretty thinned out sidebar on all blog posts. It contains a search form, a list of my top guides, and an invite to The Edge.

So, it begs the questions…

  • Why did I put it back?
  • Is there a “right” answer to the question of whether to have a sidebar or not?

Surely, the blog is nice and clean without any sidebar on the posts. That was the main reason I got rid of it to begin with. Most sidebars just look cluttery. Besides, the sidebar is almost always stuffed way down at the bottom of the screen when on a mobile device. 33% of my overall traffic comes from mobile… which means that a third of my visitors will never see the sidebar.

People pay massive attention to the blog content. They tend to go blind to the sidebar.

So, why did I put it back, then?

The answer is FUNCTIONAL REAL ESTATE.

Yes, the presence of the sidebar provides screen real estate to put more stuff. But, more important than that, there is a certain utility and function to having certain things in that sidebar.

What MOST people do with their sidebar is just STUFF crap in it. They’re looking for what I call the “impulse click”. It is the same mentality you might get when you see those stupid celebrity gossip mags in the grocery store checkout line. They put those things there hoping a headline will intrigue you and you’ll then buy the magazine despite the fact that you never went there for that purpose.

So, a lot of bloggers stuff banners, stuff to buy, affiliate links… all kinds of crap in that sidebar in order to get the “impulse click”. If we take into account the mindset of the typical person on our blog, then that’s a big, distracting waste of space.

But, having a site search… that’s functional. Of course, you’d only want to do that if your site has enough there to be searched. In my case, it does. Plus, my search function has been modified so that it actually serves as a discovery engine for Lab content, too.

Linking to your “money posts” (those posts which are highly optimized to be “top of funnel” content)… that’s functional. Every one of my “top guides” was chosen by me for a reason to be there.

A call to action… that’s functional. My CTA for The Edge is there for an obvious reason. Next up on my agenda is to customize that spot so that people who are already Edge subscribers (like yourself) will see a different CTA. (I’m looking into on-site retargeting now and it’s freakin’ powerful. More on that later.)

So, I decided to put the sidebar back in, but make it really easy on the eyes. I keep the plain-white background. I put one little thin line to separate the content from the widget. And I take care not to put much in there. I also use the Q2W3 Fixed Widget plug-in to make the bottom widget “stick” as the person scrolls. This way there is one, single call to action in that spot the whole way down.

So, is there any “right” answer here? Should your blog have a sidebar or not?

Truth is… there is no “right” answer. It depends on your purposes. Surely, you’re seeing a growing trend out there (especially with company blogs) to ditch the sidebar and keep things simple. I see it on a lot of sites for software companies, for instance. Others are electing to do it just out of preference.

If you’re going to have a sidebar, though, you want to make sure that every single thing you put there has a strategic reason to be there. Never waste time going to “impulse clicks”.

So, what about you?

Do you prefer when a blog has no sidebar? Do you use things in the sidebar of the sites you visit?

– David


David Risley

Here’s how I help people every day…


Make everything about managing your site simpler… by having me on your team to help make sure everything goes smoothly. By providing the very best tools, the best hosting and maintaining everything for you… I’ll take care of the mechanics so you can just focus on growth.

Learn More About Concierge

  • WP Speed Fix. Get the performance scores and core web vitals for your website fixed. Let me deal with the nerdy stuff. And let’s make your site purr like a kitten.
  • Technical Service: Going cross-eyed with WordPress plugins, theme changes, membership site setup, automations? Having difficulty making it all work? I can handle it. Ala carte work, as needed. No contracts.
  • Book A Call Anytime!. You can book either a strategy call (to talk strategy and planning) or an implementation session (where we’ll work on your site together).
  • ONEPass – All Access Pass To Every Course In The Library. For one small one-time purchase, you can unlock every course in the Blog Marketing Academy library. For life.
  • Get Some Anytime Credits. Use credits on your account to book development work or calls. Credits don’t expire, so services are flexible and “pay as you go”.
Learn More About What I Do

Did you like this issue? Consider sharing the opt-in page on social media to help it grow.
And feel free to forward it on to somebody you think will benefit from it.


The WP Edge is the official weekly newsletter of the Blog Marketing Academy.

The Weekly Newsletter For Creators, Membership Site Owners, Coaches and Marketers Using WordPress
Discover new tools and strategies while keeping up with the world of WordPress. Sent on Monday mornings.
OPTIN - General Newsletter (Sidebar)
Facebook X YouTube

Categories

  • Building Your Platform
  • Email Marketing Automation
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Membership Sites
  • Planning & Launch
  • Traffic & Conversion

Work With Me

  • Concierge
  • WP Speed Fix
  • Strategy Calls
  • Implementation Sessions
  • Technical Services
  • Anytime Credits
  • ONEPass Membership

Resources

  • Blog
  • Video Library
  • Newsletter Archives
  • Documents
  • About
  • Contact

Copyright © 2008-2025 | A project of David Risley Enterprises (PC Media, Inc.). All Rights Reserved.

Hosting partner: Rocket Hosting

  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Affiliate Disclaimer
  • Site Map

The WP Edge is the weekly newsletter for creators, membership site owners, coaches and marketers using WordPress.

Discover new tools and strategies while keeping up with the world of WordPress. Sent on Monday mornings.

OPTIN – General Newsletter (Sidebar)

You can easily unsubscribe anytime you want. I share nothing and I flog spammers for fun.

  • Client Services
    • Concierge
    • Strategy Calls
    • Implementation Sessions
    • WP Speed Fix
    • Technical Services
    • Hosting
    • Anytime Credits
    • Testimonials
  • Blog
  • Video Library
  • Resources
    • Concierge Toolkit
    • Newsletter
    • Documents
    • Podcast Archives
    • About
    • Contact
  • ONEPass – All Access Pass
  • Log In