WordPress Widgets and WordPress Themes

By Rob Ambartsumov

In order to understand WordPress Widgets it is probably best to start with their relationship to themes. When a website is built with a WordPress theme, the designer set it up to appear a certain way. A theme is basically what your website will look like when it is published. However, if you need to add any specific functionalities that is usually accomplished with a small bit of code, a small separate application, referred to as a widget. It's actually just a cute term that was adopted along the way to describe a tool or content that you can add to your blog or website. The earliest Widgets were advertising banners and link or traffic counters.

Today Widgets are most commonly added to the sidebar of a WordPress theme to add a specific function or block of text. For instance, there are Google Adsense Widgets that allow the webmaster to place a block of ads on the sidebar. Whenever a visitor responds to those ads, the website owner makes a small profit. Advertising Widgets are an especially effective method of monetizing a website.

Some common Widgets that you will see on the sidebar of WordPress pages would be RSS FeedBurners, Tag Clouds, Social Networking Tools (i.e. Twitter tool), calendars and archives. There are literally hundreds of Widgets that can be downloaded to be placed on a WordPress page. Dozens are available at the WordPress website while there is a huge array of them scattered around the web. It is almost guaranteed that if you need to add some function to your WordPress page, someone out there has developed a widget for just that purpose. You can either download it to your hard drive and then upload it to your server or transfer it directly through the WordPress Dashboard.

Adding Widgets is extremely easy from your WordPress Dashboard. Simply click on the Widgets tab on the Appearance menu and the Widgets panel will open up. From there you can simply drag the widget you want to add over to your sidebar and drop it where you want it to appear. Depending on the Widget you wish to add, there may be some customizations that you need to apply from a drop down menu. Widgets can be moved up and down the sidebar to the location of your preference by simply dragging it with your mouse and rearranging the order.

As a matter of fact, if there is a specific function you would like to add and are unable to find a Widget that meets your needs, there are sites that enable you to actually build your own without knowing the first bit of code. Most Widgets in use today are flash, java and CSS. Not only do they add function, they are fun to play with! Setting up your WordPress website can be frustrating at times, but once you get the hang of it, it's addicting. You'll be adding and subtracting Widgets just for the fun of it. (Don't forget to leave the AdSense alone - they're there to make you money!)

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