Okay, what the heck is a Widget? Good question. I’ve mentioned widgets earlier. One of the main features of WordPress is being able to install and and display widgets. In layman’s terms, a Widget is a little program that allows you to display elements (links, photos, videos, plugins, etc..) in areas other than the main content of your site. By the main content, I mean the content of your posts and pages.
When you choose a theme, they should be ‘widgetized’ or in other words, you should be able to add widgets to them. Not only the widgets that WordPress has by default (such as being able to display your list of Links), but also ones that you can install. More on that in a minute.
When you look at a website, any website really, look at the article, and then look to see if there is left hand or right hand column, or other sections that aren’t part of the main text. When using WordPress, these areas may be a spot for a Widget. It may be a list of other sections of the website, a photo, Google Ads, etc.. I say may be a spot for a widget because it may also be an area that the theme used on the site you are viewing has set aside for customization, like the tabs and slides that are on the Main Page of this website. Remember?
WordPress comes with some standard Widgets, including one to display your list of Links that I mentioned above.
Where to find WordPress Widgets
When you choose a theme, it may come with widgets that will match the theme. If you’re looking for more widgets, have no fear. They are certainly not in short supply. Many are listed on WordPress.org’s page describing widgets, and yet more in their directory of Plugins. I just now typed in the word Widget in the search box there and got over 1,000 results. Widgets are considered Plugins. But keep in mind, not all Plugins are Widgets. A plugin can be everything from a program to help your site rank better in the search engines (SEO – search engine optimization) to a program for creating a photo gallery, and even a way to create an entire community complete with an activity feed, groups and forums. Not all plugins are free, however. Just keep that in mind.
