Footer Content
Add contact details, opening hours, navigation links, social icons or a short business description.
WordPress Website Guide
WordPress Widgets
Learn how to add useful content to sidebars, footers and other theme areas using WordPress widgets and blocks.
Add a WidgetWhat Is a Widget?
A widget is a small content or feature component placed in an area provided by your WordPress theme, such as a sidebar or footer.
Sidebar Content
Display search, categories, recent posts, calls to action or other supporting information beside page content.
Theme Areas
The available widget areas depend on the active theme. Some themes provide several areas while others provide none.
Classic Theme or Block Theme?
The correct editing method depends on the type of WordPress theme your website uses.
Classic Theme
Open Appearance → Widgets. Modern WordPress versions normally provide a block-based Widgets editor where blocks can be added to each available widget area.
Block Theme
Open Appearance → Editor. Use templates and template parts to edit repeating areas such as the header, footer and sidebar. These areas are built with blocks rather than the older Widgets screen.
Quick test: If Appearance contains “Editor,” you are probably using a block theme. If it contains “Widgets” and “Customize,” you are probably using a classic theme.
Add a Widget with a Classic Theme
Use this process when your dashboard includes Appearance → Widgets.
Open the Widgets screen. From the WordPress dashboard, select Appearance and then Widgets.
Choose a widget area. Open the sidebar, footer or other area where you want the content to appear.
Add a block. Select the plus button, search for the block you need and insert it into the widget area.
Enter the content. Add the text, image, links or settings required by the block.
Arrange the blocks. Drag blocks into the correct order or use the block movement controls.
Save and test. Select Update, then inspect the website on both a computer and mobile phone.
Useful Small-Business Widgets
Keep widget areas focused on information that genuinely helps visitors.
Navigation
Provide quick links to important services, contact information, privacy policies and customer resources.
Contact Details
Show the business phone number, email address, location or service area in the footer.
Business Hours
Display standard hours, but remember to keep them consistent with Google Business Profile and other listings.
Social Icons
Link visitors to active social profiles without overcrowding the page.
Search
Help visitors find useful posts or resources on websites with a substantial amount of content.
Call to Action
Add a clear booking, contact, quote or shop button that supports the page’s main purpose.
Widget Quality Checklist
Review every widget area before publishing changes.
Every widget has a clear purpose.
Links open the correct pages.
Contact details are accurate.
Text is easy to read.
The layout works on mobile devices.
No area is overcrowded.
Old or duplicate widgets are removed.
The website has been checked while logged out.
Common Problems
Appearance → Widgets is missing
You may be using a block theme. Open Appearance → Editor and edit the appropriate template or template part instead.
A widget does not appear on the website
Confirm it was added to the correct widget area, save the changes, clear any website cache and inspect the correct page template.
A widget appears on the wrong pages
The theme may use one widget area across multiple templates. Check theme settings or edit the appropriate template in the Site Editor.
An older widget cannot be edited as a block
WordPress can place older or third-party widgets inside a Legacy Widget block. Check whether the plugin also provides a newer block.
The footer looks crowded on a phone
Remove unnecessary content, shorten headings, reduce the number of columns and test at several screen widths.
Official guidance: See WordPress.org’s Block-based Widgets Editor and Site Editor documentation.