A lot of the time, you will want to show the same sidebar across your entire website or blog. However, sometimes you may need to show different sidebar content on some of your posts and pages.

In this article, we will show you how to create and display different sidebars for each post and page in WordPress.

When Would You Need Different Sidebars in WordPress?

Many WordPress themes have a default sidebar location where you can add useful widgets and content. For example, many sites add a search bar to the sidebar or show a list of recent posts.

If your WordPress theme has a sidebar, then by default, it will look the same on all your posts, pages, categories, and archive pages.

However, you may want to display different sidebar widgets on certain WordPress posts and pages.

For example, you might show different content in the sidebar of your most popular posts or display ads that are more relevant to a particular page.

You could even use different contact forms depending on the page’s content.

Having said that, let’s see how to create and display a different sidebar for each post and page in WordPress. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use:

Method 1: Displaying Different Sidebars for Each Post and Page in WordPress (Easy)

If your theme supports sidebar widgets, then you can easily create multiple sidebars using Lightweight Sidebar Manager. This custom sidebar plugin lets you build as many sidebars as you want and then assign them to different posts and pages.

You can also add them to custom post types or assign a sidebar to all the different pages or posts that have a specific category.

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the Lightweight Sidebar Manager plugin. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you need to go to Appearance » Sidebars. To create the first sidebar, click on the ‘Add New’ button.

You can now type in a title for the new WordPress sidebar. This is just for your reference, so you can use anything you want.

With that done, open the ‘Sidebar To Replace’ dropdown menu and choose the location where you want to show the sidebar. The options you see may vary depending on your WordPress theme. 

Now, you can control where the sidebar appears by creating inclusion or exclusion rules. 

To create an inclusion rule, just open the ‘Display On’ dropdown and choose the pages, posts, custom post types, or categories where you want to use the sidebar. 

For example, you might add the sidebar to a specific page, such as your 404 error page, the author archive, or blog page.

Another option is using the sidebar for a particular page, post, or category by selecting ‘Specific Pages/Posts/Taxonomies.’

This adds a box where you can type in the page, post, or category.

To create more inclusion rules, simply click on the ‘Add Display’ Rule button.

This adds a section where you can create the new inclusion rule.

If you prefer, then you can create exclusion rules instead. For example, you may want to show the sidebar on every page except the homepage. 

You can also combine inclusion and exclusion rules to control exactly where the sidebar appears on your WordPress website.

To create an exclusion rule for the sidebar location, just click on the ‘Add Exclusion Rule’ button.

In the new ‘Do Not Display On’ section, open the dropdown menu and select the page or post that shouldn’t use this sidebar. 

You can also exclude the sidebar from WordPress pages that have a specific category by following the same process described above.

After deciding where the sidebar will appear on your WordPress blog, you may want to show different content to different users.

For example, if you have a membership site, then you might use a different sidebar for visitors compared to logged-in members. 

To do this, open the ‘User’ dropdown and choose a role from the dropdown menu. Now, only people with this specific user role will see the sidebar. 

Finally, you may want to type in an optional description. This will only appear in the WordPress dashboard, so it’s a good way to share information with other admins or users on a multi-author WordPress blog. 

If you are going to create lots of sidebars, then you can also use this field to leave yourself notes and helpful reminders.

When you are happy with the information you have entered, simply click on ‘Publish.’

With that done, go to Appearance » Widgets. You will now see all the widget areas that your theme supports by default, plus the new sidebar you created in the previous step.

You can now go ahead and add widgets to the sidebar, just like any other widget section.

For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to add and use WordPress widgets. 

When you are happy with how the sidebar is set up, click on ‘Update.’

Now, if you visit your WordPress blog, you will see the new sidebar live.

To create more theme sidebars, simply keep repeating these steps. 

Method 2: Creating a Different Sidebar With a Page Builder Plugin (Works With Any WordPress Theme)

If your theme doesn’t have a sidebar function, then you can still create different sidebars using a drag-and-drop page builder plugin.

SeedProd is the best and most beginner-friendly landing page builder plugin for WordPress. With this plugin, you can create any type of custom page without writing any code.

It also has dozens of professional site kits and templates that you can easily edit and fine-tune using the drag-and-drop builder.

When designing a custom page, you can choose a layout that has a sidebar.

You then simply find the blocks you want to show in that sidebar and add them using drag and drop.

SeedProd has all the blocks and features you’d expect from a powerful page builder, such as opt-in forms, social profiles, countdown timers, contact forms, buttons, various content blocks, and more. This makes it easy to create powerful and unique sidebars for your WordPress blog.

To learn how to use the SeedProd page builder plugin on your website, you can see our guide on how to create custom sidebars, headers, or footers for each WordPress category and how to create a custom page in WordPress.

Learn More Ways to Customize Your WordPress Sidebar

Want to improve your WordPress sidebar further and make it more useful for your users? Check out these WordPress tutorials:

• How to Add Social Media Icons in Your WordPress Sidebar
• How to Create a Sticky Floating Sidebar Widget in WordPress
• How to Add Featured Posts in the WordPress Sidebar
• How to Use Shortcodes in your WordPress Sidebar Widgets
• How to Create a Collapsible Sidebar Menu in WordPress (The Easy Way)
• How to Add a Login Form in Your WordPress Sidebar
• How to Display Instagram Photos in WordPress Sidebar Widget

We hope this article helped you learn how to add different sidebars to each post or page in WordPress. You may also want to learn how to create a custom Instagram feed in WordPress or see our expert picks for the best block themes for full site editing.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Display Different Sidebar for Each Post and Page in WordPress first appeared on WPBeginner.

Meta data includes important information about your posts, such as the publication date, the author’s name, and the tags. At times, you may want to display extra details in this section.

In this article, we will show you how to display post meta data in WordPress posts easily.

Why Edit and Display Blog Post Meta Data on Your WordPress Site?

Blog post meta data is information about a post that’s not part of the actual content. It includes things like the publication date, the name of the author, categories and tags in WordPress, and more.

This meta data can appear in lots of different locations, depending on your WordPress theme.

Wherever it appears, WordPress meta data can help visitors learn more about your content. It can also help them discover other interesting posts. For example, they may look for more blogs written by the same author.

In this way, post meta data can improve the user experience and may even increase pageviews. Just be careful about displaying too much post meta data, as it can make your site look messy and confusing.

By default, WordPress will display some post meta data already, like the blog post’s publication date, author name, and category. But at times, you may want to add extra information.

With that being said, let’s see how you can display post meta data in WordPress themes. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use:

Method 1: Using the WordPress Theme Customizer (Classic Themes)

Some classic WordPress themes allow you to customize the post meta data without writing any code.

To check whether this is the case for your theme, just go to Appearance » Customize, which opens the WordPress theme customizer.

You can now look for any settings that allow you to customize your blog pages. These will typically be labeled ‘blog,’ ‘blog settings,’ ‘posts’ or similar.

For example, if you are using the Astra WordPress theme, then you can simply select ‘Blog’ from the left-hand menu.

After that, click on ‘Blog / Archive.’

Simply scroll to the ‘Meta’ section to see all the different data that you can add or remove.

To add meta data to your site, just click on its ‘show’ icon, which looks like an eye.

To remove a piece of meta data, click on the icon again.

You can also change the order that WordPress shows this meta data to visitors using drag and drop.

As you make changes in the theme customizer, the live preview will update automatically, so you can try different settings to see what looks the best for your WordPress website.

When you are happy with how the meta data looks, don’t forget to click on ‘Publish’ to make your changes live.

Even if you don’t see any post meta data settings in the WordPress customizer, there may still be a way to add this information without writing code.

With that in mind, we recommend looking at the theme’s documentation. You can also reach out to the theme’s developer for help.

For lots of useful tips, please see our guide on how to properly ask for WordPress support and get it.

Method 2: Using the Full-Site Editor (Block Themes)

If you are using a block-based theme like Hestia Pro, then you can display meta data for posts on your WordPress website using the Post Meta block.

To get started, just go to Appearance » Editor in the WordPress dashboard.

By default, the full-site editor will show your theme’s home template.

To add the meta data to your WordPress blog posts, go ahead and click on ‘Templates’ in the left-hand menu.

The editor will now show a list of all the templates that make up your WordPress theme.

Simply click on the Single template, which controls the layout of your blog posts.

WordPress will now show a preview of the Single page template.

To edit this template, go ahead and click on the small pencil icon.

Typically, the Single post template should already have a Post Meta block in it, which you can then edit to your liking.

But if not, then you need to click on the blue ‘+’ icon in the top left corner. In the search bar that appears, type in ‘Post Meta.’

When the right block appears, drag and drop it onto your blog layout.

By default, this block will show the post’s categories, author name, and tags.

You may want to edit this meta data. For example, you might delete the tags or change the static text that WordPress shows before the meta data.

The following image shows an example of how the default Post Meta block will look on your WordPress blog.

To change this block, simply click to select it in the full site editor. You can then click on any block within the Post Meta block and make your changes.

Just pay careful attention to whether you are editing the static text that WordPress shows in front of the meta data or the dynamic text that WordPress will replace with real values.

For example, in the following image, we have added some static text to the Post Author section.

However, we haven’t changed the ‘Post Author’ dynamic text.

In the following image, you can see how this will look on your WordPress blog.

You may also want to add more meta data to the Post Meta block.

For example, the full site editor has blocks, such as Post Date and Post Author Biography, that you can easily add to the Post Meta block using drag and drop. There are many options to choose from, so you can take your time to explore them.

Simply click on the blue ‘+’ button and then find the block that you want to use. You can then drag and drop it onto the Post Meta block.

If you add more blocks to the Post Meta block, then you may need to change its layout.

To do this, simply click on the Post Meta block and then select the ‘Block’ tab.

You can now use these settings to arrange the content in a nice layout. For example, you might change the number of columns or add margins and padding.

When you are happy with how the Single template looks, click on the ‘Save’ button.

Now, if you visit your website, then you will see the post meta data in action.

After that, you may want to add post meta data to other areas of your website, such as your custom archive page.

To do this, simply open the full site editor by following the same process described above.

You can then select ‘Templates’ from the left-hand menu and choose the template you want to edit.

After that, you can add post meta data following the same process described above.

Pro Tip: Want to take your single post pages to the next level? Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how to create a custom single post template in WordPress.

Method 3: Creating a Custom WordPress Theme (Fully Customizable)

Another option is to create a custom WordPress theme. This is a more advanced method, and it’s recommended if you want to use an entirely different theme for your site.

That said, it will give you complete control over where the post meta data appears on your website.

In the past, you would need to follow complicated WordPress tutorials and write code to build a custom WordPress theme. However, it’s now possible to create your own themes without writing a single line of code using SeedProd.

SeedProd is the best drag-and-drop WordPress page builder and also comes with a theme builder. This allows you to design your own themes using a simple drag and drop editor.

For step-by-step instructions, please see our guide on how to create a custom WordPress theme (without any code).

After that, you can add post meta data to any part of your WordPress website. Simply find the ‘Post Info’ block in SeedProd’s left-hand menu.

Now, drag and drop the block onto your page layout.

After that, click to select the Post Info block. By default, this block shows the author, date, time, and comments meta data.

However, you can also show the modified date, modified terms, and terms meta data.

To add more information to the block, simply go ahead and click on ‘Add Item.’

This adds a new placeholder item.

Now, go ahead and click on the item to see all its settings.

Now, open the ‘Type’ dropdown and choose the type of meta data you want to display.

Depending on the option you choose, you will get access to some additional settings. For example, if you selected ‘Modified Time’, then you can choose the time format.

You can also change the icon that SeedProd uses for the meta data item. Simply open the ‘Icon’ dropdown and then choose ‘Custom.’

You can then go ahead and click on ‘Choose Icon.’

This brings up the icon library with hundreds of icons to choose from. You can use the search bar to look for a specific icon or browse through the entire list.

When you find an image you want to use, simply hover over it and then click the ‘Plus’ button to add it to your page.

Do you want to remove a meta data item instead?

Then simply hover your mouse over it and then click on the trash can icon when it appears.

Finally, you can change the order of the meta data items using drag and drop.

When you are happy with how the Post Info box is set up, you may want to change how it looks by selecting the ‘Advanced’ tab.

Here, you can change the spacing, add a border, and even add CSS animation effects.

When you are happy with how the page looks, just click the ‘Save’ button and then choose ‘Publish’ to make it live.

Method 4: Using Advanced Custom Fields (Fully Customizable)

Perhaps you may find creating a custom theme just to display additional ost meta to be an overkill. In that case, you can use custom fields or custom meta boxes instead.

Both options let you add your own fields in the WordPress block editor, which you can then use to insert various types of meta data.

For more information, just see the following guides:

• WordPress Custom Fields 101: Tips, Tricks, and Hacks
• How to Add Custom Meta Boxes in WordPress Posts and Post Types

Method 5: Adding Code to Your WordPress Theme Files (Advanced)

Finally, you can add blog post meta in WordPress using custom code. This method is recommended if the post meta data options provided by the WordPress theme customizer, full-site editor, and SeedProd don’t meet your needs.

If you are a beginner, then using code may seem intimidating as you can potentially break your website. That’s why we recommend using WPCode, the easiest and safest plugin to insert custom code snippets in your site.

With WPCode, you can add code to WordPress without directly interacting with the software’s core files. This way, you won’t cause any errors on your WordPress site.

We actually already have some articles with custom code snippets that you can use as post meta data. You can get started with the following guides:

• How to Display the Last Updated Date of Your Posts in WordPress
• How to Add Affiliate Disclosure for Each Blog Post Automatically
• How to Remove Author Name from WordPress Posts

One thing to note is that you will need to choose the right location for the code to run so that it shows up on all of your blog posts.

For post meta data, this can be Insert Before Post, Insert After Post, Insert Before Content, or Insert After Content.

We hope this article helped you learn how to display blog post meta data in your WordPress themes. You may also want to see our guide on how to add meta descriptions and keywords in WordPress and our expert picks of must-have WordPress plugins.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Display Blog Post Meta Data in Your WordPress Themes first appeared on WPBeginner.

Using the loop, WordPress processes each of the posts to be displayed on the current page. It formats them according to how they match specified criteria within the loop tags.

In this article, we will show how to display any number of posts in a WordPress loop.

What Is the WordPress Loop?

The loop is used by WordPress to display each of your posts. It is PHP code that’s used in a WordPress theme to show a list of posts on a web page. It is an important part of WordPress code and is at the core of most queries.

In a WordPress loop, there are different functions that run to display posts. However, developers can customize how each post is shown in the loop by changing the template tags.

For example, the base tags in a loop will show the title, date, and content of the post in a loop. You can add custom tags and display additional information like the category, excerpt, custom fields, author name, and more.

The WordPress loop also lets you control the number of blog posts that you show on each page. This can be helpful when designing an author’s template, as you can control the number of posts displayed in each loop.

That being said, let’s see how to add any number of posts to a WordPress loop.

Adding Any Number of Posts in a WordPress Loop

Normally, you can set the number of posts to be displayed in the loop from your WordPress admin panel.

Simply head to Settings » Reading from the WordPress dashboard. By default, WordPress will show 10 posts.

However, you can override that number by using a Super Loop, which will allow you to display any number of posts in that specific WordPress for loop.

This will allow you to customize the display settings of your pages, including author profiles, sidebars, and more.

First, you will need to open a template file where you would like to place the posts and then simply add this loop:

<?php
// if everything is in place and ready, let's start the loop
if ( have_posts() ) : while ( have_posts() ) : the_post(); ?>

	// to display 'n' number of posts, we need to execute the loop 'n' number of times
	// so we define a numerical variable called '$count' and set its value to zero
	// with each iteration of the loop, the value of '$count' will increase by one
	// after the value of '$count' reaches the specified number, the loop will stop
	// *USER: change the 'n' to the number of posts that you would like to display

	<?php static $count = 0;
	if ( $count == "n" ) {
		break;
	} else { ?>

		// for CSS styling and layout purposes, we wrap the post content in a div
		// we then display the entire post content via the 'the_content()' function
		// *USER: change to '<?php the_excerpt(); ?>' to display post excerpts instead

		<div class="post">
			<?php the_title(); ?>
			<?php the_content(); ?>
		</div>

		// here, we continue with the limiting of the number of displayed posts
		// each iteration of the loop increases the value of '$count' by one
		// the final two lines complete the loop and close the if statement

		<?php $count ++;
	} ?>
<?php endwhile; ?>
<?php endif; ?>

Note: You will need to replace the value of ‘n‘ in the if ( $count == "n" ) part of the code and choose any number.

An easy way to add this code to your WordPress website is by using the WPCode plugin. It is the best code snippet plugin for WordPress that helps you manage custom code.

By using WPCode, you don’t have to manually edit theme template files and risk breaking something. The plugin will automatically insert the code for you.

First, you need to install and activate the free WPCode plugin. For more details, please see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, you can head to Code Snippets » + Add Snippet from your WordPress dashboard. Next, you need to select the ‘Add Your Custom Code (New Snippet)’ option.

After that, simply paste the custom code for the WordPress loop that we showed you above into the ‘Code Preview’ area.

You will also need to enter a name for your code and set the ‘Code Type’ to ‘PHP Snippet’.

Next, you can scroll down to the ‘Insertion’ section and choose where you would like to run the code.

By default, WPCode will run it everywhere on your WordPress website. However, you can change the location to a specific page or use a shortcode to insert the code.

For this tutorial, we will use the default ‘Auto Insert’ method.

When you are done, don’t forget to click the toggle at the top to make the code ‘Active’ and then click the ‘Save’ button. WPCode will now deploy the code on your WordPress blog and display the specified number of posts in the WordPress loop.

We hope this article helped you learn how to display any number of posts in a WordPress loop. You may also want to see our guide on how to exclude sticky posts from the loop in WordPress and our expert picks for the must-have WordPress plugins for business websites.

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Display Any Number of Posts in a WordPress Loop first appeared on WPBeginner.