How to Add a Menu Item in WordPress for a Website
In the last few years, WordPress has emerged as the go-to platform for websites. With powerful features, beautiful templates, and a community boasting over 500 million members, WordPress truly is the perfect fit for any type of website. One feature which has made WordPress so popular is the abundance of shortcodes that can be used to add content to a site simply and quickly.
Many sites use the built-in menus of WordPress to display their content. However, if you want your content to be accessible through a custom-made drop-down menu, you can do so with a little bit of code.
This article will teach you how to add a menu item in WordPress for a website using a shortcode. Before we get started, here are some of the basics of WordPress.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is an open-source blogging platform created in 2003 that is currently available in over 40 languages and can be deployed on any server or device. While originally designed for blogging, WordPress is a full-fledged content management system and can be used to create any type of website.
WordPress is very user-friendly and intuitive. The platform provides excellent usability and a smooth learning curve. WordPress also boasts a large and active community of users, developers, and businesses who contribute to its success and continued expansion.
What is a CMS?
CMS is an abbreviation for “content management system”. A CMS allows content to be created and edited without the need for specialized software.
Instead of using a WORDPRESS.com domain, you can download and install WordPress onto a local server or device. Once installed, you can use the CMS to create and edit content as needed without having to log in to the WordPress.com platform.
Some of the more popular and well-known CMSs include WORDPRESS.com, Joomla!, and Drupal.
Why use a CMS?
Managing content on a CMS is much simpler than dealing with webpages on a WORDPRESS.com domain. As a result, creating and editing content is made simpler and more accessible to users with no tech or programming experience. Furthermore, if you are looking to create a blog, using a CMS is an excellent choice as it is extremely easy to setup and can be done with minimal effort.
Because it is open source, you can always find the most updated version and hack it to suit your needs. When WordPress was first created, it was based on CMS systems that were nearly 10 years old. As a result, many features have been added to the platform since its inception. Due to its active development, security flaws are sometimes fixed before publicly released versions of WordPress.
How do I use a CMS?
To use a CMS, you will need to create a new post or page and begin editing content. When you are editing a post or page, you will see a small piece of code at the top of the page. This is where the content of the page or post will display.
To add a menu item to your post or page, you will need to click on the “Editor” tab located at the top of the page. On this tab, you will see a small piece of code that begins with the following:
`[menu_item name=”featured” title=”featured” ]
`
Where “featured” is the name of the menu item you are adding, and “title” is its title. You will then need to enter some content into the box that appears below the code.
For example, if you want to add a link to your blog’s Home page that will display a list of blog posts you have published, enter the following:
`[menu_item name=”home” title=”blog posts” ]
`
That is all there is to it! Once you have entered the content as above into your post or page, you can test that your menu item is working correctly by clicking on the drop-down button located at the top of the post (below the editor area). You should now see a menu with a list of your blog posts listed under it. If that is the case, then congratulations! You have just added a menu item to your WordPress blog.
If not, then you need to go back into your post or page and fix the content. To add more than one menu item, just add another set of `[menu_item name=”…]` under the first set of menu items you added.
Is it necessary to have a CMS?
No, it is not necessary to have a CMS to add a menu item in WordPress. It is simply a choice you can make if you want to make managing and creating content easier for yourself or your users. If you do not want to use a CMS, then you can always use a WORDPRESS.com domain to publish content without the need for any additional software.
How do I add a menu item in WordPress for a domain?
If you already have a domain (such as wpengine.com) and you want to add a WordPress installation to it, you can do so using a tool called Automattic’s One-Click Custom Domains. With this service, you can easily install WordPress on a subdomain (blog.yourdomain.com) or use it to create a complete website (yoursite.com). For more information, visit one-clickcustomdomains.com. You will need to have your own web server in order to use this service.
How do I add a menu item in WordPress for free?
If you do not want to use a CMS to add a menu item in WordPress, then there are multiple free solutions available. You can use the free version of WordPress itself (available on WordPress.com) or you can use a hosting service that provides WordPress as part of their platform. Some of the more popular hosting services that offer WordPress as part of their service include Bluehost, WordPress.com, and Typeform.
As a result of these services offering WordPress as part of their package, you do not need to worry about installing and configuring WordPress on your own hardware. Simply install the WordPress software onto your web server (via FTP) and begin editing content as needed.
You can find numerous tutorials online that will walk you through the process of adding a simple menu item in WordPress. Just remember that if you are looking to create a large navigation menu, then using a CMS to create it can often be a better solution than trying to do so manually on a webpage. Using a CMS will make creating and editing a large menu much easier. The above information should have answered all of your questions about how to add a menu item in WordPress. As always, if you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to support@wordpress.com with your inquiry.