Top 10 Useful Widgets For WordPress Users To Build An Engaging Site

Are you looking for some best WordPress widgets to engage your site visitors and get a unique design for a better look? If yes, then this piece of content is for you!

WordPress has started ruling the web world!

Yes, it is powering more than 35% of the web and dominates Google SERPs with billions of results due to its versatility.

I should admit it is a comfortable management system for the website content; however, how has it reached such a superior level?

And yes, it is due to third-party extensions like Plugins and Widgets that come in handy when it comes to Site Speed, Security, Maintenance, SEO, and almost everything to extend the functionalities.

As of now, WordPress, by default, has ten widgets in its new Gutenberg editor. However, a plethora of such resources you can add to your site and make sure it’s ready for 2020!

Best WordPress Widgets To Use In 2020 & Beyond

Apart from the traditional WordPress widgets, I would like to list some helpful ones that would tweak your online presence.

1. Smart Post

Thinkwik’s guide to UI/UX highlights the importance of making your website as efficient and intuitive as possible, as it is one of the best ways to drive your numbers up.

One widget that can help with this is Smart Post. With the Smart Post widget, you can curate a list of featured or trending content and tack it onto your sidebar.

Best Features

• Drag & Drop the widgets to build independent lists
• Lists can be made according to categories, tags, or authors
• Image size and positions are highly flexible
• Multiple widgets & Unlimited Post lists
• Custom CSS for every widget

2. Popping Sidebars and Widgets

People use their phones for just about anything these days. This is why you should aim to make your website as mobile-friendly as possible.

Popping Sidebars and Widgets lets you do just that, as it allows you to customize your sidebar to make it easier to access on mobile phones.

Best Features

• Create unlimited custom sidebars
• Custom styling through a back-end interface
• Wide range of customization options
• Very intuitive interface; no coding knowledge is required
• Set open/close events

3. Zoho SalesIQ

One of your website’s goals should be to drive up user engagement. Forbes reveals that one way you can do this is through chatbots, as they can interact with your customers or audience based on their online activity.

Zoho SalesIQ allows you to deploy smart bots that analyze your users’ data and interacts with them accordingly.

Best Features

• Track the visitors and analyze their trail
• Prioritize your visitors based on several metrics
• Trace the web traffic source and optimize the content according to it.
• Proactive conversation with the visitors about deals & offers
• Audio call feature to call up your visitors
• GDPR Compliance

4. Social Icons Widget

One of the first things you have to do when designing your site is to figure out a way to feature your various social media platforms. Thankfully, HP’s guide to widgets points out how social media can be easily integrated into WordPress by using the right plug-ins, with Twitter being a popular choice among site owners.

Instagram and Pinterest widgets are also ideal for those who want to showcase their feeds. The Social Icons Widget by WPZOOM does this well, as it also lets you choose from various icons to match your site’s theme.

Best Features

• 400+ Custom Icons
• Supports email addresses, phone numbers, Skype, Viber & WhatsApp
• Drag & Drop, retina-ready icons
• FontAwesome & Acadimicons integration
• Background styles and Icon size adjustment options are available

5. Give

The world needs a little good, and your site can be a part of this positive change. The Give widget makes it easy to donate. This widget allows you to build custom donations forms, track full donation activity, and generate tax-deductible receipts.

Best Features

• Highest-rated, most downloaded donation plugin
• Build custom donation forms
• Complete data control and donor management
• Several payment gateway options
• Easy customization with powerful add-ons

6. WP Testimonials

While you can convey how much your audience should listen to or trust your site or service, a more effective way to do this is through user testimonials. WP Testimonials lets you integrate user testimonials with your website’s design, helping boost your viewers’ confidence in your site.

Best Features

• Works with Gutenberg Shortcodes Block
• Testimonials can be made random with Clients’ image
• Display by category, client, and company name
• Control the number of testimonials at a time
• Quotes can be displayed

7. Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed

Internet users nowadays have become more visual. Business Insider lists Instagram as the most popular social media platform, beating Facebook for the top spot.

An easy way to showcase your Instagram feed is through Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed, which lets you link any account to your WordPress and customize it according to your website’s style.

Best Features

• Simple to set up and entirely customizable
• In-built shortcodes to customize the Instagram feeds
• Option to add a beautiful header at the top
• Display the follow button and Instagram photo of any size
• Add custom CSS and Javascript for deeper customizations

8. ChimpMate Pro

One right way to engage with your audience or customers is through email marketing. Apps such as MailChimp make email marketing a breeze, which is why you’ll be glad to know that they’ve created a widget you can use on your WordPress.

ChimpMate Pro will encourage users to sign up for your mailing list by using eye-catching pop-ups that are fully customizable to suit your site.

Best Features

• Wide range of display positions
• Powerful live editor to check your customization
• Lightning-fast speed for the best user experience
• Advanced A/B testing for improvements
• Highly customizable, responsive themes

9. Advanced Woo Search

E-commerce is on the rise in the United States. CNBC reports that e-commerce has overtaken brick-and-mortar stores, signaling the age of online shopping.

A widget that is useful for your e-commerce sites is Advanced Woo Search, as it lets your customers make more precise searches on your system. This will lead them to find the right product quickly and easily.

Best Features

• In-depth product search
• Supports product image & product price
• Shortcodes integrated
• Smart ordering
• Automatic product synchronization

10. The Events Calendar

This last widget specializes in highlighting and emphasizing your events. The Events Calendar widget showcases your upcoming events on your website’s sidebar. What’s great about this widget is its intuitive design that lets you easily plug in and customize event ads.

Best Features

• Create events rapidly
• Supports Google Maps and Google Calendar
• Ajaxified for smooth browsing
• Immense template tags for customization
• Works well with all major theme frameworks

Wrapping Up

Widget is the best add-on to include the advanced features to the sidebar and footer of your WordPress business site. You don’t need to play with the codes; install the suitable ones and get the functionalities you want.

Adding new features and elements makes your site look better and offers the best user experience for your site audience. I hope I have listed some helpful resources for building a personalized website.

Do you have better suggestions for high user engagements and, please, the search spiders? Share your valuable views in the comment section. Let’s discuss it!