WordPress is a highly popular Content Management System that has probably helped millions of people build their first website or take that first step towards building a digital product. Its seamless interface and easy-to-use dashboard together make it easy for inexperienced users to tackle their blog and website set up easily, without having to look for professional help.
The WordPress CMS has taken its time to evolve into the current efficient website builder that it is. However, navigating through the WordPress dashboard as a new user can be overwhelming for some users. This is where the need for improving the UX of the WordPress dashboard comes into the scenario.
A delightful dashboard provides the advantage of an easy-to-use system where the login is seamless and the elements of the website can be managed easily. A simplified dashboard serves the purpose of not confusing the user at work. With this, they are able to perform the website maintenance and upkeep actions without having to look up tutorials over the Internet or seeking professional help.
So, if you are looking to improve the UX of your WordPress dashboard, here’s everything you need to know and do.
Admin Toolbar Customization
See this black toolbar? It is the admin toolbar of your site’s WordPress dashboard. You will find it as a black bar situated above the page header on your site’s dashboard. The primary purpose of the admin toolbar is to provide easy access to power action points that help you perform some of the most important actions such as editing or creating a new post.
You can also have the option of getting rid of this admin menu for all user roles on the site or specific ones. If you wish to remove this admin toolbar for all the users, all you need to do is go to your functions.php file and add this code:
<?php show_admin_bar( false ); ?>
Alternatively, you can also choose to display this toolbar to just the admin through the use of code.
Start with Securing the Login to Your Dashboard
The best thing you can do to improve the UX of your WordPress dashboard is by attempting to secure the login to your WordPress dashboard. It is so because if your dashboard is secure and well-protected and is accessible to designated users for use, you will be able to keep it uniform and make sure that things in the dashboard do not move about a lot.
To ensure this, you must move ahead by using a strong combination of the login username and password. Do not use generic combinations such as ‘admin’ and ‘admin’ or passwords such as 12345, qwertyuiop, abcd123, and others along the same lines. Talking of securing the website, you can try your hands on VPN as VPNs are helpful in securing your connection. You can review various VPN providers at CoolTechZone and choose the best option for you.
A Welcome Message that is Meant For You
Wouldnt it be a familiar dashboard if you were to be greeted with a custom welcome message? If you dig this idea, the WordPress dashboard has this option for you. This is something that other users or your clients on the dashboard will also appreciate. You can just add the following code to your .php file.
A howdy plugin can also serve the purpose of customizing this welcome message.
Widget Management
If you have been in and around the dashboard of your WordPress site a couple of times, you will find that it has a handful of widgets. You must try to identify the ones that you would be using for your benefits and the ones that are of no use. Once you figure that out, you can simply choose to display or hide the selective widgets.
Choosing the Right Screen Options for Display
The WordPress dashboard is a really crowded place with a lot of things going on. Even with user roles that have limited access, you can get caught up with a lot of things on the dashboard, thanks to the many plugins in place. Hence, it is necessary to declutter your dashboard and add up the most important screen options for yourself.
Doing so will not only let you have your peace of mind but also help you save some time while you are trying to get things done for your WordPress website.
The Dashboard Footer
By default, the dashboard footer of your WordPress installation displays the WordPress branding. Well, you can modify that footer branding and suit it up to speak for yourself. Adding a personal message will help you get the task done. All you need to do is visit your dashboard > Appearance > Editor > Footer and then move ahead to make changes to your footer.php page. Once you find the footer code, simply add this line of code and save the changes.
function remove_footer_admin () {
echo ‘text <a href=”http://www.wordpress.org”
target=”_blank”>text</a> | text <a href=”text”
target=”_blank”>text/link</a> | text: <a href=”text/link”
target=”_blank”>text</a></p>’;
}
add_filter(‘admin_footer_text’, ‘remove_footer_admin’);
Keep User Roles Intact
If you happen to run a blog website or a WordPress website that requires the contribution of several users in different roles, you have the absolute need for segregating the user roles on your WordPress dashboard. By keeping various roles that offer limited access, you will keep the respective dashboards simpler and cleaner for other users as well as the admin. You will also be able to build accountability for actions on the website.
Keep Themes & Plugins in Check
One of the most underestimated ways of improving the UX of a WordPress dashboard is through keeping the dashboard free of themes and plugins that are not in use. It is true that in the lifetime of a full-fledged WordPress website, there is always a need to install and work with a handful of plugins and themes. However, not all of them are always in use and end up cluttering your dashboard and even slowing down your website. So, do the work and get rid of those themes and plugins that you don’t need or use anymore.
Conclusion
The UX of a website is certainly a very important factor that can not be overlooked. In a similar manner, the UX of your WordPress dashboard is something that concerns the backend of the website and deserves some upkeep and Maintenance. Hence, one must always make sure that they take the necessary steps to improve the UX of their WordPress dashboards and make their dashboard management a delightful experience.