Many blogs and websites built using WordPress now have progress bar for the posts. They are completed as you scroll through the article, thus allowing you to keep track of how much is left for reading. If you want a similar progress bar for your WordPress site, this guide is for you. Learn how to add a reading progress bar for your blog posts.
When to Add Reading Progress Bar?
A progress bar is not necessary for every website. For example, news portal that publish 300-500 word posts usually don’t need a progress bar since users will complete reading within a few minutes. But if you publish long-form content of 3,000, 4,000 or more words, you should consider adding the bar.
In long-form content, users get confused as to how much reading is left. They can keep a track of it if you offer a progress bar. It will encourage users to scroll down and complete the article.
How to Add Reading Progress Bar in WordPress?
WordPress makes it easy to add functionality to your website without doing any coding work. This becomes possible through various plugins that you can download and use readily.
And there are plugins available that allow you to add the progress bar in WordPress.
One of them is the Worth the Read plugin. It’s a free plugin for WordPress websites that you can install, activate, and add to the blog posts. The plugin is customizable and you can tweak it to suit the layout of your WordPress theme.
To start using it, here are the steps you need to follow:
You can also enable comments for the entire length of the progress bar. Enable ‘Include Comments’ option for this purpose.
Another thing you should customize is the placement of the progress bar. By default, it will be displayed on the top of the website. You can change it to left, right, or the bottom of the page.
When you click on the ‘Style’ tab, you’ll find more customization options that allow you to alter the look and feel of the progress bar. Options include changing the thickness, the opacity, the background color, etc.
Once you’re done with the customization, click on ‘Save Changes’ to apply the changes.
Now when you visit the pages for which you activated the Worth the Read plugin, you’ll find the progress. The visitors can now track their progress as they scroll through the web page.
Other progress bar plugins for WordPress to consider are PageLoader, Zoom Progress Bar, and Site Content Navigator for WordPress. If you need a similar progress for WooCommerce, consider the WooCommerce Orders Progress bar plugin.
When to Add Reading Progress Bar?
A progress bar is not necessary for every website. For example, news portal that publish 300-500 word posts usually don’t need a progress bar since users will complete reading within a few minutes. But if you publish long-form content of 3,000, 4,000 or more words, you should consider adding the bar.
In long-form content, users get confused as to how much reading is left. They can keep a track of it if you offer a progress bar. It will encourage users to scroll down and complete the article.
How to Add Reading Progress Bar in WordPress?
WordPress makes it easy to add functionality to your website without doing any coding work. This becomes possible through various plugins that you can download and use readily.
And there are plugins available that allow you to add the progress bar in WordPress.
One of them is the Worth the Read plugin. It’s a free plugin for WordPress websites that you can install, activate, and add to the blog posts. The plugin is customizable and you can tweak it to suit the layout of your WordPress theme.
To start using it, here are the steps you need to follow:
- Install Worth the Read
- Activate it
- Set up the Plugin
You can also enable comments for the entire length of the progress bar. Enable ‘Include Comments’ option for this purpose.
Another thing you should customize is the placement of the progress bar. By default, it will be displayed on the top of the website. You can change it to left, right, or the bottom of the page.
When you click on the ‘Style’ tab, you’ll find more customization options that allow you to alter the look and feel of the progress bar. Options include changing the thickness, the opacity, the background color, etc.
Once you’re done with the customization, click on ‘Save Changes’ to apply the changes.
Now when you visit the pages for which you activated the Worth the Read plugin, you’ll find the progress. The visitors can now track their progress as they scroll through the web page.
Other progress bar plugins for WordPress to consider are PageLoader, Zoom Progress Bar, and Site Content Navigator for WordPress. If you need a similar progress for WooCommerce, consider the WooCommerce Orders Progress bar plugin.
