If you’re looking to improve user engagement and enhance your website’s content delivery, there are many elements you can incorporate. However, one element that is often overlooked but can have a significant impact on design and functionality is the slider. Sliders are portable slideshows that can perform various tasks, such as displaying your photography portfolio or showcasing business testimonials. When used correctly, sliders can create an engaging, interactive experience for your website’s visitors.
In this article, we’ll discuss what a slider is and why you should use it. We’ll also show you how to choose the best WordPress slider for your needs and provide four awesome ways to use it on your site.
What is a Slider and Why Should You Use One on Your Website?
A slider is an interactive slideshow that’s used on websites for a variety of tasks. While they’re usually media-heavy, you’re not limited to simply cycling around a series of images or videos. Sliders can break up your website’s content, engage your website’s visitors, and enable you to deliver information in an easy, digestible way.
The main job of a slider is to improve the way visitors interact with your content. This is true whether the content is visual (such as with images and videos) or not (including written content, such as testimonials).
How to Choose the Best WordPress Slider for Your Needs
Sliders aren’t all made equal, so deciding which one is best for your needs is important. Each has its unique features that make it suited for different purposes. Some popular slider features include full-width slideshow support, drag-and-drop reordering of your slides, built-in widgets and shortcodes, configuration options (such as transition and speed effects), and multimedia support (including videos, GIFs, HTML, and more).
The exact features will vary by slider. For example, Slider Revolution is known for its slide-to-slide transitions and plugin add-ons, making it a good choice for highly creative slideshows. Meta Slider is popular for its smart image cropping and the ability to embed YouTube videos into slides. Smart Slider 3 also incorporates many of the above-mentioned features, as well as top-notch support and over 100 pre-built slides.
Most sliders offer plenty of flexibility and power, although the right option depends on your needs and expected use.
4 Awesome Uses for a Powerful Slider Plugin
Here are four awesome uses for a powerful slider plugin:
1. Display Visual Elements With an Image Slider
An image slider displays a collection of still photographs and is great for easily displaying visual elements, such as a portfolio or travel album. To implement this method optimally, use only high-resolution images and optimize your images to ensure your pages load quickly and your images take up little space on your server.
2. Showcase Customer Testimonials With a Carousel Slider
A carousel slider works on a loop and offers the best way to deliver brief snippets of content to your website’s visitors. To implement this method optimally, use a manual carousel and include prominent buttons.
3. Show Off Your Best Work With a Portfolio Slider
A portfolio slider enables you to show off your work and is built for showcasing different media elements. To implement this method optimally, incorporate links for non-visual content.
4. Create Interactive Content With a Parallax Slider
A parallax slider offers depth to an otherwise static website and creates interactive and engaging content. To implement this method optimally, choose your style carefully and select your image with negative space to avoid clutter.
While sliders have their critics, there’s no doubt that they’re ideal for a number of different applications. With the addition of complex effects (such as parallax scrolling) and a seemingly endless array of applications (such as displaying your own work or business testimonials), the use of a slider can improve your website’s functionality significantly.
In conclusion, incorporating a slider into your website can have a significant impact on design and functionality. By choosing the best WordPress slider for your needs and implementing it optimally, you can create an engaging, interactive experience for your website’s visitors.
