Perplexing Ways to Remove the Sidebar from Your WordPress Website

For some WordPress users, having a sidebar on their website may not be necessary or may affect the appearance and overall design of their site. Fortunately, WordPress makes it simple to remove sidebars, and in this long-form article, we’ll discuss how to remove them.

What is a Sidebar in WordPress?

A sidebar is an area on a webpage adjacent to the main content area. It usually runs vertically on the left or right side of the page and contains widgets such as images, popular posts, search bars, or even advertisements. WordPress themes often offer at least one sidebar, and it’s usually on the right or left side of the homepage.

Why Remove Sidebar from WordPress?

There are various reasons why WordPress users would want to remove sidebars. One of the most common reasons is to create a cleaner, more modern layout for their website. Sidebars can easily clutter a website and distract users from the main content.

Another reason is that sidebars can have a negative impact on mobile devices, which account for roughly half of all internet traffic. When viewed on a small screen, having a sidebar can make it challenging to see the main content, making it difficult for users to navigate and interact with the site.

Lastly, if you’re running a blog or an eCommerce site, removing the sidebar increases the amount of content that is visible generally, which is a plus for both user experience and SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Before You Remove Your Sidebar

Before you remove your sidebar, it’s essential to consider how this change will affect your site. If you remove the sidebar, you may lose the ability to display some essential widgets such as search bars, recent posts or updates, and social media icons. You will also need to consider how this change might affect your website’s overall design, navigation structure, and user experience.

How to Remove the Sidebar from Your WordPress Website

There are several ways to remove the sidebar from your WordPress website. Let’s consider the two most popular approaches: using CSS code or changing your website’s theme.

Removing Sidebar Using CSS Code

This method requires that you add Custom CSS to your WordPress theme editor. However, before you follow the steps below, it’s essential to create an FTP or the File Transfer Protocol backup for your website.

Step 1: Access Your WordPress Backend

Log in to your WordPress backend and go to the Appearance section.

Step 2: Click on the Customize Option

Click on the Customize option. This will open a new window with the theme customization settings.

Step 3: Click on the Additional CSS Option

Click on the Additional CSS option located at the bottom of the customization menu. This will open the Custom CSS editor text box.

Step 4: Add the CSS Code

Add the CSS command to remove the sidebar:

.sidebar {display: none;}
.content {width: 100%;}

Step 5: Save and Publish Changes

Click on the Save and Publish Changes button to effect the changes.

Changing Your Website’s Theme

If you’d instead remove the sidebar by changing your WordPress theme, then the steps below should help.

Step 1: Install and Activate a Full-Width Theme

Install and activate a full-width WordPress theme that doesn’t have a sidebar, preferably a theme designed for blogs or eCommerce sites. Here are five excellent full-width themes to consider:

1. Divi by Elegant Themes – this is a dynamic, multipurpose theme with a full-width layout.
2. Hestia by Themeisle – it’s a clean, modern, and responsive free theme ideal for startups, small businesses, and niche platforms.
3. Astra – this theme was designed with speed and customization in mind.
4. Schema – it’s a fast-loading SEO-friendly theme primarily designed for bloggers, news publishers and magazine sites.
5. OceanWP – this highly customizable theme is renowned for its impressive page load speeds.

Step 2: Select Full-Width Page Templates

Most full-width themes in WordPress support full-width pages. To remove the sidebar, create a new page and select the “full-width” page template.

Step 3: Assign the Full-Width Page as Your Homepage

Go to the WordPress reading settings and choose the page you created in step 2 as your Homepage.

Step 4: Review and Publish Changes

Review your homepage and any other pages on your site to ensure they display correctly. Once you’re satisfied, publish the changes.

Final Thoughts

Removing sidebars from WordPress is an effective way of giving your site a clean, minimalist, and modern look. You can remove sidebars by using CSS code or changing your WordPress theme.

Before implementing any changes, be sure to consider how they will impact your website’s overall design, navigation structure, and user experience. Choose a method that you feel most comfortable with and that would give your website the best appearance.