A Guide to Removing Sidebars on WordPress Pages

As a website owner, you may face a scenario where you want to eliminate sidebars from your WordPress pages. While sidebars are excellent spaces where you can showcase additional content alongside the main material, in some instances, they may become superfluous, making your pages cluttered and diverting your visitors from the main message. The good news is that there are various ways to remove a sidebar in WordPress without coding or using a plugin.

The Difference Between a Sidebar and Widget

Before delving into the methods of eliminating a sidebar on WordPress, it’s vital to understand the difference between a sidebar and a widget. A sidebar refers to a container that can hold widgets. These are pre-built functional components that you can add to a sidebar or any other widget-ready area of your website. Examples of widgets include menus, search bars, recent posts, and social media icons.

Method 1: Using a Page Template

To remove a sidebar in WordPress, one approach is to use a page template without a sidebar. A page template defines the layout and function of a particular page. By default, some WordPress themes have several page templates, including those with and without sidebars. However, if your theme doesn’t have a page template without a sidebar, you can create one. Here is how to go about it:

1. Copy the default page template in your theme folder.
2. Rename the copied file and create a new page template without a sidebar.
3. Edit the copied file by removing the code that displays the sidebar.
4. Finally, apply the new page template without a sidebar to remove the sidebar from a WordPress page.

Method 2: Using Page Builder

You can also remove a sidebar on WordPress by leveraging a page builder such as Elementor, Beaver Builder, or Divi. A page builder is a useful plugin that permits you to build and customize layouts visually without writing code. Here is a guideline on how to get rid of a sidebar using a page builder:

1. Choose a page builder plugin and install it on your WordPress site.
2. Create or edit a page using the page builder interface.
3. Remove the sidebar widget or element from the page builder interface.
4. Preview and publish the new layout.

Method 3: Using Custom CSS

If you’re comfortable with adding custom code to your WordPress site, you can approach the elimination of a sidebar using Custom CSS. Custom CSS is a style language that web designers use to specify the look and layout of HTML elements. Here is what you need to do:

1. Locate the sidebar ID or class using your browser’s developer tools
2. Add Custom CSS to hide the sidebar from the page
3. Save changes and preview your page to ensure the sidebar has been removed

Conclusion

Removing a sidebar from your WordPress pages can improve your website’s overall appearance and eliminate distractions from your message. However, before deciding on a method, you should evaluate your skills and preferences to choose what best suits you. Remember, any changes you make to your website may affect its design and functionality, and so it’s critical that you test adequately before publishing. If you face any difficulties or require additional assistance, consider reaching out to a WordPress developer or support forum.