Why Your WordPress Site Needs a Sticky Widget Plugin

At the SHE Media Partner Network, we’re all about finding ways to increase our publisher’s RPM. Some of our favorite tried and true strategies involve making adjustments to your page layout or your font size. But the one we’re sharing today is specific to one single ad unit on your site. So let’s get to it!

If you utilize ads on your website, one way to improve an ad unit’s viewability is to make sure it remains on the screen. (If you’re unsure what “viewability” is, here’s a beginner’s guide you’ll want to bookmark.) For WordPress users who routinely have posts that are longer than their sidebars, a popular strategy involves placing an ad in the final widget of the sidebar and then preventing that widget – sometimes called a fixed or “sticky” widget – from scrolling off the page as the reader scrolls down. This keeps the ad on the page longer, improving its viewability while keeping the ad in the sidebar where it won’t disrupt user experience.

Here’s how to add this feature to your sidebar:

1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins – Add New.

2. Search for “Q2W3 Fixed Widget” and then install and activate the plugin.

3. Go to Appearance – Widgets and make sure you have an ad tag installed (for SHE Media Partners, this can be found in your dashboard, under Settings and Ads >> Your Ad Code) in a Text widget in the last spot in your sidebar.

4. Open the last widget with the ad tag in it, and check the “Fixed widget” checkbox. Save your changes.

5. If you have a caching plugin, clear your cache. When you view your site now, the final ad widget should remain on the screen as you scroll down beyond the end of the sidebar.

If you need to make changes to how the fixed widget appears on the screen, you can do so in the Appearance – Fixed Widget Options screen.

For example, if you have a subscription bar that remains at the top of the screen as readers scroll down, you might increase the “Margin Top” so the widget stops before it reaches the top of the screen. Or if the widget covers your footer content when scrolling down, you can set a “Margin Bottom” or identify a “Stop ID” by entering an HTML tag ID for your footer.

Of course, taking full advantage of ads (which lead to profit) can be a daunting task if you don’t have the time or resources to elevate your skills. If this sounds like you, the SHE Media Partner Network helps manage the heavy lifting so you can focus on creating the product or content of your dreams.

The SHE Media Partner Network helps content creators and entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses with dedicated support for managing ads, brand partnerships, and more. Apply now to join our mission-driven platform.