Thursday 13 August 2015

Creating Pages & Adding a Navigation Menu to a Blogger Blog

Today's post is one of a series of Blog Tips for those who are relatively new to blogging, using the Blogger platform.

Once you've set up your blog, you'll want to make it easy for readers to find old content and to easily find their way around. The easiest way to do this is to add a menu bar at the top of your blog. On Blogger blogs, each tab on the navigation menu links to a Page. Today I'll show you how to:
  • add Pages to your blog
  • display Pages as a menu under the header or as links in the sidebar

How to add a navigation menu and static pages on a Blogger blog. Make it easy for readers to find old content ~ Threading My Way

Blogger refers to the links just underneath the header, as Pages. Pages are static, don't have a date and they don't appear in your feed (like posts do) once published. Although Pages don't appear in your day to day feed, they can be seen when clicked on. 

So, let's get started...


The first thing to do is to create one or more Pages.

In your Blogger Dashboard, click on Post Links of the blog you are working on. It's the icon that looks like a piece of paper. In the screenshot above, you can see I have more than one blog, the first one being hidden.






Click on Pages.





Assuming this is the first Page you've created, you'll see the message... There are no pages. Create a new page. Click on Create a new page or the New page button as above.

Add content to your new page. When finished, click Save and Publish

Repeat to create more Pages.






Now that you have created at least one Page, it's time to make it visible to your readers.

Click on Layout.






Decide where you want to position the links to your Pages...
  • underneath the header (top arrow in the screenshot above)
  • in the sidebar (bottom arrow in the screenshot above)


Click Add a Gadget.






Scroll till you find Pages. Click Pages or the + button.




I have filled in the Title field, but as my Pages are under the Header, the title doesn't show. If your Pages will be in the sidebar, the title will show.

A Home Page will automatically be created. You will also see the new Page/s you have created. Tick the Pages you wish to display. I strongly suggest you leave the Home Page ticked, as it makes navigation of your blog easier for readers who wish to look around. And lets's face it, you want visitors to stick around.

Change the order of the Pages by dragging and dropping.

You can see in the screenshot above, that I have quite a few Pages, with several un-ticked. The ones that are greyed out are either old, or new ones I'm working on. The other un-ticked ones don't appear in the menu under the header, but can be accessed via other links.






Add a Gadget will now be replaced with the name of the Title.





You now have a way for readers to easily find old content. It also allows you to group your posts into categories, again allowing readers easy access.





If, at a later date, you wish to change the location of the links to your Pages, it's easy. Grab the grey box at the end of the widget and drag it to the new location. Save the new arrangement.




Adding a navigation menu and static pages on a Blogger blog. Make it easy for readers to find old content ~ Threading My Way

If you're unsure about the topics you might include on new Pages, have a look at the blogs you visit. Which links do you click? Chances are, others might like to see the same on your blog.

If you write tutorials, a Page linking to them would be a good place to start. Many people like to see the face behind the blog. An About page is where you can give an overview of your blog.

How you layout your tutorials, or any other Page, is a topic for another day. I create tables for most of mine. 

The following are all sewing or crafting blogs with a tutorials page. All have added their Tutorials page to the Sewing Tutorials Pages link party, here at Threading My Way. Have a look at their blogs for layout ideas. There's a lot more over at the Sewing Tutorials Pages link party...

Swoodson SaysMade by Toya
Vicky Myers CreationsRoonie Ranching
Me & My VeritasHopeful Threads
Simply Shoe BoxesSusie's Sunroom
Charm About YouWhat's Mummy Up To
Ella & Nesta's Little RoomSewing by Shirley
Happy in RedSiestas and Sewing
Once Upon a Sewing Machine               ChrisW Designs
PienkelSewing for Utange
Nero's Post and PatchSew Fresh Quilts

This is the latest post in the Blogging Tips series, here on Threading My Way. If you think others would benefit from reading this post, feel free to share.

... Pam

6 comments:

  1. Great post, Pam! This should be very helpful for those who wants to blog but do not know where to start. This kind of post takes time to write, so nice of you to offer tips!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Pam,
    a great post! I find it awesome that you included a list of blogs at the bottom of the post - nice and sooo useful! thx Damjana

    ReplyDelete
  3. This is just the kind of post I would have found very useful back a while, so I'm sure it will help others. And although I have other 'pages' and vaguely know what I'm doing with them now, I am pretty terrible at keeping them up to date, so this is giving my blogging conscience a nudge!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for sharing a valuable information. The shared post is very informative. Keep doing like these posts. Traffic Lawyer Madison VA

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm grateful you provide such great content. On your blog, there was some useful information. Keep on sharing.Abogados de Accidentes de Camiones Comerciales

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fatal Motorcycle Accident in Virginia Beach
    This tutorial on creating pages and adding a navigation menu to a Blogger blog is incredibly helpful for beginners. It is straightforward and easy to follow, providing clear step-by-step instructions. The screenshots in the tutorial provide visual clarity, making it more accessible for those new to blogging. The tutorial covers both the basics and advanced aspects of creating pages and menus on Blogger, making it a valuable resource for bloggers at all levels. It doesn't assume prior knowledge and starts from the ground up, making it perfect for beginners. The tips on organizing content using pages and the navigation menu improve the overall user experience of the blog. The troubleshooting section at the end of the tutorial addresses potential issues users might encounter. The author's writing style is clear and concise, making it easy to digest the information. This tutorial has saved time and frustration, making it a must-read for anyone looking to enhance their Blogger blog's navigation and layout.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by! I love reading your comments and try to reply to all of them via email. If you don't receive an email reply from me, check back here.