Need an image in your sidebar? Grab the Image Widget plugin!

Not that keen on coding, but need to add an image to your WordPress sidebar? The image widget plugin was made for you.

By default, the best you can do with a standard WordPress installation is add a text widget to your sidebar and throw in the code to insert the image. This means using the media library to upload your image, copying the URL, adding a new text widget, and pasting the URL in for the src attribute like this:

That’s a bit of a hassle! Then if you want to add a title or caption, you’ve got to insert more code to make that happen. Why can’t this be easier? Turns out, it is! Just install the image widget plugin, upload you’re image and enter in your settings of choice. Problem solved. Here’s how:

1. Login to your WordPress admin panel and head over to Plugins > Add New
2. Search for “Image Widget” and choose Install Now under the Image Widget plugin (normally the first result)
3. When it’s done installing, choose “Activate Plugin”
4. Now that the plugin is installed and activated, it will show up in the available widgets section. Head over to Appearance > Widgets.
5. Drag the Image Widget from the left side to your Sidebar of choice on the right.
6. Give it a title, add your image, write a caption, specify alignment, choose Save and you’re all set!

Even if you’re a web developer coding a site for a client, this is the best way to add an image to your sidebar. This way your client has the ability to log in and change up the image easily at any time. You an still adjust the CSS around that one widget by targeting its widget specific class.