How to Customize the Blog Sidebar in PrestaShop

The sidebar is an essential feature of your blog that helps visitors navigate content more efficiently. By customizing the sidebar, you can highlight important sections, improve user experience, and increase engagement. In this guide, we'll show you step-by-step instructions on how to customize the sidebar in the PrestaShop BLOG module.

Step-by-step guide

Step 1: Access the sidebar settings

From the BLOG module's sidebar menu, click on "Sidebar" to open the configuration page.

Step 2: Adjust general sidebar settings

Scroll down to the Configuration section to find the following customization options:

Sidebar position: Choose between displaying the sidebar on the left or right side of the blog pages.
Enable sidebar when collapsed: Toggle whether the sidebar remains visible when collapsed.
Expand the sidebar on mobile by default: Decide if the sidebar should automatically expand on mobile devices.
Sidebar title when collapsed: Enter the text displaying when the sidebar is collapsed.
Display post excerpts for related posts in post blocks: Enable this to show a snippet of the content of related posts.
How to display post blocks in the sidebar: Select a layout for post blocks, such as a carousel slider or grid view.
Display blog sidebar elements on blog pages only: Enable this option to limit the sidebar's visibility to blog-related pages.

Step 3: Manage sidebar blocks

In the Sidebar section, you'll see a list of sidebar blocks, each with a toggle to enable or disable it.

To customize a block, click the "Settings" button next to it. This will open a popup with options specific to that block.

Reorder the blocks by dragging and dropping them into your preferred sequence.

Step 4: Save your changes

Once you’ve configured the sidebar settings and organized the blocks, click Save to apply your changes.

Suggestions for sidebar blocks and display order

To maximize usability, consider the following sidebar blocks and their recommended display order:

Search in blog: Allow visitors to quickly find blog content.
Blog categories: Help users navigate specific topics.
Popular posts: Highlight your most-read articles.
Featured posts: Showcase selected articles for extra visibility.
Latest posts: Keep visitors updated with your newest content.
Blog tags: Enable quick filtering by tags.

You can adjust the order to suit your site's goals, but always keep usability and relevance in mind.

By effectively customizing the sidebar, you can enhance navigation, boost engagement, and provide a better experience for your blog readers.