If you’re a website owner or blogger who wants to improve your website’s user experience, adding a scroll reading progress bar to your WordPress site can be a great idea. A scroll reading progress bar is a visual indicator that shows how far a user has scrolled down a web page, helping them keep track of their progress and giving them an idea of how much content they still have to read. In this article, we’ll show you how to add a scroll reading progress bar to your WordPress website.

What is a Scroll Reading Progress Bar?

Before we dive into the details of how to add a scroll reading progress bar to your WordPress site, let’s first define what it is. A scroll reading progress bar is a graphical representation of how far a user has scrolled down a web page. It’s usually located at the top or bottom of the page, and it shows the percentage of the page that has been read.

Why Should You Use a Scroll Reading Progress Bar?

There are several reasons why you might want to add a scroll reading progress bar to your WordPress site. First, it helps users keep track of their progress while reading your content. This is especially important for long-form content, where users may lose track of how much they’ve read and how much they still have left to read.

Second, a scroll reading progress bar can make your website look more professional and modern. It’s a small feature that can have a big impact on your website’s overall design.

Finally, a scroll reading progress bar can improve user engagement and encourage users to spend more time on your website. By showing users how much content they still have left to read, they’re more likely to continue reading and exploring your site.

How to Add a Scroll Reading Progress Bar in WordPress

Now that we’ve discussed the benefits of adding a scroll reading progress bar to your WordPress site, let’s take a look at how to do it. There are several ways to add a scroll reading progress bar to your WordPress site, but we’ll focus on two of the most popular methods: using a plugin and adding code to your site manually.

Method 1: Use a Plugin

The easiest way to add a scroll reading progress bar to your WordPress site is by using a plugin. There are several plugins available that can add this feature to your site, but we recommend using the “Reading Position Indicator” plugin.

To use this plugin, follow these steps:

  1. Go to your WordPress dashboard and click on “Plugins” > “Add New”.
  2. Search for “Reading Position Indicator” and install the plugin.
  3. Once the plugin is installed, click on “Activate” to enable it.
  4. Go to “Settings” > “Reading Position Indicator” to configure the plugin.
  5. Choose the position of the progress bar (top or bottom of the page), and customize the appearance and colors of the progress bar to match your site’s design.
  6. Save your changes and you’re done!

Method 2: Add Code Manually

If you prefer to add the scroll reading progress bar to your WordPress site manually, you can do so by adding code to your site’s functions.php file. Here’s how:

  1. Go to your WordPress dashboard and click on “Appearance” > “Theme Editor”.
  2. Click on “functions.php” to edit the file.
  3. Copy and paste the following code at the end of the file:

function add_scroll_progress_bar() {
echo ‘<div id=”scroll-progress-container”><div id=”scroll-progress”></div></div>’;
}
add_action( ‘wp_footer’, ‘add_scroll_progress_bar’ );

     4. Save your changes and exit the editor.
     5. Go to your WordPress site and refresh the page to see the progress bar in action.

Customizing Your Scroll Reading Progress Bar

Now that you’ve added a scroll reading progress bar to your WordPress site, you may want to customize its appearance to match your site’s design. Here are a few ways to do that:

Method 1: Use a Plugin

If you used a plugin to add the progress bar, most plugins allow you to customize its appearance from the plugin settings page. Simply go to the plugin settings page and look for the options to customize the progress bar’s appearance.

Method 2: Use CSS

If you added the progress bar using code, you can use CSS to customize its appearance. Here’s an example CSS code that you can use to change the color of the progress bar:

#scroll-progress {
height: 3px;
background-color: #007bff;
}

You can change the color code (#007bff) to match your site’s color scheme.

Bottom line

Adding a scroll reading progress bar to your WordPress site can improve user experience, make your site look more professional, and encourage users to spend more time on your site. Whether you choose to use a plugin or add code manually, it’s a simple and effective way to enhance your website’s design and usability.

FAQs

  1. Do I need any coding experience to add a scroll reading progress bar to my WordPress site? No, you don’t need any coding experience to add a scroll reading progress bar to your WordPress site. You can use a plugin to add this feature without any coding.

  2. Can I customize the appearance of the progress bar? Yes, you can customize the appearance of the progress bar using CSS or the settings of the plugin you’re using.

  3. Will adding a scroll reading progress bar slow down my website? No, adding a scroll reading progress bar shouldn’t significantly impact your website’s loading speed or performance.

  4. Are there any free plugins that I can use to add a scroll reading progress bar to my site? Yes, there are several free plugins available in the WordPress plugin repository that you can use to add a scroll reading progress bar to your site.

  5. Is adding a scroll reading progress bar necessary for my site? While adding a scroll reading progress bar isn’t necessary for all websites, it can improve user experience and engagement on your site, especially for long-form content.

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