This guide covers how to manage and structure your WordPress main navigation elements, ensuring users can easily find content.
Please note that the “Appearance” name has been changed to Menus.
Menus and Navigation Training Video
Accessing the Menu Screen
Add and Remove Menu Items
Structure and Order Your Navigation
Please note that the Appearance navigation name has been changed to Menus.
The way you access the menu management area can vary slightly depending on your specific WordPress theme setup:
From the content edit screen
Click on the pencil icon on the menu. This will take you to the menu management modal.
From your dashboard go to Menus.
The left side of the Menu screen allows you to add content to your structure:
Select Content: On the left, you will see panels for:
Pages: The most common item for navigation. Search by title for quick selection if the content is not visible in the Most Recent tab.
Posts: You can link directly to individual blog posts.
Custom Links: Allows you to link to external sites or specific files (e.g., linking to SUNY Geneseo’s Home Page or an external policy PDF).
Categories: Links to the archive page for a specific category (e.g., showing all "News" posts).
Add Item: Check the box next to the items you want to include and click Add to Menu.
Remove Item: To remove an item, click the dropdown arrow on the item within the menu structure and select the Remove link.
The main menu area uses an intuitive drag-and-drop interface:
Reorder Items: Click and hold a menu item and drag it up or down to change its position in the list.
Create Nested Submenus (Dropdowns):
Drag a menu item underneath the item you want to be its parent.
Drag it slightly to the right until a dashed outline appears, indicating it is nested.
This creates a dropdown menu (a "submenu" or "child item") that will appear when a user hovers over the parent item.
Accessibility Note: Ensure dropdowns are accessible via keyboard navigation (tabbing).
Example:
Admissions (Parent Item)
➡️ Undergraduate (Nested Submenu)
➡️ Graduate (Nested Submenu)
➡️ Request Info (Nested Submenu)
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