The navigation system of a website is a vital part of the user experience with a good one providing the necessary guidance to a guest by giving easy access to all the functionalities. The most popular way is to place the menu horizontally which frees the whole space below it for content placement but gradually, a large number of websites are shifting to sidebar navigation which breaks the monotony while helping in the convenient modification of the menu without affecting the overall design. A few stylish WordPress themes with sidebar menus are listed here that can be used to craft stylish websites.
#1. WP Longshore
A robust and fully responsive design ideal for owners targeting smartphone using audiences, this neatly structured theme has been fashioned using HTML5 and CSS3. Mostly used for portfolio and blogs, artists like graphic designers and photographers can personalize their website with a complete focus on the showcased artwork. Fitted with 11 custom widgets providing conveniences like a carousel for portfolio display, contact and blog author information and social accounts integration, it has more than 400 Google fonts, about 50 options for backgrounds and an inexhaustible list of skins and patterns. The theme helps in facilitating the creation of a retina ready utility with multiple language compatibility, that will help in expanding the reach of the business. A verified user will benefit from the detailed documentation and a lifetime supply of free updates of this premium product apart from access to an efficient support system.
#2. Cobalt
Crafted keeping in mind the concepts of minimalism, this simple theme can be employed for the purpose of building completely responsive and retina ready websites. Architects and other creative professionals can benefit from six layout options which can be used for presenting their body of work in an attractive manner. The Visual Composer page builder with the convenient drag and drop feature and the Slider Revolution plugin are another neat add-ons in this package which aid in the development of the project. Based on HTML5 and CSS3 with neatly layered PSD files bundled in for free, customization of the theme is uncomplicated and trouble-free. Compatibility with WPML and SEO By Yoast Breadcrumbs plugins allow the creation of websites with multilingual versions and full optimization features respectively. Complete documentation of the theme including video guide files is available for users online.
#3. Bedford
Another paid product which is based on a dynamic grid layout system, websites that are multiple devices compatible and possess remarkable image clarity can be built using it. The demo content provided can be used as the default structure on which the final product can be developed. Extremely beneficial for most users including freelancers and startups, this simple to set up theme is endowed with a page builder featuring the handy drag and drop function and neatly formatted template files. Offering a versatile option for the presentation of the content in the form of three additional post types, it is also translation ready with bundled-in POT files. A buyer of this well-documented item is assured of support for six months which includes assistance for all issues including those related to third-party assets. The comforts provided by themes like this prompts a lot of website owners to convert from PSD to WordPress or migrate from other similar formats to the framework.
#4. NYKA
One of the most attractive and stylish WordPress themes with sidebar menus, NYKA comes with numerous pre-configured pages which open up limitless avenues for optimization. The dynamic admin panel gives control over every aspect of the design and can be used to carry out alterations to features like layout, color and typography. The user can very easily install it by watching the video of the theme installation guide provided with it and can also import the included demo content by getting assistance from another video given for the purpose. Two layouts and homepage styles along with three options each for portfolio and blog display in addition to over 500 Google fonts with live preview facility make it an appealing choice for people. Free access to updates and a support forum besides extensive documentation are guaranteed to users downloading the service.
#5. Kose
This full-screen theme comes fitted with the Visual Composer plugin that speeds up the process of page creation. Multilingual websites which can be deployed on all devices are easily built using this service which lets the designer use the style customizer with live preview for convenient development. The Gravity Forms plugin compatibility will help professionals looking to add forms with personalized fields while the website will be translation ready with the supplied PO file. Typography options are provided in the form of complete access to Google fonts and once the buyer pays the required fees, six months of support and future updates are guaranteed. Installation is also effortless with a step by step guide provided in the tutorials included in the documentation.
Conclusion
The importance of visual content in enhancing the user experience cannot be discounted and these stylish WordPress themes with sidebar menus provide an aesthetically appealing alternative without hampering the typography or other functionalities of the website.
