I recently posted in The Admin Bar Community about completing a WordPress project in about three hours. While that pace did seem decent to me, I got a lot of response asking how I could complete a project that quickly.
This sparked an idea.
I’m all about being efficient. Completing any task in the smallest number of steps possible is always optimal in my view, and when you start doing that to many small tasks the time savings really ads up.
Today is the first lesson in WordPress Efficiency in what, will hopefully be, a series of lessons demonstrating the most efficient way to execute common tasks within WordPress.
Creating your menu pages
While WordPress does offer many ways to create your menu and your pages, I have found this method to be the quickest and easiest. Below you will find a video walkthru and the steps you need to take to create your primary menu navigation AND all the pages you need for your website.
This method creates both the menu and pages simultaneously in a simple process which I’ve broken down into 6 steps.
Before we begin
There are a couple notes before you begin the walkthrough.
First, before I even install WordPress for a client’s project, the client and I have discussed and agreed upon a sitemap for the site. This means before I get to this point I already have a list of all the pages I need.
Second, I’m using the Astra theme along with the Astra Pro addon. Note: This may behave differently in another tech stack.
You can get the Astra theme free from the WordPress repository. Use the link above to purchase the Astra Pro addon.
Video Walkthough
Step by step instructions
Step 1
Go to Appearance > Customizer > Menus
Step 2
Click the ‘Create New Menu’ button
Step 3
Give your new menu a name (I choose ‘Primary’ for my main navigation- helps to be consistent)
Under ‘Menu Locations’ set this menu as your ‘Primary Menu’
Click the ‘Next’ button
Step 4
Click the ‘Add Items’ button
In the ‘Pages’ dropdown, use the empty field to name & ‘Add’ each page from your sitemap (repeat the process for each page)
Step 5
Arrange your menu to display in the right order
Step 6
Press the ‘Publish’ button and exit the Customizer
Wrapping it up
By using this efficient method, you kill two birds with one stone. Your primary menu is created, and all the Pages have been added within your WordPress install.
Kyle Van Deusen
After spending 15 years as a graphic designer and earning a business degree, I launched my agency, OGAL Web Design, in 2017. A year later, after finding the amazing community around WordPress, I co-found The Admin Bar, which has grown to become the #1 community for WordPress professionals. I'm a husband and proud father of three, and a resident of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
