Beginner’s Guide to Turn the WordPress Header into Slideshow

Do you know how to turn WordPress header into a slideshow? Many WordPress owners use the header for the slideshow to make their websites more attractive and to display their latest contents. In these slideshows, you can put all types of content like images, texts, and videos. But most websites use them for header images. It is also highly recommended to add a slideshow on the header of your website to increase interaction with the website visitors. But, before we go through how to turn WordPress header into a slideshow, let’s see why they are used.

Why Turn the WordPress Header into Slideshow?

People turn the WordPress header into a slideshow for various purposes. Slideshow makes the audience more engaged in your website. You can arrange your images according to a particular order using a slideshow. Moreover, people tend to get more information from visual representations than texts. Your website audience can view them as soon as they open your website in the header itself. Due to this, they will be able to get a good understanding of your website by just looking at the header and would want to stick around. So, turning your WordPress header into slideshow can be really beneficial for your website.

Now, let’s move on to the process to turn the WordPress header into Slideshow.

How to Turn the WordPress Header into Slideshow?

You can add the slideshow on your header in two ways depending on whether you want it as a slider or randomize it every time you refresh a webpage or revisit it the next time. The methods to turn WordPress header are:

• Using a slideshow plugin
• Customizing the Header from Customizer

Method 1: Using a Slideshow Plugin

Using a slideshow plugin is the most convenient method to turn the WordPress header into a slideshow. You can modify your slideshow however you want and place it wherever you want without the limitations of the WordPress theme. All you need to do is install a slideshow plugin. For this tutorial, I’ve used the Meta-Slider plugin as I found it easy to use. After you’ve installed and activated the plugin, go to the Meta Slider menu in the dashboard and click on New.

Now, click on Add Slide to add a new slide. You can select the images either from the media library or upload it. After you select the images you can also edit the captions for it. I’ve added one slide for demonstration. Here, you will also be provided with a variety of settings like types of sliders, its sizes, and other advanced settings. Make all the necessary changes as you desire. You can also Preview it if you want. Once you’re done, click on Save. 

There is also a How to Use section in the page where you add the new slide. The shortcode for your slideshow is attached here. Copy it or click on Copy all.

Then, go to Appearance>>Editor and find the header.php file in Theme Header. I’ve used the Cenote theme so the file names may vary in different WordPress themes. You can now paste the shortcode at the position where you want to place the slideshow in the header. Then, click on Update File once you’re done.

You’ll be able to see the slideshow once you visit the website. Your audience will also be able to change the images in the slideshow according to the order you’ve arranged.  

Method 2: Customizing Header from Customizer to add a slideshow

This is the most basic and easiest method to turn the WordPress header into a slideshow if you are new to WordPress. You will have a simple yet attractive website using this method. But this method might not be applicable for you if you want to customize your slideshow to a larger extent.

First, go to Appearance>>Customize from your WordPress dashboard. You’ll be directed to the WordPress Customizer.

Then, open the Header Image section in the sidebar. The interface may be different depending on the WordPress themes.

Here, you’ll be able to see the current header, recently uploaded header images, header media layout, text, button text and button URL options. Click on Add new image and select or upload the images you want in your header. Now, click on Randomize uploaded headers and make the necessary changes by scrolling down.

You’ll see your slideshow when you open your webpage. The images in the header change each time you revisit the page or refresh it.

You can also refer to the following article for more details on this method.

How to add Header Images to your WordPress?

In Conclusion:

Your header is the first thing the website visitors are gonna view. So, if your header is sparking enough, they will want to scroll down and explore your website. Most website owners use the plugins to turn the WordPress header into a slideshow. But, using the customizer for the header image is also not a bad approach. It does provide you with a simple design of header images which is also preferable by most people. Whichever method you choose, it all depends on how you want to display your header.

If you found this article helpful, why not check out the following articles which you might find interesting too.

• How to add a creative WordPress photo gallery
• Add WordPress background image
• How to add Instagram to WordPress