Add a widget to the search results sidebar

The search results page has its own widget area, called Search Results. Anything you put in it appears beside the results on every search. It is a good place for a campaign panel, a link to the A to Z or the staff directory, or a “can’t find it?” feedback link. When the area is empty, the results simply run the full width of the page.

Where the Search Results widget area appears

On a desktop or laptop screen the results take the left two thirds of the page and the widgets sit in the right third, level with the top of the results list. On a phone the widgets move below the results, so keep them short: someone on a phone has to scroll past every result before they see them.

The widgets are shown on every page of results, including the “no results” page, so a widget that helps people who have not found what they wanted, such as a link to the A to Z or a feedback form, earns its place.

Add a widget to the Search Results area

  1. Go to Appearance, then Widgets. You need to be an administrator.
  2. Find Search Results in the list of widget areas on the right and open it.
  3. Drag a widget from the list of available widgets into the area, or select the widget, choose Search Results from its list of areas and select Add widget.
  4. Fill in the widget’s settings and select Save.

Run a search on the intranet to see the result. Widgets appear in the order they are listed in the area; drag them to reorder.

Widgets that suit the search results page

  • (Govintra) Intraverts: a promotional panel with an image, some text and a button, aimed at the people you choose. This is the theme’s way of showing a campaign on the search page, and it replaces the third-party Spots widget that older versions of this help page suggested. See Place intravert widgets.
  • (Govintra) A to Z: a bar of letters linking to the A to Z index, for people who would rather browse than search. It needs the (Govintra) A to Z widget plugin. See (Govintra) A to Z.
  • (Govintra) How Do I: a list of your most useful tasks and guides. See (Govintra) How do I widget.
  • (Govintra) Feedback: a link to a feedback form, so people can tell you when search let them down.
  • Navigation Menu or Custom HTML (standard WordPress widgets): a short list of links, for example to the staff directory, the document finder and the A to Z.

The full list of theme widgets is in Available widgets. Avoid long lists such as news or events here: they push a phone user’s screen down and compete with the results.

Upgrading from the govintranet theme

If the intranet has been upgraded from the old govintranet theme, widgets that were in its “Search results” area (serp-widget-area) are moved into the new Search Results area automatically when the Govintra theme is activated. Check them once in Appearance, then Widgets, because third-party widgets that no longer exist are dropped.

Related