Do you wish to add custom pages to your WordPress website? If yes, then this article will perfectly guide you on this.
Custom pages are quite different from your actual website. They use different layouts and are custom designed. Site owners mostly use custom pages for their sales, landing pages and more.
You can also tweak their settings to make them look the same as your website’s look. WordPress helps in creating custom pages with its in-built features.
And therefore, we are going to show you some more methods to create custom pages in WordPress.
How to create a custom page in WordPress
- Method 1: Create a Custom Page in WordPress using Block Editor
- Method 2: Create a Custom Page in WordPress using a Plugin
- Method 3: Create a Custom Page Template Manually
Method 1: Create a Custom Page in WordPress using Block Editor
This method is valid only for block-based themes, making designing easy with familiar tools.
- So starting with the simple guide, we need to first create a page by tapping the Page option in the dashboard area. Click on the Add New option and then take you to a new page.
- On the right side of the page, choose the Page option next to the Template section. Most of the themes have this option already chosen.
- After clicking on the Page option, a popup will appear and click on the Add template icon.
- Again a popup will appear asking you to suggest a name for your template. Enter the name and tap on the Create button. This will immediately launch a template editor which will work as a standard block editor.
- You can now add blocks by clicking on the “+” icon on the top left corner of the page. It also uses the drag-and-drop feature to add blocks or elements. It also lets you add content to the blocks and easily format options using post-editing tools.
- Also, you can create a custom page using the Patterns block. These are a collection of various blocks that are utilised together for various design events. And the patterns may vary according to the theme chosen. So, you must figure out which patterns are available for your theme.
- You can use the drag-and-drop feature to add a block pattern to your layout simply. After applying all the changes, click on the Publish button and then on the Save Button to save changes.
- This way, you can apply this template to any page easily. You just need to open the page in the editor and then tap the Template option. A popup will appear and you have to select the template you created.
Method 2: Create a Custom Page in WordPress using a Page-Builder Plugin
This method is again an easier one as we are going to use the page builder plugin for this. This is for those who lack coding skills and can take advantage of plugins to create a custom page.
While WordPress supports a lot of amazing page builders plugins like Elementor and Beaver Builder. You may need to select one of the best ones for your custom page.
For this guide, we are using the Elementor page builder coming with a drag-and-drop feature for building web pages. You can also create and customize templates along with widgets that can be used anywhere on the site. It lets you use the pre-made template designs and customize them according to your standards.
For this tutorial, we are using the free version to create a custom web page. You will find extended features with the premium version.
- Get the Elementor plugin installed and activated on your website.
- Once activated, tap the Templates option in the WordPress dashboard and press the Add New tab.
- After this, you will be asked to select which type of template to choose from the dropdown list. Also, you will need to enter a suitable name for your template.
- Users with the free version can only choose from the Page, Section and the landing page. And to create custom templates, you will need to upgrade to the pro version.
- Once done, tap the Create Template button and you will reach the Elementor Editor.
- Here, you will be able to add elements using the drag-and-drop feature from the left side of the page.
- And before moving ahead, you can even change the page layout by clicking on the settings tab on the left side.
- You can easily choose any page layout from the dropdown list.
- Once done, you can now add elements to your page. Also, you can use the existing template as the base. Click on the folder icon to get the WordPress templates on your page. Here, you will find blocks and pages to add with a single click. After this, you can toggle the settings of the elements present on the page.
- Once done with all the addition of elements and blocks, tap the Publish button and choose Save as Template.
- Next, you will be asked to add a name for your template and it will be saved to your template library.
- Now that you have created and saved the template, you can now add it to any page.
- To do so, tap the Add New option in the Pages section under the dashboard. Then choose the Edit with Elementor button at the top.
- This will add a new page in the Elementor. Open the Template library by clicking on the folder icon. Simply, tap on the template you want to add and start customizing.
- If you have the pro version of the Elementor, you will get access to the theme builder. It lets you design custom elements, headers, single post templates, and more.
Method 3: Create a Custom Page Template Manually
The third method on our count is to create a custom page template using a manual process. This is quite similar to the page.php file as it lets you control the page appearance.
Like other methods, this method is not beginner-friendly as you have to use codes to create a custom page. Nor do you have to use a WordPress plugin for this.
- To start with first, you have to open the new Notepad document on your device. And on the first line, you have to write this code:
<?php /* Template Name: CustomPageT1 */ ?>
- This code will tell WordPress that this is a template file name “CustomPageT1”. You can change its name with a new name as well.
- Next, you have to add all the code for adding a custom page layout.
- But before coding the template file, you need to copy the existing custom page.php template from your theme. This will help you further in blending the custom page with the actual website’s appearance.
- The best way to copy the page.php code is you have to connect to your server using an FTP client. You can use FileZilla or you may go to the file manager of your WordPress hosting platform.
- After connecting, visit the /wp-content/themes/ and unlock the folder of your current theme. Next, you have to find the page.php file and open it with the text editor.
- The code in it can be used as a base file for your custom template or you can paste the code on a new template file.
- If you are pasting the code, then make sure you don’t copy the PHP.header text. As this part is commented out at the top part of the file.
- Moreover, you are free to create any desired layout, below type of code can be used for a simple custom page layout.
<?php /* Template Name: CustomPageT1 */ ?>
<?php get_header(); ?>
<div id="primary" class="content-area">
<main id="main" class="site-main" role="main">
<?php
// Start the loop.
while ( have_posts() ) : the_post();
// Include the page content template.
get_template_part( 'template-parts/content', 'page' );
// If comments are open or we have at least one comment, load up the comment template.
if ( comments_open() || get_comments_number() ) {
comments_template();
}
// End of the loop.
endwhile;
?>
</main><!-- .site-main -->
<?php get_sidebar( 'content-bottom' ); ?>
</div><!-- .content-area -->
<?php get_sidebar(); ?>
<?php get_footer(); ?>
- This file can be saved now and you can decide the name of the file on your own but it should end with the “.php” extension.
- You can even add the file to any WordPress theme. It is good if you have created a child theme with your current theme. This will easily update the theme without losing any customization.
- For this, you just need to upload the custom template to the current theme’s directory in the file manager.
- Once done, you can now create a new page from the WordPress dashboard. After creating a page, move your mouse to the right section of the page.
- Tap the “Page” tab and extend the dropdown list of the templates option. In the dropdown menu choose the template you created now.
- To customize the page, you can easily edit it normally and then Publish and Save the changes made.
Conclusion
So, this is how we have made it easier for you to create custom pages in WordPress. You can use any of the three methods to apply on creating custom pages on your website. So start building custom pages and make your website look attractive and interactive.
