How To Create A WordPress Menu

If you are building a website, at some point or another, you’re going to have to add a Create a WordPress Menu to help your visitors easily navigate your website. Lucky for you, I’m more than happy to guide you through the process.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to add a menu to your WordPress website and how to make a link open in a new tab so that visitors don’t accidentally lose your site. If you’re more of a visual learner, you can skip the step by step instructions and check out the video at the end!

Step 1: Log in to your WordPress Dashboard

1. Open your web browser and navigate to your WordPress website’s admin area. This is usually located at http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin/.
2. Enter your username and password to log in.

Step 2: Access the Menu Editor

1. Once logged in, you’ll be in the WordPress Dashboard.

2. From the left-hand menu, hover over “Appearance,” and then click on “Menus.”

Step 3: Create a WordPress Menu

1. To start, click on “create a new menu”.
2. In the “Edit Menus” tab, you’ll see a section labeled “Menu Name.” Enter a name for your menu that describes where you are going to put it (e.g., “Main Menu”, “Side Bar Menu”, “Footer Services Menu”) and click the “Create Menu” button. 

Step 4: Add Menu Items To Your WordPress Menu

1. After creating the menu, you can start adding menu items.
2. On the left side, you’ll see various sections like “Pages,” “Posts,” “Custom Links,” etc.
3. To add a page, post, landing page or category to the menu, check the box next to the desired item and click the “Add to Menu” button.
4. To add a custom link (e.g., external websites), click on the “Custom Links” section, enter the URL and link text, and then click “Add to Menu.”

Step 5: Organize Menu Items

1. Drag and drop the menu items to arrange them in the desired order.

2. You can create sub-menus (dropdown menus) by dragging a menu item slightly to the right under another menu item. This will create a hierarchical structure. Side note: In our experience, sub-menus work great on top navigation, but they don’t always work on side bars and in the footer area. 

Step 6: Configure Your Menu Settings

1. To make a link open in a new tab, select “Screen Options” in the top right corner of the page, and make sure “Link Target” is selected.
2. Then click on the menu item to expand its options.
   
3. You should see an option called “Open link in a new tab.” Check this option to make the link open in a new tab.

Step 7: Click Save

Now your menu is ready to be embedded or used on your website. Note: How you add it to your site will vary based on your WordPress theme and any plugins you have installed. 

That’s it! You’ve successfully added a menu in WordPress and made a link open in a new tab! 

Here’s a video on how to create a WordPress menu, in case you are more of a visual learner. Have a great day!

Video on How to Create A WordPress Menu