Dynamic Sidebars Are Not a “Trend”

Lately, I have noticed that more people in this little community of personal websites¹ have taken advantage of what is known as the dynamic sidebar. In short, a dynamic sidebar is the opposite of a static sidebar: the content within it changes from page to page, instead of staying the same throughout the entire website. Usually, webmasters make it so that the information on the sidebar is pertinent to the main content of its corresponding page or, at the very least, useful for the visitor. I find this to be an efficient use of space and, when done effectively, a great way to make a website more user-friendly.

Because dynamic sidebars seem to have become more popular among personal websites, some have dubbed them a “trend” – but is this really the case? Are dynamic sidebars just a useless fad², or do they serve some kind of purpose beyond being “cool”? Well, let’s see:

• They can help visitors navigate more easily as they get deeper into your website. Have you got lots of subpages? Visitors don’t have to search for them if you link them in the sidebar of their parent pages!
• They can unclutter³ your existing sidebar. Instead of putting everything in it all the time, only relevant stuff remains where it’s needed.
• They can unclutter your main content sections. Instead of having in-page navigation to list your subpages, you can stick them on the sidebar instead.
• They can be a lot more professional. If you’ve ever browsed on a commercial website⁴, you’ve probably noticed that the sidebar changes to help you find what you need.

I don’t know about you, but all that sounds very practical to me. Like other good ideas that were once obscure but are now popular among small websites, I feel that the dynamic sidebar may one day join the rankings of coding validation, centering layouts, and having readable text. As preposterous as it might seem, those three examples used to be unpopular or even unheard of among personal websites. Most of us don’t refer to those as trends, but instead we just call them good web design practices.

“But what’s wrong with my static sidebar? I like it!”

There doesn’t necessarily have to be anything wrong with it. If you have information in it that is useful and helps visitors find what they’re looking for, then great. However, if your sidebar is filled with nonsense that is rarely pertinent, then you’re probably using that space ineffectively. Visitors don’t need to read your welcome message over and over again or know your last twenty Twitter updates when they’re trying to browse through your site. These things would be perfectly cool on your homepage, but they are not exactly helpful once a visitor delves into your content. Unless the information is always relevant, just don’t put it there, or start making use of a dynamic sidebar.

1. Basically, the websites you come into contact with through your website and your friends’ sites: blogs, graphic sites, portfolios, whatever! [↩]
2. Like sticky caps or gazillions of splat brushes in a header, for instance. [↩]
3. v. To reduce clutter. Apparently, it’s not a real word. [↩]
4. See Amazon, Apple, Barnes & Noble, or Walmart – to list just a few. [↩]