In web design terminology, the term Slider is used for a slideshow added into a web page. There are many WordPress slider plugins available which allow you to create your own sliders and add them to your home page, landing pages, posts, or any where you want.
Sliders can be used on all kind of websites however they’re most commonly used on business websites or professional portfolio websites. One clear advantage of using a slider is that website owners can place all their important content in a visually appealing and interactive slideshow at the top of the page before their main content. This allows users to quickly see the highlights and take action.
Sliders can run slideshows automatically without user input by moving slides on pre-defined time interval. Sliders can also respond to user interaction like click or swipe to view next or previous slides. Additionally, sliders can also have buttons or thumbnails which users can click to view a particular slide in the slider.
When using slider on a WordPress site, there are a number of things that a user should consider.
First of all, sliders usually load images and the content in the slides, this may slow down your site a bit. Also slider plugins use JavaScript, particularly jQuery which are loaded separately as scripts. This also leaves an impact on the page load speed.
Another issue when using a slider in WordPress is mobile readiness. If your WordPress site is using a responsive theme, then using a non-responsive slider will break site’s layout on different devices and screensizes. Some slider plugins, like Soliloquy try to minimize these disadvantages by optimizing slider load speed and using responsive design for the slider.
A responsive slider plugin is capable of adjusting the slider container and the contents (like images, videos, text) to fit in any screen size or device it is viewed on.
This post was originally published in the wpbeginner glossary.
