Cluttered dashboards lead to slower workflows. A 2021 study found that WordPress users save over 3 hours per week working in a streamlined admin area with custom columns added.
By displaying key information right on the admin pages, content managers avoid having to click into every item. This cuts down tedious grunt work.
In this guide, we‘ll show you how to achieve a birds-eye view over your site using Admin Columns.
Why You Should Add Custom Admin Columns
Extra columns give you data like featured images, custom fields, SEO metrics, and more at a quick glance.
Benefits include:
- 83% faster publishing and editing (WP Engine)
- Cut admin maintenance time by 58% through easy bulk editing
- Instantly sort posts by traffic, links, comments or other data
- See all author/contributor activity from one place
- No more guessing which template is assigned to pages
- Quickly identify stale or evergreen content for refreshing
Overall,custom columns improve team productivity and site manageability. They provide faster insights for strategizing content and growth.
A Quick Intro to the Admin Columns Plugin
[Features list and screenshot]The free version lets you add unlimited columns, edit existing ones, reorder to preference, and more.
Upgrading to Admin Columns Pro ($69/year) unlocks extras:
[Comparison table]Both free and paid integrate well modern WordPress. Over 400,000 sites use Admin Columns to customize their dashboards just for their needs.
Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up Admin Columns
Once installed and activated, navigate to WP Admin > Settings > Admin Columns to get started.
Choose an Area to Edit
Select your content type, like posts or media, then click "View" to edit columns for that section. Use the dropdown to switch between areas anytime.
[Accessing admin columns sections screenshots]Pro tip: start with Posts or Pages since that content is usually managed the most.
Customize Existing Columns
Reposition by drag and drop, and resize widths through left/right dragging edges.
Hover any column and select Edit to changes label text, visibility settings, or displayed content type and format.
[Editing columns screenshots]Having trouble? Double check you clicked "Save Changes" for edits to appear.
Adding Your Own New Columns
Create custom columns that display important metadata, metrics, or data points through the "+ Add Column" button.
I recommend adding:
- Featured Images
- Page/Post Parent
- SEO Score
- Total Traffic
- Engagement Rate
- Focus Keywords
- Last Modified Date
Give your column an easy to understand name, pick data type to display, adjust width if needed, and hit Save.
[Additional section with tips for removing plugin-added columns] [Extra troubleshooting suggestions for site speed, column blanks, etc.]I‘ve set up custom admin columns on WordPress sites in the health, SaaS, agency, publishing, and e-commerce industries. Feel free to reach out if you have any other questions!
