How to Use Widgets In Your WordPress Pages

November 10th, 2008 | Author: Jim Hutchinson

Widgets are generally meant for use in the sidebars, but what if you want to show an Amazon Store, eBay listings, or other content from another website, right in your page or article? WordPress does not allow inline frames and getting JavaScript to work requires another plugin. There is a way around this minor setback that requires little more than installing a plugin and setting up your options.

What I am about to show you may be a surprise to even seasoned bloggers. The trick is to install the AdSense-Deluxe plugin, if you do not have it already. You do not have to run AdSense or Yahoo! Publisher Network ads in your blog to use this wonderful plugin.

First, go download, install and activate the AdSense-Deluxe plugin from acmetech.com

When the plugin is activated you will see a menu item under Settings in your WordPress control panel. Click that and you will see a page with options to create and edit code blocks. Either click Add New or just scroll down the page. The first box is a name for your new ad block. Make it descriptive, but short with no spaces. This is the name you will call the ad block with later on.

In the AdSense Code box, get your Amazon, eBay, list of banners, or just about anything else you want and put it into the box. Remember though, the PHP code will not work unless you have the plugin for executing PHP installed along with this, such as Exec-PHP.

The next box is Description (optional). That is for your reference only. It can and should be used if you used a short name in the first step. When you are done, click the Add AdSense Block button. When the page reloads you will see your new ad block in the list. Remember to copy the code that it shows you on the left side.

That code will look like this: <!–adsense#sidebar–> The first part, adsense# calls the AdSense Deluxe plugin. What comes after that is the name of your ad block that you want to display.

Now go into the Manage section and either edit an existing page, or create a new one. Type an introduction to the page. You can do that in the Visual or HTML mode, but you must be in HTML mode for the next step.

Hopefully you still have the AdSense Deluxe code you created. If so, then paste it into the HTML box you are currently editing and click the Save button on the right. When the page reloads, click the Preview this Post button on the right. A new window will open with your temporary page so you can see how it will look.

Switch back to the other tab where your editing screen is and finish setting up the page with your additional options. When you are done, click Publish and your new page with the code you entered into the AdSense Deluxe box will now be visible to the public. Go ahead and view your blog to see what others see. You can always come back and edit it later.

To see a sample Amazon Store inside a WordPress blog, visit the Blogging Books section of Affiliate Referral Sources.

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Jim Hutchinson
Author of How to Get Free or Low -Cost Website Traffic

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