Related Posts Slider Plugin Review for WordPress Blogs
Recently, you may have noticed that the look of my related posts section has changed a little. A lot of my friends even inquired about what effect I have used to make my related posts section look like that. To disclose the secret, I would say that it is not anything that I customized or coded; it is just a newly released plugin that I have been using. The name of the plugin is Related Posts Slider.
The Related Posts Slider plugin is a great plugin by the guys down at Internet Techies, which enables you to add a slide box with a list of related posts at the end of your posts. This plugin attaches a wonderful and eye-catching jQuery slider to the end of your posts, which will certainly attract the eyes of your visitors, cause more page views, and reduce your blog’s bounce rate. Also, showing related posts under your posts helps you increase keyword strength.
Note: Improving internal linking through related posts can positively impact user engagement and SEO performance.
How the Related Posts Slider Plugin Works
While many of us have been using thumbnail-based related posts displays in our posts, which allow only a limited number of posts to be displayed, this Related Posts Slider plugin takes it to the next level by allowing you an infinite number of related content items.
The slider is a lightweight jQuery implementation of the related post functionality. It has a ready shortcode and widget as well to insert the slider.
Case Study
A blogger replaced a static related posts section with the Related Posts Slider plugin and noticed readers clicking through multiple posts instead of leaving after the first page, resulting in a noticeable decrease in bounce rate.
Related Posts Slider Plugin Features and Options
Related Posts Slider Plugin
Some of the features of the Related Posts Slider plugin are:
Showcase related posts in slider format, either in news style or in horizontal carousel format
Arrow navigation to see more related posts, so add as many related posts as you want
Complete CSS customization from the settings panel
Two pre-styled CSS options provided with the plugin, one for dark-colored themes and the other for lighter themes
You can also create your own style suitable for your site in no time and use it within the plugin using a simple option
SEO benefits of showing more related posts on the post content page
Compatible with YARPP plugin and WordPress Related Posts plugin
Widget option available for Related Posts Slider
Shortcode option to insert Related Posts Slider in between the content of a post
Translation ready
Note: The flexibility of styling options makes this plugin suitable for blogs with both minimal and highly customized themes.
Case Study
A content-heavy blog used the shortcode option to insert the related posts slider in the middle of long articles, which helped retain reader attention and encouraged deeper content exploration.
My Verdict on the Related Posts Slider Plugin
Although this is a great plugin to add more eye candy to your posts in the form of a related posts slider, the main drawback of this plugin is that it does not fetch related posts automatically. You need either Yet Another Related Posts Plugin or WordPress Related Posts Plugin to be installed beforehand for the related content to be fetched.
The problem with having an extra plugin is the server load that it may increase. As you know, having more plugins may increase server resource usage. I hope the plugin authors will take care of this in their next update. Nevertheless, it is a great plugin, and its benefits just dilute the negligible drawback this plugin has.
Conclusion
The Related Posts Slider plugin is an effective way to enhance user engagement, improve internal linking, and make your blog visually appealing. Despite the minor drawback of requiring an additional plugin for fetching related posts, its features and customization options make it a valuable addition for WordPress bloggers looking to boost page views and reduce bounce rates.
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