How to Customise the Knowledge Base Sidebar and Help Box

SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base can display a sidebar alongside your homepage, category pages and articles.

The sidebar gives visitors another way to browse useful content and can also include a help box with a button linking to your contact or support page.

Open the sidebar settings

To change the sidebar:

1. Sign in to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Open Knowledge Base > Settings.
3. Select the relevant General, Articles or Design tab.
4. Change the sidebar wording, sections or colours.
5. Select Save Changes.
6. Open the knowledge base to check the result.

Some sidebar settings may appear in different tabs depending on what part of the knowledge base they control.

Change the sidebar title

The sidebar title appears above the article links or support content.

Examples include:

• Helpful Articles
• Browse the Knowledge Base
• Popular Guides
• Need More Help?
• Documentation
• Support Resources

Keep the title short and clear.

A visitor should understand what the sidebar contains without needing to read the links first.

Change the sidebar subtitle

The subtitle appears underneath the main sidebar title.

It can give visitors a little more information about the content below.

For example:

Browse our most useful guides or search the knowledge base for more help.

Other examples include:

• Find popular articles and recently updated guides.
• Browse useful documentation for getting started.
• Find more help with installation, activation and settings.
• Explore other guides from this section.

Keep the subtitle to one or two short sentences.

Choose what appears in the sidebar

Depending on your SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base settings, the sidebar can include sections such as:

• Popular Articles
• Related Articles
• Recently Updated Articles
• Article table of contents
• Category contents
• Compact search
• Help box

You do not need to display every available section.

Choose the parts that genuinely help visitors continue using the knowledge base.

Popular Articles

The Popular Articles section uses article view totals to show the guides receiving the most visits.

This can help visitors find commonly used documentation.

On a new knowledge base, there may not be enough view data to create a useful list. SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base can use recently updated content until more article views have been recorded.

Your own views may not be counted while you are signed in with permission to edit the article.

Related Articles

Related Articles are normally chosen using the category connected to the current article.

For example, an activation guide may show other articles from the Licence and Subscription category.

For better results:

• Assign articles to the correct category
• Avoid using too many unrelated categories
• Keep article titles clear
• Use focused categories rather than broad sections

If related articles do not feel relevant, review how the articles have been organised.

Recently Updated Articles

The Recently Updated section shows articles based on their WordPress modified date.

This is useful for drawing attention to guides that have recently been reviewed or changed.

Only update an article when something has genuinely changed or the content has been checked.

Avoid making empty edits simply to move an article higher in the list.

Table of contents in the sidebar

Longer articles can display their table of contents in the right-hand sidebar.

The table of contents is created from H2, H3 and H4 headings inside the article.

This lets visitors jump directly to the section they need without scrolling through the full guide.

If you use a sidebar table of contents, make sure the article headings are:

• Clear
• Short enough to scan
• In a sensible order
• Properly set as WordPress heading blocks

Category contents in the sidebar

Category pages can also show a contents list in the sidebar.

This list links to the articles displayed in that category.

It can be useful when a category contains several guides and visitors want to move directly to a particular article.

Keep category article titles clear so the contents list remains easy to understand.

Compact search in the sidebar

A smaller search box can be shown on article or category pages.

This gives visitors another way to find help without returning to the main knowledge base homepage.

Compact search is useful when:

• Articles are long
• Categories contain many guides
• Visitors often need to continue searching
• The main knowledge base page is several clicks away

Avoid adding several search boxes to the same page.

One clear compact search area is normally enough.

Set up the help box

The help box gives visitors somewhere to go if they cannot find the answer they need.

It can include:

• A heading
• A short message
• Button text
• A button URL
• Custom colours

For example:

Still need help?

Contact our support team if you cannot find the answer in the knowledge base.

Button text:

Contact Support

Change the help box heading

The heading should be short and friendly.

Examples include:

• Still Need Help?
• Cannot Find the Answer?
• Need More Support?
• We Are Here to Help
• Have Another Question?

Choose wording that matches the tone of your website.

Change the help box message

The message should explain what the visitor can do next.

For example:

Contact our support team and let us know what you need help with.

Other examples include:

• Send us a message if you cannot find the answer in our guides.
• Get in touch and we will help you with your question.
• Contact us if you need more help with your licence or plugin setup.
• Tell us what you are trying to do and we will point you in the right direction.

Keep it brief. The help box should not contain a full support policy.

Change the help button text

The button wording should clearly describe what happens when it is selected.

Examples include:

• Contact Support
• Get Help
• Contact Us
• Send a Message
• Open Support
• Ask a Question

Avoid vague wording such as:

• Continue
• Learn More
• Click Here

Clear button text gives visitors more confidence about where the link will take them.

Add the help button URL

Enter the full URL of the page you want the button to open.

This could be:

• Your contact page
• A support form
• A customer account page
• A dedicated support page
• A licence help page

After saving the URL, test the button while signed out of WordPress.

Make sure the destination page is available to the visitors who will use it.

Why is the help button missing?

The help button normally requires both:

• Button text
• Button URL

If either field is empty, the button may not appear.

Check that:

• The help box is enabled
• Button text has been entered
• A valid URL has been entered
• The settings were saved
• The website cache has been cleared

Change the help box colours

Open:

Knowledge Base > Settings > Design

Depending on your plugin version, you may be able to change:

• Help box background colour
• Help box heading colour
• Message text colour
• Button background colour
• Button text colour
• Border colour

Choose colours that match your website while keeping the text easy to read.

Check colour contrast

Make sure there is enough contrast between:

• Heading and background
• Message text and background
• Button text and button colour
• Links and surrounding text

A dark button with dark text will be difficult to use.

The help box should stand out slightly from the rest of the sidebar without looking disconnected from the main design.

Keep the sidebar simple

A crowded sidebar can distract visitors from the article they are reading.

Try to avoid displaying all of the following at the same time unless the layout has enough space:

• Search
• Table of contents
• Popular Articles
• Related Articles
• Recently Updated Articles
• Help box

Choose the sections that are most useful for each page type.

For example, an article sidebar could contain:

1. Table of contents
2. Related Articles
3. Help box

A homepage sidebar could contain:

1. Popular Articles
2. Recently Updated Articles
3. Help box

Avoid repeating the same articles

Popular, related and recently updated sections may sometimes select the same guide.

If the sidebar feels repetitive, disable one of the sections or use it elsewhere on the page.

The goal is to help visitors discover useful content rather than display the same links several times.

Sidebar width and page layout

The sidebar shares space with the main content.

If your WordPress page is already narrow, enabling too many sidebar sections can make article text feel cramped.

SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base normally works best on a standard or full-width page layout.

If the sidebar looks too narrow:

• Check the WordPress page template
• Remove an extra theme sidebar
• Use a full-width content layout
• Reduce long sidebar titles
• Disable less useful sections

Avoid displaying the theme’s normal sidebar alongside the SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base sidebar where possible.

Check the sidebar on mobile

On smaller screens, the sidebar may move underneath the main content.

This is normal and keeps the article wide enough to read.

Check that:

• Sidebar headings are not too large
• Links are easy to tap
• The help button fits the screen
• The sidebar does not become unnecessarily long
• The most useful content appears first
• Nothing overlaps the main article

If the mobile page feels too long, remove one or two sidebar sections.

The sidebar is not showing

If the sidebar is missing, check that:

• The relevant sidebar option is enabled
• At least one sidebar section contains content
• The current page layout supports a sidebar
• You are viewing an article or category where it is enabled
• The settings were saved
• Your SoftwareRoad Knowledge Base licence is active
• The website cache has been cleared

Some pages may use a full-width layout when no sidebar sections are active.

Popular Articles are not appearing

Popular Articles need published knowledge base content.

Check that:

• Articles are published
• Articles are not unlisted
• Article view tracking is enabled
• The section is enabled
• Your licence is active
• The website cache has been cleared

A new knowledge base may use recently updated articles until enough visitor views have been recorded.

Related Articles are not relevant

Review the categories assigned to the current article.

Related Articles work best when:

• Articles use one clear main category
• Categories contain closely connected topics
• Broad categories are divided when needed
• Unrelated articles are not grouped together

Changing the category may improve the recommendations shown in the sidebar.

The help box is not showing

Check that:

• The help box is enabled
• A heading or message has been entered
• Button text and URL are both present
• The settings were saved
• The sidebar itself is enabled
• The website cache has been cleared

Try entering a simple heading and message, then save the settings again.

The button opens the wrong page

Open the help box settings and check the saved URL.

Make sure:

• The full address is correct
• There are no typing mistakes
• The page is published
• The page is available to visitors
• The link does not point to an old website address

Update the URL and test the button again.

Changes are not appearing

If the old sidebar wording or colours remain:

1. Confirm that you selected Save Changes.
2. Clear the WordPress cache.
3. Clear any server or hosting cache.
4. Clear your browser cache.
5. Open the page in a private browser window.
6. Check that you edited the correct settings tab.

Test the sidebar on the page type you changed, such as an article, category or homepage.

Sidebar and help box checklist

Before finishing, check that:

• The sidebar title is clear
• The subtitle is short and useful
• Only helpful sections are enabled
• Article lists do not repeat too much
• The table of contents is easy to use
• The help box explains the next step
• The button wording is clear
• The button opens the correct page
• Colours provide enough contrast
• The sidebar works on desktop and mobile
• The page does not feel overcrowded

Your knowledge base sidebar and help box are now ready to help visitors continue browsing or contact you when they need more support.