Customizing header in WordPress website is one of the most impactful ways to enhance its design and user experience. The header serves as the first impression of your site, setting the tone for visitors and playing a crucial role in navigation. With the Elementor plugin, you can take control of your website’s header design without needing to touch a single line of code. Whether you're looking to create a professional and polished look or a more creative and bolder header, Elementor offers a range of powerful tools and features to make customization easy.
In this blog, we will walk you through the step-by-step process to customize header in WordPress using Elementor, including how to add logos, navigation menus, and call-to-action buttons. We will also explore design elements like color schemes, typography, and layout options to ensure that your header stands out and aligns with your brand identity. Let’s dive in!
Steps to Customize Header in WordPress Website
When using Elementor Pro, you gain access to an array of header templates and customization options that give you full control over your header’s layout, design, and functionality. The headers offered by premium WordPress themes from WP Elemento are tailored to fit various business niches, making them incredibly useful for users who want a header that resonates with their brand and audience. Let’s explore the detailed steps to customize header in WordPress using Elementor, focusing on all the essential aspects you need to know to create a stunning and functional header.
Step 1: Install, Activate, and Import Demo or Premium WordPress Theme by WP Elemento
Before you begin to customize header in WordPress website, it is essential to have a compatible theme installed and activated. WP Elemento offers a diverse range of premium WordPress Elementor themes specifically designed and optimized for Elementor. These themes come with pre-built header templates, allowing you to easily customize every element to suit your business niche. Whether you’re building an eCommerce site, a blog, or a corporate website, WP Elemento themes provide the flexibility and design foundation needed for a professional-looking website.
To get started, select a suitable WP Elemento theme that aligns with your business needs. After purchasing and downloading the theme, log in to your WordPress admin dashboard. Navigate to Appearance > Themes > Add New and click on the Upload Theme button. Select the WP Elemento theme ZIP file and click Install Now. Once the installation is complete, click on Activate to apply the theme to your website.
For a faster and more efficient setup, it is recommended to import the demo content provided by WP Elemento. This demo content includes pre-designed pages, header layouts, and styling, giving you a solid foundation to start with. To import the demo, go to Appearance > Import Demo Data and select the demo package. Importing the demo saves time by providing a pre-configured design that you can easily customize, making it particularly beneficial for beginners or those aiming for a quick, professional website setup. With your WP Elemento theme activated and demo content imported, you’re now ready to customize header in WordPress with Elementor. The one click demo importer helps you to setup your WordPress website in no time.
Step 2: Access the Header for Customization
Once you have successfully installed and activated your WordPress theme, the next step to customize header in WordPress is to access it through the Elementor editor. To do this, navigate to the front end of your website. When you are logged into your WordPress dashboard, you will notice an “Edit with Elementor” option at the top of the page. This option is a shortcut that allows you to directly enter the Elementor editor, enabling you to make real-time changes to the header and other website elements. Hover over the “Edit with Elementor” button and click on it to launch the editor.
Once inside the Elementor editor, you will gain full control over the header’s design and functionality. The interface will display a live preview of your website on the right-hand side, while the Elementor editing panel appears on the left. This is where you can customize various elements of the header, including the logo, announcement bar, navigation menus, social icons, search bar, shopping cart, and profile icons. Elementor offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop functionality, making it easy to rearrange, resize, and edit header elements.
To begin customizing, simply click on any header element. When you do, its corresponding settings panel will appear on the left side of the screen. From here, you can modify the content, style, and advanced settings of the selected element. This seamless interface allows you to make live changes while previewing the results in real-time, ensuring that your header customization perfectly matches your website’s design and branding.
Step 3: Customize Header Content and Elements
When you customize header in WordPress website, one of the most crucial steps is editing the content and individual elements to reflect your branding and provide a seamless user experience. Elementor makes this process intuitive, offering a wide range of customization options for every header element. Let’s go over the most commonly customized elements in the header.
- Announcement Bar: Many websites include an announcement bar at the very top of the header to highlight important messages, promotional offers, or seasonal discounts. This section is perfect for grabbing visitor attention. To customize it, simply click on the announcement bar in the Elementor editor. The settings panel on the left will display content editing options. You can modify the text, change the background color, and adjust the font size to match your website’s style. Elementor also provides the option to enable or disable the bar as needed. For instance, during a sale period, you can display the bar with promotional text, and once the sale ends, you can easily hide it.
- Logo: Your website’s logo is a vital part of your brand identity, making it one of the most significant elements in the header. To edit it, click on the logo element in the Elementor editor. The settings panel will allow you to upload a new logo image or select an existing one from the media library. You can adjust the logo’s size, alignment, and positioning to ensure it fits perfectly within the header layout. Elementor’s live preview feature lets you see the changes instantly, making it easy to fine-tune the logo dimensions until it looks just right.
- Search Bar: The search bar is a functional element that enhances the user experience by allowing visitors to find content quickly. Elementor provides easy customization options for the search from in WordPress. By selecting the search bar element, you can modify its size, position, and functionality. The editor also offers style customization options, enabling you to adjust the color, background, and typography to match your website’s overall design. For example, you can choose a minimalist style with subtle borders or go for a bold look with contrasting colors, depending on your website’s theme.
- Social Media Icons: Integrating social media icons into the header is essential for connecting with your audience and expanding your online presence. Elementor makes it simple to add and customize social icons. You can select the social media element in the editor and choose from a variety of platform icons, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Elementor offers extensive styling options, allowing you to adjust the icon size, shape, color, and spacing. You can also add hover effects or animations to make the icons visually appealing and interactive. Moreover, you can link each icon to its respective social media profile, making it easy for visitors to connect with your brand.
- Shopping Cart & Profile Icons: For eCommerce websites, adding a shopping cart and profile icon to the header is essential for a smooth and user-friendly shopping experience. Elementor allows you to add these elements effortlessly. By clicking on the cart or profile icon, you can access customization settings, where you can modify the icon’s size, color, and positioning. You can also enable dynamic features, such as displaying the number of items in the cart or the total value of the cart. This feature provides real-time updates, enhancing the user experience by giving shoppers immediate feedback on their purchases.
- Call-to-Action (CTA) Buttons: Including a call-to-action (CTA) button in your header is a powerful way to direct visitors toward specific actions, such as signing up, contacting you, or making a purchase. Elementor provides extensive customization options for CTA buttons. You can easily change the button’s text, size, and color. The editor also allows you to add hover effects, making the button visually dynamic when users interact with it. To enhance functionality, you can link the CTA button to specific pages, such as a product page, service offering, or contact form, encouraging visitors to take the desired action.
By customizing each of these header elements using Elementor, you can create a visually appealing, functional, and brand-consistent header that enhances user experience and engagement on your WordPress website.
Step 4: Style Settings for Header Elements
Beyond content customization, Elementor offers a comprehensive set of style settings that allow you to fine-tune the visual appearance of your header elements. These settings are essential for ensuring that your website’s header not only functions well but also complement the overall design and branding of your site. To access these settings, simply click on the header element you want to style, and then navigate to the “Style” tab in the left-hand editor panel. This will open a range of styling options for each individual element in your header, such as color schemes, typography, button sizes, margins, and padding.
- Color Settings: One of the first aspects you'll want to address is the color scheme of your header. Elementor allows you to customize the background color of your header, change the text color, modify the color of buttons, and tweak the hover colors for interactive elements like links. By adjusting these color settings, you can ensure that your header’s color palette aligns with your brand’s identity and overall website theme. For instance, using your brand’s primary colors will create a cohesive look across all pages. Moreover, tweaking hover colors for buttons or links adds a layer of interactivity and enhances the user experience, making your header not just visually appealing but also functional.
- Typography: Typography is another crucial element in customizing your header in WordPress. Elementor offers a wide range of typography options, allowing you to adjust font type, size, weight, letter spacing, and line height. With Elementor, you can select from an extensive library of pre-installed Google Fonts or upload your custom fonts. This flexibility ensures that your header’s text is legible, aesthetically pleasing, and consistent with the typography used elsewhere on your site. Proper typography can improve readability and contribute significantly to the overall design and professionalism of your website.
- Logo and Button Size: Another key customization option within the Style tab is the ability to adjust the size of your logo and header buttons. These elements can have a significant impact on your website’s design and user experience. If you prefer a minimalist look, you can reduce the size of these elements. Alternatively, if you're designing for mobile users, you may need to increase the size of logos and buttons for better visibility and accessibility. Elementor’s size settings for logos and buttons are easy to adjust and offer a high level of control, ensuring your header is appropriately sized for both desktop and mobile views.
By fine-tuning these style settings in Elementor, you can ensure that your WordPress header not only matches your brand's aesthetic but also provides a seamless, enjoyable experience for your users. Whether you’re optimizing color schemes, choosing the right fonts, or adjusting the size of key elements, the style settings in Elementor allow you to craft a header that truly stands out.
Step 5: Advanced Settings for Header Customization
When you customize header in WordPress, Elementor provides a range of advanced settings that allow you to fine-tune and enhance the design and functionality of your header. These advanced settings offer greater flexibility, making it possible to create a highly customized, professional, and visually dynamic header. Here’s how you can use these settings when you customize header in WordPress:
- Layout Settings: The layout settings in Elementor allow you to control the alignment, spacing, and positioning of header elements. You can choose between a horizontal or vertical header orientation, depending on your design preferences. The layout settings let you adjust the padding and margins, helping you create a clean and organized header with precise element spacing. You can also configure the z-index to define the stack order of header elements, ensuring they appear above or below other content. This is particularly useful for creating elementor sticky header or floating headers that remain visible while users scroll.
- Motion Effects: To add interactivity and visual appeal to your header, Elementor offers motion effects such as scrolling animations, entrance animations, and hover effects. For instance, you can make the logo or navigation menu fade in as users scroll or apply a smooth transition effect to buttons. These animations not only enhance the visual appeal but also contribute to a modern and engaging user experience. The parallax effect and sticky scrolling options further add depth and dynamism to the header design.
- Transform Settings: Elementor's transform feature allows you to manipulate the appearance of header elements with creative visual effects. You can apply transformations such as rotate, scale, skew, and translate. For example, you can subtly rotate a button or scale the logo on hover, making your header elements stand out. This feature is particularly useful for creating eye-catching and interactive header designs that grab attention.
- Background and Border Customization: Enhancing the visual aesthetics of your header is easy with Elementor’s background and border settings. You can choose from solid colors, gradients, or background images to create a unique look. Gradients are ideal for creating modern and stylish headers, while background images add visual texture and depth. Borders can be applied to specific header elements to create separation and contrast. Elementor also offers advanced border settings, including border radius, thickness, and shadow effects, allowing you to achieve refined and professional header designs.
- Responsive Design: In today’s mobile-first landscape, it’s essential that your header displays properly on all devices. Elementor provides robust responsive design options, allowing you to customize the header’s appearance for desktop, tablet, and mobile views. You can adjust the size, alignment, and spacing of header elements specifically for different screen sizes. For instance, you can reduce the size of the logo or change the layout of the navigation menu on smaller screens to ensure a seamless user experience. With Elementor’s responsive controls, you can preview the header on various devices and make necessary adjustments to achieve a consistent and visually appealing design.
- Custom CSS for Advanced Styling: For users with web development experience, Elementor offers the ability to add Elementor custom CSS directly to header elements. This feature allows you to apply advanced styling and achieve effects that may not be possible with the built-in settings. You can use CSS selectors and custom properties to fine-tune the appearance, animation, and behavior of header elements. For example, you can create custom hover effects, animations, or styling rules to give your header a unique and polished look. This is particularly useful for experienced designers and developers who want complete creative control over their header customization.
By utilizing Elementor’s advanced settings, you can customize header in WordPress with precision and creativity. These advanced features allow you to create a visually appealing, interactive, and fully responsive header that aligns perfectly with your website’s branding and enhances the overall user experience.
Step 6: Preview and Publish
Once you’ve completed customizing header in WordPress website, it is essential to preview your changes before making them live. This step ensures that your header looks and functions perfectly across all devices. Elementor offers a convenient preview feature that allows you to view your header design on desktop, tablet, and mobile screens. This enables you to identify any inconsistencies in the layout, text alignment, button placement, or visual aesthetics. Make sure to check the responsiveness of the header by toggling between the different screen sizes. A responsive header ensures a seamless and professional experience for your visitors, regardless of the device they use.
After thoroughly reviewing your header, you can make the changes live by clicking the “Publish” button in Elementor. This action automatically updates the front end of your website, ensuring that visitors see the customized header immediately. Elementor’s live publishing feature eliminates the need for manual updates, streamlining the process. By previewing and publishing carefully, you can confidently deliver a polished, professional, and visually appealing header to your website visitors.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the process to customize header in WordPress website using Elementor is a straightforward process that can significantly enhance your site's design and functionality. By following the six essential steps outlined in this guide, you can personalize every element of your header, including logos, navigation menus, call-to-action buttons, and more. Elementor provides a powerful set of tools that make it easy to adjust content, style, and advanced settings to fit your brand's unique identity.
If you're looking for a hassle-free way to create a professional and niche-specific header, using a premium WordPress theme by WP Elemento is an excellent choice. These themes are designed with business needs in mind, offering ready-to-use header layouts that can be customized with Elementor. By choosing a WP Elemento theme, you can save time while ensuring a cohesive and impactful design for your website's header. Moreover You can also go for the Elementor WordPress Theme Bundle which offers you a collection of 70+ Premium WordPress Themes just starting at $79.
