How To Create Responsive Tables In WordPress?
There is no denying the fact that tables are a great way to render comparative information.
Often we see this when visiting eCommerce websites.
No matter if you want to compare products’ features, service availability, or multiple useful information, tables are seemingly easier to convey data-rich information.
Now you might be wondering when the same job can be done by a few chunks of text why one would need tables, right?
Well, that’s true up to some extent since visitors tend to consume the variable information faster through tables rather than thick paragraphs.
In addition, it lets them make a well-informed decision on their own based on the given data.
That boils down to you can’t overlook the difference it makes to the information conveyance.
But, here that’s not the matter we will have a discussion about, instead, we will sift through the process to design responsive tables in WordPress.
For the sake of it, I would like to ask - can you recall the design of tables you viewed a few years back on websites?
How were they? Means, if you were able to watch the information easily or have to apply a little external force to pinch and swipe the screen?
Have you got the point I’m trying to make?
Wasn’t it annoying to move the web page left and right with a pinch to properly look at the information contained in the table?
The good news is that these days tables have become responsive and it can show you an abundance of information nicely on a small screen like mobile phones.
So, what the tale of flexible tables is, how to create it, and which tools you should use to design it, we will walk through everything in a bit in this blog.
But, before taking a deep dive into the details, I would like you to introduce you to the client-driven web design company in Los Angeles - SFWP Experts. Well-known for its quality service offering in the IT and online marketing field, this is the agency you should reach out to get a quick fix to the problem your website might have. Apart from this, with logical thoughts and effective strategies, they will also take your business to a whole new level if you don’t want to diverge attention from the core activities of your online setup. That’s why, you should definitely consider working with them if your intentions are to avail services like eCommerce web design, web development, theme design, software development, SEO, PPC, and online marketing.
With that coming to a stop, let’s turn towards the additional information in this article.
Most Common Use Cases For Tables To Represent Data
1. Feature Lists
There are various ways to use tables when showing a number of features of the product. On eCommerce websites, different products are categorized based on the most pertinent features they have. Doing this allows visitors to filter the results based on what matters to them the most.
Give a look to the screenshot placed below:
2. Pricing Tables
If you are building a site where services or memberships are sold, not items, it’s still a good idea to display the crucial information using tables.
BuzzSumo shows the best example of pricing tables. Look at the picture underneath:
In case you are running some sort of media and entertainment app and want customers to purchase your services in order to access movies or shows, designing a pricing list for variable memberships will be a good idea to implement. At our Los Angeles web design company you will get all the needed resources, required for creating beautiful pricing tables for such apps. Being actively involved in the IT and online marketing field, our experts can provide you professional help like responsive web design, web development, mobile app development, copywriting, content marketing, and search engine optimization.
3. Catalogs
A catalog comes in handy to show off visitors an alphabetized or numerically ordered list of something.
You might consider using one to organize physical or virtual suite of items as demonstrated in the example below:
4. Best of Roster
There is a myriad of sites on the web that provide an item-by-item report of the “Top” winners or “Best of” lists. There, tables are used as a convenient format to summarize the details of the article or report before readers scroll down to acquire more information.
This is something that’s well done by websites like PC Mag, and probably, every tech and product review site follows the same.
In case, you want to get a professional touch in your table design, be informed that we have got your back. Having creative designers and Wordpress developer experts in our team, we are potentially capable of meeting your web design expectations, no matter which portion of your site you refer to us. Take note that our Los Angeles web design company has a cooperative and supportive team to help you with issues that you may run into down the road. Additionally, you can choose us for leveraging services like user-friendly web design, web development, website redesign, website speed optimization, conversion rate optimization, PPC, SEO, and many more.
5. Directory Tables
Directory websites contain ever-growing and daily updated lists of information that people usually look after online. You can refer this to real estate listing sites, travel sites, informative directories, and other sites that include loads of complex data. If such information is not organized in the filterable table format, perhaps it would be difficult to consume the information quickly.
Consider the list of available apartments here:
6. General Data
Among all sorts of readable information, there are some data lists that are nearly impossible to manage as loose text.
Sports data, for example, should always be showcased in this fashion:
As you can see, there are multiple reasons to include a table design on your site, right? If you also have any piece of information that you are least informed about how to display it on your site, our suggestions and services can go a long way in facilitating the process. Collaborating with our Los Angeles web design company will provide you with several advantages like sustainable services, incredible customer support, and quick resolution of unwanted problems post project delivery. So, what services can you expect from us - gorgeous-looking web design, web development, web support and maintenance, Email marketing and advertising, PPC, SEO, and the rest.
With that reached end, let’s turn to the core matter of the content - how to build responsive tables in WordPress.
How To Design Responsive Tables In WordPress Websites
Regardless of what type of data you are tasked to display on a website, remember your aim should be to do it in a neat and clean manner that entices visitors to take quicker action. Now it’s time to find out how to organize this data for mobile users.
1. Contract The Categories
Odds are, if your client has obtained the data from an automated report, they may not have spent time filtering the results. So, before you take the first step to designing the table, I would suggest you review the data and separate important and unimportant stuff. Then, see if the data is ample or little so you can reach an informed decision about table designing.
If the data you received is simple and small enough, probably shaping it into the table won’t be a wiser decision. On the other side, if the data is massive, check if all the columns are necessary to be part of the table; if not, remove them right away. Not just this, you should also keep an eye on columns that are not essential to be viewed by visitors to reach a decision. To put it simply, eliminate the columns that communicate an identical data point for each item.
Lastly, you need to figure out the ways to shorten the column by talking with your writer or data manager. There may be labels and data that would have been written in long-form, so you will have to ask your writer to simplify the terms while keeping it understandable. In addition to this, you should also tell them to use their expertise to make the text smaller so columns don’t take up too much space and more information can be shown on the mobile.
Have in mind that it is not recommended only for mobile users but for desktop and tablet users as well.
Case in point: Rank can be replaced by number symbol # and Points can be represented as “Pts”.
While you may think that one word won’t make much difference, it does a great job when adding complex and lengthier tables on your site.
In case you are planning to have a well-organized website that’s a lot of visuals, we can make your dream come true if you allow us to do so. Seasoned designers at our Los Angeles web design company will create amazing infographics, images, and responsive tables for your site that will help in conveying the vital information easily. To get more details on this you can have a word with our representatives on call or email and if you need some other services you can also describe them that like custom web design, web development, website performance optimization, social media management, search engine optimization, and pay per click advertising.
2. Create Two Columns At First
For the proper view, mobile tables should always be designed with two columns at first. Doing this will keep the data readable in the limited width of the screen.
When you compare the viewing experience of a full-screen table on a desktop with mobile devices, you will notice how easy it is to identify the two columns that you want to include.
If I explain this to you with an example, the statistics table on the mobile can include a column for item type and one for the profits made by each of them:
This doesn’ mean that the rest of the data has been removed or displaced. You just have to let your visitors know how they can expand the stored data in the compressed table.
In this example, you can see that visitors are given the option to add more columns to the table when they click on the eyeball icon placed just above the table.
The major advantage of providing them this option on mobile is that they can control how they want to watch the information while also selecting the data classes that are most important for their knowledge.
The result will then look like the picture shown below:
However, users will still need to scroll right to see the remaining information like typical table designs in the past, but the control they have on viewing the desired columns will offer them a pleasurable experience.
With just one scroll towards the right side of the screen, they will be able to view the rest of the table data.
This is a good feature you should consider adding to your table design to showcase the list of products with a side-by-side comparison. Of course, this will speed up the decision-making process of your visitors and positively affect your conversions.
There are other ways as well to boost conversions and if you want to experience that let us know at the earliest. Hiring our reputed Wordpress website design company for your project will provide you with quality and affordable services that will make a lot of difference to your bottom line. Each staff working with us have at least 5 years of experience in their respective field making it possible for us to make your site stand out from the masses. Just so you know, we are perfect to meet your website needs such as conversion-focused web design, web development, website analysis, and redesign, brand and product promotion, search engine optimization, pay per click advertising, and so on.
3. Use An Accordion Structure For Individual Items
There's another type of feature you can include in your table design to let visitors have more control over their data viewing style.
To understand this, you need to look at the list of cryptocurrencies available today:
As you will be able to view, the default format of table content here contains two columns only.
However, in this case, you will have to click on the plus sign (+) to see the table data in a new way.
When expanded, all of the data will be visible within a single screen, instead of forcing visitors to scroll right to get complete information.
While you can use this expandable accordion idea in any responsive table you create, it will make more sense to the lists where a side-by-side comparison between items isn’t necessary.
4. Design For Minimum Vertical Scrolling
Just as you limit the horizontal scrolling for visitors on the mobile website’s pages, you should also decide how much vertical scrolling they need to do when they visit your mobile site. Generally speaking, quick information consumption isn’t always an easy task, so the more you can minimize the efforts of viewers to comprehend your data, the better will be their experience.
An easy way to limit the vertical scrolling for your visitors is to break down the table into tens or hundreds of rows.
Just keep in mind that you have to make it easy for visitors to scroll the pages as much as possible. Integrating well-designed pagination buttons either at the top or bottom of the table should come in handy for them:
This would be really useful for a few pages, since, anything more than that could make the pagination process a bit tedious.
Besides, you can also add a table search function directly above it to facilitate the information collection process.
The importance of this feature often increases when users want to directly acquire the information they are looking for within a fraction of second.
If you find this idea useful and want to be demonstrated on your list of inventories, we are all ears. Every designer and developer at our Los Angeles web design company thinks logically and implements strategically, whether it’s our idea or your suggestion. Listening to clients' requirements properly is our priority so that we can present you with a product that's the same as your expectation. To be clear, we are fully skilled to cater to every business with services like mobile-friendly web design, web development, branding, brand promotion, content marketing, and SEO.
5. Add Filtering And Sorting Features For Massive Chunk of Data
To perceive it better, assume that you have an extensive list of information. And the challenge is to allow visitors to obtain the desired information quickly among large data sets without letting them scroll through various table pages. How will you wield this task?
In that case, you can give some data controlling the ability of your visitors. This way they can decide what data on the table they want to see.
Let’s pull the reference from this list of mutual funds for instance:
In the image above you can see what would be the default view for visitors if they scroll immediately to the table.
However, they might find it difficult to capture properly at first glance and consider filtering out unnecessary results to get the exact information they want.
The nice thing about including filters in mobile tables is that they function just like mobile contact forms. So, it will be easy for visitors to fill it and move between the fields to obtain the required results quickly.
Another way to get quicker to the required results is to use the sorting feature there. When they click on the top label of any column, the column will be arranged in the descending order and when they click the next time the arrangement will be just reversed.
These two features play a crucial role in enhancing the data viewing experience of your users, so you should make it a point to include it in any table you design. Be mindful, these features are especially for visitors who access your site on their mobile, not having much time to focus on your tables nicely.
By far you have known how to create responsive tables in WordPress. Now it’s time to have a look at a few best plugins to build tables.
Top 3 Plugins To Design Tables In WordPress
1. wpDataTables:
This is one of the most popular free WordPress plugins for responsive tables and charts creation. If you want you can also download a lite version of the wpDataTables from WordPress.org to know what’s available in the original version that may compel you to upgrade. What may disappoint you in the lite variant is its ability to live up to its name, limiting many table creation options and chart functionalities for users.
As an alternative to wpDataTables, you can also approach us to get a custom table built for your WordPress website. Though you may not be aware of the modern, user-friendly table trends and technologies, we will help you leverage it through our intellectual designers and developers. Being a top-ranked web design company in Los Angeles, we are capable of dealing with everything WordPress. In a nutshell, you can choose us for services like WordPress web design, web development, landing page design and development, online marketing and promotion, social media management, and many more.
2. League Table
League table is another popular table creation tool that offers users several useful features like sortable columns, WordPress Multisite support, and multiple language support. What I like personally about this responsive table solution is the spreadsheet editor that makes it simple to copy data from spreadsheets and insert it into tables. Apart from that, if you want you can also import tables to your site through XML format.
See underneath how tables can be organized in other formats:
The number of options available in this plugin may surpass your expectations since it claims 105 options per table, 17 options per cell, and 13 other general options. As far as its utilization expense goes, you can put it to your use by paying a small amount of $23.
3. TablePress
Having more than 800,000 active installations, TablePress is without a doubt the widely popular option on the market for table designing. The statement made is not just theoretical but you will obviously get to know the reasons for its highest users after you start using it.
Although it is a free plugin, you can take advantage of its variety of offerings like configuration options, custom CSS, and the ability to import and export tables in more than one format.
Up until this moment, you have got a comprehensive idea about what plugins you should choose to design your tables. In case you run into unexpected problems while performing this task, you must interact with us and share your concern. With a skilled design and marketing team at our Los Angeles web design company, we can make your project the next success on the web. Our workforce helps you to attract visitors, increase your global reach, and bring more customers to your sales funnel. We are well-trained for delivering quality services like mobile-first design, web development, SEO, PPC, Lead magnet and advertising, email marketing, and on and on.
Summary For Responsive Table Creation
You are here because you are planning to show off bigger tables on smaller screens in a convenient way.
The key to doing this right is by first making yourself familiar with different types of tables you can design for your mobile visitors and then jumping to the table building step. Even if mobile devices have limited space on the screen, that doesn’t hinder your ability to share complex data with them.
Next to this, you need to provide some control to your users for table data management and filtering that will make it easier for them to see what they need.
And, finally, you can use tools like wpDataTables, League Table, TablePress,...etc. to create fully responsive tables for your users.
Based on the information you collected right now, I can say soon you will be able to increase your product sales to the expectation you have dreamt of. Remember if at any point in time you need professional people to resolve your project issues, you can count on our Los Angeles web design company. For us, clients are like family so we treat them with extra care and comfort to have them an awesome experience of working with us. You can rely on SFWPExperts to meet your website needs more so, personalized web design, web development, website maintenance, and support, search engine optimization, pay per click advertising, digital marketing, and email marketing.
Contact Details:
213-277-9177
la@sfwpexperts.com
Visit Reference Profile Platforms: