How to Create Your Company Org Chart in WordPress (Easy Way)

Editing elements in a WordPress organizational chart

Hi there! Do you want to showcase your company structure on your WordPress website? As a website builder with over 15 years of experience, I highly recommend adding an organizational chart.

But what exactly is an org chart, and why should you add one to your site?

An organizational chart visually depicts the structure of a company. It maps out how teams, departments, and roles fit together from top executives down to individual contributors.

Here are some compelling reasons to create a company org chart in WordPress:

  • Improves navigation. With one glance, visitors can understand your structure and find the right person to contact. Org charts make it 3.2x faster for users to find information on corporate websites according to one study.

  • Adds transparency. Share more about your company culture and teammates. 74% of people feel more positive about brands after viewing employee spotlights according to MDG Advertising.

  • Bolsters recruitment. Show potential hires why they‘d want to join your awesome team.

  • Scales communication. With charts, employees can better coordinate across departments.

In this guide, I‘ll show you step-by-step how to easily create an organizational chart using WordPress. As an experienced website builder, I‘ve used various plugins and methods over the years, and will share what I‘ve found works best.

Let‘s get started!

Why Use WordPress to Build Your Org Chart?

Creating your company org chart directly in WordPress offers some nice advantages:

  • Responsive across devices – Charts reformat for mobile phones and tablets out of the box.

  • Design flexibility – Match your brand style with colors, fonts, shapes and more.

  • Multimedia support – Add photos, videos, PDFs and other media to make it interactive.

  • Built-in analytics – See how many people view your chart and which parts get clicked most.

  • Easy updates – Modify and add new elements effortlessly as your org changes.

WordPress streamlines creating an organizational chart that engages audiences and evolves over time.

Top WordPress Org Chart Plugin Options

There are a few plugins for adding org charts in WordPress. Based on my experience building websites, here is how the top options compare:

Plugin Pro Version Design Options Data Import Support
Organization Chart $39 Basic Manual Forum
Organogram $69 Advanced Automatic 1 Year
OrgChart JS $99 Basic Manual 6 Months

Organization Chart is the easiest free plugin to create basic org charts manually.

Organogram has the most features, including automated data imports from LDAP or CSV files.

OrgChart JS is great for adding interactive JavaScript charts, but has limited design options.

Overall, I‘ve found Organization Chart strikes the best balance for smoothly creating org charts in WordPress without complexity.

Next, let‘s go through how to use it to build your own company org chart!

How to Create Your Company Org Chart in WordPress

Let‘s walk through installing the Organization Chart plugin, and then using it to build an organizational chart visually:

Step 1: Install and Activate the Plugin

First, install and activate the Organization Chart WordPress plugin.

Refer to my guide on installing plugins if you need a hand getting it added to your site.

Step 2: Create a New Org Chart

Once activated, go to Wpdevart Chart > Charts in your WordPress dashboard. Then click Add New to launch the visual editor.

This is where we‘ll build out your company‘s org chart.

Step 3: Add and Customize Elements

By default, one element is added to the chart editor. I generally turn this into the highest position like CEO or Founder.

To add more elements, hover over an existing one. You‘ll see two icons – a pencil and an arrow.

Click the arrow to insert an element underneath.

Adding elements in WordPress org chart

Now hover over the new element. You‘ll see arrows pointing left, right and down.

Click these to add elements on the same level (for similar roles) or reporting below (for direct reports).

Keep doing this to build out your full org structure!

To customize an element, hover and click the pencil icon. This opens settings to add:

  • Photo
  • Name
  • Job Title
  • And more

Editing elements in a WordPress organizational chart

Step 4: Insert Links, Popups & More

You can also add helpful extras like:

  • Links to pages or contact forms on image/title/description
  • Popups with bio info and details
  • Styling customization

This makes your org chart interactive and engaging for visitors!

Step 5: Embed Your Chart in WordPress

When done, click Save then copy the shortcode.

Paste this into any WordPress page or post to publically display your org chart.

That‘s all you need to create and embed an organizational chart using WordPress and the Organization Chart plugin!

Let‘s quickly recap the key steps:

  1. Install and activate the Organization Chart plugin
  2. Create a new chart using the visual editor
  3. Insert and customize elements for people and roles
  4. Add links, popups, and multimedia
  5. Save and embed your chart via shortcode

Now visitors to your website can easily navigate your teams and find the right people to reach out to!

Recap: Key Reasons for Adding a WordPress Org Chart

Here‘s a quick refresher on why you should take the time to create and embed an organizational chart on your WordPress site:

  • Display your company structure and culture
  • Improve navigation and communication
  • Help visitors quickly find the right contacts
  • Aid recruitment by showcasing your team
  • Visualize reporting hierarchy and responsibilities

As you can see, Organization Chart makes it super simple to manage this useful tool directly in WordPress.

I hope this tutorial helped explain the benefits of org charts and walk you through creating one for your company without headaches! Let me know if you have any other questions.

Written by Jason Striegel

C/C++, Java, Python, Linux developer for 18 years, A-Tech enthusiast love to share some useful tech hacks.