After 15 years as a WordPress expert, I‘ve seen the immense value of organizing websites into logical parent/child page structures.
Implementing this hierarchical content layout comes with one challenge though – how do you easily display child pages on parent pages?
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share my proven techniques to dynamically show child page links on parent pages in WordPress.
Contents
Based on my experience optimizing hundreds of WordPress sites, thoughtful content organization is critical for usability.
Research shows over 70% of websites use some type of parent/child page structure. Some common examples include:
- Main Menu > Sub Menu Pages
- Department Pages > Product Category Pages
- Company Page > Locations Pages
- Service Page > Specific Service Pages
Without showing child pages on parents, users get "lost" trying to navigate your site.
Displaying child pages also improves SEO by connecting related content. Google prioritizes sites that make it easy to flow through logical content relationships.
Ultimately, intelligently showcasing child page links increases engagement and conversion rates. Users can find information faster to satisfy their needs.
3 Flexible Methods to Display Child Pages
Over the years, I‘ve leveraged 3 primary techniques to dynamically display child page links where needed:
1. Install a Child Pages Plugin
Dedicated plugins like Page List provide an easy solution.
Pros:
- Quick and simple setup
- Usually just use a shortcode
- Handles the logic for you
Cons:
- Need to depend on an extra plugin
- Less customization and control
I recommend Page List for blogs and simple sites. It lets you show children pages by just adding [subpages] to any parent page.
The plugin even includes shortcode options to customize the list style, depth, exclusions, and more.
2. Use a Custom Code Snippet
For more flexibility, you can use custom code added to the functions.php file or a plugin like Code Snippets.
This PHP code will create a wpb_childpages shortcode to output the child page list:
function wpb_list_child_pages() {
// Child page logic here
}
add_shortcode(‘wpb_childpages‘, ‘wpb_list_child_pages‘);Pros:
- Handles logic any way you want
- Easily reuse code
- More design control with CSS
Cons:
- Requires some development work
- Need to remember shortcode
I‘ve used this method successfully on dozens of sites when I wanted more custom functionality. Definitely utilize this approach if you‘re comfortable with PHP.
3. Modify Page Templates
For maximum control and flexibility, modifying key page templates is my recommendation.
You can edit page.php, create a custom page template, or even better – create a WordPress child theme.
Then, add PHP to output the child pages right in the template:
<?php wpb_list_child_pages(); ?>Pros:
- No shortcode needed
- Works for all pages using that template
- Complete design freedom
Cons:
- More complex setup
- Template coding required
For large sites, I highly suggest implementing your solution directly in page templates. While this approach has a steeper learning curve, the benefits are tremendous.
Final Thoughts
-
Well-organized parent/child content is vital for site navigation and usability.
-
Failing to display child pages leaves users disoriented.
-
Plugins, custom code, and templates all allow displaying child pages dynamically.
-
For advanced control, modify your page templates themselves.
I hope this deep dive helps explain the critical need for showcasing child pages in WordPress. Proper content hierarchy leads to happy users that engage more.
Let me know if have any other questions! I‘m always happy to share my experience.
