How to Use the Jetpack Sidebar Image Widget

Before beginning this tutorial you will need to install and activate the free Jetpack plugin. Read this post for instructions on how to install Jetpack. 

Jetpack includes a handy widget that lets you easily add images to any widget area available in your current theme. You can enable more widgets and features from the Jetpack settings page, accessible in the sidebar of your admin dashboard. This section will guide you through activating the image widget and placing an image in the sidebar of your WordPress site.

How to Activate the Image Widget

To manage Jetpack’s features, head to the Jetpack settings page, where you’ll find a list of options along with descriptions of each.

1.In your admin dashboard, click on “Jetpack” near the top-left corner.

2.Scroll down and select “View all Jetpack features” to see a full list of plugins and widgets.

3.Locate the “Extra Sidebar Widgets” tile (usually in the left-side column), click on it, and select “Activate”.

How to Add an Image to the Sidebar

You can add any image you like to the sidebar using the Jetpack Image widget, provided that it is in the JPG or PNG format. The image doesn’t even need to be hosted on your website either – you can specify any image located on any website, since all you need is the URL.

1. In your administrator dashboard, mouse over the “Appearance” button and click “Widgets” in the pop-up menu.

2. Drag and drop the “Image (Jetpack)” widget from the left-side column to the preferred widget area on your right, such as “Primary Widget Area”.

3. Click on the activated widget in the right-side column to display the available configuration options.

4. Enter a title for the widget, or leave it blank if you only want to display an image without any accompanying text.

5. Enter the full URL of the image in the box beside “Image URL”. Ensure that the URL links directly to an image, including its file extension, such as JPG. You will first need to upload the image to your WordPress media library (Media -> Add New) and then get the URL from there.

6. Fill in the alternate text with a few words describing the image. This text will appear when someone moves the cursor over the image.

7. Enter a title and a caption for the image if you wish. Finally, choose an alignment, and specify a width and height for the image in pixels if you wish.

8. If you want to turn the image into a link, enter the full URL of the link you wish to use in the “Link URL” box.

9. Click “Save” to save your changes. The image should appear immediately on your WordPress blog.

That’s all there is to it! You can add as many images to your sidebar or other available widget areas as you wish, simply by dragging another instance of the widget into the desired sidebar area.