How to Fix the Sidebar Below Content Error in WordPress

Sometimes while working on your WordPress website, the sidebar which is supposed to be on either left or right side, shifts below the content of your page.

What do you do then?

Well, you don’t need to panic, it is entirely reversible. Let us see why this happens and how can the Sidebar Below Content Error in WordPress be fixed.

What is the cause of sidebar below content error in WordPress?

Before you know the cause of sidebar error, let us first know what exactly is this error. Sidebar error is a phenomenon when the sidebar from the left or right side of your main content area shifts below your content.

In the above image, you can see that the sidebar from on the left side has shifted below the content. This is a sidebar error.

There can be multiple reasons for this error to occur:

1. Your CSS code has an error:

• The height and width set for an element on the page might b disproportionate which is causing your layout to shift. You’ll have to check the style.css file in your theme.
• Or, the float property must’ve been used incorrectly.

2. The HTML code has an error:

• One of the div tags is open in one of your theme files.
• There might be an extra <div> or </div> in the HTML code. You’ll have to find and delete it.

3. If you’ve changed your theme and the current theme does not support the content or customization of the previous theme, then sidebar error can occur.

4. A plugin could be interfering with the layout.

Out of all the above reasons, it is a lot less likely that a plugin is causing the issue. More and more usage of plugins could cause it to clash with your theme and cause a sidebar error.

How to fix the WordPress sidebar error?

It is important to find the location of the error so that you can take appropriate action. Check out the following places before you troubleshoot the error. Check if:

• Changes are made directly to the theme: If you’ve done so, backup your whole site and remove the changes. Then, create a child theme where you can include the customizations you want.
• Only the pages that a plugin automatically created are affected: Then it’s an issue with the plugin, you might want to disable and report it.
• The error is displayed only on your blog posts: single.php files need to be checked.
• Only pages are affected: page.php need to be checked.
• Pages with custom HTML or CSS are affected: Double check the customizations.

Tools such as W3C Markup Validation Service, Validator.nu (X)HTML5 Validator (Living Validator), Online Web Check for HTML code and W3C CSS Validation or ServiceOnline Web Check for CSS code will make it easier for you to locate the error. Then, you can use the following methods to troubleshoot the error:

• Open the error file using FTP, SSH or directly in cPanel by clicking the Edit button in the File Manager. After opening, find the closed, missing or extra div tag, or fix your CSS. Save the corrected file or overwrite the old one ( if you’ve downloaded the file via FTP).
• If the error is occurring because of a theme or plugin, contact its developer so that they tell you the solution or include a fix in the next update.
• If your CSS and HTML customizations are made using a theme or plugin, go back to the location where you’ve made changes to find where the error lies and correct it.

We hope that the above methods helped you solve the sidebar below content error in WordPress. If you know any other method, please feel free to share with us in the comments section.