WordPress makes most things easy but, sometimes the in-built editor just won’t comply, especially if you’re trying to do something like align pictures next to each other in the same row, perhaps place 2 videos next to each other, or various other things that seem like they should be simple, but are maddening to attempt. You’ve probably also noticed that even if you try and get clever with the spacing, by adding extra line breaks or empty paragraphs, to get things laid out the way you want, WordPress will inevitably toss such cleverness aside and strip out your spaces.

Basically the WordPress editor by default is just not good with allowing you to do anything column or grid-based, unless you hand-code the HTML which defeats the purpose.

Fortunately there are a couple of simple ways to get around this problem that will give you much more flexibility with your page and post layouts AND make you look like a genius.

WP Post Columns

The first, and preferred option is to use a plugin which allows you to set up columns with the use of shortcodes. The first one I came across is Sam Burdge’s WP Post Columns plugin.  I was a little wary of it because it hasn’t been updated in a long time, but it actually works just fine and is pretty easy to use.

The format to create a 2 column layout is:
[column width="67%" padding="6%"] Column 1 content goes here. [/column] [column width="27%" padding="0"] Column 2 content goes here. [/column]

And you can use that format to create as many columns as you need. Here’s 3 columns:

[column width="30%" padding="5%"] Column 1 content goes here. [/column] [column width="30%" padding="5%"] Column 2 content goes here. [/column] [column width="30%" padding="0"] Column 3 content goes here. [/column]

As you can see, by playing with the column widths and padding you can create a custom layout to your liking.

In the screenshot below (click for full size image) I used the 3 column layout to create this magazine style look.

WP Easy Columns

A similar and in some ways more flexible plugin is WP Easy Columns 

The nice thing about this plugin is that it gives you a toolbar button with lots of preset layouts to insert with one click. It also gives you additional ways to style the output which is useful for designers.

In the screenshot below I used a 1/3 + 2/3 row to layout the caption to the left of the video.
The next 2 rows are 1/2 + 1/2 to show videos with the captions below.

A bonus of both plugins is that you can use shortcodes within shortcodes – another issue that can be problematic in WordPress. But in these examples, I used a shortcode to insert the videos and it worked perfectly.

Tiny MCE Advanced

An alternate method to these plugins would be to use the TinyMCE Advanced plugin which has an Insert Tables feature. This is what I used to use before discovering the above plugins. It’s a decent solution, if a little finnickety to deal with, and of course HTML tables are pretty much considered dinosaur code these days, but it’s still a possibility if for some reason the above plugins don’t work for your situation.

So now you can go be fancy with your post layouts – have fun!

I hope you found this post useful. If you enjoyed it, consider signing up for updates via email (includes a free SEO ebook). I help entrepreneurs and businesses learn how to use WordPress - with patience and hand-holding, I turn technophobes into technopros. I also help businesses develop an effective online marketing strategy and compelling web presence.