In this day and age of new design trends, faster and faster website speeds, and mobile dominance, one classic page element is still sticking around, though many may overlook it. Around since the early days of the web and a mainstay on different sites, the sidebar has had longevity.
With many people simply scanning or skimming through content, though, not everyone pays attention to it, especially with the F-shaped reading pattern establishing that people usually start on the left side of a webpage and scan across and down the page. Add to that the increasing demand for faster page-load times, and the sidebar can easily be ignored.
That begs the question, is the sidebar still necessary today? It’s not the primary means of navigation, and other design elements like social media buttons have become more important.
The purpose of the sidebar
