What You’ll Learn
- How series navigation works
- Navigation styles and options
- Table of contents placement
- Reader progress tracking
Series Navigation
When a reader views any post in a series, they see navigation to move between parts. This appears automatically at the end of each post.
What Navigation Shows
← Previous: Part 2 - Setting Up | Next: Part 4 - Advanced Tips →
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Part 3 of 5 in "Complete WordPress Guide"
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Configure the style in Member Blog → Series → Settings:
| Style | Appearance | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Buttons | Styled buttons with arrows | Clean, modern design |
| Links | Simple text links | Minimal, text-focused sites |
| Cards | Rich cards with thumbnails | Visual, image-heavy content |
Table of Contents
An auto-generated list of all posts in the series. Readers can see where they are and jump to any part.
TOC Example
Complete WordPress Guide (5 parts)
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✓ Part 1: Introduction
✓ Part 2: Setting Up
→ Part 3: Core Concepts (You are here)
○ Part 4: Advanced Tips
○ Part 5: Conclusion
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| Position | Where It Appears | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Before Content | At the top of the post | Reference guides |
| After Content | At the bottom, before comments | Tutorials, stories |
| Both | Top and bottom | Long content |
| Sidebar | Via shortcode in sidebar widget | Always-visible navigation |
Configuring Navigation Settings
- Go to Member Blog → Series
- Click Settings
- Configure these options:
| Setting | Options | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Navigation Style | Buttons, Links, Cards | How prev/next looks |
| TOC Position | Before, After, Both, None | Where TOC appears |
| Enable Progress | Yes/No | Track reader progress |
Reader Progress Tracking
Track how far readers have progressed through a series.
How It Works
- Reader views a post in the series
- Post is marked as “read” for that reader
- Progress percentage updates automatically
- Visual indicator shows completion
Progress Display
Your Progress: ████████░░ 60% (3 of 5 parts read)Progress Storage
| Reader Type | Storage Method |
|---|---|
| Logged-in users | User meta (persists across devices) |
| Guests | Browser cookies (if enabled) |
Enabling Guest Progress
By default, progress is only tracked for logged-in users. To track guests:
- Go to Series Settings
- Enable Allow Non-Logged Progress
- Save changes
Note: Guest progress uses cookies and won’t sync across devices or browsers.
Manual Shortcodes
If you want to place navigation or TOC manually in your post content:
Add Navigation
[bp-member-blog-series-nav]Add Table of Contents
[bp-member-blog-series-toc]Sidebar Widget
Add the TOC shortcode to a text widget in your sidebar for always-visible navigation.
SEO Benefits
Series navigation provides SEO advantages:
| Benefit | How |
|---|---|
| Internal linking | Automatic links between related posts |
| Topic authority | Comprehensive coverage signals expertise |
| User engagement | Readers consume more content |
| Reduced bounce | Navigation keeps readers on site |
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| Navigation not showing | Check that post is in a series |
| Wrong post order | Edit positions in series settings |
| Progress not tracking | Verify progress tracking is enabled |
| TOC not appearing | Check TOC Position setting |
Related Documentation
- Creating and Managing Post Series
- Series Landing Pages and Shortcodes