Content zones and insertions

Your site is not only what you typed into the editor. It has empty places built into it, and each one can hold content of your own. While a place is empty it does not exist for the visitor and takes up no height.

This is the answer to "how do I add a banner under the header on every page without editing every page." Not with code, and not page by page. You put it in a place that is already there.

#Every zone works the same way

The second half of the idea matters as much as the first: every zone accepts the same three kinds of content. So the question is never what you can insert, only where you are taking it from.

Rich text

Markup you type in directly. Shortcodes run, so a form, a map, or an embed from another plugin works here too.

Block pattern

A pattern you built in the WordPress editor and registered. You design it once, in a comfortable editor, then point a zone at it.

Elementor template

A template you saved in Elementor. Same idea, different builder.

One saved pattern or template can sit in several zones at once. Change it in one place and every zone showing it changes with it.

#Where the zones are

You do not need to memorize these. You need to know they exist.

Around the page content. A zone above the content and a zone below it, at AppearanceCustomizePagesContent Zones. Each one has a contexts setting that decides where it may appear: pages, posts, the posts page, the front page, the 404 page, archives, and everything else. By default all contexts are on, so set the contexts before you fill the zone, not after.

Fixed points inside an article. VerbaTheme OptionsSingle Post holds a list of injected blocks. Add a row for each one and choose its placement:

Two rows can share one placement. They stack in list order.

Mid-article. A separate case, because the point is not fixed. Turn on Inject content into the article and choose how far in it lands: near the start, in the middle, near the end, or after a set number of top-level blocks. This is how a banner or a signup form ends up inside the reading flow instead of beside it.

Under an archive listing. A zone for a related selection, a banner, or a subscribe form. See Advanced archives.

Above the footer. A site-wide call to action block. See Call to action.

The header and footer themselves can be a block pattern or an Elementor template. Same logic, larger scale. See Header and Footer.

#Choosing where to put something

One rule beats a list of scenarios: the closer a zone is to the text, the more attention it gets and the more it interrupts. A mid-article insertion is the most visible place on your site, which is exactly why it is the most expensive for the reader.

Permanent things live well around the content: a subscribe box, a disclaimer, topic navigation. Temporary campaigns are better in one place, and removed when the campaign is done.

#What zones cannot do

The places are fixed. You choose from what exists; you do not drop content at an arbitrary point on the page. Free composition is a page template, which is what Elementor templates are for.

A zone content is the same on every page where that zone is on. Making one specific page different is a job for that page fields, not for the zone.

#Questions

Can I show a zone only on posts in one category?

Not from the zone itself. The contexts setting works by page type, not by category. For narrower targeting, put the content in the post fields, or use a template that applies to that category.

My zone is filled but nothing appears

Check the contexts setting first: the zone may be off for the page type you are looking at. Then check that you saved, and clear any page cache.

Does an empty zone add spacing to the page?

No. An empty zone is not rendered at all, so it adds no markup and no height.

Which should I use: rich text, a pattern, or a template?

Rich text for a couple of lines or a shortcode. A pattern or an Elementor template for anything with a layout, especially if you want to reuse it in more than one zone.

Last updated 9 Sep 2026