If you need appointment scheduling templates but don’t want to hire online assistance or invest in calendar software, spreadsheets might be an excellent solution. Microsoft Excel offers various calendar template options to help you stay organized.

This article will show you how to create and customize an appointment Excel template. Then you will learn how to use the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) code to display your schedule.

Finally, you’ll discover the best weekly schedule templates to help you manage your appointments.

Creating Your Daily Appointment Calendar Template in Excel

Microsoft Excel comes with various free calendar template options. Still, they might not fit your needs or design preferences.

Regardless, building your own is easy. You can create your free daily appointment calendar following this six-step tutorial:

How to Build Your Weekly Schedule Template in Six Easy Steps

Image by pch.vector on Freepik

Decide what kind of schedule you need

You must evaluate your needs to decide on the best format. For example, a class schedule, a student schedule, or an appointment planner are very different choices.

During this first stage, you want to define if you need a simple planner or a more complex one. You can also write down ideas for the fields you want to include and where they should appear.

Build a new spreadsheet in Excel

After opening Microsoft Excel, you will click on “Blank Workbook.” Then you can begin building your schedule.

Start by merging the cells in the first rows to create the header.

Identify the columns

The next step is to label the columns according to what you have defined earlier. You can use the columns like priority labels, such as “Most important”, “Priority”, “Notes” etc.

Another labeling process is placing the days of the week in the columns. Or you can use the columns for different tasks, such as meetings, courses, chores, and exercise.

Identify the rows

Here, you can opt for the most popular format, which uses the rows to establish a time interval. Or you can also organize it differently to suit your needs.

Fill in your planner

In this step, you will enter all your information in the Excel calendar template. An easy way to decide what to write is to consider the items you don’t want to write in by hand after printing.

Edit the design

The last stage is to customize your schedule template. You can click “Page Layout” to use “Themes.”

You can also alter specific features by accessing the “Colors” or the “Fonts” tab.

Check out these next tips for customizing your Microsoft Excel templates.

Customizing your Excel templates

One of the best tips for organizing your project schedule is having a notes column. You can use it to write down details and updates on your weekly schedule.

Regarding style, headers should be in bold or have distinctive lettering to help them stand out. You can choose different background colors to track appointments and set break times.

Conditional formatting is also valuable for keeping track of any current or upcoming task. Similarly, changing font colors or using boldface or italics helps highlight vital information and dates.

The goal of customizing your appointment Excel template is to increase functionality. You want to be able to read it at a glance by distinguishing and identifying any event.

Including Graphics in Your Calendar Template

Image by storyset on Freepik

You can add various graphics to your weekly schedule templates. If you have a logo, pictures, or illustrative elements that you would like to include, save them on your computer.

On your Excel spreadsheet, you will open the “Insert” menu and click on “Pictures” inside the “Illustrations” section. From here you can load your saved images into your calendar template.

You can move the images to your preferred locations and adapt their size by dragging the image corners.

To add color, right-click any cell and select the small arrow button next to the “Fill” icon. Pick the “More Colors” option to access the color wheel or type in the code to a specific shade.

Using the Visual Basic for Applications Code

Alternatively, you can use VBA, a programming language created by Microsoft. They offer a sample of VBA with which you can build and insert your appointment Excel template.

To use it, you’ll first need to create a new workbook. Then in the “Developer” ribbon, select “Visual Basic.” On the left, under “VBAProject,” you will click the “Sheet1” tab.

Copy this Sample Visual Basic procedure, and paste it on the blank pop-up box.

The Most Useful Weekly Schedule Templates for You

Appointment Schedule Template

Choose a start date, time, and interval. Then, download a copy of this daily appointment calendar template before filling it, and rename it. It has a color code for keeping track of appointment status details.

Appointment Schedule Template CC doc

In addition to an appointment calendar template, you may also find it useful to have documents with information from meetings. In this example, a law firm records client decisions on the power of attorney, health care proxy, and last will and testament.

Appointment Schedule Template DD doc

This template focuses on appointment setting. It allows you to include data such as the name and contact information of the person you will be meeting, as well as the time and location of the appointment.

You can open and fill the template file download on your computer or phone.

Appointment Scheduling Template Document

For this one-page appointment Excel template, write the date at the top and fill in according to the meeting details. This simple printable form has a notes column you can enlarge beforehand.

Appointment Schedule Template 11 doc

This printable weekly appointment schedule has a column for each weekday and rows for the time intervals. Each hour splits into 15-minute gaps.

This free resource makes scheduling effortless, so you will never miss a commitment.

Appointment Scheduling Template FF doc

Here is a one-page daily appointment calendar template. You can alter the order of the days to feature, for instance, Monday to Sunday or Sunday to Saturday.

After adding your appointments, you will automatically highlight your weekly outline. The time intervals are also customizable.

Daily Appointment Calendar

You set your starting times and intervals with this free daily appointment calendar template. It is an accessible weekly scheduling planner, which you can print to track professional events or personal affairs.

Appointment Calendar

The Daily Appointment Calendar marks Wednesday as the weekly start date. You have to download it to fill it out with your appointments.

This weekly schedule template functions at 15-minute intervals, but you can alter it to fit your needs.

Wrap-up on the Advantages of an Appointment Excel Template

Having an appointment schedule to track the course of your week is indispensable. Consider the following advantages:

• Scheduling Excel templates are free to use and customize.
• Pre-built calendar templates save time and effort and come in various designs and layouts.
• You can use them for task-oriented workbooks that retain a consistent structure.
• When building your own, you can save a workbook as an appointment Excel template to use the same style when creating other workbooks.

In this article, you have learned to use and build Excel format schedules. You can now make an appointment calendar template that suits your weekly schedule workbook. Plus, you have explored the top-notch calendar template examples.

However, you should know that, if you are to be truly efficient and keep your appointment-based business easy to manage, you should consider switching to a reliable scheduling solution. A solution that could help you save time, cut costs, increase profits, and grow your business. A solution like the Amelia WordPress booking plugin.

Make sure to give it a try!

Do you host multiple events and need a powerful scheduling tool? Do you use your website to schedule and book upcoming events?

If the answer is yes, you need an events calendar plugin for your WordPress site. This is the best way to keep things under control.

Now the question is which plugin to choose. There are many options out there that cater to different needs. Hosting a large concert is not the same as organizing a local workshop.

One of those options is the WordPress Eventbrite plugin.

What are the main features of the Eventbrite plugin for WordPress?

Eventbrite comes with plenty of features to manage multiple events, and its event ticket capabilities are supported by a ticketing platform where you can create your events and add all the necessary details. With Eventbrite, you can also embed your checkout page into your WordPress site.

Nonetheless, Eventbrite is not flawless. On one hand, it can be expensive, especially for those that need constant planning. On the other hand, Eventbrite is not a specific WordPress tool. In other words, your visitors have to leave your website to purchase tickets. This also means that you have little control over the payment process or your client’s data.

Other disadvantages:

• Your WordPress Eventbrite is a system to sell tickets. Yet, it doesn’t have any marketing capabilities.
• It doesn’t give you ownership over the data you collect.
• It comes with limited payment methods.

So, if you’re looking for an alternative, here are the best plugins that will make sure you have the right tool to host successful online events.

The Best WordPress Eventbrite Plugin Alternatives

• Amelia
• Event Organiser
• Sugar Calendar
• EventON
• WordPress Pro Event Calendar
• Event Espresso
• Booknetic
• Timely All-in-One Events Calendar
• Modern Events Calendar
• My Calendar
• Calendarize it!
• 10Web

Amelia

If you’re looking for the ultimate event scheduling and management solution, Amelia is the one to consider.

A powerful WordPress plugin designed to address the common pains of appointment-based businesses, Amelia delivers a flawless booking experience, both for you and your customers.

Amelia works great on all WordPress-powered websites, it’s extremely easy to integrate and use, and does not require any training.

Its intuitive interface holds many features that streamline event scheduling and management processes. Working with events is easy thanks to recurring events, group scheduling, one-off and multi-day events, employee management, and simplified calendar view.

Event reminders, SMS, and email notifications are easy to set up and ensure you won’t have any last-minute cancellations.

Amelia allows you to handle everything related to event pricing. Set unique event price or custom pricing, determine capacity, create event tickets, offer discounts, and enable deposit payments.

Also, Amelia’s payment integrations enable you to accept payments via the most used payment systems, such as PayPal, Stripe, and Razorpay.

And all of this is available with only one licence – no hidden expenses and no costly add-ons.

Event Organiser

This is another excellent solution to manage your events easily. It integrates seamlessly with your WordPress site thanks to its custom post types. After installation, you must choose your preferred custom post type, which will determine the format of your posts.

It comes with a whole ecosystem of WordPress plugin options that you can acquire for a fee. Event Organiser Pro, for example, is a great alternative to Eventbrite events. It helps you manage all the areas and customize your emails and booking pages, and it provides several payment methods.

The option to repeat events is quite useful, so you can handle recurring events without too much hassle.

Finally, Event Organiser allows you to export all your Eventbrite events to the new plugin.

Sugar Calendar

One of the best Eventbrite plugin alternatives out there. Sugar Calendar is unique as it provides a full set of features while being user friendly.

It comes packed with everything an organizer needs. This includes recurring events, single and multi-day events, start and end times, categories, event pages, event details, and more.

With its built-in system, you can offer ticketed events hassle free. Moreover, you can sell tickets through Stripe or WooCommerce.

Create events easily and manage them with little effort. Users find the editor on the backend quite intuitive. The best part is that the event calendar that you display on the front end integrates seamlessly with your WordPress theme.

Finally, you can complement these features with plenty of add-ons like Google Maps, WPForms, and Google Calendar.

EventON

EventOn is a unique alternative to Eventbrite events, as it provides a stylish solution. With this plugin, your views will look beautiful and neat.

With the possibility to create unlimited events, this becomes one of the best tools out there. For example, you can complete the event details with information for the organizer and location.

When it comes to timing, you’ll find EventON to be flexible. Feel free to set up start and end times. Organization is easier, especially for events ending after midnight: you can overlap events across different days. Also, you can create an all-day event with just one click.

For recurring events, you can set up different types of schedules (monthly or weekly). The display of your calendar is also important, so EventON provides different styles so that you can showcase it beautifully. There’s also the option to present featured projects.

Additionally, visitors can filter the events based on location. The feature “add to calendar” is an easy way to add events on Apple iCloud Calendar, Google Calendar, and other platforms. Finally, with the integrated social share button, you can promote your projects easily.

WordPress Pro Event Calendar

Design is an important factor that may lean the scale towards one plugin or the other. With Pro Event, you can include impressive designs on your WordPress site. That way, your calendar would look beautiful on all devices.

Thanks to its intuitive drag-and-drop features, Pro Event is easy to use.

You’ll find plenty of perks, like a comprehensive solution to all your event-related tasks. Also, embedding is easy and users can submit events from the website’s front end. Offering Google Maps support, Pro Event will help you provide a better user experience. It’s fully customizable, so you can create personalized calendars that fit your brand.

Event Espresso

With two formats, Lite and Pro, Event Espresso is a great option to replace your Eventbrite account. The only difference between both versions is that the Lite plan doesn’t include add-ons.

You can use Event Espresso for all types of events. It also helps you manage event registration by its scanning add-on, to make sure your ticketed events are well organized and successful.

Changing the event designs is possible. To make them fit your WordPress theme for better brand awareness, choosing a flexible theme might be the best option.

The individual license provides most of the features for managing projects on your WordPress website. But, if you manage multiple events, the business license is worth the extra fee. This will allow you to develop your event management venture even further.

Booknetic

Here is another alternative to the WordPress Eventbrite plugin. With Booknetic’s sync features, you can easily connect it to your Google Calendar. Thus, you can see both busy and available time slots on both calendars and avoid double bookings. This feature also allows you to book more appointments.

Your users will be able to log in easily. They can do this through social accounts like Facebook or Google. From your end, you’ll be able to store all client data automatically. Booknetic’s Zoom integration also allows managers to host online events right from the booking page, and it integrates with WooCommerce.

Lastly, Booknetic simplifies the booking process by showing you a general view of all appointments.

Timely All-in-One Events Calendar

If you’re looking for an easy way to publish your events, check out this option. The Timely All-in-One Events Calendar offers a clean interface.

It comes with the ability to import and export content right from your WordPress dashboard. If you want, you can display your projects on other websites too. Its flexibility is amazing when it comes to setting up events. For example, you can add upcoming events and arrange complex recurring ones. Also, you can display them under different views, like monthly, weekly, on an agenda, or as a poster board.

Customization is important to your brand. You want your calendar to integrate seamlessly with your WordPress site and theme. This plugin allows you to do this and more. For example, you can add images to each category to encourage engagement, and use a color code to distinguish one type of event from the other.

Undoubtedly, if you want to display Eventbrite events, you won’t have this many alternatives. With the Timely All-in-One Events Calendar you can customize your calendar appearance as you like and embed it to your event page seamlessly. This saves you from making unnecessary changes to your WordPress theme.

Modern Events Calendar

Do you want prospective attendees to find your events on Google? Here is a free plugin with premium features that allows this and more. Among other things, it shows the event feed at the visitor’s local time.

You can display events in different formats and set up event details through a wide array of options. Establish exactly how your calendar looks and what functionalities it will have.

The paid plan lets you sell tickets directly from your WordPress site. Create all kinds of events from recurring events to one-day and multi-day events.

Publish your forms right on your site’s front end and make things easier for attendees.

All in all, Modern Events Calendar has everything you need to sell tickets online: payment gateways, different tickets, and custom fields.

My Calendar

The free version of this plugin comes with a fully featured calendar. Display your events through list and grid views. With the paid plan, you access a comprehensive, all-in-one tool at an affordable price.

It can show daily, weekly, and monthly projects. One of its widgets allows you to highlight upcoming events. It also provides access to searches and a compact view of your calendar.

There are plenty of settings available, like email notifications when new events or reservations are made. The My Calendar plugin even integrates with Twitter, letting you share your upcoming events easily and quickly.

The possibility to transfer events from another platform is always a plus. In this case, you can do it from Apply iCloud Calendar and Google Calendar.

If you want to share your calendar on multiple sites, My Calendar is the right choice.

Calendarize it!

Calendarize it! is fully compatible with WPBakery. This means that you can create your calendars using a drag-and-drop interface.

It comes with a wide color palette so that you can customize your calendars to your liking. The CSS editor plays an important role in this regard.

Two great additions are the support for Google Maps and the possibility to include recurring events. Use a widget to display your calendar quickly and easily.

If you want more functionalities, Calendarize it! has many free add-ons available. With these, you can do many things, such as feature events in an accordion, share on social platforms, add ratings, create member profiles, and receive reviews. You can also add an event countdown, sell tickets, and include advertising. Additionally, you can include an RSVP feature and links with attributes. Stay put, because the developers have announced new updates soon.

10Web

Here’s another great tool to create and organize events. As an alternative to WordPress Eventbrite events, this plugin is fully responsive. Through its user-friendly interface, you can manage and promote your events on your website.

Its flexibility will surprise you as you can work with both one-time and recurring events. Ticket sales and invitation sending is also simpler.

Choose from five themes to make your event pages look beautiful. 10Web’s integrations allow you to add many more interesting features. Use it with Google Maps to add videos, categories, locations, and tags directly on your WordPress site.

Finally, your events will get the visibility they deserve from the plugin’s SEO characteristics. Users will be able to see your calendar from all devices thanks to its responsiveness.

So, what’s the verdict?

As one of the popular event scheduling and management tools, Eventbrite has its audience. However, for all those looking for a reliable alternative to the WordPress Eventbrite plugin, consider one of the solutions we’ve listed above.

Each solution has its unique features and you should choose the one suits your business the best.

If you ask us, the most versatile, feature-rich, easy-to-use, and intuitive solution is Amelia. Designed to meet the needs of different industries, highly flexible and customizable, with features that make event organization, booking, and management a breeze, Amelia is by far our favorite event calendar. We suggest you check out the demos and see for yourself.

If you enjoyed reading this article about alternatives to the WordPress Eventbrite plugin, you should read these as well:

• The Best WordPress Event Registration Form Plugins
• The Best Event Planning Resources Every Pro Should Use

You need an effective tool to display upcoming events, conference meetings, or booking services on your official website. Choosing a suitable WordPress event calendar plugin can be somewhat complicated. To start, there are many from which to choose, and they could impact both the speed and security of your site. Among such plugins is Timely All-In-One Event Calendar. The plugin enables you to also manage your events via an online service feature.

If you need to oversee various recurring events, this particular plugin might come in handy. A free version is available, but it’s the premium subscription that comes jam-packed with useful features.

While the free version does have some nifty features, the premium version is cloud-based. Unfortunately, the extra add-ons can be heavy on the wallet.

Another drawback is the absence of resources to help understand and run specific software features. Users struggle to add events to personal calendars. And while the posterboard view is popular, many users aren’t as excited with the single-event page layout.

Ultimately, this is a display-centric plugin rather than a features-focused tool.

That’s why we’ve decided to prepare a list of 12 WordPress event calendar plugins that are worthy alternatives to the Timely All-In-One Events Calendar. Let’s have a look.

12 Alternatives to Timely All-In-One Event Calendar

• Amelia
• HubSpot WordPress Plugin
• Events Manager
• Sugar Calendar
• Modern Events Calendar
• WordPress Pro Event Calendar
• Events Schedule
• WP Event Manager
• FullEvents
• EventON
• My Calendar
• Elegant Calendar

Amelia

Amelia is a powerful WordPress event calendar and event management plugin designed to fit every WordPress website.

Its main strengths are its ease of use, great user experience, minimal and user-friendly design, as well as an astonishing number of features it’s packed with.

With Amelia, you can organize, manage, and schedule all types of events, including both online and offline events. Meetings, conferences, virtual events, concerts, classes, online sessions – Amelia caters for all.

Create one-day, multi day, and recurring events with ease via Amelia’s intuitive dashboard.

The greatest differentiator when compared with other WordPress booking plugins is that Amelia is a SaaS-like solution – built with care and with the end-user in mind.

Unlock all of Amelia’s amazing features and integrations with only one licence – no add-ons, no hidden expenses.

To test things for yourself, check out Amelia’s demos and you’ll quickly realize why it’s the best alternative to Timely All-In-One Event Calendar.

HubSpot WordPress Plugin

Despite being relatively new to the events calendar plugin market, this powerful tool is being used in more than 280K websites around the digital world.

A free HubSpot account enables you to create an event scheduling link you can embed on a WordPress website.

After someone schedules or books event tickets through your site, their contact details are automatically added to your Outlook or Google calendar and stored in the HubSpot CRM database (for an unrestricted number of users).

This is a fully accessible database from your WordPress site which permits you to view how each contact interacts with your website.

If you want a straightforward calendar you can embed on your website and to store all your contact data in one location,. you want the HubSpot WordPress plugin.

Events Manager

Events Manager is a plugin chock-full of features designed with experienced developers in mind. Some exceptional attributes worth mentioning include the ability to create multiple locations and venues, the Google maps integration, and a multi-site WordPress installation.

Are you in the first stages of your event management business and trying to budget? Events Manager enables front-end submissions with its free version.

Considering its display events options, this plugin wasn’t as powerful as the others. On the upside, its design complements other WordPress plugins, allowing users to insert grids, feature events, and carousels.

This features-dense option may be a little too much for a small personal business that hosts events once in a blue moon.

Sugar Calendar

Sugar Calendar is an attractive option for users looking for an uncomplicated basic tool. It provides settings and a robust solution to help you display your events. Web designers will enjoy access to useful features without having to overload the server’s resources.

Enhance user experience (UX) with the handy Ajax calendar view, and file previous events by date by creating an Events Archive.

Some extra features to consider are its straightforward installation and configuration, admin-friendly interface, shortcodes to post calendars, and calendar widgets.

Modern Events Calendar

The free events calendar plugin version provides various tools to design, set up, and advertise your events. Modern Events Calendar delivers on its name with its fresh design. Both users and visitors of the site will enjoy how easy it is to work with this software.

Select from a variety of layouts and simply add them to your website. You can also merge your Google Calendar, WooCommerce and PayPal accounts. A booking system is also available. With the paid version, users can add maps and other booking options.

This is a plugin for every type of user. If you don’t often create and host events, stick with the free version. But if you often create and host big events, you cannot go wrong with the paid version’s sophisticated event management tools.

WordPress Pro Event Calendar

This plugin is another great alternative to All-In-One Event Calendar. It’s easy to use, and you can use the custom CSS to edit different calendar styles. Utilize it within a widget. This plugin can run on different devices.

You can also book events, sign up for newsletters, and submit events using the front end through the responsive online event calendar. Add holidays and other specific dates to your calendar, and import events from Facebook or your ICS feed.

WordPress Pro Event Calendar runs on all up-to-date browsers and supports both WPML translator and MailChimp.

Noteworthy features include a responsive layout, manageable events, front-end submissions, the ability to add special events (like holidays), set administrators, and permit users to schedule events.

Events Schedule

Events Schedule is a simple and easy plugin that enables you to create events. Customers can book quickly and with minimal effort.

There are 12 unique styles you can choose to use to showcase your events or classes. And if you’re running a lifestyle or hobby-type class or event, you can select the blog post style option.

Choose a basic class schedule layout where you can display instructor/tutor names and locations.

Users that aren’t as tech-savvy will enjoy this elemental WordPress calendar plugin. The standard WordPress dashboard permits easy customization or organizes everything through Visual Composer.

Its built-in booking system enables users to integrate their event listings with WooCommerce.

WP Event Manager

Add shortcodes to your webpages using the WP Event Manager plugin, and get access to a robust event listing (with list or thumbnail grid view options).

Along with the search function, you’ll also be able to make use of free location mapping, which is usually only available through paid subscriptions with most event management tools.

Users can override all featured templates with their own personalized theme, something pro developers will enjoy. Not everything is complimentary. You’ll have to pay to access ticketing and booking systems for upcoming events. Plugin upgrades can be purchased via add-ons.

FullEvents

Use FullEvents to design and showcase eye-catching listings for your own events. The admin dashboard boasts ease of use allowing you to add an unrestricted number of categories, like music, sports, clubs, and more. You can then allocate events under the category of your choosing.

Users can pick and customize from an array of event listings. Insert images to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the site’s calendar. The FullEvents plugin delivers some exceptional features that take the UX to the next level, like AJAX, advanced event search filters, and a basic or complete calendar.

This powerful event calendar software runs with all WordPress themes and provides two event calendar versions. If visitors are using the single calendar view, they can click to find out more about the event.

With the full calendar view, all events and relevant information is presented.

EventON

This is not a free plugin, but it’s jam-packed with some outstanding features. EventON outdoes its competitors in regard to visuals. Its operation is intuitive, and it works well with custom data fields and other programs.

Email notifications, subscriptions, and monetization preferences are all available via add-ons. Keep in mind that prices differ.

EventON doesn’t come cheap, so it’s not the best option if you’re planning a once-off event. However, if you have an event-related business, and you’re looking for a straightforward, yet visually exciting, WordPress event plugin, this could be for you.

Standout features include filtering by location, social media share button integration, and a simple add to calendar button for iCal, Google Calendar, and more.

My Calendar

My Calendar may not be as well-known as EventON or Timely All-In-One Event Calendar but more than 30,000 sites are running this plugin.

This WordPress event management tool features some fantastic customizable options to showcase your event details. The plugin also supports specific event calendars within WordPress multisite.

Users can choose to display several calendars by category, location, author, or future events. An excellent attribute of My Calendar is how easy it is to filter a calendar by criteria.

A few more vital features are: multiple calendar views, location management for venues, multisite support, and ability to create unlimited events and recurring events.

Elegant Calendar

Elegant Calendar is an event calendar plugin that makes it quick and easy for users to create and run their events. It utilizes pre-designed layouts. Major theme frameworks like Divi, Enfold, Genesis, and Avada are all capable of operating with this plugin.

Use shortcodes to design and add calendars to your webpages, and then present these events using the list view option. Alternatively, visitors can view events by day, week, or month. You can choose to hide or show the search bar that allows visitors to browse for a specific event.

Potential attendees can also filter events by category and customize each event with a color.

The Elegant Calendar WordPress plugin also supports comments entered on a single event page, and you can opt to disable comments whenever you need.

Takeaway

If you’re looking to find a possible alternative to the Timely All-In-One Event Calendar, you’ve come to the right place.

Out of all WordPress event plugins on this list, you’re bound to find the one that suits your particular business needs the best.

Although each event calendar plugin here has its own advantages and unique features, Amelia is the one that takes care of your event management business as a whole. Definitely worth your while.

Whatever niche you are working with, a plugin to manage calendar events and bookings is bound to be helpful. As it happens, EventOn is one of the most popular options out there.

One of the reasons why EventOn is so popular is its flexibility. It comes with exciting features that help manage all the events of a company as well as their appointments, and you can achieve cool effects with its flat design and color palette. Also, EventOn helps you build particularly beautiful visuals.

However, many logged-in users complain about its style. Also, although extra features are available, you can only get them through paid add-ons. Some users even say that the design is too complex.

Pricing, too, is a sensitive issue. For example, many of its add-on features are promoted in the description of the basic product.

That’s why we’ve prepared a list of the very best EventOn alternatives that you may find useful.

Top 11 EventOn Alternatives to Consider

• Amelia
• Event Espresso
• The Events Calendar
• Events Manager
• My Calendar
• Modern Events Calendar
• Time.ly All-In-One Events Calendar
• WP Simple Booking Calendar
• Stachethemes Event Calendar
• Events Calendar for Google
• 10Web

Amelia

The first scheduling solution on our list is Amelia.

Amelia is a WordPress booking plugin that is known for its simplicity, ease of use, sleek design, powerful features, useful integrations, and excellent customer support.

Designed with end-user in mind and tailored to the demanding needs of service businesses, Amelia is equipped to make your (and your clients’) scheduling process smooth, efficient, and fast.

Amelia’s features all serve one purpose – to help you manage your bookings and streamline your business operations.

Track, organize, and manage your appointments with Amelia’s intuitive dashboard. Set automatic text reminders and emails to ensure your customers don’t forget about their appointments and minimize no-shows. Accept payments and deposits via PayPal and Stripe. Automate your event bookings as well and schedule a single day, a multi-day, and recurring events.

The best thing is that the booking process takes only a few clicks, making this booking plugin one of the most-user friendly scheduling solutions on our list.

Another benefit is that you have access to some very useful integrations, such as WooCommerce, Google Calendar, Zoom, and Google Analytics.

And all of that is available under only one license, with no add-ons or hidden expenses.

Event Espresso

Event Espresso is an excellent solution compared to EventOn. We’re talking about a WordPress plugin specialized in event tickets and registration management. It comes with features like scanning usabilities, event check-in, and payment platforms.

If this sounds like something you may benefit from, don’t hesitate to give it a try. However, if you want a simple solution to display your featured events, you may want to choose another option. All the EventOn alternatives on this list have something to offer.

All in all, Event Espresso comes with a full set of features. This includes event location, venue information, all-day events or events with specific time frames, multiple times and days for a single event, and integration with Google Maps.

The Events Calendar

Manage all virtual events with this powerful tool. Display them on monthly and daily views.

With this event calendar plugin, you can do more than share future events: you can increase your engagement. Your visitors can subscribe to receive updates for all the events, thanks to the plugin’s Google Calendar and Apple iCloud Calendar integration. Moreover, its fine coding allows you to greatly customize your event views its fine coding.

The designs you get with The Events Calendar are responsive and compatible with popular themes like Avada or Divi. If you want a good alternative to EventOn, choose this option. You’ll get perks like a keyword search feature, AJAX loading, time zone support, and integration with Google Maps.

Events Manager

Although it’s not as widely used as EventOn or The Events Calendar, this option offers a lot. You’ll also find it has good ratings.

The best part is that the free version of Events Manager offers features that other free plans don’t. For example, you get support for event tickets and bookings. Also, the user can subscribe to your event news. If you decide to go for the paid plan, you can collect payments right from the plugin.

Its main drawback is the presentation of the event calendar. It comes with templates that don’t stand out for their beauty. Also, if you want to edit them, you need to use CSS and HTML.

My Calendar

Here is another free plugin to replace EventOn. This WordPress plugin won’t disappoint you.

You’ll find support through different features like event location, event type categories, calendars, and groups. To easily embed your event calendar, generate a shortcode or simply add a widget. That way, you can share your event date on blogs, pages, and sidebars.

This is a highly customizable solution for your many events, with a wide array of settings for event pages. With six premade skins, you can make your event calendar look exactly the way you want. Thus, My Calendar offers a high level of control that is hard to find in EventOn.

Savvy users can use the editor to upload their custom CSS. Finally, it supports Google Maps, event popups, and the possibility to add a single event page.

Modern Events Calendar

Do you want to replace EventOn effectively? Check out this option!

This plugin was sold at CodeCanyon with an excellent performance: over 4,800 sales, 181 reviews, and a rating of 4.78 stars.

Now, Modern Events Calendar is an independent plugin with both a free and a premium version. You can get the free plan at wordpress.org and the upgraded version on the developer’s website. If you’re on a budget, the free version of Modern Events Calendar is a good option, giving you a fair number of functionalities.

The free plan includes support for organizers and venues and different types of events. Set up both one-day and recurring events. Also with the free version, you can accept subscriptions right on the front end.

As its name suggests, this EventOn alternative brings a modern design to display your related events. All in all, it’s a solid solution if you want great style without too much effort.

Time.ly All-In-One Events Calendar

This all-in-one solution makes an excellent free EventOn alternative. You can use it on all kinds of websites. A great option for newbies, Timely All-in-One Events Calendar is SEO-friendly, responsive, and lightweight. Your visitors will see your events perfectly from any screen.

Creating events is easy, and you can build a single event page, never-ending events, or recurring events. By introducing categories and tags, your visitors can find their favorite events easily. Thanks to these features, this software is excellent for holding both in-person and virtual events.

You can also use other applications to import elements. For example, Apple iCloud Calendar and Google Calendar are perfectly compatible. Another great plus is the possibility to showcase your projects in the viewer’s time zone.

WP Simple Booking Calendar

WP Simple Booking Calendar is simple to use, but by no means simple in the features it offers. It actually includes captions and month names in 30 different languages.

Ideal for multiple organizers, it lets you combine several schedules into one dashboard. With the premium plan, you access the possibility to edit in bulk and synchronize your calendars with popular websites. This includes Airbnb and Booking.com.

Managers can provide a better user experience by allowing visitors to edit the event calendar. Users also get extra event details by hovering their mouse over the event date.

If you need a search bar, WP Simple Booking Calendar includes a search widget. You can also apply changeover days to simplify the booking process.

Stachethemes Event Calendar

Coming from CodeCanyon, this is a premium tool whose price ranges between EventOn and Modern Events Calendar, and it doesn’t require any paid add-ons.

It comes with neat calendars for a clear view of your related events, and you can display more in the sidebar. Simply insert the widget, and the rest is easy. Specially designed to work with Elementor, you can add calendar elements to your event page hassle free. You’re free to customize away with Stachethemes’s functionalities.

Finally, it integrates seamlessly with popular payment platforms. Its eCommerce capabilities will allow you to collect payments right from your website.

Events Calendar for Google

If you want a simpler alternative when compared to EventOn, this is it. Displaying elements from your Google Calendar has never been easier. Set them up in a calendar, a grid, or a list.

So, all you have to do is insert your Google Calendar’s URL. Then create your events from there and display them on your event page.

Moreover, you have plenty of features to choose from. For instance, control how your calendars look by inserting shortcodes. Customize the appearance even further through custom stylesheets.

Although it doesn’t include a system for event tickets, you can sell them through a third party. Just enter the page’s URL on your Google Calendar and you’ll be ready to sell.

10Web

10Web is one of the most responsive EventOn alternatives. Add unlimited events that will look stunning across all devices.

Its settings area includes plenty of fields for better customization. Then, add a widget and include your featured events also on your sidebar.

Since sharing is vital for the promotion of your projects, 10Web comes with a sharing button for Google Plus, Twitter, and Facebook.

If you want to enhance the plugin’s features, you have to buy add-ons. You can acquire them either separately or in bundles.

Finally, make your event locations easily available for your attendees by making use of 10Web’s integration with Google Maps.

To Sum Up

If you’re looking for an alternative to EventOn, consider using one of the suggested solutions from our list.

Even though each option has its strong points, our personal favorite is Amelia. Its ease of use, efficiency, number of features available, and price are unmatched. We advise you to try a demo version and see for yourself.

Event Espresso is a WordPress event registration plugin launched in 2009. This tool streamlines all necessary administrative functions related to online event registration.

With this platform, you can create a variety of registration forms.

Event Espresso Decaf is the free version which includes features such as ticketing, calendar management, and registration. Event payment gateways allow users to consolidate this event management platform with other payment processing tools to back up both offline and online payments.

There is no doubt that Event Espresso is a practical and effective plugin for event organizers. But there are several significant drawbacks to consider – the most beneficial add-ons have a price tag, and there’s a limited range of reporting features, created with only established businesses in mind.

If you’re looking for great alternatives to Event Espresso, keep reading and learn more about user-friendly plugins that won’t wreck your budget.

The Best Event Espresso Alternatives to Consider

• Amelia
• Events Manager
• Stachethemes Event Calendar
• Booknetic
• Timetable Responsive Schedule
• Event Organiser
• Eventzilla
• EventON
• Events Schedule
• Booking Calendar
• Time.ly Event Calendar
• Simple Calendar

Amelia

The most powerful WordPress event management and event calendar plugin on our list is Amelia.

Designed to integrate with every WordPress-powered website flawlessly, Amelia comes with an impressive set of features that help automate your event management processes. Streamline your workflow, enhance event scheduling, tracking, and management, and create a smooth booking experience for your users.

Create recurring, one-day, or multi-day events both online and offline (multiple locations included) with Amelia’s easy-to-use dashboard.

Allow your customers to pay in advance via PayPal and Stripe and send them email and SMS reminders to reduce no-shows and last-minute cancellations.

Google Calendar integration makes the booking process even more efficient for you, your employees, and your customers.

These are just some of the features this powerful event calendar plugin offers – see what else Amelia has in store for you.

The best thing? All features are included in price – no hidden costs or add-ons.

Events Manager

This plugin offers a fantastic free version for the everyday user. However, the paid version, Events Manager Pro, does boast some first-rate features – premium support, a custom payment gateway, API, spam security, coupons, discounts, customizable booking forms, and PayPal support.

Your standard WordPress website operator can work with a straightforward backend interface. Showcase the interface on the frontend to sell tickets or display a basic calendar or event info via the events calendar.

With Events Manager you can design custom-made event features.

Stachethemes Event Calendar

When it comes to the mobile event apps, you simply cannot ignore Stachethemes Event Calendar. This plugin has been enhanced with mobile devices in mind, with a strong focus on WooCommerce integrations.

Using this integration, you can sell tickets and merch connected with your events straight to your customers via a calendar widget. The plugin enables you to set up repeat payments. This allows your customers to attend different events without needing to pay every time they book. In addition, depending on your team availability, clients can book a desired employee directly.

You can share events via social media platforms and run your calendar across several WordPress account-based sites.

WooCommerce, iCal, and ICS are integrated and there are six distinct calendar views to choose from.

Booknetic

This completely customizable tool can be tailored to accommodate a diverse range of requirements.

Fully automated online bookings offer a wide range of features that are fast and simple to work with.

If you’re looking to save time, this plugin helps you arrange online payments, handle comprehensive reporting and sync with 3rd-party software (such as Google Calendar, ZOOM, Telegram etc.)

Use the easy drag-and-drop function to create signup forms and boost your event further with the exciting ‘waiting list’ feature. Using other 3rd-party apps like Zapier, Automate, Hubspot and others, you can further enhance the plugin’s operating potential.

Timetable Responsive Schedule

The Timetable Responsive Schedule plugin comes with a number of event calendars, schedules, and details related to availability.

Let your clients know when, how, and where the upcoming events will take place using the events widget.

Most event management plugins, such as Event Espresso and TRS,  allow you to work along with any ticket scanning event app that fits your needs.

After downloading the plugin, you can add, rename, modify the settings, event hours and frequency of your calendar event. Then set the date and publish. Copy the autogenerated shortcode and paste it on your website in the appropriate spot.

Event Organiser

Another great alternative to Event Espresso is Event Organizer – an effective event organization tool for WordPress to integrate with a variety of default custom posts.

First install the plugin, then select the proper custom post type to support the WordPress format. You’ll even have control over extra event modules.

Key features include an intuitive interface with the required basic attributes and powerful support for one-off or recurring events. Purchase various premium add-ons, like Event Organiser Pro, and create custom booking forms and emails, a full management section, and assorted payment gateways.

Eventzilla

Need a multipurpose event registration and management plugin to create appealing event websites, approve registrations, handle payments, collect information, oversee the speakers, and automate communication with attendees? Then check out Eventzilla.

Instead of paying a monthly fee, pay when you use the platform or select custom pricing for event organizers. Unlike Event Espresso, premium features are available at standard rates.

Supervise both public and private event registrations as well as conditional logic fields. Come up with special seating arrangements with the aim of reserving seats directly through Eventzilla.

You can embed ticket purchase options in your customized website, as well as send event marketing email. Use your social media platforms to offer discounts and special promos.

EventON

Create calendar events as you select address, times and dates of set company events using the EventON WordPress plugin. A design bonus is that you can choose the right colors to complement your site palette.

Not only is this software easy to install, but it’s easy to work with as well. This plugin is the right event technology if you want to promote your functions, meetings, classes or parties. Add photos and Google Maps to your event so that attendees can check out where the event will be held and what it will look like.

Time views are available to support your promotion of events on a daily or monthly basis.

Events Schedule

Here is a robust and flexible WordPress calendar plugin. You’ve got 12 schedule styles (each boasting differing features) to choose from and customize.

Simplify things for your customers by using list, weekly and monthly views – providing sufficient time for them to plan for upcoming occasions. An advanced event filter allows them to also conveniently discover and access events.

The flexibility of Events Schedule with its range of calendar types is suited to most industries. Create event ticketing for any event, from scheduling fitness classes and theater schedules to museum timetables and arena shows.

Booking Calendar

Want to add an online booking option to your website with minimal fuss? Regardless of your industry – be it accommodation rental or event scheduling – Booking Calendar is an efficient plugin.

Insert a calendar on the site’s frontend and allow users to verify availability and make a booking by filling out and submitting a basic form.

Whatever the event, once a reservation is made, you’ll receive a notification for a booking request. You can choose to approve or reject the request. After you register attendees,  you can look through and organize the bookings, which helps prevent any double-bookings.

Import your Google Calendar into your booking WordPress admin area. This particular plugin supports Booking, TripAdvisor, and Airbnb.

Time.ly Event Calendar

Another alternative to Event Espresso is Time.ly. This is the event management tool you need to help you strike that work-life balance with a number of suitable features to take your event organizing to the next level.

The features this event management plugin offers range from the option to create recurrent events, to filtering, and embedding Google Maps on your site. And not to forget – it’s free.

If you’re looking for more features (frontend submission forms, super widgets, venues, extended views, Twitter integration among others), try out the hosted software solution. You can create reports to stay updated with data that will help you improve your event organization.

Time.ly makes it easy to import and export data from Apple iCal, MS Outlook, and Google Calendar.

Simple Calendar

The Simple Calendar plugin brings together the best of both Google Calendar and WordPress.

This is a software tool that really lives up to its name: Simple. It’s really easy to set up and display events, timetables, bookings and availability options. You can also select to accept payments from all major credit cards and PayPal.

With Simple Calendar, display monthly, weekly, or list views and manage crucial updates via your Google Calendar. Utilize the widget view feature if you want to place your calendar on your website’s sidebar or footer.

Simple Calendar is accessible with Google Calendar which means potential attendees can add any event of interest to their Google Calendar using the ‘Add GCal’ link option.

Conclusion

Although Event Espresso plugin has its advantages, there are several other event management solutions worth your while.

If you’re still not convinced, take a look at our list of the very best event booking systems and event plugins for your WordPress-powered website.

If you ask us, our vote goes to Amelia – the most customizable, user-friendly, and easy-to-use WordPress event calendar designed to take your event management business to the next level.

With new wellness trends coming up constantly, the spa industry is always changing. From charcoal face masks to seaweed wraps, spas are always looking for ways to expand their service offerings. (more…)

How can one ensure they never forget important anniversaries, birthdays, or work meetings? By using the Google Calendar app. (more…)

Online booking is becoming increasingly popular and enabling appointment setting through your WordPress-powered website simplifies the processes.

When choosing a booking plugin, many WordPress users choose WP Event Manager. This open-source tool functions as an all-in-one management platform.

It provides all the front-end forms you need, plus a comprehensive event dashboard. You can create event listings for users to browse or allow them to customize events. Overall, the plugin delivers a versatile and smooth user experience. There are also multiple other features to support proper event management.

Still, this WordPress plugin might not be the best choice for all businesses.

Despite being free, most of its add-ons come with a price tag. Moreover, it leans more toward virtual events, which is not necessarily suitable for the majority of businesses. Not to mention that installing and configuring this plugin demands some time and expertise.

In this article, you will find 12 alternatives to the WordPress Event Manager plugin that’ll help you improve your website without breaking the bank.

Premium Alternatives to the WP Event Manager Plugin

• Amelia
• Calendarize It!
• EventON
• WP Events Plus
• Timetable
• Venture Event Manager
• Eventin
• Event Monster
• Event Organiser
• Modern Events Calendar
• The Events Calendar
• Time.ly

Amelia

Amelia is a powerful all-in-one WordPress booking plugin and event calendar that can help you fully automate all your event-related operations, and more.

With its sophisticated and user-friendly interface and sleek design, Amelia makes event booking an adventure to look forward to. You can track and manage your events, organize your workflow, enhance event booking experience, and avoid double bookings.

Amelia is an excellent event management solution packed with features every event-based business needs. Easily create one-time, multi-day, or recurring events, and set up deposit payments and dynamic ticketing.

Amelia values both your and your clients’ time. As a business owner, you can create, organize, manage, track, cancel or delete events in a matter of minutes. At the same time, the complete user interaction takes a few clicks, making Amelia one of the most user-friendly WordPress booking plugins out there.

Only one licence – no add-ons required. Fully customizable.

Curious? Take a look at the rest of the features Amelia offers.

Calendarize it!

Calendarize it! is a feature-rich and comprehensive event calendar for WordPress. One of its advantages over the WP Event Manager is that it offers a significant selection of free add-ons.

You can configure it to show both upcoming events and past events. Another excellent feature is allowing registered users to access their own events calendar.

Additionally, the plugin lets you filter events by organizers, venues, or location. It enables multiple views for your events calendar and supports several page builders.

Before committing to buy this WordPress plugin, you can test it using the username and password provided on their site.

EventON

EventOn is an event calendar with a clean schedule format. With it, you can automatically add and remove real-time live events on your WordPress theme.

Event listings enable unlimited images and suggest related content to users. After reading the event preview, users can open a single event page for more details.

As with the WP Event Manager, it integrates with Google Maps and several other platforms. You can also customize the display styles and colors.

There is a free version called EventOn Lite. It includes only the key features, whereas the paid version encompasses over 200 features total.

EventOn is extremely easy for you to manage and for your users on the front end to use. You can add your choice of paid premium add-ons to your plugin through annual subscriptions.

WP Events Plus

Events Plus is a WordPress event calendar that does not require add-ons. It is available in five languages and provides access to all its features through a single purchase.

This approach differs from the WP Event Manager, which sells add-on categories as extras.

EventsPlus includes a comprehensive event dashboard presenting an outline of recent events. It also delivers a single event page with all the crucial details for each entree of your event listings.

After integration, you can use this tool to sell tickets and manage users. Additionally, you get valuable statistical insights on registrations, payments, and recent events.

Timetable

The Timetable plugin focuses on improving scheduling processes for you and your users.

You can create an event calendar and take online reservations according to pre-set available slots. You can also manage events by using shortcodes to display their occurrences.

The possibility to export timetables to PDF makes it perfect for any event manager. Plus, each event submission form field is customizable.

With this WordPress plugin, you may edit a single event or your entire timetable. It even allows you to display upcoming events through integrated widgets.

Unlike the WP Event Manager pricing plan, adding event listing functionality only requires a one-time fee. Another significant advantage is that this plugin allows calendar display and use on any mobile device.

Venture Event Manager

Venture Industries Online offers many digital solutions for businesses. Its Venture Event Manager is an excellent alternative to the WP Event Manager.

Venture Event Manager will improve your WordPress website experience from both the backend and frontend.

The features are created with administrators in mind. Multiple views for diverse event types and settings for recurring events are available.

There are specialized lists you can share via a shortcode, thus adding event-listing functionality. Other elements include an archive for expired events and widgets for users to access event details easily.

Its display configurations are fitted to different devices.

However, there is no free version available.

Eventin

Eventin is a WordPress plugin that simplifies creating, managing, and selling events. It has a wide variety of features to help event management businesses grow.

As an event manager, you can create an unlimited number of single and multiple events. Plus, you receive detailed analytics reports to track attendees and other users.

Event organizers and speakers are assigned an individual page on your WordPress theme. Users also earn access to purchased event details through a personal event dashboard.

Unlike the WP Event Manager, you can download this free plugin or opt for a paid version with extra features. You can choose a plan fitted to your needs and decide between a yearly subscription or a lifetime purchase.

Event Monster

Event Monster is a comprehensive event management portal. It allows you to manage users and attendee data, sell tickets, and customize events and template files.

It presents an event dashboard where you can manage all your events by type, venue, and date. You also get custom event fields for forms and can share event details through social media platforms.

Like the WP Event Manager, Event Monster integrates with Google Maps to display an event location. It even includes a countdown timer for upcoming events.

This free plugin also has a paid version with premium add-ons, including coupons and payment features.

Event Organiser

Event Organiser is a user-friendly event management tool offers a free limited version and three paid subscription plans.

Several free add-ons are available, such as a VAT rate setting tool and a sigma theme for your WordPress website. With a pro plan, you can get paid extensions with extra features, like emailing users and attendees from your event dashboard.

Front-end forms are customizable with their field editor. You can also manage multiple payment gateways and implement discounts.

Users get multiple views for upcoming events, besides the usual event calendar. They can access a single event or browse your event listings.

As with the WP Event Manager, there are advantages if you are a developer or know HTML code. Event Organiser adds functionality and customization with alterable hooks and template files.

Modern Events Calendar

Modern Events Calendar lives up to its name by bringing the most recent technology to your event management portal. It offers over 50 event display layout options.

This plugin integrates with other platforms to adapt to private, corporate, in-person, virtual, or hybrid events. It includes booking and ticketing features and supports various payment gateways.

You can create shortcodes for custom styles from any past event and archive them. Besides, your WordPress users can use front-end forms to submit their own events listings.

The free version of this plugin is Modern Events Calendar Lite, which includes a significant variety of features. Like the WP Event Manager, it has a paid add-on list from which to choose.

The Events Calendar

Surpassing the WP Event Manager, The Events Calendar has over 28 million downloads. This digital community creates plugins that integrate seamlessly with any WordPress site.

This tool delivers a fully responsive experience built to streamline event management processes.

The Events Calendar has a free version, an annual pro plan, and five plugin bundle solutions according to your business needs. You will find resources to sell tickets and follow up on registrations for any upcoming event.

Additionally, you can purchase extra add-ons, like filtering options. Thus, users can find events based on event tags, price, date, or event types.

The free extensions include a tool to remove past events and a progress bar for current event listings.

Time.ly

Time.ly all-in-one event calendar is a full-service plugin. You can use it to manage upcoming and recurring events, learning programs, and event venues.

Like the WP Event Manager, it is compatible with various time zones and languages. Plus, you can manage attendees, send invoices, and receive payments.

This tool integrates seamlessly with your WordPress site theme, making it easy to install and use. It has a fully responsive design and allows unlimited event listings.

You can create public event listings or share them with a limited number of your WordPress users. You can also set search filters for users to find events based on the event type and location.

There is a free version for freelancers, and organizations can get customized pricing according to their needs.

Parting Words

There you have it – the best WordPress event booking and management plugins to consider instead of WP Event Manager.

It goes without saying that each plugin has its own advantages, especially considering unique requirements each event-based business has.

However, we believe that the Amelia WordPress event calendar offers the best value for the price. It’s extremely user-friendly, intuitive, responsive, with amazing built-in features and all the necessary integrations to make event management a breeze.

Information Architecture is something that both designers and developers deal with. Regardless of who is responsible for Information Architecture, the tools and resources related to it are separate instances that require enough knowledge to operate them correctly.

Our team at Amelia (probably the best WordPress bookings plugin) put together this article to find out more about what Information Architecture means, what relationship it has with web designers, and how it can improve the user experience process in the long run.

Table of Contents

• Information Architecture – definition and facts
• Paramount questions to ask regarding Information Architecture
  
• What is the relationship between Information Architecture and Website Navigation?
• Information Architecture – principles
• Activities as part of the team
  
• Business value

Information Architecture – definition and facts

Information Architecture, sometimes referred to as IA, is the process that involves creating a structure for a website, mobile app development, or other projects that requires one.
Without a well-built Information Architecture, users would be lost when visiting a website or using an app.

IA helps users understand where they are, based on how the website/app is built. Defining Information Architecture is not easy, as it is a wide concept that contains intricate details that need to be separately discussed.

The result of Information Architecture is represented by site maps, categorizations, metadata, and so on. Basically, information is placed in hierarchies to make using the website more effective. Content strategists deal with separating content on a regular basis.

By separating content, they create categories that need to be considered when structuring a website. On the other hand, when web designers create website menus, they also practice Information Architecture to help users select the categories that are relevant for what they search. An information architect places everything in order so that users don’t get lost in the content.

IA/UX Design

Many people mistake UX design for IA design. There are some substantial differences between the two, but they are part of the same field. To put it shortly, IA design can be compared to a blueprint of the whole structure of a project.

UX designers use the architecture basis to plan the navigation system. Basically, UX designers rely on Information Infrastructure to improve the user experience. Thus, IA is the foundation of UX and one of the many requirements that designers must respect.

The importance of Information Architecture

The website Information Architecture takes quite a lot to create. This is the reason why people tend to avoid working with IA. This is a mistake because efficient navigation is not possible without a good Information Architecture foundation.

Efficient IA design is a condition of obtaining usable websites and applications. Without IA, a website would have many navigation problems that will simply make users leave it as soon as they access it. Investing time in Information Architecture could save developers a lot of resources in the future, as they will no longer need to improve the structure of a website.

Paramount questions to ask regarding Information Architecture

There are four big questions you should keep in mind when talking about IA design:

• What flow of users goes through the site?
• How does IA help users search through information?
• How is the information presented to the user?
• Is the information helping users to find what they are looking for faster?

The information architect is the one who needs to handle these questions and decide what the next move is in terms of IA design. These questions mostly refer to the audience, because the IA design is directly influenced by it. Information Architecture influences everything, so it’s best to have a big picture in mind before getting to work.

What is the relationship between Information Architecture and Website Navigation?

The website navigation refers to all the components of a user interface. These components make up the navigation experience on a website.

Users can find information much more rapidly if the website navigation is well-built from the start. Because it makes information easy to access, the users are more likely to make decisions that are beneficial for the website users.

How are they related?

There is a clear relationship between IA design and website navigation, the relationship that was also mentioned before. To design a project beautifully from the very beginning, information architects must invest their resources in the IA design process.

Without setting a clear scope for the entire project, Information Architecture cannot be properly defined. The relationship between website navigation and IA becomes clearer when designing a website from scratch and comparing this site with one that has no Information Architecture. Such websites are ineffective and very difficult to browse.

Making an IA design for a website that has already been developed is costly and time-consuming.

Define IA before navigation

When designing (or redesigning) a website, one condition must be followed. The Information Architecture must be defined first, while the navigation system can be set up afterward.

Yet there is a convenient feature about IA design: you can begin the wireframe process and prototyping before finishing the Information Architecture. One thing is sure – developing the navigation system only by following design principles won’t lead to an ideal outcome. It is best to balance the two elements out.

IA in design

If the role of IA design is still not clear, you should learn more about the user-centered approach that designers choose when they work on a project. A website is not focused on design only because there is a multitude of other details that ultimately affect the user experience. Information Architecture is one of these elements.

It represents the entire skeleton of a design process. Without it, everything would be reckless and chaotic. Powerful UI design and quality content are completely irrelevant if the IA design is ignored.

No user would enjoy the content that is disorganized and difficult to navigate through. Because finding the information they need is very time-consuming, people prefer leaving the website immediately rather than searching for what they want, even though the content might have been resourceful and the user interface pretty.

Information Architecture – principles

Information Architecture cannot be designed without following a certain number of rules and principles. Because IA design is all about structuring information, it simply cannot be done without following a specific development line. To organize the information logically, you should follow the principles listed below:

• Objects – Content is treated just as a human being. It involves different lifecycles, it shows various behaviors, it has attributes and characteristics.
• Choices – As the saying goes, less is more. The principles of choices refer to the fact that fewer elements are the key to good project design. Overcrowding a website with elements is the opposite of this principle.
• Disclosure – Information previews are the ones that instill curiosity. Users will only dig deeper to find more content if they are interested in what they assimilate from the preview.
• Exemplars – Showing examples of the published content for each category will help the user decide whether the content included in that category is relevant for him or not.
• Front doors – Around 50% of users find another way to access the website other than through the main page. This is the reason why all the content needs to be organized properly.
• Multiple classifications – Users need to separate the information using relevant criteria. The classifications included on the website will influence how effective browsing the website is.
• Focused navigation – Navigation should be simple to avoid confusing the users instead of helping them find the information they need.
• Growth – it is important to make the website expandable. Making the website scalable is a condition of good design.

As you may notice, there are plenty of principles to respect when building a website. Without following these principles, the website might not turn out efficient and it won’t be appreciated by the users. If the website does not generate the results that were initially predicted, it can lead to profit loss, which is the worse thing that can happen.

Activities as part of the team

Information architects are the ones who normally cover a wide range of tasks. They are part of the UX team in a project. The most common tasks involved in their activity are researching, creating the navigation system, wireframing, labeling, and modeling data. Each of these tasks is described below.

Research and analysis

In Information Architecture, research plays a great role. Information architects are the ones who handle this task by handling interviews. Their job is to notice how prospective users behave while using a website and – based on their research – they decide how to categorize information.

By studying people’s behavior while they use an app or a website, information architects gather very important information that can be used to transform an existent project in a better one or to avoid making similar mistakes when building one from scratch. Moreover, they analyze how users use the information they gather from websites and apps.

After conducting in-depth research and gathering all the data they need, information architects start analyzing the data. This is where the analysis process begins, as part of IA design.

Most information architects present their data in the form of spreadsheet reports, from which they formulate various recommendations and potential methods of approaching a project.

Navigation and hierarchy

After going through the research and analysis processes, the information architect can begin to create a hierarchy. Based on the data analysis performed earlier, the information architect can start organizing the content. Here, the information architect must also take into account the preferences of the client/organization that he works with.

For instance, if the client specified that he would like the FAQ section under the Product category, the information architect must respect this requirement, even though it might not be the exact way he would do it. Information Architecture principles must still be followed.

However, the information architect has to inform the client about the best practices in terms of hierarchy. The final result should be a combination of the client’s preferences and the architect’s experience and knowledge.

Wireframing

Wireframes are a way to express the connections established between the technical point of view of Information Architecture and the practical perspective.

In order to begin the wireframing process, an information architect must use the information he gathered during the research phase, as well as the decisions he made during the hierarchy creation phase to create the main image of the content, which is supposed to show how users will interact with the information.

Labeling

Adding labels is the process that creates pages on a website. By creating a good hierarchy and navigation system, as well as labeling each page appropriately, a user can find the information he is looking for much easier.

Taxonomies

The same goes for taxonomies and metadata. In Information Architecture, a taxonomy is a group of elements and also a record of how different content is placed together based on a selected criterion.

Information architects are responsible for choosing the most appropriate taxonomies for the content they manage. This content can then be tagged using metadata, which makes the taxonomies searchable.

Data modeling

Data modeling is known as content modeling in Information Architecture and it is usually performed by a content strategist and an information architect. The collaboration between the two is done in order to combine both business logic, the requirement of the users, good editorial practices, and structured content principles.

Redesigning a data model is not effective and this is why new data models are always mapped in the case of content migration. During this process, templates might be created and offered to copywriters or content strategists that work with that website.

Organizational systems

These systems represent a way of divided information. Organizational systems are used in Information Architecture to help users predict where to find information. There are three basic types of organizational systems:

Hierarchic

Hierarchic systems are inspired by Gestalt psychological theory. Content should be organized in a manner that makes people understand how important each element on the page is. Depending on the element’s position, it is more or less important for the people who read it.

Sequential

Sequential systems refer to creating a focused path for the user to follow. The users are guided through the content step by step so that they go through each sequence and assimilate the information properly. Retail websites are the ones that use the sequential system for their Information Architecture.

Matrix

Matrix is the most complex organizational system, where users are given choices regarding how they would like to read the content. Content is grouped based on different schemes. The most popular content schemes in Information Architecture are:

• Alphabetical
• Chronological
• Topic
• Audience

Business value

How productive employees are?

A bad Information Infrastructure will result in reduced productivity because of the time waste that occurs, as well as the frustration that employees encounter in searching for the needed information. The research conducted by the IDC in 1999 proved the financial implication of low productivity caused by bad IA design.

Good sales and reputation

Sales can go down if the users of a website are not pleased with how the information is structured on it. The reputation of the brand will also go down because of this.

Not investing in Information Architecture will lead to issues that can have serious implications in website abandonment rates. A good IA design can have a knock-on effect on a business and can open doors for new customers.

New users or customers

Obtaining new users or customers is probably among the goals of all businesses. Making sure that users can easily find sign-up pages and contact details through good Information Architecture is a must. If users can’t find such information quickly, they are very likely to leave the website in minutes.

FAQs about information architecture

1. What is information architecture?

The technique of arranging and structuring information (IA) makes it easier for users to find what they need. Making websites, applications, and other digital products simple to use and comprehend, it needs careful planning and design. Information architecture aims to build a logical and understandable framework that makes it easy for consumers to browse and engage with digital content.

2. How does information architecture differ from user experience design?

User experience design (UX) includes information architecture as a subfield, whereas information architecture focuses especially on the organization and structure of information. User research, graphic design, and interaction design are just a few of the disciplines that go under the umbrella of user experience design. Information architecture is concerned with how information is organized, whereas UX design is interested in how a product or service is used as a whole.

3. What are the main goals of information architecture?

Information architecture’s primary objectives are to arrange information in a way that is user-friendly, intuitive, and accessible. To do this, the hierarchy of the information must be established, and classifications and labels must be easily understood. The goal is to provide a seamless user experience that makes it possible for users to swiftly and effectively find what they need.

4. What are some common challenges that information architects face?

Keeping the needs of various user groups in balance is one of the biggest issues that information architects encounter. IA must be created to accommodate a variety of users with varying degrees of experience and objectives. Working with complicated content, managing a few resources, and making sure the IA is adaptable enough to alter in the future are additional difficulties.

5. How do information architects organize information?

Site maps, taxonomies, and labeling systems are just a few of the methods used by information architects to organize information. Site maps show the site’s content hierarchy visually, while taxonomies aid in defining categories and connections among various types of material. Users can discover what they need with the aid of labeling systems, such as menus and navigation bars, which offer concise and uniform labels.

6. What is a taxonomy in information architecture, and why is it important?

A taxonomy is a technique for grouping information into categories and subcategories according to traits that are common to each. Taxonomies aid in the creation of an understandable and logical structure in information architecture, making it possible for users to locate what they’re looking for quickly and simply. Taxonomies can enhance the search experience by delivering pertinent results and offering user-specific filtering choices.

7. How do information architects ensure that their designs are user-friendly and intuitive?

To make sure that their designs are user-friendly and intuitive, information architects employ a range of user-centered design strategies. This involves gathering user data, developing personas, and running usability tests. IA designers can develop structures and navigation systems that are suited to users’ wants and behaviors by knowing their needs and behaviors.

8. What role does usability testing play in information architecture?

Information architecture must include usability testing because it allows designers to assess how well their ideas work in practical situations. Designers can spot usability problems, enhance navigation, and hone labeling and categorization systems by watching users engage with a website or application. Moreover, usability testing can reveal information about user preferences and behavior that will help with future design choices.

9. How does information architecture differ for different types of websites (e.g. e-commerce, news, social media)?

Depending on the sort of website or application being created, information architecture can change. For instance, e-commerce websites need distinct product categories and filtering tools, whereas journalism websites would need a more comprehensive taxonomy to help readers identify pertinent content.

User-generated material and more conventional content categories, such as news stories and blog entries, may need to be balanced on social media platforms. Each time, the IA must be customized to the particular requirements and objectives of the website or application.

10. What are some best practices for creating effective information architecture?

Understanding user needs and behaviors is one of the best practices for designing an effective information architecture. Other best practices include designing content into a clear and intuitive hierarchy, using clear and concise labeling systems, designing navigation systems that are simple to use across the site, and conducting usability testing to find and fix usability problems.

Using visual signals to direct users, planning for scalability and adaptability, and taking accessibility and diversity into account when making design decisions are some other excellent practices. Effective information architecture aims to provide a user-centered design that makes it easy for users to locate and engage with digital content.

Ending thoughts on information architecture

Information Architecture can be more complicated than people think, and its effects are clearly visible in the long run. When approaching a design project, you simply can’t skip coming up with an efficient IA. The competency matrix is an effective tool discussed in the article on information architecture, which can be used to identify gaps in skills and knowledge and to create training plans for team members.

If you enjoyed reading this article about information architecture, you should check out this one on how to perform a website critique on your own project.

We also wrote about a few related subjects like loading bar, homepage design, login page and golden ratio in design.

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