How to Create Tabs in WordPress Without Writing Code

Long pages scare visitors away. Product specs, plan details, and setup instructions pile up until nobody scrolls far enough to find what they came for. Tabs in WordPress fix that by stacking related content in one compact area, so visitors click to the part they care about.

This guide covers when tabs help and when they hurt, how to build them with a free block plugin, how to style them for every screen size, and how to keep them accessible. No code required.

When Tabs Help (and When They Hurt)

Tabs are a space-saving tool. Like any tool, they work brilliantly in some places and badly in others.

Good uses for tabbed content in WordPress

• Product details. Description, specifications, and shipping info in separate tabs.
• Pricing plans. Monthly versus yearly, or plans grouped by audience such as freelancers and agencies.
• FAQs by topic. Billing, setup, and account questions each in their own tab.
• Feature comparisons. One tab per product or service tier.
• Services and portfolios. A tab per service, each with its own images and call to action.

The common thread: visitors usually want one tab, not all of them.

When to avoid tabs

• Content people must read in order. Step-by-step instructions belong on the page in sequence, not split across tabs.
• Content people need to compare side by side. If visitors have to flip back and forth to compare two things, use a table instead.
• Critical information. Don't hide your price, refund policy, or main call to action in the third tab.
• Too many tabs. If your tab titles wrap onto three lines, you have too many. Split the content up or use an accordion.

For questions-and-answers content, an accordion often works better than tabs. See our guide to building an FAQ section in WordPress.

Meet Advanced Tabs Block

Advanced Tabs Block is a free, lightweight tab block for Gutenberg. It’s built with native Gutenberg components, so it needs no page builder and fits right into the editor you already use.

Highlights from the plugin page:

• Any block inside a tab: paragraphs, images, headings, buttons, columns, and more
• Design controls: typography, colors, spacing, borders, and icons
• Tab title icons: Bootstrap Icons or your own custom SVG
• Responsive tabs that adapt to every screen size
• Ready-made block patterns to start faster
• Performance-minded: assets load only on pages where the block is used
• Accessibility-friendly markup

How to Create Tabs in WordPress with Advanced Tabs Block

1. Install the plugin. Go to Plugins > Add New, search for "Advanced Tabs Block", then install and activate it.
2. Open your page or post in the block editor.
3. Insert the block. Click the + inserter and search for "Horizontal Tab", the block's name in the inserter. Insert it. You'll see three starter tabs.
4. Rename your tabs. Open the block's Settings panel in the sidebar. Under Tab Items, expand each tab and give it a short, clear title.
5. Add or reorder tabs. Click Add New Tab for more tabs. Drag the handles in the Tab Items list to change the order.
6. Add content. Click a tab in the editor and add any blocks you like to its content area: text, images, buttons, even columns.
7. Add icons (optional). Pick an icon from the built-in library or paste a custom SVG for each tab title.
8. Style it. Switch to the Design tab in the sidebar to adjust colors, typography, spacing, and borders for the titles and content.
9. Preview and publish. Check desktop, tablet, and mobile previews, then publish.

Short on time? Start from one of the included block patterns and replace the placeholder content. Our guide to block patterns in Gutenberg explains how patterns work.

Example: a product details section

Say you sell a course. Create three tabs called “Overview”, “Curriculum”, and “FAQ”. Put a short pitch and a buy button in Overview, a list of lessons in Curriculum, and an accordion of common questions in FAQ.

Visitors who are ready to buy see the button right away. Visitors who need convincing click deeper, without the page turning into an endless scroll.

Styling and Responsive Tabs

A tab block in Gutenberg should look like part of your site, not a bolted-on widget. A few styling choices make a big difference.

Make the active tab obvious

Visitors must see which tab is open at a glance. Give the active tab a clearly different background or text color from inactive ones, and use the hover state to show that titles are clickable.

Use theme colors

Pick colors from your theme’s palette where possible. That keeps tabs consistent with buttons, links, and headings across the site.

Check every breakpoint

Responsive controls in Advanced Tabs Block sync with the editor’s Desktop, Tablet, and Mobile preview. Switch the preview and adjust spacing and font sizes for each screen.

On phones, long tab titles are the usual problem. Keep titles to one or two words so the row of tabs stays tidy on small screens.

Accessibility Tips for Tabs

Tabs hide content, so they need extra care to work for everyone.

• Write descriptive titles. "Specs" and "Shipping" beat "Tab 1" and "More". Screen reader users hear the title before deciding to open a tab.
• Keep color contrast high. Both active and inactive tab text must be readable against their backgrounds.
• Make titles easy to tap. Generous padding helps on touch screens. Google's web.dev has a short guide to accessible tap targets.
• Test with a keyboard. Tab through the page without a mouse and confirm you can reach and open every tab.
• Don’t rely on icons alone. Pair every icon with a text label.

Core Tabs Block vs Advanced Tabs Block

WordPress now has its own native Tabs block, listed in the official core blocks reference. Whether you see it in your inserter depends on the WordPress version your site runs.

If the core block covers what you need, it’s a fine choice. Advanced Tabs Block is worth installing when you want its specific extras: icon support with Bootstrap Icons and custom SVG, detailed typography and border controls, ready-made patterns, and per-device responsive settings.

Either way, both are real blocks. Your tab content is made of regular blocks, so it stays editable in the block editor.

Best Practices for Tabbed Content

• Put the most important tab first. The first tab is the one most visitors see. Make it count.
• Keep tab content balanced. One huge tab next to three tiny ones feels uneven. Aim for similar lengths.
• Limit the number of tabs. Three to five is a comfortable range for most layouts.
• Repeat key calls to action. If every tab describes a plan, give each tab its own button.
• Reuse your design. Once you've styled tabs you like, save the block as a pattern so every page uses the same look.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a page builder to add tabs in WordPress?

No. Advanced Tabs Block is built with native Gutenberg components and works directly in the WordPress block editor.

What can I put inside a tab?

Any block. Paragraphs, images, headings, buttons, columns, and more can all go inside a tab’s content area.

Are the tabs responsive on mobile?

Yes. Advanced Tabs Block is responsive, and its responsive controls sync with the editor’s Desktop, Tablet, and Mobile previews so you can fine-tune each screen size.

Will a tabs block slow down my site?

Advanced Tabs Block is lightweight and only loads its assets on pages where the block is used, so other pages aren’t affected.

Organize Your Content with Tabs

Tabs in WordPress turn long, crowded pages into tidy, scannable sections, as long as you use them for content visitors pick from rather than read in order. Build them visually, style them to match your theme, and test them on mobile and with a keyboard.

Download Advanced Tabs Block free from WordPress.org and create your first tabbed section today. Looking for more ways to organize content? Explore all our Gutenberg plugins.