Create Scroll Over Interactive Elements in WordPress for Free

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Introduction to Scroll-Over Interactive Elements

Incorporating interactive elements like scroll animations can enhance user experience on a website, keeping visitors engaged and encouraging them to explore more. If you’re running a WordPress site, adding scroll-over interactive elements is a powerful way to make your content more dynamic and visually appealing. In this article, we’ll guide you through creating scroll-over interactive elements in WordPress using Oxygen Builder, Elementor, and some free alternatives.

We will also explore specific plugins and code snippets to help you quickly animate your elements. Whether you are a seasoned web developer or a beginner, these techniques will give your site a professional touch.

Step 1: Initial Page Setup in Oxygen Builder

Oxygen Builder is a powerful tool for designing complex WordPress websites. To begin, create a new page in Oxygen Builder called “Card Animations” or something similar.

How to Start:

Open Oxygen Builder: From your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Oxygen Builder and click “Add New Page.”
Set Page Title: Enter “Card Animations” or another title of your choice.
Publish the Page: Save and publish the page. You’ll be adding elements and animations here.

Step 2: Creating the Heading and Columns

With your page ready, the next step is to structure the layout by creating a heading and adding multiple columns to display your content.

Steps to Create Columns:

Add a Section: Click “Add Section” and drag it into your layout.
Insert a Heading: Inside the section, insert an H1 heading. This is crucial for SEO and should include your focus keyword, “Create Scroll Over Interactive Elements in WordPress.”
Create Columns: Add a layout (preferably three columns) to the page. Each column will hold a card that interacts with the scroll.

Step 3: Adding Cards to Columns

Cards are great for displaying concise information, but adding interactivity via scroll-over effects will make them stand out.

Steps to Add Cards:

Select a Column: Click on the first column and add a “Card” widget, or design a card manually by inserting a box with text and images.
Add Text and Image: Inside the card, add a title, a short description, and an image.
Duplicate the Card: Once you have your first card, duplicate it across all the columns.

Step 4: Applying Background Images to Cards

The next step is to make the cards visually appealing by adding background images. This will also set the stage for adding scroll animations later.

Steps for Background Images:

Select Each Card: For each card, go to the styling panel and find the “Background” option.
Upload Images: Upload different images that fit the theme of your website.
Set Background Properties: Adjust the background size and position, and repeat options as necessary.

Step 5: Preparing for Scroll Animation

Now that your cards are set up, it’s time to prepare them for scroll-over animations.

How Scroll Animations Work:

Scroll-over animations trigger effects as users scroll down the page, creating an interactive experience.

Tools for Scroll Animations:

Motion Page: A free WordPress scroll animation plugin that allows you to create animations triggered by scroll actions.
Elementor Scroll Animations: Elementor Pro users can easily access scroll animations without extra plugins. Elementor also offers a free version with some animation features.
CodePen Scroll Sequence: If you prefer to code the scroll animations, CodePen has various examples of scroll-triggered animations that can be integrated into WordPress.

Step 6: Animating in Motion Page

Motion Page is a powerful plugin that adds interactive animations to WordPress pages, which is ideal for triggering scroll-over effects.

Steps to Animate with Motion Page:

Install and Activate Motion Page: From the WordPress dashboard, search for “Motion Page” in the plugin repository.
Choose Animation Type: Select a pre-built animation or create a custom one for your cards.
Set Triggers: Set the scroll trigger. For example, you could trigger a zoom-in effect as users scroll over the card.
Save and Preview: Save and preview the animation to ensure it behaves as expected.

Step 7: Animating Background Position

Changing the background position based on scroll allows for parallax effects, giving the page depth.

Steps to Animate Backgrounds:

Select Card Background: In Oxygen Builder, select the card background.
Add CSS: Add a CSS class that controls background position based on scroll. Example:

CSS

Copy code

.scroll-bg {

background-position: center;

transition: background-position 0.5s ease;

}

.scroll-bg:hover {

background-position: top;

}

Test the Effect: Preview the page and see how the background moves as the user scrolls.

Step 8: Finalizing and Testing

Once your scroll-over animations are in place, testing the page on different devices is essential to ensure smooth performance.

Testing Tips:

Responsive Design: Check that the animations work on desktop and mobile devices.
Performance Check: Ensure the page loads quickly and that animations don’t cause lag.
Cross-Browser Compatibility: Test the scroll animations in Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

Alternative Methods: Using Elementor and Other Free Tools

If you don’t use Oxygen Builder, there are free alternatives for adding scroll animations in WordPress.

Using Elementor Scroll Animations:

Elementor is another powerful tool for designing websites with scroll-over interactive elements. The free version of Elementor has limited animation features, but you can access more advanced scroll animations with Elementor Pro.

Install Elementor: Download the Elementor plugin and activate it in WordPress.
Add Elements: Create sections, columns, and elements as needed.
Set Scroll Animations: Go to the advanced settings of any element and set scroll animations (fade-in, zoom, rotate, etc.).
Test: Always preview and test the page after applying animations.

Scrollsequence Free Alternative:

If you’re looking for a Scrollsequence free alternative, try ScrollMagic, a JavaScript library that can be integrated into WordPress using custom code or plugins.

Final Thoughts

Scroll-over interactive elements can take your WordPress site to the next level, improving user engagement and aesthetic appeal. Whether you use Oxygen Builder, Elementor, or code snippets from CodePen, plenty of free and easy options exist for implementing existing scroll animations. Test your designs across devices to ensure smooth performance and a great user experience.