How to add hover effects to WordPress site

Hover effects—visual changes on mouse hover or keyboard focus—can elevate your WordPress site’s interactivity and polish. This guide explains three effective implementation methods, with current plugin/tool information, and covers accessibility and performance best practices for 2025.

1. No-Code Solutions: Page Builders

Elementor

• How to set up:
  1. Edit any element in Elementor.
  2. Open the “Style” tab.
  3. Toggle between “Normal” and “Hover” to customize.
  4. Set desired hover styles like background, border, shadow, or transform effects.
• Elementor Pro adds advanced Motion Effects—including hover animation and parallax control.
• Performance Tip: Use hover effects sparingly—too many can slow site speed.

Divi Builder

• Elegant Themes reports ~1.6 million active users.
• How to set up:
  1. Open the module settings.
  2. Find hover options by clicking the hover icon next to style settings.
  3. Customize your hover state (e.g., background color, text size, effects).
  4. Use the “Transition Duration” for animation speed.
• Fully compatible with WordPress 6.x and upcoming Divi 5 release.

Bricks Builder

• Offers a pseudo-class editor including :hover, :focus, and advanced custom hover logic.
• How to set up:
  1. Select an element in Bricks Builder.
  2. Go to the style settings.
  3. Use the pseudo-class dropdown to choose :hover.
  4. Apply visual styling directly or add custom CSS.
• Actively updated (v1.x updates and upcoming v2.0 rollout), fully compatible with WordPress 6.x.

2. Pure CSS Customization

Using custom CSS is ideal for precise control over hover effects without extra plugins or page builders. Here’s exactly how it works and how to implement it effectively.

Step-by-Step CSS Hover Implementation:

Step 1: Find Your Element’s CSS Selector

Use your browser’s Inspect Tool:

1. Right-click the element (button, image, menu link) on your site.
2. Select Inspect to open your browser’s developer tools.
3. Identify the class or ID assigned to your element (e.g., .wp-block-button__link).

Step 2: Add CSS via WordPress Customizer

• In your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance → Customize → Additional CSS.
• Paste your custom CSS code into the provided text box.
• Click Publish.

Example CSS Snippets and Where They Appear:

Buttons (Gutenberg Blocks):

.wp-block-button__link:hover {
  background-color: #0073aa;
  color: white;
  transform: translateY(-3px);
  transition: all 0.3s ease;
}

• Result: All buttons created using Gutenberg Button Block will have a hover effect, slightly lifting and changing color.

Navigation Menu Links:

.main-navigation a:hover {
  color: #e63946;
  border-bottom: 2px solid #e63946;
  transition: all 0.3s ease;
}

• Result: Menu links highlight clearly on mouse-over.

Images in Posts:

.wp-block-image img:hover {
  transform: scale(1.05);
  transition: transform 0.3s ease;
}

• Result: Images slightly enlarge when hovered.

Blog Posts or Cards:

.post:hover {
  transform: translateY(-5px);
  box-shadow: 0 10px 25px rgba(0,0,0,0.15);
  transition: all 0.3s ease;
}

• Result: Posts or articles in a grid layout gently rise when hovered.

Tips for Effective CSS Hover Effects:

• Always include :focus alongside :hover to maintain accessibility for keyboard users.
• Avoid complex animations that significantly alter layout, as they may affect page performance.
• Use subtle transitions (around 0.3 seconds) for smooth and professional animations.
• Test your effects across multiple browsers and devices to ensure consistent performance and accessibility.

3. Hover-Effect Plugins

These plugins are actively maintained, and updated:

• Image Hover Effects Ultimate
• Image Hover Effect

Accessibility & Performance Best Practices

• Pair :hover with :focus.
• Provide keyboard-accessible alternatives.
• Maintain visible focus indicators and color contrast.
• Use CSS animations (transforms, opacity) to enhance performance.
• Limit animations and respect reduced-motion preferences.

Summary

Whether you prefer visual builders, CSS customization, or plugins, this guide helps you implement professional, accessible, and performant hover effects on your WordPress site.