How to Animate Menu with Simple Code Snippets in WordPress | CSS for Menu Styling

Drawing a visitor’s attention to a key menu item—like “Special Offers,” “New Products,” or “Contact Us”—can significantly improve user engagement and guide them to important parts of your site. While complex plugins exist, you can achieve a professional, eye-catching effect with just a few lines of lightweight and safe CSS code.

This guide will walk you through the simple steps to make a specific menu item animate with a continuous loop, making it stand out from the rest.

The First Step: Targeting a Single Menu Item

Before we can add an animation, we need to tell WordPress which menu item to animate. We do this by assigning it a unique CSS class.

1. Navigate to Menus: From your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance > Menus.
2. Enable CSS Classes: At the top-right corner of the screen, click on the “Screen Options” tab. A panel will slide down. Make sure the box next to “CSS Classes” is checked.
3. Assign Your Class: Find the specific menu item you want to animate and click the arrow on its right to expand the options. You will now see a field labeled “CSS Classes (optional).” In this box, type animated-link.
4. Save Your Menu: Click the blue “Save Menu” button.

You have now successfully tagged your menu item, and we can apply animations to it.

Adding the Animation Code

Now for the fun part. Go to Appearance > Customize and select the “Additional CSS” section. This is where you will paste your chosen animation code. All the options below will automatically apply to the menu item you just labeled with the animated-link class.

Animation Option 1: The Subtle Pulse

This is a classic effect that gently grows and shrinks the menu item, creating a smooth “breathing” loop. It’s excellent for drawing the eye without being distracting.

Copy and paste this code into your “Additional CSS” section:

/* Continuous Pulse Animation */
@keyframes pulse-animation {
  0% {
    transform: scale(1);
  }
  50% {
    transform: scale(1.08);
  }
  100% {
    transform: scale(1);
  }
}

.animated-link a {
  display: inline-block;
  animation: pulse-animation 2s infinite;
}

Animation Option 2: The “Tada” Effect

For a more energetic and unmissable effect, the “Tada” animation gives the link a quick wobble and shake. It’s perfect for limited-time offers or important announcements.

Copy and paste this code into your “Additional CSS” section:

/* Continuous "Tada" Animation */
@keyframes tada-animation {
  0% { transform: scale(1); }
  10%, 20% { transform: scale(0.9) rotate(-3deg); }
  30%, 50%, 70%, 90% { transform: scale(1.1) rotate(3deg); }
  40%, 60%, 80% { transform: scale(1.1) rotate(-3deg); }
  100% { transform: scale(1) rotate(0); }
}

.animated-link a {
  display: inline-block;
  animation: tada-animation 2.5s infinite;
}

Animation Option 3: The Modern “Shine”

This animation creates a sleek, professional look by sending a bright, diagonal “shine” across the menu item in a continuous loop.

Copy and paste this code into your “Additional CSS” section:

/* Continuous "Shine" Animation */
.animated-link a {
  position: relative;
  overflow: hidden;
  display: inline-block;
}

.animated-link a::after {
  content: '';
  position: absolute;
  top: 0;
  left: -150%;
  width: 100%;
  height: 100%;
  transform: skewX(-25deg);
  background-image: linear-gradient(
    to right,
    transparent 0%,
    rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.5) 50%,
    transparent 100%
  );
  animation: shine-animation 3s infinite;
}

@keyframes shine-animation {
  100% {
    left: 150%;
  }
}

Animation Option 4: The Gentle “Wobble”

This effect creates a continuous side-to-side rocking motion. It’s a softer, more playful way to attract attention compared to a pulse or shake.

Copy and paste this code into your “Additional CSS” section:

/* Continuous "Wobble" Animation */
@keyframes wobble-animation {
  0%, 100% { transform: translateX(0%); }
  15% { transform: translateX(-25%) rotate(-5deg); }
  30% { transform: translateX(20%) rotate(3deg); }
  45% { transform: translateX(-15%) rotate(-3deg); }
  60% { transform: translateX(10%) rotate(2deg); }
  75% { transform: translateX(-5%) rotate(-1deg); }
}

.animated-link a {
  display: inline-block;
  animation: wobble-animation 2s infinite;
}

Enhance the Effect with a Symbol

To make your animated link stand out even more, add an HTML symbol to its label. Simply edit the Navigation Label of your animated-link item and paste in a symbol code, like so:

Special Offer ➤

The animation will apply to both the text and the symbol, creating a complete and compelling visual cue for your visitors. With these simple, lightweight, and safe CSS snippets, you can easily add a professional touch of animation to your WordPress menu.