Pages, posts and home page
Pages, posts and home page often create confusion with WordPress users. Hopefully this will clarify the differences and the options.
What each does
Pages are usually used for things like an about page, contact form or other specific static type content. On quite a few themes (like this one) each page creates a menu item and often have buttons in the header.
On this blog I use them for an about page, two audios from teleseminars and a survey form for people to always have access to these easily.
You can also list the pages in the sidebar if your theme does not have buttons or a menu for pages built into the theme.
Posts will show on your main page in date order with newest posts first with the default settings.
You can edit the home page and the number of posts that show. The default setting is 10 posts. You can also set a specific post or page to show as the home page. You need to go to settings – reading.
If you want a custom page for your home page then click the radio button for a static page and use the drop down for either the page or post that you want to show permanently.
You can change the number of posts right below there. In both cases you need to update once you have made your selections.
As always your questions and comments are welcomed.
Mike Paetzold
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7 comments
Doug Champigny
Twitter: CaptnAffiliate
on April 26, 2009 at 8:17 am
Great info, Mike – especially since static pages seems to be the most-underused part of most WordPress installations. Seems to me the static page function on a busy blog is the perfect place for salespages of related products, too.
Doug Champigny´s last blog post..Instant Profit Increase For Internet Marketers
[Reply]
Jit Uppal on April 26, 2009 at 9:17 am
Hey Mike,
Thanks for the info! I learnt some new things that will definitely come in handy the next time I decide to customize my WP themes.
Jit
Jit Uppal´s last blog post..Lee McIntyre’s “Quick Cash Escalator” Video
[Reply]
Earl Netwal
Twitter: EarlNetwal
on April 26, 2009 at 2:30 pm
Thanks Mike, been experimenting with static pages on blogs as web pages. But what happens with your blog posts when your front page is static. Do you use an archeive page to refer people to that>?
Earl Netwal´s last blog post..Why Houses That Smell Better, Sell Better
[Reply]
Ric Raftis on April 26, 2009 at 9:55 pm
Some good pointers Mike. Static pages are really a departure from the concept of actually blogging, but are a welcome addition to WordPress for many users.
Ric Raftis´s last blog post..Don’t Use Click Here For Links
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Lonnie Minton on April 26, 2009 at 11:10 pm
Thanks for the information on pages and posts. Any suggestions on the number of posts that one should show? Default is 10, but I have seen many blogs that only show 1 post.
Lonnie Minton´s last blog post..Internet Marketing Has Tangible Benefits
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Fred Lotgering on April 27, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Yes, I must remember to utilize this great static page function in WordPress. It easy and fast to setup.
And I believe to take some time to optimize them is well spend.
Fred
Fred Lotgering´s last blog post..Traffic SEO Lesson THREE Search Engines Optimization Myths
[Reply]
Brett McEllhiney on April 28, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Some great points Mike.
I am using static pages on my blog as an easy way of grouping a series of posts that were created over a two month timeframe.
This series was broken up by other blog posts along the way, so I used the static page and linked to all the posts in a chronological order so that it was easier for readers to find and follow the posts.
I also used a category to tie them all together, but with the tab at the top of my blog it is much easier for people to find.
Thanks,
Brett McEllhiney´s last blog post..Keyword Research for Your Niche Websites – Part 2
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