What is WordPress Homepage?
The term ‘homepage’ in web development refers to the main page of any website. The primary or home page often contains menu and navigation elements that make interface features for users. WordPress has, by default, a home page with the latest posts listed in a reverse chronological manner.
Some users may set a static page with a home setting to the page to make it look more like a website and less like a blog. Some website owners can use these settings if they have to restrict a particular section of their website.
A website homepage’s primary purpose is to let the users familiarize themselves with the business or information needed. Ideally, a homepage provides relevant information about the business so users can continue exploring other parts of a website.
Why You May Want to Change Your WordPress Homepage?
The purpose of a WordPress homepage is to show the necessary information and menu for users to navigate. However, with time, the layout, design, and the structure of the homepage, you need to change the WordPress homepage. Your blog may not be the first thing that your visitors see. However, that does not mean you have to prevent your visitors from accessing your blog or business. Changing your WordPress homepage with updated settings gives a fresh look to your website and keeps visitors stick to the page content.
When Would You Need to Set & Edit Your WordPress Homepage?
WordPress is a renowned blogging platform that displays your blog by default with new installations. It means that your most recent posts greet a visitor whenever they open a webpage. For some websites, this is fine, but for others, it does not make sense according to a marketing standpoint. WordPress has evolved into a well-rounded website-building platform. It provides companies with solutions for static homepages where they can display their products, services, or other information related to a business or company. For some companies, a blog page has a secondary value that acts as a landing page from a search engine.
The scenario allows us to ask a question ‘WordPress, how to edit homepage?’
When you do not want your blog page to show in front, you need to change your website homepage. It would help if you had the following goals when you plan to make changes:
- Increase the number of leads and subscribers
- Generate more sales
- If you have no plan to have a blog
- When you have to focus on your services
- In any case where you do not feel ready to start a blog
Editing a home page is a different activity entirely. Unless you feel satisfied with the default sign and aesthetics, you will eventually edit according to your specifications. Some examples of editing website page include:
- Addition of sidebars
- Show or hide widgets
- Having a different navigational menu
- Design, color, or logo adjustments
A user may or may not have the mentioned needs to make changes or edits. In short, every WordPress user makes adjustments often to ensure the website stays fresh and healthy. One of the most popular activities to make changes or edits is the addition of static pages instead of blogs. Some users want to keep the blog but make additions to new widgets or features. A user’s need determines the type of change or edits made (either displaying information or better user experience).
How to Set a Static Homepage?
A website owner has the option to leave a blog setting on the homepage. However, if you feel more inclined to add sidebars, sliders, or a product gallery, changing your setting to a static page is essential. Almost all of the premium themes you purchase require immediate switching to a static page setting.
You know the reasons to make changes to your homepage. We will give you a simplified process that will answer your query for ‘WordPress how to edit homepage.’
To change your WordPress page to static:
Start by opening your WordPress dashboard and then go to Settings > Readings. Click on the readings tab to open several settings for the homepage.
- Find the Homepage Displays section to find out the current contents of your homepage. Most of the time, the default option is ‘Latest Posts.’ If you want to choose any other page, click on the Static Page button to select and set a new homepage.
After selection, WordPress has two choices for users. One of them asks about the page you want to show as FrontPage. The other option is for your Posts Page, which asks you about pages you
- want to show as posts. If you already have different pages present by default theme or personalized generation, scroll down and find the page you want to see. Note that you need to have published pages so you can select them.
- You might want to select a page titled Blog or Posts (whatever else you may decide) for the post pages.
- Click on Save Changes and then navigate yourself to the frontend to see the changes on your homepage.
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How to Make a Blog Your Homepage?
The first impact you make on a user largely determines the credibility of a website. A blog helps to make that impression for a user to navigate, connect with content, and subscribe easily. The primary function of a blog is to deliver content to the audience. A blog has to meet the requirements to capture a target reader’s attention and connect with their point of view.
A website handles all these factors through design, color schemes, logo placement, and other aesthetics functions. These features prominently communicate the personality and style of the blog. In contrast, some blogs do not have stunning visuals but deliver quality information and relevancy. You have to find the balance between all the factors to ensure that your blog stays true to the website’s looks and topic intended. We will show you some steps that will answer your question of ‘WordPress how to edit homepage’ to make it a blog. These steps include:
- Starting with a Strong Typeface
Every veteran blogger and designer outlines the fundamentals of any topic that a blog should cover. Many of us focus on the aesthetics, colors, shapes, and texture of a blog. Attention to detail is the aspect that we always miss. The heart of a blog is content, and the content comprises of type. Every blogger considers typography a central element and recommends using a solid typeface as a blog starts. The emphasis on taking everything out is not essential in the blog. Afterward, they can let the typeface guide the design.
- Decide Important Part of the Layout
As far as layout goes, a journal-style or Tumblr layout is most appropriate and directs most attention towards the content. However, for some, the better content organization depends on the magazine layout. The deciding factor of a blog layout depends on chronology, the author’s involvement, the blogging community, or the selling point of a blogger.
The format of a magazine gives more emphasis on images, separation of individual posts, and highlighting the interactions. This layout turns a blog into a magazine. In contrast, the journal layout highlights recent content and presents a meaningful mood.
Often, bloggers and designers go overboard when it comes to page layout and aesthetics. Two places where you can consider blog layouts are social buttons and a subscription panel. To make uses share and follow the content, positioning, and imagery of these features holds more importance. Design and layout have more significance to WordPress how to edit homepage feature.
- Designing for Audience
Most serious bloggers in this age look for ways to monetize their content. But the fact is that the ads will interrupt and prevent reads from focusing. After all, the purpose of ads is to distract readers. The best practice of blog monetizing is to allow the blog to mature before saturating and integrating with ads. It helps you give a better understanding of the needs of the reader and their motivations.
Design and placement of ads is also an essential factor for attracting the focus of visitors. Ads tend to work best when placed above the feed or in the right sidebar. For instance, the ad presentation technique in a blog tries its best to integrate the ads in the page’s overall site aesthetics and flow. When you keep your audience in mind while designing the page, it leads to a higher CTR than only image ads.
- Technical Setting
When you have a website dedicated solely to written content, you have to show the articles on the home page. To set blog as homepage, go to Settings > Reading and then check the Your Latest Posts. Once you select that option, then Post Page and Homepage option will blank out.
Depending on the way you like your blog to show, you can make a few edits. First on the line is Blog Pages Show at Most count that indicates the number of blogs displayed per page. Most bloggers keep five to ten of their most recent blogs on the homepage. Some other publications with larger structures keep hundreds of posts per page.
Next is the Syndication Feeds Show the Most Recent count. This feature works for RSS feeds and can be the same number as your blog post. Everything depends on your needs and the situation at hand.
The final option to show the appearance of your posts are Full Text and Summary. The summary gives visibility to more posts per page. The Full Text shows every word and image from posts. A visitor has to scroll through the first post to the second. Expert bloggers recommend the summary option to present visibility and gain better engagement,
3 Methods to Change WordPress Homepage
- 1. Customizing WordPress Homepage Using Classic Editor
You can make an engaging and stunning homepage using Classic WordPress Editor. Here you have to start with your WP admin console. Click on Pages and then go to the page you want to set as your homepage.
If you want to add text to your post, begin typing. The text itself will start as a paragraph by default. You can use a dropdown menu to add headings and titles. The dropdown menu is the place where you will change the text from a paragraph into different headings.
The toolbar present next to the dropdown menu gives you various options for customizations. You can make the text bold or Italic, create bullet or numbered lists, change alignment, etc. If you want to add block quotes or links, you can also do it on the toolbar. There is also a button called the ‘read more’ tag. It allows you to include articles in your site without displaying the full-text present on a page.
A button also shows more customization options such as text styling, size changing, and color addition.
You can also use the classic editor to add images and media to your homepage. Click on the Add Media button that opens a new options window. You can choose the Select Files button and add any new media files.
Other Options
You can also have access to previously uploaded files by clicking on the tab named ‘Media Library.’ Select the file you would like to add and then click on the Insert into Page button. The image will appear on your page that you can access by clicking. You can also change the alignment of the image, edit or remove it whenever you require.
To test the display of your homepage layout, click on the Preview button. Once you feel satisfied with the changes you have made, click on Publish to save your changes and make them visible on your homepage.
- 2. Leveraging Theme Customizer to Edit Your Homepage
Leveraging the WordPress Theme Customizer means you can drastically change the appearance of your homepage. The panel gives you a manageable interface to make your WordPress how to edit homepage activity easy. The interface allows editing of the site title, background image, and menus.
From your WordPress dashboard, navigate to appearance> Customize to gain access to the interface. The customizer interface has a theme preview on the right and customizing menu on the left. After you have gained access to the interface, you can use it to launch or modify your homepage.
First, you can use the customizer to configure site identity and design that gives you control over your website’s name and tagline. Navigate to Site Identity to start and fill out the fields of Title and Tagline. Notice that you can see the results on the preview pane to the right. Once you are done, click on Save and Publish.
Secondly speaking, the customizer also gives the option to select the website’s menu. You can start by clicking on menus on the WordPress Customizer menu. If you want to create your first website menu, click Add a Menu. Type in your desired menu’s name and then click Create Menu. You can also adjust the setting by clicking on the name of your created menu.
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The customizer allows you to do multiple activities with a new menu. You can change the title name, adjust the order, configure its location, etc., on a WordPress homepage.
The customizer menu also allows you to swap color and modify various designs without much effort. You can head over to Colors in the Customizer menu and change the colors depending on the theme.
Some other simplified settings that customizer offers is to set a single post setting for a WordPress homepage. By clicking on Single Post Setting, you can make small yet significant changes in your blog post display. You can configure the settings to show or hide author details, related posts, or thumbnails within the page itself.
The customization menu also allows modification of background images to fit according to your post or page requirements. Once again, the customizer menu gives you the option to swap background images and configure various effects within the same interface.
Finally, you have the option to preview mobile and tablet previews in the customizer menu. By default, the customizer displays the desktop mode of your homepage. However, you can switch between desktop, mobile or tablet displays from the bottom right icons. For example, clicking on the tablet icon will show your website’s dimensions and its look on the tablet. It allows you to optimize your page aesthetics to attract readers.
- 3. Changing Your WordPress Homepage Using Block Editor
If you seek an answer for WordPress how to edit the homepage and create a page from scratch, then the WordPress block editor is the simplest way to do that. To use block editor, you have to go to the Pages tab in the admin dashboard. From there, you can edit the Home page that you created earlier.
This is where you can make changes or edit your home page settings. First, you need to have a welcome message on the page. You can click on the page and start typing while WordPress creates a paragraph block automatically.
If you want to make changes in the text size, you can do that in the block setting present on the right-hand side. Select Preset Settings from the text setting dropdown menu. You also have a color setting section where you can select various color pellets for the page.
Next, you will add images on the page by clicking on the (+) symbol present on the top left. It will open an image block available in Common Blocks with other editing options. Alternatively, you can use the search bar for the image block. You can either pick the image from the available media library or upload a new one.
The next step is to add another paragraph block with the text checked out. You have to show the posts excerpt and featured images along with post titles. You can add as many paragraph blocks as you want to your homepage. It is best if you use a full-width template (if your theme allows). Once you have everything set, click on publish on top to save settings and finish your homepage changes.
This is the simplest method to make changes or edit a WordPress homepage.
How to Make a Menu for Your Homepage?
The WordPress theme does not automatically implement a menu for your home page. The menu is an essential part of WordPress’s process of editing the homepage, and you need to create one. To do this, you have to access the dashboard and then go to Appearances > Menus.
You can select a menu to edit from the dropdown or click on the New Menu link. While your theme may include some default menus in the sample data, creating a new menu allows you to design it from scratch.
Once you decide to create a new menu structure, you can choose from pages, posts, categories, tags, post types, and other options. You can also add a custom link as a menu item. Maybe you want to bring your blog closer to the menu for better visibility. You can arrange various menu items by drag and drop or nesting. You can use the left-hand options to add new pages, posts, custom links, and more. After organizing your menu, select the display locations before saving or go to Manage Locations. Note that all themes have different locations, but the most common is the main menu or footer menu.
Once you have everything in order, click on Save Menu and go live with your designated menu settings. You can use the same settings for various locations.
Conclusion
A well-designed homepage gives your readers and visitors an idea about the nature of your website. An adequately made homepage is a powerful tool for personal blogs, e-commerce sites, and others if appropriately set. However, there are situations and issues where you need to change or edit your homepage to align with updates. Thanks to WordPress, you have very easy to handle options to make changes to our homepage. The methods presented above are the simplest and most effective methods to make edits or changes.
If you still have questions or queries, feel free to contact us anytime.
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