Many newcomers to WordPress get a little confused about the difference between pages and posts and which to use when.

When you visit a WordPress site, like this one for example, it is not always obvious whether you are looking at a page or a post. That’s because the theme being used allows some static (or permanent) content, such as the box above the list of recent posts on the home page, and only an excerpt of the posts. Other sites, typically those set up like traditional blogs, show a list of posts in date order (most recent first) on the home page.

So let’s take a look at the core factors relating to each.

WordPress Pages

Normally used for static content that is unlikely to change very often, if at all. For example a Contact Us page, an About Us page or a page showing Opening Times of a shop or restaurant.

WordPress pages are like a more traditional website and the pages are the way to navigate around the site. Pages can be created in a hierarchy using parent and child pages.

Let me give you an example. If you ran a site about Golf Equipment you would probably have a PAGE about Golf Clubs. That would be a “parent” page. You would then have separate “child” or sub-pages for different types of clubs:

• Drivers

• Hybrid or Rescue

• Irons

• Putters

You may then have a further layer of pages below those for the individual manufacturers. So, for example, you may have child pages called Mizuno, Taylor Made, Ping, Callaway etc under the Driver parent.

WordPress pages do not have categories or tags (unless a specific plugin is used on the site) and they do not appear in the Archive or RSS Feed.

It is possible to nominate any one of the pages to be viewed as the site home page.

WordPress Posts

Posts are mainly used for information that may go out of date. Typically, blogs, news, sites, opinions, reviews, latest information, new releases or indeed anything where you would like the site to show new content and look fresh.

Posts are date driven and appear in a chronological list with the most recent on top. Posts use categories and tags to help the information to be found since both are fully searchable. If we go back to my golf example above, if Mizuno launched a new driver you may well write a review (a post) of the new club and how you felt it compared to other clubs currently available. You may well put a link in the post to the Mizuno Page (in the Golf Clubs/Drivers/Mizuno hierarchy) where your visitors are able to purchase the club.

WordPress posts appear in the archives and also in your RSS Feed. This makes sense since pages are relatively static so there is nothing new for an RSS Feed to send out whereas posts are updated frequently.

If you prefer NOT to have your posts show up on the home page then you can set this up easily in the WordPress Admin area under Settings/Reading.

The following video highlights all of the above points and explains how to change the page on which your posts appear and how to control what shows up on your Home page.