WordPress Pages vs Posts

What is the difference between pages in WordPress and posts?

When you’re first getting started on WordPress, the terminology of “pages” and “posts” can be somewhat confusing. These are the two primary content types that are offered on this platform, but they have similar fields on the user dashboard. When you publish, the look of WordPress pages vs posts is very similar as well.

Here are the key points you’ll want to know.

What Are WordPress Posts?

If you are using WordPress as a platform for your blog, then most of your site content will be published as a “post.” Posts are used for content that is placed in a reverse chronological order on your site, featured on the home page of your blog. That means your most recent post will be displayed first.

That allows for your most recent content to be consumed by your visitors.

Older content is then placed on your site in the order which it was posted. If you published a post yesterday, then it will appear next. Then the post you published 3 days ago. Then the post you published a week ago.

You can setup your site to archive older posts as well. WordPress gives you sorting options that allow for the posts to be searched by month and year. The advantage is that your most recent content is immediately accessible. The disadvantage is that your oldest posts require visitors to do some site research to find them.

What Are WordPress Pages?

Pages on WordPress have the same look and feel as a post, but they are designed for “static content.”

Static content is what you must publish to provide specific information about your site. An “About Me” page is an example of static content. Even if your site is a blog, there is a good chance that you have some static content on your site. Legal disclaimers, a privacy policy, or even a landing page are all good examples of static content that your website should likely have.

What is different about a page vs a post is that this type of content is not designed to be shared socially. As such, the pages added to your site are timeless entries. You can add social sharing buttons to your pages, but the goal is to share your brand instead of the content which is found on the page.

WordPress pages usually have no comment area either. They are present for informational purposes only. Would you want someone commenting on your privacy policy page? Sharing your legal terms over Facebook?

WordPress pages are also designed to be hierarchical. That allows you to build subpages off of the main page. This allows you to create specific navigational routes for your visitors to follow, creating a sales funnel that can lead to higher conversions and a good ROI.

What Are the Key Differences Between WordPress Pages vs Posts?

• Posts are designed to provide visitors with timely content. Pages are designed to provide your site with evergreen, pillar, or static content.
• Posts are designed to have content to be shared socially. Pages are designed to reinforce the brand message being presented to the visitors.
• Posts are categorized and then archived based on the date and time they are published. Pages are hierarchical and provide the foundation for the visitor’s user experience on the website.
• Posts can be included in an RSS feed with ease, while pages are not designed to be included.
• Posts follow the website template that has been uploaded into WordPress. Pages offer access to a custom template feature that allows you to structure your permanent content in a way that suits your needs.

What Are the Key Similarities Between WordPress Pages vs Posts?

• You can have as many pages or posts that you want.
• Search engine optimization benefits can be achieved using a combination of pages and posts using current best practices.
• You can use internal linking to take visitors from your pages to your posts or your posts to your pages.
• Both pages and posts provide website visitors with specific information which helps them get to know your brand and content better.

If you’re just getting started on WordPress, the pages vs posts debate is secondary to the creation of value-based content. Focus on producing information that your visitors will want to consume. When you do that, both your pages and your posts will be able to help you move toward the goals of your site, no matter what they happen to be.