Most often, WordPress beginners have no clear idea what differences between posts and pages are. The default type you can choose to display content can be posts or pages. Both have some in common, for example, similar fields. But there must be some reasons for their coexistence. This WordPress tutorials has the aim to help you figure out the differences between posts vs pages in WordPress.
Introduction to Posts
An overwhelming majority of your content will be categorized into posts in WordPress. On your home page will be a list of your posts in reverse chronological order with the use of a traditional blog layout.
That is to say, the most recent posts are at the very top of the list. Archived based on month and year, however, older posts are buried in the deep which require users to spend more time in search for the relevant information. Indeed, for the convenience to find the desired content, you are able to set category and tags for your posts. Also, you have the option to use widgets for the showcase of the most popular posts.
In fact, there are some instances where readers are bothered to check the most recent post updates manually. Through the RSS feeds, however, fresh posts will be delivered to readers who subscribe to your website without any delay.
Additionally, readers have the freedom to share your posts through their social networks like Facebook and Twitter. What you need to prepare for that is to work with a useful WordPress social sharing plugin. Also, posts come with a built-in feature which encourages readers to leave comments on your posts. Of course, Settings > Discussion is a place where you can limit the freedom to comments on older posts.
Introduction to Pages
Pages are used to showcase the information which will remain the same during a quite long period of time. You are not required to update them often. One of the typical examples are the ‘About’ page which show readers who you are. Without being included in RSS feeds by default, pages are thus unordered. Readers should pay a visit to your website for the latest page updates.
In the meantime, pages have no intention to be social with sharing buttons and comments included. It is easy to understand because almost no one wants the privacy policy, contact page, and more discussed.
Different from posts, within a parent page can be sub-pages. The hierarchy gives you the possibility to manage your posts together. Also, WordPress has a default feature which makes it possible to customize the look for them. It is a fact that posts and pages seem to have no difference in most themes. But things will be different with the utilization of custom page templates.
Key Differences between Posts and Pages
For sure, WordPress is an open source software which allows you to extend the functionality with the use of code snippets and plugins. What we have mentioned is on the basis of the default settings. We also make a summary of their key difference in below for the clearer idea.
- Pages are more static, but posts need to be updated regularly.
- Pages are out of order, but posts are tied to time and date.
- Pages will not display author information while Posts will.
- Pages are not created for the purpose of discussion, but posts can be social.
- Pages are not included in RSS feed, which are the opposite of posts.
- Pages can include sub-pages while posts CANNOT.
- There are no category and tags available for pages. But posts can be easier to find with the help of them.
- Custom template feature can be used for each page. But WordPress lacks that feature offering for posts.
- On your WordPress website will be a few pages but a huge number of posts.
Therefore, whether to use posts or pages as content type should be according to your goal. Just like a coin, both have their own pros can cons. Previously, we have also received some frequently asked questions. Being responsible for our readers, we would like to share them with you.
What’s Child Page
But when there are too many pages, you will have some trouble organizing them. Under this circumstance, child pages will do you a favour to better organize your WordPress site. A broader page can be created as ‘Parent’ which contains child pages.
For example, ‘About us’ can be a parent page whose child pages can include history, team members, and many others. What’s more, a child page can also have some pages as their own child pages. So there will be a close relationship between your pages, which makes it convenient to build a good website structure.
How to Create a Child Page in WordPress?
Have learned what benefits child pages can bring to your WordPress site, this is a question you will face. Before the creation of a child page, you should have a parent page.
With the click on the Pages > Add New, a new page can be created. Alternative, you can skip over the step and directly open the page which you want to edit. From the Page Attributes box on the right ride, you will see a Parent drop-down which lists out all your pages.
By default, ‘no parent’ means that there is no association with this page. You have the need to choose a parent page from the drop-down menu.
Each time, save your changes before the creation of more child pages by repeating the process. Then on the Pages > All Pages screen, under the parent page will come before all the child pages with a — prefix.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many posts and pages can I have?
No limitations are put on the number of posts and page you can create on your WordPress website. Posts can be created as many as you like. However, an attention should be paid that pages should be the last choice unless necessary. With too many pages included in WordPress, readers will have trouble finding the relevant information.
Which content type is more SEO-friendly?
Though pages often play a more vital role, search engines give higher priority to the content which is fresh and organized. Generally speaking, the more fresh content will result in the higher rankings. To be honest, this question should not be a problem which troubles beginners. You should focus more on how to make websites as user-friendly as possible.