Changing the home page in WordPress is a fundamental task that gives your site its first impression. Whether you are launching a new blog, shifting to a static landing page, or promoting a specific campaign, controlling the front page is essential. This guide walks through every method available, ensuring you find the approach that matches your comfort level and site goals.
Understanding the Difference Between Posts and Pages
Before changing the home page, it helps to understand how WordPress treats content. Posts are typically listed in reverse chronological order on the blog section and rely on categories and tags for organization. Pages, on the other hand are static, hierarchical, and ideal for timeless content like About, Contact, or Services. The home page can display either a static page or your latest posts, depending on the setup you choose.
Method 1: Using a Static Page as the Home Page
The most common and recommended approach is setting a static page as the front page. This method is ideal for business sites, portfolios, and agencies where you want full control over the layout. You create two pages, one acts as the front page visitors see immediately, and the other serves as the posts page for your blog entries.
Setting the Front Page
Create a new page and give it a clear title like Home or Welcome.
Add your core content, sections, and any page builder elements you require.
Navigate to Settings, Reading, and under Front page displays, select A static page.
Assign the newly created page as the Front page and choose a posts page for the blog section.
Save changes and preview the site to confirm the new home page is live.
Method 2: Displaying Latest Posts on the Front Page
If your focus is on content publishing, showing the latest posts directly on the home page keeps the experience dynamic and engaging. This method works well for news sites, personal blogs, and editorial platforms. WordPress handles the query automatically, so you do not need custom code to pull recent articles.
Configuring Posts as the Home Page
Go to Settings, Reading in the WordPress dashboard.
Select Your latest posts under Front page displays.
Adjust the number of posts shown on the blog settings screen if needed.
Save changes and visit the front end to see your most recent content appear immediately.
Method 3: Creating a Home Page with a Page Builder
Page builders like Elementor, Divi, and WPBakery give you pixel level control over the home page design. These tools allow you to build custom layouts with headers, hero sections, pricing tables, and advanced call to action modules. Once the page is designed, you set it as the static front page using the same reading settings mentioned earlier.
Integrating Page Builders
Install and activate your preferred page builder plugin from the repository.
Create a new page and click Edit with the builder of your choice.
Design the layout, add sections, and optimize content for desktop and mobile.
Publish the page, then assign it as the static front page in Settings, Reading.
Use theme hooks or custom CSS areas if the builder requires additional alignment tweaks.
