Learn about the advantages and disadvantages of WordPress pages and posts, as well as how to select when to utilise them
WordPress has grown to become the most popular website platform in the world since its inception in May 2003. According to BuiltWith statistics, the WordPress platform powers about 37% of the top 1 million most visited websites.
WordPress is suitable for websites of all sizes, from personal blogs to commercial organisations, because to its low cost (you simply pay for hosting), ease of installation and usage, and versatility.
Count me on as a supporter. I've been a proponent of its use since almost the beginning of its existence in 2003.
I've worked on a lot of WordPress sites, and one of the most common questions I still receive is whether to use pages or posts.
Let's have a look at the differences between WordPress pages and posts before we answer that question.
WordPress pages
Pages in WordPress are used to store material that is more "evergreen," such as the main page, product/service pages, or content about us.
By declaring one page the "parent" of another, pages may be nested to build a directory structure.
Pages can't use categories, tags, or authors, and they aren't normally included in the website's RSS feeds.
WordPress posts
WordPress posts harken back to the platform's origins as a blogging platform. Posts were created to store news-related, time-sensitive, and other types of information that would normally be found on blogs.
For archive pages and on-site search, posts are time-based and can make use of categories, tags, and authors. RSS feeds contain blog posts.
Setting up categories, which may be in parent/child relationships, and configuring the structure in the Permalinks settings in the WordPress settings allows content creators to have posts appear in a directory structure.
One thing to keep in mind is that both pages and posts contain content for both your users and search engines.
Their appearance and use are determined by the website owner. Pages and posts can be used interchangeably for any purpose, although mixing identical information across the two forms is a bad idea.
WordPress pages
- Can be layered together in parent/child configurations to create a directory structure Intended for evergreen content
- There is no way to use categories, tags, or authors.
- Cannot distribute material via RSS feeds Can be formatted in whatever manner the website owner desires Is considered content by website users and search engines
WordPress posts
- Intended for news or "blog" information that must be updated on a regular basis.
- Can be layered in parent/child connections and fit into a directory structure using categories.
- Uses categories, tags, and authors to its advantage.
- Can disseminate material via RSS feeds Can be designed in whatever manner the website owner desires Is considered content by website users and search engines
Evolving recommendations
I used to urge that "evergreen" content be generated as pages all the time. Items such as the home page, product/service pages, and "about us" are examples of these.
Posts would be made for other news-related, time-sensitive, informative, blog-type content. As previously stated, this is in accordance with most people's perceptions of the purpose of pages and posts.
Although this method of working is still effective, I've recently been reconsidering this advise.
Why?
A huge majority of the websites on which I've recently worked had poor information architecture.
The majority, if not all, of the material for many of these websites is located in the website's root folder. Some websites contain material on the same subject strewn across several pages and posts. The former is rather simple to resolve, whereas the latter is more difficult.
The fact that WordPress is configured to put all content at the website's root is part of the problem. Another factor is a misunderstanding of how pages and posts should work.
If a site is being created from the ground up or going through a major restructuring, my ideas are slightly different now.
In that situation, based on the sort of information that would make up the majority of the website, I have two suggestions:
- I advocate making a site that is all pages for sites that have a lot of evergreen material.
This enables the creation of a logical folder structure by nesting pages in parent/child connections. Unless there is a clear necessity for tag or author relationships, pages will perform rather well even if there is current blog-type content.
- I propose making a site that is all posts for sites that have a lot of current, blog-type information.
This makes it possible to arrange material along category lines. Tag and author archives can also be utilised with posts. This sort of arrangement also makes RSS feeds simple. The main page may be customised to display the most recent posts to keep it up to date with the most recent information.
Because pages and posts are merely content to website visitors and search engines, either of these configurations would work well. Both content types may be styled to match the website's demands.
If you require forms or other interactive elements, you may use them on both pages and posts.
From an SEO standpoint, the information structure on the back end is unimportant; what matters is how it is delivered to users and search engine crawlers.
Are pages or blog posts better for SEO?
While blog articles are a vital part of a practice's website, content pages are likely the most crucial for SEO. This is because the pages on a medical or dental practice's website are often the first point of contact for visitors.
Is it necessary for me to completely overhaul my website's structure?
As previously said, I advocate constructing this sort of structure on a new site or if a site is undergoing considerable renovation, such as re-platforming onto a new theme or migrating to a new design.
It's fine to use the "If it ain't broke, don't repair it" attitude if your website is doing well and you haven't seen any major issues.
Final thought
The lack of a logical directory structure on many of the sites I support is the primary reason for my shifting recommendations. While it is possible to construct a logical structure using a combination of pages and posts, it is far easier to set up and manage a site that only has one form of material.
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