If you have created a home page on your WordPress blog or website, but keep getting the blog page instead when you type in your web address, we show you how to fix that with your “reading” settings.
If you are just looking at the issue of the homepage, there is this little bugger: the options of your latest posts or a static page of your choosing to display on your front page. This one choice alone has probably caused grief and countless hours of unsatisfied Google searches.
Let me explain.
With most WordPress themes, once you have set them up, you will often find that your blog is the homepage or your landing page. So, when someone puts in your URL, that is where they land. But not everyone wants that. Some would rather have a static homepage. Something that tells their readers about them and their blog, or, if it’s a business blog, what the heck they do. But as you can see above, WordPress, by default, sets your front page to be “Your latest posts.”
Here is how to fix this.
Simply go in, create a page called “Home,” and add some content to it. Then create another page, call it “Blog,” and leave it blank. After you do that, come back and change the settings to this:
And, like magic, you now have a static home page and an inside blog page. I cannot tell you how many people have spent hours and hours trying to figure this out.
Remember though, if your theme has a more complex design to it, you will lose page if you choose to go this route.
Watch this video for a demonstration of this and other parts of the reading settings.
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Hi, I am new to WordPress and found this video to be a life saver. I could not work out how to change my Homepage to a regular page while making my “posts” appear on the blog. Been reading the blogs for an hour, people talking about the the CSS files etc. Just tried your solution in the “reading” settings and it worked a treat, such a simple fix to what must be a very common problem. Thanks a million.
So glad to hear you found this and it solved your problem!
Although WordPress is great, some of it’s solutions are not so obvious and intuitive. I can’t count how many times I have gone over this in a workshop and will always hear at least one “ahhhh”. As you said, a “simple solution”, but kind of hidden.
Thank you for the clear instructions, Bob. I believe this information will benefit a lot of wordpress users.
Hi Bob, this is very useful information! I’m sure many WordPress users will benefit from this post. Most people still think wordpress can only have a blog layout..
I’m using a Genesis Child theme and wondering if this would work for me, bobWP.
I would love to do this – but wondering if it would work on the theme I use – Genesis Child Theme – Georgia. bobWP
I would love to do this – but wondering if it would work on the theme I use – Genesis Child Theme – Georgia.
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I’m having issues with commenting here. Trying again.
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This post saved me from a lot of frustration, THANKS.
I’m wondering if this would work with the Georgia – Genesis Child Theme I have, Bob.