How to set your homepage and blog page

When someone types your web address into their browser, the first page they see is your homepage. By default, WordPress shows a list of your latest blog posts as the homepage. For most small business websites, you will want to change this to a proper welcome page instead.

The default behaviour

Out of the box, WordPress is set up as a blogging platform. This means your homepage shows your most recent blog posts in reverse date order. If you have not written any posts yet, the homepage may look empty or show a sample post.

This is not what most businesses want. You probably want visitors to land on a page you have designed yourself, with information about your business, your services, and how to get in touch.

How to set a static homepage

1. Open your WordPress editor by clicking WP Admin in your Web60 dashboard
2. In the left-hand menu, go to Settings then Reading
3. Under Your homepage displays, select A static page
4. From the Homepage dropdown, choose the page you want as your homepage (for example, "Home")
5. Click Save Changes

That is it. Visit your website and you will see your chosen page instead of a list of blog posts.

Setting up a blog page (optional)

If you also want a blog on your site, you can set a separate page to display your posts:

1. First, create a new page called "Blog" (the page can be blank — WordPress will fill it with your posts automatically)
2. Go to Settings then Reading
3. Under A static page, set the Posts page dropdown to your Blog page
4. Click Save Changes

Now your homepage will show your designed content, and your Blog page will list your blog posts. Make sure to add the Blog page to your navigation menu so visitors can find it.

If you do not want a blog

Many small business websites do not need a blog, and that is completely fine. Simply:

1. Set your homepage to a static page as described above
2. Leave the Posts page dropdown set to — Select — (do not choose anything)
3. Click Save Changes

Your site will work perfectly well without a blog. You can always add one later if you change your mind.

Common mistakes

Forgetting to set a static page

This is the most common reason people wonder why their homepage shows blog posts. If you have created a lovely Home page but it is not appearing when you visit your site, check Settings then Reading and make sure you have selected "A static page" and chosen your Home page.

Creating a page called "Home" but not setting it as the homepage

Just creating a page with the title "Home" does not make it your homepage. You need to go into Settings then Reading and tell WordPress to use it.

Setting the same page as both homepage and posts page

Make sure your homepage and posts page are different pages. If you set the same page for both, things will not work as expected.

Checking it works

After saving your settings:

1. Open your website in a new browser tab
2. You should see your chosen homepage
3. If you set a blog page, click through to it and check your posts appear there

If the old homepage is still showing, try clearing your browser cache or opening the site in a private/incognito window.

Need help?

Still seeing blog posts on your homepage? Visit our support page and we will help you get it sorted.