As we’ve discussed in previous posts, in a default installation, WordPress treats your site as a ‘blog’ and shows your most recent post entries on the main page, unless you set a fixed page as the front page.
In another tutorial, we’ve also explained how to create a blog page to show your latest published entries.
Whether you choose to make posts on your front page or your blog page, you can set a specific number of items to display on these pages (i.e. ’2’, ’7’, ’12’ etc.)
Your website will then display your latest blog posts on your blog page up to the maximum number of blog posts you have specified, even if your WordPress web site contains more posts than the number you have set to display …
The ability to set how many posts will display on your site has a number of practical uses.
For example, you can set your blog to display only the most recent post you have published. This is handy, if, for example, you want to send your readers to a different time-sensitive offer each week, a ‘deal of the day’ type of offer, publish the latest results of your sports team, post upcoming events, set up a quarterly team page for announcements, etc.
Or, you can use this feature to fill an empty space on your blog page if your sidebar menu is too long …
Whatever the reason, WordPress gives you the flexibility to change the number of blog posts that will show on your blog page.
Let’s show you, then, how easy it is to change how many posts will show on your blog.
How To Set The Number Of Post Entries Displayed On Your Blog
Through its content management system (CMS), WordPress lets you choose how many blog post entries you want to display on the blog page of your site.
The number of blog posts you would like displayed is completely up to you. WordPress doesn’t limit this number …
Note: Select a sensible setting that won’t slow down your page as the content loads on your site. You can always increase or decrease the number of items displayed on your blog page.
To set how many blog posts you would like to have showing on the blog page of your web site, choose Settings > Reading from the WP navigation menu …
Configure your settings in the Reading Settings page as per the screenshot below:
Specifying The Number Of Posts Displayed On The Front Page
If you are using your site as a blog (i.e. the default installation option), where the front page shows your latest posts, then edit your settings as described below:
- Front page displays: Set this to Your latest posts
- Blog pages show at most: X posts (where ‘X’ is the number of items you want showing – i.e. ‘1’, ‘3’, ‘7’, ’15’ etc.)
- Click the ‘Save’ button when done…
Modifying The Number Of Posts Displayed On The Blog Page
If you are using your site as a website, where the front page is a fixed page and your latest post entries show up on a separate blog page, then set your options as shown below:
- Front page displays: Set this to A static page, then select Posts page: > your Blog Page from the drop down menu
- Blog pages show at most: X posts X posts (where ‘X’ is the number of blog posts you want to display – e.g. ‘1’, ‘3’, ’10’, ’15’ etc.)
- Click the ‘Save’ button when done …
Now, when visitors come to your website, they will see your latest blog posts showing either on your home page or blog page, as per the settings you have specified …
To learn how to change the length of your post excerpts, see the tutorial below:
Congratulations! Now you know how to set the amount of published blog posts you would like to have showing on your WP site’s blog page.
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"If you're new to WordPress, this can stand on its own as a training course and will stay with you as you progress from beginner to advanced and even guru status." - Bruce (Columbus, Ohio)