A common question that comes up all the time is, “What’s the difference between Posts and Pages?”
POSTS
You can think of posts as a diary type listing, except businesses and information sites all use them too. Depending on how you set up your posts they are usually listed in reverse chronological order just like a diary with the nearest date being at the top of the list. All posts appear on the home page, or the blog page, or even a “news” page, depending on how you set up your blog posts to appear in your settings area of your dashboard. You also have an archive of posts in which anyone can see old posts and entries by looking.
Readers can read posts via a few methods, such as clicking on categories, recent posts, archives and even via RSS feed. They all have a category and can be tagged too. The great thing about WordPress is that you are in complete control of who, how and when anyone sees your blog posts via your settings area of your Dashboard.
PAGES
Think of pages as static website pages just like “old style” websites used to have. These pages don’t use categories or tags to differentiate themselves.
Like blog posts, there is no limit to the number of pages you can make on your WordPress website or blog. You can hide pages from view, and link to them on other pages, or make them private completely. You can make pages main menu items, and submenu items using various plugins and features depending on the theme you choose. Unlike a blog post, when you create the new page, you will create it and usually not change it. A good way to think of this is that every menu item is a page including your Contact page, your About page and so on.
That makes perfect sense. We often use the words interchanging one for the other.
In many cases, in conversation, it does not matter. However, when you really need to be specific, it is important.
I read somewhere that it is better to have blog posts that link to other blog posts and then maybe once to a page, instead of a ton of different links to that page. Do you agree?
I hope that was clear. I used to hear that every post should link to your page that advertises what you are selling. But recently, I heard that a bunch of blog posts should link to another blog post about the topic and then maybe that blog posts links to the ad or sales page.
Is that true?
Each page (where Page in this case is defined as a URL, so a page or post) should link to both an internal page on your site as well as a page off the site.
For internal links, check out: https://yoast.com/internal-linking-for-seo-why-and-how/
In addition, Yoast states,
Oh my gosh!!! I am so glad you told me that. So I don’t necessarily have to have 30 blog posts that all link to one other blog post, they just need to link somewhere else. And really, two somewhere elses. Okay, I am definitely going to keep that in mind! Thanks so much.
There is not wrong with doing all that… but it is a lot of work! LOL.
I prefer LESS work over MORE work. 馃檪
Which one is better? I am still tweeking and working on my blog, I started with pages, but nothing would show up on mobile site, so I switched them all to blog posts… and still nothing shows up on mobile site. I think I need to maybe add the archives list back in or something? IDK, daily progress I suppose.
Thanks for the info!!
Both are important and have a place.
WIth regards to your site, Tara, it seems like your mobile version is not showing your Menu. Check your settings on your Blogger site.
Good Luck!
Got it – thanks.
Ok! 馃檪
Good distinction. I like pages so I can organize old posts. It makes it easy to find what I’m looking for. I hope it makes it easy for everyone else as well.
If it is something that comes up often in discussion, it might be worthy of having its own page.
This is a good conversation…maybe a great topic for the WordPress Inner Circle Academy. I would definitely benefit.
Great suggestion, Sherry! Thanks.