Blog Posts Versus Pages
With so many people blogging nowadays, a large percentage of those people are using WordPress to do that. When it comes to WordPress, you see Posts and Pages and it is important to understand how to use each one.
A WordPress Post is the feature in WordPress that you use to engage your readers. Posts are shared by Twitter followers and Facebook Fans.
- Sharing: There are numerous plugins in WordPress that allow your readers to share content easily and rapidly. The majority of the plugins allow you the option to turn off the sharing capability on WordPress Pages.
- Comments: WordPress Pages and Posts both have features for commenting. However, it is recommended that you turn off the comments capability on Pages. You don’t want to discourage your readers from commenting on your posts.
WordPress Pages are static within your blog. They are more or less the equivalent of the “About Us” page in a website.
Posts
- Are always published in reverse chronological order on your blog index page. This feature allows your visitors to see your most recent posts first and if they are interested, they can search for related posts in your archives after that.
- Are usually short and sweet amounts of content whose objective is to entice the reader over time. This increases your traffic and hold them, which can (and often does) eventually turn those readers into loyal business connections.
- Allow visitors to choose where they want to go by choosing specific tags and categories.
- Are good for dynamic content that you want to use over and over again.
- Allow you to specify tags and categories.
Pages
- Are not published with any schedule in mind. Because of this, they are not syndicated through real simple search (RSS) feeds or Email blog broadcast services.
- Allows you to create a structure of levels within your site.
- Are good for static content that you only intend to write once.
- Can easily be added to WordPress’s menu system.
- Do not allow you to specify tags and categories.
- You can use different page templates with them.
- Can have subpages within the pages.
Conclusion
In WordPress, both Pages and Posts have a great deal of value. You just need to be clear on how you want to use your content and that will guide you when it comes to which one of the two is most effective for you. They do share features in common, such as their both having an easy, up-to-date editor that allows you to format your content in a similar manner using any word processing software. Both Pages and Posts will let you save drafts of your work before you hit the “Publish” button. Additionally, it will keep a copy of the drafts that you have worked on so that you can return to any one of those at a later date. WordPress is an excellent tool and you should try to leverage it as much as you can for your blog and your business.
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Hi Michael,
Finding the right balance between pages and posts works quite well.
As a rule I like to write detailed pages about me, my home based opportunity and my affiliate opportunity. I write posts about day to day stuff, how to solve problems, obstacles I encounter, and I keep these posts short and sweet.
Thanks for sharing.
Ryan
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: B2B Social Media
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
Thanks, Michael, I'd been using posts by default rather than reason. Nice to know that was probably best.
Posted by John Wilkinson
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Group: Small Business Online Community
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
If you plan to have, or do have a blog in WordPress, this article is for you. It's clearly written, and very informative.
Posted by Walter Daniels
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Group: Writing Mafia
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
Very nice tutorial on the difference, especially good for new bloggers.
Posted by Betsy Riley
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Group: MCCC – Morris County Chamber of Commerce
Discussion: Booming Social Media Trends to Consider
Excellent article, Michael. I spoke about some of these topics at the Morris Chamber Business Development Committee meeting this morning. You write about some other good ideas and nailed the topic. Great job!
Posted by David Philp
Via LinkedIn Groups
Group: CMS User Group
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
Hi Michael,
I would think yes it is important as there are of course differences between the two.
The main difference I see is that pages are for content that pertain to the business or person of that website. So for instance you would use a page to create an About Us and/or Contact page or any other content you want to have as a stand alone page.
The posts are generally used as content you want to have categorised into topics, subjects etc. These are chronologically ordered. You are also able to add tags and the content is read by the RSS feeds.
Posted by Craig Small
Very interesting article again,thank you. So in relation to this just looking for a little advice for my next page or post, which shall I use? I am an artist and have my paintings and animations etc on pages, and all informations and cv etc. I write a weekly blog which I use posts for. As part of the weekly blog I always put in a quote that suits and now want to add a special page for this with links to the blogs that go with them. Should I use a page or a post do you think? I was leaning towards a page.
Marie,
You probably should use a page. In general the content of a page is viewed from multiple source of entries. For example: assuming that you have multiple services that are detailed in pages. Than you write a bunch of blog post articles that are indirectly related to the services, at the end of the article you should include a call-to-action with a statements like “For more information on X go to….” and link the CTA to the page with the detailed service description.
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Group: Books and Writers
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
I'm a little confused here. I use a WordPress blog for my reviews, but never paid much attention to the pages outside of my main page and my about page. What are your thoughts on using the pages?
Posted by Lauren Buxton
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Group: Freelance Editing Network
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
I had a blog on WordPress. I am going with Blogger (I think) this time. I have my own URL to use and I've been told it will work best on Blogger.
Posted by Alice Stelzer
Alice,
There is no relation between linking a domain name to a specific blog software. You can link your domain to either WordPress or Blogger and the result as far as your branding will be the same.
In regard to blogging software however, WordPress.org is far more superior in capabilities than both WordPress.com and Blogger.com.
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Group: Books and Writers
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
Hello. I usually post individual pieces on the main blog page but do have three other pages (about, archive, my writing) and find pages are great if you want people to access static information. All the posts appear in the archive where readers can browse by month or category, although this can be done on the main page left-hand menu.
My blog has only been going since the end of March but I do try and put something on every day – each post links to Twitter and Facebook – and the results have been worth it (over 1600 visits to-date). I had a blogspot blog for three years before that but did nothing with it and had just over 300 visits in that time so whatever you have you do need to put the effort in. 🙂
Morgen
Posted by Morgen Bailey
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Group: Freelance Editing Network
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
Alice, when you were told using your own URL would work best with Blogger, what was the reason given? I've had a domain name, I've been using for three years, and I forward it to a WordPress.com blog quite easily. I hosted my blog on Blogger for one year, after which I switched over to WordPress, where I've been hosting it for the past two years. Quite frankly, I can't think of one thing I like about Blogger over WordPress; the latter, at least for my purposes, is superior in every way.
Posted by Rev. Marcus A. Cylar
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Group: Freelance Editing Network
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
I also use WordPress with my own domain name. I haven't had a problem with it.
Posted by Camille DeSalme
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Group: Freelance Editing Network
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
So do I. I started my blog with one name, quickly realized that too many others used the same basic name, and switched. The kind folks at WordPress support helped me to rename the blog and eliminate "wordpress" from the name . I haven't had a single problem with them so far.
Posted by Nancy Miller
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Group: Freelance Editing Network
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
Everybody that information is very helpful. I may change my mind especially if I can do away with "wordpress" from the name.
Posted by Alice Stelzer
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Group: Freelance Editing Network
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
My goal is to have a blog up by July 1st. I want to have a dozen written before I start. How often do each of you post a new blog.
Posted by Alice Stelzer
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• Group: AssociationofWriters.com
• Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
Barring anything unforeseen, my book should be out at the end of July. I'm planning on doing a website with a blog. I'm regretting not having taken all the information courses I might have in grad school and am learning as much as I can about building my own site. I know absolutely nothing about blogging. I intend to learn as much as I can about WordPress. How effective is a webpage for a first book? I'm targetting librarians, since it's being published by an academic press.
Posted by Barbara Mulrine
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Group: Freelance Editing Network
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
I don't post on specific days yet, although it's often recommended. I try to post twice a week, partly to build a set of posts (I just started my blog in March). I do have a Word file where I stash rough drafts and future post ideas, so I have something to fall back on if I'm swamped with work.
Posted by Nancy Miller
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Group: Freelance Editing Network
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
Alice, I post irregularly and infrequently. My postings aren't really blogs. My site is mostly a static site.
Posted by Camille DeSalme
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Group: Professional Bloggers
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
When I recently redesigned the navigation of my site one of the first things I did was to make all the pages posts — giving them equal weight, and adding tags and categories they didn't have before. Now I cannot even remember why I'd want a page rather than a post, in my new system at least.
Posted by Anastasia Ashman
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Group: Consultants Network | North America
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
Michael, thanks for sharing this clarification. While I use an old TypePad blog (it is cumbersome to change!), I hear that WordPress is a very popular blogging platform. But I have had a good experience integrating my blog, Twitter and LI discussions with a web radio show using (free) BlogTalkRadio.
Posted by Gary Vaughan, PMP
LinkedIn Groups
Group: Consultants Network | North America
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
This is such a common issue: taxonomy, duh!
Technically, Pages and Posts are very simular in use, that is, user input. There are some distribution differences, "Just Because We Said So" (consensus agreement about what things mean 🙂 Pages can be feed or channeled to display in selected areas of the page composition just as Posts have their distribution options, JBWSS.
And there is a meta meaning of JBWSS. As I understand some of the meaning, Pages are persistent, like Articles, thesis, opinion, etc. Posts, I prefer to think of as "Here's my thought, what do you think, comments, please. In other words, Pages are statements, Posts are open questions. IMHO.
Like this Discussion group: what do you think?
Posted by Kenan Branam
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Group: Consultants Network | North America
Discussion: Blog Posts Versus Pages
Older posts get buried under newer posts, pages are permanent. In blogs I use pages for stuff like "About Me" or "Contact Me" when I use WordPress as a site, not a blog I use pages and not posts.
Posted by Priyanshu Adathakkar