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Creating a Static Front Page

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By default, WordPress shows your most recent Posts on the front page of your site. But many WordPress users want to have a static front page or splash page as the front page instead. This "static front page" look is common for those who wish to not have a "blog" look to their site, giving it a more CMS (content management system) feel.

When you create a static front page for your site, you must also create a way for WordPress to show your most recent posts in a "virtual directory" called blog, news, or whatever else you choose to call it. This is true whether or not you are actually using Posts in WordPress.

Unlike a traditional WordPress "blog" front page, featuring the The WordPress Loop, which generates a list of your most recent posts, the static front page is a customized Page that displays static content. It can be customized to direct people to featured content, or highlight posts, articles, categories, or contributors.

Creating a Static Front Page

Creating a virtual static front page does not require editing or coding of files or templates. Using the default configuration for a "static front page" in WordPress does not remove the sidebar or change the look of the entire site, just the content area.

To create the static front page, go to the WordPress Administration Panels.

  1. Create two WordPress Pages from the "Add New Page" panel.
    1. Title one as "Home" (or another name) as your "static" front page.
      1. Set the "Home" template to the default template or any custom template.
      2. Add content you would like to see within the content area of the "Home" page.
      3. Publish the Page.
    2. Title the second one as "Blog" (or you could call it "News", "Articles", etc.). This page will be a place-holder for showing the Posts on your site.
      1. Do not use a custom Page template for this page!
      2. DO NOT add content to the Blog Page. Leave it blank. Any content here will be ignored -- only the Title is used.
      3. Publish the Page.
  2. Go to Administration > Settings > Reading panel.
    1. Set which page will be designated the "front" page. Choose from display your latest blog posts on the "Blog" Page and "static page" for the "Home" Page.
    2. Save changes.
      Settings Reading SubPanel
  3. Enable "Permalinks" to show the "page title" in the address, since /index.php?p=423 defeats the purpose of making a static front page.

While we are calling this a "static front page," you can change the content on that web page at any time by editing the Page.

Customizing the Static Front Page

EDITORS COMMENT: We need to have information on how to change the sidebar, pull in posts to the "static" content (or show it below the static content (which is really a sticky post, but let's explain and link to how to create a sticky post), and other simple tips for customizing the static concept.

Troubleshooting Themes

Not all WordPress Themes will easily convert to a static front page. Here are some troubleshooting tips to ensure the WordPress Theme you choose will work.

Navigation Bars

Some themes have top navigation bar containing links to Pages. By default most themes set "Home" as a link to the home page - in this case the static front page. Since you have created a separate page with the title "Home", there is a likelihood of another link text appearing as "Home".

To change it, edit the appropriate template file featuring the code of the navigation bar with the template tag wp_list_pages. Set the parameters to change the link title.

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