WordPress Static Homepage How to Set it Up

Tired of seeing an unorganized feed of your latest posts on your homepage? Configuring a WordPress static homepage lets you control exactly how your homepage looks for each and every visitor.That lets you control visitors experiences and present your site in the best way possible. But to do it, youll need to tweak WordPress default settings.To that end, Im going to spend this post showing you how to create a WordPress static homepage. Then, once Ive done that, Ill give you a few tips for how you can add advanced functionality or styling to your brand new homepage. Heres how to actually tell WordPress to display a static page as your homepage instead of a feed of your most recent posts. And this part is pretty painless dont worry. Its styling your homepage that takes most of the time.To set your static homepage, you first need to create a new page to use as your homepage. To do that, just go to Pages → Add New. To make it easy to find, name it something like Homepage and make sure to Publish it:Next up, assuming you still plan to write blog posts, you need to create another page and name it something like Blog. Again the name isnt important. It just makes it easier to find for the next step.Once youve created both of those pages, go to Settings → Reading. Here, change the Front page displays option to A static page. Then select from the drop downs:Front page: Select the page that you named HomepagePosts page: Select the page that you named BlogCongrats, youve just created a WordPress static homepage! When you go to your homepage, you should see a blank page called Homepage.Styling your WordPress static homepageNow youve got a WordPress static homepagebut theres nothing there yet. So how do you actually add content to your homepage?Well, the easiest way is to just use the regular WordPress Editor. You can edit the page you named Homepage just like you would any other WordPress post or page. Any changes you make to that page will be automatically d isplayed on your static homepage.For example, this:Becomes this on your homepage:Simple enough, right?But what if you want to add a few advanced elements that arent allowed by the WordPress Editor? For example, here are a couple of elements that can be handy to have on your static homepage:Email newsletter signupsA small grid of your recent postsSo to help you add some extra functionality to your new homepage, here are some free plugins that can help you with those elements.Adding a newsletter signup form Optin Forms Author(s): FancyThemesCurrent Version: 1.2.9.6Last Updated: September 2, 2019optin-forms.1.2.9.6.zip 92%Ratings 335,539Downloads WP 3.2+Requires If you want to add a newsletter signup form, you can use the free Optin Forms plugin.Once you install and activate the plugin, you can head to Optin Forms in your dashboard sidebar and configure your form. Then, grab the shortcode from the Form tab and insert it into your WordPress static homepage:Youll also need to co nfigure your chosen email marketing service in the plugins settings. Your email marketing service is what will actually manage the email addresses of people who sign up to your newsletter. Personally, Im a fan of MailChimp because its free as long as you dont exceed 2000 subscribers.Adding a grid of your recent posts Post Grid Author(s): PickPluginsCurrent Version: 2.0.41Last Updated: October 7, 2019post-grid.zip 86%Ratings 708,803Downloads WP 3.8+Requires Even though you made the switch to a static homepage, it can still be nice to display some of your recent posts to get visitors to read your blog. To do that, you can use a free plugin called Post Grid.Install the plugin, then head to the Post Grid tab. Youll need to grab the shortcode to paste into your WordPress homepage. And you can also configure all of the details about your post grid by clicking through the other options:Putting it all togetherWith just those two plugins, you can create a homepage that has:Unique te xt and pictures added through the normal WordPress EditorA newsletter signup formA grid display of some of your recent postsExample:But if you want to truly create a unique WordPress static homepage, I recommend trying out a page builder plugin.Adding advanced styling with a WordPress page builderWhile the above tips are great for adding piecemeal enhancements, to truly create a unique WordPress static homepage, I recommend using something called a page builder. A page builder allows you to create complex pages without needing to know any code.As luck would have it, we actually have a detailed post on how you can use a free page builder plugin called Page Builder by SiteOrigin to build a stylish homepage. Page Builder by SiteOrigin Author(s): SiteOriginCurrent Version: 2.10.11Last Updated: September 23, 2019siteorigin-panels.2.10.11.zip 96%Ratings 25,790,785Downloads WP 4.7+Requires Rather than rehash that whole post, I recommend that you just read it for yourself and find o ut how you can really enhance your homepage.Wrapping things upCreating a basic WordPress static homepage really couldnt be simpler. Remember, all you need to do is:Create a new page for your static homepageCreate a new page to house your blog postsTell WordPress to use those new pages by going to Settings → ReadingThe only part that might actually take some time is styling the content that goes on your homepage! If you just want basic content with a few additions, you can use the WordPress Editor with some of those extra plugins I mentioned. How to create a static homepage on #WordPress Click To Tweet Otherwise, choosing a quality WordPress page builder is definitely your best bet.Do you have any questions on how to create a static homepage for your WordPress site? Feel free to submit them below.Free guide5 Essential Tips to Speed Up Your WordPress SiteReduce your loading time by even 50-80% just by following simple tips.