One of the major concepts WordPress users need to grasp is the difference between Posts and Pages. These two features are used regularly in a WordPress site; however they are used for very different purposes. Anytime I train a client on his/her new WordPress website, I always highlight the following question:

Q: What’s the difference between Posts and Pages in WordPress?

A: Posts: Posts are your date-driven content used in the process of syndicating content through your other promotional channels. As you add date-driven content to your site, it is added to the top of the existing stream of date-related content in chronological order. These posts are stored on your site, making it a great resource for visitors, and keyword-rich content for the search engines.  It is this content that can also be syndicated to your clients and prospects through social networking pages and email. Posts are also displayed in the RSS feed of the blog.

Pages: In a WordPress website, Pages are like the pages of a typical “static” website. They are not listed by date and they do not use tags or categories. Classic examples of pages are About Us, Contact Us, and Product/Service Information pages. As with a typical static website, they do not change as often. In this way they are different than the constantly updated, date-driven content of Posts.

Understanding Posts and Pages is essential to maximizing the potential of your WordPress website. If you would like to learn more about these WordPress features or others, contact me at alicia@checkerboard.com!