This resource is intended to help you get familiar with the concepts of WordPress pages and posts, and how those come into play starting with the sitemap. 

What’s a page in WordPress?

A page is exactly what it sounds like—a web page. 

Every page in your site will have a unique template. At the sitemap stage we plan the number of pages you’ll need and organize them into a hierarchy. Then we strategize their layouts in the UX wireframes, and create their look and feel through the style tiles and UI designs. 

What’s a post in WordPress?

A post can look the same as a page on the frontend of your site, but it’s totally different in your dashboard.

Posts were originally created for “timely” content, specifically blog posts. That’s why posts have the ability to display a publication date and author. 

Posts have a unique template, too, but it’s shared—every instance of a post type will use the same template. 

What kind of content is suited to a post?

We use posts to manage any type of higher-volume content on your site, often referred to as “detail pages” in the sitemap and later deliverables. 

Common examples include: 

  • Blog posts
  • Case studies
  • Projects
  • Services
  • Resources
  • Products
  • Team members (only in certain circumstances)

The main reason we do this is because these content types can share a template, using the same layouts for each instance. This guarantees visual consistency every time you add a new post, because the template will be pre-populated with your approved styles, sections, and some placeholder content. 

The other reason to create high-volume content as posts is simply that it keeps your dashboard tidier. Instead of having all content in one long list with pagination, you have separate areas for pages and each of your post types.

What’s the difference between posts and sub-pages?

In some cases we may build higher-volume content that shares a template as sub-pages instead of posts. We usually go this route if these two facts align: 

  • You have few instances of the content type and aren’t likely to add many more
  • The content type doesn’t need to be filtered or automated anywhere on the site  

What can you do with posts? 

Posts have several unique functions that pages don’t have. 

  • They can display the publication date (pages can do this but it requires custom coding or a plugin)
  • They can display the author (likewise)
  • They can be organized and filtered via taxonomies, like categories and tags
  • They can be automatically pulled into Query Blocks, so that the latest content of that post type always shows in certain sections of your site
  • Pages featuring a high volume of posts (such as projects, products, or blogs) can have pagination  
  • They can be featured in RSS feeds