Creating a Dedicated Blog Page on WordPress Sites: An Expert Guide

Displaying your blog posts on your WordPress site‘s home page is the default setting. However, there are good reasons to consider using a separate dedicated page for your blog content instead.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll explore the benefits of having a separate blog page and walk through how to set it up properly.

Why Create a Separate Blog Page?

First, let‘s look at why you may want to move your blog content off of your homepage:

• More homepage customization – With blog posts removed, you can better showcase your products, services, branding, and other conversion-focused elements on your homepage.

• Clearer content structure – Having a dedicated space for your blog content keeps things clean and organized for visitors.

• Enhanced blog design – A separate page allows you to customize the layout, style, and functionality of your blog without impacting other pages.

• Improved user experience – Readers coming just for your blog content won‘t have to hunt for it amongst other homepage elements.

In fact, studies show that over 60% of all WordPress installations are used for commercial websites and blogs, so optimizing these types of sites is key.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Blog Page in WordPress

Now let‘s walk through how to easily create a separate blog page in WordPress using two methods:

Method 1: Using Built-In WordPress Settings (Easier)

The quickest way to create a dedicated blog page is by adjusting your settings:

Step 1: Create Two New Pages

Start by making two new pages – one will be your new homepage and one will contain your blog posts:

1. Go to Pages > Add New
2. Name the first page something like "Home" and publish it.
3. Repeat to make a second page, perhaps called "Blog".

Step 2: Set the Home and Blog Pages

Next, configure your WordPress reading settings:

1. Go to Settings > Reading
2. Under "Your homepage displays", choose "A static page"
3. Set your new Home page as the "Front page"
4. Set your new Blog page as the "Posts page"
5. Click Save Changes.

This will redirect your homepage to the new Home page, while your blog posts will now only appear on the Blog page.

Step 3: Customize Each Page

You can now customize both pages how you see fit. For your Home page, focus on branding, calls-to-action, and other conversion-oriented elements.

For your Blog page, adjust the post order, select a blog layout, configure excerpts, etc. depending on your theme.

And that‘s it! Your WordPress blog now has its own dedicated page.

Method 2: Using a Page Builder Plugin (More Customization)

For greater design flexibility, use a page builder like Elementor to create custom home and blog pages:

Step 1: Install and Activate Elementor

If not already installed, add the Elementor plugin:

1. Go to Plugins > Add New
2. Search for "Elementor"
3. Install and activate it

Step 2: Create a Home Page Template

Now build a new home page with Elementor:

1. Go to Elementor > Add New
2. Use the "Single" template and name it something like "Home Page"
3. Design your custom home page layout
4. Click Publish when done

Step 3: Set New Homepage

Then set your new page template as the homepage:

1. Go to Settings > Reading
2. Set "Your homepage displays" to "A static page"
3. Select your new home page template as the "Front page"

Step 4: Make a Blog Page Template

Follow similar steps to make your blog page:

1. In Elementor, add a new "Single" template named "Blog"
2. Design your ideal blog layout here
3. Publish your completed blog page template

Step 5: Set Blog Page

Finally, set your blog template as the posts page:

1. Return to Settings > Reading
2. Select your new blog template as the "Posts page"

You now have full design control over both your homepage and blog!

Expert Tips for Setting Up Your WordPress Blog Page

Here are some additional pro tips when creating your dedicated blog page in WordPress:

• Make sure to add menu links to your new Home and Blog pages for easy navigation.

• Use widgets, shortcodes, or template parts to display blog content in other locations as needed.

• Leverage categories, tags, or custom taxonomies to better organize different blog content types.

• Optimize your blog page for SEO by including meta titles and descriptions for each post.

• Show your most popular and recent blog posts on the page first to engage readers.

• Use an attention-grabbing headline, eye-catching featured image, and clear calls-to-action at the top of your blog page to drive page views.

• Enable comments on your blog page to encourage engagement. Recent surveys found over 91% of consumers read blogs that allow commenting.

• Include share buttons for social media on blog posts to increase reach. 79% of users report engaging with branded content on social that they found informative.

• Set up newsletter or follow subscriptions so readers can be notified of new blog posts. 89% of companies stated they acquired customers through email newsletters.

Conclusion

Adding a dedicated page for your blog content is a great way to improve website organization, design flexibility, user experience, and more.

Hopefully this guide helped explain the benefits of having a separate blog page and provided actionable steps for setting it up properly in WordPress. Let us know if you have any other questions!