[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":210},["ShallowReactive",2],{"page:\u002Fcustomization\u002Fhomepage-structure-for-content-heavy-blogs\u002F":3},{"id":4,"title":5,"body":6,"dateModified":193,"datePublished":194,"description":195,"extension":196,"heroAlt":197,"heroImage":198,"layout":199,"meta":200,"navigation":202,"ogDescription":203,"ogImage":198,"ogTitle":204,"path":205,"schema":206,"seo":207,"stem":208,"__hash__":209},"content\u002Fcustomization\u002Fhomepage-structure-for-content-heavy-blogs.md","Homepage Structure for Content-Heavy Blogs",{"type":7,"value":8,"toc":183},"minimark",[9,13,18,26,32,38,41,45,48,67,77,86,90,96,99,105,111,117,123,126,130,133,141,157,161,164,170,176],[10,11,12],"p",{},"The homepage is the first full-length view most readers get of your blog. For a content-heavy site, the homepage has to do several things simultaneously: establish what the blog is about, show the most recent or most important content, and give readers a path to the content they came for. These goals pull in different directions, and the homepage structure is where you resolve the tension.",[14,15,17],"h2",{"id":16},"wordpress-homepage-mode-posts-vs-static-page","WordPress Homepage Mode: Posts vs. Static Page",[10,19,20,21,25],{},"WordPress offers two homepage configurations under ",[22,23,24],"strong",{},"Settings > Reading",":",[10,27,28,31],{},[22,29,30],{},"Your latest posts:"," The homepage displays a reverse-chronological list of your posts. This is the default. The list uses excerpts and featured images as defined by the theme. In Blaskan, this is the standard archive display.",[10,33,34,37],{},[22,35,36],{},"A static page:"," The homepage displays a specific page rather than the posts list. You choose the page from a dropdown. You also choose a separate \"Posts page\" which then displays the posts list at that URL instead.",[10,39,40],{},"For most content-heavy blogs, the posts list homepage is the more useful default. It gives returning readers immediate access to new content and gives first-time visitors a direct sense of what you write about. The static page option is better suited to sites where the homepage functions as a landing page or introduction before readers find the blog section.",[14,42,44],{"id":43},"what-appears-in-the-posts-list","What Appears in the Posts List",[10,46,47],{},"On the posts list homepage, Blaskan displays each post as an entry with:",[49,50,51,55,58,61,64],"ul",{},[52,53,54],"li",{},"Featured image (if set)",[52,56,57],{},"Post title",[52,59,60],{},"Date and author",[52,62,63],{},"Excerpt",[52,65,66],{},"Read-more link",[10,68,69,70,73,74,76],{},"The number of posts per page is controlled by the ",[22,71,72],{},"Blog pages show at most"," setting under ",[22,75,24],{},". The default is 10. For a content-heavy site with short excerpts, 10 is a reasonable count. For a site with long excerpts or tall featured images, 5 to 7 may result in a more comfortable list density.",[10,78,79,80,85],{},"For detailed notes on excerpt length and image rhythm in the archive, see ",[81,82,84],"a",{"href":83},"\u002Fdocumentation\u002Ffeatured-images-excerpts-and-archive-rhythm\u002F","featured images, excerpts, and archive rhythm",".",[14,87,89],{"id":88},"the-sidebar-on-the-homepage","The Sidebar on the Homepage",[10,91,92,93,85],{},"Blaskan's two-column layout on the homepage shows the main content area and the sidebar at desktop widths. The sidebar is a widget area. Widgets are added under ",[22,94,95],{},"Appearance > Widgets",[10,97,98],{},"For a content-heavy blog, the sidebar serves readers who are exploring. Common useful sidebar widgets:",[10,100,101,104],{},[22,102,103],{},"Recent Posts:"," Shows the most recent post titles. On the homepage this is somewhat redundant since the posts list is already showing recent posts, but it can work if your sidebar shows a different post count or highlights featured content.",[10,106,107,110],{},[22,108,109],{},"Categories or Tag Cloud:"," Gives readers a direct path to topic-based browsing. For sites with well-organized category structures, a category list in the sidebar is one of the highest-value navigation elements.",[10,112,113,116],{},[22,114,115],{},"Search:"," The search widget gives readers a quick way to find something specific. On a content-heavy site with a long archive, this is often the most practical navigation path.",[10,118,119,122],{},[22,120,121],{},"About\u002FText:"," A short text widget can introduce the author or the site purpose. One or two sentences. It provides context for first-time readers.",[10,124,125],{},"Keep the sidebar focused. A sidebar with many widgets creates visual noise and may reduce the attention given to any single widget. Three to five widgets is a practical ceiling.",[14,127,129],{"id":128},"full-width-homepage-option","Full-Width Homepage Option",[10,131,132],{},"If you want the homepage posts list to span the full content width without a sidebar (for example, to give more room to featured images), the approach depends on your child theme setup. Blaskan's full-width layout class removes the sidebar from the grid and expands the content column to fill the available width.",[10,134,135,136,140],{},"You can apply a full-width layout to the homepage by assigning it in a child theme's ",[137,138,139],"code",{},"front-page.php"," template, or by using the page template selector if you are running a static front page.",[10,142,143,144,147,148,151,152,156],{},"For the standard posts list homepage, a child theme ",[137,145,146],{},"home.php"," template is the appropriate place to add the full-width class. Create ",[137,149,150],{},"blaskan-child\u002Fhome.php"," and structure it to output the full-width layout. See ",[81,153,155],{"href":154},"\u002Fdocumentation\u002Fchild-theme-basics\u002F","child theme basics"," for the child theme setup instructions.",[14,158,160],{"id":159},"featured-content-and-editorial-weight","Featured Content and Editorial Weight",[10,162,163],{},"A posts list homepage treats all posts equally by date. Some content-heavy blogs want to give more editorial weight to certain posts regardless of publication date. Common approaches:",[10,165,166,169],{},[22,167,168],{},"Sticky posts:"," A post marked as sticky appears at the top of the homepage posts list above all other posts, regardless of date. Use sticky posts sparingly. One sticky post at the top of a homepage is a clear signal. Three sticky posts starts to undermine the idea that any one of them is priority content.",[10,171,172,175],{},[22,173,174],{},"Category-filtered sections:"," If your blog covers distinct topic areas, some readers benefit from a homepage that shows content from multiple categories in separate sections. This requires a custom template or a page builder and is outside the standard Blaskan homepage configuration. The standard posts list is a single reverse-chronological stream.",[10,177,178,179,85],{},"For pattern analysis of how column width and post density interact in reading-focused layouts, see the ",[81,180,182],{"href":181},"\u002Fpattern-bench\u002F","pattern bench",{"title":184,"searchDepth":185,"depth":186,"links":187},"",2,3,[188,189,190,191,192],{"id":16,"depth":185,"text":17},{"id":43,"depth":185,"text":44},{"id":88,"depth":185,"text":89},{"id":128,"depth":185,"text":129},{"id":159,"depth":185,"text":160},"2025-11-20","2024-05-01","How to configure the Blaskan homepage for a content-heavy blog, covering static front page settings, widget zones, and full-width options.","md","Blaskan homepage showing a posts list with sidebar at desktop width","\u002Fimages\u002Fpages\u002Fhomepage-structure-for-content-heavy-blogs-1600x900.jpg","default",{"heroLabel":201},"Customization",true,"Configure Blaskan's homepage for a content-heavy blog with front page settings, widget zones, and full-width layout options.","Homepage Structure for Content-Heavy Blogs in Blaskan","\u002Fcustomization\u002Fhomepage-structure-for-content-heavy-blogs","article",{"title":5,"description":195},"customization\u002Fhomepage-structure-for-content-heavy-blogs","pu7B2YJ4cCPPonzeqNjPmDisUAKa4brimMQuGyfIRfU",1775942365287]