This bonus tool will enlighten you about how to manage the way your homepage or front page looks when people visit your website. It is an audio file that you can quickly listen to and it's less than 4 minutes long. You will be able to listen to the audio and learn about the different types. Also, you will be able to download the audio.

Discovering how to create a static front page for WordPress is very helpful if you want to have consistent information on your homepage. The standard WordPress setting is to have all blog posts show on the homepage.

Create Static front page vs. Blog vs. Dynamic

Depending on the business model you have chosen for your website, it will determine how which style you choose. There are 3 standard WordPress Layouts that you have to choose from. Lets take a look at each layout type according to WordPress.org:

• Blog: This is the traditional front page format with posts featured in reverse chronological order.
  Static Front Page: This is a traditional static HTML site model with a fixed front page and content placed in Pages, rarely if ever using posts, categories, or tags.
• Static Front Page Plus Blog: This model features a static front page as an introduction or welcome plus a blog to manage posts. Pages may be used to provide timeless content such as Contact, About, etc.
• Dynamic Front Page: Sometimes called the integrated model, the dynamic site design features a static front page plus a blog, however, the front page is dynamic. It may feature a combination of static and blog content (Page and posts). The Twenty-Eleven WordPress Theme offers that feature as an example with their Showcase Page Template. It features the most recent post in full or excerpt followed by the next most recent posts as post titles. There is an option to add a slider for featured posts set as Sticky Posts above the first post, creating a dynamic mix of content on the front page.

How to create a Static front page

For this example, let's check out the option to create a static front page.

Step 1: Go to Settings >> Reading
Step 2: Then choose the option to have a static page
Step 3: Choose a page from the drop-down list that you want to use for the static front page (must be publicly visible)
Step 4: Select a page where you want to display all of the blog posts, then you can add it to the menu for your web visitors to find all of your posts

Click on the image below to enlarge and click on the "X" in the upper right corner of the image

Creating a static front page for WordPress is a great way to build connectivity between your website and your visitors. One of the themes that makes it easy for you to customize your homepage once you create a static front page is the Headway theme.

Downloads

• How to create static Front Page for WordPress website (audio)
• Bonus: Determining the style of your homepage (PDF)

Lesson Activity

Complete the question along with letting me know which layout you decided to use.