Your homepage can show a list of your latest blog posts or a static page with custom content.
Home Template
Please take note, the default homepage display is set to display your latest posts.
Firstly, let’s look at two options to explore when you have ‘your latest posts’ set:
- If your theme has a Home template or if you have created a Frontpage template, then that template will be used as you homepage. If you would like to include a link to your homepage as part of your navigation menu, you could add a a link to your website and change the name to Home.
Watch this short video
Click here to view the video transcript
Let us make our way to Settings and click on Reading. And once we are here we will see that the default homepage display is set to display your latest posts. Then we will go to Appearance and click on Editor. And once we are in the Site Editor, click on the WordPress icon top left and make your way down to Templates. If your theme has a home template, or you have added a Frontpage template, then that template will be used as your homepage. Under the home template, it says displays as the site’s homepage or as the posts page when a static homepage is not set. Let us go to our home template and click on Site. If you would like to include a link to your homepage as part of your navigation menu, you could add a link to your website and change the name to Home. And then, of course, you can use the movers to reposition your homepage.
- If you don’t have Home template or a Frontpage template, your latest posts will probably appear on your homepage via the Index template. The Index template is a default template used when nothing more specific is available.

Secondly, let’s have a closer look at what to do if you would like to have a static homepage display:
Step 1: Create and publish a page under Pages which you will set as your homepage.
Step 2: Create and publish a page under Pages for your posts page. It does not have to include any content as it will automatically display the posts you have published.
Step 3: Make your way to the Administration Screen > Settings > Reading and select a static page for your homepage and posts page.

How to customize your homepage
Latest Blog Posts
Let’s assume you have selected ‘Your latest Posts’ as your homepage display.
To customize your blog, go to Administration Screen > Appearance > Editor. The Editor will open to your homepage, and you can start editing.
Block themes display lists of blog posts with the Query Loop block and the Post Template block.
When you add a block inside the Post Template block, it is repeated for every post in the list. The post title and post featured image, post author, post date, post category, and post tags are examples of blocks that you can use to customize your blog.
Watch this short video
Click here to view the video transcript
If you would like to customize your blog, go to Appearance, and click on the Editor. This will take you right to your homepage template, as you can see at the top. When you click on the WordPress icon top left, you will see that when you are on ‘Site’, it means you are on your homepage template. And when you are here, you can start editing.
So let us open up the List View. Now, remember, block themes display a list of blog posts with the Query Loop block and the Post Template block. At the moment, this is the way my posts are being displayed. There is a post title, a featured image, a post excerpt and a post date. Let us add a Post Author block. When you add a block inside the Post Template block, it is repeated for every post in the list. So, the Post Author block will now be displayed on all my posts.
Let us click on the Inserter at the top left, and scroll down to theme blocks. And here you will see some of the blocks that can be used to customize your blog, blocks such as the Post Title block, Post Excerpt block, the Post Featured Image block etc.
Static page
If you have selected a static page for your homepage, and you want it to have a different design than other pages, you need to assign it a different or custom template. This means you will not be assigning the Home template to your homepage anymore.
Follow these steps to assign an existing template:
- From your wp-admin Dashboard, head to Pages > All Pages.
- From the list of pages, select the option to edit page that you have set as your homepage.
- Once in the post editor, open the settings sidebar.
- Under “Template”, you can then select whatever template you want your homepage to use.
- When you are done, select “Update” to save the changes.
Follow these steps to create a new template:
- From your wp-admin dashboard, head to Pages > All Pages.
- From the list of pages, select the option to edit the page you have set as your homepage.
- Once in the post editor, open the settings sidebar.
- Under “Template”, select New and name it appropriately.
- Make the necessary changes.
- When you are done, select “Update” to save the changes.
Watch this short video
Click here to view the video transcript
If you have gone to Settings, clicked on Reading, and have selected a static home page display, but you actually want your homepage to have a different design than other pages, you need to assign a different template.
So make your way to Pages. Click on the page you have set as your static homepage. And now in the setting sidebar, under Template, you have the option to assign a new template to your homepage. This theme provides four extra templates to choose from. Otherwise, create a new custom template that meets your design needs.
Reflection
– Reflect on if you want your homepage to show a list of your latest blog posts or a static page with custom content.
– Do you feel confident editing your blog page or setting a static homepage with a different design than other pages?