How to Display Recent Blog Posts on WordPress Homepage

Blogging is an important, effective way to increase traffic and engagement on your WordPress website. Moreso, by adding recent posts to your homepage, you can encourage retention by showcasing your dynamic content front and center. 

In this article, we’ll show you how to easily display recent blog posts on your WordPress homepage. The instructions in this article can also be used to add recent blog posts to inside pages. 

• Using Gutenberg Block
• Using Widget Area
• Using a Shortcode 

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Using Gutenberg Block

One of the easiest ways to display recent blog posts on your WordPress Homepage is with the Lastest Post Gutenberg block. The Lastest Post block can also be added to your inside pages as well. To add the block:

1. Login to your WordPress website
2. Navigate to Pages>All Pages
3. Click Edit to edit your Homepage
4. Click the + sign in the upper left corner to create a new block
5. Select Widgets>Lastest Posts
6. Once the block as been added, you can configure how much text is shown, enable the thumbnail images, set the number of posts that will be displayed, and more
7. You can move the block up or down by using the controls on the left side of the block
8. Click Update to save your changes

Using Widget Area

If your theme provides prime widget real estate, you may want to utilize a widget area for your recent blog posts. You can easily do this by using the built-in WordPress Recent Post widget. To add the widget:

1. Login to your WordPress website
2. Navigate to Appearance>Widgets
3. Find the Recent Posts widget, then drag and drop it in the desired widget area
4. Once added, you can add a title, set the number of posts to show and more
5. Click Save to complete the changes

However, unlike the Lastest Post block, the Recent Posts widget is limited and does not allow you to enable the display of blog featured images. Luckily, this can be done easily with the WordPress Popular Posts plugin, Smart Recent Posts plugin, or the Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails plugin. All three plugins are free and once installed, can be enabled using the instructions above. Of note, the WordPress Popular Post plugin can also be used to add blog posts to pages with a shortcode.

Using a Shortcode 

If you aren’t using Gutenberg and would rather have your blog posts live on the page instead of a widget, you can use a plugin with a shortcode. There are many free recent post plugins to choose from, but here are a few free plugins you can try:

1. WP Responsive Recent Post Slider/Carousel
2. Category Posts Widget
3. Content Views — Post Grid & List for WordPress
4. PE Recent Posts

Remember, the above can also be used to add recent blog posts to inside pages in addition to the homepage.

To make your homepage stand out even more, Choose the Style of Your WordPress Homepage.

Once you’ve successfully added your recent blog posts to your WordPress website, learn more WordPress tips and tricks to increase your website engagement!