Lesson 04: Posts vs Pages - When to Use Which

Objectives

• Understand the fundamental difference between Posts and Pages
• Know when to use each one
• Create your first Post and your first Page
• Learn the Gutenberg block editor basics

Posts vs Pages: The Core Difference

Simple Rule of Thumb

• Would this content make sense with a date? → It's a Post
• Is this content meant to be permanent and findable via the menu? → It's a Page

When to Use Posts

Use posts when the content is:

• Time-sensitive — news, announcements, updates
• Part of a series — blog entries, tutorials, articles
• Categorizable — belongs in a category (e.g., "Company News", "Tips & Tricks")
• Expected to grow — you'll keep adding more over time

Examples:

• "We Just Launched Our New Product Line" (announcement)
• "10 Tips for Better Web Design" (blog article)
• "Monthly Company Newsletter - March 2026" (recurring content)

When to Use Pages

Use pages when the content is:

• Permanent — doesn't change frequently
• Standalone — makes sense on its own, not part of a series
• Part of the site structure — belongs in the navigation menu
• Not date-dependent — would be weird with a "Published on" date

Examples:

• Home page
• About Us
• Our Services
• Contact Us
• Privacy Policy / Terms of Service
• Portfolio
• FAQ
• Team / Staff page

Creating Your First Page

Let's create an "About" page:

1. Go to Pages → Add New Page in the sidebar
2. You're now in the Gutenberg Block Editor

The Block Editor (Gutenberg)

WordPress uses a block-based editor. Everything is a "block":

• Paragraphs are blocks
• Headings are blocks
• Images are blocks
• Lists, quotes, buttons — all blocks

Key Interface Elements:

• Title area (top) — type your page title here
• Content area — where you add blocks
• "+" button — click to add a new block
• Right sidebar — settings for the selected block or the page itself
  • Block tab — settings for the currently selected block
  • Page tab — settings for the whole page (featured image, URL slug, etc.)

Create the About Page:

1. Title: Type About Us
2. First block: Click in the content area and type a paragraph:

   Welcome to our company. We are dedicated to providing excellent service.
   

3. Add a heading: Press Enter, then type /heading and select "Heading". Type: Our Mission
4. Add another paragraph: Press Enter and type:

   Our mission is to deliver high-quality solutions that make a difference.
   

5. Add a list: Press Enter, type /list and select "List". Add a few items:
   • Quality first
   • Customer satisfaction
   • Innovation
6. Click "Publish" (top-right)
7. Click "Publish" again to confirm
8. Click "View Page" to see it on the front-end

Creating Your First Post

Now let's create a blog post:

1. Go to Posts → Add New Post
2. Title: Type Welcome to Our Blog
3. Content: Type a paragraph:

   This is our first blog post! We're excited to share news, tips, and updates with you. Stay tuned for more content coming soon.
   

4. Set a Category:
   • In the right sidebar, find the Categories section (under the Post tab)
   • Click "Add New Category"
   • Type General and click "Add New Category"
   • Make sure it's checked
5. Add Tags:
   • In the right sidebar, find the Tags section
   • Type welcome, first post and press Enter
6. Click "Publish" → "Publish" again
7. Click "View Post" to see it

Working with the Block Editor

Adding Blocks

There are several ways to add blocks:

1. Click the "+" button that appears between blocks
2. Click the "+" button in the top-left toolbar
3. Type / in an empty block to search for block types
4. Press Enter to create a new paragraph block

Common Block Types

Block Controls

When you click on a block, you get:

• Block toolbar (appears above the block) — formatting options
• Block settings (right sidebar, Block tab) — detailed settings
• Three-dot menu on the toolbar — move, duplicate, delete, etc.

Moving Blocks

• Use the up/down arrows on the block toolbar
• Drag and drop using the six-dot grip icon
• Use the three-dot menu → Move to for precise placement

Keyboard Shortcuts in the Editor

Page/Post Settings (Right Sidebar)

For Pages:

• Status & Visibility — draft, published, scheduled, visibility (public/private)
• URL (Slug) — the URL path (e.g., /about-us)
• Featured Image — a hero image for the page
• Page Attributes — parent page (for hierarchy), template, order
• Discussion — enable/disable comments

For Posts (additional options):

• Categories — assign to one or more categories
• Tags — add descriptive keywords
• Excerpt — a short summary (used in blog feeds)
• Author — who wrote this post

Page Hierarchy (Parent/Child Pages)

Pages can be organized hierarchically:

• A "Services" page could be the parent
• "Web Design", "SEO", "Marketing" could be child pages
• This creates URLs like /services/web-design/

To set a parent page:

1. Edit the child page
2. In the right sidebar → Page tab → Page Attributes
3. Select the parent page from the dropdown

Exercises

1. Create 3 more pages: Create pages for "Services", "Contact", and "Blog" (you can leave them mostly empty for now — just add a title and a short paragraph).

2. Create 2 more posts: Create two blog posts with different categories. Try using different block types (headings, lists, images).

3. Practice blocks: On one of your pages, practice adding and arranging these blocks: Heading, Paragraph, Image (upload any image), List, Button, Columns.

4. Set a parent page: Create a child page under "Services" called "Web Design". Check the URL structure.

5. Explore post settings: On one of your posts, explore the right sidebar — try setting a featured image, adding an excerpt, and changing the URL slug.

Key Takeaways

• Posts = date-based, categorized content (blogs, news)
• Pages = static, standalone content (About, Contact, Services)
• The Gutenberg block editor is how you create content in both
• Everything in the editor is a block — type / to search for block types
• Pages can have parent-child hierarchy for organized URL structures
• The right sidebar contains important settings for each post/page
• Use Shift + Enter for a new line, Enter for a new block

Next Lesson: Lesson 05 - Categories, Tags, and Taxonomies