• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

WORK FROM YOUR LAPTOP

  • Start Here!
  • Blog
    • REVIEWS – Is It a Scam or Is It Legit?
    • How to Build Your Site Right
    • Work From Anywhere Opportunities
    • Expert Classes
    • WFYL on YouTube
  • #1 Recommendation
  • FAQ Video
  • About Me
  • Disclosure

Should I Use a Blogroll or Static Page for my Website?

22
SHARES
ShareTweet
Should i use a blogroll or static page

If you’re building a website, one of the first questions you may ask yourself is, “Should I use a blogroll or static page for my website?”

Which is better when it comes to the design and user experience of the home page of your website?

Contents hide
Should I Use a Blogroll or Static Page for my Website?
Understanding the Purpose and Function of Blogrolls and Static Pages
How to Create a Blogroll or Static Page on Your Website
Pros and Cons of Blogrolls and Static Pages
Final Thoughts
Related Posts

Should I Use a Blogroll or Static Page for my Website?

If you want to focus attention on your published articles, using a blogroll will work nicely. If you want to showcase the features and resources your website has to offer, then a static page may be a better option for you.

Creating either one is easy, so choosing which is the best for your niche website depends on the message you want to get across.

Understanding the Purpose and Function of Blogrolls and Static Pages

There are two different approaches when it comes to designing the homepage of your website: blogrolls and static pages.

Each serves a unique purpose, so choosing which is best for your website means understanding the pros, the cons, and the functions of each.

The blogroll is the more traditional approach and often the default option when you’re building a website. It is simply a list of your latest posts, usually listing them from newest to oldest.

If you’re writing new posts regularly like you should be, this means the blogroll is dynamic and always changing.

Related Article at WorkFromYourLaptop.com!

Check out “Can I Use ChatGPT for Content Writing?” and see the amazing tool AI can be for content creators!

Here’s an example of a blogroll from my Dominate Chess website:

sample of a blogroll

With the chess website pictured above I’m looking to showcase the articles I’ve published over a wide variety of chess related topics. A blogroll is perfect for doing this.

A static page, however, is great for showcasing the features and resources your site has to offer. You also have full control over the design.

A static page gets its name because every time you arrive at a static page, for the most part it’s exactly the same as the last time you visited.

It is often considered a more modern approach to presenting your homepage because of the freedom in design.

This website you’re currently on features a static page as its homepage. You can check it out here. (link will open in a new window).

With the Work From Your Laptop website homepage I’m looking to showcase the features and resources the website has to offer on is homepage. In this case, a static page is a perfect option.

Related Article at WorkFromYourLaptop.com!

Have a slow website? Check out “Why Do Websites Load Slowly Even With Fast Internet?” and learn 6 ways to diagnose and fix your speed issue!

How to Create a Blogroll or Static Page on Your Website

Creating either a blogroll or static page is easy to do. I’ll be showing you how to create both using Wordpress since it is the global leader for website builders.

By and large, the default setting for most websites you build with Wordpress is the blogroll. This setting can be found from your Wordpress dashboard under Settings>Reading.

blogroll option in wordpress

As you publish post after post they will automatically be listed on your homepage in the order of newest to oldest.

The most user friendly setting for listing your published blogs is to show the title and an excerpt of the article along with a featured image.

You can choose to paginate the blogroll so that it lists a certain number of articles before offering the option to go to the next page.

And remember, because this is normally the default setting for Wordpress websites, you don’t have to do a thing.

It’s automatic.

Setting up a static page allows for much more freedom and creativity with your home page and it only takes a few steps to set up.

First, you’ll have to select the static page option from your settings in your Wordpress dashboard. Again, this option is found under Settings>Reading.

static page option in wordpress settings

You’ll also need to create two pages that you can then designate as your homepage and your posts page.

In this case I’ve already created a page called Work From Your Laptop and designated it as my homepage, and created a page called Blog and designated it as the page that will show my posts.

Now, to bring that homepage to life all I have to do is open the page editor, select the page I designated as my homepage, and start designing away.

If you’re a visual learner like me, here’s an easy to follow video detailing the process.

YouTube video

Pros and Cons of Blogrolls and Static Pages

Blogrolls and static pages each have the benefits and downsides. Choosing which one is a better fit for you completely depends on the message you want to get across on your homepage.

Do you want to focus on your articles and content? Or do you want to focus on the features and resources your website has to offer?

Pros of blogrolls:

  • No work to implement since it is the default setting
  • Always changing, automatically showing newest content at the top
  • Great way to feature your content and the wide array of topics you cover

Cons of blogrolls:

  • Sometimes considered a “boring” approach to your homepage
  • Limits the different features and resources you can showcase on your homepage by only listing published content

Pros of static pages:

  • Great way to showcase the features and resources your website has to offer
  • Complete freedom in design

Cons of static pages:

  • More steps to implement than blogrolls
  • Additional pages have to be created
  • For the most part, static pages don’t change and can potentially become stagnant

One additional point I’d like to make is that blogrolls don’t have to be so “blah”. You can modernize your blogroll with a sleek design. Done correctly, both serve their purpose very well.

Related Article at WorkFromYourLaptop.com!

Looking to create consistent revenue online? Check out my newly updated review of the training platform I owe all my success to! Straightforward, affordable, and FREE to test drive, this is the training that delivered for me!

Final Thoughts

Deciding between a blogroll and a static page depends 100% on what you’re trying to accomplish with your homepage. Both are great choices for the homepage of your website and both are very easy to implement.

What’s your preference when creating a homepage? Do you tend to use the traditional blogroll more or are you using your creativity to go nuts with static pages?

Let me know what you think in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you and I always respond!

Related Posts

  • will chatgpt 4 revolutionize blogging content writing and affiliate marketing
    Will Chat-GPT4 Revolutionize Blogging, Content Writing, and Affiliate Marketing?
    ChatGPT-4 is here and it’s a game changer. Check out how to take full advantage with content writing, blogging, and affiliate marketing!
  • why do websites load slowly even with fast internet
    Why Do Websites Load Slowly Even with Fast Internet?
    Is your website loading slowly? Learn why this is happening along with 6 ways to diagnose and speed it up!
  • Should i use a blogroll or static page
    Should I Use a Blogroll or Static Page for my Website?
    When building your website, is the blogroll or the static page a better option for you? Dive in and find out!
  • can i use chatgpt for content writing
    Can I Use ChatGPT for Content Writing?
    Is AI going to kill off all the bloggers? Are we being replaced? Check out how to use ChatGPT for creating content!
  • Wealthy Affiliate Review 2023
    Wealthy Affiliate Review 2023 – What Negative Reviews Aren’t Showing You
    Are the very recent large scale updates to Wealthy Affiliate a step in the right direction or a giant fall backward? These numbers don’t lie!

About Eric Cantu

Born & raised in south Texas, Eric has enjoyed his career as a firefighter and paramedic since 2002. When he's not building websites he's traveling as far and often as he possibly can, and fully understands how awkward it is to type a paragraph about himself in the third person. Follow or contact: Instagram · YouTube · Email

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Anastazja says

    March 13, 2023 at 10:13 pm

    This is a helpful post.  I have done both and am on then fence as to which is better.  I have two sites. One is for fishing equipment and one is about affiliate marketing.  I find that the fishing site lends itself to a blog roll on different aspects of fishing and the affiliate marketing needs a static page. I haven’t worked it out yet, but your article with be a good guide.

    Jim

    Reply
    • Eric Cantu says

      March 13, 2023 at 10:24 pm

      Glad this helped! Thanks for the comment!

      Reply
  2. Dave says

    March 11, 2023 at 5:06 am

    One thing I’m curious about is whether there are any SEO implications for using a blogroll versus a static page. Does one option tend to be better for search engine rankings than the other? And if so, what are some strategies for optimizing either option to improve SEO? I appreciate it!

    Reply
    • Eric Cantu says

      March 11, 2023 at 11:20 am

      There’s no SEO implications at all. It’s totally up to you and what you want to communicate with your website. Thanks for the comment!

      Reply
  3. Julia Kossowska says

    March 8, 2023 at 5:08 am

    For a long time I had a blogroll, then I changed to a static page. Recently I was wondering whether to turn back, Just this morning I was thinking that my structure needed looking at. Now I am thinking – that needs to start with rethinking my static page!

    I also took a look at your chess site.  I have just recently started playing again – on my laptop – so I am also interested in reading a few of those articles.

    Overall, I just wanted to say thank you for your helpful and informative article. Your insights and advice have given me a lot to think about as I continue to work on my own website, and I look forward to checking out more of your content in the future!

    All the best, Julia

    Reply
    • Eric Cantu says

      March 8, 2023 at 1:15 pm

      Thank so much for the comment! Glad you enjoyed the article!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

 

Primary Sidebar

WFYL logo

Eric J. Cantu

eric headshot

Follow me on

  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Recent Posts

  • Will Chat-GPT4 Revolutionize Blogging, Content Writing, and Affiliate Marketing?
  • Why Do Websites Load Slowly Even with Fast Internet?
  • Do YouTubers Get Paid if You Skip Ads?
  • Should I Use a Blogroll or Static Page for my Website?
  • Can I Use ChatGPT for Content Writing?

Subscribe to WFYL on YouTube!

Questions / Comments

Have some questions for me? Want to share an experience you’ve had with something I’ve written about?

Feel free to leave your questions or comments in the comments section of any post!

I always reply and I look forward to hearing from you.

You can also contact me via email at eric@workfromyourlaptop.com

Search for an article

Born & raised in south Texas, Eric has enjoyed his career as a firefighter and paramedic since 2002. When he's not building websites he's traveling as far and often as he possibly can, and fully understands how awkward it is to type a paragraph about himself in the third person. Follow or contact: Instagram · YouTube · Email

this is how i make my money online
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure

Copyright © 2023 · Work From Your Laptop · Eric J. Cantu · All Rights Reserved