How does WordPress decide the homepage?
WordPress puts either your latest posts or one published page at the site root. The switch is Settings, then Reading, under Your homepage displays. Your latest posts is the default.
On a classic theme, that default is a list of posts. On a block theme that includes a Front Page template, the same setting shows the template, not the list. The name at the top of the editor may be Home, Index, Blog Home, or Front Page.
A static page replaces both of those with a page you published. The Homepage menu lists published pages only. A draft never appears, so publish before you look for the title.
| Reading setting | What the root shows | Where you edit it |
|---|---|---|
| Your latest posts, classic theme | The newest posts | Each post |
| Your latest posts, block theme with a Front Page template | The theme homepage, not a post list | Appearance, then Editor |
| A static page | The published page you picked | Pages, or the builder on that page |
Choosing a homepage does not change the domain. Site Address, under Settings, then General, is a different screen. A slug such as /home/ is not the root until Reading points the homepage at that page.
Look under Appearance to see which path you have. Editor means a block theme. Customize alone means a classic theme. If you are still picking a theme, install a WordPress theme before you design the front page.
How do you set a static WordPress homepage?
Publish the page before you assign it. Open Pages, then Add New, write the page, and click Publish. Until it is published, it will not be in the Homepage menu.
- Open the dashboard and go to Settings, then Reading.
- Next to Your homepage displays, select A static page.
- In Homepage, choose the published page. Leave Posts page empty if you only need the front page for now.
- Click Save Changes.
- Open the site root in a private window. The title and the first heading should match the page you picked, not the newest post.
You are finished when that private window shows the page and Reading still names the same Homepage. The post list moves only after you set a posts page, which is the next section.
How do you edit the homepage in the Editor or Customizer?
Use the editor that matches the theme. Do not change Reading and the template in the same minute, or you will not know which one visitors see.
On a block theme that should keep its built-in homepage, leave Reading on Your latest posts. Open Appearance, then Editor, and click the homepage preview. Replace the sample text or image, then click Save. The header and the footer are template parts, so an edit there shows on other pages. The area between them is the homepage.
On a classic theme, open Appearance, then Customize. If the theme has Homepage Settings, pick the same static page you set in Reading, then Save and Publish. A layout control inside Customize is a theme option. It does not replace the Reading setting unless the theme says that it does.
If the live site still shows the theme sample after you chose a static page, the theme is still serving its front template. Confirm Reading says A static page and that you clicked Save Changes. Then reload a private window.
How do you set a separate posts page?
A static homepage removes the post list from the root. Give the posts their own page. Create a published page titled Blog and leave the body empty. WordPress fills it.
Go back to Settings, then Reading. Leave Homepage on the static page. Set Posts page to that blank page and click Save Changes. Posts then load at the blank page's address, and the root stays the homepage you designed.
Do not choose the same page in both menus. One URL cannot be the designed homepage and the post list.
How do you change the homepage with Elementor?
Elementor edits the page you already assigned. It does not replace Settings, then Reading. Set the static page first, open that page, and click Edit with Elementor. Click Update, then check a private window.
A Theme Builder template set to Entire Site can cover the page Reading selected. Open that template's display condition and remove it if you want the Reading page to show. One homepage source is enough.
Why did the WordPress homepage not change?
Check these in order. Stop when a logged-out private window shows the page you saved.
- The page is still a draft, so the Homepage menu never listed it. Publish it, select it, and save again.
- Reading is still Your latest posts, so a block theme keeps its Front Page template.
- A cache plugin is serving the old root. Purge it, then reload. The steps are in clear the WordPress cache.
- A CDN or the browser is older than the dashboard. Purge the CDN once, or bypass it.
- A coming-soon plugin replaces the front page for logged-out visitors. Turn it off and look again.
- Reading names one page and a builder template names another. Keep one.
The change stuck when the private window matches the published page and the Reading screen still names that page.
If the site is on WordPress hosting and the cache control is not in a panel you can see, email support@webji.services. The mailbox is staffed 24/7 in Hindi and English, and the average first reply is under 60 minutes. The office phone is not the support line.
What should a business homepage show?
After the setting is saved, the page still has to answer a visitor. Put one headline and one action in the first screen. Follow it with proof you can stand behind, then three to six services that link onward, then who the work is for, then a form.
That order is the content of the page. It is not another homepage setting. If you want the layout built for you, WordPress web design is a separate job from this switch.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I change my WordPress homepage?
Open Settings, then Reading. Choose A static page, pick a published page as the Homepage, and click Save Changes. Open the site root in a private window. The first heading should match that page.
How do I set a static homepage in WordPress?
Publish the page first. Under Your homepage displays, select A static page, choose that page in the Homepage menu, and save. A draft does not appear in the menu.
Why is my homepage not changing?
A draft, Reading still set to Your latest posts, a cache or CDN copy, or a builder template covering the page you selected. Publish the page, save Reading again, purge the cache, and check a private window.
How do I change my homepage in the Customizer?
On a classic theme, open Appearance, then Customize. Pick the static page under Homepage Settings if that panel is there, then Save and Publish. A block theme has Editor instead of Customize, so use Appearance, then Editor.
What is the difference between the posts page and the homepage?
The homepage is what loads at the site root. The posts page is a second published page that lists posts after you set a static homepage. Do not assign the same page to both menus.
How do I change my WordPress homepage URL?
Assigning a homepage does not change the domain. The root stays the Site Address under Settings, then General. Reading only chooses which page that address shows.