Hey there, WordPress user! Are you ready to take your sticky posts to the next level?
Sticky posts are one of the most powerful features in WordPress, but unfortunately, many website owners aren‘t using them to their full potential. That‘s a shame, because with a bit of creativity and customization, sticky posts can majorly boost the visibility and engagement of your best content.
In this guide, I‘ll share 6 cool and effective ways you can use sticky posts on your WordPress site. These are techniques I‘ve used on my own projects and client sites to drive real results. I‘ll also include some bonus tips, code snippets, and recommended plugins to help you implement them like a pro.
1. Showcase Your Most Important Content on the Homepage
The most basic usage of sticky posts is to "stick" them to the top of your homepage or blog post feed. This keeps your most crucial content front and center for all visitors.
Some examples of effective sticky homepage content:
- Major announcements or news
- Top performing posts or pages
- Cornerstone content you want to rank for
- High-converting lead magnets or opt-in offers
- Ongoing promotions or contests
According to a study by the Nielsen Norman Group, visitors spend 57% of their page-viewing time above the fold. By placing sticky posts in this prime real estate, you can significantly boost their visibility and click-through rates.
To manage your homepage sticky posts, I recommend the free Homepage Sticky Post plugin. It adds a simple interface for selecting and ordering your sticky posts right from the homepage edit screen.
2. Keep Key Posts Visible in the Sidebar
Want to keep eyes on your most valuable content even as readers browse deeper into your site? Try showcasing sticky posts in the sidebar!
Adding sticky posts to your sidebar keeps them visible on every page, driving more traffic to your top resources. I like to use the sidebar for:
- Free guides or lead magnets
- Popular how-to content
- Important category pages or hubs
- Promotions or featured products
When choosing sidebar content, consider what will be most helpful and relevant to users across your entire site. You want these links to serve as helpful navigation to quickly solve common reader problems or questions.
Ideally, aim to feature 3-5 sticky posts in the sidebar. This provides plenty of options without overwhelming the design. You can code a custom sticky post sidebar widget using this PHP snippet:
function custom_sticky_post_widget() {
$sticky_posts = get_option( ‘sticky_posts‘ );
if ( ! empty( $sticky_posts ) ) {
$args = array(
‘post__in‘ => $sticky_posts,
‘posts_per_page‘ => 5
);
$query = new WP_Query( $args );
if ( $query->have_posts() ) {
echo ‘<ul>‘;
while ( $query->have_posts() ) {
$query->the_post();
echo ‘<li><a href="‘ . get_permalink() . ‘">‘ . get_the_title() . ‘</a></li>‘;
}
echo ‘</ul>‘;
wp_reset_postdata();
}
}
}Add this function to your theme‘s functions.php file or a custom plugin, then use the widget sidebar to place it in your desired location.
3. Highlight Top Content Within Categories
By default, sticky posts only appear on the main posts page. But what about your category archives? These pages represent a crucial opportunity to feature highly-relevant content to interested users.
Luckily, it‘s easy to extend the sticky post functionality to category pages using a plugin. One of the most flexible options is Advanced Sticky Posts Switch.
In addition to enabling sticky posts for categories, this plugin lets you:
- Choose specific categories to display sticky posts
- Customize the sticky post HTML markup
- Optionally hide sticky posts from the main post loop
- Exclude certain posts or categories from being sticky
According to WP Engine, 98% of a site‘s pages get no organic traffic. Category sticky posts provide a great opportunity to resurface high-potential content that may be languishing deep in the archives.
Some suggestions for category sticky content:
- Definitive guides on the category topic
- "Best of" roundups
- Popular case studies or examples
- Category explainers or glossaries
- Tools, templates, or resources
4. Feature Top Custom Post Type Content
If your WordPress site uses custom post types like events, courses, jobs, testimonials, portfolio pieces, etc., you can maximize that content‘s exposure by giving it the sticky treatment.
There are a few ways to enable sticky functionality for custom post types. The simplest is using a plugin like Sticky Custom Post Types, which adds a "Stick to Front Page" checkbox to the edit screen just like regular posts.
Alternatively, you can enable sticky support manually by modifying your theme‘s functions.php file or a custom plugin:
function prefix_add_cpt_sticky_support() {
add_post_type_support( ‘events‘, ‘sticky‘ );
add_post_type_support( ‘jobs‘, ‘sticky‘ );
}
add_action( ‘init‘, ‘prefix_add_cpt_sticky_support‘ );Just replace events and jobs with the slugs of your custom post types. You can add as many as you need.
According to Kinsta, 28% of all WordPress websites use custom post types. Sticky post types allow you to apply the same visibility-boosting benefits to your specialized content.
5. Make Sticky Posts Stand Out With CSS
Sticky posts don‘t have to look exactly the same as regular posts. With a bit of CSS, you can style your sticky posts to attract more attention and clicks.
To add custom CSS, go to Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS. Some ideas to try:
Change the background color:
.sticky {
background: #f7f7f7;
}Add a colored border:
.sticky {
border: 4px solid #ff7a59;
}Add an eye-catching label:
.sticky:before {
content: "Featured";
display: inline-block;
background: #ff7a59;
color: #fff;
padding: 5px 10px;
margin-bottom: 10px;
}
The key is to make the sticky post visually distinct while still matching your theme‘s overall style. Bright colors, prominent labels, and bold typography can all help draw the eye.
Easier Digital Downloads saw a 53% lift in conversions by adding a yellow background to their CTA buttons. Don‘t be afraid to use color to make your sticky posts pop!
6. Take Control of Your Sticky Post Display
Sometimes you may want to limit which pages show sticky posts, such as removing them from search results or archive listings. This helps you display that crucial content only where it matters most.
To hide sticky posts from archives, modify your theme‘s functions.php file:
function prefix_hide_sticky_posts( $query ) {
if ( $query->is_main_query() && $query->is_archive() ) {
$query->set( ‘post__not_in‘, get_option( ‘sticky_posts‘ ) );
}
}
add_action( ‘pre_get_posts‘, ‘prefix_hide_sticky_posts‘ );Similarly, you can remove sticky posts from search:
function prefix_hide_sticky_from_search( $query ) {
if ( $query->is_main_query() && $query->is_search() ) {
$query->set( ‘post__not_in‘, get_option( ‘sticky_posts‘ ) );
}
}
add_action( ‘pre_get_posts‘, ‘prefix_hide_sticky_from_search‘ );You can also hide sticky posts from RSS feeds, specific categories, tags, or anywhere else you like. The pre_get_posts hook gives you fine-grained control.
Additionally, you may want to change the default "Featured" label used for sticky posts across your site. To do so, use the post_class filter:
function prefix_custom_sticky_class( $classes ) {
if ( is_sticky() ) {
$classes[] = ‘super-sticky‘;
}
return $classes;
}
add_filter( ‘post_class‘, ‘prefix_custom_sticky_class‘ ); Now you can target the .super-sticky class in your CSS instead of the standard .sticky.
Being strategic and intentional about where your sticky posts appear allows you to optimize the user experience while maximizing the impact of your featured content.
Unleash the Power of Sticky Posts
Whew, that was a lot to cover! As you can see, sticky posts are an incredibly versatile tool for boosting your content visibility and engagement. With the tactics and tips from this guide, you‘re well on your way to becoming a sticky post pro.
Just imagine:
- Your most valuable content welcoming every homepage visitor
- Your best resources highlighted across your site in the sidebar
- Your top content in each category getting more exposure
- Even your custom post type content getting the sticky treatment
- Your sticky posts grabbing attention with bold, customized styling
- Sticky posts displayed only where they have the biggest impact
Sounds pretty great, right? Best of all, you can mix and match these techniques in whatever way works best for your unique WordPress website.
I challenge you to choose one or two of these sticky post methods and implement them this week. I bet you‘ll be delighted by the results!
And if you have any other brilliant ideas for making the most of sticky posts, I‘d love to hear about them. Share your thoughts in the comments below!
