Want to highlight an important piece of content on your WordPress blog? One of the quickest and easiest ways is to make it a "sticky" post.
In this tutorial, you‘ll learn exactly what sticky posts are, why they‘re useful, and how to make or unsmake a post sticky in WordPress (without needing any plugins).
What Is a Sticky Post in WordPress?
A sticky post in WordPress is a post that you‘ve pinned to the top of your blog page. Instead of appearing in chronological order with your other posts, a sticky post will remain at the top of the first page of your blog, even after you publish new content.
Here‘s an example of how a sticky post looks on the Smart Passive Income blog:
Sticky posts are styled differently than regular posts to make them stand out, usually with a contrasting background color or "Featured" label.
The best part is that sticky posts are a core feature in WordPress, so you don‘t need to install any extra plugins to use them. As long as your WordPress theme follows standard development best practices, you can easily make selected posts sticky right from your dashboard.
Why Use Sticky Posts on Your WordPress Blog?
There are a few reasons you might want to make a post sticky:
To highlight your most important content. If you have a key piece of pillar content you want all your visitors to see, you can stick it to the top of your blog page. For example, on the WPBeginner blog, they keep their "Blueprint" guides to getting started with WordPress pinned to the top.
To feature time-sensitive information. Seasonal promotions, limited-time offers, event announcements – sticky posts are perfect for content that‘s important now but will become less relevant over time. Sticking an announcement post will get more eyeballs on it faster.
To drive traffic to high-converting posts. If you have posts that tend to turn visitors into subscribers or customers, consider making them sticky. For instance, the Busy Budgeter blog uses sticky posts to promote their budget binder printables.
To boost engagement on your best content. Sticky posts tend to get more views, shares, and comments than regular posts. If you pin popular posts that have high engagement potential, it can improve the overall user interaction on your blog.
When used strategically, sticky posts can help you get more traffic and conversions from your most valuable content. One study found that sticky posts got 3-5x more views than the same post would in the regular blog feed.
How to Make a Post Sticky in the Block Editor
Here‘s how to quickly make any post sticky right from the WordPress block editor:
- Open the post you want to make sticky, or create a new post.
- In the Settings sidebar on the right, look for the "Status & Visibility" section and click to expand it.
- Under "Visibility," check the box next to "Stick to the top of the blog."
- Click "Update" or "Publish" on your post.
That‘s it! If you view your blog page, you‘ll see your post pinned to the top with the default sticky post styling for your theme.
How to Make a Post Sticky from the All Posts Screen
You can also make a post sticky from the All Posts screen in your WordPress dashboard using the "Quick Edit" feature:
- From your WordPress dashboard, go to Posts → All Posts.
- Find the post you want to make sticky in the list. Hover over its title, and click "Quick Edit."
- In the Quick Edit menu, check the box for "Make this post sticky."
- Click "Update."
This is a useful option if you want to make an older post sticky without opening the full editor.
How to "Unstick" a Post
When a post is no longer relevant or you want to feature something else, you can remove the sticky status at any time:
- From the post editor: Uncheck the "Stick to the top of the blog" box under the Status & Visibility settings. Update the post.
- From Quick Edit: Uncheck the "Make this post sticky" box. Click "Update."
The post will return to its original position in your blog feed based on publication date.
Tips for Using Sticky Posts Effectively
To get the most out of sticky posts, keep these best practices in mind:
- Be selective. Stick to 2-3 sticky posts at a time, max. If you make too many posts sticky, it can clutter up your blog page and confuse visitors.
- Prioritize your best content. Sticky posts should be the best of the best – choose evergreen content or high-performing posts that represent your site well.
- Keep it fresh. Remember to update your sticky posts periodically so your blog doesn‘t look stale. Aim to feature your sticky posts for a few weeks to a few months depending on the topic.
- Use eye-catching featured images. Since sticky posts appear at the top of your blog, the featured image will be one of the first things visitors see. Make it engaging and click-worthy.
- Craft compelling titles. Sticky post titles should clearly communicate the value of clicking through to read. Use strong verbs and numbers to pique interest.
- Optimize for engagement. Consider enabling comments and adding strong calls-to-action in your sticky posts to boost interaction and conversions.
Do Sticky Posts Help or Hurt SEO?
Sticky posts likely have a small positive impact on SEO, if any. Google‘s ranking algorithms don‘t specifically take the sticky status of a post into account.
However, using sticky posts can indirectly help your WordPress SEO by:
- Increasing engagement signals like time on page and reducing bounce rate
- Helping you control the flow of PageRank to key posts by linking to them prominently
- Making it easier for visitors to discover your cornerstone content
- Attracting more social shares and backlinks to your best posts
As long as you keep user experience in mind and stick to just a few relevant posts at a time, sticky posts can support your SEO efforts as part of an overall content strategy.
Extending Sticky Post Functionality With Plugins
If you need more control over how your sticky posts behave, there are several free WordPress plugins that can help:
- Sticky Custom Post Types – Lets you make custom post types sticky (not just regular posts)
- Sticky Post By Category – Allows you to make posts sticky by category for more targeted stickiness
- WP Sticky – Adds options like sticky post scheduling and custom sticky styles
These plugins are useful if you have more advanced use cases, but most WordPress users will find the native sticky post feature perfectly adequate.
Conclusion
Sticky posts are one of those small but mighty WordPress features that can make a big impact. With just a couple of clicks, you can give key posts more prominence and drive tons of attention to your most important content.
Some common use cases for sticky posts include:
- Highlighting cornerstone content
- Featuring seasonal or time-sensitive announcements
- Showcasing your best or highest-converting posts
- Curating your top content for new visitors
Making a post sticky is super simple and doesn‘t require any special tools – just check a box in the block editor or Quick Edit screen. Most WordPress themes support the sticky post class out of the box, so your sticky posts should look great with no extra styling needed.
Remember to choose your sticky posts wisely, keep them current, and focus on content that provides the most value to your audience. By putting your best foot forward, sticky posts can have a huge positive impact on your blog‘s traffic, engagement, and conversions.
Give sticky posts a try and see how they can help you smash your WordPress goals!
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