How do I set a new page as my homepage on WordPress?

The short answer is you need to go to the Settings menu in WordPress, then select the Reading option, and from there, you can switch your homepage to the new page you want to use. Don’t forget to publish the pages before making the change to ensure everything works properly.

Full Explanation

WordPress allows you to customize what your visitors see when they land on your website by choosing which page acts as your homepage. To set a new page as your homepage, you first need to access the Settings area of your WordPress dashboard. Within Settings, you’ll find the Reading section, which controls how content is displayed. Here, you have the option to switch the homepage from the default setting to any page you’ve created. Ensure that the page you want to make the homepage is already published, as unpublished pages cannot be selected.

Step-by-Step Breakdown

Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
Navigate to the Settings menu on the left-hand side.
Click on Reading to open the reading settings.
Look for the section labeled Homepage.
Switch the homepage setting to the page you want to use by selecting it from the dropdown menu.
Make sure the page you want to select has been published to be available for selection.
Save your changes.

Real Examples

If you have created a page called “Welcome” and want it as your homepage instead of the blog posts index, visit Settings > Reading, find the homepage option, and select “Welcome” from the dropdown. Just ensure “Welcome” is published before doing this, so your visitors immediately see the content you want on your homepage.

Common Mistakes

Trying to select a page that is still in draft or pending review; only published pages appear in the homepage settings dropdown.
Forgetting to publish new pages before attempting to set them as the homepage, which prevents the selection from being available.
Not saving changes after selecting the new homepage, which means your website will keep showing the old homepage.

FAQs

Can I set any page as my homepage? Yes, any published page can be selected as your WordPress homepage in the Reading settings.
What happens if I don’t publish a page first? Unpublished pages won’t appear in the homepage selection dropdown.
Where do I find the homepage settings? Go to Settings then Reading in your dashboard to set your homepage.

Key Takeaways

Changing your homepage requires navigating to Settings > Reading in WordPress.
Only published pages can be set as the homepage.
Always save your settings after selecting a new homepage to apply the changes.