What is a Sticky Post in WordPress & How to Make One?

When you set up blogs in WordPress, they typically appear in reverse chronological order, meaning newer entries push older ones down the list. However, certain posts hold lasting significance, and that’s where sticky posts come in. It lets you pin particular pieces of content on the top of your blog feed, so they remain visible as new stuff is published.

WordPress experts especially integrate this feature in their websites when it requires highlighting important announcements, evergreen content, or time-sensitive updates. Unlike regular posts that follow chronological order, a sticky post remains fixed until manually changed.

So through this blog, I’ll explain what is a sticky post in WordPress and how you can integrate and use it effectively. So let’s begin.

What is a Sticky Post in WordPress?

A sticky post in WordPress is a feature that lets you “pin” a specific blog post or article to the top of your blog’s homepage or archive pages. So it remains visible even as new content is published.

Unlike regular posts that move down the feed as newer ones are added, sticky posts stay at the forefront. That makes them ideal for highlighting important announcements, evergreen content, promotions, or time-sensitive updates.

This functionality is particularly useful for drawing attention to key information without requiring manual adjustments to your site’s layout.

Why Use Sticky Posts in WordPress?

Certain blog posts deserve more attention than others, especially when they contain essential information or time-sensitive updates. While newer posts usually push older ones down the page, sticky posts ensure that crucial content remains prominently displayed.

Here are a few strategic benefit of WordPress sticky post feature:

• Highlight Key Content: Sticky posts ensure that important information—such as announcements, promotions, or evergreen resources—remains visible at the top of your blog feed, even as new content is published.
• Improve User Experience: By keeping critical content easily accessible, sticky posts reduce the effort users need to find valuable information, enhancing navigation and engagement.
• Boost Engagement: Sticky posts can draw attention to time-sensitive offers, events, or calls to action, increasing the likelihood of user interaction.
• Better Dwell Time: When used strategically, sticky posts can improve dwell time and reduce bounce rates by keeping visitors engaged with relevant content.
• Flexibility: Sticky posts are easy to set up and customize, making them a versatile tool for content management without requiring technical expertise.

When used effectively, sticky posts highlight essential updates, keep visitors informed, and ensure that vital messages don’t get lost in a continuous stream of new posts.

How to Make Sticky Posts in WordPress?

Being one of the best CMS, WordPress offers two great ways to highlight key posts by making them sticky. Setting up a sticky post is straightforward and can be done directly from the WordPress dashboard. Let’s discuss the two methods.

Using the WordPress Editor

Step 1: Go to your WordPress Admin Dashboard.

Step 2: Navigate to Posts > All Posts.

Step 3: Find the post you want to make sticky and click on its title to open it in the editor.

Step 4: In the right-hand sidebar, look for the “Summary” section (or “Status & Visibility” in older WordPress versions).

Step 5: Check the box next to “Stick to the top of the blog” (or “Make this post sticky”).

Step 6: Click “Update” or “Publish” to save your changes.

Using Quick Edit

Step 1: Go to your WordPress Admin Dashboard.

Step 2: Navigate to Posts > All Posts.

Step 3: Hover over the post you want to make sticky.

Step 4: Click on the “Quick Edit” link that appears below the post title.

Step 5: Check the box next to “Sticky”.

Step 6: Click “Update” to save your changes.

Once a post is marked as sticky, it stays at the top of your blog until you decide to remove or replace it. This flexibility allows you to keep important content visible while maintaining a structured and dynamic blog layout.

Making older posts sticky is one of the most effective ways to make the website more user-focused. Understand what your site visitors like to read and interact with and you can push the relevant posts at the top. For that, you can consult with our dedicated WordPress development company.

How to Make Sticky Posts Using a WordPress Plugin?

While WordPress offers a built-in function to make posts sticky, installing a plugin can provide more advanced control and features. Here is one of the popular WordPress plugins to consider.

Sticky Menu & Sticky Header

This plugin allows you to make any element on your WordPress website sticky as users scroll. While commonly used for navigation menus, it can also be applied to headers, sidebars, widgets, or any other element identified by a unique selector.

Key Features

• Set the top offset.
• Enable stickiness on specific screen sizes or pages.
• Designate a “push-up” element to prevent overlap.

The plugin also offers an “Admin Bar aware” option and Z-index control for advanced positioning. While the free version requires knowledge of CSS selectors, a Pro version with a visual element picker is also available.

To install this plugin,

Step 1: Log in to your WordPress Admin Dashboard.

Step 2: In the left-hand menu, click on Plugins > Add New.

Step 3: Use the search bar to find the plugin you want to install. Type “Sticky Menu & Sticky Header”.

Step 4: Once you find the plugin, click the ‘Install’ Now button next to it.

Step 5: After installation, click the ‘Activate button’ to enable the plugin on your site.

If you want a more customized plugin for your website, our WordPress plugin development services might come in handy.

How to Remove a Sticky Post in WordPress?

There’s a chance you no longer need a blog or post to be highlighted at the top. In that case, you can remove the sticky post with ease.

Step 1: Go to your WordPress Dashboard.

Step 2: Navigate to Posts > All Posts and find the sticky post.

Step 3: Click ‘Edit’ and locate the ‘Stick to the top of the blog’ option.

Step 4: Uncheck the box and update the post.

Step 5: Click “Update” to save your changes.

Once unpinned, the post will no longer be pinned to the top of your blog page and will fall back into the normal chronological order based on its publication date.

How to Manage Multiple Sticky Posts in WordPress?

When you designate multiple posts as sticky, WordPress will display them at the very top of your blog page, ordered by their publication date, with the most recently published sticky post appearing first among the sticky posts. This is regardless of when they were made sticky.

Here’s what you need to follow:

• Prioritize Content: Determine which posts are most important and deserve the “sticky” status. Avoid overloading your homepage with too many sticky posts, as this can overwhelm visitors.
• Use a Plugin: While WordPress allows only one sticky post by default, plugins like “Sticky Menu & Sticky Header” enable you to manage multiple sticky posts. This plugin lets you pin posts to specific categories or custom sections.
• Custom Queries: For advanced users, modifying your theme’s functions.php file or using custom code snippets can help display multiple sticky posts in a controlled manner.
• Sticky Post Order: If using a plugin, ensure you can reorder sticky posts based on priority. This keeps the most critical content at the top.
• Regular Updates: Periodically review and update your sticky posts to keep them relevant. Remove outdated or less important posts to maintain a clean and engaging homepage.

With these practices, you can effectively manage multiple sticky posts while maintaining a user-friendly and organized website.

How to Do Custom Styling for Sticky Posts in WordPress?

To make sticky posts visually stand out, you can apply custom CSS styling to a child theme. Adding a distinctive background, border, or padding can differentiate pinned posts from regular ones.

Here’s an example of a simple CSS rule to style sticky posts:

.sticky {
    background-color: #f4f4f4;
    border-left: 5px solid #ff6600;
    padding: 10px;
}

You can modify these styles in Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS or in your theme’s style.css file.

Regularly managing sticky posts keeps your blog clean, relevant, and engaging. By unpinning outdated content, limiting the number of sticky posts, and using custom styling, you can ensure that your featured posts remain impactful and user-friendly.

Best Practices for Using Sticky Posts in WordPress

Sticky posts are a valuable tool for keeping essential content in front of your audience, but using them effectively requires a thoughtful approach. Simply pinning multiple posts to the top of your blog can lead to clutter and reduce the impact of each highlighted article.

Here are a few of key strategies to consider:

Limit the Number of Sticky Posts

Avoid overwhelming your visitors by keeping the number of sticky posts to a minimum (1-3 posts). Too many sticky posts can clutter your homepage and dilute their impact.

Prioritize High-Value Content

Use sticky posts for content that provides the most value, such as:

• Important announcements (e.g., events, updates).
• Evergreen content that remains relevant over time.
• Promotions, discounts, or calls to action.

Keep Sticky Posts Updated

Regularly review and update your sticky posts to ensure they remain relevant. Remove or replace outdated posts to maintain a fresh and engaging homepage.

Optimize for SEO

Ensure your sticky posts are optimized for search engines by:

• Using relevant keywords in the title and content.
• Adding meta descriptions and alt text for images.
• Ensuring the content is high-quality and engaging to reduce bounce rates.

Use Clear and Compelling Headlines

Since sticky posts are prominently displayed, craft attention-grabbing headlines that encourage users to click and engage with the content.

Highlight Time-sensitive Content

Sticky posts are ideal for time-sensitive information, such as limited-time offers, event reminders, or breaking news. Remove these posts once the event or offer has passed.

Maintain Visual Consistency

Ensure your sticky posts align with your site’s design and branding. Use featured images or thumbnails that are visually appealing and consistent with your theme.

Test and Monitor Performance

Use analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics) to track the performance of your sticky posts. Monitor metrics like click-through rates, time on page, and conversions to assess their effectiveness.

Avoid Overusing Sticky Posts for Blog Feeds

If your homepage is primarily a blog feed, avoid making every important post sticky. Instead, reserve this feature for truly critical content to maintain its impact.

When managed properly, sticky posts enhance readability and ensure that important updates don’t go unnoticed. Regularly reviewing and updating them keeps content fresh and relevant while preventing outdated posts from taking up prime space.

FAQs for Sticky Posts in WordPress

Let’s Conclude

Sticky posts in WordPress offer a simple yet effective way to keep important content highly visible. By pinning key articles to the top of your blog, you can ensure that essential updates, featured posts, and evergreen content remain accessible to visitors.

Whether used for announcements, promotions, or cornerstone content, this feature helps improve engagement and content discoverability. To get the most out of sticky posts, it’s important to use them strategically–keeping the number limited, updating them regularly, and ensuring they align with your site’s goals.

If you want to improve the user experience on your website with sticky posts, connect with our WordPress professionals today!