Looking to capture your website visitors’ attention instantly? The secret lies in how you present your most important content, so that your posts don’t get cluttered or crowded out by “noise”.
This is where featured post plugins come in. These tools let you spotlight your best content where your visitors can easily see and interact with it.
For WordPress users, you can seamlessly integrate these plugins into your website without writing any code.
In this guide, we will look at the best WordPress featured post plugins, including their key benefits and common mistakes users make when featuring their content.
Let’s get started!
TL;DR – Best WordPress Featured Post Plugins
If you’re in a hurry, here are the best WordPress featured post plugins:
- Webynize
- WP Show Posts
- Essential Grid
- JetEngine (Crocoblock)
- Featured Post Creative
Continue reading for an in-depth review of each plugin, including the key features to help you pick the best one for your WordPress site.
Key Benefits of a WordPress Featured Post Plugin for Content Visibility
One of the primary reasons to add a featured articles widget to WordPress is to get more eyeballs on your top posts, keeping visitors engaged and increasing dwell time.
Here’s how a featured post plugin boosts content visibility:
- Prime Placement: A featured post plugin lets you display your best articles on prime real estate, such as the header, footer, and sidebar sections, so that they are almost unmissable when visitors open your WordPress site.
- Improves Content Discoverability: A good featured post plugin lets you control which posts appear first in the feed, ensuring your most valuable content is prominently displayed on your WP site.
- Enhances Content Appeal: Advanced plugins offer styling options, such as typography and high-quality images, that you can add to featured posts, making them more appealing to new visitors.
- Improved SEO: Featured post sections create opportunities to insert internal links to other pages on your WordPress site, enhancing crawlability and helping search engines index the content so it appears in SERPs.
Examples of Featured Post Sections that Drive More Clicks
You may be wondering how a featured post section should look on a WordPress site to boost engagement. We have compiled a few examples to inspire you.
- Hero Featured Post: As a blogger, you can create a banner-style featured post section and display it above the fold, so that visitors see your top posts first when they open your WordPress site.
- Grid-Based Section: A grid layout helps you utilize engaging image thumbnails to grab visitors’ attention and content snapshots to give them an idea of what the post is about, encouraging readers to click on the article(s).
- Editor’s Picks Section: This section works best for editorial sites, niche blogs, and thought leadership platforms, as the label “editor’s choice” often adds a human touch and authority, enticing visitors to want to read the featured articles.
- Popular Post Section: You can organize your featured posts based on views, comments, or engagement metrics, and include a label for “Trending Posts” or “Most Popular Articles.” This naturally attracts readers to skim through the posts out of curiosity, with some even following the links to the featured articles.
Top WordPress Featured Post Plugins – Comparison
The best featured post plugins should be user-friendly, allowing you to set up and customize the widgets without writing any code. We have compiled the top five plugins for adding featured posts to your WordPress site.
1. Webynize
Webynize offers a no-code featured articles widget for highlighting your top content on WordPress to grab visitors’ attention quickly and invite them to interact with it. The plugin uses lightweight code, allowing you to display featured posts across multiple web pages without slowing down your WordPress site.
Other features that make this plugin stand out include:
- Easy Embedding: The plugin has a built-in embed code generator that creates the script you’ll copy and paste on your WordPress site.
- Multi-Platform Compatibility: In addition to WordPress, the Webynize featured post plugin is compatible with other website builders, including Squarespace and Wix. This means you can use the same plugin across multiple websites.
- Easy Customization: You can adjust the plugin’s background color, font, and spacing to match your brand or WordPress theme.
- Mobile-Ready Design: The widget has been optimized for all screen sizes, making it easy for users to view your featured posts on mobile devices like phones and tablets.
Pricing:
- Free: $0 per month
- Pro: $30 per month
- Business: $60 per month
- Enterprise: $500 per month
2. WP Show Posts
The WP Show Posts plugin lets you display featured or categorized posts anywhere on your site using a list or grid layout.
However, you must update the plugin regularly to avoid compatibility issues with your WordPress site.
Features:
- Pre-built templates for easy setup
- Supports the Gutenberg block editor
- Built-in filtering options for filtering content based on category, date, and title
3. Essential Grid
As the name suggests, Essential Grid lets you display featured content in customizable grid layouts.
You can customize the feed to match your WordPress theme, or use a different style for each featured post.
Features:
- Easy to set up and customize
- Multiple layout options, such as masonry and cobble
- Mobile-responsive design for all screen sizes
4. JetEngine (Crocoblock)
JetEngine (Crocoblock) is an all-in-one content plugin that helps you create unique featured posts using Elementor or Gutenberg.
However, ensure you have experience using the JetEngine platform, as it is primarily designed for experienced WordPress users and developers.
Features:
- Advanced content filtering tool
- Numerous customization layouts
- Uses a mobile-first design
5. Featured Post Creative
Featured Post Creative lets you display featured content through customizable grids, lists, and slider layouts.
However, you’ll need a premium monthly plan to access advanced layout options to help you style the featured post plugin to match your WordPress theme.
Features:
- No-code setup
- Multiple design templates, such as grid and slider layouts
- Supports drag-and-drop post ordering
How to Add Featured Posts With Site Editor Without a Plugin
Many WordPress users prefer using a featured post widget because it’s fast and convenient. However, if you’re still curious how to add a featured post section to WP without a plugin, we’ve got you.
Here’s how to do it:
Create a Tag for your Featured Content
Following these steps:
- Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
- Go to posts, then tags.
- Click Add New Tag.
- Enter a tag name, such as featured posts.
- Add a description of the tag, but it’s optional.
- Save the tag.
Tag Your Featured Content
The next step is to assign the new tag to the posts you want to feature, as follows:
- Go to posts in your WordPress admin dashboard.
- Click Add New Post or edit an existing post.
- Open the post settings sidebar in the block editor.
- Find the tags section.
- Type the tag you created.
- Click update to save the changes.
At this point, any posts with the created tag can now be displayed as featured content.
Showcase Featured Posts Using the Query Loop Block
The last step is to display the tagged posts on your WP site:
- Go to Appearance, then Editor on your WordPress admin dashboard.
- Select templates, then open the web page where you want the featured posts to appear, such as your home page or landing page.
- Edit or insert a new Query Loop Block.
- Open the filters section in the block settings sidebar.
- Add a filter for taxonomy.
- Select the tag you created in the first step.
- Customize the tag’s layout.
- Save the changes
Your website will now automatically showcase any posts with the featured tag.
How to Add Featured Posts to the Sidebar With Widgets
Webynize offers a beginner-friendly solution for adding featured posts to your WordPress site’s sidebar. The widget lets you create and customize the feed without writing any code, so that you can finish the setup in a few minutes.
Here is a step-by-step guide on how to use Webynize to add featured posts on WordPress:
- Sign up on Webynize to start your 7-day free trial. You can then subscribe to a monthly plan to keep enjoying the premium features.
- Click the + Create Widget button to access the widget library.
- Select the Featured Articles widget from the dropdown menu.
- Enter a custom name for the widget and click NEXT to launch the editor panel.
- Go to the basic tab and click manage articles to add the posts you want to feature.
- Customize the plugin by adjusting the color and font to match your website theme.
- Select WordPress as the website type, then copy the embed script from the pop-up window.
- Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
- Navigate to Appearance and locate the sidebar area.
- Click the + Add block button in the sidebar, then select to add a custom HTML block.
- Paste the embed code from Webynize and save the changes.
Your Featured post plugin is now live and ready to display your best content.
See how easy it is?
Create a widget and curate an engaging featured post section for your WordPress site.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are commonly asked questions about WordPress featured post plugins.
What is the Best WordPress Featured Post Plugin for Beginners?
Webynize is the best WordPress featured post plugin for beginners. It offers a no-code plugin that lets users create and style a featured post section without writing any code.
Additionally, it provides other features that complement the featured post plugin, such as a tooltips widget that provides contextual information when visitors hover over an article.
How Do I Show Featured Posts in a Grid Layout?
The best way to show featured posts in a grid layout is to use a plugin. For example, Webynize lets you display posts in a grid by simply selecting the option during customization, so you don’t need to write any code.
Does a Featured Post Section Improve SEO?
Yes. A featured post section improves SEO by allowing you to link to other pages on your WordPress site, encouraging search engines to crawl and index your site.
Additionally, a well-curated featured post section boosts visitors’ attention and increases dwell time, which signals search engines that your WordPress site contains valuable information, often leading to higher SERP rankings.
Conclusion
Adding featured posts to your WordPress site helps you highlight your best content, grab visitors’ attention quickly, and entice them to engage. This creates opportunities for directing visitors to your conversion funnel on landing and product pages.
However, you need a featured post plugin that is both user-friendly and lets you customize the section to your preferences.
Developed by veteran developers behind SociableKIT, Webynize offers a featured post plugin that uses simple embed codes to make the setup straightforward, even for beginners. Additionally, the plugin uses responsive design, ensuring a consistent UX across devices and encouraging visitors to engage with your featured content on mobile.
Create a widget and join other bloggers, website owners, and marketers, using our plugin to display featured content on WordPress.
