How to Use WordPress Sticky Posts to Boost Engagement & Conversions

If you’ve ever wished you could keep an important article at the top of your blog—no matter how much new content you publish—WordPress sticky posts are the built-in solution. They let you pin a post to the top of your feed so the right readers see the right message first. But the real win isn’t just knowing where the checkbox lives; it’s using sticky posts strategically to guide users, highlight timely content, and increase conversions across your site.

This guide covers the basics of setting up a WordPress sticky post, then goes deeper into smart use cases, design tips that improve clicks, and troubleshooting when sticky posts aren’t working. Throughout, you’ll see examples tailored to comparison and personal finance content—think “Best Credit Cards of 2025” or “Open Enrollment: What to Know About Health Insurance.”

What “Make This Post Sticky” Really Means

In WordPress, a “sticky post” is simply a post that’s pinned to the top of your blog index (and often the main posts page) regardless of publish date. When you check “Make this post sticky,” you’re telling WordPress to keep that post above newer items in the default loop. That’s why people often ask, “How do I pin a post to the top in WordPress?”—it’s the same feature.

Sticky posts don’t create a new layout by themselves. Themes and custom queries can influence whether the sticky appears where you expect, which is why understanding the feature—and how your theme handles it—matters for engagement.

When Sticky Posts Actually Move the Needle

Sticky posts work best when they align with a business goal. Instead of pinning any popular post, think about the one action you want first-time or returning readers to take.

For a personal finance or comparison site:

• Onboarding: Pin a “Start Here” guide that explains how to compare products, with links to your top categories (credit cards, car insurance, personal loans). This reduces bounce rate by giving new users a clear path.
• Recurring announcements: During open enrollment or tax season, stick your seasonal guide so it leads the conversation. Pair it with calculators or comparison tables relevant to that period.
• Campaigns and offers: If you’re running a limited-time promotion or have updated rankings for “Best Cashback Credit Cards,” feature that post to capture high-intent traffic.
• Editor’s picks: Use sticky posts to elevate evergreen content like “How to Choose a Personal Loan” or “APR vs. APY Explained” that supports long-term SEO and conversions.
• Category-level guidance: Create category-specific sticky posts (e.g., “Best Car Insurance Discounts You’re Missing”) that appear at the top of the category archive, helping users make sense of options before diving in.

A hidden insight many sites miss: you can rotate sticky posts based on the season, audience segment, or traffic source. For instance, pin different guides during tax time vs. back-to-school, or show a “How to Compare Credit Cards” sticky to new visitors while returning readers see an updated “Editor’s Picks” roundup.

How to Set Up a Sticky Post in WordPress

You can stick a post to the top in WordPress from the post editor or via Quick Edit. Here’s the simple path:

1. In the WordPress dashboard, go to Posts and open the post you want to feature. 2) In the editor sidebar, click Post. Find the Summary (or Status & visibility) panel. 3) Check “Stick to the top of the blog” (sometimes shown as “Make this post sticky”). 4) Update or publish the post.

Prefer a faster route? From Posts > All Posts, hover over a post, click Quick Edit, and check “Make this post sticky,” then Update.

You can mark multiple posts as sticky. Most themes will show the most recent sticky first, followed by other sticky posts, and then the regular posts. For better managing sticky posts, consider integrating tools like WordPress posts management features to streamline your editorial workflow.

Advanced Strategies to Get More from Sticky Posts

A sticky post is prime real estate. Treat it like a micro-landing page: clear headline, sharp summary, and a single primary call-to-action with supportive links. Then, consider these advanced tactics to turn a simple pin into a growth lever.

• Time-bound stickies: Schedule content updates before seasonal spikes. For example, publish and sticky your “2025 Best Credit Cards” guide in early January and plan a swap in Q2 for “Best Travel Rewards Cards.”
• Category-specific stickies: Many themes display stickies only on the main blog page. If you want a sticky at the top of a category archive, configure your theme or use a small query tweak to surface a featured post in that category.
• Custom post types: Sticky posts are for the default “post” type. If you need a “sticky” behavior for custom post types (like Reviews), add a featured flag via custom fields or use a plugin to simulate stickiness within those loops.
• Smart rotation: Rotate two or three evergreen editor’s picks monthly. This prevents banner blindness and lets you test which topic drives better engagement or affiliate conversions.
• Tie content to intent: Use search data to decide what to feature. Tools like MagicTraffic analyze keyword trends and page performance so you can sticky the article most likely to satisfy current user intent and win clicks right now.
• Pixel-perfect placement: If your homepage is a static page with a blog section, create a “Featured” block that pulls in sticky posts first. This keeps the experience consistent even when your theme doesn’t showcase stickies by default.

Design and Content Tips That Click

Sticky posts shouldn’t feel like ads. They should read like the best next step.

Open with a value-led headline that solves a problem fast: “2025 Best Cash-Back Cards—Compare Rewards, Fees, and Perks.” Keep the intro to a couple of crisp lines that emphasize outcomes. Then provide one clear CTA (“Compare cards now”) and a short list of supporting links—calculators, comparisons, and explainer articles.

Refresh the content to keep it relevant. If the sticky is evergreen, add an “Updated” label and ensure the modified date is accurate. Include internal links to your top categories and guides to reduce friction. Add trust signals in-line—brief data points, methodology badges, or quick stats that show why your recommendation matters.

Finally, consider accessibility and speed. Large hero images can slow the fold. Keep your sticky block lightweight so it loads quickly and renders well on mobile, where most users scan.

Measuring Impact and Optimizing Over Time

A sticky post is only as good as its performance. Track three simple metrics: click-through rate from the blog index, scroll depth on the sticky post, and conversion events (newsletter signup, comparison click, application click-out). Tag your primary CTA with UTM parameters so you can differentiate sticky-driven traffic in analytics.

Run A/B tests on headline language and CTA placement. Swap secondary links based on what users click most. If a sticky post’s engagement dips, rotate in a fresh angle instead of relying on the same evergreen piece indefinitely. With a tool like MagicTraffic, you can combine search trends with page metrics to pick the most promising article to pin each month.

SEO Considerations You Shouldn’t Ignore

Sticky posts don’t magically boost rankings, but they can improve user signals that help SEO: lower bounce rate, higher time on page, and better internal navigation. A few guardrails help:

• Don’t overdo it: Too many sticky posts clutter the fold and confuse the user. One to three is usually enough.
• Keep it updated: Use schema with dateModified and display an “Updated” stamp if the content changes frequently.
• Avoid duplication: If you feature “Best Credit Cards” in multiple places, point all internal links to the canonical version and ensure only one page is your definitive guide.
• Mind the hierarchy: Sticky posts should enhance, not break, your site’s topical structure. Link out to related subtopics to strengthen topical authority.

Troubleshooting: WordPress Sticky Post Not Working

Checked the box but your post isn’t pinned? Here are the most common issues and how to fix them:

• Static homepage vs. blog index: Sticky posts show on the blog index by default. If your homepage is a static page, the sticky may not appear unless your theme or page builder includes a “latest posts” block that respects stickies. Consider adding a featured section or a “Query Loop” block configured to include sticky posts.
• Theme ignores stickies: Some themes override the main query or set ignore_sticky_posts to true. If you control the template, ensure your main posts loop doesn’t disable stickies. In custom WP_Query calls, set ignore_sticky_posts to false or add post_ _in with get_option('sticky_posts').
• Custom loops and offsets: Using offsets (e.g., skip first 3 posts) can break how stickies appear. If you need offsets, explicitly manage stickies by merging sticky IDs into the query.
• Cache and CDN: Full-page caching can hide changes. Purge cache (site, CDN, and browser) after marking a post sticky.
• Private, scheduled, or password-protected posts: Only published public posts can be sticky. Scheduled or private posts won’t pin.
• Category archives: WordPress doesn’t automatically pin sticky posts in category archives. You’ll need theme support or a block that queries sticky posts within that category.
• Custom post types: Stickiness applies to “post.” If you’re trying to sticky a custom post type, you’ll need custom logic or a plugin to mimic the behavior.
• Plugin conflicts: SEO, performance, or query-modifying plugins can alter the main loop. Temporarily disable suspected plugins or test in a staging environment.
• Pagination quirks: On paginated archives, stickies usually appear on page 1 only. That’s expected behavior, not a bug.

If you’re comfortable editing templates, confirm your main blog page uses the main query and doesn’t set custom ordering that unintentionally hides stickies. When in doubt, test with a default theme like Twenty Twenty-Four to isolate whether the issue is theme-related.

A Quick FAQ for Clarity

What does “make this post sticky” mean in WordPress? It pins a post to the top of your blog index so it appears before newer posts.

How do I pin a post to the top in WordPress? Edit the post, open Post settings, check “Stick to the top of the blog,” and update. Or use Quick Edit from the Posts list.

Why is my sticky post not working? Common reasons include a static homepage without a posts block that respects stickies, theme queries that ignore sticky posts, caching, or trying to sticky a non-public post.

Put Sticky Posts to Work for Your Goals

WordPress sticky posts are small but mighty. Used well, they onboard new visitors, spotlight time-sensitive campaigns, and guide readers to the content that drives real outcomes—like choosing the right credit card or comparing auto insurance quotes. Start with one high-impact article, design it like a focused landing experience, and measure the results. Then rotate strategically based on seasonality and performance.

If you’re unsure which post to feature next, let data lead. Analyze search trends and page engagement to pick the sticky that meets today’s intent. With that discipline—and a few technical checks—you’ll turn a simple WordPress posts feature into a consistent engagement lift.