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How to Fix Common Twenty Eleven Theme Page and Post Display Issues

24 threads Sep 16, 2025 Theme → Twenty eleven

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Many users of the classic Twenty Eleven theme encounter confusion when trying to configure how pages and posts are displayed. A frequent issue involves the homepage showing posts when a static page is desired, blog posts not appearing correctly, or unwanted elements like login links showing in sidebars. This guide explains the most common causes and provides step-by-step solutions.

Common Problems and Their Causes

Based on community reports, these issues typically stem from a few specific configuration areas within WordPress, not necessarily a bug in the theme itself:

  • Incorrect Reading Settings: The most common cause for a homepage displaying blog posts instead of a static page is that the Reading settings haven't been properly configured to use a static front page.
  • Page Template Selection: Sometimes, a page might be using a specialized template (like a "Showcase" template) that pulls in post content, causing unexpected posts to appear on a static page.
  • Default Sidebar Widgets: Unwanted elements, like a "Meta" widget containing a login link, appear because they are added by default to the theme's sidebar.
  • Pagination Limits: If an "Older Posts" link is missing, it's often because the setting for blog pages to show at most a certain number of posts is conflicting with the theme's display logic.

Step-by-Step Solutions

1. Setting a Static Front Page and Separate Blog Page

If your site's homepage is showing your latest posts but you want a static welcome page, follow this standard WordPress procedure:

  1. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Pages → Add New.
  2. Create two pages: one to be your static Home page and another to be your Blog or News page (you don't need to add content to the Blog page).
  3. Navigate to Settings → Reading.
  4. Under "Your homepage displays," select A static page.
  5. From the "Homepage" dropdown, select the page you created to be your static front page.
  6. From the "Posts page" dropdown, select the page you created for your blog posts.
  7. Click Save Changes.

This will ensure your site's visitors see a static page first and must navigate to your blog page to see your posts.

2. Removing Unwanted Login Links from the Sidebar

The login link often appears in a "Meta" widget that is pre-added to the sidebar. To remove it:

  1. Go to Appearance → Widgets.
  2. Locate the "Main Sidebar" section.
  3. Find the "Meta" widget within the sidebar.
  4. Click on the widget to expand it and then click Delete to remove it entirely. Alternatively, you can drag a different widget into the sidebar to replace it.

3. Checking the Page Template

If a static page is still showing post content, check its template setting:

  1. Edit the problematic page in the WordPress editor.
  2. On the right-hand side, look for the Page Attributes box.
  3. Check the Template dropdown menu. If it's set to something like "Showcase" or "Sidebar," try changing it to Default Template.
  4. Update the page.

4. Troubleshooting a Missing "Older Posts" Link

If you've limited the number of posts on your blog page but the pagination link to older posts is not appearing, it may be a theme-specific issue. First, ensure you have more posts than the limit you set in Settings → Reading. If the problem persists, this often requires custom code in a child theme to fix, as the native Twenty Eleven pagination can sometimes be fragile.

Need More Help?

If these solutions don't resolve your issue, the WordPress community is a great resource. When seeking help, be sure to provide a link to your site if possible, as it makes diagnosing layout problems much easier. For more complex customization, such as changing the order of posts or modifying how tags are displayed, creating a child theme is highly recommended to preserve your changes after theme updates.

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