Nearly 40% of websites are built using WordPress. The content management system is the most widely used in the world.
But is there a restriction on the number of posts WordPress can handle?
WordPress can handle as many posts as you need. There is no limit to the number of posts you can have on a WordPress site. TechCrunch has 100,000+ posts and still runs smoothly.
Growing a large site can be difficult and it is good to understand the pitfalls you can face when you have a lot of pages on your WordPress site.
Let’s take a look at what you can do to stop your site from running into difficulty as your post numbers increase.
How many posts can you write in WordPress?
WordPress can handle an almost unlimited number of posts. Thankfully, the developers behind the most used CMS on earth haven’t placed an arbitrary limit on the number of posts you can have.
Website owners and content create users’ posts to draw more traffic to their sites.
The more posts you have, the more keywords you are likely to rank for, and then increased traffic will follow.
It would be against the interest of the users to restrict the number of WordPress posts a site can have.
If there was a limit to the number of posts WordPress could handle users would quickly look for a platform that didn’t set such restrictions.
Often people ask about the number of posts their site can handle because they are concerned about performance.
The ability to load a webpage quickly has become even more important since the Google update in April. Google has put more emphasis on serving posts quickly to improve the overall user experience.
However, how fast a post can load is dependent on a few different factors. Uncompressed pictures, poorly scripted JavaScript, and unqueued CSS will all slow down your site more than having many different WordPress posts.
Having more posts on your site will place extra stress on your server. Your website’s ability to handle this will depend on the hosting package you have.
You can avoid the issues that come with a large number of pages by ensuring your structure, caching, hosting, and themes are all in check.
Preventing problems with large amounts of WordPress posts
Scaling your website is supposed to be a positive thing. Don’t let growth get in the way of your site’s success.
Make sure to have the items below in order and you can grow the number of posts you have indefinitely.
Permanent Link Structure
Getting your permanent link structure, or permalink structure correct is crucial to avoid issues with growing your site further down the line.
Your posts permalink is the URL you use to access the article on your site. Keeping the structure of these simple will save you a lot of headaches.
Having a flat URL structure like www.yoursite.com/postname means there won’t be any issues if you decide to change the category your post sits under.
A complicated permalink structure like www.yoursite.com/categorya/subcategorya/postname makes it very difficult to change the structure of your site in the future.
The complicated approach means you have to set up 301 redirects every time you need to change the category of a post.
You need to get a good idea of the categories you intend to use before writing your content.
A good site structure makes it easy for Google to understand what your site is about and gives you authority. It also means your WordPress site will be able to handle more posts without confusing users.
Page Caching
Caching a page keeps a copy of the file stored so it can be quickly served to users.
When a page remains unchanged there is no need to serve a fresh copy every time so caching improves the load speed of your site by letting the browser know what to expect.
The quantity of posts you have on your WordPress site won’t affect caching.
For the best results as you get more people visiting your site I highly recommend caching all your page pages. To do this you will need a cache plugin, below are some I recommend:
- WP Fastest Cache – The free option is great but the premium includes mobile caching which makes all the difference.
- WP Rocket – The best cache plugin available. You have to pay but the speeds it achieves are jaw-dropping.
- W3 Total Cache – Great plugin that has everything a beginner needs. Options like fragment caching make the premium version worth it for those with experience.
- WP Super Cache – If you are tight on funds but need the basics done well then this is the plugin for you.
Hosting
Hosting is arguably the most important factor in ensuring your website doesn’t slow down as the number of WordPress posts you have grows.
Good hosting allows you to effortlessly serve posts to your target audience, even as your page views grow.
Since the April update, Google has put more emphasis on providing posts quickly. A slow site will now count against your rankings.
Most people who are asking about the number of posts WordPress can handle do so because they have poor hosting, and are already suffering from a slow site.
I’ve put together a list of hosting options that are worth checking out if you want the ability to scale your website effortlessly
- The Managed Hosting Option – WP Engine – If you don’t want to handle the specifics or run multiple client sites WP Engine is a perfect choice.
- Best for Beginners – Siteground – Siteground is always highly rated and a great choice if you are willing to spend slightly more.
- The Developer’s Choice – Cloudways – If you enjoy the technical side of setting up servers then Cloudways is for you.
- The Cheap Option – Bluehost – For those of you on a budget and just starting your blogging journey, Bluehost is your best bet.
When your monthly page count continues to grow I’d recommend moving away from shared hosting. Having your own server is a big plus for speed. Providers like FlyWheel keep it simple and take the stress out of a desiccated server setup.
Theme & Plugins
The theme you decide on will have a lasting impact on how your site handles posts.
Choosing a bloated or overcomplicated theme can increase loading time and turn people away from your site.
Plugins have the same effect. Unnecessary plugins slow your site down and add bloat to every page and make it harder for WordPress to handle.
Ideally, you only ever want to have the necessary plugins. Go for a theme that is light and can be easily customized, things like Astra, GeneratePress, and Genesis are great.
Even developers who are still considering whether JavaScript is enough to be a full-time developer could whip up a half-decent WordPress theme. There are also tonnes of YouTube channels to walk you through the process.
What is a post in WordPress?
WordPress posts appear in chronological order from oldest to newest. The content on these usually targets specific keywords or is about a certain topic.
The content on a blog post is likely to change or be updated as the information it’s based on changes over time.
The posts on your WordPress site will all have a published date that appears on your RSS feed. They are fantastic for optimizing SEO and can help your site rank for various things on Google.
Most serious bloggers can end up having hundreds or even thousands of blog posts.
Can WordPress handle 1000 posts?
As we discussed the number of posts WordPress can handle will depend on your hosting. As your post count grows the number of users you have on your site at any time will increase.
Even if you have 1000 posts it isn’t likely to be a problem. Instead, it is the number of users who are going to be accessing your site at one time that may cause issues.
More posts equal more users.
Make sure you have a hosting package, cache plugins, and a theme that can handle the strain.
Whether it’s 500 or 1000, there is no limit to the number of posts you can have on a website. Just make sure that as your site grows the quality does not diminish.
Keep the quality high and the number of people viewing the article will keep growing. Just remember quality over quantity.
If you are wondering about how many pages a WordPress site can handle then check out our other article.
Is WordPress good for scaling?
WordPress is fantastic for scaling because there is no limit on the number of pages you can have.
With a good plan, you can keep growing indefinitely. News websites have thousands of articles and they run without a blip.
TechCrunch, Reuters, and The Wall Street Journal Law Blog, all host their enormous sites on WordPress.
Consider that you can customize WordPress to precisely fit your needs. It means as you grow your site can too.
In all honesty, there isn’t a single downside to scaling a website on the WordPress platform. With a bit of technical know-how and a good plan, you can take your website wherever it needs to go.
Gone are the days of slow loading speeds and bloat on WordPress. Bloggers regularly achieve top marks on the Google Page Insights even with posts that are media-rich.
Make sure to get a good hosting plan, a suitable theme, limit your plugins, and your website will scale comfortably on WordPress.
Resources
Nathan Britten, the founder and editor of Developer Pitstop, is a self-taught software engineer with nearly five years of experience in front-end technologies. Nathan created the site to provide simple, straightforward knowledge to those interested in technology, helping them navigate the industry and better understand their day-to-day roles.
