5 Best WordPress Blog Layout Plugins 2021
In 2021, blogging is still one of the most vital anchors for your WordPress marketing tactics. Though on the verge of 2020, it seemed that social media marketing and video marketing would take the importance of away from WordPress blogging.
However, blogging is still a super useful organic marketing tool with the most profound difficulty with a reliable outcome. Hence all the WordPress site owners are triggering their market for organic visitors using the strategy of SEO friendly blogs.
For this purpose, WordPress blog management or blog post layout designs becomes an essential factor. The better the blog post decoration, the more lucrative it’ll become. As a result, it will grow user response and traffic.
Facts to Consider While Choosing a WordPress Blog Layout Plugin:
While choosing a WordPress blog management tool, plenty of factors come into consideration. The primary purpose of a WordPress blog layout plugin is to display blogs with an appealing look and excellent efficiency.
Significantly, well-decorated blog post layouts, blogging features, customization ability plays a big role in user engagement. WordPress default plugin or other free plugins, most of the time, limit your ability of customization.
In such cases, users look for a professional and premium blog post layout plugin. You have to search for a tool that comes with all necessary and frequently used layouts and also flexible customization. Thus, you are not limited when it comes to diverse interests.
Additionally, it’s quite clear that the user perspective plays a vital factor here. The same WordPress blog layout plugin may come handy to one user and seem complicated to another user. In such cases, multi-functional WordPress blog layout plugins relieve users from all kinds of complexity.
So, one WordPress post layout plugin to fulfill every user’s demand?
Let’s see if such a blog post layout plugin exists or not!
The Best WordPress Blog Layout Plugins:
Blog trends are changing now and then. Along with the trends, change the requirements that the layout plugins have to fulfill. It is quite challenging to select one as the best WordPress blog post layout plugin. Yet, we’ll discuss some of the best WordPress blog layout plugins in the 2021 WordPress market.
1. Content Views
Content Views is primarily a free WordPress post layout plugin mainly made for Grid and a few other layouts. That means if you want to decorate your WordPress blogs, especially in Grid, you can use this WordPress blog layout plugin. It also provides you some additional layouts like Glossary, Pinterest, Masonry, Collapsible, etc.
Besides, you can see a preview of your posts on the same editing page, as there is a preview window attached. Also, two Different Settings Panels, Filter Settings, and Display Settings provide you the ability to customize the post or pages.
Currently, more than 100 thousand users are using this Content Views blog layout tool. This plugin has a solid built and proficient post grid management that made it a trustworthy WordPress post layout plugin.
Also, it offers a lot of other advanced features in the pro version. Hence, it is renowned as one of the best WordPress post grid plugins in the market.
Key Features:
- Shortcode posting on the page, theme widgets, templates, etc.
- Display posts by specific category, author, tag, etc.
- Recent post display
- Filter Settings Panel
- Display Settings Panel
- Display posts containing specific keywords
- Shows featured images in the grid gallery
- Display child pages of a parent page
- Display title, excerpt, full content, thumbnail, published date, author.
- GDPR compliance (Content Views doesn’t collect or store any personal data)
Usability:
Content Views Filter Settings Panel:
Display Settings Panel:
Content Views On Page Preview:
2. Display Posts
Display Posts is a pretty straightforward shortcode based WordPress post layout plugin that comes with Listing and Grid layouts. It’s famous for its easy usability and on point features. Though they offered very little, yet whatever they promised, they delivered efficiently.
The most remarkable thing here is that more than 100 thousand active users also trust it. It reflects the power of simplicity. Here, the easy listing option allows the user to list the post contents from all over the website. The Grid Layout enables the users to decorate the blog posts with slight stylings.
Also, there are a few regular options like Filter by Category, Query Parameters, Display parameters, Filters, etc. Through these settings, you can customize your blog in different ways. You can use the list of predefined shortcodes to apply these features to your posts.
Key Features:
- Use ShortCodes Everywhere
- Query parameters
- Display parameters
- Display Posts-Pagination
- DPS Pinch Zoomer
- Display Posts Alphabetically
- Remotely Display Shortcodes
- Multiple Authors on Posts
3. Guten Post Layout
Guten Post Layout is a WordPress Gutenberg Blog Post Layout plugin that comes with a significant number of layout categories and customization options. It’s mainly made for the WordPress Gutenberg block editor.
Altogether 15 different layouts in 4 categories (Grid, List, Slide, and Masonry) offer thousands of combinations by just tweaking the styles in the settings panel. Significantly, the incredible Query settings, Additional settings, Pagination settings, and Style settings allow the user to decorate and arrange their blog posts in diverse ways.
If you want something that is purely versatile and flexible, Guten Post Layout is the plugin for you. The main difference between other blog post layout plugins and Guten Post Layout Pro is its ability to customizing your post or page layouts. Here you can customize every layout in every way you want without using a single line of code or shortcodes.
Key Features:
- 15+ built-in interactive layouts
- Grid, Slider, List, and Masonry styles.
- Full Customizable Advanced Settings Panel
- Custom Post Query & Custom Post Types
- Toggle Meta Options
- Setting up Equal Height for Image Post
- Custom Post Background
- Adding Box Shadow
Usability:
Guten Post Layout Live Grid Selection: Like no other WordPress blog layout plugin, you can customize the posts in realtime. This onscreen customization panel gives you a super smooth WordPress editing experience.
Guten Post Layout Sidebar: Additional Settings, CTA Settings, and Advanced CSS
4. Post Grid
The name itself speaks for this plugin. It’s a post layout plugin that particularly comes with the ability to make post grids. Using Post Grid, you can generate beautiful grid posts to showcase products, blog posts, media, portfolio, etc.
The Grid layouts have got a few standard customizations like height, width, padding, margin, etc. Other than the Grid layouts, the List layout is also available. Also, Post Grid has got a Masonry type post layout, which is pretty surprising to be available in a grid post layout plugin with shortcodes. However, who doesn’t love a bonus!
Significantly, Post Grid has got premium features like 29+ ready skins, layout creator, filterable Grid by custom taxonomy, CSS customizable layouts, and standard pagination, query, etc. efficient customization options. You can also display Meta fields, Meta values, use HTML shortcodes.
Currently, 60k clients are using this plugin, which is pretty amazing. Obviously, without a proficient service, users wouldn’t keep using this plugin.
Key Features:
- 29+ ready skin
- Unlimited Post Grid
- Post Query Features
- Complete Layout settings
- Any Custom Post
- Taxonomy & Terms Support
- Responsive Grid
- Search Input Field
Usability:
Post Grid Query Post Settings Panel:
Layout Settings Panel
Post Grid Pagination Settings Panel:
5. Blog Designer Pack
News & Blog Designer Pack is a user-friendly and responsive blog layout and page layout plugin. You can design your blogs very easily with shortcodes and settings panel, prioritizing your choice. Also, it can be possible to edit and modify different settings very quickly from the user-friendly admin panel.
The most significant thing about News & Blog Designer Pack is, it has got 90+ default blog templates, including Grid, List, and Carousel layouts, which also includes a few customization options.
On the other hand, features like numerous shortcodes are often very efficient to use. On the contrary, using shortcodes for every different function is somewhat dull and time-consuming.
Key Features:
- 7 Layouts
- Multiple Options for Creating Layouts
- Advanced Shortcode Template Functionality
- Change Post Order with Drag & Drop
- Elementor Page Builder Support
- Featured/Trending Post Functionality
- 5 Types of Different Paginations
- Live Preview Shortcode Generator
Usability:
News & Block Designer Pack All Shortcodes Panel
Comparison of the WordPress Blog Layout Plugins:
Every plugin has got its unique features. We must make peace with the fact that one single tool can not serve the requirements every user wants. Thus there are plugins with their significance for diverse user interests.
In this part of the blog, we’ll discuss the specialties of these plugins in a few aspects.
Shortcodes:
Users who want to make specific customization are fond of Shortcodes. Well, shortcodes are handy and widely used. Display Posts entirely functions using the shortcodes. Any layout or any customization you want to make, just input the shortcodes.
Users who love the straightforward result, Display Posts can be the best blog design tool for them. Then coms Blog Designer, Content Views, and Post Grid serially. These plugins allow users to use shortcodes for a significant number of shortcodes.
Besides, users can also use the settings panel for a few other customizations. These plugins offer customization with a combination of both shortcodes and settings panels.
On the other hand, Guten Post Layout doesn’t need a single shortcode! Users can perform any customization using the settings panel on the sidebar. Just click and choose.
Users who aren’t fond of shortcodes and think it consumes more time to find the proper shortcode, Guten Post Layout is the very best solution for them.
Live Preview:
A beautiful design is part of a great visual. Every plugin here has its different kind of previewing method.
Content Views offer a live preview right on the top of the customization page. Tweaking the settings in the panel, users can click the Show Preview button to watch it right on the top of the settings panel.
Also, the Guten Post Layout offers a frontend customization feature. That means you are customizing right on your output. You can see a live change of your blog post with every single click. Besides, you can use the default WordPress Post Preview button for a page stretched preview.
On the other hand, Post Grid and Content Views, Blog Designer Pack use the default WordPress post preview button for the preview. Hence, you have to check your preview on another page.
User Experience:
Some users love to keep things very simple and straightforward, and some want to decorate very much. Also, some want plenty of technical features, and some are old school classic lovers. Hence, the same plugins give different people different experiences.
The experience for Content Views, Post Grid, and News & Blog Designer Pack are pretty similar. A combination of shortcodes and a generic settings panel with a good number of customization and distinct features. Every plugin has its significance and its focal point and performs the best in there.
Well, I want full control over every functionality because I tweak everything. Users like me can choose Guten Post Layout for its extensive customization features. People who love to customize can choose this plugin. Personally, I am not fond of using shortcodes; that’s also another reason.
Besides, users often get confused with plenty of features. They waste much time deciding their preferred design from an abundance of options. That’s also a reason why the very straightforward plugin Display Posts have got 100k+ active users.
Layout Design:
When it comes to layout designs for blog posts, Content Views and Display Posts stay pretty much neutral. The Content Views users can use the default Grid, List layout style with customizable taxonomy settings, field settings, formats, etc. Display Post users can also use the default layout design along with other customization using the shortcodes.
On the other hand, Blog Designer Pack, Post Grid, Guten Post Layout pro offers the users the flexibility to use more layout designs. All of these plugins come with plenty of Grid, Block, List, Masonry, etc. layout designs. Also, in their premium version, they offer a vast number of prebuild layout designs to design your WordPress post grids.
Customization:
The users, who want their imaginations to reflect on their blog site, Guten Post Layout is their ideal post grid tool. That’s because, among these post grid plugins, Guten Post Layout offers the most diverse number of customization options and the most advanced settings panel. You can customize everything! Yes, customize every option using this amazing WordPress blog layout plugin.
Besides, Content Views, The Post Grid, and The News & Block Designer Pack offers pretty modest customization options. You can edit layouts, fields, background color, height, etc. If you want a generic blog design and want to keep things simple, you can choose these plugins.
On the other hand, Display Posts loves to keep things straightforward. They offer limited customizations using shortcodes. That’s because this plugin wants to keep things on point.
Price Comparison:
Though features are the primary concern while buying a plugin, pricing comes right after it. Users always look for the most number of features spending the least amount of price. Besides, users want to spend their money buying plugins if they find potentiality and reliability in the offered features.
Final Verdict:
All of these post grid plugins are great in their functionality and their unique style of designing your blogs. Yet there are a few space margins that differ one from another and makes it suitable for users with distinct interests.
If you love shortcodes, Display Posts should be your choice. It’s all about shortcodes. Or if you want shortcodes with settings panel Content Views, Post Grid, News & Blog Designer pack can be your choice.
For a diverse number of features and full control over customization, you can choose the Guten Post Layout. No plugins in this list can offer you a better number of features and options.
If you want to keep things simple, no contradiction, go for Display Posts. Just simply publish your blogs. Nothing comes near Display Posts when it’s about simplicity.
Well, in this list there is a plugin which is ours. It’s pretty natural to be biased while comparing. Hence, we tried being honest and discussed from a neutral point of view.
Bottom line:
For a professional blogger, there is nothing more important than displaying the blog posts in an organized and beautiful way. Also, different plugins offering different features somewhat make you confused. It gets complicated for users to select the best plugin from numerous options.
Here, my suggestion is to go for the free version of the plugin that offers the most number of distinct features. If the free version satisfies you, go for the pro. Make sure that you spend your hard-earned money wisely.
Want to learn more about WordPress Grids?
7 Best WordPress Grid Plugins to Decorate your WordPress website
