{"id":15380,"date":"2026-01-31T06:16:50","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T06:16:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/?p=15380"},"modified":"2026-02-07T09:49:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T09:49:46","slug":"display-last-updated-posts-wordpress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/technical-seo\/affichage-derniere-mise-a-jour-posts-wordpress\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Display a List of Last Updated Posts in WordPress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By default, WordPress shows your latest published posts on the homepage or blog page \u2014 but what about highlighting recently updated content? Displaying a list of last updated (or recently modified) posts is a great way to keep your site feeling fresh, encourage repeat visits, reduce bounce rates, and give search engines a stronger signal that your content is actively maintained. Google continues to reward sites that show ongoing value and freshness \u2014 making \u201clast updated\u201d lists a smart SEO and UX enhancement.<\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">On this page<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0a0a0a;color:#0a0a0a\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0a0a0a;color:#0a0a0a\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/technical-seo\/affichage-derniere-mise-a-jour-posts-wordpress\/#Why_Show_Recently_Updated_Posts\" >Why Show Recently Updated Posts?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/technical-seo\/affichage-derniere-mise-a-jour-posts-wordpress\/#Method_1_Using_a_Shortcode_No_Plugin_%E2%80%93_Built-in_Code\" >Method 1: Using a Shortcode (No Plugin \u2013 Built-in + Code)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/technical-seo\/affichage-derniere-mise-a-jour-posts-wordpress\/#Method_2_Using_a_Plugin_Easiest_Visual_Method\" >Method 2: Using a Plugin (Easiest Visual Method)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/technical-seo\/affichage-derniere-mise-a-jour-posts-wordpress\/#Method_3_Add_to_a_Dedicated_%E2%80%9CRecently_Updated%E2%80%9D_Page_Advanced\" >Method 3: Add to a Dedicated \u201cRecently Updated\u201d Page (Advanced)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/technical-seo\/affichage-derniere-mise-a-jour-posts-wordpress\/#Best_Practices_for_Recently_Updated_Lists\" >Best Practices for Recently Updated Lists<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/technical-seo\/affichage-derniere-mise-a-jour-posts-wordpress\/#Final_Thoughts\" >Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Cope Business, we frequently add dynamic \u201crecently updated\u201d sections for clients during our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/technical-seo-services\/technical-seo-audit-service\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">technical SEO audit services<\/a> to improve engagement and help evergreen content stay visible longer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This beginner-friendly guide shows you three easy ways to display a list of last updated posts in WordPress \u2014 using shortcodes, widgets, and plugins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Show_Recently_Updated_Posts\"><\/span>Why Show Recently Updated Posts?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Signals Freshness<\/strong> \u2014 Tells visitors and search engines your content is actively improved<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Increases Pageviews<\/strong> \u2014 Readers discover older but updated articles<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Improves SEO<\/strong> \u2014 Google favors sites with ongoing updates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reduces Bounce Rate<\/strong> \u2014 Keeps users exploring longer<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Great for Evergreen Content<\/strong> \u2014 Revives high-value posts that were recently revised<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Perfect for blogs, news sites, tutorials, documentation, or any site with long-term content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_1_Using_a_Shortcode_No_Plugin_%E2%80%93_Built-in_Code\"><\/span>Method 1: Using a Shortcode (No Plugin \u2013 Built-in + Code)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This lightweight method uses a simple custom shortcode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Steps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Install <strong>WPCode<\/strong> (free) from <strong>Plugins > Add New<\/strong> (safest way to add code).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go to <strong>Code Snippets > Add Snippet<\/strong> \u2192 Create a new snippet titled \u201cRecently Updated Posts Shortcode\u201d.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set to run \u201cEverywhere\u201d or \u201cShortcode only\u201d.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Paste this code:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>PHP<code>function cope_recently_updated_posts_shortcode($atts) { $atts = shortcode_atts(array( 'number' => 5, 'show_date' => 'true', 'show_author' => 'false' ), $atts); $args = array( 'post_type' => 'post', 'posts_per_page' => $atts&#91;'number'], 'orderby' => 'modified', 'order' => 'DESC', 'post_status' => 'publish' ); $query = new WP_Query($args); if (!$query->have_posts()) { return '&lt;p>No recently updated posts found.&lt;\/p>'; } $output = '&lt;ul class=\"recently-updated-posts\">'; while ($query->have_posts()) { $query->the_post(); $output .= '&lt;li>'; $output .= '&lt;a href=\"' . get_permalink() . '\">' . get_the_title() . '&lt;\/a>'; if ($atts&#91;'show_date'] === 'true') { $output .= ' &lt;small>(' . get_the_modified_date('M j, Y') . ')&lt;\/small>'; } if ($atts&#91;'show_author'] === 'true') { $output .= ' by ' . get_the_author(); } $output .= '&lt;\/li>'; } $output .= '&lt;\/ul>'; wp_reset_postdata(); return $output; } add_shortcode('recently_updated', 'cope_recently_updated_posts_shortcode');<\/code><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Save and activate the snippet.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use anywhere: <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>&#91;recently_updated number=\"6\" show_date=\"true\" show_author=\"false\"]<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Pros<\/strong>: Lightweight, no extra plugins, fully customizable.<br><strong>Cons<\/strong>: Basic styling (add CSS to make it beautiful).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_2_Using_a_Plugin_Easiest_Visual_Method\"><\/span>Method 2: Using a Plugin (Easiest Visual Method)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plugins give you beautiful layouts, thumbnails, and more options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Recommended Plugin: Recent Posts Widget Extended (Free)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Install <strong>Recent Posts Widget Extended<\/strong> from <strong>Plugins > Add New<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Go to <strong>Appearance > Widgets<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Drag <strong>Recent Posts Extended<\/strong> to a sidebar or footer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In widget settings:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Check <strong>Show modified date instead of published date<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Set number of posts<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enable thumbnails, excerpts, author, date format<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Choose post types (posts, pages, custom)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Save \u2192 Widget shows recently updated posts.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Alternative Plugin<\/strong>: <strong>Display Posts \u2013 Easy lists, grids, navigation<\/strong> (free) \u2014 use shortcode <\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>&#91;display-posts orderby=\"modified\" order=\"DESC\" posts_per_page=\"5\"].<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Pros<\/strong>: Visual, thumbnails, categories, very customizable.<br><strong>Cons<\/strong>: Adds one plugin (very lightweight).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_3_Add_to_a_Dedicated_%E2%80%9CRecently_Updated%E2%80%9D_Page_Advanced\"><\/span>Method 3: Add to a Dedicated \u201cRecently Updated\u201d Page (Advanced)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Create a full page showing updated content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Create new page: <strong>Pages > Add New<\/strong> \u2192 Title \u201cRecently Updated\u201d.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Add shortcode from Method 1 or widget block from Method 2.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use page builder (SeedProd, Elementor) for beautiful layout.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Add to menu: <strong>Appearance > Menus<\/strong> \u2192 Add page to navigation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Best_Practices_for_Recently_Updated_Lists\"><\/span>Best Practices for Recently Updated Lists<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Limit Number<\/strong> \u2014 5\u201310 posts to avoid clutter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Show Date Clearly<\/strong> \u2014 Helps users see freshness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Add Thumbnails<\/strong> \u2014 Increases click-through<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>SEO<\/strong> \u2014 Use descriptive headings; add schema if using plugin<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Performance<\/strong> \u2014 Cache the widget\/shortcode output (WP Rocket handles this)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mobile<\/strong> \u2014 Ensure responsive layout (most plugins\/themes do this)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Highlighting updated content keeps your site feeling active and valuable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Thoughts\"><\/span>Final Thoughts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Displaying recently updated posts in WordPress is a simple yet powerful way to showcase fresh content, improve engagement, and signal to Google that your site is actively maintained. Use the custom shortcode for lightweight control or a plugin for visual beauty \u2014 both take minutes to set up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Freshness is still a ranking factor \u2014 use it to your advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Need help adding dynamic content sections, optimizing your blog for SEO, or improving overall site performance? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Contact Cope Business<\/a> for a free technical SEO consultation \u2014 we\u2019ll review your site and implement tailored improvements to keep your content visible and valuable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By default, WordPress shows your latest published posts on the homepage or blog page &mdash; but what about highlighting recently [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15381,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technical-seo"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15380"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15382,"href":"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15380\/revisions\/15382"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.copebusiness.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}