How to add a list of most read posts to WordPress

27. 7. 2025 / Admin

How to add a list of most read posts to WordPress

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WordPress is one of the most used platforms for publishing websites and blogs. Many users want to know which posts are the most read so they can identify successful content and adjust their marketing strategy. That’s exactly what the WordPress Popular Posts plugin can do. This article will show you how to add a list of your most read posts to WordPress using the WordPress Popular Posts plugin.

What the WordPress Popular Posts plugin can do

The WordPress Popular Posts plugin is a tool that allows you to display a list of the most read posts on your site. You can customize the display of this list with various formatting options, such as displaying the number of views, publish date, or thumbnail images. The plugin also provides the ability to filter posts by category, tag or time period. It is also possible to include your site’s pages in the list if you want to display the most popular ‍pages.

Why use WordPress Popular Posts

There are many reasons why you should consider using the WordPress Popular Posts plugin to display a list of the most read posts on your site. First of all, this way you can attract readers’ attention to your most popular posts and increase their readership. Next, the plugin will give you an overview of how your posts and pages are evolving and which content is the most successful. This can help you tailor your resources and strategy to be as effective as possible.

What are the benefits of using the plugin

Easy to install and use:． The WordPress Popular Posts plugin is easy to install and use,．
Highly customizable.
Statistics and Analytics: the plugin provides you with useful statistics and analytics that allow you to identify your most successful content and optimize your publishing strategy.

Install the plugin directly in the administration

Installing the WordPress Popular Posts plugin is simple and can be done directly from the administration of your WordPress site. Follow these steps:

Log in to your WordPress site administration.
Go to the “Plugins” page and click on the “Add New” button.
Type “WordPress Popular Posts” in the search box and click the “Search” button.
The WordPress Popular Posts plugin should be one of the first results. Click the “Install Now” button.
After successful installation, click the “Activate” button.
The plugin is now installed and activated. You can configure it on the “Settings” page under “Popular Posts”.

Conclusion: the WordPress Popular Posts plugin is a great tool for displaying a list of the most read posts on your WordPress site. Its simple installation and ease of use allows you to get a． overview of the most successful content and optimize your publishing strategy. You can get higher readership and achieve better results with your site. Don’t forget to also check out similar plugins that offer more interesting features and configuration options.

User review of the “WordPress Popular Posts” plugin

Rating: ★★★★☆ (8/10)

Pluses of the WordPress Popular Posts plugin

Easy setup
WordPress Popular Posts is a very easy to set up plugin that does not require any advanced technical skills. Once installed, it only takes a few clicks to configure and you can instantly display the most popular posts on your site.
Detailed filtering options
The plugin allows you to set up various filters to determine what posts will be considered “popular”. You can filter by number of views, comments, categories and even date range. This flexibility is great for customization as needed.
Highly customizable appearance
The plugin allows you to customize the appearance of the displayed posts, whether it’s a list, grid or widget. You can change the colors, fonts and display style, giving you the freedom to match the design of your site.
Support for widgets and shortcodes
WordPress Popular Posts supports widgets that you can add to your sidebar or footer. In addition, it also offers shortcodes that you can embed in any post or page to display popular posts.
Ability to view stats by views or comments
The plugin allows you to view the most popular posts based on either the number of views or the number of comments. This option gives you flexibility in what you want to prioritize – the posts that have the most readers, or those that have generated the most discussion.
Support for custom time periods
You can set a time period to track the popularity of posts, meaning you can see popular posts from the last week, month or even year, depending on your needs.
Compatibility with many templates and themes
The plugin is compatible with most modern WordPress templates. If you use popular templates, you should have minimal issues with integration and appearance.
Performance optimization
WordPress Popular Posts is optimized for high performance even with a large number of posts and visitors. The plugin doesn’t run based on dynamic loading of each view, which saves your server resources.
Support for multiple languages
The plugin is fully translated into multiple languages, which is beneficial for sites that have a global audience. The multi-language support feature ensures that the plugin can be used on multiple language versions of your site.
Post thumbnail display
WordPress Popular Posts allows you to display post thumbnails alongside article titles, making the display more visually appealing and clearer. This can improve user experience and increase interaction with your content.

Cons of the WordPress Popular Posts plugin

Limited customization options for advanced users
While the plugin provides several customization options, it may be limited for advanced users who would like full control over the code or adding custom features. Advanced appearance customization may require code intervention.
Lack of support for custom taxonomies
The plugin is not natively compatible with custom taxonomies (for example, if you have custom categories or tags on your site). While this is possible to customize, it can be a challenge for some users.
Performance issues with a large number of posts
For very large sites with thousands of posts, the plugin can sometimes cause slowdowns, especially if advanced filters and statistics are used. It is recommended to optimize the database regularly to avoid performance degradation.
Paid versions for advanced features
Some advanced features, such as support for custom fields or advanced customization, are only available in the pro version. So if you need more options, you’ll need to upgrade to the paid version.
Not ideal for sites with a huge amount of visitors
On sites with really high visitor traffic, popularity stats and post tracking can slow down performance, especially if they change frequently. This plugin is better for medium-sized sites than for large portals.
Basic widgets may be insufficient for some users
While the plugin offers a widget to display the most popular posts, there are not as many options for customization and widget configuration as some users would expect. Some options, such as filtering by multiple categories, may be missing.
Insufficient analytical tools in the free version
The free version of the plugin doesn’t offer very detailed analytics tools for tracking post performance and interaction. For more detailed analysis and the ability to track more metrics, you will need to upgrade to the paid version.
Possible complexity when displaying a large number of posts
If you have a large site where you want to display dozens or hundreds of your most popular posts, the plugin may start to exhibit performance issues when displaying a large number of posts at once.
Lack of support for mobile devices in some templates
Some templates may not properly display popular posts on mobile devices. While most modern templates are compatible, there may still be an issue with some older or specific templates.
Basic support for design customization
Although the plugin offers several customization options, some users would appreciate more design options and templates for displaying popular posts. Additional tools or code modifications may be required for more flexible options.