The Popular Posts widget in Blogger automatically displays some of the most-viewed articles on your blog, giving visitors another way to discover useful content.
Blogger provides this as a built-in gadget, so you normally do not need a plugin or third-party JavaScript to create a basic popular-posts section.
This guide explains how to add a Popular Posts widget in Blogger, choose its time range, show thumbnails and snippets, change its position and troubleshoot common display problems.
What Is the Blogger Popular Posts Widget?
Popular Posts is a Blogger gadget designed to display posts according to their popularity based on Blogger's viewing statistics.
Instead of manually choosing every article, Blogger can automatically populate the widget with popular content.
It is commonly placed in:
- Sidebar
- Homepage sections
- Below posts
- Footer widget areas
The exact available positions depend on your Blogger template.
How to Add Popular Posts in Blogger
Follow these steps:
- Sign in to Blogger.
- Select your blog.
- Open Layout.
- Find the section where you want Popular Posts to appear.
- Click Add a Gadget.
- Select Popular Posts.
- Configure the widget settings.
- Click Save.
- Save the Layout if Blogger asks you to save the arrangement.
Then open your published website and check that the widget appears correctly.
Choose a Title for the Popular Posts Widget
You can use a simple heading such as:
Popular PostsOther suitable titles include:
Most Popular
Popular Tutorials
Trending Guides
Most ReadChoose wording that matches the type of content on your website.
For a tutorial website, Popular Guides or Popular Tutorials can sometimes be more descriptive than a generic title.
Choose the Popular Posts Time Range
The standard Blogger Popular Posts gadget can rank posts over different periods.
Common options include:
- Last 7 days
- Last 30 days
- All time
The best choice depends on what you want the widget to show.
Last 7 Days
Useful when you want the list to change frequently and highlight currently popular posts.
Last 30 Days
A good balance between recent interest and stability.
All Time
Useful for showing established articles that have consistently received the most views over the lifetime of the blog.
Which Time Range Should You Use?
For most tutorial websites, I would start with:
Last 30 DaysThis gives newer useful articles a better chance to appear while still providing enough data to identify genuinely popular content.
If your blog publishes only occasionally, All time may provide a more stable list.
If you publish frequently and want a more dynamic section, try Last 7 days.
Should You Show Image Thumbnails?
The Popular Posts gadget can display image thumbnails when suitable images are available for the posts.
Thumbnails can make the section easier to scan visually, particularly when your articles use consistent featured images.
However, a text-only popular-posts list can be cleaner in a narrow sidebar.
Choose based on your design rather than assuming more visual elements are always better.
Should You Show Post Snippets?
The gadget can also display a short text snippet with each popular post.
Snippets can provide additional context, but they also make the widget taller.
For a compact sidebar, I recommend:
Thumbnail + Post Titlerather than:
Thumbnail + Post Title + Long SnippetIf the Popular Posts section is wider, such as a homepage block, a short snippet may be useful.
How Many Popular Posts Should You Display?
You do not need to display a very long list.
For most Blogger layouts, approximately:
4–6 postsis usually enough to give visitors useful alternatives without overwhelming the page.
A narrow sidebar may work best with 4 or 5 posts, while a larger homepage section may support more.
How to Move the Popular Posts Widget
After adding the gadget, open:
Blogger → LayoutDrag the Popular Posts gadget to another supported widget position.
For example, you might position it:
Search
Categories
Popular Posts
Recent PostsSave the layout after rearranging your gadgets.
If the gadget cannot be moved to a particular location, that area may not support widgets in your current template.
Popular Posts vs Featured Post
These Blogger gadgets serve different purposes.
| Widget | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Popular Posts | Automatically displays popular content based on post views |
| Featured Post | Highlights a specific post you choose |
Use Popular Posts when you want the content to be selected automatically.
Use Featured Post when you want complete editorial control over which article receives attention.
Why Is the Popular Posts Widget Not Showing?
If you added the gadget but cannot see it, check:
- Whether the widget is saved in Layout.
- Whether your template hides that widget area.
- Whether CSS is hiding the Popular Posts widget.
- Whether a page-specific Blogger condition limits where it appears.
- Whether the widget is hidden on mobile.
Custom Blogger templates can modify the standard widget markup and visibility rules.
Check for Conditional Widget Code
Advanced Blogger themes can contain conditions that show a gadget only on certain page types.
For example, a widget declaration may contain a condition that limits it to individual posts or the homepage.
If Popular Posts appears on post pages but not the homepage, or vice versa, the template code may contain such a condition.
Do not remove Blogger conditions unless you understand why they were added.
For theme-code changes, see our Blogger HTML and CSS editing guide.
Why Are the Popular Posts Not Changing?
The widget is based on Blogger view statistics rather than the publication date alone.
An older article can remain popular if it continues receiving more views than newer posts.
If you want the list to change more frequently, try a shorter time range such as:
Last 7 Daysinstead of:
All TimeWhy Is a New Post Missing From Popular Posts?
Publishing a new post does not automatically make it popular.
The widget is intended to show frequently viewed posts, so a new article may not appear until it receives enough views compared with other posts during the selected time range.
If you specifically want to promote a new article, a Featured Post section or manual homepage link may be more appropriate.
Why Is the Popular Post Thumbnail Missing?
If a post appears without its expected thumbnail, check that the article contains a suitable image and that your theme has not customized the Popular Posts image handling.
Also make sure your images are properly optimized and available over HTTPS.
For image optimization, see our Blogger image SEO and optimization guide.
Can You Customize the Popular Posts Design?
Yes. The appearance of Blogger widgets is largely controlled by your template CSS and widget markup.
You can customize elements such as:
- Thumbnail size
- Spacing
- Post title font
- Borders
- Background
- Hover effects
Inspect your theme's existing Popular Posts markup before adding CSS copied from another template, because class names and structure can differ.
Can Popular Posts Slow Down Blogger?
Blogger's built-in Popular Posts gadget is generally preferable to installing an unnecessary third-party script solely to produce a basic popular-post list.
However, heavily customized widgets with large images, animations or external JavaScript can increase page weight.
Keep the design simple and use appropriately sized thumbnails.
For broader optimization, see our Blogger page speed guide.
Popular Posts Widget Checklist
- Open Blogger → Layout.
- Choose the desired widget area.
- Click Add a Gadget.
- Select Popular Posts.
- Choose an appropriate time range.
- Decide whether to show thumbnails.
- Use snippets only when they improve the layout.
- Keep the number of displayed posts reasonable.
- Save and position the widget.
- Check desktop and mobile layouts.
For the fundamentals of Blogger gadgets and Layout sections, read our complete Blogger widgets and gadgets guide.
Questions About Blogger Popular Posts
How do I add Popular Posts in Blogger?
Go to Blogger → Layout, click Add a Gadget in the desired section, select Popular Posts, configure its settings and save the layout.
How does Blogger decide which posts are popular?
The built-in gadget uses Blogger post-view statistics within the selected time range to identify popular posts.
Should I use 7 days, 30 days or all time?
Use 7 days for frequently changing recent popularity, 30 days for a balance between recent and established content, or all time for your historically most-viewed posts.
Why is my new post not appearing in Popular Posts?
A new post must receive enough views compared with other posts during the selected period. Publishing a post does not automatically place it in the Popular Posts widget.
Can I show thumbnails in Blogger Popular Posts?
Yes. The standard gadget supports displaying image thumbnails when suitable post images are available.
Can I customize the Blogger Popular Posts widget?
Yes. Its visual design can be customized through your Blogger template CSS and, for advanced changes, the widget markup in the theme.
Final Recommendation
Start with Blogger's built-in Popular Posts gadget rather than installing a third-party script.
For most tutorial websites, try Last 30 Days, show a thumbnail and title, and display approximately four to six posts.
Place the widget where it helps visitors discover additional content without distracting from the main article.
A Popular Posts widget works best as a discovery tool: it should make strong existing content easier to find without making the sidebar or homepage unnecessarily crowded.