How to Add a Featured Post Widget in Blogger

The Featured Post widget in Blogger lets you highlight one important article more prominently than your normal post list.

You can use it for an introduction post, important tutorial, announcement, promotional article or any post you want visitors to notice first.

This guide explains how to add a Featured Post widget in Blogger, choose the article, change its position, show it only on the homepage and troubleshoot common Featured Post problems.

What Is the Blogger Featured Post Widget?

Featured Post is a Blogger gadget that highlights one selected blog post.

Unlike your normal post feed, which changes as new articles are published, the Featured Post remains focused on the article you choose.

It can be useful for:

• Important tutorials
• Welcome or introduction posts
• Announcements
• Popular evergreen guides
• Promotional content

Featured Post vs Popular Posts

These Blogger widgets work differently.

Widget	How Content Is Selected
Featured Post	You manually choose one post
Popular Posts	Blogger selects popular posts using view data
Recent Posts	Displays the newest published posts

Use Featured Post when you want complete control over which article receives attention.

How to Add a Featured Post in Blogger

Go to:

Blogger → Layout

Find the section where you want the featured article to appear.

Then:

1. Click Add a Gadget.
2. Select Featured Post.
3. Choose the post you want to feature.
4. Configure the available display options.
5. Click Save.
6. Save the Layout arrangement if required.

Open your homepage afterward and confirm that the selected article appears correctly.

What If Featured Post Is Already in the Layout?

Some Blogger themes already include a Featured Post gadget.

If you see:

Featured Post

inside:

Blogger → Layout

you do not need to add another copy.

Open the existing gadget and configure the article you want to highlight.

How to Select the Featured Article

Open the Featured Post gadget settings.

Select the specific published post you want to feature.

For example, on a Blogger tutorial website you might feature:

How to Install a Blogger Template: Step-by-Step Guide

or:

Blogger SEO Settings: Complete Optimization Guide

Choose a post that provides strong value to a large portion of your visitors.

Where Should the Featured Post Appear?

The most common position is near the top of the homepage.

For example:

Header
↓
Featured Post
↓
Main Blog Posts
↓
Sidebar / Footer

In Blogger Layout, drag the Featured Post gadget above the main Blog widget when your theme allows it.

The available positions depend on the structure of your active template.

How to Show Featured Post Only on the Homepage

Some Blogger themes may display the Featured Post gadget on individual posts or other page types as well.

If you want the Featured Post to appear only on the homepage, you can add a Blogger condition.

First create a theme backup.

Then go to:

Blogger → Theme → Edit HTML

Use:

Jump to Widget → FeaturedPost1

Find the opening widget tag, which may look similar to:

<b:widget id='FeaturedPost1'
          locked='true'
          title=''
          type='FeaturedPost'
          visible='true'>

Add:

cond='data:view.isHomepage'

The result becomes:

<b:widget cond='data:view.isHomepage'
          id='FeaturedPost1'
          locked='true'
          title=''
          type='FeaturedPost'
          visible='true'>

Save the theme and test both the homepage and an individual post.

Why Show Featured Post Only on the Homepage?

A large featured article usually makes the most sense as a homepage discovery element.

If it also appears above every individual article, visitors may repeatedly see the same featured content before reaching the page they actually opened.

Homepage-only visibility keeps the layout cleaner:

Homepage → Featured Post visible
Individual post → Featured Post hidden
Static page → Featured Post hidden

How to Change the Featured Post Later

You do not need to remove the widget every time you want to feature another article.

Go to:

Blogger → Layout → Featured Post

Open the gadget and select another published post.

Save your changes and refresh the homepage.

This makes the widget useful for rotating important tutorials, announcements or seasonal content.

Should You Change the Featured Post Frequently?

Not necessarily.

If you have a strong evergreen article that is useful to most visitors, it can remain featured for a long time.

Change it when:

• You publish an important new guide.
• You launch a new product or service.
• The existing featured article becomes outdated.
• You have a temporary announcement.

Why Is My Featured Post Showing on Every Page?

This happens when the widget does not have a page-view condition.

Add:

cond='data:view.isHomepage'

to the opening FeaturedPost widget tag.

This is cleaner than hiding the element with CSS after it has already been rendered.

For more conditional examples, see our Blogger widget visibility guide.

Why Is the Featured Post Image Too Large?

The Featured Post gadget can use imagery associated with the selected article, and your theme CSS controls how that image is displayed.

If the image stretches too far, inspect your Featured Post CSS for rules affecting:

width
height
object-fit
max-width

A common responsive image rule is:

max-width:100%;
height:auto;

However, the exact styling depends on your Blogger template.

Why Does the Featured Post Look Different From Normal Posts?

The Featured Post gadget uses its own Blogger widget markup.

It may therefore have different:

• Image dimensions
• Typography
• Spacing
• Excerpt formatting
• Background styling

This is normal.

You can customize the design through your Blogger theme CSS when necessary.

How to Hide the Featured Post Widget

If you no longer want the Featured Post but do not want to delete it, open:

Blogger → Layout → Featured Post

Depending on your theme and widget interface, disable:

Show this widget

and save the gadget.

This keeps the widget configuration available while hiding it from visitors.

How to Remove the Featured Post Widget

If the gadget is removable:

1. Open Blogger → Layout.
2. Open Featured Post.
3. Choose Remove if available.
4. Save the Layout.

Some default Blogger themes may lock certain widgets.

In that case, disabling the widget may be easier than removing it from the template.

Why Is Add a Gadget Missing?

Your theme controls where Blogger gadgets can be added.

A Blogger section may contain:

showaddelement='no'

or a limited:

maxwidgets

setting.

If your preferred location does not allow gadgets, you may need to use an existing widget area or modify the template structure.

For the fundamentals, see our Blogger widgets and gadgets guide.

Featured Post or Manual Homepage Section?

The built-in Featured Post gadget works well when you simply want to highlight one Blogger article.

A custom homepage section may be better when you need:

• Several featured articles
• Custom card layouts
• Multiple columns
• Special promotional text
• More design control

Use the built-in widget when its functionality meets your needs rather than adding unnecessary custom code.

Featured Post Widget Checklist

1. Open Blogger → Layout.
2. Check whether Featured Post already exists.
3. Add the gadget if required.
4. Select the article you want to feature.
5. Place it near the top of the homepage.
6. Save the Layout.
7. Test desktop and mobile views.
8. Add data:view.isHomepage if it should appear only on the homepage.
9. Check the featured image size.
10. Change the selected article whenever necessary.

Questions About Blogger Featured Posts

How do I add a Featured Post in Blogger?

Go to Blogger → Layout, click Add a Gadget in a supported section, select Featured Post, choose the article you want to highlight and save the layout.

Can I choose which Blogger post is featured?

Yes. Open the Featured Post gadget settings and select the published article you want to highlight.

How do I show Featured Post only on the homepage?

Add cond='data:view.isHomepage' to the opening FeaturedPost widget tag in your Blogger template.

Why does Featured Post appear on individual posts?

The widget may not have a homepage-only condition. Add the Blogger homepage condition to FeaturedPost1 if you only want it rendered on the homepage.

Can I change the Featured Post later?

Yes. Open the gadget in Blogger Layout and select another published article. You do not need to create a new widget.

What is the difference between Featured Post and Popular Posts?

Featured Post lets you manually choose one article, while Popular Posts automatically displays frequently viewed articles based on Blogger statistics.

Final Recommendation

Use Blogger's built-in Featured Post gadget when you want to draw attention to one particularly important article.

Place it near the top of the homepage and, if necessary, restrict it to the homepage using:

cond='data:view.isHomepage'

Choose an evergreen guide, important announcement or article that gives new visitors a useful place to start.

A Featured Post should highlight something genuinely important rather than simply duplicating whichever post already appears first in your normal post feed.