Bricks Builder is a powerful WordPress page builder known for its flexibility and customizability. One of the features that makes Bricks Builder stand out is its advanced query system, which allows users to dynamically display content. A common feature on blogs and websites is the “Related Posts” section, which helps keep visitors engaged by suggesting other posts similar to the one they are reading. Creating a Related Posts query in Bricks Builder can be done with just a few steps. Here’s how to do it effectively.
Step 1: Set Up the Query Loop
To display related posts, we first need to set up a Query Loop in Bricks Builder. The Query Loop enables you to pull content from your WordPress database and display it according to specified parameters.
1. Open the post template where you want to add related posts.
2. Add a Posts element to the template (or any other container you want to use for displaying the related posts).
3. Go to the Query tab in the Posts element settings. Here, you can customize the query that controls which posts will be displayed.
Step 2: Define Related Posts Parameters
To ensure the query fetches “related” posts, you’ll want to set up conditions that align with your definition of related content. This is typically done based on categories, tags, or custom taxonomy terms.
1. In the Query settings, select Post Type as “Post” to ensure that the query retrieves blog posts.
2. Next, in the Conditions section, add a new condition. If you’re using categories to relate posts, choose Post Category as the condition.
3. Select Current Post > Terms to ensure the query pulls posts that share the same category as the current post. This means that if a post is categorized under “Technology,” it will only display posts also under “Technology.”
If your website uses tags instead of categories to relate posts, choose Post Tag instead of Post Category and apply the same condition.
Step 3: Exclude the Current Post
Since we don’t want the current post to appear in the Related Posts section, we need to exclude it from the query results.
1. In the Query settings, locate the Exclude Posts option.
2. Select Current Post. This will ensure that the post being viewed is excluded from the Related Posts section.
Step 4: Limit the Number of Related Posts
A Related Posts section usually displays a limited number of posts to keep the layout clean. To adjust the number of posts:
1. In the Query settings, find the Posts Per Page option.
2. Set it to a reasonable number, such as 3 or 4, depending on your design preferences and available space.
Step 5: Style the Related Posts Section
Once you’ve set up the query, it’s time to style the Related Posts section to match your site’s design.
1. In Bricks Builder, use the Style tab to customize the look of your Posts element. Adjust typography, spacing, borders, and colors to ensure a cohesive design.
2. Consider adding a heading, like “Related Posts,” above the section to clearly indicate its purpose to readers.
Step 6: Test the Related Posts Query
To ensure the query is working as expected, preview a few posts on your site and verify that the Related Posts section displays content relevant to each post’s category or tags. Check multiple posts to confirm that the query dynamically changes the related posts based on the current post’s taxonomy.
Creating a Related Posts query in Bricks Builder is a powerful way to engage visitors and increase page views on your website. By using Bricks Builder’s Query Loop and customizing it to display content based on shared categories or tags, you can dynamically show related posts with ease. This feature not only enhances user experience but also boosts SEO by reducing bounce rates and increasing the time visitors spend on your site.
