One Cause Of The Monolithic Error "No posts."

One of the most obscure Blogger error messages - next to "Another blog ..." - is the monolithic advice seen on main page display of some blogs.

No posts.

or maybe

There's nothing here!

What can you say, to a blog owner who has started a new blog, and spent days publishing blog content - only to view the blog, and see "No posts." - or "There's nothing here!"?

In some cases, a blog may actually contain no posts - even after days spent publishing content.

Some blog owners may confuse pages ("static pages"), and posts ("dynamic pages") - and spend days publishing blog content, as static pages. Other blog owners, though having just started their first blog, may be experienced webmasters with one or more websites published for years - and publish blog content as pages, by preference.

Whether owned by a true newbie, or an experienced webmaster, a blog which is constructed using static pages will display the main page as

No posts.

or maybe

There's nothing here!

By default, the main page display will only show posts. Pages were originally provided, as a Blogger feature, because some blog owners wanted some posts that were not indexed in an archive, label, or main page sequence.

When you are queried by an anxious blog owner

Why does my blog display

No posts.

Where are my posts?

What can you do?

You need to compare "sitemap.xml" and "sitemap-pages.xml". In some cases, you'll find "sitemap.xml" to be empty - and "sitemap-pages,xml" to list static pages. Occam's Razor wins again.

Some blogs may be truly empty.

Some blogs will only have pages for blog content - and no posts.



Some blogs will only contain static pages - and the main page will show "No posts.".

If your blog does this, you can redirect the home page to a given static page - and add links between the static pages. Or, republish the pages as posts, if convenient.

If you want a main page with multiple posts, maybe using Jump Break to make the main page look cleaner, you will have to publish your blog content as posts.

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The monolithic error "No posts." causes extreme anguish, to a #Blogger blog owner who has just spent days publishing content. In some cases, there is a simple explanation.

Blogger Magic - Set Main Page Size

One of the most visible changes, to the blog display, involves properly setting main page size.

You change the posts count using "Show at most" on the dashboard Settings - "Posts, comments and sharing" page - or "Number of posts on main page" in the "Configure Blog Posts" wizard. Both let you set the main page display limit.

You can limit main page size by days with posts, or by total post count.

Main page size is your choice, for your blog - but think of your readers, waiting for a typical main page display to download.

Many don't have extreme bandwidth, nor are the Blogger servers overly robust. When your blog, or even a single post, takes 2 or 3 minutes to load, your blog may need tuning.

Main page size is one key setting, in encouraging reader activity, and in improving search engine relationships.

• "Show at most" on the dashboard Settings - "Posts, comments and sharing" page.
• "Number of posts on main page" in the "Configure Blog Posts" wizard.

"Show at most" on the dashboard Settings - "Posts, comments and sharing" page.

"Number of posts on main page" in the "Configure Blog Posts" wizard.

There are alternate techniques, for changing main page size - use of a dynamic template, with endless scrolling - and segmenting the blog using pages. And adding Jump Break, to the posts, lets you make the individual posts smaller.

Also, note that only main page size can be limited. Archive retrievals and label searches use a fixed 20 posts / display page.

But for a simple blog setup, just limiting main page size is the first step to showing your readers that you respect their need to view your blog, without excessive waiting.

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One of the simplest changes that you can make to a #Blogger blog, to make it easier to view, involves setting a reasonable main page size. This helps your readers view the blog, in main page view, without a lot of waiting.

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You Cannot Fit Your Entire Blog Onto The Main Page

Some blog owners would like their readers to view the entire blog in one page.

A small blog, with very limited size, can theoretically fit on one page. If you intend to publish a blog with any future, and page rank, you will have to publish content periodically - and the size of the blog will increase, steadily.

And eventually, thanks in part to main page limitation by auto pagination, older posts in your blog will be forced into archive pages.

For a blog with any future, and publishing activity, there are four possibilities for main page size.

• Segment main page, limiting post count.
• Segment your blog, using virtual blogs.
• Use a dynamic template, and "continuous scrolling".
• Use a non dynamic template, and Jump Break - and accept archiving.

Segment main page, limiting post count.

One of the simplest ways to make your blog reader friendly is to limit main page size, using a post count limit. This won't work as a final solution, however, if you're planning to publish the blog with any regularity.

Segment your blog, using virtual blogs.

If you can break your blog into multiple subjects, you can use a Pages tabbed index to access each different subject. You can fit each different subject, possibly using Jump Break, onto one page.

To complement the virtual blogs, you can have a static main page - providing a "welcome" message, and / or indexing the virtual blogs.

Use a dynamic template, and "continuous scrolling".

For public blogs, a dynamic template, with continuous scrolling, may provide a solution. Dynamic templates, unless you a very comfortable with editing the blog template, will never offer the accessory and customisation possibilities of non dynamic templates, however.

With a dynamic template, you won't be able to use Jump Break - though some dynamic views may provide a summarised main page view.

Use a non dynamic template, and Jump Break - and accept archiving.

Careful use of Jump Break will let you limit the size of the main page. If you continue to publish posts - which is necessary for a blog with any future - you will eventually have posts displayed on archive pages.

For best results, design the blog structure - and the posts structure - consistently, and accept archiving and pagination.

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Some #Blogger blog owners would like to display all post content in one page - and ignore page display size. They do not realise that not all blog readers want to read a blog with an unlimited page size, all at once.

Custom Redirects, And The Mobile Template Redirect, Are Now Compatible

One of the neatest features added to Blogger, this decade, has to be the Custom Redirects.

For many years, we asked, over and over, for the ability to optionally publish a blog with a static home page. 2 years ago, Blogger gave us that ability, and more, with Custom Redirects.

But, Custom Redirects had a problem - it did not work with a mobile template, and a redirected mobile home page. Recently, however, that changed.

If you want a custom home page - and you want to use a mobile template - just add one additional Custom Redirect.

From: /
To: /p/static-home-page.html

Add a second redirect.

From: /?m=1
To: /p/static-home-page.html?m=1

Maybe, even add a second redirect, to a mobile page.

From: /?m=1
To: /p/static-home-page-mobile.html?m=1

Now, you can have your cake - and eat it.

Check out my redirected home page test, from your mobile computer.

An Expanding Reader Community May Make Your Blog Vulnerable To A Content Warning

Occasionally, we see a report in Blogger Help Forum: Get Help with an Issue, that reflects on the reader audience - not necessarily only the blog content.

Why is my blog behind a Content Warning?

Some readers of this blog have contacted Google because they believe this blog's content is objectionable.

Occasionally, a quick eyeballing of the blog in question may turn up some dodgy content, which may be suggested, in the forum, as problematic.

This story may not end immediately.

But, I've had that picture gallery, for years! Why did I just get the Content Warning?

Here, the blog owner is not considering changing standards - or the possibility that the blog, becoming more popular, may be adding readers who don't appreciate a photo gallery started years ago.

As your blog matures - and when you are successful at encouraging reader and search engine reputation - your reader audience should be increasing.

If your reader population expands, some readers may be less tolerant.

If you are now advertising your blog to a more selective audience, some folks in that audience may object to some blog content, enjoyed or ignored by your earlier audience.

If you spend time perusing your visitor logs - and if you have a more robust visitor log than Stats, you may find some interesting clues. StatCounter (not SiteMeter) shows, among other details, the "Exit Click" for each visitor. If you see any one post abnormally represented, among the "Exit Click" inventory, you may be looking at content that's possibly not appreciated by some portion of the reader community.

Here, I'll note that you won't necessarily see any statistics for a post that is posted entirely on the main page. If your main page is a significant portion of the blog, you may wish to add Jump Break to your posts, to encourage your readers to click to the individual post pages, and read each individual post.

Be aware of your reader population - and consider their needs.

Whatever your strategy for advertising your blog, be aware of changing visitor interest. Don't "spice up" your blog with "eye candy", and expect to remain free of a Content Warning, forever.

Encourage your readers, with informative, interesting, and unique content. Don't abuse them with eye candy, then demand removal of the Content Warning, without compromise.

Reading Posts In Main Page View Affects Stats

Some blog owners don't understand why Stats displays show that no one is reading their latest post.

I know that my most recent post is being read - but Stats shows pageviews, for that post, as 0!

This owner does not understand the difference between main page, and post page, access.

If you read this blog, without being interested in any particular post, you can access the main page. On the main page, and other index pages, you'll see anywhere from 10 to 15 carefully summarised, recently published, individual posts.

Clicking on "Read more »", at the end of any of the summaries, you can read any complete article. This complete article, and others in this blog, is published as an individual post page - and summarised on index pages, using Jump Break.

Not every blog owner uses Jump Break, to display the posts. Some blog owners publish complete blog articles, in each index page post. Depending upon how any blog is designed, some readers may click on a link, to read any individual post - and others may read some posts from the main page.

Stats enumerates pageviews for individual post pages, in the "Pages" / "Posts" displays. Since the main page is an "index" page, main page activity is not tracked, in the "Pages" / "Posts" displays - and that causes some confusion.

For any given blog not using Jump Break in the posts, the unconscious decision to read a post from the main page, as opposed to a post page, is affected by various blog design details.

• Physical size of main page.
• Number of posts published on main page.
• How frequently new posts are published.
• Whether the blog is publicised, using main page links - or individual post page links.
• Presence - and position - of the Archive index accessory, on the blog face.
• Presence - and position - of any search accessories, on the blog face.
• Use of label indexes - at the end of the posts, and / or a Label index on the blog face.
• Use of links in post content.
• Choice of comment display style - combined with the blog content which may or may not encourage comments.

All of these details, and more, may cause a reader to read a given blog article on the main page, or on an individual post page.

Physical main page size. Larger main pages require more scrolling. The more scrolling is involved, the greater the chance that the reader may find a link to an individual post page, click on the link, and read the article from the post page.

Number of posts published on the main page. Number of posts affects physical main page size. Thanks to auto pagination, some blogs may be displayed with a few posts on the main page, and other blogs with many posts on the main page. Blogs published with less posts on the main page will have more readers clicking on links to the individual post pages, for older posts that won't appear on the main page.

The most recent post published will appear at the top of the main page, in its entirety. Readers accessing the blog, using the Home (main page) address, are almost certain to read the most recent post as part of the main page. Other posts, further down the page, may or may not be read in the main page, or in individual post pages.

Frequency of publishing. Blogs with posts more frequently published will see older posts pushed from main page view sooner, increasing the chance that older articles will be read from the posts pages.

How the blog is publicised. Blogs that are publicised using the main page URL will see more traffic to the main page, while blogs that are publicised using the individual post page URLs will see more activity to the post pages.

Presence and position of the Archive index. If an archive index is present, and visible at the top of the page, a reader may click on an archive index entry, and read an article from an individual post page.

Presence and position of a search accessory. If a search accessory is present, and visible at the top of the page, a reader is more likely to use the search, and to read an article from an individual post page.

Use of a label index may lead to reading the blog using a label index page. Similar to main page, a label index page is a page which groups posts under the label in question. A label index page may be reached from an end of post label list entry, or from a Labels index accessory.

Pageview counts for label index pages, like main page, are not counted under "Pages" / "Posts", in Stats. Here, too, you can have articles read without clicking to the individual post pages.

Use of links in post content. Posts which contain direct links to other posts - as opposed to use of the end of post label index - lead directly to other individual post pages.

Comment display style, and use of comments in the blog. Blogs which use embedded comments will have activity on the individual post pages, when the reader feels the need to examine previously published comments, and / or publish a new comment. The embedded comment display, and entry form, are at the bottom of the individual post pages. The Comment Count Link - "nn Comments" - goes to the bottom of the individual post page, and will generate activity, as counted by Stats.

Blogs with full page or popup comments - and blogs which don't encourage comments - will have less activity on the individual post pages. The post pages are not loaded, with full page or popup comment forms. The full page and popup forms are published under "blogger.com", not under the blog's URL.

All of these seemingly insignificant details, which are present in every blog, in different combinations, will affect access to individual post pages, as opposed to various index pages (archives, labels, and main page).

This will determine whether access to a given article in the blog is counted (as a page or post) or ignored (as an archive, label, and / or main page). The infinitely variable combinations of these details will determine the relative "accuracy" of the Stats "Pages" / "Posts" display, for different blogs. You'll see similarly variable search engine indexing of the blog, with these combinations of details.

And remember also that in the "Page" / "Post" Stats lists, only the top 10 most active Pages and Posts are displayed, at any time. This will also affect "accuracy".

All "Read More" Solutions Are Not The Same

Auto pagination, and "Jump Break", have been a (controversial) feature in Blogger blogs since 2010.

Oddly enough, not all blog owners yet understand the difference between "Jump Break", and other "Read More" features. And there are more than a couple "Read More" features available, in the Internet - some not so beneficial.

Occasionally, we see the confusion, in Blogger Help Forum: Something Is Broken.

I have 12 articles which must appear on my homepage. Just 10 of the 12 articles are showing up. When I added 2 new articles, another old post disappeared from my homepage.

This blog owner, like many, suffers from the effects of auto pagination.

When I suggested using "Jump Break", to make the posts smaller, I was met with confusion.

Did you not look at the blog? I have "Read More" there, already.

And looking at the blog again, I saw that he was correct.

Examining main page view, and a post in the the blog, I used my browsers HTML viewer.

HTML view shows a post which uses "Read More" - but not "Jump Break". Examining various blogs main page view, as HTML, we can see the difference between "Jump Break", and this "Read More" solution.

With "Jump Break", on the main page, one sees the post summary, followed by a link to the post page. The post page then contains the full post.

With "Read More", on the main page, one simply sees the entire post. The JavaScript code (provided separately in the template) automatically displays the post summary, for each post, consisting of a certain amount of words, followed by a "Read More" button - and hides the remainder of the post, as displayed in main page view.

When clicked, the "Read More" code simply makes the entire post visible. This would be a clever way to display a post summary - if auto pagination was not involved.

Since auto pagination limits the number of posts based on total downloaded content, main page view, using "Read More", is limited by content which is not visible. This causes confusion.

With "Jump Break", each carefully sized post summary, in main page view, downloads only the post summary to the client computer. This makes each individual post relatively small - and allows the main page, even with auto pagination, to include a large number of posts.

Look at main page view for this blog. I display anywhere from 10 to 15 posts, at any time, in main page view. Long ago, you would see this post at the top of the page (but time has passed, and this post is archived). Do you see how small the posts are, as displayed on the main page?

With "Read More", however, even with the post displayed as a summary, the entire post is downloaded. Auto pagination then limits main page view to a handful of posts. Main page view looks smaller than it should - and the blog owner is left, scratching his head.

Only "Jump Break" works properly, with auto pagination. That is the bottom line. Don't settle for less than "Jump Break", if you want your blog, in main page view, to include a predictable number of posts.

Dynamic Templates Display Blogs In One Page

Ever since Blogger installed auto pagination. Blogger blog owners have been asking

How do I disable auto pagination?

and

Why can't I display my blog on the main page, without my readers having to use "Older Posts?

The response, up to this year, has been simple.

You cannot disable auto pagination. You have to allow sharing of network resources.

Though technically correct, the latter response has not always been met with appreciation.

The solution, for avoiding auto pagination, is now simple. Install a dynamic template, on your blog.

With a dynamic display, an entire blog is presented in main page view, with no archiving needed.

A dynamic view presents one page at a time - just without requiring clicking.

You get one display page at a time - either the index, or blog content, depending upon which view you select. To see earlier content, you simply scroll downwards, and wait a few seconds while the display refreshes.

The display is still segmented - the segments are simply selected fluidly. When the display is scrolled to the bottom, the dynamic display code (running on the personal computer of the reader) simply requests another page of content, from the Blogger server.

The readers using a non dynamic blog view are not affected.

Since the content is coming from the blog feed, your other readers, using a non dynamic view of the blog, are not affected.

The average reader, who cannot see any more than one page of content at a time anyway (current monitor technology provides limited sized displays) never knows, or cares (subject to bandwidth and processor limitations) that the entire blog is not downloaded to the local computer, immediately.

Within limits, you can combine dynamic and non dynamic views in one blog.

If you want to let your readers use a dynamic view (non paginated), or a non dynamic view (paginated), depending upon personal preference, you can link the dynamic and non dynamic views.

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Blogger Magic - A Static Home Page

Every week, somebody asks for such a simple blog feature.

How do I have a single blog post always displayed, for the home page?

There are many things that Blogger has yet to provide, and this is one. A blog, by definition, contains a dynamic home page, with the most current posts displayed.

Today (sorry, too late!), if you view this blog, this post will be displayed, at the very top of the home page. Tomorrow, this post will be displayed, just not at the top of the home page. In a couple weeks, this post will not be displayed on the home page, at all. That is how blogs work. If you want to display anything else, you don't have a blog.

That's the purist position, anyway. A blog is simply a web site with the latest posts displayed on home page (the main page), and hidden older posts (the archives).

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(Update 2012/06/06): The recent "Search preferences" feature allows us to setup a true static home page, with none of the complications below.

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The neat thing about this magic trick is that it's not difficult to make it work. I categorise this trick as a snake, after the old taunt from my mother

If it had been a snake, it would have bitten you.

It's so simple, really.

1. Make the blog not display any posts, for home page.
2. Add a text gadget.
3. Tweak the text gadget to only display, when home page URL is displayed.
4. Use the Pages gadget, and index the rest of the blog. Add links using various label searches, pages, and posts, as you like.

Make The Home Page Not Display Any Posts
If you make the main page not display any posts, you get an empty home page. Settings - "Posts and comments" contains the "Show" setting. Set "Show" to "0 posts", and the blog has an empty home page.

Add A Text Gadget
Add an HTML / Text gadget, positioned just above or below the "Blog Posts" gadget. Setup the new gadget just like the blog post, that you would want permanently displayed. If you want to use the post editor to compose the gadget, do that.

Tweak The Template
This is the one part of this project, that requires any technique. Use the Template Editor, and edit the gadget template, for the gadget that you just added, so the gadget only displays when the home page URL is being displayed.

Use The Pages Gadget, To Index The Rest Of The Blog
Once you have a static home page gadget, just add links to the rest of the blog. You can have links in the new gadget - and you can have an index in the blog header, or in the sidebar. Use your imagination here, it's your blog.

That's it. Really.

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Jump Break, Main Page Contents, And Search Engines

The articles in this blog, which discusses production and use of Blogger blogs, are written as posts.

The various posts are combined, using embedded links, in different ways. Each new post appears on the main page, as it is written - and the various posts, appearing together on the main page, create opportunities for confusion, with the readers of the blog.

Long ago, the task of moderating comments was rather depressing to me, as the focus of many of the comments made me think that nobody was actually reading the articles. Maybe, I would write an interesting post about URL availability; but when moderating comments, I would find questions about posting comments on static pages. Or maybe a post about dynamic template concepts would attract complaints about referer spam.

Why should I publish my advice, if nobody cares enough to read the articles and comment relevantly?

Just previous to this post, I wrote about Stats displays, and the contents of the Posts lists.

In the process of writing the latter article, I discovered one obscure benefit of using "Jump Break" - and how "Jump Break" affects main page view, search engine indexing, and finally, relevance of comments to post subject.

A home page, with a variety of posts, naturally produces un focused comments.

Why the apparent lack of focus, of the comments? One reason is that many different posts, published one after the other, appear in sequence, in the blogs main page.

People will read the posts - and the search engines will index the posts - using main page view. Only after newer posts force the older posts, one by one, from main page view, will the individual posts have any significance - to people or search engines.

Using my example above, and looking at my main page when this post was new, one would have found a post about URL availability, published a week after a post about posting comments on static pages. By the time the search engines indexed the latter post, I would have published the former post. The post about URL availability would be visible in main page view, ahead of the post about posting comments on static pages.

Clicking on the link to my blog, attached to a SERP entry referencing static pages, the reader will read my main page from the top, find the previously visible post about URL availability, and the Comments link following the post. Clicking on the first Comments link found, the reader will post his question about static pages, against my post about URL availability.

Use of Jump Break gives a home page that can be easily read, top to bottom.

So, what effect does the use of "Jump Break" have on this problem? Using "Jump Break" on all main page posts makes it more likely that a potential reader of the blog, following a home page link to the blog, has more chance to see all recent posts, with their summaries.

The reader is more likely to scan down the page, see a summarised relevant post, click on "Read more" - and read the relevant post, on the individual post page, before commenting.

Use of Jump Break gives more weight to the individual posts, as indexed.

Additionally, with the posts summarised in main page view, the search engines will find less content on the main page. The full posts will be indexed as individual post pages, more than as part of the main page. This gives more weight to the individual posts, and less weight to the main page.

When indexed using an automatically generated, robust sitemap (2014), the posts will appear individually in SERP lists, decreasing reader main page confusion. Each SERP entry, pointing to an individual post, will be more relevantly focused - giving it more weight than a SERP entry, pointing to main page view.

Use of Jump Break, consistently, produces a win-win-win scenario.

In summary, careful and consistent use of "Jump Break" leads to:

• Better focus on individual and relevant blog articles, by the search engines.
• Less confusion to the blogs readers, when accessing the blog using SERP hit lists.
• Less frustration for the blog owner, when moderating comments.

It's really a win-win-win, when used consistently. And, it's so simple to apply, on a post by post basis. Check it out, in action.

Stats Not Displaying Newer Posts, In "Posts" Lists

The problem of last week, with Stats, was fixed late yesterday, and our Stats displays once again are showing Posts pageview counts and enumerating individual Posts. Now, we have a perceived problem, being reported by newer blog owners.

My Stats display does not show my newer posts!

This concern is visually valid - but it's not real. It's most common with blogs that have just over 10 posts, which are owned by people who are not aware of the Stats display limitations, as we have explored.

The Stats Posts displays enumerate the 10 most popular posts, for any given time period. Newer posts will seldom appear in the Posts lists, for many blogs.

• The "Posts" lists enumerate individual posts, and shows pageview counts for posts viewed in single post view. Newer posts will be displayed in their entirety on the main page, and read as main page views.
• The lists show only the 10 most popular posts. Newer posts, not yet indexed by the search engines, or linked by your readers, won't have as many inlinks - and the post page URLs won't get as much traffic from other blogs and websites.

Owners of newer blogs will not be aware of these details - and with just over 10 posts, may not see the significance, in their Stats displays. These owners will simply see, from time to time, posts that don't appear in the lists.

If you look at the main page, for this blog, you'll see use of "Jump Break" in my newer posts. Each of these posts, to be read in their entirety, can only be read using the "Read more" link - and from the individual post page. Look at the address window above.

http://blogging.nitecruzr.net/2011/10/stats-not-displaying-newer-posts-in.html

Since you're viewing these words, this post is being counted in Posts, as a pageview. Thus the Posts lists, for this blog, will enumerate this post, sooner.

Here, we see another benefit of using "Jump Break" over other auto summarisation techniques. The "Jump Break" links directly to the single post view of each post - and it uses HTML, which makes it search engine friendly. Some previous auto summarisation techniques used JavaScript to hide the full post content, preventing search engines from indexing the full post text.

Besides encouraging the post content to be read as a post page, the search engines will index post content in the post pages. The archive retrievals, and main page, will only list the partial content of each post - and search engine hit lists will contain more relevant content.

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Blogs Showing The WMX Verification File, Instead Of Main Page

This week, we have various Blogger blogs reported as displaying a mysterious WMX Verification File, when main page view would be expected.

This is the WMX verification file. If you are having problems with the WMX verification for your blog please visit http://help.blogger.com/bin/static.py?page=start.cs

This symptom was first observed Thursday, October 22, and Blogger Support is aware of the problem. Supposedly, the problem was fixed, though some blog owners are still reporting it.

We note that the Google Webmaster Central Blog: Verifying a Blogger blog in Webmaster Tools now instructs us to use the meta tag verification procedure.

The "Webmaster Tools" auto-verification link from the Blogger dashboard is no longer working and will soon be removed.

Is your blog showing this, in place of main page view? If you can provide some diagnostic details, you might help Blogger to help you and others. Precision here is good - and date, time, and timezone will be appreciated.

• What's the URL of the blog?
• When did you first observe the problem?
• When did you last publish a post to the blog?
• When did you last modify the template?
• Did you add the blog to Google Webmaster Tools, using the dashboard wizard, or using the GWT native procedure?
• When did you add the blog to GWT?

(Update 10/23): Some bloggers are working around the problem by refreshing the blog. From Settings - Publishing,

• Change the name to any available URL, and Save.
• Change the name back to the correct URL, and Save.
• Note for a custom domain published blog, you'll have to publish back to BlogSpot, then back to the correct domain URL.

If you do this, you ought to examine the Google Webmaster Tools entry for the blog, and check your Following relationships carefully. Both GWT and Following are sensitive to blog renames.

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