Categories: Info

Ten popular WordPress-based blogs & Patterns you can reuse

Many high-traffic WordPress sites win with simple, focused formats: clear topics, scannable structure, recurring series, and strong internal navigation.hostinger+1

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1. Ten popular WordPress-based blogs (summary-style)

I’ll group 10 well-known WordPress sites and summarize what makes their posts popular.wpbeginner+3

TED Blog

Content: Short, idea-focused articles that extend TED talks (innovation, science, personal growth).[crocoblock]
Format: Clear titles, concise summaries, internal links to talks and related ideas.[crocoblock]
Why it works: Each post promises one specific idea and delivers it fast.

Mozilla Blog

Content: Open web, privacy, browser updates, internet health.[crocoblock]
Format: News-style posts with simple headlines (“What’s new in Firefox…”), clear changelogs, and calls to action.[crocoblock]
Why it works: Useful, practical updates for a defined audience (Firefox users, devs).

NASA News

Content: Space missions, discoveries, launches, images.[hostinger]
Format: News + visuals; strong use of photos, mission names, dates, and short context paragraphs.[hostinger]
Why it works: High-authority information plus strong imagery and story hooks.

TEDx / TED Ideas-style posts

Content: Personal development, psychology, work, creativity.[hostinger]
Format: “How to…” or “Why…” style titles, structured with subheadings and key takeaways.[hostinger]
Why it works: Easy-to-digest advice anchored in credible sources.

Ahrefs Blog

Content: SEO, content marketing, data-backed tutorials.[hostinger]
Format: Long-form guides, step-by-step screenshots, real examples, clear “who it’s for” intros.[hostinger]
Why it works: Strong keyword targeting + very practical value.

9to5Mac

Content: Apple news, leaks, how-tos, product updates.[hostinger]
Format: Bite-sized posts, expandable summaries, prominent “latest” and “trending” sections on the homepage.[hostinger]
Why it works: High publishing frequency + clear timeliness (timestamps, “today”, “this week”).

CNET (WordPress implementation)

Content: Tech news, reviews, deals.[elementor]
Format: Magazine layout, “Top 10” lists, comparison posts, multiple content blocks on homepage.[elementor]
Why it works: Many entry points—news, guides, reviews—plus strong list-style content.

Wit & Delight

Content: Lifestyle, interiors, mental health, daily life.[wpbeginner]
Format: Personal narrative tone, high-quality photography, category-based browsing (home, wellness, style).[wpbeginner]
Why it works: Strong voice + visual identity, readers come back for the feel of the blog.

Art of Manliness

Content: Skills, philosophy, relationships, fitness, style.[wpbeginner]
Format: Long essays, how-to guides, and series (e.g., “Classics of…”), often with illustrations.[wpbeginner]
Why it works: Deep, evergreen content that feels like a library, not just a feed.

High-traffic gossip / lifestyle portal (e.g., Kozaczek case)

Content: Celebrity news, gossip, images, short posts.[whitelabelcoders]
Format: High volume, lots of images, many small articles per day, strong categorization, ad placements.[whitelabelcoders]
Why it works: Frequency + habit; people return multiple times per day for updates.

2. Patterns you can reuse on occwp.store

These sites share some practical patterns you can adapt for OCC – One Click Challenge.elementor+2

Content patterns

Clear, specific topics per post
- One key idea per article (like TED/Ahrefs), not three mixed topics.crocoblock+1
- For OCC: each post should answer one focused question about simplicity, automation, or small improvements.
Recurring formats
- Examples: “How I…”, “3 Small Ways to…”, “What I Learned From…”, “Today’s One-Click Idea”.elementor+1
- This builds familiarity and makes it easy for you to come up with new posts.
Evergreen + timely mix
- Ahrefs / Art of Manliness = evergreen guides; 9to5Mac / CNET = newsy, timely posts.elementor+2
- For OCC:
  - Evergreen: guides on simplification, automation, user-first design.
  - Timely: “What changed in AdSense this month?”, “This week’s tiny workflow experiment”.

Structure and UX patterns

Strong headlines and subheadings
- “How I Increased X…”, “Why I Stopped Doing Y…”, “A Tiny Change That…”.wpbeginner+1
- Make each OCC post skimmable with 3–5 subheadings.
Internal linking
- Big blogs always link between related posts (“If you liked this, read…”).wpbeginner+1
- On OCC, link across your category posts: e.g., from “One-Click Simplification” to “Smart Digital Solution” to “Productivity & Self-Improvement”.
Popular / featured blocks
- Many sites highlight “Popular”, “Trending”, or “Editor’s picks” on the home or sidebar.pushengage+2
- You can show your most useful or most-clicked OCC articles using a plugin (see below).

3. Recommended content strategy for occwp.store

A. Create 3 “pillar” posts

Take inspiration from Ahrefs-style long guides and Art of Manliness deep content.wpbeginner+1

Suggested pillars:

“The Quiet Guide to One-Click Simplification”
- 2000+ words, combining your one-click ideas, examples from your own workflows, and tool suggestions.
“A User-First Philosophy for Tired People”
- UX, content, and daily-life examples.
“Continuous Innovation in Small, Almost Invisible Steps”
- Show your minor, niche tone and how tiny updates change real work.

These can be your main internal-link hubs.

B. Build 1–2 recurring series

Borrow the “series feel” from Art of Manliness and TED’s theme posts.wpbeginner+1

Possible recurring series for OCC:

“Today’s One-Click Experiment”
- Short posts (500–800 words) documenting one small change you tried, what you expected, and what actually happened.
“Low-Noise Productivity Notes”
- Reflections on routines, small habits, travel/work balance—fitting your minor, introspective tone.

This keeps content fresh without needing huge topics every time.

C. Short, timely posts around tools / policy

Take a page from Mozilla Blog and 9to5Mac for “update”-style content.crocoblock+1

Write small updates when:
- AdSense rules change, your own AdSense experience moves forward, or you tweak your site structure.
Use titles like:
- “What Changed in My AdSense Setup This Week”
- “A Small Policy Detail That Almost Blocked Me”

This gives search engines fresh content and shows real-time learning.

4. Technical tactics inside WordPress

A. Use a “popular posts” or “featured posts” plugin

Popular posts blocks help visitors discover your best content, similar to “Trending” on big sites.wpanything+1

You can consider (examples):

WordPress Popular Posts – free, 200k+ users, supports custom time ranges and multiple widgets.pushengage+1
Top 10 – Popular posts plugin – lightweight, uses pageviews, shortcode support, can exclude categories.[wpanything]
Display Posts – shortcode-based lists/grids; good if you’re comfortable with custom layouts.[pushengage]

How to use on occwp.store:

Sidebar:
- “Most Read in One-Click Simplification (Last 30 Days)”
Under each article:
- “Readers also liked” list filtered by category/tag.
Homepage section:
- “Quietly Popular Posts” (your best-performing content, but with your minor tone).

B. Category-driven navigation

Big blogs rely heavily on clear categories.elementor+2

For OCC:

Show your main categories in the menu:
- Smart Digital Solution, One-Click Simplification, User-First Philosophy, Continuous Innovation, Productivity & Self-Improvement, etc.
On each post:
- Add a short “You’re reading this from [Category Name]” intro line to make it feel like part of a bigger series.

C. Internal linking strategy

Inspired by Ahrefs and Art of Manliness “library” feel.hostinger+1

In each new post, intentionally add:
- 2–3 links to older, related posts (for dwell time and SEO).
- 1 link out to a credible external resource (TED, Mozilla, etc.) when relevant.

5. Example: how to apply this to one new OCC post

Let’s say you write a new article:

Title: “A Week of One-Click Experiments: What Actually Changed”

Structure (inspired by popular blogs):wpbeginner+1

Intro: One paragraph explaining why you tried one-click changes for a week.
Section 1: “Day 1–2: Automating My Morning Tabs” → link to your One-Click Simplification category.
Section 2: “Day 3–4: A One-Click Note Template” → link to Productivity & Self-Improvement.
Section 3: “Day 5–7: Small UX Tweaks on My Own Site” → link to User-First Philosophy / Continuous Innovation.
Closing: What you’ll keep, what you’ll drop.

Then:

Add it to your “Popular/Featured” widget for a week manually, even before it has data.
Link to this post from 2–3 older posts as “If you want to see a full week in practice, read this…”.

3hong