Aurora’s homepage is one of the bigger visual decisions in setup. The theme ships with five homepage layouts, each composed of different sections. Picking the right one depends on what you publish and how readers should consume it. This post is the comparison.
Default
Section count: 8 sections.
Key sections: featured post block, recent posts feed, dual-column section, category showcases, custom content slots.
Aesthetic: conventional blog homepage. Recognizable. Works for most content types.
Best for: general blogs, niches without strong visual demands, bloggers who want something that “just works.”
Bold
Section count: 8 sections.
Key sections: hero slider (#hero-slider) for prominent featured posts, after-hero showcase, magazine-style grid sections.
Aesthetic: news/magazine-style. Strong featured emphasis. Hero post dominates first scroll.
Best for: blogs that publish frequently (multiple times per week), news-style content, blogs that benefit from a prominent featured post.
Crisp
Section count: 9 sections (most of any Aurora homepage).
Key sections: featured post, multiple post grids, dual-column blocks, category sections.
Aesthetic: clean, content-forward, more grid-based than Bold’s hero-led approach.
Best for: blogs with substantial back catalogs, essay-style content, blogs where readers benefit from browsing multiple categories at once.
Laid
Section count: 7 sections.
Key sections: image-forward featured area, relaxed spacing, photo-heavy sections.
Aesthetic: spacious, image-led, relaxed. Less dense than Bold or Rich.
Best for: lifestyle blogs, photography blogs, food blogs, travel blogs where images carry posts.
Rich
Section count: 7 sections.
Key sections: multi-column layouts, dense grids, multiple category showcases.
Aesthetic: dense, content-packed, magazine-style with more emphasis on volume than featured highlights.
Best for: high-volume blogs, niche resources, blogs that benefit from showing many posts at once (deal sites, review aggregators, encyclopedia-style blogs).
Understanding Aurora homepage sections
Each layout is composed of named sections that show up in specific orders. Common sections across layouts:
- #featured-post: a prominent featured post (usually first or near-first).
- #hero-slider: rotating featured posts at the top (Bold).
- #after-hero: follow-up section under the hero.
- #dual-col: two-column section, often featured posts.
- #newspaper: magazine-style multi-post block.
- #swap: swap-style section with image and text in alternating positions.
Aurora also has custom content slots (aurora_hcc_first, second, third, fourth) where you can insert your own content between sections.
Post counts per section
Each section type has a maximum post count. For example:
- Featured post: 1.
- Hero slider: 3–5 posts.
- Dual-column: 2 posts.
- Newspaper grid: 6 posts.
If you don’t have enough posts to fill a section, it shows fewer or hides. This is why brand-new blogs sometimes look sparse — the homepage layouts assume you have posts to display.
Choosing based on what you publish
Less than 2 posts per week, essay-style
Default or Crisp. Hero-led layouts feel empty without frequent updates.
2–4 posts per week, mixed content
Default, Bold, or Crisp. All work depending on visual preference.
4+ posts per week, news-style
Bold or Rich. Designed for high-volume content.
Photo-heavy or visual content
Laid. The layout that makes images the focal point.
Long-form / pillar content
Default or Crisp. Less hero-dependent layouts.
Choosing based on what you want to highlight
One specific pillar post
Bold’s hero slider gives one post massive visibility.
Multiple pillar posts
Crisp or Default. Multiple featured slots, no single dominant hero.
Category browsing
Crisp or Rich. Multiple category-specific sections.
Newest posts
Default. Recent-posts feed is prominent.
How to switch between homepage layouts
Customize → Homepage → Homepage Style. Pick from the dropdown.
The change is instant. You can preview before saving.
Switching layouts doesn’t lose any content. You can experiment freely.
Customizing within a layout
Aurora’s homepages aren’t rigid templates. Each section has settings:
- Which posts to feature (by category, by tag, manually).
- Post counts (within the section’s limit).
- Show/hide specific elements (excerpts, dates, categories on cards).
- Custom content in the
aurora_hcc_*slots.
Customize → Homepage panel → each section has its own settings.
The “no custom homepage” option
You can skip Aurora’s homepage layouts entirely and use a chronological feed.
Settings → Reading → “Your latest posts.” The site’s homepage becomes a standard archive of recent posts.
Works for blogs that don’t want a curated homepage. Simpler, less to maintain.
Mobile experience
All Aurora homepages collapse to single-column on mobile. Multi-column sections stack vertically. Hero sliders simplify.
Test on mobile before settling. Some layouts feel different on phones than they look on desktop.
The honest summary
Aurora’s 5 homepage layouts each suit different blog types. Default for general blogs. Bold for news. Crisp for content-rich essay blogs. Laid for image-heavy niches. Rich for high-volume sites. Pick based on what you publish, not just visual preference. You can switch layouts anytime — experiment for an hour with real content to see what fits.
