Blog

5 min read Updated

The Blog addon adds settings to the free Blog Widget. You get more pagination styles, such as Load More and Infinite Scrolling, and page loading without a page reload. You can also set the post date format, change the read more and excerpt trim text, hide the post content, use the first image in a post when it has no featured image, and filter the Masonry template by category.

For the widget’s other settings, see the Blog Widget documentation.

View the Blog Infinite Scrolling demo.

Requirements

Go to SiteOriginPremium Addons and activate Blog. This also activates the Blog widget at PluginsSiteOrigin Widgets.

Settings

Open a Blog widget and expand the Settings section. The addon adds these fields to it. Some fields show only for some templates or settings, as noted.

Featured Image Fallback
If a post has no featured image, show the first image in the post content in its place. The widget uses that image exactly as it is in the post content. Featured Image Size does not apply to it. In all templates except Alternate, the widget removes that image from the post content, so it doesn’t show twice. Shows below Skip Post if No Featured Image, when Featured Image is on. Default: off.

In the Portfolio template, Skip Post if No Featured Image then leaves out only the posts that have no featured image and no image in the post content.

Post Content
The addon adds a None option to this free setting. None hides the post content. The other parts of each post, such as the image, title and post meta, still show. Use it for compact lists, such as related posts.

Excerpt Trim Indicator
The text at the end of a shortened excerpt. Shows below Excerpt Length, when Post Content is Post Excerpt. Leave it empty to use the default. Default: …

Post Read More Link Text
The text of the read more link. It changes the link that Post Excerpt Read More Link adds below an excerpt, and the link that the “more” tag adds in Full Post Content. Leave it empty to use the default. Default: Continue reading.

Post Date Format
The format of the post date. Shows below Post Date, for all templates except Portfolio. Each option shows today’s date as an example.

  • Default: the Date Format set at SettingsGeneral.
  • yyyy-mm-dd, for example 2026-09-29.
  • mm/dd/yyyy, for example 09/29/2026.
  • dd/mm/yyyy, for example 29/09/2026.

At the moment, a Blog widget that you saved before you activated the addon can show the post date as a string of letters and numbers. Open the widget and save it again to fix this.

Pagination
How visitors get to more posts. Shows at the end of the Settings section, for all templates except Portfolio. Default: Standard.

  • Standard: numbered page links.
  • Previous – Next: a Previous link and a Next link. Previous doesn’t show on the first page, and Next doesn’t show on the last page.
  • Load More: a Load More button below the posts. Each click adds the next page of posts below the current posts, without a page reload. The button goes away after the last page.
  • Infinite Scrolling: when the visitor scrolls to the last post, the next page of posts loads below it, without a page reload. No button shows.
  • Disabled: no pagination. Only the first page of posts shows.

The number of posts on each page comes from Posts Per Page in the Posts Query section.

Pagination Page Reload
How Standard and Previous – Next load a new page of posts. Shows when Pagination is Standard or Previous – Next. Default: Standard.

  • Standard: the browser loads the whole page again.
  • Ajax: only the posts change. The page doesn’t reload. The browser address changes to the new page, and the page scrolls up to the widget.

While posts load without a page reload, a loading icon shows over the posts.

Filter Categories for the Masonry Template

In the free Blog Widget, Filter Categories is available only for the Portfolio template. The addon makes it available for the Masonry template too.

  1. Set Template to Masonry.
  2. In the Settings section, turn on Filter Categories. For Masonry, it is off by default.
  3. Save the widget.

Buttons show above the posts: All, then one button for each category. A visitor clicks a button to show only the posts that have that category. To style the buttons, open Design > Filter Categories. The buttons work as they do in the Portfolio template. See Portfolio Template for how the widget chooses the categories.

Design

When Pagination is Previous – Next, Load More or Infinite Scrolling, the Design section shows the addon’s Pagination section. It styles the Previous and Next links and the Load More button. For Standard and Disabled, the widget’s free Pagination design settings show instead.

Top Margin
The space above the pagination. Default: 30px.

Border Color
Default: #2d2d2d.

Border Hover Color
Default: #f14e4e.

Border Width
Default: 2px.

Border Radius
From 0 to 50 pixels. Default: 0.

Background
Default: none (transparent).

Hover Background
Default: none (transparent).

Font
Default: the theme font.

Font Size
Default: 13px.

Letter Spacing
Default: 1px.

Capitalize Links
Show the link text in capital letters. Default: on.

Link Color
Default: #2d2d2d.

Link Hover Color
Default: #f14e4e.

Padding
The space inside each link: top, right, bottom and left. Default: 9px 25px 9px 25px.

Animations

The addon also adds an Animations section below Posts Query. At the moment, its settings have no effect. The posts show without an animation.

  • Blog Widget: the free widget’s settings, templates and design.
  • Related Posts: show related posts below each post with the Blog Widget’s templates.