The WPBakery post grid element is a powerful tool for displaying blog posts, portfolio items, or any custom post type in a customizable grid layout. It can show post titles, excerpts, featured images, and metadata, creating an attractive overview of content that encourages clicks. However, sometimes the post grid displays old posts even after new content has been published, or it shows posts in the wrong order, frustrating visitors who expect to see the latest content first.
This problem can be particularly damaging for news websites, blogs, or any site where timely content is important. When the post grid shows outdated posts, visitors may think the website is no longer being updated and leave. The post grid may have worked correctly previously and suddenly stopped updating, or it may work on some pages but not on others. Understanding why WPBakery post grids fail to show the latest posts is essential for maintaining fresh, engaging content displays.
The most common cause of this problem is that a caching plugin is serving a cached version of the post grid HTML, which does not update when new posts are published. Another cause is that the post grid query settings are configured to show posts in a custom order (by title, by menu order, etc.) instead of by date. The number of posts per page setting may also be limiting the grid to show only older posts if the query offset is misconfigured.
Why WPBakery post grid fails to show the latest posts
WPBakery post grid queries the WordPress database for posts based on the parameters set in the element configuration. By default, it should display posts in reverse chronological order (newest first). If the grid is not showing the latest posts, the query parameters may have been changed to order by title, menu order, or a custom field instead of by post date. Checking the “Order By” setting in the post grid element is the first step in diagnosing this problem.
Caching plugins can cause the post grid to show old content by caching the HTML output of the grid. When a new post is published, the cache does not automatically refresh, and visitors continue seeing the old grid content until the cache expires or is manually cleared. This is especially common on high-traffic websites where caching is essential for performance. Excluding post grid pages from caching or setting up cache purging on post publish usually resolves this issue.
The post grid may also be configured to show posts from a specific category or to exclude certain categories, and if new posts are not assigned to the correct category, they will not appear in the grid. Additionally, if the “Sticky Posts” setting is enabled, sticky posts may always appear at the top regardless of their publication date, pushing newer non-sticky posts further down the grid. Reviewing all query settings carefully is essential for ensuring the grid displays the intended content.
How to check if the post grid query is configured correctly
Edit the page containing the post grid element in WPBakery and open the element settings panel. Look for the “Query” or “Data Source” section, which contains all the parameters for selecting posts. Check the “Order By” setting (should be “Date” for newest first), the “Order” setting (should be “DESC” for descending order), and the “Categories” setting to ensure new posts are assigned to the selected categories. Also check the “Posts Per Page” setting to ensure enough posts are being displayed.
Step by step guide to fixing WPBakery post grid problems
Follow these steps in order to ensure the WPBakery post grid shows the latest posts correctly. Start with the simplest solutions before moving to more advanced troubleshooting steps.
- Clear all caches including plugin cache, CDN cache, and browser cache completely
- Publish a test post and check if it appears in the grid after clearing caches
- Check the post grid’s “Order By” setting and change it to “Date” if necessary
- Ensure new posts are assigned to the correct categories selected in the grid query
- Disable the “Sticky Posts” option in the grid settings to prevent sticky posts from taking priority
- Check the “Offset” setting which may be skipping the newest posts
- Exclude the page containing the post grid from caching plugins
- Set up automatic cache purging when new posts are published
- Update WPBakery to the latest version available from the official website
- Recreate the post grid element from scratch if the existing grid is corrupted
How to exclude post grid pages from caching in popular plugins
In WP Rocket, navigate to Settings → WP Rocket → Advanced → Never Cache URLs and add the URL of the page containing the post grid. Use a wildcard like /blog/* if the grid appears on multiple pages. In LiteSpeed Cache, go to Cache → Excludes → Do Not Cache URIs and add the same URL patterns. In W3 Total Cache, go to Performance → Page Cache → Advanced → Never cache the following pages and add the URLs. After adding these exclusions, clear all caches and test the post grid again.
WPBakery post grid troubleshooting reference table
Here is a reference table for diagnosing post grid problems in WPBakery based on specific symptoms you might encounter.
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Recommended solution | New posts not appearing in the grid | Caching plugin serving old version of the grid | Clear caches and exclude page from caching |
|---|---|---|
| Posts appear in wrong order (oldest first) | Order By setting set to Title or Menu Order | Change Order By to Date and Order to DESC | Only some categories appear in the grid | Category filter excluding certain categories | Check category selection in grid query settings | Grid shows sticky posts at top always | Ignore Sticky Posts option not enabled | Enable “Ignore Sticky Posts” in grid settings |
For more information about WPBakery post grid settings, visit the WPBakery page on wpwizzy.com.
Preventing WPBakery post grid problems in the future
Exclude pages containing post grids from caching plugins to ensure that new posts appear immediately after publication. Set up automatic cache purging using a plugin like WP Rocket’s automatic cache clearing feature, or use a hook to clear the cache when a new post is published. Test the post grid after every content update to catch caching issues early, and consider using a shorter cache expiry time for pages with dynamic content grids.
Regularly review the post grid query settings to ensure they still match the content strategy, especially when changing categories or post types. Document the query configuration for complex grids for future reference, and use a staging website to test changes to grid settings before applying them to the live production site. Keep WPBakery and all other plugins updated to their latest versions on a regular schedule to benefit from bug fixes and performance improvements.