How to set up the WordPress Popular Posts (WPP) popular posts display plugin

Hello. While WordPress's default environment doesn't allow displaying popular posts, you can easily showcase them using the WordPress Popular Posts (WPP) plugin. Displaying popular posts provides visitors with useful information.

This article will detail how to configure the WordPress Popular Posts (WPP) plugin and explain the additional settings (Miscellaneous) page using the widget. We'll examine what each setting means and which options to select.

🖼️ 1. Thumbnails (Thumbnail Settings)

This screen configures the thumbnails (images) used in the popular posts list. To access the settings screen, activate the WordPress Popular Posts plugin, then click Tools at the top to navigate to the settings page.

📌 Setting Options

1. Default thumbnail
   • This is the default image displayed if a post lacks a thumbnail.
   • "Change thumbnail" button: Allows you to directly change the thumbnail image.
   • "Reset thumbnail" button: Resets to default settings.
2. Pick image from
   • Specifies which image to use as the thumbnail from the popular posts list.
   • First image on post → Currently selected.
   • Featured image → Recommended if a featured image exists.
3. Thumbnail format
   • Set the thumbnail image format.
   • Select webp → An image format optimized for the web (fast loading and high compression).
   • Other options: Avif, JPEG, PNG, etc.
4. Lazy load
   • Yes → Images load as the user scrolls down the page to speed up website loading.
   • No (Disable) → Loads all images at once when the page loads (may slow down speed).
5. Empty image cache
   • Use when thumbnails are not displaying properly.
   • Clicking this button deletes all thumbnail caches stored by WPP and regenerates them.

✅ Recommended Settings

• If no thumbnail exists, setting a default image is essential!
• "Pick image from" → Featured image (Main image) recommended
• For website speed, select Lazy Load = "Yes"
• If issues occur, click the "Empty image cache" button

📊 2. Data (Data Settings)

This screen configures how popular post data is recorded and cached.

📌 Configuration Options

1. Log views from
   • Everyone → Currently set.
   • You can also choose to log only logged-in users.
2. Log limit (Log retention period)
   • View count data is stored for 180 days (6 months).
   • Older data is automatically deleted.
3. Load popular posts list via AJAX
   • Disabled
   • Using AJAX allows dynamic loading of the popular posts list, but may conflict with caching plugins.
4. Data Caching
   • Enable caching → Currently enabled.
   • Enabling caching reduces server load and allows the popular posts list to display quickly.
5. Refresh cache every
   • Refresh cache every 5 hours → Currently set.
   • If site traffic is high, you can set it to a shorter interval (e.g., 1-2 hours).
6. Data Sampling
   • Enabled
   • Recording every visitor can cause heavy database load. Sampling optimizes by recording only a portion of visitors.

✅ Recommended setting

• "Log views from" → Keep "Everyone"
• "Log limit" → Exercise caution with database load when setting to 180 days or more
• "Load via AJAX" → Keep Disabled if using a caching plugin
• "Data Caching" → Keep Enabled (improves performance)
• "Refresh cache every" → Recommended 3-6 hours (shorter intervals if real-time data is required)
• "Data Sampling" → Recommended to Enable on high-traffic sites

⚙️ 3. Miscellaneous (Other Settings)

This screen configures how popular post lists are displayed and data deletion functionality.

📌 Settings Options

1. Open links in
   • Current window (Open in current window)
   • Opens new posts in the current window when clicked.
   • Recommended to change to New window → Keeps visitors from leaving the site.
2. Use plugin’s stylesheet
   • Enabled (Apply default styles)
   • Determines whether to use WPP's default CSS styles.
   • If it appears different from your site design, change to Disabled and apply CSS manually.
3. Enable experimental features
   • Unchecked (disabled).
   • Recommended to keep disabled by default for stability!

🗑️ 4. Data Management (Clear Cache and Data)

Function to delete popular post data and cache.

📌 Settings Options

1. Empty cache
   • Deletes only the popular post cache.
   • Use when popular post rankings display abnormally.
2. Clear all data
   • Deletes all data, including view counts and popular post history.
   • Use only for complete initialization (caution required).

✅ Recommendation Settings

• "Empty cache" → Use only when the popular post ranking appears abnormal
• "Clear all data" → Use with extreme caution as this action cannot be undone!

🎯 Recommended Optimal Settings (Recommended Settings)

Option	Recommended Settings	Description
Thumbnail Source	Featured image	If no featured image is available, use the first image in the post
Lazy Load	Yes	Website Speed Optimization
View Count Tracking Target	Everyone	Record view counts for all visitors
Log Retention Period	180 days	To reduce database load, 90 to 180 days is recommended
AJAX usage	Disabled	Prevents conflicts when using caching plugins
Data Caching	Enable caching	Enable caching for faster performance
Cache refresh interval	3 to 6 hours	Can be adjusted to 1–3 hours if real-time data reflection is required
Link opening method	New window	Encourages visitors to stay longer on the site
Plugin style	Enabled	Maintain default style, apply custom CSS as needed
Clear cache	Empty cache	Use when changes aren't reflected after settings are modified

How to Display WordPress Popular Posts (WPP) in the Sidebar 🔥

Using the WordPress Popular Posts (WPP) plugin allows you to display your most popular posts in the sidebar. Showing
popular posts in the sidebar helps visitors easily view other posts, increasing time spent on your pages.

✅ Installation and Setup Method (How to Add a Widget)

1. Go to the
   WordPress admin panel → Click the [Appearance] → [Widgets] menu
2. Add the "WordPress Popular Posts" widget
   • Select the Sidebar area
   • Drag & drop the "WordPress Popular Posts" widget
   • Or click the "Add Widget" button to add
3. Adjust widget settings
   • Title: Enter the title to display in the sidebar (e.g., "Popular Posts" or "Most Viewed Articles")
   • Sorting Criteria: Sort by Views or Comments
   • Period setting: Select the timeframe for calculating popular posts (e.g., Last 7 days, Last 30 days, etc.)
   • Number of posts to display: 5 to 10 recommended by default
   • Show Thumbnails: Choose whether to display thumbnails
   • Show post summary: Choose whether to display a portion of the post content
4. Save and Confirm
   • After completing the settings, click the "Save" button
   • Visit the site to verify that popular posts are displayed correctly in the sidebar

🎯 Method 2: Using Shortcodes

If you cannot use widgets, you can use shortcodes to display popular posts in the sidebar.

📌 Shortcode Example

[wpp title="인기 게시물" limit=5 order_by="views" thumbnail_width=100 thumbnail_height=100 stats_views=1]

📌 Shortcode Attribute Description

• title="인기 게시물" → Sidebar Title
• limit=5 → Displays up to 5 posts
• order_by="views" → Sort by views
• thumbnail_width=100 thumbnail_height=100 → Adjust thumbnail size
• stats_views=1 → Show/hide view count

How to apply shortcodes

• [Appearance] → [Widgets] → Add a "Text" or "Custom HTML" widget
• Enter the shortcode above and save

🎯 Method 3: Directly Insert into Theme Files (Using PHP Code)

If you want to add the code directly to your theme files (sidebar.php etc.), use the PHP code below.

📌 PHP Code Example

<?php
    if ( function_exists('wpp_get_mostpopular') ) {
        wpp_get_mostpopular(array(
            'limit' => 5,  // 인기 게시물 5개 표시
            'range' => 'weekly', // 최근 일주일 기준
            'thumbnail_width' => 100,
            'thumbnail_height' => 100,
            'order_by' => 'views', // 조회수 기준 정렬
            'stats_views' => 1, // 조회수 표시
        ));
    }
?>

📌 How to apply PHP code

• Insert the above code into the sidebar.php or wherever you want it
• Save the code and check your site

🎯 Recommended Optimal Settings

Setting Options	Recommended Values	Description
Title	Popular Posts	Title to display in the sidebar
Number to Display	5–10	Too many may make the design look cluttered
Sorting criteria	Views	Sort by most viewed posts
Period setting	Last 7 days	To reflect recent trends, we recommend 7 days or 30 days
Show thumbnails	Use	Create a more visually appealing list
Show views	Use	Visitors can see which posts are popular

✅ Conclusion

1. Easiest method → Use a widget
2. Add to desired location on page → Use shortcode
3. Directly modify theme files → Insert PHP code

Applying these methods will successfully display popular posts in your sidebar! 🚀 If you have
any further questions, feel free to ask. 😊