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Written by Gijs de Rooij, 27 May 2025

CPT WordPress explained: all about Custom Post Types

With a custom post type (CPT) you bring overview and structure to your website. Jobs, blogs, products and much more can be easily categorized with a custom post type. Wondering how that works? Then read on quickly.

When do I need such a custom post type?

Do you have the same type of content on your website several times, such as projects, jobs, products or customer stories? Then a custom post type is ideal. Instead of cramming everything under pages or posts, we create a separate structure at 2manydots that provides an overview and is easy to manage. You can add a new item with one click using a clear form, without having to style or code anything. You keep the overview and we take care of the technology and the right look.

Benefits of a custom post type

1. Better structured content

A custom post type allows you to organize content neatly into separate sections, separate from regular posts or pages. Think of portfolios, reviews or products. This keeps your backend organized and prevents everything from ending up under “Posts”. In the long run, that will become confusing. A custom post type in WordPress makes the management of large websites much more efficient and structured.

2. More flexibility in design and formatting

You can set your own templates and fields for each custom post type. This allows you, for example, to give recipes a different layout than testimonials or job postings. This increases consistency per content type and allows you to perfectly customize each content type to the desired layout and functionality.

3. Better user experience for administrators

Administrators and editors no longer have to scroll through a jumble of posts. With CPTs, they see only the relevant content types in the menu. This makes it easier to quickly find, edit or add the right content. This increases productivity and reduces the risk of errors.

4. Search engine-friendly structure

CPTs can have their own custom URL structure (permalinks). And that has a positive impact on SEO. For example: jouwsite.nl/events/Christmas-market instead of jouwsite.nl/message/Christmas-market. This makes the content easier to find and clearer for both search engines and visitors. Google rewards your website with a higher ranking and a better click-through rate in search results.

5. Easily expandable with custom fields

Custom Post Types work extremely well with plugins such as Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). This allows you to easily add additional fields such as date, location, price or galleries. This makes it easy to enter and display structured, reusable data on the website. And you don’t need any programming knowledge to do this.

6. Scalability and maintainability.

CPTs make it easier to maintain large Web sites. When you separate different types of content, you can make updates, assign specific features and develop extensions faster without affecting other parts of the site. This benefits the scalability of your Web site in the long run.

Custom post type

Overview and structure on your website?

Let us organize your content smartly with custom post types. You provide the content, we take care of the rest. No loose pages or illogical menus. Everything gets a fixed place in the backend. That way you keep an overview and your site looks professional, exactly as your customers expect.

Advanced Custom Fields

ACF(Advanced Custom Fields) is a WordPress plugin that allows you to easily add additional input fields to posts, pages or custom post types (CPT). Think of text boxes, images, dates or selection menus. This makes it possible to add structured and dynamic content without coding. In combination with a custom post type, you use ACF to add specific fields associated with that type of content. This way, you manage everything conveniently in the backend and display it customized on the frontend with a simple PHP file.

Create custom post type? These are the options

1. Portfolio

A portfolio CPT is ideal for creatives such as photographers, designers or agencies. Instead of placing projects between blog posts, they get their own overview. You can enrich each item with fields such as client name, project date, techniques used and images. This keeps structure in your backend and allows you to present projects nicely on the website, for example with a grid or slider. You can also easily filter on categories such as “web design” or “branding”. This keeps it professional, clear and attractive for visitors who want to view your work.

2. Vacancies

With a job CPT, you manage all open positions conveniently. You add fields such as job title, location, working hours, contract type and application link. That way, you don’t have to keep typing the same format manually. All jobs appear automatically on an overview page, sorted by date or category (e.g. marketing, engineering). Thanks to this structure, you can easily archive old jobs or let them expire automatically. For visitors, it is clearer and more professional. In addition, you can link application forms to each vacancy.

3. Events

An event CPT is perfect for cultural institutions, festivals or companies with recurring meetings. Each event gets fields such as title, date, time, location, description and ticket link. Instead of using separate pages or posts, you can now manage all events centrally and display them in a calendar or timeline. Automatic sorting by date makes expired events disappear or come to the bottom. Visitors find what they are looking for faster and administrators save time creating new events. You can also easily manage repeatable events within the same CPT structure.

4. Blog/News

Although WordPress already has blog functionality by default through the message system(posts), you can also deliberately choose to place blogs under a separate custom post type. This is especially useful if, in addition to news, portfolio and other content, you also have a blog section with its own style or structure. You can then add additional fields such as reading time, author bio or related articles. It also allows you to maintain a clear separation between blogs and, for example, press releases or updates. This provides more overview, better layout and more flexible design on your website.

5. Products

A custom post type for products is ideal if you want to present your offerings clearly without needing a full webshop. Each product gets its own place, complete with fields for price, specifications, stock status and images. So you can show products in a tight grid or filterable list. All in your own style. You are not dependent on standard e-commerce solutions and keep full control over how everything looks. Perfect if you work with customization, quote requests or just want to share product information.

6. FAQs

A custom post type for frequently asked questions helps you structure the information on your site. Instead of a long list on one page, give each question its own entry with fields for the answer, a category and possibly an order or topic. You can group the questions by page or topic and easily organize or update them. On the site, you display them in an organized accordion or with a search function. This makes it more user-friendly for your visitors and easier to manage for you.

7. Other

Custom post types are incredibly flexible, making them ideal for other types of content as well, such as team members, projects or customer reviews. For a team CPT, you can add a profile picture, job title and short bio for each employee and then display them neatly on a team page. For projects, you give each item its own spot with info about the client and completion date. And reviews? Present them clearly with name, rating and possibly a star rating. This keeps your site organized and your content structure grows with your company.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make your own CPT at WordPress?

You can, but it takes time and requires technical knowledge. At 2manydots, we prefer to take care of it for you: we create a professional setup with the right fields and make sure everything is displayed neatly on your site. All you have to do is add the content. And we can even do that for you.

Do I have to do anything myself to use a CPT?

No, we take care of that for you. Together we’ll figure out which content types are useful, set everything up for you and make sure you can quickly add new items via the backend, without the hassle of technology.

Can you also provide a nice display of my CPTs on the site?

Absolutely. We pair the right fields with a custom layout that fits your corporate identity. Think overview pages, filter options or accordions – just the way you want it. Everything fits seamlessly into your existing design.

Getting more out of your WordPress website? Use a CPT

With custom post types, we make your website scalable, clear and easier to manage. Tailored to your business. Do you work a lot with projects, vacancies or customer stories? We ensure that everything is logically structured and easy to maintain. So your site grows effortlessly with your business.