Writing the first post always creates that small pause where I wonder what should go first, so it feels right to start with the structure I will keep touching anyway. This blog will use Hugo with the PaperMod theme, so the first thing to settle is the FrontMatter at the top of each Markdown file. Since it shows up every time a post is written, getting it straight now saves a little confusion later.
It is always a good habit to check the official documentation for the latest details.
Hugo Front Matter documentation
PaperMod Page Variables documentation
1.Check FrontMatter
The content at the very top of a Markdown file is called FrontMatter. Hugo reads this section to process metadata such as the post title, date, summary, and tags. PaperMod then uses those values for list pages, SEO metadata, and tag views.
The basic shape looks like this.
---
title: "Hello, This Is the First Post."
description: "This post explains the basic FrontMatter values used when writing posts with Hugo PaperMod."
summary: "Basic Hugo PaperMod FrontMatter variables"
author: Daewon Kim
date: 2026-06-15
tags:
- hugo
- papermod
- markdown
- frontmatter
---
[!IMPORTANT] FrontMatter must be placed at the very top of the file. If it does not start and end with
---, Hugo may not read the post correctly.
2.Write Basic Variables
Here are a few variables that will be used often. Not every post needs every possible value, but keeping title, date, summary, and tags consistent makes the site easier to manage once there are more posts.
2.1 Write title
title is the title of the post. It is usually the first thing shown on both the list page and the post page, so it is better not to make it unnecessarily long.
title: "Hello, This Is the First Post."
The title can also affect search results and browser tabs, so write it in a way that makes the topic clear. If it gets too clever, there is a good chance I will be the one who cannot find my own post later.
2.2 Write description
description explains the post in one or two sentences. PaperMod can use this value for SEO and metadata, so it should usually be a little more descriptive than summary.
description: "This post explains the basic FrontMatter values used when writing posts with Hugo PaperMod."
The important thing here is not to simply copy the first sentence of the body. Think of it as a short explanation of why the post exists. Both machines and humans may end up reading this value.
2.3 Write summary
summary is the short text shown in post lists. It can be shorter than description, and it only needs to help someone scan the list quickly.
summary: "Basic Hugo PaperMod FrontMatter variables"
Do not make the summary too long. Long summaries make list pages feel awkward, and realistically nobody reads the whole thing there anyway.
2.4 Write date
date is the post date. Hugo uses this value for sorting posts and handling publication time.
date: 2026-06-15
It is best to keep dates in the YYYY-MM-DD format. If a post needs a precise time, ISO-style datetime values can be used, but a normal blog post usually does fine with the date alone.
2.5 Write tags
tags classify the post. They become useful later when searching for related posts or browsing a specific topic.
tags:
- hugo
- papermod
- markdown
- frontmatter
Tags become annoying to manage if casing and spacing are mixed randomly. I will keep them as lowercase English where possible. It looks minor, but small rules like this make searching much nicer later.
3.Keep Writing Rules
FrontMatter is flexible, but flexibility also means I can make a mess for future me. So this blog will follow a few light rules.
Values to keep consistent
authortagsformatdateformat
Values to change for each post
titledescriptionsummarytagscontent
[!TIP] The easiest way to create a new post is to copy the FrontMatter from a previous post and change only the needed values. Just remember to check
dateonce more, because forgetting that part happens more often than expected.
4.Next Step
Now that the basic FrontMatter is settled, the next step is to decide how the Markdown body itself should be structured. If headings, code blocks, images, and links follow a steady pattern, writing becomes faster and moving content elsewhere later also becomes easier.