How To Add + Format A Blog Post In WordPress

Adding a new blog post in WordPress is quite easy (Just navigate Posts > Add New Post) but in this post I thought I’d explain some the features that make up the content editor and the hidden gems you may not know are available. Let’s go!

Introducing The Content Editor

The first text area on the content editor is for the post title and just underneath it you can edit the URL of your post. Remember to use keyword-rich titles and url’s that describe what your post is about and the benefit readers will receive from reading it.

Below the post title is the Content Editor and  this is where you’ll write your post.
If you write your blog posts elsewhere offline, be sure to press the “Paste As Text” button in visual editor before pasting your text. This will remove any formatting style of the text so it displays in your theme’s style.

It’s more user friendly to use the content editors Visual Editor rather than the Text Editor. The Visual Editor has been compared to an online version of Microsoft Word with it’s similar layout and formatting options.
On the other hand, text editor is a plain text editor where you can actually see the HTML or write your own.

In the footer area of the content editor, WordPress will show you the word count for your post.

As you write, WordPress will automatically save a draft of your post. The post editor shows your current draft and autosave status in the footer next to word count.

How To Add Images + Media

Above the Content Area there is an “Add Media” button. By clicking on it, this will launch the media uploader in a pop-up window where you can upload new images or select images previously uploaded stored in Media.
Simply click insert into post to insert an image. Repeat the process for multiple images. WordPress comes with some basic image editing tools such as resizing and aligning.

Hover your mouse over the image to display the aligning and editing options. To edit the image, click the pencil icon which will bring up the WordPress image options. Here you can select sizing, alignment and link options.

And when your image is ready, just click update.

How To Add Videos

Instead of uploading videos straight to your WordPress media library, it’s a much better idea to upload your video to YouTube or Vimeo, then simply paste your video URL in the post editor.

And that’s it! WordPress will now display your video.

 

Adding Categories & Tags

You can sort your posts into categories and tags. The categories and tags meta boxes usually appear in the right hand column, below the publish box. Categories and tags help you organise your content for your readers.

Adding A Featured Image (Post Thumbnail)

Simply click on the “Set Featured Image” button and it will bring up the media uploader pop-up. You can select an image from your previous uploads or upload a new image from your computer.

If your post is displaying without an image thumbnail, this will be the reason why!

Publishing Options

Your publishing options for your posts can be managed at at the top right box in the WordPress post edit screen

1. Save Draft button stores a draft of the post or page that you are working on. WordPress also auto-saves your posts as you write them.

2. Preview button shows a live preview of your post. You can use it to see how your post will look after publishing.

3. Status allows you to set a status for your post. WordPress automatically handles post status for drafts and published posts. Unless you are using a plugin to add custom statuses, you don’t need to worry about this option.

5. The next option allows you to password protect a post in WordPress.

7. Click on the edit link next to Publish, and WordPress will display the time and date options. You can use this option to schedule posts or create back dated post in WordPress.

8. Move to trash allows you to delete a WordPress post. Deleted posts live under trash, and you can restore them if you need to for up to 30 days.

9. Finally, the publish button makes your WordPress post public. Remember if you scheduled a post, then it will appear on your site on the scheduled date and time.

 

Cheering you on,