Posting to WordPress: A Beginner’s Guide to Adding a New Post in WordPress

Posting to WordPress can help drive more traffic and rank your website higher on search engines. In fact, most online businesses have a blog section on their WordPress websites. They publish articles to engage with their customers and build credibility.

Regularly writing blog posts keeps the site up-to-date and provides exciting and valuable content for your readers. This method of building traffic and customer retention is so effective that businesses with blogs have 55% more visitors than those without.

This tutorial will expand your WordPress knowledge by explaining how to publish a post. We’ll also talk about different tools, features, and options you can use to make high-quality and SEO-friendly content.

Block Editor vs Classic Editor

The block editor and classic editor are two different tools for creating and editing WordPress posts and pages.

The classic editor uses a formatting toolbar similar to Microsoft Word or Google Docs. It includes a visualeditor for users who prefer to see what the content looks like visually and a text editor for people who like to edit using HTML code.

The block editor, also known as the Gutenberg editor, uses a drag-and-drop interface to add and edit content. The content is formatted in blocks that you can easily move around the page.

Although you can’t use the classic and block post editors simultaneously, switching between them is possible.

First, download the post editor plugin you’re missing. Then, head to the WordPress Dashboard → Settings → Writing and change the Default editor for all users setting.

Since the release of WordPress 5.0 in 2018, Gutenberg has been the default WordPress editor. This tutorial will show how to add a new post in WordPress using Gutenberg.

How to Add a New Blog Post in WordPress

There are two main ways to add a new WordPress post to a page. Both ways will lead you to the Gutenberg or block editor.

The first option is from Dashboard → Posts → Add New.

The second option is to click on the + icon in the header and click Post.

Keep in mind that WordPress posts and pages are two different content types.

Posts are pieces of content on a blog page that are listed in reverse chronological order. They are usually regularly published and updated articles.

Pages are meant for static and timeless content, like the About Me or Contact page. Most pages only get occasional updates.

Adding the Title and Content

The post title and content are essential parts of WordPress SEO. While it is possible to publish without titles, readers will struggle to find the WordPress post.

The title and content boxes will appear when you open the visual editor. You’ll automatically see an Add Title field at the top of the page. 

Right below the title field is space to add any content type using blocks. If you’re starting with a text, just begin writing.

To add other blocks, click the + icon on the top left of the screen next to the WordPress logo.

There are blocks for all common content types, including a Paragraph, Column, and Heading. You can also add widgets, such as Latest Comments and Search. There are also blocks designed to embed third-party content.

You can also transform existing blocks. For instance, you can change a paragraph into a column, heading, or quote by clicking the block icon button.

To make further edits, click the WordPress post Settings icon on the top right corner of the screen. Then, select the Block section to view more editing options for all blocks.

If you find blocks too complicated, the Classic block is available. This block adds content as you would using the classic editor. Then, it converts the content back to block form.

Adding Images

It’s difficult to capture visitors’ attention without images. Well-optimized WordPress images make your posts and pages more appealing, increase site speed, and improve SEO.

There are two main image blocks – the Image block for a single upload and the Gallery block for multiple images.

To add a single picture, choose the Image block. The Gallery block is better for displaying several pictures in a grid layout.

There are three ways to upload an image or multiple images using the WordPress block editor:

• Drag and drop the media directly into the chosen block.
• Add existing media from the Media Library.
• Insert a new image by going to the WordPress Dashboard → Media → Add New.

To edit the image, click it and head to Settings → Block. You can change an image’s style, size, and dimensions there. Use the default WordPress image sizes or customize them to suit your website.

Adding Other Media Files

Other types of media files also make a WordPress post more visually appealing to website visitors. Various media files can be added to a post, from videos and audio to downloadable documents.

First, head to Dashboard → Media → Add New. Alternatively, click the Media button under the + symbol on the header.

You can also add media in the block editor. Click on the + sign, and head to the Media section.

Another way to add images, audio, and videos is by copy-pasting the file URL in the block. This option helps your WordPress posts and pages load faster.

Adding a Featured Image

A featured image or post thumbnail is a picture that appears on search engines or social media when a post is shared. It helps attract visitors, increase content value, and improve SEO.

To add a featured image, open your post editing screen. Head to Settings → Post → Featured image, and click Set featured image. It will direct you to the MediaLibrary, where you can pick an image.

Choose the image wisely. It is the first thing your WordPress site visitors will see before opening the post content.

The image you select can be edited using tools on the right side of the Media Library. You can also change the alt text, caption, and image description. 

To change the featured image, click the Replace Image button under the Settings section.

Keep in mind that some WordPress themes don’t support featured images. If this is the case, you’ll have to take additional steps to add post thumbnails.

Adding Categories and Tags

Implementing post categories and tags is essential for SEO and organizing the WordPress website. It’s also excellent for user experience, as visitors can easily locate other WordPress posts within a topic.

Categories cover the general topics of the blog. Meanwhile, WordPress tags are more specific to the individual post. For example, when writing a recipe for a blog post, the tag would be similar to “pasta recipes” and the category would be “recipes”.

Keep in mind that you can assign more than one category and tag to a post.

To add a new category or tag, go to Dashboard → Posts → Categories or Tags. From there, edit the name, post URL slug, and description. You can then view all the posts under the categories and tags.

Like pages, you can add Categories to the website menu. Head to Dashboard → Appearance → Menus to find Categories under Add menu items.

Set Permalinks or Slugs

As an important part of on-page SEO, permalinks or slugs help increase the post’s ranking on search engines.

Permalink stands for the permanent link – the post URL usually generated from the post title.

The part of the URL that automatically follows the title is known as the post slug or URL slug. You can edit it via Settings → Post → Permalinks.

Note that punctuations like commas, quotes, and apostrophes are invalid URL characters. They will automatically be replaced with dashes.

Fortunately, you can change a published post’s slug. If you changed a post title after publishing, check the slug again.

Add an Excerpt

An excerpt is the summary or teaser of the blog post. It’s used to attract and engage readers because the title and featured image are sometimes insufficient.

WordPress will automatically use the first 55 words of the blog content to generate the excerpt. However, you have the option to customize it.

Head to Settings → Post → Excerpt, and write in the box. You may even customize the word limit using HTML code or plugins.

On the WordPress posts page, there’s an option to display the full content of your article and blog post or only to show the excerpt.

To display excerpts on the blog page, head to Dashboard →Settings → Reading. Then, on the For each post in a feed, include section, select Summary.

By only showing excerpts, you can display more WordPress posts on the blog page. This can help generate more clicks.

Choose the Author

Choosing an author is essential for a WordPress website that has multiple writers. By default, WordPress uses the website’s creator as the main author. 

But there is an option to select different authors for different posts on WordPress. This lets you manage different authors efficiently and credit each post properly.

To assign different authors, add more WordPress user roles first. Head to the Dashboard → Users → Add New. Fill out the username and email address, then change the role to Author.

To view all authors on your WordPress website, go to All Users. Make sure to check Role in the Screen Options tab. You will be able to see all of the users and the roles.

To change a post’s author, open the block editor and go to Settings → Post → Status & Visibility → Author.

WordPress Post Publishing Options

Now that you’ve finished creating the new post, let’s move forward to the publishing process.

Draft

WordPress has a handy autosave feature. However, we suggest saving manually by clicking the Save draft button on the top right corner.

The Save draft option lets you leave the editor without publishing the post and come back to it another time. To find the draft again, go to the Dashboard → Posts → All Posts → Drafts.

Once you have published the post, there is also an option to change the post back to a draft. In the editor, click the Switch back to draft link on the top right corner of the screen.

Preview

The Preview button shows users how the post will appear on the website. This feature helps you check for any needed adjustments before publishing. Sometimes, depending on your WordPress theme, the content presentation can change entirely.

The Preview option can also adjust to different screen sizes. It shows a desktop preview by default, but you can also choose tablet and mobile.

Note that the Preview in new tab option only works for the desktop view.

To display the website preview on other screens, head to the Dashboard → Appearance → Customize. Change between the three different icons on the bottom left corner of the screen.

Nowadays, most people browse the internet using mobile devices and tablets. This option helps adjust the WordPress post to different screens.

Status and Visibility

There are three options for post visibility:

• Public – makes the post visible to anyone.
• Private – private posts are only visible to authorized users logged in to the Dashboard.
• Password Protected – create a unique password for your post and give access only to those who know it.

You can change the visibility type of a post that’s already published. To do this, head to Settings and click the link next to Visibility.

Scheduling

If you don’t want to publish immediately, the scheduling posts feature lets you set a specific time to publish posts automatically.

To schedule posts using WordPress, click the Settings icon and then the link next to Publish.

It will display a calendar and an option to set the exact minute, hour, day, month, and year. If you have a global audience, check time zones before publishing.

You can schedule WordPress posts for a future or past date. This is useful when you want a post to appear as if it was published on a different date.

Sticky Post

The sticky post feature highlights selected articles by pinning them on the top of the WordPress blog page.

Sticky posts are for content you want to highlight or articles with an expiration date, like a giveaway competition for readers. Although WordPress doesn’t limit the number of sticky posts, we recommend using this option sparingly.

To pin a particular post, go to Settings→Status & Visibility and check the Stick to the top of the blog option. This will automatically put the article above the other latest posts.

Another way to change the sticky post feature on an article is to go to the Dashboard → Posts → All Posts. From there, click on Quick Edit under the article and tick the Make this post sticky option.

Pending Review

This feature tells other back-end WordPress users that the article is finished and needs to be reviewed before publishing. By checking this setting, WordPress adds the Pending status next to your article.

This is an excellent option for websites with multiple authors to inform one another about a draft that needs to be reviewed. However, it can still be used by websites with a single author as a reminder to themselves to review a particular article before publishing.

Publish

Now that you know all of the options and processes, it’s time to publish the draft article. When you click the Publish button, it will show the visibility of the post, the publish date and time, and suggestions from WordPress.

If you don’t want to do pre-publish checks for your posts in WordPress, simply uncheck the box on the bottom right side of the screen.

Delete a Post

There are different ways to delete a post. The first option to go to Settings → Move to trash in the editor.

Another way is to go to the Dashboard → Posts → All Posts, hover over a specific post, and click Trash.

By default, the WordPress database saves deleted posts for 30 days before removing them permanently. If you change your mind, simply access the trash folder and click the Restore button on a deleted post.

Conclusion

When you’re starting a blog, it’s important to know the difference between the classic editor vs block editor, the order of steps to create posts, and the available publishing options in WordPress.

To summarize the key information in this article, here are some widely used features for creating posts in WordPress:

• Title and content. These are the main aspects of a post. The title should clearly describe the content and what the reader should expect.
• Images and media. Use all types of visual aid to enhance content quality and the site’s SEO.
• Featured image. The main post image that appears on search engines and social media platforms.
• Categories and tags. These help organize content and can be used in navigational menus.
• Permalinks and slugs. Primarily used to improve on-page SEO.
• Excerpt. A short description of a post used to attract more visitors.

Meanwhile, here are the key publishing features of WordPress:

• Draft. An unpublished post that is only accessible by back-end users and is not visible on the website or search engines.
• Preview. Shows what end users would see if the post was published.
• Status and Visibility. Lets you decide which users can see the content.
• Scheduling. Set the exact date and time for a post to be automatically published.
• Sticky post. Makes the post appear at the top of the page.
• Pending review. Shows that the post is finished but needs to be reviewed before publication.

Now that you know how to post in WordPress, it’s time to start writing blog posts and growing your site.If you have any more questions regarding this topic, feel free to post comments down below. Good luck!