How to Create a Post in WordPress

If you are a beginner, one of the first things you’ll need to learn is how to create a WordPress post. Adding content to your website is done by publishing posts in WordPress. An essential approach to compel and attract a target audience is adding posts to your pages on WordPress.

Posting engaging content allows you to distinguish your brand and grab your visitors’ attention. In other words, WordPress posts are the substance of the customer experience on your website, even if you are not selling goods.

This article will explain what a WordPress post is and the difference between WordPress pages vs. posts. Further on, you will learn how to post on WordPress, how to manage your posts, and some bonus tips to kick your posts game up a notch.

You can organize your posts in WordPress with categories and tags, date them, or pin them to a page on your website.

Posts are what drive the RSS feed of your WordPress blog. When visitors subscribe to your RSS feed, your posts will be the content dispatched to them.

WordPress posts on your pages are a big part of your Content Marketing strategy and aid in defining a unique brand viewpoint. Providing quality and in-depth content consistently keeps your customers engaged. Moreover, focusing on your visitors’ engagement and preferences increases your chances of growing an audience for your niche content.

WordPress Post vs. Page

There is a fundamental difference between pages and posts on WordPress. In essence, WordPress pages are static content, as they form the foundation of your website. Usually, they hold generic content like your Home page, About us, Contact us page, or pages containing your Terms of Service and Privacy policies.

The content types are presented with the so-called Post types in WordPress. There are default WordPress post types, and developers can create custom post types as well. The default WordPress post types are as follows:

• Post – WordPress posts are dynamic and time-sensitive content that informs the reader on a particular topic. WordPress displays them in reverse chronological order, meaning the last post is shown first on your blog page. They can be sorted with categories and tags, archived, and streamed in a feed. Post comments are enabled by default.
• Page – Pages in WordPress are generally the static part of your website. You may create promotional pages available only upon a marketing or advertising campaign. Still, they shouldn’t be dated as it wouldn’t be appropriate. WordPress pages can’t be categorized but can be organized in a hierarchy (parent/child) structure.
• Attachments – These are usually images, media content, or file linking in your content; they have names and descriptions. Image attachments include metadata like file size, location, thumbnails, etc.
• Revision – WordPress post revisions are the temporary auto-saved versions of your posts, which you can restore if you want to undo a recent change. Post revisions are saved every 60 seconds, so if anything happens, you can revert back to the last saved revision. Additionally, every time you save, update or publish a post, a permanent revision is stored in your WordPress database.
• Navigation menu – Navigational menus are customizable menus you add to your theme. You can add posts, pages, categories, and URLs to your navigation.
• Block templates – The Gutenberg block editor allows you to create reusable blocks of content you can use again in other posts or pages. They are useful for keeping your content’s design consistent.
• Template parts – Templates in WordPress are block types used for creating a structure for your website – like header, footer, etc. You can find the template parts in the block inserter while in template editing mode.

Apart from the default post types in WordPress, you can also create Custom post types. The recommendation is to use a plugin for crafting custom post types. For example, one of the most popular plugins for creating custom post types is WooCommerce. It allows you to add ‘product’ post types to your e-commerce.

Now that we examined the different WordPress post types, we can proceed with the practical part of creating a WordPress post.

How to Post on WordPress

Initially, the intent behind WordPress was to publish blog posts, but eventually, it evolved into a robust CMS. Still, posting is one of the key strategies for attracting visitors to your WordPress content.

To start creating your first post in WordPress, you should login to your Dashboard and navigate to Posts > Add new.

Depending on your WordPress version or preference, you can craft posts in WordPress using the Gutenberg Block Editor (from version 5.0 and up) or the Classic editor (all versions up to 5.0).

Compose a post in WordPress with Gutenberg

WordPress version 5.0 introduced the Gutenberg block editor in 2018 as the default editor, substituting the Classic Editor. The block editor is an intuitive software allowing you to craft rich, customized content. The best part is that you can create outstanding multimedia content with little to no coding skills.

One of the real perks of Gutenberg is that it also includes a drag-and-drop functionality. You can also create reusable and interchangeable content blocks with various formats. These reusable blocks can help speed up future content creation and enhance design consistency across pages.

This section will guide you through the steps for crafting a post on WordPress using Gutenberg, so read on.

Once you load the block editor’s workspace, you can start creating your post. Gutenberg loads on a fullscreen mode by default to help you focus on your work without distractions. You can access the post screen Options kebab menu in the top page toolbar.

With it, you can deactivate the fullscreen more or use a spotlight mode to focus on the block separately. Here, you can switch between the Visual and Code editor, allowing you to add HTML code directly to the post. There are tools available to manage your content blocks or create shortcuts.

The Preferences button launches another menu, where you can select from available panels to include in your Post Settings Menu.

Add a title

Choosing a title for your post is essential since it makes it stand out from the crowd. You should carefully compose a title for your post, ensuring that it is enticing for your readers. A WordPress post title should be intriguing and eye-catching since this is your visitors’ first impression of your post.

Furthermore, it is good to know that Search Engines (like Google) are also parsing the title of your post to display it upon a search request. Thus, you should remember that you need to capture your audience’s attention along with that of search engines.

In order for Google to display your headline in full, it shouldn’t be longer than 60 characters. According to recent studies, the average attention span has fallen to just 8 seconds. This is the amount of time you have to encourage your visitors to interact with your content.

Content Blocks

Next, you should start creating your post within content blocks. A content block can be a paragraph of text, an embedded video, an image, an infographic, a gallery, or a social media widget. To launch the contextual block menu, type “/” as shown in the screenshot below.

Alternatively, you can use the Toggle block inserter by clicking the “+” sign in the upper left corner of the page.

The following options are available to choose from when creating content blocks:

• Text – With this block, you can add different text formats like paragraphs, headings, lists, quotes, or tables. It is up to you to make your post more appealing to the visitor; text format variety can help with that.
• Media – To make your content even more engaging, you can add media blocks with images, audio, video, or galleries relevant to your post.

• Design – This type of block allows you to structure your post in columns, add buttons or page breaks, etc.

• Widgets – You can also use various widgets to share your latest posts, add a calendar, or a search toggle.

• Theme – The theme group of blocks allows you to add post excerpts, featured images, post comment forms, or post author’s bio. The variety of block types you can add here depends on the widgets that come with your WordPress theme.

• Embeds – With these blocks, you can embed content from other sources like social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.)

Gutenberg allows you to control each block’s colors, alignment, and width so you can customize your WordPress post. To personalize your post’s outlook, check out the menu on the right-hand side of the block editor workspace.

Hovering over any block will launch the Options menu. With it, you can move blocks up and down in the post, format, or align them. Click on the Drag button to drag a block and place it where you see fit by dropping it.

Add media to your post

Making a visual statement by adding media to your WordPress post is a great way to gain visibility and interact with your visitors.

Using the Toggle block inserter, you can add media like galleries, images, videos, or audio files related to your post.

You can upload media files from your Media Library, insert from URL or even upload directly to the post.

Post Categories and Tags

Categories and Tags are the main techniques to organize your posts to make their topics clear to the visitor from the start. Categories should be descriptive but straight to the point aiming to outline the structure of your content.

Organizing your WordPress posts in categories helps your audience to get around your site easily. If you intend to create a large blog site, you should take care of your content’s structure so that visitors can sort through it hassle-free.

Click on the Category module under Post in the right-hand sidebar to get the post in WordPress assigned to a category. Check the box next to the category you want this post added to, or create a new one from the respective button.

Tags are usually short – one or two words from your content’s related keywords. WordPress tags help your visitors to find the posts on your site corresponding to their search intent. To add tags to your post content, you can use the Tags module in the sidebar by typing a keyword and clicking Enter.

Add a Featured image to your WordPress Post

A Featured image is the main image representing a WordPress post, also known as a post thumbnail. This is the image that shows along with a shared link of your post; thus, it plays an important role in your WordPress SEO.

To add a featured image for your WordPress post with Gutenberg, click on the Featured image drop-down menu from the right sidebar. Click on the Set Featured Image button and add an appropriate image from your Media library or upload a new one.

Post Publishing Options

The post publishing options are under the Summary section in the Post tab of the right sidebar. First comes the Visibility preference, where you can select whether your post should be public, private, or password protected.

You can also select a specific time and date you want your post published by clicking the respective text link next to Publish.

If you are not ready to publish just yet or you haven’t decided on that part – you can leave it for later.

Change the Post URL Slug

As we mentioned above, WordPress automatically assigns your post title as your URL slug. Sometimes, titles may be long, which wouldn’t look so good for a post slug in terms of SEO optimization. Thus, you may need to change the post’s URL slug to comply with the search engine algorithm preferences.

To edit your post’s URL slug (permalink), check the Summary tab of the right sidebar and click on the URL radio button. Alter your URL slug from the available field and click away so it can be saved.

Change the WordPress post author

Further down in the sidebar’s Summary section, you can change the post’s author name. The author’s name must be present in your registered WordPress users, so you can select it from the corresponding drop-down.

WordPress Post Comments

Under the Discussion section, you can check the box if you want readers to comment on your WordPress post. From this comments section, you can also allow pingbacks and trackbacks from your blog post.

Preview and Publish your WordPress post

You can click the Save draft button if you’ve reached a point in your post when you need a break. This way, all your changes so far will be stored, and you will be able to proceed from where you left off.

When you are ready with your WordPress post, you can Preview it from the respective button to see how it looks on your website.

Then if you are pleased with the results – publish it from the Publish button in the upper right corner.

That’s it! Your post is now available on your WordPress site, and your visitors can enjoy it.

Extra features

There are plugins compatible with Gutenberg for adding extra features to your posting capabilities. For example, the PostX plugin expands your block editing customization options. It also enables you to add a WordPress Related post section to your posts.

With this plugin, you can display posts sharing the same category or tag related to your post. This way, you can point your readers to similar information on your website.

Create a WordPress post with the Classic editor

The Classic Editor is the legacy default editor preceding Gutenberg. You can still use it if you are accustomed to it or if your WordPress version is older than 5.0. WordPress continues to support the Classic Editor plugin, as there are over 5 million active installations worldwide.

The word goes that the support for this evergreen plugin will end in 2022, although with these usage margins, it may continue longer.

Classic editor is a simple text editor; most content is in a single block. It is a bit slower to work with than Gutenberg, and HTML competency is a must for SEO and editing. This legacy editor needs additional plugins for extra features. Thus, creating high-end posts can be a complex task.

Following the steps in this section, you’ll be able to create a competitive WordPress post with the Classic editor.

Title and Content Boxes

When you start creating your WordPress post with the Classic editor, you can create and format the text in a single block. Further down the page, you’ll see the content boxes you can add to your post.

You can add your title in the first field at the top of the page, and clicking away will save it as your post headline. Below the content editor, you can see the additional features you can add to your post.

Add Multimedia

With the Classic editor, you can add multimedia, like images and videos, directly into the content box. Click on the Add Media button on top of the content box, select an image from your Media Library, or upload a new one.

Alternatively, you can drag and drop image files from your computer into the content box.

Publishing options

You can find the publishing options on the top right-hand side of the screen. As you can see, there you can find the buttons to save your draft or preview it. From there, you can also select who can see your post (Visibility) and when to publish it.

Categories and Tags

Under the publishing options, you can see the drop-down menus from which you can assign a category to your post or tag it.

Post Thumbnails

Post Thumbnails are practically the featured images you’d add to your WordPress post.

With the Classic editor, you can add a featured image from the right-hand side of the post-editing screen. Click on the Set featured image link, select an item from your Media Library, or upload a new one.

Screen Options

On the top right corner of the editing area, you will find the Screen Options menu. You can use it to select which elements can be shown or hidden from your editing options. Additionally, from the same menu, you can select whether the post layout will be decided in one or two columns or enable full screen.

Additional Post editing options

Just below the content box, you can select from a drop-down to edit a specific option.

• Post Excerpts menu to add an excerpt for your WordPress post. These are short summaries wrapping up the content of your post to display on your WordPress page.
• Send Trackbacks – Select whether you want to send trackbacks to sources you are referencing on your post, and scroll down the respective menu.
• Custom fields – Next, you can create custom fields for your WordPress post by expanding the corresponding menu. There you can add custom information to your post, like additional metadata.
• Discussion – Expand this section to enable or disable commenting on your posts. Enabling comments for your WordPress post will allow your readers to interact with your content.
• Slug – We recommend changing your post’s slug when your headline is rather long. You can edit it from the respective menu, as shown below.
• Author – Finally, share the post author’s name to make things a bit more personal with your readers. WordPress automatically assigns you as the post’s author; still, you may wish to change it with another registered user. To do that, load the Author menu from the button of the area below your content block.

Manage your WordPress posts

With time, you will publish more and more posts on your WordPress site. You need to know how to organize and manage them effectively when they pile up. Regardless of your editor, the All posts section is always the same.

You can find all your posts listed in your WordPress Dashboard > Post > All posts section and manage them.

Edit or Delete a Post in WordPress

From the section All posts you can edit or delete existing posts one by one or even bulk delete them.

To edit a post, simply hover over it, and a menu will show up where you can choose to Edit or Quick edit.

If you want to delete a post, simply select the Trash option from that same menu under each post.

To bulk delete posts, check all boxes next to the ones you wish to delete and select the Move to trash option from the drop-down menu.

Keep in mind that WordPress stores the posts you delete in your Trash for 30 days. You can click on the Trash tab if you change your mind at some point in that time frame. From there, you can either Restore or Delete permanently a post.

Change the date on a WordPress Post

You can change the post’s date if you have updated it with new information. This way, you show your readers and the search engines that your posts are relevant, and you are frequently updating your blog.

Click on the Edit button next to the date the post was originally published and select a new date. WordPress will automatically update the date for your post to let your readers know there has been a change.

Best practices for creating great blog posts in WordPress

So far, you’ve learned how to create a post in WordPress and how to edit or manage it.

Here, we will touch on a few techniques to polish your WordPress posts and make them even more appealing.

Be consistent

First and foremost, try to post regularly on your WordPress blog to keep your audience engaged. When your visitors keep getting the information they search for on your website, chances are that you’ll grow your audience.

Therefore, put your effort into frequently updating your blog and creating new WordPress posts.

WordPress posts formatting

Throughout your life, you have probably used a program to format documents and customize their looks. WordPress allows you to do that while crafting your post, and formatting it will help you stress the important points.

Well-formatted posts have better readability and can keep readers engaged. Thus, you should definitely use WordPress format options to maximize the effect of your content.

You can choose from various formatting options with Gutenberg by clicking on the particular block you want to edit. You’ll see a toolbar where you can choose to bold or link text, for example.

• Use Paragraphs

A best practice is to use paragraphs to format your text content and make sure they are short. Otherwise, you may overwhelm the reader. Keeping your text on point and easy to read is how you can hold your audience’s attention.

Additionally, you should avoid text walls, as too long blocks of text may discourage your readers. You can try to dilute long text by using bullets, media, block quotes, or social media prompts.

This way, you still get to make your statement without boring your readers at first sight of your post.

• Add Headings

Adding headings and subheadings throughout your text helps you stress the issues you are addressing with your post. Headings range from Heading 1 to Heading 6, where H1 is the title, and the rest are subheadings.

Headings allow you to break your content into milestones and usually look larger than the rest of the content. Moreover, using headings helps Search engines figure out what your post is about and promote it to the most relevant search queries.

Spell check and Proofread

Spelling and grammar are among the first things to stand out in a post, especially if they’re incorrect. Ensuring your post is well-spelled, and there are no grammatical errors builds up the credibility of your WordPress posts.

Moreover, search engines also notice if there are many spelling mistakes, which could negatively affect your site’s SEO ranking. Therefore, spell check and proofreading your content is essential for quality content.

There are plenty of proofreading plugins available for WordPress, as well as browser extensions like Grammarly. Make use of these to enhance your WordPress post’s text flow and properly convey your content.

SEO

Last but not least, you should optimize your content for SEO to ensure your site is attracting organic traffic. You can do a few things to improve that part of your WordPress posts, and we will briefly list them below.

• Use Keywords – Prior to starting crafting content, you should do keyword research on the topic you wish to write about. This will help you focus and structure your content based on search intent. It is advisable to use keyword phrases in your title, headings/subheadings, and throughout your text.
• Add metadata to your images – Adding metadata to your images tells search engines what they display. Since search engines’ algorithms are not as sophisticated as the human eye in recognizing contextual information, they look for meta descriptions.
• Optimize your images for speed – Many images in your post can slow down its performance. Thus, you can use a plugin like Speed Optimizer to resize your image files for faster visualization.
• Use links – Internal linking to other related WordPress posts also helps improve the overall SEO. That allows search engines to perceive your blog as a good source of information. You should also link to reputable external resources to provide value to your readers.

Summary

Creating quality content WordPress posts is an indispensable part of running a blog or any type of website. Publishing well-structured and appealing posts are crucial for encouraging your visitors to interact with your content. With this article, you learned what WordPress posts are and how they differ from pages. Moreover, you now know how to post in WordPress with any of the available editors.