Adding content to your WordPress website can be overwhelming, especially when you are getting started with WordPress.
In this guide, we will show you how to add a post in WordPress, set feature images, categories, and publish new posts using the WordPress editor and Gutenberg blocks.
Are you ready? Let’s get started!
What are Posts and Pages in WordPress?
When you log in to your WordPress website you’ll see two options on the side navigation menu to add posts and pages respectively.
But what’s the difference between posts and pages?
Posts are used to create blog content such as articles, recipes, podcasts, etc – any kind of content that can be categorized and archived. This content is shown in chronological order and by default and the newest content is shown at the top of the list.
Pages on the other hand are static content, you rarely update them because they don’t change very often – for instance, your “About: and “Contact” pages.
Adding Content Using the WordPress Editor
Go to your WordPress dashboard and then select the “Add New” option from the dropdown menu under Posts.
A post will be created and you’ll see the page where you can enter the title and content for your post. We are going to use the WordPress editor and the Gutenberg blocks.
The Gutenberg editor is a new block-based editor where each piece of content can be a draggable block. There are multiple types of blocks including paragraphs, tables, images, videos, and even galleries.
Let’s go through a quick overview of the different options you’ll see on this page.
The WordPress block editor workspace has four main sections:
- Post Title
- Post Content
- Toolbar Options
- Post/Block Settings Sidebar
1. Post Title
The post title is the headline for your content. It’s a text that indicates the nature of the article below it.
There are different ways to write a headline, however, It’s important to write impactful and effective headlines in order to increase your traffic and help readers discover your content through search engines.
2. Post Content
Before writing any content make sure you have a plan and a defined structure for the article you want to create. In this area, you can add videos, images, tables and so much more using the Gutenberg blocks.
You can even extend the standard blocks list with the available plugins and add dynamic content such as polls and weather components.
3. Toolbar Options
Before you publish your post, you will see the following options in the top right corner of the block editor’s workspace:
Save draft: Save a draft of your post without publishing it and making it public.
Preview: View how your post looks on your site.
Publish: Make your post available publicly.
Settings: Show or hide the post sidebar settings and the block settings.
Options: Open up more options.
4. Post/Block Settings Sidebar
This sidebar is used to customize important features of your content. Here you can change the visibility of your post, set a featured image, assign categories and tags, change the permalink, and allow comments.
Now that we are more comfortable with the WordPress workplace interface, let’s add our first post!
Writing a Post in WordPress
If you are on the WordPress dashboard, go to “Posts” → “Add New” option from the dropdown menu found in the main left sidebar.
1. Add the Post Title
Start by adding the title for your post, don’t worry if you don’t have the final version, you can come back later and update it.
2. Add the Post Content
The Gutenberg editing experience is different from the standard word processor, however, it’s very flexible and simple to use.
Gutenberg helps you to add content using blocks; There are blocks to handle components such as text, images, and more advanced ones like tables and galleries.
Here’s a selection of the default blocks included with Gutenberg:
Let’s add our first block by clicking on the “plus” icon. A new menu will show up and here you’ll see the most common blocks, a search bar, and the option to browse of all the available blocks.
Blocks allow you to add your content and customize your post to match your blog style. To open up the options menu, click on the “three dots” icon and select the option “Show more settings”:
Feel free to explore all of the different blocks and their options, and don’t hesitate to leave any comments in the comments section if you have any questions.
That’s all! We hope this article helped you understand how to add new posts and pages in WordPress.
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