A post is an individual article that lives inside a blog. For example, "5 Tips for Choosing Hardwood Flooring" might be a post inside your "Flooring Tips" blog.
What you can do here
From the Posts page, you can:
- Add a new post.
- Edit an existing post.
- Set a post's publish status (Published, Draft, or Archived).
- Update SEO and social sharing info for each post.
About post details
Each post has two required fields:
- Title. The headline of your post as visitors will see it. Maximum 256 characters.
- Slug. The part of the web address that identifies the post. Use lowercase letters, numbers, and dashes only (no spaces or special characters). Maximum 256 characters.
Slugs must be unique on your website. If you try to use a slug that another post already has, you'll see an error.
Tip: Keep slugs short, descriptive, and easy to read. choosing-hardwood-flooring is better than blog-post-march-2024-final.
It's helpful (but not required) to have a blog already created so you can assign the post to it. If you haven't created a blog yet, see How to Add or Edit a Blog.
Add a new post
Step 1: Open the Posts page
- From the left sidebar, click Posts.
You'll see a list of any posts that already exist on your website.
Step 2: Start a new post
Click the Add New Posts button in the top right corner of the page.
This opens the post editor with two tabs: Add New Post (the main details) and SEO (search engine and social sharing settings).
Shortcut: If you're already inside a blog, click the three-dot menu in the top right and choose Add Post. The new post will be pre-assigned to that blog.
Step 3: Fill in the post details
On the Add New Post tab, fill in the Title and Slug. As you type the title, the slug is generated for you automatically, but you can edit it. Then add the rest of the content. See the Post fields section below for details on each field.
Step 4: Add SEO and social sharing info (optional but recommended)
Click the SEO tab. See the SEO and social sharing section below for details on each field. Sensible defaults are already in place, so you only need to update the fields you want to customize.
Step 5: Choose a publish status
Next to the Cancel button at the top of the page, you'll see a status dropdown. This controls whether the post is visible on your live website.
- Published. The post is live and visible to visitors.
- Draft. The post is saved but not visible to visitors. Use this while you're still working on it.
- Archived. The post is hidden from your live site but kept in the CMS for reference.
The label on the save button changes based on the status you pick:
- If status is Published or Archived: the button reads Save & Publish.
- If status is Draft: the button reads Save.
Step 6: Save
Click Save or Save & Publish in the top right corner.
Next to that button is a dropdown that controls what happens after you save:
- Continue Editing (default). Stays on the post so you can keep editing.
- Go To Listing. Returns you to the posts list.
- Create Another. Clears the form so you can create another post right away.
Edit an existing post
- From the left sidebar, click Posts.
- Find the post you want to update. Use the search bar at the top of the list if you have a lot of posts.
- Click the pencil (edit) icon next to the post, or click the three-dot menu and choose Edit.
- Update the fields as needed on the Edit Post or SEO tab.
- Change the publish status if needed.
- Click Save or Save & Publish.
Post fields
On the Add New Post or Edit Post tab, the main content is on the left side and additional settings are on the right.
Main content (left side)
- Title (required). The headline of your post as visitors will see it. Maximum 256 characters.
- Featured Image. The main image for your post. Click the field to pick an image from your Assets Library or paste an image URL. This image is used at the top of the post and in places where the post is previewed.
- Summary. A short blurb (one to two sentences) that describes your post. This is used as preview text in post lists, social shares, and search results. Keep it engaging and concise.
- Content. The body of your post. Use the rich text editor to format text, add headings, insert images and links, and more.
Post settings (right side)
- Slug (required). The web address segment for this post. As you type the title, the slug is generated for you automatically, but you can edit it.
- Author. The name of the person who wrote the post. This is shown on the published post.
- Publish Date. The date the post should appear as published. Click the field to pick a date.
- Assign to Blog. The blog this post belongs to. Click the field and pick a blog from the list. You can also type to search. To remove the assignment, click the clear (X) button.
- Add Tags. Tags help group related posts together. Type a tag and press Enter to add it. You can add multiple tags. Existing tags from other posts will appear as suggestions.
SEO and social sharing
The SEO tab controls how your post appears in Google search results and when someone shares it on social media. You don't have to fill in every field, but customizing them helps your post stand out.
SEO Basics
- Page Title. The title shown in browser tabs and Google search results.
- Page Description. A short summary shown under the title in search results.
- Keywords. Words and phrases related to your post. Type a keyword and press Enter to add it.
Social Share: Open Graph
Open Graph controls how your post looks when shared on Facebook, LinkedIn, and most other social platforms.
- Open Graph Title. The headline shown in the share preview.
- Open Graph Image. The preview image shown in the share. Click the field to pick an image from your Assets Library or paste an image URL.
- Open Graph Description. A short blurb shown under the title in the share preview.
Social Share: X (Twitter)
These fields work the same as Open Graph, but apply specifically to X (formerly Twitter).
Sitemap settings
On the right side of the SEO tab, you'll see two sitemap options:
- Sitemap Priority. A value between 0.0 and 1.0 that tells search engines how important this post is compared to other pages on your site. Higher means more important. Use the up and down arrows to adjust. The default is set under Sitemap Settings for your whole site.
- Show in Sitemap. Toggle this on to include the post in your sitemap (recommended). Turn it off if you want to hide the post from search engines.
What if I see an error?
- "Required" under Title or Slug. Both fields must be filled in before you can save.
- "The slug must be unique." Another post on your website already uses this slug. Change the slug and try again.
- "Must be a valid slug." The slug contains characters that aren't allowed. Use only lowercase letters, numbers, and dashes.
- "Title must be under 256 characters" or "Slug must be under 256 characters." Shorten the value and try again.
- "Tags cannot start or end with whitespace." Remove any spaces from the beginning or end of your tag and try again.