My name is Hugh. I live in the city of Swansea, South Wales, in the United Kingdom.
My blog covers a wide range of subjects, the most popular of which are my blogging tips posts.
If you have any questions about blogging or anything else, please contact me by clicking on the 'Contact Hugh' button on the menu bar of my blog.
Click on the 'Meet Hugh' button on the menu bar of my blog to learn more about me and my blog.
Are you participating in Wordless Wednesday? Although I am not hosting this challenge, you can leave a link or pingback to your post in the comments section to help promote it to other bloggers.
To help those with eyesight-impaired vision, please remember to complete a description of your photo in the ‘alt-text’ and description boxes of the picture in the WordPress media library. For more details, check my post, Adding Images Or Photos To Your Blog Posts? 4 Essential Things To Do.’
If you want to know more about the photo featured on this post, ask me in the comments section.
Thursday Doors is a photography challenge hosted by Dan Antion, who blogs at No Facilities.
The whole Thursday Doors thing is about sharing pictures of doors that catch your eye. Loads of bloggers get involved each week and give a shoutout to Dan’s post. Dan also encourages everyone to check out each other’s door pictures and drop a comment.
I’ve participated in Thursday Doors in the past. It’s great fun, and although there is no pressure to participate every week, you’ll find Dan has built up a great Thursday Doors community.
Here’s my first entry for 2024.
Which beach hut would you choose to own?
If I told you I was gifting you one of these beach huts, which one would you choose?
Wordless Wednesday – No words, just pictures. Allow your photo(s) to tell the story.
Can you guess who the artist onstage is?
Not sure what Wordless Wednesday is or how to participate? Click here for full details.
Are you participating in Wordless Wednesday? Although I am not hosting this challenge, you can leave a link or pingback to your post in the comments section to help promote it to other bloggers.
To help those with eyesight-impaired vision, please remember to complete a description of your photo in the ‘alt-text’ and description boxes of the picture in the WordPress media library. For more details, check my post, Adding Images Or Photos To Your Blog Posts? 4 Essential Things To Do.’
If you want to know more about the photo featured on this post, ask me in the comments section.
Have you noticed the new feature WordPress has added to your blog’s dashboard? It’s located on the ‘My Home‘ page in the top right corner.
But what does this new feature do?
This new ‘settings’ feature is easy to use. But what does it do?
For this post, I’m using an Apple iMac desktop computer and the ‘Default‘ view setting of my blog’s dashboard.
You’ll find this new feature on the ‘My Home’ page of your blog’s dashboard
Let’s get started
Click on the meatball menu (three horizontal dots) to open a new menu.
Click the kebab menu to open a new menu
The menu contains two options – Settings and Manage Domains.
Let’s take a look at the two options
Settings – this option takes you to the General Settings page of your blog.
You can make many changes to your blog on this page, including your blog’s icon (photo or image), name, and tagline.
Edit your blog’s icon, title and tagline
Click the ‘Save Settings‘ button if you make any changes.
On the same page, you can also create a logo for your blog via Fiverr logo maker (note that there is a charge for this) and set/change your blog’s primary language and timezone. Remember to save any changes you make.
Another option includes setting privacy settings for your blog.
Privacy – This is where you can set your blog to public viewing (anyone can view it) or private viewing (only visible to you and logged-in members you have approved to view it). There is also a ‘Coming Soon‘ option, so your blog is hidden from view until it’s ready for viewing.
Set privacy settings for your blog
Two other options are also available.
If ticked, the ‘Discourage search engines from indexing this site‘ option will prevent search engines from indexing your blog, but note that it is up to search engines to honour your request.
The ‘Prevent third-party sharing‘ option should be ticked if you want to restrict your blog’s content from AI training and third-party use. It will exclude your blog’s public content from WordPress’s network of third-party content and research partners. It also adds known AI bots to the ‘disallow’ list in your blog’s robots.txt file to stop them from crawling your site, though it is up to AI platforms to honour this request.
Click the ‘Save Settings‘ button if you make any changes.
Other settings include –
Accept a gift subscription – turn this setting on to accept gift subscriptions from visitors to your blog.
Footer credit: Here, you can choose or edit a footer credit that appears at the bottom of your blog’s pages and posts.
Site tools – this section allows you to do the following.
Register a new domain or change your blog’s URL address.
Transfer your blog to another blogging provider.
You can reset your blog and start afresh while keeping the same domain/blog name. (If you choose this option, all your posts, pages, and media will be deleted).
Delete your blog and give up your blog’s domain/address.
2. Manage Domains — This option takes you to the part of your blog where you can manage your blog’s domains.
It’s worth checking this page to see what domains you have and to see offers for other domains you may be interested in purchasing for your blog.
While you may not visit your blog’s settings page regularly, it’s worth knowing that there is now an even quicker way to find these settings.
Wordless Wednesday – No words, just pictures. Allow your photo(s) to tell the story.
Two window views, but which one do you prefer?
Not sure what Wordless Wednesday is or how to participate? Click here for full details.
Are you participating in Wordless Wednesday? Although I am not hosting this challenge, you can leave a link or pingback to your post in the comments section to help promote it to other bloggers.
To help those with eyesight-impaired vision, please remember to complete a description of your photo in the ‘alt-text’ and description boxes of the picture in the WordPress media library. For more details, check my post, Adding Images Or Photos To Your Blog Posts? 4 Essential Things To Do.’
If you want to know more about the photo featured on this post, ask me in the comments section.
Are there easy ways to promote your old blog posts, and should you feature them on your blog again?
Can old blog posts bring in more visitors, followers and comments?
The answer is YES.
Have you killed off your old blog posts?
One of the biggest mistakes many bloggers make is forgetting their old blog posts. They publish posts and quickly forget about them.
Yet, If they’ve been regularly publishing blog posts, their blog archive will be a treasure trove of opportunities waiting for them to bring posts alive again. Just think about all those followers, readers and visitors who have never seen those posts.
Rather than ignoring these old blog posts, there are ways to bring them back to the attention of your audience.
These old blog posts probably never got anywhere near as many views and comments as your recent blog posts, but did you know that they could quickly bring you many more views, comments and followers?
My three quick and easy tips for bringing these old blog posts back to life are easy to follow and will deliver results as soon as you implement them.
1. Display ‘related’ posts at the end of all your blog posts.
I’m always surprised by how many WordPress bloggers don’t have this feature switched on.
Here’s a screenshot of the related posts that featured at the end of one of my recent blog posts.
Promote similar older blog posts at the end of new blog posts.
WordPress automatically chooses which of your posts to display.
If you’re not already showing related blog posts at the end of newly published blog posts, follow this guide.
On the dashboard of your blog, click on Settings and Reading.
Select ‘Settings’ – ‘Reading’
On the Reading Settings page, look for Related Posts and ensure ‘Show Related Content After Posts’ is switched on.
Switch on ‘Show related content after posts.’
Choose which other settings options you want to use.
Choose which settings options you want to use.
At the bottom of the screen, click on the Save Changes button.
Future posts will now display three related posts from your archives, resulting in those posts being seen again.
2. The ‘Blog Posts’ Block
Those using the Block Editor can use a terrific block called the’ Blog Posts’ block. It allows bloggers to choose which of their previous blog posts to promote on newly published posts.
Insert the ‘Blog Posts’ block in the place where you’d like to feature it on your upcoming new post. You’ll find the ‘Blog Posts’ block under the ‘Widgets’ section, or you can search for it by entering ‘Blog Posts’ in the search bar.
Select the ‘Blog Posts’ block
The Blog Posts block defaults to showing the last three blog posts you published, but you can change this. You can leave it as it is or switch to other settings.
Today, I will show you how to choose the blog posts you want to display.
When you insert the block, a toolbar will open on the right-hand side of the page. Under Display Settings, look for Choose specific posts and slide the button to the ‘on‘ position.
Switch on the ‘Choose Specific Posts’ option
In the ‘Posts‘ box, type in the blog post title you want to display. As you type, suggestions for blog posts with the words you are using will appear.
Search for the posts you want to promote on your new blog post.
Select the blog post you want to feature.
If you’re going to add more blog posts, search for them by typing in more words in the Posts box.
I recommend that you add no more than three posts.
The Blog Posts block has many other settings, which you can read about here.
There’s nothing wrong with adding pingbacks and linking back to your previous blog posts. Lots of bloggers do it.
In fact, I recommend that you include at least a couple of pingbacks in all your blog posts. However, you should always ensure that what you’re writing about is connected to the post you’re linking back to.
Pingbacks can also be added to images, pictures, and photos in blog posts and captions.
Let’s wrap it up!
Your blog’s archives are a treasure trove of blog posts that can attract new visitors, comments, and followers.
Don’t allow old blog posts to remain idle and not work for you. Use them.
Your previous blog posts may not have been read by new followers. Introduce them to your new audience.
People who may have read your older posts are often thankful for the opportunity to read them again, especially if the post includes tips and advice.
Ensure you keep old blog posts up to date.
WordPress has made several blocks available on the Block editor to promote old blog posts. The ‘Blog Posts’ block is just one of those blocks.
Consider switching it on if you’re not already using the ‘Related Posts’ feature.
Remember that you can create pingbacks to old blog posts from any images or photos in future blog posts.
Do you promote your old blog posts? If not, why not? How do you promote them? What way(s) of promoting old blog posts have worked best for you? Have you had much success promoting old blog posts?
Did you enjoy reading this post? Then you may also like…
April 2, 2024, prompt: Write a story that happens in a flash in 99 words (no more, no less). A flash of inspiration? A flash flood? Who shows up in a flash? Who is impacted for a lifetime by a single flash incident? Go where the prompt leads!
In The Blink Of An Eye – by Hugh W. Roberts
The time machine hummed to life in a blink, thrusting me into a whirlwind of eras. Past and future blurred into a kaleidoscope of moments.
I glimpsed dinosaurs roaming prehistoric jungles, the crowning of kings and queens in medieval and Tudor castles, and cities bustling with futuristic wonders.
Time was a relentless river; I was a fleeting leaf upon its currents.
With a final flash, I returned to the present, breathless and exhilarated. Yet, in my mind, the echoes of centuries persisted, a reminder that anyone can journey through the annals of time in the blink of an eye.
Wordless Wednesday – No words, just pictures. Allow your photo(s) to tell the story.
Spring 1950
Not sure what Wordless Wednesday is or how to participate? Click here for full details.
Are you participating in Wordless Wednesday? Although I am not hosting this challenge, you can leave a link or pingback to your post in the comments section to help promote it to other bloggers.
To help those with eyesight-impaired vision, please remember to complete a description of your photo in the ‘alt-text’ and description boxes of the picture in the WordPress media library. For more details, check my post, Adding Images Or Photos To Your Blog Posts? 4 Essential Things To Do.’
If you want to know more about the photo featured on this post, ask me in the comments section.
Did you catch these 9 blog posts that got everyone talking, discussing, and wondering? Maybe you were part of the conversation, but if not, jump in and share your thoughts!
Kenneth has a problem. His wife believes he’s having an affair. Can Artificial Intelligence help?
WordPress have hidden the ‘Open in new tab’ box again! This updated post shows you where to find it so that links in your blog posts open a new window.
WordPress has introduced a new block-style comment box that aligns with the Block editor. But what can users do with it besides leaving comments? Are some bloggers really refusing to use it and threatening to leave WordPress? My post contains all the details you need.
Coming out to my family is one of the most difficult things I have done in my life. I faced varied reactions that led to estrangement from some but eventual reconciliation with others. In this post, I highlight some of the ups and downs of family acceptance of somebody being gay.
Wordless Wednesday – No words, just pictures. Allow your photo(s) to tell the story.
Hot Buttered Easter Bunny Crumpets, anyone?
Not sure what Wordless Wednesday is or how to participate? Click here for full details.
Are you participating in Wordless Wednesday? Although I am not hosting this challenge, you can leave a link or pingback to your post in the comments section to help promote it to other bloggers.
To help those with eyesight-impaired vision, please remember to complete a description of your photo in the ‘alt-text’ and description boxes of the picture in the WordPress media library. For more details, check my post, Adding Images Or Photos To Your Blog Posts? 4 Essential Things To Do.’
If you want to know more about the photo featured on this post, ask me in the comments section.
Hugh's Views & News 