Tag: Blogging

How To Make Categorising And Tagging Blog Posts Powerful

Published on by Hugh W. Roberts59 Comments

Categorising and tagging blog posts are some of the most potent ways for bloggers to get their posts noticed. However, some bloggers don’t bother with either, meaning they’re losing the potential for new readers and followers. Are you one of them?

But what are categories and tags, and how do they work?

Light blue image with the words 'How To Make Categorising And Tagging Blog Posts Powerful' in white text
Do you categorise and add tags to all your blog posts?

What are blogging categories?

Blogging categories act like groups where blog posts that have a connection with each other are stored.

For example, if you’re a travel blogger, you could have The United Kingdom category and list the sub-categories Scotland, Wales, England, and Northern Ireland. 

Categories are important because they make finding specific blog posts more straightforward for visitors to your blog (especially first-time visitors).

Every blog post should have at least one category.

Unfortunately, if you don’t categorise blog posts, they will be uncategorised, which is no help to anyone.

Imagine going into a shop to find a particular book about dinosaurs and finding that none of the books has been categorised. You’d leave and go to another shop that helps customers by categorising its books to find what you’re looking for much easier.

I never return to blogs that do not categorise posts.

How to add a category to your WordPress blog post

This tutorial uses an Apple iMac desktop computer and the WordPress ‘Default’ dashboard.

  • While drafting a blog post, you’ll see a toolbar in the settings area on the right-hand side of the page. This is where you can add categories.
Image highlighting where to find the category box on the draft page of a WordPress blog
Every blog post should have at least one category.

If a blog post doesn’t fit into one of your existing categories, click ‘Add New Category‘ and create a new one.

Remember to do some housekeeping regularly for the categories on your blog. For example, delete categories that are no longer being used or update categories by giving them a new name if something works better. 

How to edit the categories on your blog.

  • On your blog’s dashboard, click on Posts to open a submenu, and click on Categories.
Image highlighting where to find Categories on the dashboard of a WordPress blog.
Click Posts and Categories.
  • To edit a category, click the three verticle dots (meatball menu) next to the category you want to edit.
Image highlighting the meatball menu in Categories on a WordPress blog.
Click the meatball menu to edit a category.
  • The meatball menu displays four options: edit, delete, view posts, and set as a default.
  • Edit – Edit the name or description of the category.
  • Delete – Delete the category.
  • View posts – View a list of all your posts under the category.
  • Set as default – Useful when most posts fall under a particular category.
  • Remember to click the ‘Update‘ button to save any changes you make.

The number next to each category tells you how many posts are under that category. I recommend deleting any categories that are not being used.

Any sub-categories will show under each category.   

Tip: Setting your default category to ‘Uncatorigised‘ allows you to search for any blog posts you may have forgotten to categorise.

What are tags?

Tags are popular keywords that can be added to a blog post. For example, some of the tag words I’ve added to this post are –

  • blogging
  • bloggingtips
  • categories
  • tags
  • WordPress
  • HowTo

Each tag should be separated with a comma or by pushing ‘Enter’ on your keyboard.

Tags containing more than one word (such as ‘Blogging tips’) act as one tag word, but you must add them without any space between the words, i.e., ‘ blogging tips’ becomes ‘bloggingtips.’

Generally, tags do not need to connect with each other, but when used correctly, they can generate a lot of extra traffic to a blog post.

Like categories, tags can be added to blog posts in the settings area toolbar on the right side of a draft post. 

Image highlighting where to add tags on a WordPress blog post
Always add keywords (Tags) to your blog posts.

When adding tags to your post, consider the keywords somebody would add to the WordPress search bar when looking for specific blog posts. Or think of words you would use to search for your post.

Check out the tags I’ve added for this blog post. They appear at the end of every post.  

Important information – Did you know this…?

The cardinal tagging rule on WordPress.com is that you should never add more than 15 tags and categories (combined) to your post; otherwise, it won’t appear in the WordPress Reader. This cap prevents spam posts from appearing on the reader list, as spammers and spambots tend to use many categories and tags to lure readers in

15 tags and categories can seem like a lot, but you don’t need to use all of them.

Never tag your blog post with words that have nothing to do with the post’s subject. Otherwise, visitors will come to your blog under false pretences and probably won’t return.

Generally, I add no more than three categories and between six and ten tags to my blog posts. 

As with categories, it’s also essential to do some housekeeping for the tags you use on your blog. 

How to delete and update tags

  • On the dashboard of your blog, click on Posts – Tags.
  • A page showing your tags and how many blog posts containing each tag appears.
  • To edit, view and delete posts containing a tag word, hover your mouse over each tag word and click edit, quick edit, view or delete.
  • You can also view the posts containing the tag word by clicking the number in the ‘Count’ column. I recommend deleting any tag words that are no longer being used.

Let’s wrap it up!

  • All blog posts should be categorised and tagged.
  • Categorising and tagging your blog posts makes them user-friendly, meaning people will likely return to your blog.
  • Not categorising your blog posts means they’ll be challenging to find.
  • When tagging posts, think of keywords others will use when searching for your blog post.
  • Don’t use tag words that have nothing to do with the subject of your blog post.
  • WordPress users – never add more than 15 tags and categories (combined) to your posts; otherwise, they won’t appear on the WordPress Reader.
  • Remember to perform regular housekeeping of categories and tags on your blog.
  • Adding the proper tags to your blog posts will increase the number of readers who find them. More readers mean higher stats, more comments, and new followers.

Do you categorise and add tags to all your blog posts? If not, why not? Which tags-words work best for you? Is there anything you’d like to add or ask regarding categories and tags in blog posts? Join the discussion by leaving a comment.

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What Do You Call A Group Of Bloggers? #WordlessWednesday #Photography

Published on by Hugh W. Roberts48 Comments

Wordless Wednesday – No words, just pictures. Allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Black and white group photo of the bloggers who attended the Bloggers Bash held in London in 2018.
Bloggers attending the Blogger Bash held in London in 2018.

Not sure what Wordless Wednesday is or how to participate? Click here for full details.

Linking to Sunday Stills hosted by Terri Webster Schrandt – Theme: Groups.

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 miss last week’s Wordless Wednesday?

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3 Quick And Easy Ways To Promote Your Old Blog Posts

Published on by Hugh W. Roberts53 Comments

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.

Light blue image with the words '3 Quick And Easy Ways To Promote Your Old Blog Posts' in white text
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. 

Image highlighting 'related' blog posts at the end of a blog post.
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. 
Image highlighting 'Settings - Reading' on the dashboard of a WordPress blog.
Select ‘Settings’ – ‘Reading’
  • On the Reading Settings page, look for Related Posts and ensure ‘Show Related Content After Posts’ is switched on.
Image highlighting the 'Show related content after posts' option on WordPress
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.  
Image highlighting the search box when searching for a block, and the Blog Posts block.
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. 
Image highlighting the 'Choose Specific Posts' option on WordPress
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. 
Image highlighting the search box in the Blog Posts block on WordPress
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.

3. Add pingbacks to previous blog posts. 

If you’re unsure what a pingback is or how to add it to blog posts, my post, ‘The Power Of Pingbacks: How To Create One,’ will help.

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…

Any questions about this post? Leave them in the comments box.

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Is Your Blog Under Attack? Yes, It Is. 4 Easy Ways You Can Protect It

Published on by Hugh W. Roberts40 Comments

Every day, our blogs come under attack from various elements.

Just like protecting our families, pets, and anything else we value, we should do all we can to protect our blogs from threats.

Image with light blue background with the words 'Is Your Blog Under Attack? Yes, It Is. 4 Easy Ways You Can Protect It' in white text
Are you doing enough to protect your blog from threats?

Threats come in all sorts of forms, but there are a few simple steps you can put in place to keep your blog safe.

1. Comments

What do you do if you receive unfriendly comments or comments that do not agree with what you have said in your blog post?

I’ve blogged for nearly ten years, and, in that time, I have received a handful of comments that were not only very personal but were rude, racist or homophobic.  

Because I moderate all comments before they appear on my blog, I was able to stop these comments in their tracks. They were of the nature that did not call for a reply, and I simply marked them as spam and deleted them.

And it wasn’t only me that some of these unfriendly comments are aimed at.  

I often see rude, unfriendly comments and spam appear on other blogs. Not only can they be shocking in their nature, but in many cases, the very name of the commenter can also be very offensive. 

Unfortunately, Akismet, the WordPress software that blocks unwanted spam, doesn’t always catch all of it. So, monitoring all comments before they are published on your blog posts is worth considering. 

Follow these steps to set up monitoring comments.

For the purpose of this post, instructions are via the ‘Default” view of your blog’s dashboard.

  • Click Settings – Discussion on your blog’s dashboard.

Image highlighting the Settings and Discussion options on the dashboard of a WordPress blog.
Click Settings and Discussion
  • On the Discussion Settings page, scroll down to the ‘Before A Comment Appears‘ box and slide open the button next to ‘Comment must be manually approved.’
Image highlighting the 'Comment must be manually approved' button on the Discussion Settings page of a WordPress blog.
To approve all comments, select the ‘Comment must be manually approved’ button
  • Click on the ‘Save settings‘ button. 

You may also have noticed an option to allow comments to be posted straight away from people who have previously had comments approved by you. 

Image highlighting the 'Comment author must have previously approved comment' button on a WordPress blog.
Selecting the ‘Comment author must have previously approved comment’ means you don’t need to approve those comments.

For bloggers who are dealing with hundreds of comments daily, this is a great time-saving option as you don’t need to manually approve them. 

However, be wary. Somebody who may have left a perfectly friendly comment on an earlier post could also leave an unfriendly comment on a future one.

How to deal with people who don’t agree with you

Sometimes, I receive comments from people who may not agree with what I have to say, but that’s a part of the whole blogging experience. 

However, providing their comment has been written in a friendly and professional manner, I will approve it. 

Nobody should tolerate rudeness or bad manners, so don’t allow any of these kinds of comments to appear on your blog. 

If comments are unfriendly, rude or make you feel threatened, mark them as spam.

Allowing unfriendly, rude comments to appear on your blog can make your blog look unfriendly and unwelcoming, especially to new visitors.

And consider removing anyone who leaves a rude comment, or one that threatens you or another blogger, from your subscriber list. My post ‘How To Spot And Remove Spammers And Spambots From Your WordPress Blog‘ gives full details.

Look after your fellow bloggers

If you see a rude comment or one that is spam on a blog you follow, inform the blog’s owner of the problem. They’ll probably thank you for looking out for them.

How to block certain bloggers or readers from leaving comments

Further down the same page on the Discussion Settings dashboard, you’ll see two boxes entitled ‘Comment Moderation‘ and ‘Disallowed comments.’

Image highlighting the Comment moderation and Disallowed comments boxes on WordPress.
This is where you can blacklist other bloggers and comments

These boxes are where you can add certain words, the web address of a blog, the email address or the internet protocol of a user you want to block. 

Comments will be held in a moderation queue if they contain anything you have added to the Comment Moderation box.

Comments will be sent to the trash bin if they match anything you have added to the Disallowed Comments box.

2. Internet trolls

If you are unlucky enough to find that an internet troll has decided to try and make your blog their new home, ignore them. 

Whatever you do, don’t engage in any conversations with the internet troll. Whether through comments or if they try to contact you through your ‘contact me’ page, ignore them. 

Internet trolls will do all they can to get you to react to what they have said. They may even try to get some of your readers to engage with them by responding to comments they have left, so never approve their comments.

Don’t give internet trolls the satisfaction of acknowledging them in any shape or form. 

Remove any comments, and don’t allow them to upset you in any way. Add them to the ‘Disallowed Comments‘ box. They’ll soon get the message and move on.

3. Back-Up

How would you feel if you woke up one morning and found that all your blog content had disappeared? 

It’s the stuff of nightmares, so be kind to your blog and make sure you back up its content regularly.

Depending on your WordPress plan, your blog can be backed up via Jetpack – Backup on your blog’s dashboard. If you don’t have this facility, consider saving all your blog posts via an external server or hard drive.

If you’re already writing your blog posts on Word, Pages or any other writing software such as Grammarly, ensure you save the documents on the iCloud (if you have access) or on another hard drive.

Don’t lose all your hard work by not backing up your blog.  

4. Anti Virus Software

Always update anti-virus software on your device to protect your blog and ensure you have the latest version. 

If hackers can get access to well-known websites, then they may be able to get access to your computer\device.

Malware could allow cybercriminals to take control of your computer, log your keystrokes, or access your personal information and financial data, which could lead to identity theft. So, not only could your blog be at risk from hackers, but so could your bank details and other personal information.  

Remember to keep all other software on your computer up to date and use the latest software versions of any website you visit regularly.

WordPress.Com users will always have the latest version of WordPress as WordPress download updates directly. Those who have self-hosted blogs should ensure they have the latest updates installed. 

This all may sound nightmarish, and you may ask yourself who would want to attack your blog, but every blogger should take it seriously. Don’t become a victim. 

However, whatever you do, keep enjoying your blogging experience. 

Although attacks on our blogs are happening constantly, your anti-virus software (and the software supplied by WordPress) deals with most threats without you knowing about it.

Let’s Wrap It Up.

  • Make sure you protect your blog from any online attacks.
  • Don’t approve any comments that are unfriendly, rude, or racist towards you or any other bloggers.
  • Consider moderating all comments before they appear on your blog.
  • People may disagree with what you say in your posts. Only approve their comments if they’ve been written in a friendly and professional manner.
  • Unsubscribe and or/block trolls and unfriendly readers from your blog.
  • Never respond to comments from trolls or allow their comments to appear on your blog.
  • Remember to regularly back up your blog or save your blog posts on an external hard drive.
  • Keep anti-virus software updated on your devices.
  • Ensure you’re using the latest version and tools of WordPress.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with us about protecting your blog from unwanted attention and attacks? Do you have any questions? Join the discussion by leaving me a comment with the details.

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Is It Possible To Add Images And Photos To Comments On WordPress? Yes! Here’s How.

Published on by Hugh W. Roberts50 Comments

Have you seen images and photos in the comments section of blog posts and wondered how they were left there? It’s something I’ve written about before and, given the many changes at WordPress since I last wrote about it, deserves an update.

Light blue image with the words 'Is It Possible To Add Images And Photos To Comments On WordPress? Yes! Here's How.' in white text
Yes, it’s possible to leave photos and images in comments on WordPress blogs

When it comes to adding images and photos to comments, we have to be careful with what we add. We should always ensure the photo or image has a connection to the subject of the post we’re leaving the comment on. And not only that.

If a blogger invites readers to leave photos and images (such as in a photography challenge), then go ahead and leave them.

However, leaving an image or photo just for the sake of doing so is frowned upon by many bloggers, who will mark them as spam. And given that blogs are attacked by spammers daily, I don’t blame bloggers marking uninvited images and photos as spam.

I’ve added images and photos to the comments sections on my blog posts and the comments I have left on the blogs of other bloggers. However, unless I’ve been invited to leave an image or photo, I won’t leave them.

While many bloggers will be happy for you to leave images and photos, it’s always polite to ask first.

How to add images and photos to your comments

  • Add the image or photo to your WordPress media library.
  • Once the image has been added, click it and click the edit button to open it.
Image highlighting the 'Edit' button of a photo in the WordPress media library.
Click the edit button of the photo or image you want to add to a comment.
  • On the righthand side of the screen, you’ll see a window where you can add details about your image. It’s important to complete these details (see the image below).
  • Click the ‘Copy‘ button in the URL box.
Image highlighting the URL address of an image or photo in the WordPress media library.
Copy the URL address of the image or photo.
  • Paste the URL address into your comment.
  • Do not, at this stage, submit your comment as you need to edit one part of the text within the link.
  • Carefully delete the ‘s‘ from the ‘https‘ at the beginning of the link address, so it reads ‘http‘. (If you do not delete the ‘s‘ the image will not show in the comment).
  • Ensure your link ends with ‘.png’ or ‘.jpg’. If it doesn’t, delete any text after ‘.png’ or ‘.jpg’.
  • You can now submit your comment.

The image will now show on the comment. However, remember that if you are leaving an image in a comment on another blogger’s blog, they may have to approve it (and may even remove the link to the image) before it shows up.

I’ve only found this to work on WordPress.Com blogs. On self-hosted blogs, only the link to the image is visible rather than the image appearing. However, those clicking on the link will see the image.

Note – Not all images and photos will show if the security settings on your web browser are set high. However, this does not affect the photos or pictures you leave in the comments of your own blog posts. I recommend that you not change the security settings on your web browser.

Let’s wrap it up.

  • Yes, it is possible to insert images and photos into comments on WordPress.
  • After inserting the URL address of the image, ensure you remove the ‘s‘ from the beginning of the URL so that ‘https’ becomes ‘http.’
  • Only leave images and photos in comments if invited to do so or if you have asked for permission to do so first.
  • If the security settings on your web browser are set high, images and photos may not show. However, this does not affect the photos or pictures you leave in the comments of your own blog posts.

Want to give inserting an image or photo into a comment a go?

Leave me a comment with the link to your image. Perhaps it can be a photo of your latest book cover or of a family pet. I’ll leave it up to you, but only family-friendly images and photos, please.

If you have any further questions about inserting images or photos into the comments, leave them in the comments section.

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9 Hidden Useful Tools You May Not Know About On The Posts Page Of A WordPress Blog

Published on by Hugh W. Roberts63 Comments

Have you noticed the three horizontal dots next to your blog posts when viewing the ‘Posts‘ page of your blog’s dashboard on WordPress? If not, you’re missing out on some useful tools that will help save you time when blogging and make your blog posts appeal to even more readers.

Light blue image with the words '9 Hidden Useful Tools You May Not Know About On The Posts Page Of A WordPress Blog' in white text
Have you discovered these 9 hidden blogging tools on WordPress?

For the purpose of this post, I’m viewing my blog’s dashboard in ‘Default‘ view.  

These three horizontal dots are known by numerous names, my favourite being a ‘Meatball Menu.’

Not sure what I’m referring to? Here’s a screenshot pointing out the meatball menu on the dashboard of the posts page of my blog.

 

Image highlighting a meatball menu on the posts page of a WordPress Blog
The Meatball Menu.

When you click on the meatball menu against a post, the three horizontal dots change to three vertical dots (known as a kebab Menu), and nine options appear.

Let’s investigate each option. 

Edit

  • Click this button to edit or update a post. Useful when spotting mistakes. Don’t forget to press the Update button to save any changes you make. 

View

  • This button does more than just show a preview of your post. It also offers the option of previewing the post as it appears on a desktop computer, tablet and phone. You should always preview your posts before publishing them.
Image showing the display menu when clicking the 'view' option on the posts page of a WordPress blog.
See your post in desktop, tablet and phone form.
  • The Search & Social button (at the bottom of the menu) allows you to preview your post as it appears on Facebook, Twitter (now known as X), and a Google search. 
  • I recommend you always preview your post first to ensure they are mobile-friendly, especially given that most people now read blog posts on tablets and phones. 

Promote With Blaze

Blaze is a way to pay to have a post advertised by WordPress, putting it in front of thousands of new readers.

You can advertise a post or page on some of the millions of pages across WordPress.com and Tumblr from $5 per day. This option is not available to bloggers who have a free WordPress plan.

Stats

  • Click ‘Stats‘ to check a post’s latest daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly stats.
  • For some WordPress plans, you can view a post’s stats for emails opened and how many people who got the email clicked the link to view the post.  
  • You can also view who clicked the ‘like‘ button on the post and how often ‘like‘ has been clicked. 

 

Image showing stats for a blog post when clicking the stats option in the kebab menu
What’s behind the ‘Stats’ option?
  • Under ‘Post Likes‘, hover your mouse over any of the profile icons to display the blog name of the blogger.
  • Click on an icon to view a list of that blogger’s blog posts, how many posts they have published, how many followers they have, a list of their most popular tags, and a follow button (WordPress.Com bloggers only). This is a great way to find new blogs to follow.
  • If you’re already following a blogger who has clicked ‘like‘, the ‘follow‘ button will be replaced with the word ‘following.’ 

 

Image showing details of a blog of somebody who clicked 'like' on a post.
Are you following somebody who clicked ‘like’ on your post?
  • To unfollow, click the ‘Following‘ button. 

Comments

View all the comments that have been left on a post.

Along the top, you can view the following information for a post. 

  • The number of comments it has received.
  • The number of comments that are pending (waiting for approval).
  • The number of comments that have been approved.
  • The number of comments you or WordPress have marked as spam.
  • The number of comments that have been sent to the trash folder.
  • Your replies to comments also show on this page.

You can also sort comments by newest first and oldest first.

With just one click, the ‘bulk edit‘ button allows you to perform a command (approve, un-approve, send to spam, send to trash). However, the ‘bulk edit‘ is only done per page, so if the post has many comments, you’ll need to bulk edit each page.

Image showing options in the comments section of a WordPress post.
An easier way to view comments on a post.
  • You can also perform the following under the comments link –
  • View the post.
  • Approve a comment.
  • Mark and send a comment to the spam folder.
  • Send a comment to the trash bin.
  • Like a comment.
  • Edit a comment.
  • Reply to a comment.

To the right of each comment is a ‘User Info‘ button. Clicking on this button reveals the following information. 

  • The name of the commenter’s WordPress blog. 
  • The commenter’s email address.
  • A link to the commenter’s blog/website.
  • The IP address of the commenter.

You’ll also see a ‘Block User‘ button when clicking ‘User Info.’ If you press ‘Block User,’ any further comments from that user on any of your blog posts are sent directly to your WordPress trash folder. 

Share

  • This neat button allows you to auto-share details of the post to the social media accounts WordPress have an auto-share facility with which you have connected to your blog.
  • Click on the ‘Share Post‘ button to share the post.
Image showing the auto-sharing facility behind the 'sharing' option on WordPress.
Have you set up auto-sharing for your blog posts?
  • The preview button displays your post’s appearance on Facebook, Twitter (now X), LinkedIn, Mastodon, Instagram Business and Tumblr (provided you have set up auto-sharing with them).
  • You can also manage all your social media auto-share connections by clicking on ‘Manage Connections.’  

Copy Post

  • This is my favourite of all the options on the kebab menu.
  • Not only will clicking on this button duplicate your post, but the categories and tags of the post are also copied over. 
  • This is especially beneficial if you run a daily/weekly/monthly blog challenge, series, or promotional posts on your blog.
  • It’s saved me lots of time by not copying, pasting, or redoing links, images, text, tags, and categories. 
  • I also use the ‘copy post‘ function for posts with the same layout (such as my ‘Wordless Wednesday’ posts. 
  • However, if you write excerpts for your blog posts (and I recommend you do), remember to change the excerpt before publishing the post. Otherwise, the excerpt may not make sense. 

Copy Link

  • A link to the post is copied to the clipboard of the device you are using. You can paste the link into an email, message, website, blog post, comment, etc. 

Trash

  • Clicking this button will send your post to the trash folder.
  • You can reinstate the post from the trash folder if you accidentally clicked it.

Let’s wrap things up.

  • There are nine hidden options available to WordPress.Com users on the page that displays their blog posts (and pages).
  • The options are hidden behind a menu known as a meatball menu.
  • The meatball menu opens up a kebab menu listing all available options.
  • Some of the options do exactly as they say on the can.
  • However, other options lead to lots more options and functions.
  • The comments option has a hidden ‘Block User‘ button – great for blocking comments from spammers or those you don’t want leaving comments anymore.
  • No need to copy and paste – The copy option copies an existing blog post and copies over the categories, tags and any images you have on that post, saving you lots of time.
  • It’s worth checking out all the options, especially as some are time-saving functions.

I hope you have found this post useful. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments section.

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Is Now The Time For WordPress To Remove The Like Button From All Blog Posts?

Published on by Hugh W. Roberts129 Comments

Do you remember how you felt when somebody first pressed the ‘like’ button on one of your early blog posts?

Does the ‘like’ button lose its appeal the longer you blog?

Do you notice who has clicked the ‘like’ button on any posts?

Is the ‘like’ button overrated?

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Is it time to remove the ‘like’ button on your blog?

When I first started blogging, the ‘like’ button on blogs was something I thought was one of the best ideas about blogging.

Getting a ‘like’ on one of my posts gave me the best feeling. I thought anybody clicking the ‘like’ button had read my post.

For me, a ‘like’ indicated that somebody had taken the time to read what I had written. Yes, somebody in the big wide world had taken a few minutes to read and like something I had written.

It also motivated me to write more blog posts in the hope that they would attract even more ‘likes.’ Of course, if somebody also left a comment, that was a bonus!

The Like button doesn’t have any disadvantages, does it?

It was not long before I discovered that the ‘like’ button has disadvantages.

Some bloggers said that seeing too many ‘likes’ on a blog post makes them feel demoralised.

In turn, some users go on to delete or abandon their blog or develop ‘blogging envy’ at seeing how well other users are doing compared to themselves.

I know of one user who admitted that, for them, ‘the number of ‘likes’ was more important than the content’; in other words, they saw blogging as more of a popularity contest.

I have never envied seeing bloggers get hundreds of likes, but I understand why some bloggers may envy it.

As I grew the list of the blogs I followed, it wasn’t long before I realised that there was not enough time in my day to read, like, and comment on all the blogs I followed.

Given that some of the bloggers I followed were publishing new blog posts more than once a day I was soon overwhelmed and drowned in a sea of voices, all wanting my attention.

Doing the following is not a solution.

Rather than unfollow any blogs, I began to ‘like’ posts without reading them. I thought that doing this would indicate to the blogger (who had written the post) that I had read their post, and they, in turn, would continue to read and ‘like’ my posts. I was fooling both them and myself.

I soon discovered that other bloggers and readers were playing the same game because they were all in the same boat as me. Some users (including me) were misusing the’ like’ button.

A dilemma. What would you have done?

When I read a blog post about the death of somebodies wife, I asked myself what I should do. Should I click ‘like’ or just leave a thoughtful comment? After all, many readers had already clicked the ‘like’ button on the post. Did those who clicked it not read the post? How could they have pressed the ‘like’ button on a post about somebodies death?

That was the day I left my first comment without clicking the ‘like’ button. Now I’m doing it much more often. Do you leave comments without clicking the ‘like’ button?

Would you press the like button on a post that contained bad news or news of death?

What shocked me the most about the ‘like’ button.

What shocked me the most was why some bloggers and readers click ‘like’ even if they have not read the post. The most surprising reason why bloggers do it was that it ‘shows support’ for the blogger who had written the post, even if they didn’t have time to read it.

Really? Liking a post without reading it is a way to support other bloggers? Are there no better ways to support bloggers? Of course, there are.

Should you remove the ‘Like’ button from your blog?

I did it about four years ago and was inundated with messages from readers who said that they missed seeing the ‘like’ button. When I asked why they missed it, only a few responded, most saying that it was a way to say they’d visited even if they didn’t read the post or leave a comment saying so.

When I enquired what kind of comment they’d leave if they’d not read the post, most said a comment that confirmed they’d visited.

How would you feel if a reader told you they’d clicked ‘like’ on one of your posts, but they’d not read it?

Of course, there’s also the other side of the coin. Just because somebody hasn’t clicked the ‘like’ button does not mean they have not read the post.

Do you notice the gravatar icons next to the ‘like’ button?

These days, I take little if any notice of them. I’d go as far as to say that the ‘like’ button found at the end of blog posts should probably disappear for good.

Not everyone misuses the ‘like’ button. And remember, there are many other ways to support a blogger than clicking ‘like.’

For example, occasionally, leaving a blogger a valuable comment that adds value to their post. Or ask questions about their post’s content to show you’re interested in what they’ve written.

Don’t become a ‘comment spammer‘ by leaving empty comments hoping you’ll get comments back on your posts.

Of course, if you’re happy with the comments section on your blog containing boring comments that serve no purpose other than saying that those who left them visited your blog, click away.

Why do some bloggers press the ‘like’ button on their blog posts?

That’s a question I’d love to know the answer to. Can you help? Does it benefit the post or their blog or make it look odd?

Don’t have time to leave thoughtful comments?

Rather than spend small amounts of time leaving pointless comments on many posts, use the time you save not leaving them by leaving the occasional comment that adds value to the post. Most bloggers will value you more for leaving a thoughtful comment occasionally than leaving many comments that add no value.

One thoughtful comment that adds value to a post is worth hundreds of comments that add no value.

When and for what reasons do you use the ‘like’ button on WordPress? Have you ever misused it, and would you miss it if WordPress removed it from all blogs?

Before you answer my questions or leave a comment, this is what WordPress says about the ‘like’ button.

Let’s say you’ve found a particularly awesome post on WordPress.com. You’d like to tip your hat to the author and give him or her credit. At the bottom of the post, you see the Like button. Press it, and the author will know that you have acknowledged an exceptional, phenomenal blog post.

WordPress.com

Please feel free to answer any of the questions I have asked throughout this post by leaving me a comment. I look forward to hearing what you have to say.

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This Is Why It’s Important To Leave The Right Comments On Blogs: 9 Ways

Published on by Hugh W. Roberts132 Comments

Leaving comments on other blogs is a great way to connect with other bloggers, build relationships, and drive traffic to your blog. But it’s essential to do it the right way to be effective.

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Are you making the most of your comments?

Here are nine essential points about comments (including what kind of comments to leave) that will help you get the most out of this strategy:

  • 1. Read the blog post first. It may seem obvious, but ensure you’ve read the whole blog post before leaving a comment. This will help you avoid leaving comments that are off-topic or that have already been addressed by the blogger. If you have a question unrelated to the post’s topic, contact the blogger via their contact page. 
  • 2. Be thoughtful and constructive. When you leave a comment, add something of value to the conversation. Share your own thoughts and experiences, Ask questions and start conversations. If you think the post is excellent, expand on why rather than saying, ‘Great post’ and rushing off.
  • 3. You can build relationships with other bloggers. When you leave a thoughtful comment on another blog, you show the blogger that you appreciate their work and are interested in what they say. This can help you build relationships with other bloggers, leading to the possibility of guest posts, interviews, and other forms of collaboration. Friendships can also be made.
  • 4. You can drive traffic to your own blog. If you leave a helpful or insightful comment on another blog, other readers may be interested in checking out your blog. This can drive traffic to your blog and increase your readership. However, ensure you’ve linked your blog to your Gravatar; otherwise, it won’t work.
  • 5. You can improve your own writing skills. When you leave comments on other blogs, think about your own writing and how you can improve it. Don’t rush to leave a comment; check for any mistakes before leaving it. This can help you become a better writer overall. Other bloggers and readers will determine how much time you have for them by the type of comments you leave.
  • 6. You can learn new things. You are exposed to new ideas and perspectives when reading other blogs’ comments section. This can help you learn new things and expand your knowledge base. It will also open up ideas for new blog posts.
  • 7. You can have fun. Leaving comments on other blogs can be a fun and rewarding experience. It’s a great way to connect with others who share your interests and learn new things. However, always ensure your comments are thoughtful and constructive. And only leave comments if you are genuinely interested in the post’s subject. Don’t force yourself to leave comments or feel obliged to leave one.
  • 8. Be respectful. There’s a difference between constructive criticism and just being rude or negative. If you have a genuine issue with something in the post, try to approach it in a respectful and constructive manner. If you can’t find anything positive to say, it’s probably best not to leave a comment at all. The same goes for rude comments to or about other bloggers. Be respectful.
  • 9. Be patient. It may take some time to build relationships with other bloggers through comments. You may see results later. Give it time; remember that not everyone will be interested in your blog’s content. Just because you comment on other blogs does not mean they’ll enjoy and want to leave comments on your blog.

An important message to new bloggers about responding to comments

I’ve recently followed a handful of new bloggers. However, although I’ve read their posts, left them thoughtful comments, and asked questions about their posts, only two of them replied.

To those that didn’t respond: Don’t ignore comments left on your blog posts. Always reply to them or acknowledge them. You’ll gain more followers and readers by engaging with other bloggers rather than lose followers and probably end up abandoning your blog when followers fail to materialise.

Now an important message to all bloggers about leaving comments

Avoid leaving spam comments on other people’s blogs. This includes comments that have nothing to do with the post or are clearly just an attempt to promote your blog or product. Not only is this annoying, but it can also damage your reputation and credibility as a blogger.

If you need help with something, contact the blogger directly rather than leaving a link to your blog asking for help.

Don’t have time to leave comments?

Some bloggers will tell you they don’t have time to leave thoughtful and constructive comments.

I say – If you don’t have time, click the ‘like’ button and move on. After all, isn’t that what the ‘like button is for?

Nobody will care if you don’t leave comments on all their blog posts. I certainly do not expect everyone who reads my posts to leave a comment.

What’s the worst type of comment somebody can leave?

My answer: Bloggers who leave nothing but a link to their blog as a comment. Those comments all go straight to my spam folder.

Leaving a link as a comment shows that you’re only interested in promoting yourself and not adding value to the conversation. Instead, leave a genuine comment that shows you actually read the post and have something meaningful to contribute.

Let’s wrap it up

In conclusion, leaving the right comments on blogs is essential for building relationships, engaging with other bloggers, and growing your own audience.

By following these tips, you can ensure that your comments add value to the conversation and help you establish yourself as a thoughtful and respected blogging community member.

What’s the worst type of comment somebody can leave you? Do you have any tips you’d like to add about leaving comments on blogs? Leave them in the comments section?

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Do You Crave More People To Engage With On Your Blog? Check These Settings Now.

Published on by Hugh W. Roberts83 Comments

How easily can all visitors engage with you on your blog?

Is it as easy as you think it is?

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Did you know that you could be preventing some visitors to your blog from leaving you comments?

After receiving an e-mail from Jean, who blogs at DelightfulRepast.com, who had seen one of my posts at the Senior Salon Pitstop weekly linky party hosted by Esme and Julie, I was somewhat concerned when she mentioned that it wasn’t easy for her to engage with me on my blog.

Jean explained that she didn’t want to leave her e-mail address, create a WordPress account or use social media to be able to leave me comments. I understand why she didn’t want to leave any of those details. After all, our information is private and shouldn’t be given out if we don’t want to give it out.

WordPress offers ‘Discussions‘ options where users can decide how easily readers can engage with them without leaving any personal details. I thought I already had this option switched off, so nobody needed to leave any personal details, and I was right, but it didn’t explain why Jean thought she had to leave her personal details if she wanted to comment on my posts.

Upon further checking my discussion settings, I saw where the confusion was coming from and want to highlight it so those who wish to engage with me without personal details can still leave comments knowing they do not need to give any personal information.

Let’s Look At The Discussion Settings On WordPress.

  • Ensure you’re viewing your blog’s dashboard in the Default view. To do this, click on the View button in the top right of the screen when viewing your blog’s dashboard.
  • Go to Settings – Discussion.
Screenshot highlighting the discussion setting on the dashboard of a WordPress blog
Make sure you’re viewing your blog’s dashboard in the Default view.
  • On the Discussions Settings page, look for the Comments box.
Image highlighting the Comments settings on the Discussion Settings page of a WordPress blog.
Look for the comments settings box.

As you will see from the above screenshot, I have turned off both the ‘Comment author must fill out name and e-mail‘ and ‘Users must be registered and logged in to comment‘ options. So why wasn’t Jean able to leave me a comment?

It seems that, for whatever reason, in their wisdom, WordPress has decided to still show visitors a login box when these options have been switched off. This is what Jean and visitors who are not logged in see.

Screenshot highlighting the login box when wanting to leave a comment on a WordPress blog.
The log in box tricks visitors into believing they have to leave personal details to be able to leave comments.

And this is what WordPress say –

Comment author must fill out name and e-mail: When this setting is on, anyone leaving a comment will be forced to leave a name and a valid e-mail address. If the setting is off, visitors can leave anonymous comments. While your commenters do not have to fill in the e-mail field if you’ve turned this setting off, it will still be visible to them when they comment.

So I understand why Jean thought I wasn’t making it easy for her to engage with me.

If you only want readers to engage with you who must leave their name and email address, ensure you have this option switched on.

If you only want comments from readers who are logged in and registered, ensure you have the ‘Users must be registered and logged in to comment‘ setting switched on.

If you want comments from both, ensure both settings are switched on.

However, if, like me, you’re happy to allow anyone to leave you a comment, then switch both of these settings off.

Don’t forget to click the ‘Save‘ button in the Comments settings box if you make any changes.

Are There Any Disadvantages To Switching These Discussion Settings Off?

The main disadvantage is that it could open the gates for spammers and trolls to leave you comments. However, the Akismet antispam software on WordPress catches and places the majority of spam into your blog’s spam folder, so you’ll never see it unless you check what’s in it.

Further down on the Discussion Settings page, there is more help to filter out spam and troll comments.

  • Look for the ‘Before A Comment Appears‘ box, and you’ll see these two options.
  1. Comment must be manually approved: If this setting is on, all comments will go into moderation, and they will need to be approved by you before appearing on your blog.
  2. Comment author must have a previously approved comment: If this option is on, any visitors that have had a comment approved on your blog in the past will get a free pass through approval and only comments from new visitors will go into moderation.

As you will see from the following screenshot, my blog is set for manually approving all comments before they appear on any of my posts.

Screenshot highlighting the 'Comments moderation' settings on WordPress
Decide which level of protection you want to stop the comments of spammers and trolls from appearing on your blog posts.

This helps me stop unprofessional, rude, nasty comments from appearing on any of my posts, even if they’re from somebody who has previously left a friendly comment.

My thanks to Jean for contacting me about discussion settings on blogs. And apologies for the confusion WordPress causes in insisting a login box shows when visitors do not need to leave any personal details when wanting to engage or leave a comment.

If you see a login box or are asked to leave your name and email address when leaving a comment, try leaving a comment without filling in personal details or logging in. If the blogger you’re engaging with has switched off the ‘Comment author must fill out name and e-mail‘ and ‘Users must be registered and logged in to comment.‘ options, your comment will go through.

If either or one of those options is switched on, you’ll need to follow the instructions to be able to leave a comment.

Let’s wrap it up.

  • Check the discussion settings on your blog to see if you’re preventing visitors from leaving comments.
  • Decide whether you want only certain visitors to be able to leave comments or if you’re happy for all visitors to leave comments.
  • The majority of spam comments will go straight to your spam folder. Remember to empty your spam folder regularly.
  • To stop comments from trolls appearing on your blog posts, switch on the ‘Comment must be manually approved‘ setting.
  • Consider whether comments from those who have previously left you a friendly comment do not need to be manually approved by you.

If you have questions about the discussion settings on your WordPress blog, leave them in the comments section.

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This Is How Easy It Is To Centre Captions Underneath Images And Photos On WordPress

Published on by Hugh W. Roberts56 Comments

Once upon a time, getting captions to centre underneath photos and images on blog posts involved adding complicated CSS code to your blog.

I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t look right to me whenever I see uncentred captions. It gives blog posts a messy look.

However, WordPress now makes it much easier to centre captions under blog posts, images and photos.

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Are your captions centred?

Here’s my simple guide to centring captions.

  • Add an image or photo to a blog post.
  • Click on the image to open the image toolbar.
Image of a photo on a WordPress blog highlighting the image toolbar
How to centre a caption

You’ll see that the caption is aligned to the left under the above photo. Arghhhhh!

  • On the toolbar, click on the ‘Align‘ button and on the dropdown menu that appears, click on ‘Align Centre.’
Image highlighting the Align Centre button on WordPress
Click on the Align Centre button.
  • The image or photo will now be centred on your blog post, as will the caption.
Image showing a centred caption under an image on a WordPress blog.
The caption is now centred underneath the photo.

How easy was that? No more ‘Arghhhhhs.’

The example I have given above works on the Block editor.

Of course, if you prefer captions on your blog posts to be aligned to the left or right, you can ignore everything I’ve said in this post.

If you have any questions about centring captions, leave them in the comments section.

Looking for more blogging tips? Click on the ‘Blogging Tips’ and ‘Block Editor – How To’ buttons on the menubar of my blog.

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