In today’s fast-paced world, there’s no doubt that time is of the essence.
As bloggers, we’re all looking for ways to streamline our workflows and get more done in less time. This is where reusable blocks on WordPress come into play.
Save time by using reusable blocks on WordPress.
What is a reusable block on WordPress?
It’s a block of content you can save and reuse in multiple places on your site. This means that you don’t need to recreate the same content over and over again.
They are easy to create and save you lots of time when you need to edit something that can be found all over your blog. Any changes you make to a reusable block occur wherever it appears on your blog.
Let’s say you are an author with a collection of books that you have added to a block on over 500 of your blog posts. You decide to cut the price of all or one of your books for a limited time.
You could advertise the price cut on a new blog post, but what about all those blog posts that now contain the incorrect price of your books?
Turning the current block advertising your books into a reusable block allows you to edit the block, and the changes occur on all the posts where you have inserted it.
If you’ve never created a reusable block, follow the guide below. For this demonstration, I’m using the social media block containing links to all my social media accounts and WordPress’s ‘default’ view in the images and instructions.
How to turn a block into a reusable block.
Find the block you want to turn into a reusable block.
Click anywhere in the block and click on the three dots (kebab menu) icon in the block’s toolbar.
Click ‘Create Reusable block.’
Creating reusable blocks is easy.
Give your reusable block a name to quickly locate it the next time you use it.
Give your reusable block a name.
That’s it – you’ve just created a reusable block!
Don’t forget to click the ‘save‘ button to save your reusable block.
Are all the reusable blocks I create stored in one place?
Yes. They are stored under the ‘Reusable’ tab (diamond shape) in the block lists available on the block editor. In the image below, I’ve highlighted the reusable tab and the new reusable block I’ve created.
All your reusable blocks are stored in one place.
To add it to a post, select it from the list and place the block where you want it to appear in your post.
What can reusable blocks be used for?
Anything you like, but here are a few suggestions.
Links to social media sites.
Lists of your social media sites.
An author bio.
An author photo.
An author bio and photo.
Details of your books and where they can be purchased.
Copyright notices.
Mailing list subscription links.
Links to posts on your blog or those of other bloggers.
Links to other blogs you have or are a part of.
Links to where customers can purchase your goods/services.
Link to your blog’s ‘about’ page.
Links to notices such as ‘How to apply to become a guest blogger on my blog.’
Writing/photography prompt/challenge blog posts.
A weekly/monthly feature post.
A sentence or paragraph that you use a lot.
Can reusable blocks be edited?
Yes. You can edit a block’s title and contents by clicking on ‘Manage all Reusable blocks‘, which can be found at the bottom of the list of the reusable blocks you have created.
Reusable blocks can be edited.
From here, you can edit titles and content. You can also delete blocks.
Warning – if you delete a block you’ve used on previous posts, it will disappear from those posts and display a notice stating that the block is no longer available. So, be careful when deleting reusable blocks.
To edit a reusable block, click the kebab menu and click ‘edit.’ You can also delete reusable blocks from this menu.
Click the kebab menu to edit a reusable block.
Remember that any edits or updates you make to a reusable block are applied all over your blog where the block has been used.
How to edit a block.
I want to add a Mastodon button to my social media bar. To do this, I need to click on the ‘+‘ symbol after clicking on the block while in edit mode.
Adding A Mastodon button
A Mastodon button is now part of my reusable social media block.
A Mastodon button is now added.
You can also convert a reusable block into a regular block by clicking on the kebab menu in the block’s toolbar and then on ‘Convert to Regular Block.’
Converting a reusable block to a regular block
Creating and using reusable blocks has saved me lots of time. They are simple to use and straightforward to make. I highly recommend giving them a try.
Do you use reusable blocks on your WordPress site? If so, what do you use them for?Do you have any questions about reusable blocks? Let us know in the comments section.
Layout, content, settings, and format might differ on self-hosted blogs.
This is an updated version of a post originally published on Hugh’s Views And News in 2020.
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Sometimes, the world of blogging can seem like a terrifying place.
With copyright pitfalls, slippery slopes to guilt, stress and bloggers’ burnout to avoid, it can make any blogger want a hasty retreat.
But fear not! I am here to help you avoid these 7 scary things I’ve seen bloggers confess they are terrified of.
Are you scared of anything in the blogging world?
1. Trolls
I’ve had my fair share of visits from internet trolls. They get a lot of enjoyment from spreading their nastiness around the world of blogging.
Not only have the trolls aimed their nasty comments at me, but they also try to trick other commentators into getting into a battle with them.
After an incident which involved a troll attacking another blogger within the comments section on one of my posts, I switched to moderating all comments.
It’s a simple process to set up on WordPress.
Here’s how to do it
In the menu of your blog’s dashboard admin centre, click on Discussion (under Settings).
Click on Discussion
On the Discussion page, look for the ‘Before a comment appears‘ section and turn on ‘Comment must be manually approved.’
Click the Save Settings button.
Turn on ‘Comment must be manually approved.’
If you’re happy to allow comments from those who have commented before to appear without any moderation from yourself, turn on ‘Comment author must have a previously approved comment‘ (just under Comment must be manually approved).
However, be aware that there’s always a chance that a friendly blogger can suddenly turn into a troll. I’m talking from experience. It happened on my blog when somebody who had left lots of seemingly lovely comments suddenly turned into a troll and personally attacked another blogger.
The best way to deal with trolls is to never respond to their comments. Ignore them.
Mark the offending comment as spam, and mark any further comments from them the same way. Once you do so, WordPress will soon get used to sending all comments from the troll to your WordPress spam folder.
2. Tags and Categories
Many bloggers are terrified when using tags and categories on their blog posts. Some are so terrified of them that they don’t use them.
They panic when deciding what keywords to use as tags and whether to categorise their blog posts.
Some even go as far as using keywords that have nothing to do with their post, thus fooling readers to their posts.
The best tags to use are one or two words long. For example, if you’re tagging a blog post for a recipe for chocolate chip cookies, use tags such as baking, bake, cookery, food, ingredients, cookies, chocolate biscuits, etc.
When somebody searches on WordPress for keywords you have as tags, your blog post will appear in the search results.
When adding tags or categories, ask yourself what tags and categories you’d add to a search bar when searching for the information in the post you’re about to publish.
Here are some recent results my blog has had from user searches on WordPress.
What are your most popular tags and categories?
Pitfall alert – never use more than 15 tags and categories on a blog post. Why? Because blog posts containing more than 15 tags and categories (combined) can be classed as spam by WordPress and will not appear on the WordPress Reader. Click here for more details about tags.
Always categorise your blog posts. Not categorising is like throwing your post onto the top of a colossal mishmash pile that nobody will want to try and wade through.
Not sure how to categorise your blog posts? Click here to find out.
Question: What’s the most terrifying category any blogger can use?
‘Uncategorised.’
3. Nobody will read my blog and engage with me
When I started to blog, I was terrified that nobody would read any of my blog posts. I visioned myself on a stage in front of a large theatre full of empty seats.
That’s how it begins for many bloggers, but there are ways to start filling up your blogging theatre.
Read and leave beneficial, meaningful, helpful comments that add value to the blog posts of other bloggers.
Participate in a blog party or link-up where you can meet other bloggers.
Look for opportunities to write guest posts for other bloggers.
Open up the opportunity for other bloggers to write guest posts for your blog.
Ensure you promote your blog and blog posts on all your social media accounts.
Once you start to become part of blogging communities, people will come and visit your blog. Not all will follow you back, but interaction with other bloggers is a great way to build a readership.
Before you know it, the seats in your blogging theatre will start filling up.
Warning – do not leave uninvited links on other bloggers’ posts begging people to visit your blog. Many bloggers classify uninvited links as spam that belong in the trash bin.
4. Social Media
I was lucky that I had already encountered the frightening world of social media when I started blogging. However, I still hear many bloggers say how terrified they are of it.
Yes, social media can seem like an evil monster, but the trick is not to spread yourself too thin by thinking you must have an account on all social media platforms.
If you allow it, social media will take up much of your time. It does need some hard work and dedication to work correctly but limit yourself to two or three social media accounts at the most.
Begin by trying some of them out. You’ll soon discover which ones work best for you.
Once you know which ones you like, be strict with how much time you spend on them. Don’t allow social media to suck your time away.
After using most of today’s social media platforms, I discovered I enjoyed using Twitter the most. It now brings in a lot of traffic to my blog.
Twitter brings in the most traffic to my blog.
Which social media platform brings your blog the most traffic?
Once you know which social media platforms you enjoy using and which work best for you, remember to ensure you have sharing buttons on all your blog posts so readers can share them on their social media platforms.
Click here to find out more about sharing buttons.
5. Following Too Many Blogs
Not only do I occasionally get shocked by how many blogs I am following, but it can become a frightening prospect knowing that there is no way I’m ever going to be able to read all the blog posts of all those blogs I follow.
Following too many blogs can become overwhelming, especially if you receive notifications of new posts via email.
Bloggers who follow too many blogs only leave short worthless comments because they don’t have the time to leave thoughtful, helpful comments. They’re in too much of a hurry to get around to reading all the new blog posts of all the blogs they follow in fear that if they fail, they’ll offend someone or lose followers.
Remember that Blogging is a marathon, not a sprint!
I cut back on the number of blogs I follow every few months.
My reasons for unfollowing a blog can be –
I no longer find the content interesting.
No new content published for a long time.
Unfollowing because a blogger does not reply to comments.
Too much poor-quality content.
Publishing too many blog posts in a short space of time.
It’s easy to manage the number of blogs you follow.
Here’s how to do it.
On the My Home page of your blog, click on the ‘Reader‘ button (next to My Site).
Click the Reader button.
On the Reader page, click on the “Manage‘ button on the screen.
Click on the Manage button.
You’ll then see a list of the blogs you are following.
You can sort the list by ‘date followed‘ or ‘site name.’
Sorting out the blogs you follow
Go through the list and decide which blogs to unfollow.
To unfollow a blog, click on the word Following next to the blog you want to unfollow.
Once you’ve unfollowed a blog, the word Follow will show next to it.
To refollow the blog, click on Follow.
Ensure you review which blogs you follow at least once every six months.
6. The Spam Monster
Many bloggers become a victim of the scary spam monster.
They get stressed out by the huge amounts of spam they get and become so overwhelmed with it that they do drastic things, such as closing the door in their readers’ faces by turning off comments on their blog posts.
I’ve also witnessed bloggers turn off comments on all their blog posts and request that readers leave comments on social media or via email. That’s not how blogging is supposed to work.
Although it’s been on WordPress since the end of 2018, the block editor still terrifies some bloggers.
Some stopped blogging even without reading and watching WordPress and other bloggers’ free tutorials on how to use it.
I was soon transformed into a monster when I first tried using the block editor.
I only tried the block editor for five minutes (without reading and watching tutorials) and soon became the ‘hate change’ monster.
Nothing was going to make me start using something that promised to change and improve the way I blogged or that promised to save me time when drafting new blog posts.
Then, during a particularly dark, dull day, I pulled up my big boy trousers, read some tutorials and watched videos on how the block editor works.
Click here to watch the latest video on how to use the block editor.
I gave it another try, but I gave it more time.
My blog posts suddenly took on a new look that made them more appealing, impressive and unique. The block editor was changing the way I blogged.
I soon started to save myself lots of time drafting blog posts as the benefits of using the block editor began to pay off.
Now, not only do I consider the switch from the classic editor to the block editor the best change I’ve ever made on my blogging journey, but I’m delighted that I never gave in to the ‘hate change’ monster.
Set up a draft post on your blog where you can try the block editor.
And if you’re still not convinced, the classic editor is available via the Classic block. Sadly some bloggers refuse to use the Classic block because it means using the block editor. Don’t become one of them.
Where to find the Classic block
Let’s wrap it up
Don’t be afraid of anything in the blogging world.
Do not engage with trolls. Mark their comments as spam and consider moderating all comments on your blog posts.
Always add tags to your blog posts and categorise them. However, never use more than 15 tags and categories (combined) on any blog post.
Engage with other bloggers by leaving thoughtful, helpful comments that show you have read their posts.
Participate in blogging challenges and ask other bloggers if they’d like to write a guest post on your blog.
Promote your blog posts on all your social media channels. However, stick to one or two social media platforms and set a strict time limit using them.
Don’t be frightened of unfollowing blogs you are no longer interested in. Remember that blogging is a marathon, not a sprint.
Don’t become a victim of the spam monster. Check your blogging spam folder often and empty it.
Watch and read free tutorials on using the block editor before attempting to use it. If you still do not like it, use the classic editor via the Classic block.
Are there any scary things in the blogging world that have you closing your eyes in the hope that they are not really there? How did/do you deal with them? Share the details in the comments section.
Layout, content, settings, and format might differ on self-hosted blogs.
Looking for more blogging tips? Click on the ‘Blogging Tips’ and ‘Block Editor – How To’ buttons on the menubar of my blog.
Follow Hugh on social media. Click on the buttons below.
Do you struggle to find the blocks you use the most on the Block editor? With over 160 (and rising) blocks, it can be a daunting task.
Do you want an easy way to see the blocks you use the most, so you don’t have to find them?
Of course, you can use the search bar, but there is an easy way to show the blocks you use the most on WordPress.
Always have easy access to the blocks you use the most
Here’s how to do it.
On the draft page of a blog post, click on the kebab menu (located in the top right-hand corner), and on the new menu that opens, click on Preferences.
Click on the kebab menu and then on Preferences
In the new window that opens, click on Blocks.
Click on Blocks
Slide the ‘Show most used blocks’ button to the on position.
Slide the ‘Show most used blocks’ button
When you click on the add a new block button (‘+’), the blocks you use the most will now be displayed at the top of the blocks library list.
Most Used Blocks On the blog Hugh’s Views And News
Job completed.
My thanks to Jen, who blogs at WPcomMaven, for passing this information on to me.
Layout, content, settings, and format might differ on self-hosted blogs.
If you have questions about how to easily access the blocks you use the most on WordPress, 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.
Follow Hugh on social media. Click on the buttons below.
Would you like to save some time when drafting your blog posts?
Do you participate in a daily, weekly, monthly or annual blog challenge?
Do you get frustrated with or dislike having to copy and paste from one blog post to another?
Do you have reoccurring blog posts that only need minor changes?
Blogging Tips
If you participate in weekly blog challenges or publish posts that have the same layout every month, the ‘copy post‘ feature on the Block Editor is an excellent tool. It relieves all the stress and frustration of copying and pasting and finding the time to draft blog posts.
How To Copy A Blog Post
Here’s an image that will outline some upcoming vital points.
How To Copy A Blog Post On WordPress
1. Go to your blog’s ‘Posts’ page and find the post you want to copy. In my case, I’m copying a post I wrote for the weekly 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch.
2. Click the kebab menu (three vertical dots) next to the post.
3. From the dropdown menu that opens select ‘Copy Post.’
Open your draft folder, find the newly created blog post and make changes to it.
Essential changes you’ll need to make to the new post you’ve copied.
In some cases, such as the copied post I’ve used as an example, I didn’t need to add or change the categories or tags, so I saved myself even more time. However, I did need to update the pingbacks and images on the post.
However, overall, I saved myself time by copying an existing post and making amendments to it.
Copied Post
Schedule or publish your post.
That’s it! You’re done and will have saved yourself some precious time and got rid of the experience of frustrations that copying and pasting often bring when drafting blog posts.
Layout, content, settings, and format might differ on self-hosted blogs.
This is an updated version of a post originally published on Hugh’s Views And News in 2020.
Have you used the ‘Copy Post’ feature on WordPress? Do you have any more time-saving tips when drafting blog posts? Share them with me in the comments section.
Looking for more blogging tips from Hugh? Check out these posts.
Of all the blogs I follow, I’ve never yet seen them using the block I’m promoting today. I wonder if you’ve used it?
Once I tell you about this block, when showcasing some of the least visited parts of your blog, you’ll want to use it too. I’ll certainly be using it a lot more to help promote some of the parts of my blog that seldom receive visitors.
Have you discovered the Pages list block?
Do you feel sorry for the ‘pages’ on your blog?
If you’re unsure what I’m talking about, I’m talking about the pages you’ve created that sit behind the scenes of every blog. Blog posts are the performers, whereas blog pages are the behind-the-scenes folk.
What’s the difference between a blog page and a blog post?
Posts are entries listed on your blog in reverse chronological order. Think of them as articles or updates you share to offer up new content to your readers. Every time you publish a new post, a notification gets sent to your followers, and, in most cases, it appears on the WordPress Reader.
Pages are static and are not affected by date. Think of them as more permanent fixtures of your site — an About Me page, a Contact Me page, and a Home page are great examples of this. When you publish a page, your followers do not get any notifications that you’ve published it, nor does it appear on the WordPress Reader. Therefore, they rarely get viewed unless visitors to your blog click on links to them or on the menubar of your blog (where links to pages appear).
What happens if the home page of my blog is a page?
It should already be getting lots of views. I have the ‘about Hugh’ page of my blog set as my home page, which means it’s one of the most-visited parts of my blog.
What’s the block I’m referring to in the title of this post?
The ‘Page list‘ block. It’s there to help bloggers promote the behind-the-scenes pages of their blogs. I’ve included one on my ‘Meet Hugh‘ page. When you add it to a post or page, it automatically pulls through links to all the pages you have on your blog.
Before I add the ‘Page list’ block to this post, please don’t be tempted to click on any of the links in the block until you’ve read the rest of the post. You’ll discover why towards the end of this post.
Contact Hugh – is a secure way for visitors to my blog to contact me without leaving personal information in the comments section of any of my posts or pages. Every blog should have a channel for visitors to contact the owner, other than via leaving a comment. My blog post, How To Create And Add A Contact Me Form To Your WordPress Blog, gives full details.
My Books – details of all my books, what they are about, where they are on sale and some reviews.
Disclaimer & GDPR: This is something every blog should display. Never think or believe it doesn’t apply to you and your blog. It does!
Tales From Under The Rainbow – The first chapter of a work-in-progress I have underway. The blogging community helped by giving me feedback on sections I published on my blog. It’s the final result. Let me know what you think if you give it a read.
The Newlyweds – a flash fiction piece that turned into a short story after participating in the weekly 99-word flash fiction challenge hosted by Charli Mills at the Carrot Ranch. It’s a strange tale led by prompts. If you read it, let me know what you think about it.
Those are the six pages I have on my blog. In turn, all of them appear on the menubar of my blog.
Can the ‘Page list’ block be improved?
Yes. When clicking on any links on the ‘Page list’ block, they don’t open in a new tab on your device. It means you lose the post you’re reading. However, you’re still on the blog you’re reading, although in a different part.
You may not want all your pages to appear in the block, so another improvement is to have the choice to select specific pages you want to appear (as happens in the ‘Blog Posts‘ block).
I’m feeding both suggestions back to WordPress.
Where should the ‘Page list’ block be used?
I recommend not clicking on any of the links on the ‘Page list’ block earlier. I’d recommend inserting the block either towards or at the end of any blog post. Readers will likely have read most of your post before clicking links and taken away from your post.
Therefore, I’m including my ‘Page list’ block again.
If you’re an author of a published book, this is how creating a reusable block for your book will put it in front of hundreds of new visitors to your blog.
One of the best features of the Gutenberg Block Editor is the ability to create reusable blocks.
Once you’ve created a reusable block, any amendments you make to it get implemented wherever you’ve used it. If you’ve used the block on 50 of your blog posts, the changes take place on all of them regardless of when the posts (and pages) were published.
That means there is no need to visit each and every post to make the amendments. Just think how much time that will save you.
Reusable Blocks & Books
For authors, reusable blocks save lots of time when doing book promotions, such as offering a book as a free download or when offering a limited-time price reduction. And once the promotion is over, simply updating the reusable block takes care of all the changes all over your blog.
How Do I Create a Reusable Block For My Book?
Open up a new draft post.
Open up the ‘Media & Text‘ block. You can do this by clicking the ‘+‘ symbol in the top corner of the drafts page and inserting ‘Media & Text’ in the search bar.
Media & Text Block
Select the Media & Text block to insert it on your post, or select one of the options available for it (e.g. text on left/media on the right).
Next, click on ‘Media Area‘ and upload your book cover by clicking the ‘upload‘ button. If your book cover is already in your WordPress media library, click the ‘Select Media‘ button.
Click on the ‘Content…‘ area, and add content about your book in the ‘Content’ box.
While adding content, don’t forget to use the toolbar on the righthand side of the page to create headings, enlarge text, etc.
Top Tip: Create and include a link in the ‘Content’ area to where people can buy your book. In my example, I’ve created a link to Amazon by making ‘Available on Amazon‘ a pingback.
I recommend you also make the whole block a link to where people can buy your book. To do this, click on the block and create a pingback (see next image).
Tip: To stop people from losing your blog when clicking on pingbacks, always ensure you turn on the ‘Open in a new tab‘ button (#4 on the above image).
How Do I Turn The Block Into A Reusable Block?
Click on the block and click the kebab menu (three vertical buttons) in the toolbar that appears. From the menu, select ‘Add To Reusable Blocks‘.
Give the block a name and click the ‘Save‘ button.
Your reusable block is created and is now ready to be used on all your blog posts and pages.
Top Tip: Add the reusable block you’ve created for your book to the top three most viewed posts and pages of your blog. That way, even more visitors to these posts and pages will see details of your book.
How do I make amendments to reusable blocks?
Click the ‘+‘ sign in the top left corner of a drafts page, and select the ‘Reusable‘ tab (see next image).
Click on the ‘Manage Reusable Blocks‘ link at the bottom of the page (see next image).
Select the reusable block you want to edit.
Make the amendments and click the ‘Update‘ button.
Any amendments you have made are saved, even on the posts and pages you previously inserted the block on.
And here is the reusable block I’ve created.
Glimpses
28 short stories and pieces of flash fiction take the reader on a rollercoaster of twists and turns.
Every blogger should be active on at least one other social media platform besides blogging. Why? Because it’s a free way to get you, your blog and your books in front of new audiences.
Looking to promote your blog for free?
Unless you tell your readers what social media platforms you’re on, then they’ll probably only find you by chance. That’s why you should do all you can to promote where your readers can also find you and your books.
WordPress has made the ‘Social Icons’ widget into a block that makes it easy to advertise your social media accounts on your blog posts and pages. And, best of all, once you’ve created it, with a single click, you can add it to every blog post and page.
The ‘Social Icons‘ block takes away the ‘probably’ and does the job perfectly.
Let’s get started. Here’s how to create your ‘Social Icons’ block.
The ‘Social Icons’ block can be added to a new blog post (or one you’ve already published).
Click the ‘add new block button’.
Search for the block by adding ‘social icons’ in the search-bar.
Click the ‘Social Icons’ block to add it to your post.
Where to find the ‘Social Icons’ block
Next, follow the instructions on the following image to start adding social media icons to the block. I’ve also listed the instructions under the image.
Adding your social media accounts to the block
Click the ‘plus’ sign just above the window that shows social icons images.
Use the search-bar to find social icons.
Click on the social icons you want to add to the block.
For a full list of available social icons, click on ‘Browse all.’
In my case, I’ve added social icons for Twitter, WordPress, Amazon, Goodreads and Flipboard.
Social icons on the social icons block
Useful Tip: Use the ‘link‘ icon for any social icons WordPress does not have icons for. I’ve done this for my Flipboard account.
No social media icon? No problem!
Note: Until you’ve linked your social media accounts to the icons, they will be ‘ghosted’ out.
To link your social media accounts to each icon, click on each icon and copy and paste the URL address of the relevant social media account in the bar that appears.
Adding your social media accounts to the social icons
Remember to always click the ‘Apply’ button after adding each account.
As you add each address, the icon will no longer be ‘ghosted’ out.
Now you’ve added and linked your social media accounts to all icons, it’s time to choose a few more features. You’ll find these on the righthand side of the screen when clicking on the ‘Social Icons’ block you’ve created. Here’s a screenshot of what you’ll see and some features I’ve highlighted.
Social icons features
The features include –
The style of each icon. In my case I chose the ‘Pill’ shape for the icons.
The option of wether a new window opens when somebody clicks on one of the icons.
Choice of colours for the icons
I highly recommend that you switch on the ‘Open links in new tab‘ feature so that the page your reader is on when clicking on the icons does not close down. After all, you don’t want anybody leaving your blog when clicking on one of the icons, do you?
Can the size of the social icons be changed?
Yes. Click the ‘Size’ button in the ‘social Icons’ block’s toolbar to change the size of the icons.
Changing the size of your social media icons
You can also change the alignment and the items justification of the icons in the block’s toolbar.
How to turn your ‘Social Icon’ block into a reusable block.
If you want to add your ‘Social Icons’ block with just one click onto all your blog posts (and I recommend you do), you’ll need to make the block reusable. My post How To Add A Reusable Block To A WordPress Blog Using The Gutenberg Editor gives full details on how to do this, but here’s an image that quickly outlines the details.
Creating a reusable block
Any edits or updates you do to a reusable block are applied everywhere you’ve used the block. Therefore, if any of your social media accounts get a new URL address, all you need to do is edit the address in the reusable block. You don’t need to visit and make the changes on every blog post where the block appears. Reusable blocks are excellent for adding details of your books to blog posts especially when doing occasional special deals on them.
Finally, most importantly, make sure the icons in the block work and go to the correct social media accounts before using the block on your posts.
Let’s Wrap It Up
Social media is one of the best ways to promote your blog and books for free.
Use the ‘social icons’ block to promote your social media accounts and let readers know where to find you.
The ‘social icons’ block is easy to set up and use. Follow the guide in this post.
Use the ‘link’ icon to crate a button for social media platforms WordPress does not offer an icon for.
To stop readers leaving your blog when clicking on your ‘social Icons’ block, make sure the ‘open links in new tab’ button is switched on.
Turn your ‘social icons’ block into a reusable block that can be inserted on all posts and pages with just one click.
Any changes you make to your ‘social icons’ reusable block will be implemented wherever the block appears. No need to make the changes on every post!
Have you noticed the new WordPress ‘Screen Options’ button on the dashboard of your blog?
At first, it wasn’t very noticeable to me, but I now find myself using it everyday because it has some great features.
New: WordPress Screen Options Button
Where can I find the ‘Screen Options’ button?
You’ll find the ‘Screen Options‘ button in the top righthand corner of your screen when viewing ‘Posts,’ ‘Pages’, ‘Media’ or ‘Comments’ on the dashboard of your blog. Please note that It doesn’t yet seem to be available on the WordPress App.
Screen Options Button
I am able to see the button when using WordPress on my desktop computer, laptop, iPad and iPhone using Safari and Chrome.
What does the ‘Screen Options’ button do?
It’s a quick way to switch between the new WordPress ‘Default’ view and the old ‘Classic’ view of your blog’s dashboard.
Clicking on the button gives users two choices when viewing information on the ‘Posts’, ‘Pages’ and ‘Comments’ section on their blog’s dashboard.
Screen Options Menu
‘Default’ view is the one I’ve been using for the last couple of months. Here are two screenshots of what my blog’s ‘posts’ page looks like with the ‘Default’ view and the ‘Classic’ view.
Default View
Classic view
Many users may recognise the old-style ‘Classic’ view. However, did you know that it now contains more options? Clicking on the ‘Screen Options’ button again will disclose the options. I’ve highlighted some of them on the following image.
Classic option features
Not only can you choose which columns to display under ‘posts,’ but you can also choose how many of your posts you want to see on the dashboard.
If you make any chances, click the ‘Apply’ button to save them.
What does the ‘view mode’ option do?
Changing the ‘view mode’ option to ‘Extended view’ will show a little more information under your posts.
Extended view
In my case, I was able to see the excerpt for each of my posts.
Reminder – click the ‘Apply’ button if you make any changes.
The ‘Classic’ view also has a gateway to the old Classic editor, where you can draft new blog posts. However, WordPress may remove this at any time.
Gateway to the old Classic editor
Struggling with spam? Use the Classic option
As I use the Block editor, I use the ‘Default’ version. However, I use the ‘Classic’ option for specific functions that the ‘Default’ option doesn’t yet do. For example, I use the ‘Classic’ option for deleting all spam from my WordPress spam folder with just one click.
Emptying Spam
Don’t allow spam to cause you any problems or to allow you to make any harsh decisions. It can easily be dealt with.
Although the ‘Default’ option offers an option to bulk delete spam, you can only delete 20 spam comments at any one time.
Bulk Edit
So using the ‘Classic’ option helps save me time when dealing with hundreds of spam comments daily.
I’ve not yet discovered a way of marking comments that end up in the spam folder by mistake as genuine (not spam) in the ‘Default’ version. So, again, I use the ‘Classic’ version for performing this task.
While using ‘Classic’ view, if at any time you want to go back to using the new ‘Default’ (WordPress.com view) option, click the button.
Default view button
The ‘Screen Options’ function may only be available with specific WordPress plans.
Let’s wrap it up
The new ‘Screen Options’ button can be found on the ‘Posts,’ ‘Pages’, ‘Media’ and ‘Comments’ pages of the dashboard of your WordPress blog.
‘Classic’ view option has more options when viewing posts and comments.
Delete spam with one click when using ‘Classic’ view.
‘Default’ view only allows bulk action (20 comments) when deleting spam.
Works on desktops, laptops, tablets, and phones.
Does not work via the WordPress app.
Have you been using the new ‘Screen Options’ button? Have I missed out anything you’ve discovered it does? If you have any questions about the ‘Screen Options’ button leave them in the comments section.
Layout, content, settings, and format might differ on self-hosted blogs.
This is an updated version of a post originally published on Hugh’s Views And News in 2020.
Click the ‘Diversity with a Twist’ image to check out my latest post over on my column at the Carrot Ranch
Did you know that WordPress has added some basic photo editing tools to the ‘Image‘ block on the Block editor?
Some of these tools are available in the WordPress media library, but others aren’t. But what are they, and how do you use them?
5 WordPress Photo Editing Tools Available To Use On The Block Editor
Let’s get started
First, open up a new draft post and, using the image block, add a photo or image from your WordPress media library. I’m using a picture of my dogs, Austin and Toby.
Now let me take you through each tool and how to use them.
1. Add Text Over Image
Click on the ‘Add Text Over Image’ button on the image toolbar.
Add text over image button
‘Type/To Choose A Block’ will appear on the image.
Where to add text
Click on it and add your text.
Adding text to an image on the WordPress Block editor
But that text is in the wrong position. How do you change it?
Easy. Click on the ‘Change Content Position‘ button and choose where you want the text to appear. I decided bottom right.
Changing the position of the text on a photo
2. Toggle Full Height
Click on the ‘Add Text Over Image’ button on the image toolbar.
‘Add text over image’ button
Click on the ‘Toggle Full Height’ button.
Toggle Full Height
3. Zoom In And Out On An Image
On the image toolbar, click on the ‘Crop‘ button.
The ‘Crop’ button
The image gets divided into nine squares (see next image).
Click on the ‘Zoom‘ button (see the next image).
To zoom in and out on an image, move the slider button forwards and backwards (see the next image).
Click the apply button to save any changes.
Zoom
4. Rotate The Image
On the image toolbar, click on the ‘Crop‘ button.
The ‘Crop’ button
Click the ‘rotate‘ button to rotate the image.
The ‘Rotate’ button
Click the ‘apply‘ button to save any changes.
5. Change The Aspect Ratio
On the image toolbar, click on the ‘Crop‘ button.
The ‘Crop’ button
Click the ‘Aspect Ratio‘ button and make your selection. There is much more choice than when you perform this task in the WordPress media library. I have chosen the ‘square‘ option (see the next image).
Click the ‘apply‘ button to save any changes.
The ‘Aspect Ratio’ function
All these functions are basic but will suit many users who do not want to edit their images too much.
Do you use the WordPress photo editing tools? Do you have any questions about them? Leave me a comment, and I’ll get back to you.
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?
Dig out your old blog posts.
The answer to both questions is YES.
If you’ve been regularly publishing blog posts, the archive of your blog will be a treasure trove of opportunities waiting for you to bring alive again.
Rather than leave these old blog posts idle, there are ways you can bring them back in front of your audience.
These old blog posts probably never got anywhere near as many views and comments as your recent blog posts do, but did you know that they could quickly bring you lots more views and comments?
My three quick and easy tips to bring these old blog posts alive again 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.
If you’re using the Classic editor, did you know that there are various settings for the ‘Related posts‘ feature?
Do you have the ‘related’ posts feature switched on?
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.
Click on ‘Settings’ and ‘Reading’
On the Reading Settings page, look for Related Posts.
Look for ‘Related Posts’.
Switch on ‘Show Related Content After Posts.’
Switch on ‘Show related content after posts’.
Choose which 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 published posts will now display three related posts from your archives.
2. The ‘Blog Posts’ Block
For those using the Gutenberg block editor, there’s a terrific block I use that allows me to choose which of my previous blog posts to promote again on newly published posts. It’s called the ‘Blog Posts‘ block, and it’s easy to use.
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 ‘Layout Elements.’
Bring old blog posts alive by using the ‘Blog Post’ block.
It will default to show the last three blog posts you published, but this can be changed.
By default, the ‘Blog Posts ‘block displays your last three published blog posts
You can leave it as it is, or there are several settings you can switch on.
Today, I’m going to show you how to choose the blog posts you want to display.
When you insert the block, on the righthand side of the page, a toolbar will open. Under Display Settings, look for Choose specific posts and slide the button to the ‘on’ position.
Slide the ‘Choose Specific Posts’ button to the ‘on’ position.
In the ‘Posts‘ box, type in the title of a blog post you want to display. As you type, suggestions for blogs posts with the words you are using will appear.
As you type, a list of your blog posts will appear.
Select the blog post you want to feature.
It will show as a tag in the Posts box.
If you’re going to add more blog posts, search for them by typing in more words in the Posts box.
Add more blog posts.
I recommend that you add no more than three posts.
The Blog Posts block has lots of other settings, which you can read about here.
There’s nothing wrong with adding pingbacks and linking back to your previous blog posts.
In fact, I’d recommend that you have 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 too.
Did you know that pingbacks can be added to images, pictures and photos in all your blog posts?
Here’s the image I’m going to add to my new post, and which I want to add the pingback too.
Let’s crate a pingback to this image.
After adding the image or photo, click on it to open up a toolbar, and click on the ‘link‘ icon.
To create a pingback, click on the ‘link’ icon
Search for the blog post you want to link too by typing the title of the post in the search bar.
Add the post (by clicking on it).
Search for blog posts by typing in some words in the search bar.
Click on the small arrow to open up more settings, and slide the ‘open in a new tab‘ button to the ‘on‘ position.’ Now, when readers click on the image, the post will open up in a new window on their device.
Always ensure you switch on the ‘Open in new tab’ feature.
Click the ‘apply‘ button.
Click on the ‘apply’ button.
Finally, add a caption informing readers to click on the image to be taken to the post.
You can also create pingbacks in the caption you’ve added.
Conclusion
The archives of your blog is a treasure trove of blog posts that can still bring in new visitors, comments and followers.
Don’t allow old blog posts to remain idle and not work for you.
New followers of your blog may not have read your previous blog posts. Put them in front of 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.
Keep old blog posts up to date.
On the Gutenberg block editor, WordPress has made available a number of blocks that help to promote old blog posts. The ‘Blog Posts‘ block is the one featured in this post.
If you’re not already using the ‘Related Posts’ feature, consider switching it on.
Remember that you can create pingbacks to old blog posts from any images or photos included in all your future blog posts.
What about you?
Do you promote your old blog posts? If not, why not?
How do you promote your old blog posts?
What way(s) of promoting old blog posts has worked best for you?
Do you have much success when promoting old blog posts?
Join the discussion by leaving me a comment that I can respond to with more than just a ‘thank you.’
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Did you known that pingbacks can help drive traffic to your website or blog? Not sure what a pingback is or how to create one? My blog post answers the questions and shows you how.
The ‘About me’ page of a blog is one of the most visited pages of any blog. This is why every blogger should have one. But what information should it contain?
A pingback is a link that allows you to notify another blogger that you have linked to a post or article on their blog or website. In some cases, pingbacks are also known as trackbacks.
If the other blogger has a Pingback enabled website, then they can see a notification that you have linked to their article. They can then choose to allow your link to appear on their blog.
In turn, this may drive traffic to your blog when readers click on the pingback notification.
Creating pingbacks
Today, I’m going to show you how to create a pingback on the Gutenberg editor. It’s an easy process and is very similar to creating a pingback on the Classic editor (with just a few small differences).
Let’s get started
In the screenshots below, I’m creating a pingback on my ‘About Hugh’ page to an interview I recently did for blogger and author Esther Chilton.
First of all, decide which word or words you want to be the pingback link. In this case, I’m using the words ‘Esther Chilton Blog.’
Highlight the word or words you have chosen and click on the pingback link that appears in the window that opens.
Creating pingbacks
Copy and paste, into the URL box, the URL link to the blog post or article you want to link to.
Creating pingbacks
Tip – If you are linking to one of your own blog posts, you can search for the post by typing some words from the title of the post into the box.
Click on the ‘link setting’ arrow.
Creating pingbacks
In the new window that opens (under the box where you have pasted the URL link), slide open the ‘open in New Tab’ button.
Creating pingbacks
This is important because when anybody clicks on your pingback, the blog post you’ve linked to will open in a new window on their screen. Therefore, when they click on the pingback, your blog will not be closed down on their screen.
Click on the ‘apply pingback’ button and remember to save the changes to the post.
Creating pingbacks
Your pingback is now created and will be highlighted as a pingback on the post.
Creating pingbacks
Tip – You can also highlight the pingback by making the text bold. To do this, highlight the text and click on the ‘B’ – bold button.
Before publishing your post, preview it first and make sure the pingback works. Does it go to the right location? If not, delete the URL and insert the correct one.
Once you are happy that your pingback is working, publish the post.
Only create pingbacks to blog posts and sites that have a connection with the subject of the post you are publishing.
Advantages of having pingbacks on your blog posts.
Creates traffic to your blog.
They are SEO friendly.
Blog posts that include pingbacks are ranked higher by search engine optimisations (SEOs) such as Google and Bing.
Bloggers, whose blogs you link to, may link back to one of your blog posts.
They are a great way of promoting older blog posts you have published.
Warning – never create a pingback to the home page of a blog or website. Why? Because no notification is sent to the blogger whose post you are linking to.
Some experts recommend not allowing any pingbacks or trackbacks to a blog because they attract spam. However, by moderating all pingback notifications, you can prevent any spam pingbacks from appearing in the comments section of your blog posts.
Where possible, try and include at least one pingback in every blog post you publish.
You can use a mixture of pingbacks to your own posts as well as those of other bloggers. However, don’t have too many on a blog post as it can make them look messy. My recommendation is to have no more than one pingback for every 250 words in any post.
Pingback problems
One of the reasons why I changed to using the Gutenberg editor is that I was having lots of problems with pingbacks not working on the Classic editor.
Even today, I see lots of bloggers asking readers to also leave a link to their post despite a pingback being created to it.
I’m pleased to say that since changing to the Gutenberg editor, I’ve not experienced any problems with any of my pingbacks not working.
An invitation to create a pingback
If you’ve never created a pingback before, try creating one for this post. I’ll be happy to let you know if it’s worked and to include it in the comments section if it has.
If you encounter any problems creating a pingback, don’t hesitate to ask me for some help.
Do you use pingbacks, and how often do you use them? Have you had any experiences where pingbacks did not work?
Hugh's Views & News 