WordPress constantly changes; some things keep changing and return to where they were before. That’s why I’ve updated and am republishing this post from July 2023.
This is where to find the ‘Open in new tab’ box on WordPress.
If, like me, when you create a pingback, you prefer links to open in a new window rather than in the same window you’re viewing (thus losing the page), it’s vital that you tick the ‘open in new tab‘ box when adding links or pingbacks to a blog post.
The ‘open in new tab‘ box used to be visible when creating a pingback but has reverted to being hidden again. I don’t know why, but I wanted to show you where to find it.
I came across some comments recently where somebody asked how to create a pingback to the post they were leaving their comment on. The blog host didn’t know. It got me thinking that I should do an updated post on what pingbacks are and how to create them.
Pingbacks are a powerful blogging tool. Don’t miss out on not using them.
What are pingbacks?
A pingback is a type of notification that allows you to inform another blogger that you have linked to a post or article on their blog or website. This notification is typically automated and serves as a way to establish connections between different blogs or websites. Sometimes, pingbacks are also referred to as trackbacks.
If the other blogger has a pingback-enabled website or blog, then they can see a notification that you have linked to their article. They can then choose to allow your link to appear in the comments section of their blog post.
This may drive traffic to your blog when readers click on the pingback notification link.
Click the pingback link that pops up in the toolbar.
In the URL box, enter the URL address of the blog post you’re linking to, or if it’s one of your own posts, search for the post.
Choose the post you’re linking to.
Finally, and most importantly, tick the box next to the ‘open in new tab‘ box.
Tick the ‘Open in new tab’ box.
Ticking the ‘open in new tab’ option guarantees that when users click the pingback link, the linked post will open in a new tab or page. This feature effectively retains users on the current page, allowing them to easily return to your post to leave a comment or engage with the content.
Not selecting the “open in new tab” option could result in missed opportunities for comments and likes.
Your pingback has been created and will be highlighted in the post.
Tip – You can also highlight the pingback by making the text bold. To do this, highlight the text and click ‘B‘ (bold button in the toolbar).
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.
Pingbacks should be exclusively directed toward blog posts and websites relevant to the subject of the post you are sharing or where you have been specifically invited to link.
Never create a pingback to a post that has no connection with the subject of your post.
Should I ask first before creating a pingback to another blogger’s post?
It’s always nice to ask first, but you’re good to go if the blogger has enabled pingbacks. And if you know the blogger well, there is no need to ask. But it’s best to ask if it’s your first time linking to one of their posts.
However, there’s no guarantee that your pingback requests will get the thumbs up. I receive pingback approval requests every day, and I won’t approve any that seem spammy or are completely unrelated to the post they’re trying to link to.
Are there any advantages of having pingbacks on your blog posts?
Yes. Here are a few advantages.
Creates traffic to your blog.
SEO-friendly.
Search engine optimizations (SEOs) such as Google and Bing rank blog posts that include pingbacks higher.
Bloggers may link back to one of your blog posts.
Great for promoting older blog posts you have published that some of your followers may not have read.
Caution—It is crucial to refrain from creating a pingback to a blog or website’s home page. This practice is discouraged because it fails to notify the blogger whose post you are referencing.
Do pingbacks attract spam?
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.
Good news from WordPress about spam comments
After an update in 2023, the WordPress anti-spam software has dramatically strengthened its ability to intercept spam. Consequently, there has been a significant decrease in the volume of visible spam comments reaching blogs. Previously, hundreds of spam comments inundated my blog on a daily basis. However, following the update, I only encounter one or two weekly.
Where possible, try and include at least one pingback in every blog post you publish.
You can use a mixture of pingbacks to your posts and those of other bloggers.
Are there any problems with allowing pingbacks on your blog?
None that I am aware of.
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 works and include it in the comments section.
If you encounter any problems creating a pingback, don’t hesitate to ask me for some help.
Summary: The Power of Pingbacks and How to Create Them
This guide explains pingbacks, how to create them, and the best practices to follow.
This guide covers everything from creating a pingback to the benefits, staying safe from spam comments, and recent anti-spam updates from WordPress.
This post also encourages readers to use pingbacks and shares my positive experience. It’s helpful for new and experienced bloggers, giving them the knowledge and confidence to use pingbacks effectively.
In the busy blogging world, pingbacks are important for connecting and getting more site visitors.
Pingbacks, sometimes also known as trackbacks, are useful tools for bloggers that let other bloggers know when you link to their posts.
It’s polite to ask first before creating a pingback to another blog unless you know the blogger well or have been invited to link to a post.
Always tick the ‘open in a new tab’ box so that readers do not lose the page they are reading.
Pingbacks do not attract spam.
WordPress anti-spam software now eliminates the majority of visible spam, saving you time in checking for comments that may have been marked as spam by mistake.
Layout, content, settings, and format might differ on self-hosted blogs.
I actively utilise pingbacks as part of my content strategy. My experience with using them has been positive, as they help me foster connections with other blogs and websites and enhance engagement. If you have any questions about pingbacks, please leave them in the comments section below, and I’ll be happy to address them.
Encouraging visitors to join the conversation on my blog posts and those of other bloggers is a must for me. Personally, if I can’t quickly leave a comment on a blog post, I’ll move on to the next one.
It’s one of the reasons why I use WordPress, as I’ve found it difficult to leave comments on other blogging platforms. What about you?
I firmly believe that we should prioritise making it effortless for blog visitors to leave comments. It’s crucial not to burden them with unnecessary obstacles when they want to engage with us. But that comes with the cost of receiving comments from anonymous readers. But is that a problem?
Or should you make it easier for visitors to leave comments?
I’ve always received comments on my blog posts from visitors using ‘Anonymous’ or ‘Someone’ as their display names. But it has never bothered me because I can spot spam comments easily and guarantee that none will reach the comments section of my posts.
Here’s an anonymous comment I received recently.
Do anonymous comments annoy you?
I wasn’t concerned when it appeared because it was left on one of my recent Wordless Wednesday posts about leftover chocolate, so I knew it was genuine.
Not knowing who the comment is from could pose a problem, but if it sounds genuine and has no uninvited or suspicious links, I’ll reply and approve the comment.
However, I’ll mark it as spam if it looks or sounds like a spam comment or contains any uninvited links. Oh! And I never approve comments that say ‘Nice Post.’ ‘Nice’ or ‘Great photo,’ regardless of who left them.
How do I make it easier for visitors to leave comments on my posts or prevent them from being anonymous?
In the blog settings of WordPress.Com blogs, there are settings which users can turn on or off to make it easier for visitors to leave comments or to prevent comments from being shown as anonymous.
To find these settings on your blog’s dashboard, go to Settings – Discussion and scroll down to the ‘Comments‘ section on the ‘Discussion Settings‘ page. I’m using WordPress on an Apple iMac desktop computer in these screenshots.
Click on Settings – Discussion
Scroll to the ‘Comments’ section.
If you want to make it easy for visitors to your blog to be able to leave comments, ensure you have the first two settings in the ‘Comments‘ section, ‘Comment author must fill out name and email‘ and ‘User must be registered and logged in to comment,’ switched off.
Switch on or off depending on how easy you want it to be for visitors to leave comments on your blog.
If you do not want comments on any posts showing as ‘Anonymous’, ensure those two settings are switched on. However, beware that turning these settings on will make it more difficult for some users to leave comments.
Turning these settings on means that users must either fill out their name and email address or be registered as a WordPress user and logged in to be able to leave a comment. Some users may not like giving this information to be able to comment.
Make sure you click the ‘Save Settings’ button if you make any changes.
And that’s it. Only you can choose whether to have these settings on or off. Go with what you feel most comfortable with.
Do you make it easy for visitors to your blog to comment, or do you prefer to only allow those willing to give their information to be able to leave comments? Is WordPress the best platform for engagement and for leaving comments? Let me know in the comments.
Is your blog as secure as it can be? Take this final step to make sure nobody can hack it. Take a look at my recent post for more details.
You wouldn’t leave your doors unlocked if you were the last one to leave the house, would you?
Would you give a stranger the password to your online banking account?
Would you share or give a stranger the password to your blog?
Protecting your blog is just as important as protecting your home and online bank accounts, yet many bloggers share personal details about themselves on their blogs and on social media, which can be a treasure trove for scammers. Be careful what information you share.
Before sharing any information, ask yourself, ‘Would I share this information with a complete stranger?’
Adding this feature will give your blog an extra layer of security.
Although we’re all encouraged to use a strong password to protect our blogs, did you know that many blogging platforms, including WordPress, offer users an extra layer of security when it comes to protecting their blogs?
Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring you to enter a code or use another device in addition to your password. For example, you can use an app like Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator to generate access codes for your blog.
WordPress offers users two-factor authentication security. Follow the guide below to set it up for your WordPress blog. For this example, I’m using an Apple iMac desktop computer.
How to set up two-step authentication for your WordPress blog.
In the top right of your blog, click on your profile picture/avatar.
Click on ‘Security‘ in the menu on the page’s left side.
Click on the ‘Security’ tab.
Select the ‘Two-step Authentication‘ option.
Select Two-Step Authentication
Select which method you would like to receive the two-step passcode generated by WordPress, and click the ‘Get Started‘ button.
Click the ‘Get Started’ button.
Follow the onscreen instructions depending on your selected method to receive the WordPress two-step authentication passcode.
Once enabled, logging into WordPress.com will require you to enter a unique passcode generated by an app on your mobile device or sent via text after adding your username and password.
You will receive an email from WordPress confirming that two-step authentication has been enabled.
You’ll get an email from WordPress confirming that two-step authentication has been set up for your blog.
That’s it! Access to your blog is now protected by an extra layer of security.
I’d recommend adding or checking that the recovery email address and recovery SMS number for your WordPress blog/account are also correct when switching on two-step authentication.
Are you making the most of Two-Step Authentication to safeguard your blog? Need guidance on setting it up? Share your best practices for securing your blog in the comments below.
Whether you’re a seasoned developer or a novice blogger, there might come a time when you need assistance or have questions about your WordPress site.
Have you ever had to contact WordPress? What’s your preferred method and experience of contacting them?
What’s your preferred method to contact WordPress?
During the ten years I’ve been blogging, I’ve contacted WordPress many times for support with my blog. I’ve always received good support from them.
From reporting bugs to getting answers to my questions and getting deals on renewing my WordPress plan, they’ve always been helpful and friendly.
But does the level of support vary depending on which WordPress plan you have?
Fortunately, WordPress offers various channels for users to seek help and find solutions to their queries. In this blog post, we’ll explore how you can contact WordPress for support.
WordPress Support Forums
The forums cover various topics, from general troubleshooting to specific plugins or theme-related queries.
This is my preferred way of contacting WordPress as their staff (Happiness Engineers) get involved in your query, as do other blogging community members.
Users worldwide share their knowledge and assist each other in the forums. You can post your questions, describe your issues, and receive helpful responses from experienced WordPress users, moderators, and WordPress staff.
I’ve helped bloggers out with their queries and questions on the forums.
Next time you have a question or a problem with your blog, give the Forums a go. I’ve had great success with them. And who knows? It may be me who responds to your question or query.
For more personalised assistance, you can contact WordPress support via email. The official WordPress support email address can only be accessed by completing a form – Contact Us.
When reaching out through email, be sure to provide detailed information about your issue, including the name of your blog, which WordPress plan you are on, which WordPress theme you use, which device you are using, and details of the device’s operating system.
The more details you provide, the easier it is for the support team to understand and address your problem.
Social Media Channels
WordPress is active on various social media platforms, including X and Facebook.
You can follow official WordPress accounts and use these platforms to ask questions or seek assistance. Community members and WordPress developers often actively monitor these channels and may respond to your queries.
I’ve spoken with WordPress staff on X and have found them professional, helpful and friendly. After talking to them on X, I even got a discount code for renewing my WordPress plan.
This can be a quick way to get real-time assistance.
If you’re lucky enough to have a WordPress plan that offers Live Chat, it’s an instant way of getting help from a staff member at WordPress, although I have found that Live Chat isn’t always available.
Although I’ve always had much success with Live Chat, it can sometimes be time-consuming.
As well as having details of your blogging problem or question, give details of which device and operating system you are using. Screenshots of errors or bugs are also helpful and help resolve issues quickly.
To find out if your WordPress plan has Live Chat, click the question mark icon in the top right of your screen and click the ‘Still need help‘ button, and you’ll see a list of options available to you.
Live chat is great for getting an instant response from WordPress.
Users with a free or starter WordPress plan or those on a monthly subscription cannot access Live Chat.
Hire a WordPress Developer
Hiring a WordPress developer might be the best solution for complex issues or customisation requirements. However, this could be an expensive option.
If you do go down the route of this option, I’d recommend you ask around first to find out if anybody can recommend a computer savvy who knows their way around the WordPress platform. Asking the blogging community is always a good option.
If you want to hire a member of the WordPress staff to sort out problems with your blog, contact them via email at support@wordpress.org.
WordPress isn’t always at fault, but sometimes they are.
You only have to look at the WordPress Forums to see that some problems are caused by users rather than WordPress. They’re usually not following the correct procedures or do not understand how something works.
I recently saw a user blame WordPress because they could not add images to their posts. It turned out that they’d never reduced the size of the images they were downloading into their media library; hence, they’d run out of media space.
Some bloggers also give out incorrect information to other bloggers. I had to step in when one blogger said everyone had to be logged into WordPress to leave comments on any WordPress blog. That is not true, and I corrected them explaining that all bloggers can choose via their blog settings whether or not readers had to be logged into WordPress to be able to leave a comment.
So, WordPress are not always at fault.
Of course, the WordPress platform will have bugs like any online site and platform, but WordPress will only know about them if you report them. Don’t sit back and hope that somebody else will do the job.
Sometimes, problems can be related to just one blog.
I recently had a problem with my blog, which only seemed to be affecting me. I stopped getting email notifications of new comments being left on my blog posts.
From the moment I reported the problem, the WordPress staff I spoke with on the Forums were not only accommodating and kept me updated, but they finally got to the bottom of what was causing the problem and fixed it.
My blogging friend Colleen Chesebro also reported problems around some Full Site Editoring themes. WordPress has since withdrawn some of the themes without any notice to users. They’d launched these themes too soon without proper testing, so sometimes, WordPress can be at fault.
However, I hear that current changes to the FSE Themes make them easier to use and install. I think the very least WordPress could have done was give notice first to those using the FSE themes they were going to withdraw.
Finally, whenever contacting WordPress, please be friendly. Treat them how you expect them to treat you. Being angry, impatient or nasty does nobody any good.
Conclusion:
WordPress has built a robust and supportive community that caters to users of all skill levels. Whether you prefer community-driven forums, official documentation, or personalised support via email, various channels are available to help you navigate any WordPress-related challenges.
By exploring these options, you can ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience as you build and manage your WordPress blog.
What’s your experience with reporting problems to WordPress? What methods do you use to report problems? Are you currently experiencing any issues with WordPress? If so, what are they and have you reported them to WordPress? Share your experiences in the comments section.
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I’ve published many posts about the perils of using copyrighted images and photos. Several bloggers I know have been fined for downloading copyrighted images and photos, including when they reblogged posts.
Did you know that WordPress offers free, high-quality images and photos to enhance the visual appeal of your WordPress website or blog?
You’re searching for the right image for your new blog post. Rather than doing a Google search in a separate tab — and running the risk of using an image you don’t have rights to — use the free images and photos WordPress offers.
Did you know that WordPress offers users free photos and images?
To avoid any chances of being fined for using copyrighted images and photos, the best advice is to always try and use your own photos and images in your blog posts.
Of course, you could choose not to include any images or photos, but given that posts that include photos or images get 70% more traffic, you should add at least one image or photo to all your blog posts.
Where Do I Find The Free Images And Photos WordPress Offers?
Add an Image block to your blog post.
Click on the ‘Select Image‘ link to open a new menu.
The free images and photos are under ‘Pexels Free Photos‘ and ‘Openverse‘.
WordPress offers hundreds of free images and photos to all WordPress users.
Pexels Free Photos
When you click Pexels Free Photos, a new window will open that includes a search bar.
Add a description of the image or photo you are looking for in the search bar and click the ‘Search‘ button.
Look through the results, click the image you want to use and click the ‘Select‘ button.
Click the ‘Load More‘ button at the bottom of the page to see more results.
When you select an image from Pexels Free Photos, it is downloaded to your media library. Remember to add information about the image to help readers with sight impediments and who may use speech software on their devices.
WordPress will have already completed the title of the image or photo and added credit details, so the only information you need to add is Alt Text and Description.
Openverse
Openverse works like Pexels Free Photos. It’s a search engine for openly licensed media, which gives access to over 600 million Creative Commons licensed and public domain image and audio files. All files can be used free of charge.
You can use the search box to find content licensed for commercial use and content that may be modified.
If you use any images or photos from Openverse, they are downloaded to your media library. You’ll need to complete the Alt Text and Description boxes, giving the image/photo details.
It’s Not Only WordPress That Offers Free Images And Photos.
Several websites offer free images that you can use on your WordPress website. These websites curate collections of high-quality images that are free to use, often under various Creative Commons licenses. Here are some popular websites you can explore:
Review and respect the license terms associated with each image when using images from these sites. Providing proper attribution to the photographer or the source is always good practice.
WordPress Plugins
Another convenient way to find free images within your WordPress editor is by using plugins specifically designed for this purpose. These plugins integrate with popular free image websites, allowing you to search and insert images directly from your WordPress dashboard.
Some notable plugins for finding free images include:
Installing and activating these plugins will add additional options to your media library, making browsing and selecting free images for your content effortless.
Note: Plugins are not available on all WordPress plans.
Image SEO Best Practices
While finding free images for your WordPress blog is essential, optimising any images or photos you use for search engines is equally crucial. Following some basic image SEO best practices can improve your blog’s visibility and attract more organic traffic. Here are a few tips:
Use descriptive filenames and alt tags that reflect the image content.
Optimise image file sizes to improve site loading speed.
Add relevant captions and descriptions to provide more context.
Ensure images are responsive and look good on all devices.
By incorporating these strategies, you enhance the visual appeal of your content while improving your blog’s overall SEO performance.
Let’s Wrap It Up.
Finding free images and photos for your WordPress website or blog is easier than ever.
Whether you explore the WordPress options, leverage free image websites, or use dedicated plugins, the possibilities are abundant.
Adhering to image licensing requirements and optimising your images for SEO will ensure a visually appealing and optimised blog.
So go ahead and utilise the resources available to you, and make your WordPress blog shine with stunning images that complement your content!
Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Disclaimer: Always review and respect each image’s terms and conditions and licensing rights. The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice.
Where do you get the images and photos you use on your blog? If you have any questions about using free images and photos on your blog, leave them in the comments section. Alternatively, please join the discussion and conversation if you’d like to add any information about using free images and photos.
Layout, content, settings, and format might differ on self-hosted blogs.
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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.
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.
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.’
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.
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.
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.’
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. Internettrolls
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.
Layout, content, settings, and format might differ on self-hosted blogs.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
Layout, content, settings, and format might differ on self-hosted blogs.
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Is your blog plagued by spam, spammers and spambots? Do they annoy you? Do you know they’re even there and the damage they could be doing?
Allowing spammers and spambots to follow your blog makes it easier for them to attempt to flood your blog with spam comments. In turn, this opens the floodgates to your readers becoming the victims of scams or having their computer, tablet or phone infected with malware.
Is your blog infected with spammers and spambots?
There are many different types of spammers in the blog world. From those who leave uninvited links, those who flood your posts with pleas to check out their blog and follow them, and comments from spambots; they can all be a nuisance.
Some spammers are easy to spot. The clues are in their name.
The name of some spammers gives them a way straight away.
Some spammers try a little harder to trick you.
Always check the web address of where a comment has come from.
The above comment may sound genuine, but just look at the web address where it’s come from.
I’ve witnessed some bloggers approve and respond to the comments from these spambots. The comments look genuine, but they’re not. Here’s an example of a spam comment from one of the dog breeders.
Comment from a dog breeders spambot
Approving and allowing comments from spammers and spambots onto your blog posts will damage the ranking of your blog. It may also end up resulting in genuine readers clicking on links in comments or visiting the sites of these scammers resulting in them becoming victims of scams or having their computer infected with malware.
These spammers often leave messages on posts that look authentic and nice, but they never mention anything about the contents of the posts (other than saying they like them) and often trick bloggers into believing they are genuine.
Spammers who follow your blog will also click the ‘like’ button on all your posts in the hope that other readers will see their gravatar icon, and visit their site. Once there, the reader puts themselves in danger of being scammed or having their device infected.
How Do You Spot Comments From Scammers and Spambot?
WordPress has recently improved the subscribers’ page of a blog. Not only has this helped spotting spammers and spambots, but it’s easy to remove them as subscribers to your blog.
Here’s a screenshot of a comment from a spambot. I’ve highlighted the spammers name for instructions on how to unsubscribe them from following your blog further down in this post.
Make sure you remove spammers from following your blog.
The Akismet Anti-Spam software that WordPress provides is excellent at dealing with spam, but it doesn’t catch it all.
Comments from spammers rarely have an image in their Gravatar, but spammers are now getting clever and inserting an image in their profile (like the one in the previous image).
Here’s how to spot, check and remove spammers and spambots as subscribers to your blog.
Make sure you are viewing your blog’s dashboard in ‘Default‘ view.
Copy the name of the spammers blog.
On your blog’s dashboard, go to ‘Users‘ – ‘Subscribers.’
Click Users – Subscribers
On the ‘Subscribers‘ page you’re taken to, paste the spammers blog’s name in the ‘search box.’
If the spammer is following your blog, their name will show in the results.
Click the three dots next to the blog you want to remove.
Click the ‘Remove‘ button to unsubscribe the blog from following you.
How to remove a spammer from following your blog.
The spammer has now been unsubscribed from following your blog.
Spammers who follow your blog are more likely to try and flood your blog posts with spam comments because they get notifications when you publish new posts. You can mark any such comments as spam, but I’d recommend you unsubscribe them from following your blog.
Of course, there is nothing stopping spammers from subscribing to your blog again, but every time they follow, unsubscribe them. As I have found out with those dog breeder spammers, they soon get fed up of having to keep subscribing to your blog.
Let’s Wrap It Up
Don’t allow spammers, scammers or spambots invade your blog or stress you out.
Spotting spammers, scammers and spambots is easy to do. Follow the guide in this post.
Never approve or respond to spam comments.
If you’re unsure a comment is from a spammer, check out their website address first.
Always unsubscribe spammers, scammers and spambots from your blog. Follow the guide in this post.
Although the Akismet Anti-Spam software that WordPress provides catches the majority of spam, it won’t catch all of it.
Approving and allowing comments from spammers and spambots onto your blog posts will damage the ranking of your blog. It may also end up resulting in genuine readers clicking on the links in their comments or visiting their website and becoming a victim of scams or having their computer infected with malware.
Look after your readers, not the spammers, scammers or spambots.
How do you deal with spam, spammers and spambots on your blog?Share details in the comments section.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.’
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.
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.
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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