How do I add an entry in WordPress? A simple guide for beginners

The main advantage of WordPress-based websites is the ease of use of this CMS-a content management system. Running a company blog and adding content has never been easier. Even people who have never used WordPress before will quickly and easily learn how to publish content. This is possible thanks to the clear, intuitive and user-friendly interface. However, they must first get used to the system. This article will help them to do this. You will learn how to add a post in WordPress step by step and which elements to pay special attention to.

Types of content on WordPress

Let's start by outlining the types of content you can add in WordPress.

These are:

• entries (post) - for example, blog articles/updates

• pages (page) - these include, for example, tabs such as "about us", "privacy policy", "contact", "offer". Static pages are not used to add articles

• CPT (custom post types) - a website can also have custom post types (e.g. 'portfolio') that are tailored to the owner's needs. He or she most often implements these when building a website

You already know the types of content that can be added in WordPress. Now it's time to learn about the permissions of the different users.

Who can publish posts? User roles on WordPress

If you are not the owner of the site, but only someone is giving you access to their WordPress site, you will be assigned one of the following roles:

• Contributor

• Author

• Editor

The range of possibilities for people with these roles differs. As contributors, you can write and edit your posts. However, you cannot publish them yourself. As authors, you can write, edit and publish your entries. As editors, you can publish, edit and manage entries, including those of other users.

Of course, the Administrator has the greatest 'power'. He or she can perform all tasks, add/remove plug-ins and also remove other administrators. Therefore, remember that this role should only be assigned to trusted users.

How do I add an entry in WordPress? Step-by-step instructions

You have already learned about the types of content on WordPress and the roles of users. It's time to get to the heart of the article and find out how to add a post. 

Default Gutenberg block editor

As of 2018, Gutenberg has replaced the classic content editor and is integrated into the system by default. Here is how to add an entry using it.

• from the menu on the left-hand side of the screen, select entries --> add new

• in the space "add title", enter the title of the article and in the space "press / to select block", select the element you wish to add or paste the content you copied earlier

• When you click on a paragraph, a window will appear with options for editing the content. You can also reshape a paragraph by clicking the icon highlighted in the following screenshot

• The editing window gives you the option of moving an element to another place by drag and drop. You can also use the a simple option to move paragraphs up and down in the text (arrow icons). Of course, you also have the standard text editor options such as alignment, bold, italics or the inclusion of a link in the text.
• You can also add, for example, a photo to your entry. To do this, place the cursor where you want the image to be and click on the plus icon in the top left-hand corner. Go to the "media" section and select "image". Upload the file from your computer or select from the media library. Remember to add alternative text to it! Once you have added a photo, you can adjust it using the menu on the right.

If your content is already added and properly edited, it is time to look at the entry" menu on the right-hand side of the screen. The following options can be found here:

• status and availability - Here, you can choose, among other things, for whom the entry will be visible, set the date and author of the publication or pin the entry to the top of the blog

• direct link - here you can build a friendly address URL entry

• categories - add the entry to a matching existing category or create a new one

• tags - are words related to the text in question, making it easier for the user to search for them on the page. Personally, we advise against the use of tags, as adding them inappropriately can lead to internal duplication of content, which negatively affects the SEO

• highlight image - add a photo to be displayed when an entry is made, e.g. on a category page

• trailer - is a short text that announces the content of a blog post. Some WordPress themes display the teaser on the blog homepage, in the post archives and on category pages

• discussion - indicate whether you allow visitors to comment on posts and on trackbacks and pingbacks. These inform the blog owner that someone has posted on an external site link to entry

Once you have completed the information for an entry, you can preview it ("preview" option in the top right corner) and publish it immediately ("publish") or schedule it ("schedule").

Classic editor

It is worth noting that not everyone was happy to change the default editor to the Gutenberg editor. Therefore, some site owners/administrators reverted to the 'old' option, installing this plug. 

How do I add an entry in WordPress with the classic editor?

• as with Gutenberg, select "entries" and then "add new"

• you will see a view like the one on the screenshot below

• There are fewer editing possibilities in the classic editor than in the new version, which can possibly be enriched by installing such plug-ins as Advanced Editor Tools
• Almost all of the options in the classic editor you know from Word, for example. These include text style, bold, italics, scoring, numbering, blockquote, alignment, link insertion, strikethrough, indentation or the "read more" tag.
• as far as the entry menu on the right is concerned, it does not differ in terms of options from Gutenberg

A plug-in worth using - Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO is a popular plug-in that helps WordPress-based sites improve their position in search results. You can use its free version, which is sufficient for many site owners.

How do I install Yoast SEO?

• log into the admin panel on your site

• in the side menu select Plugins → add new

• type Yoast SEO in the search bar

• select "install" and then "enable"

How do I use Yoast SEO when adding new blog posts?

• select menu entries → add new entry

• paste the written text into the editor

• go to the Yoast SEO box under the editor

You can find here SEO and readability analysis.

A readability analysis will indicate what needs to be improved so that the text is comprehensible and easy to understand for the reader. Among other things, you will find out whether you are using too long sentences, paragraphs and whether the passive side appears too often in the content.

Go to the SEO analysis and enter the phrase for which you want the text to be optimised. You will find out where it is worth adding it. Set up meta title, meta description and slug (page address). Each of these elements is important from an SEO point of view. Yoast SEO will show you their optimal length.

The Yoast SEO rating system is intuitive, based on three colours:

• red - element needs improvement

• orange - smaller errors or deficiencies worth correcting

• green - everything complies with Yoast guidelines

Remember! The plug-in highlights the vast majority of elements that are relevant to SEO, but is not the ultimate oracle! 

Add entries yourself - it's easy!

As you might have seen, adding posts in WordPress should not be a problem. However, if you're just starting out on your publishing adventure, it's worth giving yourself some time, testing various features and seeing the results. Practice on a few test entries and carefully go through all the tabs. Good luck!