Wordpress exists to allow you to write and post content easily to your Website or Blog. Originally designed as blogging software Wordpress still continues to call a normal content article a Post.
This is because Wordpress is still used more for Blogs then standard websites, though it must be said that more recently most standard websites either have a blog or are a blog website based on Wordpress.
Anyway Posts are the main way to add content to any Wordpress site and they are stored internally in a MySQL database and displayed on your site chronoligcally in date order.
You can also now add pages to Wordpress websites, but these are normally attached to menu links on your site and are treated different than posts by Wordpress.
Posting Content to Wordpress is Easy!
In this tutorial I will show you how to write posts in Wordpress and how to add Tags and Categories to your posts. Note that you cannot add a tag or category to Wordpress pages.
In order to write a post in Wordpress you must login to the administrator’s area first. When you have done this the Wordpress dashboard will be displayed:
To start the process of adding content by writing a post just click on the Write A New Post button as shown above or click on WRITE in the top left corner and then POST.
Your Title is Important so Get It Right!
The first thing you must enter is the TITLE of your post. The title is very important as it is what persuades a visitor to your site to read the rest of you post. Get it wrong and the content in the rest of your post will be wasted as no-one will read it.
Also each individual post you write has the potential to get ranked well in the search engines, such as Google, and when your post appears in the search engine results pages (SERPS), the first thing a web surfer will see of your post is the Title you are about to write.
Therefore it has to be eye-catching and make them want to read more. The Title should also include the keyword or keyword phrase that tells both your visitors and the search engines exactly what your post is about without having to read it!
Getting To Grips with the Wordpress Post Editor
The whole process of writing a post in Wordpress to create content for your website is very easy and you will soon get used to it. The main area for inputting your text for the post is the blank area below the section headed by the word POST. This is the Post Editor!
Note: if you do not see 2 rows of icons at the top of the post editor just click on the last icon in the top row to get the kitchen sink!
This is the editable are where you can write, change and modify your content to make it look the way you want. It is just like a mini word processor and the icons above the text input area allow you to create special effects with your content, such as headings, paragraphs, bold, italic, underline, hyperlinks, text color changes, left, right or center justification, bullets, numeric lists etc etc.
Note that you can also add different types of media such as IMAGES, VIDEOS and AUDIOS to your post by clicking on the icons in the top right of the post editor:
You can Edit the Text or the Code in your Post
Notice that there are 2 tabs on the edit post area: VISUAL and HTML
VISUAL is what you will need to use unless you understand html code and want to change things in the code that way.
HTML is there for those with website programming knowledge to make more technical changes to their posts but most of us will probably never use this tab.
Post Preview is a Good Thing, but Microsoft Word is Not!
While writing your post you can Preview what it will look like in the current them on your website. Just click on PREVIEW THIS POST on the right to do this.
A word of Warning – do not be tempted to write your posts first in a word processor such as Microsoft Word, because when you cut (or copy) text from word processors and then paste it into the Post Editor you may mess up your posts. This is because hidden code is brought over from the word processor (which you cannot see) which can cause Wordpress to do strange things when it comes to display your post.
Saving Text and Publishing Your Post
It is important that you save your work while you are creating your content and you can click on the SAVE button on the right to do this.
Wordpress will also automatically do this for you, but it is always a good idea to do it yourself occasionally so that you are aware that backups of your new content are being taken.
Please note that until you click on the PUBLISH button on the right of the post editor your content will not appear on your website.
Only when you click on PUBLISH is the new post made live on your webiste for all visitors to see. This is why using the PREVIEW button is useful as you can see exactly what your post will look like before publishing.
Add Only 5 Wordpress Tags and No More to your Post
You should also add a few Wordpress Tags to your new post. Tags are just small descriptive keyword phrases that help describe the content of your post to both visitors and the search engines. Just like adding a Category below, they are essential to writing good posts.
You should only add no more than 5 tags as if you add more it is not good posting etiquette and could be considered as spam by the search engines which may cause your post to be ignored.
Enter new tags in the input box separated by commas and click on ADD.
Add a Single Wordpress Category to your Post
When you are happy that your content is done and the post is the way you want it after previewing it then you need to add a CATEGORY to the post. You need to think about this in the context of your whole website and choose a category that will be used again for future posts.
The concept behind Wordpress categories is that a single category can be used to group similar posts together.
Enter a new category in the input box and click on ADD or just check one of the exiting categories to use that one instead.
For SEO (search engine optimisation) purposes and to avoid duplicate content issues (more on this stuff later!) you should only put your post in one category, although Wordpress does allow you to add more.
Publish Your Post!
OK so you have entered your Title, written your content in the Post Editor, previewed your post, added a single Category and added 5 Tags, so you are now ready to Publish you Post.
Just click on the PUBLISH button the right of the post editor and your new post will be added to your website for all to see!
Go to your web site in your web browser and it will be there just as you saw it in Preview Post.
Congratulations you have created a new Wordpress Post!
If you are still confused then watch this video that has been prepared by the guys at Wordpress.com for Writing a Post in Wordpress 2.7.
Thanks guys!
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[...] fact I recommend that you read Wrting a Wordpress Post first, as this will give you a good introduction to writing pages and it covers some of the items [...]
I live in France and am planning to set up a site about life in France. I know Wordpress is available in French but I want to write in English but be able to use French accents when necessary. I had thought I could write in Word (I know how to add the accents in Word) but see from the above that pasting Word docs into Wordpress is not advisable.
Do you know of any way to add accents, be they French, Spanish or even German?
Maybe it’s really easy but I am a double-newbie. Thanks.
Felicity – must admit I know nothing about this topic, but my instinct tells me there is not likely to be an easy solution to this, Even if you add the accents ok you could find that when others read your posts from their web browsers they may seesome strange characters instead – try asking at the Wordpress Support Forum: http://wordpress.org/support/