How to add a new post in WordPress

Step 1

Log in to the WordPress admin dashboard

Firstly, you'll need to log in to the WordPress admin dashboard. To access the login screen, simply go to yourdomain.com/wp-admin.

At the login screen, enter your username and password into the fields provided, then click the button labelled 'Login'.

Step 2

Choose 'Posts'

After logging in, you will be taken to the WordPress admin dashboard.

Use the navigation bar on the left-hand side of the screen, and choose 'Posts'.

Step 3

Add new post

The Posts screen lists all the posts on your WordPress website.

To create a new post, click on the blue button labelled 'Add New'.

Step 4

Give the post a title

You will then be taken to the new post screen, where you will compose your post.

The first thing to do is give your post a title. The title will be the main heading or headline of your post. To create a title, simply click on the text reading 'Add title' and start typing.

Step 5

Add your post content

You are now ready to create your post content. Using the Gutenberg block editor, you can create posts with images, videos, audio, as well as build custom layouts to suit your needs.

For more information on how to use the Gutenberg block editor, read our guide How to use the Gutenberg block editor in WordPress.

Step 6

Save your post

When you have finished adding your post's content, save your work by clicking the 'Save draft' option, located in the top right corner.

Step 1

Customising your post's URL

A permalink is a permanent URL for a post. Normally a post's URL is automatically generated from the title of a post. So if the post title is 'My first WordPress post', the permalink will be yourdomain.com/my-first-blog-post.

Should you wish to, you can specify your own URL by navigating the post settings menu, on the right-hand side of the screen. From this menu, click on 'Permalink'.

Step 2

Enter your new permalink

Then click on the text field labelled 'URL', and enter the URL you wish to use. As URL's cannot include spaces, all spaces will automatically be replaced by hyphens.

Step 3

Save your changes

When you have finished customising your permalink, save your work by clicking the 'Save draft' option, located in the top right corner.

Step 1

Organising posts into categories

Posts can be grouped into categories, for better organisation. Using categories, you can divide the content of your website into different sections, depending on the categories you create. For more information on how to use categories, read our guide How to create and manage categories in WordPress.

You can choose which categories your post will be in by navigating the post settings menu, on the right-hand side of the screen. From this menu, click on 'Categories'.

Step 2

Choose your categories

Then simply check the box next to each category you want the post to appear in. Posts can be put into more than 1 category, should you wish to.

Step 3

Add a new category

If you wish to create a new category for the post, simply click on the link that reads 'Add new category'.

Step 4

Create a new category

Then enter the name of the category you wish to create into the field labelled 'New Category Name'.

Categories can be arranged into hierarchies, so a new category can become a subcategory of another. If you wish to make the new category a subcategory, choose which category from the dropdown menu labelled 'Parent Category'.

Once you have entered your category information, just click 'Add New Category' to finish.

Step 5

Save your changes

When you have finished categorising the post, save your work by clicking the 'Save draft' option, located in the top right corner.

Step 1

Tagging posts

Adding tags to your posts is an optional way of grouping your posts into subject matter, by using keywords. Whilst categories may cover a broad range of topics, tags are more specific. For example, if your post is in a category called 'Music', then your tags might be 'classical, orchestral, Philharmonic'.

Similar to categories, when a visitor to your website clicks on one of your tags, they are taken to a page listing all the posts that have the same tag.

You can add tags to your post by navigating the post settings menu, on the right-hand side of the screen. From this menu, click on 'Tags'.

Step 2

Add tags to a post

Enter your keywords into the field labelled 'Add New Tag'. Make sure to separate each tag by a comma.

Step 3

Deleting tags from a post

If you wish to remove tags from a post, simply click on the 'X' icon, next to the tag you wish to remove.

Step 1

Add a featured image

A featured image is a thumbnail image for your post. Most (but not all) themes support featured images, they are commonly used when your posts are displayed as a list (search results, category archives etc).

You can add a featured image to your post by navigating the post settings menu, on the right-hand side of the screen. From this menu, click on 'Featured Image'.

Step 2

Set the featured image

Then click on the button labelled 'Set featured image'.

Step 3

Choose a featured image

This opens up the WordPress media library, which is a way of browsing media files you have previously uploaded to your site. If you have an image in your media library, simply click on it, then click the blue button labelled 'Select'.

Step 4

Uploading an image

If you wish to upload an image from your computer, click the tab that reads 'Upload Files'.

Step 5

Choose your file

Then click the button labelled 'Select Files', which will open a file browser. Then you can use the file browser to locate the image stored on your computer.

Step 6

Selecting your file

When the image has uploaded, you will be returned to the media library. Simply click the blue button labelled 'Select' to finish.

Step 7

Replacing your featured image

If you wish to replace a featured image you have previously added, simply click on the button labelled 'Replace Image', and repeat steps 3 - 6.

Step 8

Removing your featured image

If you wish to remove a featured image you have previously added, simply click on the link that reads 'Remove featured Image'.

Step 1

Add a custom excerpt

The excerpt is an optional summary of your post, usually no longer than a couple of sentences. They are commonly used when your posts are displayed as a list (search results, category archives et).

If you do not specify a custom excerpt, WordPress will automatically use the first few sentences from your post instead.

You can add a custom excerpt to your post by navigating the post settings menu, on the right-hand side of the screen. From this menu, click on 'Excerpt'.

Step 2

Enter your excerpt

The simply write your custom excerpt into the field labelled 'Write an excerpt (optional)'.

Step 3

Save your changes

When you have finished categorising the post, save your work by clicking the 'Save draft' option, located in the top right corner.

Step 1

Disabling comments

By default, all posts have comments enabled, meaning your website visitors are able to leave comments and have a discussion, usually displayed underneath your post content.

If you do not wish to have comments on a post, you can disable comments by navigating the post settings menu, on the right-hand side of the screen. From this menu, click on 'Discussion'.

Step 2

Turn off 'Allow Comments'

The just click on the checkbox labelled 'Allow comments'.

If the checkbox is unchecked, comments on the post will be disabled.

If the checkbox is checked, comments on the post will be enabled.

Step 3

Save your changes

When you have finished, save your work by clicking the 'Save draft' option, located in the top right-hand corner.

Step 1

Preview your post

After creating a post and adding any optional additions (such as featured image, a custom excerpt etc), you are ready to publish your post.

Before you publish your post, you can preview how it will look to your website visitors, by clicking the button labelled Preview, located in the top right-hand corner.

Clicking this button will open a new tab, displaying your post as will appear on your website. To return to WordPress, just click on the relevant tab from inside your browser.

Step 2

Set visibility

If you wish to customise the visibility of your post, click on the link that reads 'Public'.

Step 3

Post visibility

You can then choose from the following:

• Public
• Private
• Password Protected

Choosing 'Public' means the post will be visible to anyone.

Choosing 'Private' means the post will not be public, and will only be visible to your website's admin and editors.

Choosing 'Password Protected' means the post will require a password (that you specify) to view it.

Step 4

Publishing date

When you publish a post, the date you published the post is visible to the public. By default, the publish date will be the date you created the post. To change the date, simply click on it.

Step 5

Choose a date

Use either the dropdown menus or the calendar to specify a date and time of your choice.

Choosing a date in the future preschedules the post to be published on the date and time you have specified.

Step 6

Publish your post

When you are happy with your publishing settings, simply click on the blue button labelled 'Publish...', located in the top right-hand corner.

Step 7

Confirm publish

You are then given one last chance to review your publishing settings. If you have double checked your settings and are happy to proceed, simply click Publish.