How to Write and Publish a WordPress Post Using the New Block Editor

After your site is built…

The first thing you need to know is how to Write and Publish a WordPress Post. This page will help you get up to speed fast.

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These links scroll directly to the section you need.

Can YOU write and publish your own WordPress posts? Yes you can.

After taking this tutorial you’ll be able to make clean professional looking blog posts or web pages for your WordPress website. I’m keeping this simple but making sure you can do everything an average site owner wants to do. Learning to write and publish a WordPress post is easier than you might think.

Ask your web designer to make your account login an author account!

You can write and publish a WordPress post using different account types. I always recommend that site owners publish posts using an author account, not an administrator account. There are some things an administrator can do, but an author can not do, which helps you avoid accidentally breaking your website.

When I build a site for someone I always encourage them to log in using an author account. If you got a web designer to build your site, ask them about the different account types.

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You can watch the video or scroll down and read the instructions

You can download this video to use offline.

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Login and log out

To log in to WordPress…

• visit the homepage of your website
• add /wp-admin to your domain name (mysite.com/wp-admin)
• press enter, so you view mysite.com/wp-admin
• you now see the log in screen

Please note!
Change mysite.com for your own domain name.

Log Out when you’re finished

In the top right of the WordPress editor

• hover over your user name
• click Log Out

If you forgot to log out on a public computer

If you forgot to log out on a work or college computer, for instance. You can log out from home.

• Log in to WordPress
• in the dashboard go to: Users > Profile
• scroll down to the sessions section
• click the “Log Out Everywhere Else” button.

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Write and publish a WordPress post

In the admin bar at the top of the screen hover over the + New text and from the drop down choose post or page. If you’re signed into WordPress as an author you can only write and edit your own blog posts. This helps you avoid breaking your homepage, your main web pages, or other peoples blog posts.

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How to find, view and edit posts you made previously

There are several ways to do this.

1. When logged in, navigate to any page of your website using the navigation bar. When you are viewing the page you want to edit, click the Edit Post (or Edit Page) link in the admin bar at the top of the WordPress screen.
2. In the WordPress dashboard go to: Posts > All Posts. Or go to: Pages > All Pages. This opens a list of all the posts or all the pages on your site. Hover over any post in the list and choose Edit.

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Placing paragraphs in your page

If you’re editing a brand new, empty page. WordPress will place a paragraph block in the page. Just start typing.

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Adding more blocks of content to your page

If you select any block of content on your page a toolbar will appear above that block. In the toolbar select the three dot More Options button. A drop down list appears. Choose Insert Before or Insert After, to insert a new block above or below the currently selected block.

As you write and publish a WordPress post, every piece of content on your page is a WordPress block.

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Placing headlines in your page

If you’re editing a brand new, empty page. WordPress will place a paragraph block in the page. Type your headline text in that paragraph block, then hover over the first icon in the toolbar above that paragraph block. When you see the pop-up that says change block type or style, click the paragraph icon and choose heading.

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Adding a text link to your page

Select a word or string of text in any paragraph. Then in the toolbar above the paragraph use the link button to paste the link URL to make the text clickable.

You can improve the SEO of your post by adding relevant text links as you write and publish a WordPress post.

1. highlight the text you want to be clickable
2. click the link button
3. paste your link URL in the box
4. open the link in a new tab (optional)
5. you MUST click the submit button to activate the link

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File download links and buttons

Select any block on your page. Then when the toolbar appears above that block, click the three dot More Options button. From the drop down list, choose insert after. Your cursor should now be blinking waiting for you to choose the type of block you want to insert.

Type a forward slash followed by the word file, like this /file. A pop up appears that will let you add a new block here. If there’s more than one option, choose the one that says file and has a folder icon.

1. when you see the cursor blinking, type /file
2. then choose the file option, and navigate to the file you want to upload

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Adding buttons to your page

Use the three dot, more options button to insert a new block below the active block. Click the add block icon and search for the button block. Then add your button text and link URL.

Buttons can really draw attention to your important links as you write and publish a WordPress post.

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Placing media & text side by side

The easiest way to place an image at the side of text is to use the Media & Text block. When you place a new block in your post search for “media”, then select the Media & Text block. But be careful. Don’t search for “media and text”, that search will not find the Media & Text block. Just search for “media”.

Once the block is in your post upload an image to the left and type your text to the right. The text in a Media & Text block can include headlines, paragraphs, even a button if you wish.

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Images side by side or in a gallery

The easiest way to place two images, or a group of images in your blog post, is to use the gallery block. You can rearrange the images using left and right arrows. And you can place a caption below each image and a caption below the whole gallery.

The gallery block helps you write and publish a WordPress post that is visually appealing and fun to read.

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Ready made simple layouts using block patterns

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If you want to give the group block a background color you might want to add this code to place padding around the group block’s content.

PS: Only use code if you know how it works!

group-padding (Additional CSS class)
.group-padding {
 padding:30px
}

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To divide your post into columns use the columns block

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Place text over a background image with the cover image block

The easiest way to use the cover block is via the patterns blocks in the left hand sidebar. Click the blue plus icon in the top left of the screen, then click the patterns tab. Scroll down to the headers patterns.

Patterns help you write and publish a WordPress post faster and easier.

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Embedding YouTube videos in your page

To embed a YouTube video in your page.

• View the YouTube video you want to embed in your page.
• Copy the URL of that page.
• Insert a new block into your web page or post (use the three dot, More Options, button).
• Search for /youtube, to add the YouTube block to your page.
• Paste the YouTube URL in the YouTube block.
• The YouTube video is now embedded in your page or post.

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Changing the width of a block of content

Some blocks such as the group block and the cover block. Can be set to full width, wide width or center aligned. Look in the toolbar for a square icon with a line above or below it. Use that icon to change the block’s width. But remember, only a few blocks have a width option.

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Navigating and selecting nested blocks via the block breadcrumbs

Selecting the exact block you need can be tricky. Especially if you want to select a block that’s nested inside a group, column or some other type of container block.

To select, for instance, a column nested inside a group block. Select a paragraph block inside the column. Then use the block selection breadcrumbs in the very bottom left of the WordPress editor screen.

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The full screen mode and code editor

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Document settings and block settings in the right hand sidebar

The right hand sidebar has two tabs at the top, Document and Block.

Use the document tab for settings such as selecting a category for your post or selecting the featured image. Use the block tab for all settings related to your currently selected block. But remember, the block settings won’t display until a block is selected.

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Show or hide settings sidebar using the settings cogwheel

You can make more room to edit your web page by hiding the right hand sidebar that contains all of the document or block settings. To hide that sidebar use the cogwheel icon in the top right of the post editor screen.

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Allow or disallow comments