Posting Content: A Seven-Step Guide

Even though every website and piece of content on our platform is different, there are shared best practices to follow every time you post something. When adding content, follow these seven steps for readable, shareable, and accessible content.

1. Title

The title of your page is the first thing your reader sees; so make it count. When writing a title, keep these guidelines in mind:

  • Be simple and direct. Tell the reader exactly what to expect.
  • Write for all possible contexts . The title will display in various locations without accompanying content (search results, social media, etc.), so it needs to stand on its own.
  • Front-load keywords. Whenever possible, the title should include keywords that you want people to use to search for your content in Google.

2. Permalink

The permalink is the last section of the URL and is unique to each piece of content. When modifying the permalink:

  • Remove all unnecessary words, such as "and," "or," or "in."
  • Keep it simple. A long URL is rarely necessary. If you have a long URL, set up a redirect (shortlink) that points to your actual URL.
  • Use a custom permalink. Reduce the title to only keywords (think "content-posting-guide").

3. Content

When writing and posting, make sure to:

  • Write for easy scanning. People read differently on devices. If the content looks like it'll take too long to read, they'll leave.
  • Use appropriate headers and subheads. Use relevant subheadings and header tags (ex. <h2>) so search engines will understand the hierarchy. This will also make the content more accessible for people who use assistive technology.
  • Don't bury the lead. Make it easy for your reader to understand what they're reading about.
  • Consider all users, regardless of their knowledge and experience . Spell out acronyms and give translations for any Hebrew or Yiddish.

4. Images

Images can help make content more visually interesting and easier to understand. When adding images:

  • Edit them before adding to your website. WordPress isn't an ideal image editor (even if it has some basic functionality to do it). Use Photoshop or Canva to edit your images before posting.
  • Save your images for the web. Do not post 2 MB+ images with your content; it affects your load time and slows down your site. Export as a PNG file.
  • Add ALT text. Make your images more accessible by adding alternative text (ALT text) that describes the image.

5. Video & Audio

  • Host externally. Use YouTube, Vimeo, etc. to host your video content and Soundcloud for audio files. Let them handle the bandwidth and embed the finished video or audio files into your content.
  • Ensure A/V elements are compatible with mobile formats . If embedded content is making mobile users scroll left and right, it needs to be resized

6. Post Info

Your content isn't just the body of the post, there are always a few more steps. Don't forget to:

  • Choose categories and tags. Create a game plan for organizing content. Keep in mind that categories group posts in a hierarchy, whereas tags group all specific posts together.
  • Set the post author. Have defined authors for each piece of content - don't just put a byline in the body copy.
  • Add a preview. Not every site uses the excerpt field. If your site does use one, customize it instead of relying on an automatically-generated excerpt.

7. SEO & Social

When you're done writing your content, you need to make sure it's sharable and easily discovered. Make sure to:

  • Add a meta description. This short sentence or two will appear underneath your page title in search results as preview text.
  • Add social title, descriptions, and images. These elements tell social media platforms what to display when your link is shared.

 

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