Skip to main content

How to Publish in WordPress

This guide walks you through the essentials of publishing a blog post in WordPress, what to prepare, how to structure your post inside the WordPress editor, and what to double-check before you hit publish.

Updated over 3 months ago

WordPress is one of the most popular and flexible CMS platforms, making it a go-to choice for publishing blog posts, website updates, and long-form content. If you create your content in FOMO.ai, the final step is simply bringing your post over to WordPress and formatting it in the editor.

Before You Start: Prepare Your Post

Before opening WordPress, it helps to gather all the essentials that make your post polished, scannable, and optimized for search. Having these elements ready reduces formatting issues and ensures that once you paste your content into the editor, everything is already in great shape.

Make sure you have:

  • A clear post title

  • A clean, readable URL slug

  • Meta title + meta description

  • A featured image with alt text

  • Categories and/or tags ready

  • Internal links to relevant posts

  • External links to reputable sources

Once these pieces are in place, you’re ready to move into WordPress.

Step 1: Create a New Post in WordPress

WordPress uses a block-based editor, which lets you build your post by adding content blocks for text, images, lists, quotes, and more. Starting with a clean canvas ensures your formatting transfers neatly and that you can customize your layout as needed.

How to create your post:

  1. Log in to your WordPress Admin Dashboard.

  2. In the left menu, go to Posts → Add New.

  3. Enter your post title at the top.

  4. Paste your content into the WordPress block editor.

As you review your pasted content:

  • Convert section headers into H2s.

  • Add H3s for subpoints.

  • Use blocks (Image, List, Quote, Button, Embed) to visually structure your content.

Good to Know: A clean layout enhances readability and ensures your post remains consistent across devices.

Step 2: Add Your Visuals

Strong visuals help your article look polished and clickable. WordPress gives you two main opportunities to add images: the featured image (used for feeds and previews) and inline images that support your article’s message.

Add your featured image

  1. In the right-hand sidebar, open the Post settings.

  2. Scroll to Featured Image.

  3. Upload a new file or select one from your media library.

Your featured image affects how your post appears:

  • On your blog homepage

  • In category feeds

  • In social sharing previews (depending on your theme/plugins)

Tip: Add alt text that describes the image for both accessibility and SEO purposes.

Step 3: Optimize Your Post

WordPress includes several tools that help you organize your content, improve navigation on your site, and optimize your post for search engines. These small details make a noticeable difference in how your post performs.

Categories & Tags

  • Assign the post to relevant categories (usually broad topics)

  • Add tags to highlight subtopics or keywords

Excerpt

Add a custom excerpt to control the summary text that appears in:

  • Blog feeds

  • Search results

  • Theme previews

SEO Plugins (Optional but Recommended)

If you use Yoast SEO, Rank Math, or another SEO plugin, you’ll have an SEO panel beneath your editor. Use it to:

  • Edit your meta title

  • Write your meta description

  • Set your focus keyword

  • Review SEO + readability recommendations

This helps ensure your post is optimized before going live.

Step 4: Preview and Publish

Previewing helps you catch formatting issues that aren’t always obvious in the editor, especially on mobile. This final check ensures your content is polished, consistent, and aligned with your site’s design.

Preview your post

Click Preview (top right) and check:

  • Heading spacing and flow

  • Paragraph length and alignment

  • Mobile formatting

  • Image placement

  • Link formatting

  • Alt text

  • Featured image appearance

Publish your post

When everything looks right:

  • Click Publish to post immediately, or

  • Click the Schedule option to publish at a later date

Your blog post is now live on your WordPress site.

Best Practices for WordPress Publishing

  • Use short paragraphs to increase readability

  • Maintain consistent heading levels

  • Use descriptive anchor text for all links

  • Rename image files before uploading (SEO-friendly filenames)

  • Reuse categories instead of creating new ones every time

  • Review your post on mobile after it’s published

  • Keep your formatting simple for a cleaner look across themes

Related Topics

  • How to Publish in Wix

  • How to Prepare SEO Metadata for Any Platform

Did this answer your question?