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Blog Posts Module ​

The Blog Posts module allows you to create, manage, and publish blog articles on your website. This comprehensive guide covers all features and functionality.

Table of Contents ​

  1. Overview
  2. Accessing Blog Posts
  3. Creating a Blog Post
  4. Managing Posts
  5. Post Categories
  6. Comments Management
  7. Frontend Display
  8. Email Notifications
  9. SEO Settings
  10. Bulk Operations

Overview ​

Features ​

  • ✅ Create and edit blog posts
  • ✅ Rich text editor with media support
  • ✅ Post categories and tags
  • ✅ Featured images
  • ✅ Post scheduling
  • ✅ Draft and published status
  • ✅ SEO optimization
  • ✅ Comment system
  • ✅ Author assignment
  • ✅ Email notifications

Admin Routes ​

  • Post List: /admin/posts
  • Create Post: /admin/posts/create
  • Edit Post: /admin/posts/{id}/edit
  • Categories: /admin/post-categories

Frontend Routes ​

  • Blog Listing: /blog
  • Category View: /blog/category/{category}
  • Single Post: /blog/{slug}

Accessing Blog Posts ​

From Admin Panel ​

  1. Log in to your admin panel
  2. Navigate to Content Management → Blog Posts
  3. Or go directly to: /admin/posts

Permissions Required ​

  • View Posts: view posts permission
  • Create Posts: create posts permission
  • Edit Posts: edit posts permission
  • Delete Posts: delete posts permission

Creating a Blog Post ​

Step 1: Access Create Page ​

  1. Go to Blog Posts → Create New Post
  2. Or navigate to: /admin/posts/create

Step 2: Basic Information ​

Title ​

  • Enter your post title
  • Important: This will be used for the URL slug
  • Make it descriptive and SEO-friendly
  • Example: 10 Tips for Better Web Design

Slug ​

  • Auto-generated from title
  • Can be edited manually
  • Must be unique
  • Use lowercase with hyphens
  • Example: 10-tips-for-better-web-design

Excerpt ​

  • Short summary of the post
  • Used in blog listings and meta descriptions
  • Recommended: 150-200 characters
  • Leave empty to auto-generate from content

Step 3: Content Editor ​

Rich Text Editor ​

The editor includes:

  • Formatting: Bold, italic, underline
  • Headings: H1, H2, H3, etc.
  • Lists: Ordered and unordered
  • Links: Internal and external
  • Images: Upload and insert
  • Media: Videos, embeds
  • Code: Code blocks
  • Tables: Create data tables

Adding Images ​

  1. Click Insert Image button
  2. Choose:
    • Upload: Upload new image
    • Media Library: Select existing image
  3. Set image properties:
    • Alt text (for SEO)
    • Caption
    • Alignment
    • Size
  4. Click Insert

Adding Media ​

  1. Click Insert Media button
  2. Upload or select video/audio files
  3. Configure playback settings
  4. Insert into post
  1. Click Set Featured Image
  2. Upload or select from media library
  3. Recommended size: 1200x630px
  4. Used in:
    • Blog listings
    • Social media shares
    • Post headers

Step 5: Categories and Tags ​

Assign Categories ​

  1. Select existing categories
  2. Or create new category (see Post Categories)
  3. Can assign multiple categories
  4. First category is primary

Add Tags ​

  1. Type tag name
  2. Press Enter to add
  3. Can add multiple tags
  4. Tags help with organization and search

Step 6: Author Assignment ​

  • Default: Current logged-in user
  • Change: Select different author from dropdown
  • Only users with author permissions appear

Step 7: SEO Settings ​

Meta Title ​

  • Title for search engines
  • Default: Uses post title
  • Recommended: 50-60 characters
  • Include keywords

Meta Description ​

  • Description for search results
  • Default: Uses excerpt
  • Recommended: 150-160 characters
  • Compelling and keyword-rich

Meta Keywords ​

  • Comma-separated keywords
  • Less important for SEO
  • Still useful for organization

Open Graph Settings ​

  • OG Image: Image for social sharing
  • OG Title: Title for social media
  • OG Description: Description for social media

Step 8: Post Status ​

Status Options ​

  • Draft: Not published, saved for later
  • Published: Live on website
  • Scheduled: Publish at future date/time

Scheduling a Post ​

  1. Select Scheduled status
  2. Choose publish date
  3. Choose publish time
  4. Post will auto-publish at scheduled time

Note: Requires cron job to be set up (see Post-Installation Setup)

Step 9: Save Post ​

  • Save Draft: Save without publishing
  • Publish: Make post live immediately
  • Schedule: Set future publish date

Managing Posts ​

Post List View ​

Access at: /admin/posts

Features ​

  • Search: Search by title, content, excerpt
  • Filters:
    • By Author
    • By Category
    • By Status (Published/Draft)
  • Sorting:
    • By Date (newest/oldest)
    • By Title (A-Z/Z-A)
    • By Author
  • Pagination: Navigate through pages

Post Actions ​

For each post:

  • Edit: Modify post content
  • View: Preview on frontend
  • Duplicate: Create copy of post
  • Delete: Remove post (with confirmation)

Editing a Post ​

  1. Click Edit on any post
  2. Make your changes
  3. Click Update to save

Note: Editing published posts updates them immediately (unless scheduled)

Deleting a Post ​

  1. Click Delete on a post
  2. Confirm deletion
  3. Warning: This action cannot be undone
  4. Comments associated with post are also deleted

Post Categories ​

Accessing Categories ​

  1. Go to Blog Posts → Categories
  2. Or navigate to: /admin/post-categories

Creating a Category ​

  1. Click Create New Category
  2. Enter:
    • Name: Category name
    • Slug: URL-friendly version (auto-generated)
    • Description: Optional description
    • Parent Category: For hierarchical categories
  3. Click Save

Managing Categories ​

  • Edit: Modify category details
  • Delete: Remove category (posts are not deleted)
  • View Posts: See all posts in category

Category Hierarchy ​

Create parent-child relationships:

  • Parent: Main category (e.g., "Technology")
  • Child: Sub-category (e.g., "Web Development")

Comments Management ​

Accessing Comments ​

  1. Go to Blog Posts → Comments
  2. Or navigate to: /admin/comments

Comment Status ​

  • Pending: Awaiting approval
  • Approved: Published on site
  • Rejected: Not published

Comment Actions ​

Approve Comment ​

  1. Find pending comment
  2. Click Approve
  3. Comment appears on post

Reject Comment ​

  1. Find comment
  2. Click Reject
  3. Comment is hidden

Edit Comment ​

  1. Click Edit on comment
  2. Modify content
  3. Click Update

Delete Comment ​

  1. Click Delete on comment
  2. Confirm deletion
  3. Comment is permanently removed

Bulk Comment Operations ​

Bulk Approve ​

  1. Select multiple comments
  2. Click Bulk Approve
  3. All selected comments are approved

Bulk Delete ​

  1. Select multiple comments
  2. Click Bulk Delete
  3. All selected comments are deleted

Comment Moderation ​

Configure comment settings:

  • Auto-approve: Comments from registered users
  • Require moderation: All comments need approval
  • Disable comments: Turn off commenting for specific posts

Frontend Display ​

Blog Listing Page ​

URL: /blog

Features:

  • Displays all published posts
  • Pagination
  • Category filtering
  • Search functionality
  • Post excerpts
  • Featured images
  • Author information
  • Publish dates

Category Pages ​

URL: /blog/category/{category-slug}

Features:

  • Shows posts in specific category
  • Category description
  • Post count
  • Same layout as main blog page

Single Post Page ​

URL: /blog/{post-slug}

Features:

  • Full post content
  • Featured image
  • Author information
  • Publish date
  • Categories and tags
  • Related posts
  • Comment section
  • Social sharing buttons

Comment Submission ​

Visitors can:

  1. Read existing comments
  2. Submit new comments
  3. Reply to comments (if enabled)
  4. Comments require approval (if moderation enabled)

Email Notifications ​

Notification Types ​

The system sends emails for:

Post Published ​

  • Sent when post is published
  • Recipients: Subscribers, followers
  • Includes post title and link

Post Updated ​

  • Sent when published post is edited
  • Recipients: Subscribers
  • Includes changes summary

Post Scheduled ​

  • Confirmation when post is scheduled
  • Sent to post author
  • Includes scheduled date/time

Post Status Changed ​

  • Notification when status changes
  • Sent to post author
  • Includes old and new status

Post Featured ​

  • Notification when post is featured
  • Sent to post author
  • Includes featured status

Configuring Notifications ​

  1. Go to Settings → Email Settings
  2. Configure SMTP (see Email Settings)
  3. Enable/disable specific notifications

SEO Settings ​

On-Page SEO ​

Each post includes:

  • Meta Title: Optimized title tag
  • Meta Description: Search result description
  • Meta Keywords: Relevant keywords
  • URL Slug: SEO-friendly URL
  • Heading Structure: Proper H1, H2, H3 hierarchy
  • Image Alt Text: Descriptive alt attributes
  • Internal Linking: Links to related content

Best Practices ​

  1. Use Keywords Naturally:

    • Include in title
    • Use in first paragraph
    • Include in headings

  2. Optimize Images:

    • Descriptive file names
    • Alt text for all images
    • Compressed file sizes

  3. Internal Linking:

    • Link to related posts
    • Link to important pages
    • Use descriptive anchor text

  4. Content Quality:

    • Original, valuable content
    • Proper length (1000+ words recommended)
    • Well-structured with headings

Bulk Operations ​

Bulk Actions Available ​

Bulk Delete ​

  1. Select multiple posts (checkboxes)
  2. Click Bulk Actions dropdown
  3. Select Delete
  4. Confirm deletion
  5. All selected posts are deleted

Bulk Status Change ​

  1. Select multiple posts
  2. Click Bulk Actions
  3. Select Change Status
  4. Choose new status (Published/Draft)
  5. All selected posts are updated

Bulk Category Assignment ​

  1. Select multiple posts
  2. Click Bulk Actions
  3. Select Assign Category
  4. Choose category
  5. All selected posts are assigned

Selecting Posts ​

  • Select All: Checkbox in header
  • Select Page: Select all on current page
  • Individual: Check individual posts

Tips and Best Practices ​

Content Creation ​

  1. Plan Your Content:

    • Create content calendar
    • Research keywords
    • Plan post structure

  2. Write Quality Content:

    • Original and valuable
    • Well-researched
    • Properly formatted

  3. Use Media:

    • Include relevant images
    • Add videos when appropriate
    • Use infographics

  4. Optimize for SEO:

    • Research keywords
    • Optimize titles and descriptions
    • Use proper heading structure

Post Management ​

  1. Regular Publishing:

    • Maintain consistent schedule
    • Use scheduling feature
    • Plan ahead

  2. Engage with Comments:

    • Respond to comments
    • Moderate regularly
    • Encourage discussion

  3. Monitor Performance:

    • Track popular posts
    • Analyze engagement
    • Adjust strategy

Troubleshooting ​

Post Not Appearing on Frontend ​

Possible Causes:

  • Post status is "Draft"
  • Post is scheduled for future
  • Category is not published
  • Cache needs clearing

Solutions:

  1. Check post status
  2. Verify publish date
  3. Clear cache
  4. Check category status

Images Not Displaying ​

Solutions:

  1. Check image file permissions
  2. Verify image URLs
  3. Check media library settings
  4. Clear browser cache

Comments Not Showing ​

Solutions:

  1. Check comment moderation settings
  2. Verify comments are approved
  3. Check post comment settings
  4. Clear cache

Last Updated: [Date will be updated during final review]

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