Compatibility:

WebSite X5 Evo and Pro

The essence of a Blog are its contents: in fact, regardless any other considerations about the matter, one of your main goals should be creating quality contents, which need to be original and respond to the readers' exigences.


An efficient post is the result of a mixture of different ingredients. Your content should be good at the core, and it should be  well-written, in a simple and pleasant way, easy-to-read, as well as optimized for search engines. It should also have nice images and possibly a video, as well as links to go further on topics, not to mention a Call to Action.  It should encourage your readers to leave comments and share it on their social accounts.


In this article, we will look at:


How to create a new post

Writing a good post implies a little of commitment, but adding it to the blog is really simple:

  • Go to Blog > Post and select the Add button to access to Post Settings window: here you can find all the necessary options to create a post.
  • Before moving on to the real contents of a post, you need to define some basic details with the options available in the General section:
    • type the post Title;
    • specify the Category the post is part of: you can type the name of a new one of select a previous one from the list;
    • if you want to, you can add a local file or one of the Premium or free pictures from of online libraries as Cover image; 
    • specify who the Author is: you can type the name of a new author or select one from the list;
    • add the Tags to be associated to your post by writing them one after the other, separated by a comma (for example: "tag1, tag2, tag3, ..."). Keep in mind that tags are brief description of the key concepts for a post, and they can be useful for the post to be found when a visitor uses the internal Search engine, which you can add using the Search Object;
    • specify the publication Date and time. Regardless what you set here, all posts will be visible in the local Preview and published online, but they will actually be available on the blog only on the publication date and at the time you had set;
    • type a Caption for the post contents.
  • Now, open the Contents section, use the text editor (which looks exact the same as the one available for the Text Object) to type in the content of your post, as well as to add images, links and to give it the desired formatting.
  • Finally, go to the SEO section and create the URL for page the post will be available at once published online. The first part of the URL takes on the general URL you specified for the website on Step 5- Export and you can't edit it. The second part, on the other hand, takes on the post title, but you can edit it, still keeping in mind that:
    • easily-readable URLs are more likely to be remembered;
    • URLs are important for Search engines, so you can use them to report the most important keywords;
    • changes applied to the URL do not affect the post title;
    • URLs must be univocal, so you can't use the same address for different pages.
  • Confirm with the OK button. If you go back to the Blog window, you'll find the new post in the Post List.


How to create a new post with MagicText

You can find new ideas or write articles more quickly using MagicText, the Artificial Intelligence-based text generation assistant integrated in WebSite X5 Pro (starting from version 2023.2) and in WebSite X5 Agency.


MagicText can actually help you write titles, captions, tags and contents for your blog articles. You can use it by clicking on the button you find in the respecting fields and add, time after time, the necessary information to describe the text you want to get.



#tip - MagicText help you be more creative and productive: your Blog will then get even better. For more information, see What's MagicText and how can I use it to generate text contents


Making a blog post accessible

Ensuring the accessibility of a blog post is essential to allow all users, including those with visual, motor, or cognitive impairments, to properly access the content. Following best practices for accessibility not only makes the blog more inclusive but also improves readability and SEO optimization.


#tip - For an introduction to accessibility, see: Web Accessibility: Principles, Benefits, and Challenges.


Here are some guidelines to make a blog post accessible:


1. Avoid overly long and complex text

An accessible text is clear, direct, and well-structured. It is recommended to:

  • Use bullet points to simplify reading.
  • Write short and understandable sentences.
  • Avoid complex technical terms without explanations.


2. Use headings correctly

The text structure should be well-organized through hierarchical headings (<h1>, <h2>, <h3>, etc.). The main title of the post should be an <h1>, while subtitles should follow a logical progression with <h2> for main sections and <h3> for subsections. This helps both reading and navigation with assistive technologies. For more information, see: How to use headings to ensure web accessibility.


3. Add alternative text for images

Each image should have a clear and descriptive alternative text (ALT text). If an image is purely decorative, it is best to set an empty ALT text (alt="") to prevent screen readers from interpreting it as relevant content.


When composing your article, you can use images in two locations:

  • In the cover image: You can set the cover in the General > Cover tab. In this case, click on the button located in the file import field to open the Accessibility window.
  • In the body of the post: When working with the text editor available in the Content tab, you can insert one or more images using the command. In this case, right-click on the inserted image to open the context menu: among the available commands, you will also find . Use it to open the Accessibility window.


Through the Accessibility window, you can determine whether the image should be considered purely decorative, and if not, you can specify a Title and an Alternative Text (see Image Accessibility: The Importance of Alternative Text).


4. Ensure adequate contrast between text and background

Colors must ensure good readability: the minimum required contrast ratio is 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. You can learn more in the guide How to check color contrast to ensure web accessibility.


5. Provide transcripts for multimedia content

If the post includes videos or audio, it is essential to provide subtitles, text transcripts, and, if necessary, audio descriptions to ensure content accessibility. This topic is covered in the guide How to manage subtitles, transcripts, and audio descriptions to make videos and audio accessible.


How to manage your posts

As you can see, in the Post List you can find all the posts you've written. Posts are reported in chronological order, from the oldest to the latest, and for each one you will find some details such as the author, the category and the date it has been published.


Use the available buttons in the toolbar above the Post List to:

  • copy, cut and paste one or more posts;
  • search in the post list.


#tip - Multiple selection. You can select more posts at a time by holding the SHIFT key or the left mouse button pressed. 


How to edit an existing post

  • Select a post you want to work on from the Post List and click on Edit.
  • Open the Post Settings window, where you will find all the details you had previously added for the selected post.
  • Apply the needed changes and confirm by clicking on OK.


How to remove an existing post 

  • Select the post you want to work at and click on the Remove button.


#tip - The commands to manage your posts are also available in the contextual menu you can open by right-clicking on a post.