Writing and publishing a blog post

Write a blog post, add images and a useful summary, preview the saved draft, and publish it on your website. This guide follows a regular post from a blank editor to a page your readers can open.

You need permission to edit and publish content on the correct site. For images, you also need access to the media library and working uploads. If the controls are missing or disabled, see Why can’t I see or edit a feature?.

Save draft keeps your work unpublished. Publish saves and publishes the post immediately. Finish your review before choosing Publish; it is not a button for opening a final confirmation screen.

Start a new post and choose its address

1. Go to Site → Blogs and stay on Posts.
2. Choose New blog post. The editor opens on Write.
3. Enter a clear Title that describes the article. For example, “What to bring to your first pottery class” tells readers exactly what they will learn.
4. Check Slug, beside the blog/ prefix. Use a short, readable address such as first-pottery-class. The resulting post address is /blog/first-pottery-class; enter the slug rather than the full website URL.
5. Begin the Article body, then choose Save draft. Wait for the saved confirmation before leaving or switching devices.

Cedros can derive an address from the title when the slug is empty. Check the resulting address after saving rather than relying on an automatically generated name. Choose an address you can keep when the article is updated.

If the address is already in use, choose a distinct slug and save again. Do not delete an existing post just to reuse its address. If the post already exists, use its edit action in Blogs instead of creating a duplicate.

Pillars and Cluster map organize related articles into larger topics. You can write and publish a regular post without setting up a topic cluster.

Write and format the article

Start with a short introduction that answers why the reader should keep reading. Follow it with useful sections, concrete details, and a clear next step. For the pottery-class example, useful sections might be “What to wear,” “What we provide,” and “Before you arrive.”

The Article body uses Markdown, with a toolbar for common formatting. You can type normally and apply formatting without learning every Markdown symbol.

The post title is already displayed above the article, so begin the body with the introduction instead of repeating the title as another top-level heading. Leave blank lines between paragraphs, headings, and lists.

For example, this body text creates a section and a three-item list:

## What to bring

- Clothes you can get clay on.
- A hair tie for long hair.
- Your booking confirmation.

Replace example details with information that is true for your business. Check prices, dates, names, instructions, and promises before publishing. Open every link to confirm that it reaches the intended destination; remove any placeholder URL left by the toolbar.

Preview in the writing toolbar only previews the body you are editing. It does not save the draft or prove that the full post, featured image, and surrounding website look right.

Add a featured image and images in the body

The featured image and inline images serve different purposes. The featured image introduces the post and is also used for its social sharing image. Inline images appear at the point where you insert them in the article.

Featured image

On Write, choose Upload image beside the title and select your image. Wait for the upload result, then check that the intended picture appears. Use a clear image that remains understandable when cropped for a card or shared link.

Click the featured-image preview to replace it with another upload. Remove clears its assignment to this post; it does not delete the file from the media library. Save the draft after changing the image.

The featured-image control uploads a file from your device. The body’s Add Media control has a library picker; these are different controls.

Inline images and file links

1. Put the cursor where the image should appear. Clear any text selection you want to keep, because insertion replaces selected text.
2. Choose Add Media in the body toolbar.
3. Use Search Media to find an existing file and select it, or upload a file in the panel. A successful upload through this panel inserts the file into the body.
4. Check the inserted Markdown. For an image, the text inside ![…] is its alternative text. Replace a filename or unhelpful description with a concise description of what the image contributes.
5. Choose Preview to check the image’s position and surrounding text, then return to Edit and save the draft.

Selecting a non-image file inserts a link. Give a download a useful label, such as “Download the class preparation checklist,” and test the file as a reader. Adding a video this way creates a link rather than automatically embedding a player.

Use files you have permission to publish, and check their access rules. A picture that opens for an administrator may still be unavailable to visitors. See Uploading and organizing media for supported files, limits, descriptions, and access, or Fixing media problems if an upload or image fails.

Set the author, summary, and search appearance

Open SEO to review how the post is introduced outside its main body.

1. In Summary and author, check Author and choose the appropriate available name. Do not leave the site’s default byline if it would misidentify the author.
2. Write Summary for cards and feeds: one or two specific sentences explaining what readers will get. For the example post: “Prepare for your first pottery class with our guide to clothing, arrival, and the materials included in your booking.”
3. Check Search headline and Search description under How this appears in search and social. Customize them when the defaults do not describe the article well.
4. Review both Search result and Shared link. Check the headline, description, address, and featured image where shown.
5. Review Show this page in search results and the Search checks, then save the draft.

If the summary is blank, Cedros can use the search description or opening body text. The search description uses the summary unless you customize it. An intentional summary is easier to control than a fallback taken from an unfinished introduction.

The search visibility switch controls search and sitemap eligibility; it is not a privacy or sign-in restriction. Publishing a post and allowing it in search also do not guarantee when a search engine will list it. The search and shared-link previews show the intended metadata, while outside services may display it differently or retain an older preview.

Choose a category and tags

Open Taxonomy.

• Category groups the post into a broad editorial subject. Choose the relevant available category and use it consistently across similar posts.
• Add tag lets you choose an existing tag or create a new one. Select the intended suggestion, or type the complete new name and choose its add option. Check that it appears as a tag chip; text left in the input is not assigned. Prefer a few useful topics over near-duplicate spellings.
• Content role can stay Supporting or regular post for an ordinary article. Leave Topic cluster key and Associated pillar unset unless you are deliberately linking the post into a planned topic cluster.

For a pottery-class post, choose Guides or Tutorials, then add tags such as Beginners and Preparation. The category dropdown has a fixed list; use tags for more specific subjects. Follow your site’s existing naming conventions rather than creating competing labels.

For tag reuse, cleanup, and reader filters, see Organizing posts with categories and tags. Use Customizing your blog and docs appearance for shared display settings.

Save and review the complete draft

1. Return to Write and optionally add a Change Note, such as “First complete draft with class preparation checklist.” This records context for collaborators in revision history; it is not article text.
2. Choose Save draft and wait for Draft saved. If Cedros reports that newer edits still need saving, save again after finishing those edits.
3. Use the body’s Preview to check heading levels, lists, links, and inline media. Return to Edit for corrections and save again.
4. Choose Back to blogs. Find the post by title or slug, using the Status filter if needed.
5. Use the row’s eye action, Open draft preview, to inspect the saved post in its website layout. Review desktop and a narrow screen, including the title, summary, byline, featured image, body, and links.
6. If you make changes, save them and open a fresh draft preview before publishing. A preview opened earlier may show an older saved version.

Use Copy preview link in the draft’s row when another person needs to review it. A preview link grants access to the draft to anyone who has the link, so share it only with intended reviewers. It is a temporary review link, not the public address to use in menus or announcements. If it expires, open or copy a fresh preview from Blogs.

If you leave with unsaved changes, Save draft and exit preserves them as a draft. Keep editing returns to your work. Exit without saving discards those unsaved edits. Keep the editor open and preserve a copy of important text if saving fails.

Optional AI feedback

The AI co-author offers Writing help for requests such as a clearer introduction and Draft review → Run review for feedback on the post. Review each suggestion before applying it, especially factual claims, links, tone, and changes to the address.

AI review is optional. If a review flags a publishing blocker, resolve the issue and apply the appropriate correction, or dismiss the finding when you have checked that it does not apply. Read any stale-review message after editing and rerun review when requested. An AI score is not a substitute for checking your facts and reading the actual preview.

AI assistance depends on your site’s configured service and may incur provider charges. Keep private material out of requests unless that service is approved for it. For practical prompts, comparing replacements, accepting or dismissing findings, and recovering from an unwanted edit, see Using AI to draft and review content.

Publish and check what readers see

1. Open the reviewed draft from Blogs and confirm the title, slug, body, images, author, and summary are final.
2. Choose Publish once. This saves and publishes the current post; do not click it merely to look for another review screen.
3. Wait for the publication success message. If an error appears, read it and check the post’s state before trying again.
4. Return to Blogs and confirm the post is Published. Use its View action to open the public article.
5. Open the public address in a signed-out or private browser window. Read through it on desktop and mobile, open its links and downloads, and verify that the intended readers can see the images.
6. Check your site’s /blog page with search and filters cleared. Confirm the post appears where you expect before sharing its public address.

Publishing the post does not automatically send an email campaign or post to your social accounts. Share the public article URL through those channels when you are ready.

If you notice a correction afterward, edit the same post and review the whole update before choosing Publish changes. Save draft on an already published post keeps the earlier published version live. If a future update is scheduled, clear its schedule before editing, then review and reschedule. Follow Scheduling and updating blog posts for updates and timed releases.

Troubleshooting

My work is missing after leaving. Reopen the post and check the saved version and History. Unsaved browser recovery is not a replacement for Save draft. If Cedros offers recovered work, inspect it before saving or publishing it, especially if someone else has edited the post.

The article displays Markdown symbols or the formatting looks wrong. Check the body in Edit mode for unmatched formatting marks, missing blank lines, or content accidentally enclosed in a code block. Use Preview to inspect the correction, then save and check the full draft preview.

An image is missing or a download is blocked. Check that the upload completed, the Markdown link points to the intended file, and the visitor has access. Follow Fixing media problems rather than deleting an asset that other content may use.

Publish is disabled or fails. Read the permission, review, validation, or connection message. Resolve the named issue, save the draft, and retry only after checking whether the earlier attempt succeeded. If saving fails, preserve your article text before reloading.

The draft preview will not open. Save the post, return to Blogs, and open a fresh preview. If that still fails, record the error and ask for help; publishing unfinished content to work around a preview failure exposes it to readers.

The post is saved but not visible publicly. Confirm Published status, open the exact article address, and check whether the whole site is restricted. On the blog index, clear search/category/tag filters and check pagination. Search-engine listings can take longer than the website itself to update.

The live post shows an older version. Confirm that you chose Publish changes after the last correction. Reload the public address in a fresh window and compare it with the saved draft. If it still differs, include both addresses and the publication time in your support request.

For unresolved problems, use Getting help and reporting a problem. Include the site address, post title and public path, the action you attempted, the exact message, and whether saving, previewing, or publishing failed. Share private drafts and preview links only through an appropriate support channel.

For taking a post offline or recovering an earlier saved version, follow Unpublishing or restoring content. Keep the existing post and its history instead of creating a replacement.