Introduction
Building trust is essential for local service businesses looking to generate leads, and adding author boxes to your WordPress site is a simple way to do it. These mini-bios highlight the expertise and background of your team, often including links to social media profiles. Not only does this create a personal connection with potential customers, but it can also improve your SEO, making it easier for local businesses to attract leads.
Featuring key figures like owners or industry experts in your author boxes helps build credibility. When visitors see familiar faces or learn about the qualifications of your team, they’re more likely to trust your services. This personal touch sets you apart from competitors and aligns with Google’s EEAT guidelines, positioning your business as a trusted and authoritative source in your field.
Overview
- Login to the admin dashboard
- Navigate to the “Add New Plugin” page
- Search for “WP Post Author”
- Install & Activate
- Configure settings
Video Walkthrough
Implementation Checklist
- ☐ Navigate to the site you are currently editing
- ☐ Login to the admin dashboard
- NOTE: If needed, fetch access credentials from BlitzAdmin. If you do not have access to BlitzAdmin, please contact us for access
- ☐ Install the plugin:
- Navigate to the “Add New Plugin” page
- Search for “WP Post Author”
- Install & Activate
- Alternatively, if you do not see WP Post Author in the search results, download the plugin here and upload, install, & activate the plugin instead.
- ☐ Configure Settings:
- Navigate to the “WP Post Author” settings page found in the admin sidebar
- Scroll down to the “Appearance” -> “Profile Image Layout” and change it from “Square” to “Round”.
- Scroll down to the “Post Type Visibility” section and make sure both ”Post” and “Page” are selected.
- After making any changes to the visibility settings, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click “Save Changes”.
- Complete verification checklist
Verification Checklist
- Navigate to the plugins page in the admin dashboard. Is WP Post Author installed and active?
- Navigate to any author’s profile by going to the “Users” page and clicking the “edit” link below their username. Can you set the account’s social media links, profile picture/gravatar, …etc?
- Visit your site’s front end and navigate to any blog post. Do you see the author box?
- Visit your site’s front end and navigate to any page. Do you see the author box? Is it in the right location?
Conclusion
Adding author boxes to your WordPress posts boosts both user trust and SEO by highlighting your site’s credibility. This simple feature helps your content stand out in a competitive market, as search engines increasingly value transparent author information. By implementing author boxes, you’ll enhance your content’s visibility and strengthen its overall effectiveness.