Publishing approved blog posts to WordPress automatically

The usual copy-and-paste problem

Even when a post is written and approved, someone still has to log in to WordPress, paste the text, fix the headings that broke, add the meta description, set the address, upload a featured image and press Publish. It is small work, but it is the step that gets forgotten, and mistakes creep in while pasting.

What you need before connecting

• A self-hosted WordPress website reachable over HTTPS.
• A WordPress user who is allowed to publish posts, such as an Editor or Administrator. A separate user just for the app makes the history easier to read.
• An application password for that user. WordPress creates these on the user's profile screen; it is not your normal login password and can be revoked at any time.
• The WordPress REST API must be reachable. Some security plugins or hosting firewalls block it; the connection check will tell you if so.

How publishing works

• Connect: enter your website address, the username and the application password. The app checks the connection and the permissions straight away.
• Approve: a post can only be sent once a person has approved that exact version.
• Schedule: publish now or pick a date and time.
• Preflight: right before sending, the app checks the connection again, confirms the approval and reruns the quality checks. A failed mandatory check stops the post.
• Send: the post goes to WordPress with its title, body and web address, the meta description as the post excerpt, and the featured image with its alt text if there is one. The status shows Published.
• Verify: a separate check reads the public page. When the post is really there, the status turns to Verified.

Built so that nothing posts twice

Networks are not perfect. If WordPress takes too long to answer after the post was sent, the app does not simply try again and risk a duplicate. It marks the job as uncertain and, on the next try, first looks for the post on your website using a hidden marker. Only if the post is not there is it sent again.

Formatting and your theme

Posts use simple building blocks: subheadings, paragraphs, lists, bold text and links to your own pages. That means they take on your theme's normal styling. The app does not build page-builder layouts, sliders or custom sections. If you want those, edit the post in WordPress after it is published.

More than blog posts

The same WordPress connection also lets the app publish approved website pages and apply approved SEO fixes, such as missing image alt text and page titles, with a preview first and an undo button afterwards.