How to Organize WordPress Media, Pages, and Posts
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That’s a pretty loaded question that regularly lands in my inbox. So here is my list of plugins and resources to help you do just that.
How to Organize the WordPress Media Library
I often wish there were a way to organize my Media Library so I could easily and quickly find the images or files I need. Unfortunately, there are so many plugins, and none seem to hit the mark.
I discovered a premium plugin that I tested and was pleasantly surprised by. (You can also give it a whirl with a free test drive.) This plugin has a 5-star rating on CodeCanyon and includes all the features I needed.
I have years of media: photos, screenshots, PDFs, logos, affiliate graphics—the list goes on. How can you possibly organize all that?
Enter WordPress Real Media Library: Folder & File Manager for WordPress Media Management*
WordPress Real Media Library helps you organize thousands of uploaded files into folders, collections, and galleries.
Yay! This plugin can make your life a heck of a lot easier.
A companion plugin, WordPress Real Physical Media: Physical Media Folders & SEO Rewrites, is also available. This plugin mirrors the Real Media Library folder structure in your file system and provides a better file structure and a more descriptive file path when working with an FTP client. In addition, this level of SEO will help drive traffic directly to your website from image search engines.
How to Organize WordPress Posts
The Post Types Order plugin lets you order posts and post types using a drag-and-drop, sortable interface. The order can be customized either within the default WordPress post-type archive list page or in a separate reorder interface that displays all objects. In addition, you can reorder your posts for any custom post types you define.
How to Order WordPress Posts Chronologically
When you add a new post to WordPress, the most recent post is displayed first by default. However, if you have a single post you want to move, you can change its date so it appears in the desired order.
When you need a more extensive change, the Chronological Posts plugin reverses the default post order across your site from reverse chronological to chronological.
How to Organize WordPress Pages
You can change the order in which your pages display using the Order field of the Page Attributes module.
Let’s say you have three pages: About, Contact, Services
If you wanted Services to appear first, you’d need to do the following:
Repeat the process for your other pages using higher numbers for the Order field: 2, 3, etc. This tells WordPress to display these pages second and third.
When using the Pages Widget, set the “Sort by” option to Page Order after setting a custom order for your pages. Then click Save & Publish.
Check out the WordPress.com guide on Page Attributes for more information.
How to Organize WordPress Categories
The best way to organize your categories is to map them out from the start. Too many categories can be overwhelming and harm the on-site visitor experience.
TIP: List your categories and subcategories on paper to visualize how you would like to organize your data.
[ READ: WordPress Categories, Keywords, and Tags; Oh My! ]
If you are frustrated with your categories and need an interface that accommodates your growing list, check out WordPress Real Category Management. Manage categories in an explorer-like tree view and create a custom category order.
How to Organize Tags
Tags can get out of control fast, and in my experience, they are rarely used properly.
Once you read my article on Categories and Tags and set up your tags correctly, the Tag Groups plugin will help you organize tags in groups. It also works with categories and other custom taxonomies, such as product tags.
The plugin has a configurable tag cloud that displays tags in tabs or an accordion. Filters and bulk actions make working with tags much easier, and you can even filter the list of posts in your backend by the tag group they belong to.
Ready to Get Organized?
Now, you have the resources to reorder and organize WordPress pages, posts, and media however you desire. Just imagine the time you will free up by organizing everything to increase efficiency while eliminating frustration and time searching for files and content.
At your service,
*Some of the links on this page are to companies with which I have a professional affiliation.
Read my complete affiliate statement here.
