How to Change the Author of a WordPress Post (4 Easy Methods)

Imagine this scenario: You‘ve just published an excellent blog post on your WordPress site, only to realize it‘s attributed to the wrong author. Maybe a guest contributor wrote it, or perhaps you want to transfer ownership to another team member. Whatever the reason, you need to know how to change the author of a post in WordPress.

Assigning the correct author to each post is crucial for maintaining your site‘s credibility and providing proper attribution. It also ensures that the right users are associated with their content in your WordPress database, which is essential for SEO and site organization.

In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll walk you through four methods to change a post‘s author in WordPress:

1. Using the Block Editor (Gutenberg)
2. Using the Classic Editor
3. Using Quick Edit
4. Using Bulk Edit to change multiple posts at once

We‘ll also share tips on optimizing your author profiles for SEO and highlight some useful plugins to streamline author management. By the end of this post, you‘ll be an expert at updating post authors in WordPress.

Why Change a Post‘s Author in WordPress?

There are several reasons why you might need to change the author of a WordPress post:

• Employee turnover: If a writer leaves your organization, you may want to reassign their posts to another user.
• Shifting roles: As team members‘ responsibilities change, it might make sense to transfer post ownership.
• Guest authors: If you publish content from guest contributors, you‘ll need to attribute posts to their user accounts.
• Mistakes happen: Sometimes, posts are accidentally published under the wrong author. Changing the author lets you correct this error.

According to a survey by WordPress hosting provider Kinsta, 66.1% of WordPress sites have more than one author. As your site grows and your team expands, it‘s increasingly important to manage post authors effectively.

Source: Kinsta

Proper author attribution also impacts your site‘s SEO. Google‘s Quality Rater Guidelines emphasize the importance of identifying the author of main content. By providing accurate author information, you‘re sending trust signals to search engines and readers alike.

Now, let‘s dive into the four methods for changing a post‘s author in WordPress.

Method 1: Change Author Using the Block Editor (Gutenberg)

If your WordPress site uses the block editor, introduced in version 5.0, follow these steps to update a post‘s author:

1. Open the post you want to modify in the editor.
2. In the right-hand sidebar, click on the "Post" tab (if it‘s not already selected).
3. Scroll down to the "Status & visibility" section.
4. Click on the current author‘s name under the "Author" heading to reveal a dropdown menu.
5. Select the new author from the list of user accounts.
6. Click the "Update" or "Publish" button to save your changes.

The block editor makes it intuitive to reassign posts to different authors. Keep in mind that the user must already have an account on your WordPress site to appear in the author dropdown.

Some WordPress plugins, like PublishPress Authors, extend the block editor‘s functionality even further. With PublishPress Authors, you can assign multiple authors to a single post and create guest author profiles without setting up WordPress user accounts.

Method 2: Change Author Using the Classic Editor

If you‘re still using the classic WordPress editor, you can change a post‘s author with just a few clicks:

1. Open the post you want to modify in the classic editor.
2. Look for the "Author" meta box in the right-hand column.
   • If the "Author" box isn‘t visible, click on the "Screen Options" tab in the upper right corner and check the box next to "Author."
3. Click on the current author‘s name to reveal a dropdown menu.
4. Select the new author from the list of user accounts.
5. Click the "Update" or "Publish" button to save your changes.

The process is similar to the block editor method, but the author meta box‘s location may differ depending on your screen options and user role.

Method 3: Change Author Using Quick Edit

WordPress allows you to change a post‘s author directly from the "All Posts" screen using the Quick Edit feature. Here‘s how:

1. From your WordPress dashboard, navigate to "Posts" > "All Posts."
2. Hover over the post you want to modify.
3. Click on "Quick Edit" (be careful not to accidentally click "Trash").
4. Look for the "Author" dropdown in the Quick Edit menu.
5. Select the new author from the list of user accounts.
6. Click the "Update" button to save your changes.

Quick Edit is handy for making fast author changes without opening the full editor. It‘s perfect for correcting a misattributed post on the fly.

Method 4: Change Author on Multiple Posts Using Bulk Edit

If you need to update the author on several posts at once, WordPress‘s Bulk Edit feature is here to help:

1. Navigate to "Posts" > "All Posts" in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Check the boxes next to the posts you want to modify.
   • You can use the "Screen Options" tab to display more posts per page if needed.
3. Select "Edit" from the "Bulk actions" dropdown menu.
4. Click the "Apply" button next to the dropdown to reveal the bulk edit options.
5. Locate the "Author" dropdown in the bulk edit menu.
6. Select the new author to assign to all checked posts.
7. Click the "Update" button to apply the changes.

Bulk editing is a powerful tool for updating author attribution across multiple posts simultaneously. However, be cautious when using this feature—double-check that you‘ve selected the correct posts before applying the changes to avoid inadvertently modifying the wrong content.

Optimizing Author Profiles for SEO

Now that you know how to change a post‘s author in WordPress, let‘s discuss optimizing your author profiles for search engines.

Well-crafted author profiles can boost your site‘s credibility and provide valuable context for readers. Here are some tips for creating SEO-friendly author bios:

1. Write a compelling bio: Include relevant expertise, experiences, and achievements. Use keywords naturally, but avoid stuffing. Aim for around 100-200 words.

2. Add social media links: Connecting author profiles to social media accounts (Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) helps search engines associate authors with their content across the web.

3. Implement schema markup: Schema markup helps search engines understand the relationship between authors and their content. Plugins like All in One SEO automatically add schema to author profiles, enhancing search snippets and building trust.

4. Use a professional photo: Choose a clear, high-quality headshot to humanize your authors and make content more relatable. Maintain consistency in size and style across all author images.

A study by Search Engine Journal found that articles with author photos received 35% more clicks than those without. Optimizing your author profiles can have a tangible impact on user engagement and SEO.

Source: Search Engine Journal

Best Practices and Plugins for Author Management

As you manage post authors on your WordPress site, keep these best practices in mind:

• Only assign posts to users with the appropriate roles and capabilities
• Avoid creating fake or empty author profiles
• Regularly update author bios and social links
• Use consistent author names and formatting
• Consider implementing author-specific RSS feeds for multi-author sites

Several WordPress plugins can simplify author management and enhance author profiles:

These plugins offer features beyond WordPress‘s built-in author tools, allowing you to create rich, engaging author profiles that boost your site‘s credibility and SEO.

Conclusion

Knowing how to change the author of a post in WordPress is an essential skill for managing a multi-author website. Whether you use the block editor, classic editor, Quick Edit, or Bulk Edit, it‘s crucial to attribute posts to the correct users.

By optimizing your author profiles with compelling bios, photos, social links, and schema markup, you can enhance your site‘s trustworthiness and engage readers more effectively.

Remember, your authors are the faces of your WordPress site. By properly showcasing their expertise and contributions, you‘ll build a stronger connection with your audience and establish your site as a reputable authority in your niche.