Post options provide an excellent way to override the global settings for specific pages or posts, allowing you to create a unique look and feel for individual content while keeping the default settings for the rest of your posts. This feature is especially useful when you want to give a particular post a customized design without affecting the rest of your blog.
Here’s a detailed guide to using the post options in WordPress to achieve unique designs on individual posts.
Accessing Post Options
To access the post options for a specific page, follow these steps:
- Edit a Post: Open the post you want to customize in the WordPress dashboard.
- Scroll to the Bottom of the Post Editor: Once you’re in the post editor, scroll down to find the post options section. These options are typically located beneath the main content area of the post editor.
Key Post Options
Show Header
- Purpose: This option allows you to hide the site’s header area for a specific post.
- When to Use: Use this option when you want a cleaner or distraction-free look for a particular post or if you’re creating a custom landing page for that post.
- How it Works: By enabling this option, the header (usually containing your site’s logo, menu, and navigation) will not appear on the specific post. This gives you more design flexibility, especially for full-page or promotional content.
Header Transparency
You can control the transparency of your post’s header with the following settings:
- Dark Transparent: This option gives the header a transparent dark background, making the content stand out with light-colored text. It’s ideal for posts with images or videos in the background, where you want the header to blend smoothly.
- Light Transparent: Conversely, this option gives the header a transparent light background, with dark text, creating a clean, airy look. This is a great choice for posts that have a lighter or more minimalist aesthetic.
These options allow you to seamlessly integrate the header into your post’s overall visual design.
Post’s Time to Read
This feature enables you to display an estimated reading time for your post, which can enhance the user experience by giving visitors an idea of how long it will take to read your content. To use this option:
- Fill in the Field: Input the estimated reading time in the designated field. This could be based on the word count or your own estimation.
- Show Time to Read: Once this field is filled, you can display the time to read in various blog and post-related Elementor widgets, such as those used in blog pages, single post pages, archives, author pages, and search results. This metadata is a helpful feature for readers who want to know how long the post will take to read before they dive in.
Video URL
For posts that contain video content, you can add a video URL to the post settings.
- Supported Platforms: You can insert YouTube, Vimeo, or hosted video links.
- How It Works: This feature works specifically when the post format is set to “video.” When you add a video link, it will embed the video directly within the post, providing an interactive element for your readers.
Post Metadata on Blog and Archive Pages
While the options above are available on the individual post pages, it’s important to note that these settings also appear as Metadata on blog and archive pages. Metadata refers to the additional information about the post, such as the time to read, video URL, and header settings.
To ensure this metadata is displayed on blog or archive pages, make sure that the Metadata option is turned on in the Elementor widgets used on those pages. If the metadata is not enabled, these settings will not be visible to visitors, even though they are configured on the individual post page.
Conclusion
Using post options, you can easily customize individual posts without affecting your site’s global settings. Whether you want to hide the header, add a video, or display the reading time, these options give you the flexibility to create tailored experiences for specific posts. Remember to enable metadata on blog and archive pages if you want these options to appear across your site’s content.
