When running a WordPress website, there are instances where you may need to make edits or updates without immediately making them public.
At CanadaCreate, we frequently write and revise numerous articles, and we understand the significance of saving changes without instant publication. Daily, we save posts for review by editors before they go live.
This practice helps us maintain high-quality articles and streamlines our workflow.
In this article, we will guide you on how to effortlessly save your changes in WordPress without publishing them.
Why Should You Save Changes Without Publishing WordPress Posts and Pages?
WordPress simplifies the process of adding new blog posts and pages.
However, if you modify a post or page that is already published, it will instantly replace the existing content.
What if you want to create a draft of an update and save it without publishing? This is particularly useful if you need additional time to refine your draft or if you are managing a multi-author blog and wish to approve changes before they are published.
The only standard method to achieve this is to revert the post to a draft status and then republish it once the changes are finalized.
If you revert a live post to draft status, its public URL will become inactive. Visitors, including search engines, will encounter a 404 ‘page not found’ error, leading to a poor user experience and potentially harming your site’s SEO.
One option is to create a new draft and manually copy and paste the content. However, this method does not carry over categories, tags, featured images, and other important elements.
Fortunately, you can utilize a WordPress plugin to create a duplicate of any page or post on your site, allowing you to save the draft without publishing it. When you’re ready, you can integrate the changes and update the live post.
This feature is particularly helpful when redesigning a website, duplicating landing pages, revising outdated content, making edits, and more.
Now, let’s explore how to save changes to your posts without making them public on your WordPress site.
How to Save Changes Without Publishing in WordPress
The simplest method to save changes without going live is by using the free Yoast Duplicate Post plugin.
This plugin allows you to quickly duplicate any page or post in WordPress with just one click, including all original settings. When you’re ready, you can merge your modifications and update the original post.
Begin by installing and activating the Yoast Duplicate Post plugin. For detailed instructions, refer to our comprehensive guide on installing WordPress plugins.
After activation, navigate to the Posts » All Posts section in your WordPress dashboard.
When you hover over a post, you will notice several new options: Clone (creates an exact copy as a new draft), New Draft (generates a new, blank draft), and Rewrite & Republish (duplicates the post for editing and allows you to merge it back into the live version).
To start, click the ‘Rewrite & Republish’ link beneath the post you want to edit.
This action will automatically generate a duplicate of that post and open it in the content editor.
You can now modify this post as much as you like and save it without making it live. To save your changes, simply click the ‘Save’ button located in the top right corner of the page.
Additionally, drafts will be automatically saved as you make edits.
You can access this WordPress post by going to the Posts » All Posts section from the WordPress admin sidebar.
It will display ‘Draft, Rewrite & Republish’ next to the post title.
When you’re ready to publish, just click the ‘Republish’ button.
The plugin will prompt you to confirm if you’re ready to republish the post and integrate your new changes into the live version. If you’re prepared, click the ‘Republish’ button once more.
You can preview how your post will appear before republishing by clicking the ‘Preview’ button located in the top right corner of the screen.
To view a side-by-side comparison of your modifications, simply click the ‘Compare’ button at the top of the editor.
This will display a side-by-side revision screen, highlighting the changes made in green.
If you are satisfied with the changes, click the ‘Return to editor’ link at the top of the screen.
You can also set the date for when you want your edited post to go live. If you want the changes to be published immediately, leave the date unchanged.
If you prefer to schedule the publication for a future date, click the ‘Republish’ option and set the date to a time in the future.
Finally, click the ‘Republish’ button again.
You will receive a notification at the top of the page indicating that the original post has been updated with the new version.
Now, the modifications you made to the cloned post will replace the original version on the specified date.
Bonus: Learn How to Schedule Your Posts in WordPress
Managing multiple content updates or collaborating with a team can become challenging. An editorial calendar plugin can significantly simplify this process.
We recommend using PublishPress Planner for this purpose.
It integrates a user-friendly drag-and-drop content calendar directly into your WordPress dashboard, allowing you to easily visualize your publishing timeline.
You can quickly view all your scheduled updates, reschedule posts by dragging them to a new date, and create custom statuses to streamline your team’s workflow, such as ‘Needs Review’ or ‘Ready to Publish’.
This provides a comprehensive overview of your content pipeline, ensuring that nothing is overlooked.
For step-by-step guidance, check out our tutorial on how to auto-schedule your WordPress blog posts.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Here are some common questions from our readers regarding how to save changes without publishing a post:
What is the best way to save changes in WordPress without publishing?
The most secure and effective approach is to utilize a plugin like Yoast Duplicate Post.
This feature allows you to create a private copy of a post or page, make edits without affecting the live version, and then seamlessly merge your changes when you’re ready. This approach prevents any downtime or negative impact on SEO.
Does changing a post to draft mode impact my SEO?
Yes, reverting a published post to draft will result in its URL displaying a 404 ‘page not found’ error.
This can negatively affect your search engine rankings and lead to a poor user experience for anyone trying to access that link.
Can I schedule my updated post to be published at a later time?
Absolutely! The Yoast Duplicate Post plugin includes a convenient scheduling feature.
This enables you to select a future date and time for your updated post to automatically replace the current live version, making it perfect for planning your content calendar.
We hope this article has helped you understand how to save changes without publishing in WordPress. You may also find our comprehensive guide on simplifying WordPress post revisions and our essential tips for using shortcodes in WordPress useful.
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