In WordPress, the author user role is one of the standard permissions. An individual with the author role may create and post content, but they are unable to modify your website’s configuration options. As your WordPress site develops, it becomes increasingly important to understand the user role system and what each user is able to do or not do on your website.
If you need help from others to create content for your website, the author role will come in handy. Typically, if that’s the case, you’ll only want to give them access to their own posts.
What Is an Author’s Role in WordPress?
In WordPress, a user is someone who has registered on your website and can log in with a username and password. You restrict users’ access to your site by assigning them various roles with five pre-defined options by default. To begin with, you may be the only one contributing articles to your website. However, as it develops, you can add additional authors to increase the amount of material on your site faster. The author role is for people who wish to contribute and publish content for your WordPress blog.
- Authors can create, edit, and publish their own stories, but they are unable to change other people’s work. They have the option of uploading files and including their own images. Even if an author has already published a post, they may delete it.
- While authors cannot establish new categories, they can choose from existing ones and add tags to their posts.
- A reviewer may view comments as they are being reviewed, but they can’t moderate, approve, or delete any of them. They have the ability to make, edit, and remove their own reusable blocks while also utilizing other people’s reusable blocks.
- Users in this role do not have access to site settings, plugins, or themes and are, therefore, low-risk user roles. The only exception is the power to remove their own published material.
The Difference Between Author, Editor, and Contributor
The WordPress platform’s three content-related user roles are Author, Editor, and Contributor. Here are the key differences between them.
Authors vs. Editor
WordPress’s difference between an author and an editor is quite clear. Authors are responsible for creating and publishing content, while editors are responsible for managing that content. Editors have a number of different tools at their disposal, including the ability to edit or delete any post, page, or comment. They can also moderate comments, manage categories, and view statistics. In short, editors have complete control over the content on a WordPress site.
On the other hand, authors are limited to creating and managing their own posts. While they can view statistics and moderate comments on their own posts, they cannot make any global changes to the site. As a result, authors need to rely on editors to help them maintain a WordPress site.
Authors vs. Contributor
Both roles can create and edit posts, but there are some key differences between the two. Authors have full control over their posts, including the ability to publish and delete them. They can also edit posts that other users have already published. In contrast, Contributors can only create and edit their own posts; they cannot delete or publish them. In addition, once a Contributor-created post is submitted for review, an Author will need to approve it before it goes live on the site. This ensures that all content published on the site meets certain quality standards. As a result, Authors play a vital role in maintaining the quality of the site’s content.
How Do You Assign an Author Role?
If you want to add an author to your WordPress site, you’ll need to create a new user and assign them the Author role.
- To do this, log into your WordPress site and navigate to the Users > Add New page.
- From here, you’ll need to enter the new user’s username, email address, and password.
- Once you’ve done this, scroll down to the Role section and select the Author option.
- When you’re finished, click the Add New User button, and the new user will be created with the Author role.
You can now have the new user log in with their username and password. They’ll be able to access all of the features that are available to authors on your site.
How Do You Customize an Author Profile?
Customizing an author profile in WordPress is a two-step process. First, you need to edit the user’s profile, and then you need to edit the author’s archive page.
- To edit a user’s profile, log into your WordPress site and click on the Users > Your Profile link.
- This will take you to the Edit Your Profile page, where you can change your password, contact information, and biographical information.
- You can also upload a new avatar for your author profile here.
- Once you’ve made all of the changes you want, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the Update Profile button.
- Your changes will now be saved.
To edit an author’s archive page, you’ll need to edit the author.php file in your WordPress theme.
This file controls how author archive pages are displayed on your site. You can use this file to change the layout of the author archive page, add or remove information from the author box, and more. Once you’ve made your changes, save the file and upload it to your WordPress theme directory. Your changes will now be live on your site.