How to Change the Date of Blog Posts in Blogger

Blogspot gives content creators on the Blogger platform the option to change the date of any blog post. This means that it is possible to both postdate a blog post to sometime in the future or backdate a Blogger post to a date in the near or distant past. In this Blogger tutorial I show you how to change the date of a blog post in Blogger for both old articles and new posts and discuss reasons why changing dates needs to be done with care.

You will learn about:

Backdating a Blog Post in Blogger
Steps to Backdate an Existing Blog Post in Blogger
Scheduling or Post Dating Blog Posts in Blogger
Steps to Schedule or Post Date Blog Posts in Blogger

Backdate Blog Posts in Blogger

Blogger gives you the option to backdate a blog post to any date as far back as about 1970. Postdating blog posts has to be done with care though and should not be overused. The main reason for this is that SEO can be detrimentally affected as Google's algorithm is weighted to some degree toward fresh content.

However if you need to have your blog posts in chronological order for some reason backdating posts is a great way to achieve this. If you have a bunch of old articles you want to refresh and then publish on a current or recent date Blogger will allow you do this too.

For more information on backdating blog posts in Blogger check out my article How to Backdate Blogger Posts or Publish Articles on a Retrospective Date

Steps to Change the Date of an Existing Blog Post in Blogger

1. Log in to Blogger


2. Click on Posts and scroll to find the existing post you want to change the date of


3. Open the Post by clicking on it. The Blogger Post Editor will open.


4. On the right-hand side of the Compose Box in the editor you will see a menu - click on Published


5. Select the Set Date and Time radio button


6. Use the calendar to set a retropective date


7. If you need to change the time click on it and select a new time from the drop-down box that opens


8. Click the orange Update button save the change of date


9. Click Preview to make sure the date and time are showing correctly

Postdate, Schedule or Future Date Blog Posts in Blogger

If you would like to publish your blog post on a date in the future you can do this by scheduling the blog post date to any date of your choosing. Blogger will publish your blog article on the date and time when it rolls around.

The facility to postdate Blogger posts is useful for those on a busy schedule. Improve your productivity and efficiency by planning ahead of time and publishing posts in advance. This is particularly useful if you are going on vacation and do not want to disrupt your posting schedule.

There are virtually no disadvantages of scheduling posts in advance except perhaps that if you happen to make a mistake on your blog post you may not catch it before it goes live. I suggest you check your article thoroughly before setting it to a future publication date.

For a more in-depth discussion on scheduling blog posts in Blogger please refer to my article on How to Future Date / Schedule Blog Posts to a Specific Date and Time

Steps to Schedule a Future Date for a Blog Post in Blogger

1. Log in to Blogger


2. Create a New Post or Open a Draft Post


3. Select Published from the menu on the right-hand side


4. Select the Set Date and Time radio button


5. Use the calendar to set a future date for your blog post


6. Change the time by clicking on it and selecting the time you would like the post to be published on from the times in the dropdown box


7. Under Preview click Save and finish making other improvements to your blog post


8. When ready to publish click on the orange Publish button


9. From the Dashboard select posts and you will see that your post will be labelled scheduled for the date in the future you selected.

Summary

In this Blogger Tutorial you have learned how to change the date of an existing blog post for a Blogspot blog and how to schedule blog posts to publish on a future date. Also discussed are reasons you might want to change the post date. For SEO reasons backdating posts in Blogger needs to be done with care.

Related Links

How to Schedule a Blog Post to a Future Date in Blogger
How to Backdate Blogger Posts or Publish Articles on a Retrospective Date
Easy Ways to Put Banners on Blogger
How to Put a Twitter Follow Icon Next to Blog Post Title in Blogger
How to Add a Facebook Share Button to Blogger
How to Unlock or Delete Locked Widgets in Blogger
How to Add a Sticky Welcome Message Above Posts in Blogger
How to Add a Welcome Message to the Blogger Homepage

Add a Widget or Gadget Above a Blog Post in Blogger

If you want to add a gadget or widget to Blogspot that displays above the blog posts then read on as in today's Blogger tutorial I explain how to open up the main posts section of a Blogger blog so that more gadgets can be added. Despite involving a small change to the Blogger theme it is not difficult and will only involve less than 5 minutes to unlock the main section so you can begin adding gadgets and widgets to Blogger in the Main Section.

By default Blogger themes on installation do not have the main section open to allow additional gadgets or widgets like a message or a banner to be added. Older default blogger templates have the main section locked in most cases. Therefore, in order to add gadgets the main section needs to be opened manually by tweaking the template. Whether you have a default Blogger theme or a third-party template unlocking the main section will not affect any other function.

Follow this step-by-step tutorial if you want to start adding gadgets in the Blogger posts area like a banner or a welcome message or some other widget. I suggest you also take a look at my other in-related step-by-step Blogger tutorials that show you how to do the following:

Easy Way to Add Banners to Blogger
How to Add a Welcome Message to Blogger
How to Add a Sticky Welcome Message to Blogger

How to Add a Gadget to the Main Posts Section in Blogger

In order to add a gadget or widget like a banner above blog posts in Blogger so that it displays on the homepage and all other blog pages it must first be possible to add a gadget to the main post area.

Check if the Add a Gadget Option in the Main Blogger Posts Section is Displayed

Check whether the Add a Gadget option is available by:

1. From the Dashboard select the Layout menu from the left-hand side menu


2. Scroll down to the Main Section where you will see the Blog Posts gadget in place


3. Check whether the Add a Gadget option is available in the main section.




If the Add a Gadget option is available you can skip
to Step 12

or

If the Add a Gadget option is not available it needs to be unlocked by following the steps below that will first show you how to open the main section and then add the a gadget for affiliate banners, messages and more.





Steps to Open the Main Posts Section in Blogger to Add Extra Gadgets



4. From the Dashboard select Theme from the menu on the left-hand side


5. Click on the down arrow on the orange Customize button


6. Click Backup to back up your template before proceeding then return to the drop down menu under the customize arrow





7. Choose Edit HTML from the drop down list of options


8. Click anywhere in the Blogger template


9. Enter CTRL + F to bring up the search box


10. Enter the search term class='main'
    
    You are looking for these lines:
    
    

    <div id='main-wrapper'>
    <b:section class='main' id='main' showaddelement='no'>

    
    
11. Replace the no with yes to show add element and save.
    
    The code should now look like this:

    <div id='main-wrapper'>
    <b:section class='main' id='main' showaddelement='yes'>

    
    
12. Click Save to save the change to your template.


13. Navigate back to the Layout menu from the Dashboard


14. You will now be see the Add a Gadget link in the main blog post section. If for some reason this still isn't showing up then go back to the template and check if there is a maxwidgets attribute in the same line of code. Make sure that the maxwidgets="1" is set a number greater than one eg maxwidgets="2" and then save and go back to Layout again.




Steps to Add a Gadget Above a Blog Post in Blogger



15. To display your message or banner or other widget click on Add a Gadget above Blog Posts


16. Choose the HTML/Javascript gadget or you could choose Text Gadget if no code is being added


17. Paste the code in the content box in the pop up window that appears for the HTML / Javascript gadget.





18. Click on Save


19. Arrange your new gadget in the Main Section by dragging and dropping so that it occurs above the blog posts gadget in the Main Section


20. Click on Preview (eye icon) in the bottom right corner to see your new banner.


21. Click the Save button to apply your changes to the layout

Depending on the gadget you want to add above the blog posts you may find the following Blogger tutorials helpful:

Easy Way to Add Banners to Blogger
How to Add a Welcome Message to Blogger
How to Add a Sticky Welcome Message to Blogger

Today I have shown you how to open up the main posts area in Blogger to accommodate extra gadgets. You have learned how to add an affiliate marketing banner to your Blogger blog (Blogspot blog) that displays just above the posts on every page.

Related Articles

How to Add a Welcome Message to Blogger
How to Add a Sticky Welcome Message to Blogger
Easy Way to Add Banners to Blogger

How to Backdate a Blogger Post or Publish Article on a Retrospective Date

In today's Blogger tutorial I show you how to backdate a Blogger post to a date in the past. This handy Blogger feature allows content creators on the Blogger platform to customize blog posts by setting a user defined publication date for a blog post that is retrospective. Backdating a post is possible for any blog post you are about to publish or for an existing post where you want to change the publication date to an earlier date.

If you are looking for a Blogger Tutorial on how to set a future date you could check out my companion article on how to schedule Blogger Posts for a Specific Date in the Future.

Reasons to Backdate a Published Article or a New Post

It is not difficult to change the date of a blog post to a past date but this feature does need to be used with care. There are times when it can be useful to be able to backdate Blogger posts for example to fill a gap or to fit into a particular blog post timeline if your blog is date sensitve. You might change the dates of a blog post if you are intending to publish your blog as a book and want to tidy up the post dates for reasons of continuity.

Change Date of Blog Posts to Past Date if You Need to Reorder the Timeline

Older Posts Can Be Seen as Less Relevant by Search Engines

Do keep in mind that older posts can potentially get penalized by the Google algorithm as they are viewed as less relevant.This is only an issue up to a point though as search engines are still able to recognize the actual date a post was published despite its timestamping. As a rule of thumb it is best not to overdo the backdating of blog articles unless you have a very specifc reason to do so.

Changing the Date of a Blogger Post Has No Affect on the Permalink

Changing the publication date of an blog article does not affect the permalink which is the URL (blog post address) assigned on publishing a blog post. Do not change the permalink without good reason as any backlinks to that article will be lost and search engines like Google will eventually remove the blog post from the search index. A redirect to handle deleted blog posts or changed permalinks can be set up but this is a subject for a more advanced Blogger tutorial that I will be writing about in the future.

Blogger Posts Can Be Backdated to a Date and Time of Your Choice

Steps to Back Date an Existing Blog Post or to Publish an Article on an Earlier Date

1. (a) Navigate to New Post and Create a Blogger post or
   (b) Open a draft post or
   (c) Open an already published post


2. In the Blogger Post editor click on Published which is in the menu on the right-hand side of the compose box


3. From the two radio buttons: Automatic and Set Time and Date click Set Time and Date and use the calendar that opens to set a date before the current date for your Blogger post


4. (a) Click on Save and Update for an already published article or
   (b) Save from the Preview Drop Down Menu and then Publish to publish a new blog post


5. Click on Posts to then view your post in a list of articles. It will now be timestamped for the date you selected.


6. If you now click on the View button (the eye icon) to view the article you will see that the publication date of the blog post has changed to the date you selected. The date in the permalink which appears in the browser search window remains the same.

#blogspottutorial #bloggertutorial #changedate #blogposts

Summary

In this Blogger Tutorial I have shown you how to backdate a Blogger post and discussed reasons why you might choose to set a date for a Blogger post that is retrospective. There are advantages in selecting a user defined date especially if you are needing to reorder the timeline of your blog posts in Blogger for some reason. As a general rule it is best to keep blog articles current otherwise their relevancy in terms of the Google search engine algorithm can be affected.

Related Links

Easy Ways to Put Banners on Blogger
How to Put a Twitter Follow Icon Next to Blog Post Title in Blogger
How to Add a Facebook Share Button to Blogger
How to Unlock or Delete Locked Widgets in Blogger
How to Add a Sticky Welcome Message Above Posts in Blogger
How to Add a Welcome Message to the Blogger Homepage
How to Schedule a Blog Post to a Future Date in Blogger
How to Change the Date of Blog Posts in Blogger

How to Add a Blog Description to the Blogger Header For a Blogspot Blog

In this Blogger Tutorial for beginners new to Blogspot blogging I show you how to quickly add a blog description to your Blogger blog. A blog description is the one line tagline that is displayed in the header under the blog name in Blogger. Adding a blog description to Blogger is easy to achieve and will help both search engines and your audience know about your blog topic.

Why is a Good Blog Description Important?

A Blogger blog description needs to clearly and succinctly say what the blog is about. It needs to be well-crafted if you are going to use it as a tagline in your header to hook potential readers to your blog. With just a few well chosen words the role of your blog description is to spark a reader's interest enough to decide to visit your blog.

If you would like to know more about how to write a good blog description for showcasing your Blogspot blog / Blogger blog take a look at my companion article where I discuss tips for writing a well-crafted blog description and the SEO benefits for search engines and visitors. I will also show you some examples of well written blog descriptions to help you write the best blog description for your blog.

Also bear in mind it is possible to hide the blog description if you want to write a longer description for your blog that doesn't display to readers but is visible to search engines. If you are interested in hiding the blog description on your Blogger blog I will be discussing how to do this in an upcoming post.

Steps to Add a Blog Description to Blogger

Step 1
Login to Blogger

Step 2
Go to the Settings Menu on the lefthand side

Step 3
In Basic Settings below Blog Name you will find the space to enter a blog description

Step 4
Click on the word description to bring up the dialog box

Step 5
Enter your chosen description
For example I have used "Tips, Tricks and Strategies to Customize a Blogger Blog"

Step 6
Click Save

Step 7
Click the Preview Button located at the bottom of the Layout Menu on the righthand side

Step 8
View how your description will look on your live blog. Check for any errors.

Step 9
Click the back arrow in your browser to go back to the Settings menu.

Step 10
Go ahead and click the Save button located at the bottom of the Layout Menu on the righthand side to commit your changes. Or if you need to make any further changes click on the Description again and repeat Steps 5 to 9.


#blogspottutorial #bloggertutorial #blogdescription

Summary

In today's Blogger tutorial I have discussed the steps to add a blog description to a Blogger Blog. I also covered the importance of writing a good blog description that is well-crafted and will attract visitors to your blog.

Related Articles

How to Choose a Great Topic for a Blogger Blog in 2020
How to Add a Blog Welcome Message to a Blogger Homepage
How to Change the Color of the Blogger Navbar
How to Change Image Sizes in Blogger Posts
How to Resize Images in Blogger to User Defined Dimensions
How to Schedule Blog Posts in Blogger for a Specific Future Date

How to Change Image Size in Blogger Posts

In this Blogger Tutorial I show you how to change image size in Blogger posts depending on how you would like the image to look. Resizing images to fit in with the look and feel of your blog will enhance the overall look of your blog and so it is worth changing images to the optimal size. This tutorial is suitable for all Blogspot bloggers wanting to learn more about image size for Blogger posts but is written with beginners in mind.

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Suitable for: Beginners

How to Change Image Size Blogger

Blogger displays uploaded images using 5 different pre-set image sizes:

• small - 200 px
• medium - 320 px
• large - 400 px
• extra large - 640 px
• original size - actual dimensions of the image (should not be wider than the width of your blog post area)

By default images are uploaded as medium size which means they are displayed at a width of 320px. You can make the image larger or smaller depending on the look of your blog and its theme. To set your own custom dimensions instead check out: How to Set Custom Image Dimensions in Blogger

I suggest that early on you settle on an image size you like and then consistently use the same image size to keep all images a uniform size across your blog posts. Also try to resize your images before you upload them so that you are not using large files that may slow down loading times of your blog. For more information on resizing images check out 8 Tips for Uploading Images to Blogger.

• Decide on a default image size for all your post images and use the same size.


• Resize large images prior to upload to speed up page loading time

Steps to Resize an Image in a Blogger Post

1. Login in to your Blogger blog


2. From the Dashboard select Posts from the left-hand menu to modify an image in an existing post
   or
   Select the New Post button to create a new post with images.


3. Check you are in the Compose View (click the down arrow of the first icon of the tools menu.


4. Find the image you want to resize.


5. Click on the image once to highlight the picture.





6. Click on the gear icon (little wheel) that appears in the menu bar below the image


7. Select the size of the image that best suits the look of your particular blog (Note: do not make your image larger than the width of your posts (an extra large setting displays at 640 width).





8. Click Preview to check the look of your image as it will appear in your blog post


9. Make an changes to the image size if necessary by clicking on the gear icon again


10. If satisfied with the size of the image go ahead and save by either clicking save under Preview if creating a new post or if you are ready for your blog post to go live click Publish


11. Click on the eye preview icon in the listing of your blog posts to see your image resized in your live blog post.

In this article you have learned how to change image size in Blogger. Image sizes can be changed to any of the default sizes in the Compose View in Blogger: small, medium, large, extra large and original size. It is helpful for the overall look of your blog to ensure that Blogger Post images sizes are the same size across your blog.

If you want to learn how to override the default image settings in Blogger then check out my other post which teaches you how to set your own custom image dimensions.

Related Articles

How to Add a Welcome Message to a Blogger Homepage
How to Change the Color of the Blogger Navbar
How to Choose a Great Topic for a Blogger Blog in 2020
How to Resize Images in Blogger to User Defined Dimensions
How to Schedule Blog Posts for a Specific Future Date in Blogger