Syndicating Content TO WordPress Sites

There's an easy way for WordPress sites to publish content provided by others.

For WordPress site owners, there's no need to copy and paste entire articles into the WordPress dashboard. For content providers, there's no need to send the entire article to others.

WordPress site owners publish the content with a shortcode.

Content providers publish to their own website and specify the shortcode for WordPress site owners to use.

(The article on your WordPress site won't have the pull quote like the article on the Willmaster.com site does. The reason it's omitted is the pull quote uses special CSS that might be in discord with your site's design.)

Instructions for WordPress Sites

You'll need the Local Syndication plugin. (Willmaster.com built this plugin to play nice with WordPress.)

1. Installing the plugin.

   The plugin can be installed somewhat automatically from the WordPress dashboard:

   1. Use menu item "Plugins – Add New."
   2. Type "local syndication" into the search box.
   3. At the "Local Syndication" listing, click the "Install Now" link and follow the instructions.

   Alternatively, the plugin can be downloaded from WordPress.org site or the Willmaster.com and manually installed.

   After installing, ensure the plugin is activated.

2. Publishing content others are syndicating.

   The content publisher should provide the shortcode to use.

   If the publisher provides only a URL, create the shortcode like this:

   [syndicate_local url="URL"]
   
   

   Replace the red URL in the above shortcode with the URL the publisher provided.

   As an example, here is the shortcode to publish this article:

   [syndicate_local url="https://www.willmaster.com/library/software-in-action/syndication-copy-Content2WPsites.php"]
   
   

   Paste the shortcode into the the post or page where you want the content to be published.

Instructions for Content Providers

To syndicate on WordPress sites with the shortcode, the content needs to be prepared and then published.

Preparing Content to Syndicate

There are special considerations when preparing content to syndicate to WordPress sites.

1. Use only absolute http://... URLs

   Relative URLs that work at your website will break when published at other websites. Use only absolute http://... URLs (and https://... for secure URLs).

   This applies to links, images, form action attributes, any URLs published in the content to be syndicated.

2. Avoid CSS if you can

   Use HTML tags as needed. P, OL, H1, whatever HTML tags are required for your content. Use CSS only if you must.

   Every WordPress site has it's own CSS. It gives WordPress site owners control over the look and feel of content published on their websites. Syndicated content that takes that control away is likely to be removed.

   If you must use CSS, make it inline. Defining CSS class names at the article level may override class names the WordPress site has already defined.

3. Be considerate

   Popups and interruptive content layers should be omitted from your content unless its use is first disclosed to WordPress sites that will be publishing your content.

   Probably most site owners prefer potentially objectionable functionality be absent from their site.

Publishing Content to Syndicate

When the content is ready, put it on your server and make a note of its URL.

Then, give this shortcode to WordPress site owners to publish the content (replace http://example.com/content.php in the shortcode with the URL to your content):

[syndicate_local url="http://example.com/content.php"]

The "Instructions for WordPress Sites" section, above, may be used or rewritten as instructions to WordPress site owners who don't yet have the Local Syndication plugin.

It really is an easy way for WordPress sites to syndicate your content.

Will Bontrager