Are you running a website on WordPress? The RMR crew does. Eons ago we chose to employ WordPress for RockmusicRaider and other sites we manage. And we never regretted it. Basically, because it was free, a huge chunk of web creators were on it, and it let you do all kinds of snazzy things. Albeit, you also took some complexity on board and had to learn hard and fast about technicalities and SEO1 that you’d never encounter on Wix. Else, you’d drown in a gazillion pitfalls and have Google barking up your mutual asses and others drop you from their rankings.
After some time, the powers that be at .org decided to implement a block system, the famous Gutenberg project. And that basically meant you got a page builder free of charge – a pretty phenomenal uptick in quality and scope of use. You could and still can perform some pretty snazzy wizardry with it – and that is all great. Initially, the block system was a bit jittery and barebone, but developers quickly brought about a steady flow of improvements and new shiny functionalities.
Until, at WP version 6.3, somebody had the brilliant idea to complexify the linking tool. There probably weren’t enough shiny buttons in the control section. It was a breeze until then, a truly efficient way to link externally and internally with no effort at all and all attributes easily accessible. And that’s what we need running a webzine. There’s a gazillion challenges that need addressing and thus ease of use and efficiency are of the first order.
Any SEO freak will tell you that internal and external linking with correct attributes is extremely important. First, to let search engines understand your site structure easily. And second, to make sure that they don’t suddenly declare you a participant in linking schemes. That would be like activating the infamous Button of Assured Doom 2.0 – with your rankings noisily slithering into the infamous oubliette.
So, with this in mind, here are a few of RMR’s thoughts and prayers for the folks over at WordPress dot org to contemplate:
- Adding a gazillion clicks to a straightforward functionality won’t help efficiency. And there is nothing ‘advanced’ in that functionality. It’s straightforward linking needed to bow down to the Gawds of Google and hit our SEO marks.
- Accessing the linking tool twice, clicking on the advanced section for the attributes, and hitting save adds some 2 minutes more to my workday. Doesn’t seem like much? Yup, but it adds some 12 hours for the year. And that means two full work days wasted on senseless clicking.
- Fixing this is simple. Just return the old linking tool to active duty which worked just fine. Nobody needs shiny save buttons and neatly categorized functionalities. One screen with everything on it and an automatic save. That’s efficiency – and will prove may more effective.
- Oh, and spare me the argument that most people won’t need complicated attributes. Linking is complex and technical, and it needs to be done properly. There is no easy way out of this mess that’s none of the web creators’ making, by the way.
So, you unpaid faceless masses of WordPress .org contributors, let’s just walk this back and reinstate that old linking tool. And whilst you are at it, move the word count thing back to a more prominent position, will ya?
We don’t need more clickfest and hierarchy, but – indeed – more efficiency.
The Olde Footnote!
- Search Engine Optimization.-↩