--- title: Understanding Blog Post Settings description: "The Locable Marketing Platform: Learn how to customize Locable blog post settings to improve visibility and organization." --- [Skip to content](https://help.locable.com/understanding-blog-post-settings#main-content) English Show submenu for translations [Send Us a Message](https://help.locable.com/kb-tickets/new?hsLang=en) ![Locable Logo 3a3a3a Gray.png\]](https://help.locable.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Locable%20Logo%203a3a3a%20Gray.png?height=50&name=Locable%20Logo%203a3a3a%20Gray.png) Open main navigation Close main navigation - English Show submenu for translations - [Send Us a Message](https://help.locable.com/kb-tickets/new) - [www.locable.com](https://www.locable.com/) [www.locable.com](https://www.locable.com/) Hello. How can we help you? - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. 1. [Help Center](https://help.locable.com/?hsLang=en) 2. [The Locable Marketing Platform](https://help.locable.com/the-locable-marketing-platform?hsLang=en) 3. [Blogging](https://help.locable.com/the-locable-marketing-platform?hsLang=en#blogging) # Understanding Blog Post Settings ## Learn how to customize your blog posts with publish dates, share images, meta descriptions, categories, and tags. Available for all plans on the Locable Marketing Platform   Every blog post you create in Locable has its own settings that help you control how the content is displayed, organized, and shared. These settings can improve how your articles appear in search results and on social media, help you organize content on your website, and make it easier for visitors to discover related articles.   ![](https://help.locable.com/hs-fs/hubfs/image-png-Oct-08-2026-08-51-38-9554-PM.png?width=2070&height=1320&name=image-png-Oct-08-2026-08-51-38-9554-PM.png) Below, we'll explain what each setting does and share best practices for using them. ### Publish Date By default, your blog post's Publish Date is set to the date the post was originally created. However, you can adjust this date to publish content in the past or schedule it for the future. **The Publish Date also determines the order in which articles appear in your blog feeds**, with the most recently published articles appearing first. **Best Practices:** - **Backdate older content:** If you're adding previously published articles, use their original publication dates to maintain an accurate timeline and position them appropriately in your blog feeds. - **Schedule future posts:** Set a future Publish Date to schedule an article for publication. The article will remain in a Pending state and will not appear on your website until the scheduled date. - **Keep dates accurate:** Use appropriate publication dates to ensure articles appear in the intended order in your blog feeds. **NOTE:** Changing the Publish Date of an existing article may also change its position in your blog feeds. ### Share Image The Share Image is the image associated with your blog post when someone shares the link to the article on social media or other platforms that support link previews. A relevant, engaging image can help your content stand out and encourage people to click through to read the full article. **Best Practices:** - Choose a high-quality image that clearly represents the topic of your article. - Use high-quality, landscape-oriented images that display well when shared on social media. Keep the main subject centered to accommodate cropping across different platforms. - **Avoid images containing text.** Text embedded in images can create accessibility challenges for people using screen readers and is not as easily interpreted by search engines. Keep important information in the article's actual text content instead. - Whenever possible, use a unique, relevant image for each article rather than repeating the same generic image.   **NOTE:** Social platforms may cache link previews, so updates to a Share Image may not appear immediately when a link is shared again.   ### Meta Description The Meta Description is a short summary of your article that helps search engines understand what the page is about. Search engines may display this description beneath your article's title in search results, giving potential visitors a preview of what they'll find when they click. A well-written meta description can help encourage clicks from people searching for relevant information. **Best Practices:** - Aim for approximately 150–160 characters, although search engines may display more or less. - Clearly summarize what the article is about and what readers can expect. - Include relevant keywords naturally, particularly the topic, organization, or location when appropriate. - Focus on giving readers a reason to click, rather than simply listing keywords.   **NOTE:** Search engines may generate their own descriptions based on the content of your page and the visitor's search query. Your meta description is a recommendation, not a guarantee of what will appear.   ### Categories Blog Categories help you organize your articles into broader content groups. They're particularly useful when you want to display specific types of articles in different blog feeds throughout your website. For example, a Chamber or Main Street organization might create categories such as: - **Member Spotlights:** Feature local businesses and member success stories. - **Things to Do:** Highlight activities, attractions, and experiences. - **Community News:** Share local announcements and updates. - **Organization Updates:** Publish news and announcements about your organization. You can then configure different blog feeds on your website to display articles from specific categories. **Best Practices:** - Think about how you want to organize and display articles throughout your website before creating categories. - Avoid creating a new category for every article. Categories work best as broader organizational groupings. Categories are primarily a way to organize and control where content appears on your website, rather than a tool for visitors to browse individual topics. ### Tags Tags provide another way to organize your blog posts, but they serve a different purpose than Categories. Tags connect articles that share specific topics, projects, themes, or subjects.  Tags can also help visitors discover more relevant content. When someone clicks a tag on an article, they can view other articles associated with that same tag. For example, you might use tags such as: - **Downtown Revitalization:** Connect articles about improvement projects, new developments, and downtown investments. - **Public Art:** Connect stories about murals, artists, and community art installations. - **Small Business Resources:** Group articles about business support, educational opportunities, and available programs. An article can have multiple tags, allowing it to connect with different topics. **Best Practices:** - Use descriptive tags that represent topics you expect to cover in multiple articles. - Reuse existing tags whenever possible rather than creating slightly different variations. - Keep tags focused and relevant to the article. - Avoid adding excessive tags simply to include more keywords. **NOTE:** Tags are most useful when multiple articles share the same tag. A tag used on only one article won't help visitors discover additional related content. 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