What is a Contributor in WordPress?
The WordPress user role system helps control what each user can do on your website. For example, a contributor can create content without publishing it or changing settings.
As you add more users to your site, it’s essential to understand the capabilities of each role.
If you plan to have someone other than yourself write content for your website, the contributor role will be of use. However, in most cases, you’ll only want them to submit articles rather than have the ability to publish them right away.
What Is a Contributor in WordPress?
A contributor is a type of user role in WordPress. Contributors can create posts, edit their positions, and delete their posts. They cannot publish or modify any other user’s post, however.
In addition to creating content, contributors can also add comments on blog posts published by another user. However, they do not have access to any administrative features such as managing themes, plugins, or users.
The contributor role is helpful if you want someone to help create content for your website, but it does not give them complete control.
This can help protect your site from any malicious or unauthorized changes. Contributors are a great way to let other people contribute to your website without handing over too much access and control.
When setting up users on WordPress, it’s essential to understand each user role and assign roles appropriately. Contributors can be used when you have someone who needs to create posts but doesn’t need access to administrative features like managing plugins or settings.
As your website administrator, you must keep track of who has what entry-level, which will help protect your site from any malicious or unwanted activity.
What is the Difference Between Author & Contributor?
Authors are users of the WordPress platform who have publishing capabilities and permission to manage published content.
Contributors are users with access to submit content for review. They can write posts, but an author must approve their content before it appears on the WordPress site.
While authors can directly publish their content or edit existing posts, contributors require author approval to make any website changes or additions.
In addition, authors will typically have access to more features within their profile settings than contributors, such as changing general administrative settings and adding media files.
How to Manage Guest Bloggers with The Contributor Role in WordPress
Inviting guest bloggers to contribute to your website can bring many benefits, such as increased exposure and distinctive new perspectives. Fortunately, managing guest bloggers with the Contributor role in WordPress is easy.
This user level gives contributors publish and edit privileges while protecting the administrator’s control over their site security.
- Create a new account for each contributor under Users > Add New in the WordPress dashboard to get started.
- Once enabled, contributors can log in and create posts or pages for review according to their permissions. The administrator can then review each item before committing it to the live website – contact me through post – editing if revisions are necessary and assign post categories as required.
- This allows admins to efficiently manage multiple Contributors without compromising their hold on on-site security by using robust authentication protocols.
- With the Contributor role enabled for WordPress users, sites can invite guest bloggers who bring fresh perspectives without sacrificing control over posting and editing privileges.
The contributor role makes it easier than ever to safely welcome guest contributors to our websites. In addition, assistance from external collaborators can help us reach broader audiences through compelling content that stands out from standard authorial voices — all within a robust framework of reliable access control and data privacy.
Simply put: giving every contributor their own space and distinct editorial privileges allows us to enjoy a strong relationship with our visitors confidently. All of this adds up to a more efficient webmaster experience.
How to Customize the Contributor Role in WordPress
The Contributor role can be further customized to suit the website’s specific needs. This can quickly be done by adjusting the User Role Editor settings within each user account.
- In the WordPress dashboard, open Users and select All Users to reveal a list of all users on the system.
- Select Edit under any user account with Contributor privileges to access the User Role Editor page.
- Here, administrators can adjust permissions for contributors, such as post editing or deleting capability, comment moderation, and other features depending on what is needed for their website content.