How to Change Author on WordPress: Quick and Easy Methods

A key part of building and maintaining a website is collaboration. Having multiple authors on your WordPress website can bring diverse perspectives and expertise to your content. But sometimes, you may have to change the author on your website, maybe due to a change in roles, a guest post, or simply an oversight.

So how do you change authors on WordPress? Well, our WordPress experts have helped me compile this short guide to help you out. But first, let’s see why someone might want to change the author on their page or post.

Reasons to Change the Author on WordPress

There may be a few reasons to switch the authors on your WordPress pages and posts.

• Guest Posts: If you’re hosting a guest post on your website, you’ll need to assign the correct author to give credit to the contributor.
• Author Changes: If an author’s role or responsibilities change, you may need to update the authorship of their previous posts.
• Mistakes: Sometimes, errors can occur, and the wrong author might be assigned to a post.
• Content Ownership: If you’re transferring ownership of a post to another person or organization, changing the author is essential.
• SEO Optimization: In some cases, changing the author can be a strategic SEO move. That is especially if the new author has a higher authority or reputation in your industry.

You need to explore these cases and see if changing authors will be of help. If you have decided to switch the author, there are 3 major ways to go about it, depending on how you manage your website.

How to Change Authors in WordPress Using Quick Edit?

Arguably the easiest way to change authors is through the “Quick Edit” feature on the WordPress admin dashboard. With this method, you can edit multiple posts individually.

It doesn’t matter if you are using classic editor or block editor, this method will work the same. Let’s look at this brief process.

Step 1: First, click on Posts and navigate to All Posts.

Step 2: Click on “Quick Edit” under the post you want to change the author of. That will open settings for the post.

Step 3: Under the Author section, you can open a drop-down menu and choose the suitable author.

Step 4: Finally, click on “Update” to save the new selection.

You can also change authors on multiple posts simultaneously and we’ll discuss the process in a next section.

How to Change Authors on Multiple WordPress Posts?

Although the previous process will be suitable for individual posts, following it for multiple posts can be tedious. But luckily WordPress offers you the option of “bulk actions”. Let’s see the process.

Step 1: First, click on Posts and navigate to All Posts.

Step 2: Select the checkboxes for the posts you want to change the author of.

Step 3: Then, click on the “Bulk Actions” and select “Edit” and “Apply”.

That will open a pop-up section with general settings related to posts, including the option to select authors.

Step 4: Go to the “Author” section and select the author from the drop-down menu.

Step 5: Finally, click on “Update” to save the new selection.

But what if you want to change the author from within the post? Is there a way? Yes, the method depends on whether you are using the block editor or classic editor. We’ll discuss the methods for both.

How to Change Author on WordPress Using Block Editor?

Gutenberg block editor is quite a user-friendly platform for WordPress posts. You can change the author for your post on block editor quite easily. Here’s how the process goes.

Step 1: Go to Posts and select “All Posts”.

Step 2: Now, hover on a particular post and click on “Edit” to open it in the editor.

Step 3: Click on the “Settings” icon in the top right corner. That will open a sidebar menu.

Step 4: On the menu, you will see a dedicated option for “Author” under the “Post” section.

Step 5: Click on “Author” and select the suitable author for your blog.

Step 6: Finally, click on “Update” to save the new selection.

But what if you use a classic editor for your WordPress posts? How do you change the author then? Let’s find out.

How to Change Author on WordPress Using Classic Editor?

The process of changing the author on the Classic Editor is similar to Gutenberg. But there are a few additional steps you need to take care of. Let’s take a look.

Step 1: Go to Posts and select “All Posts”.

Step 2: On the top right corner, you will see “Screen Options”. Click on it. That will open a checkbox menu.

Step 3: Among the checkboxes, you will see one for “Author”. Click on it. Make sure it’s selected and click “Apply”.

Step 4: Now, hover on a particular post and click on “Edit” to open it in the editor. That will open the post in Classic Editor.

Step 5: Below the text editor part of the screen, you will see the dedicated “Author” section.

Step 6: Click on the drop-down menu against “Author” and select the suitable author for the post.

Step 7: After you are done changing the author, click on “Update” and you will be done.

If you need help with updating or changing authors on your WordPress posts or make any other alterations and optimizations, consult with our WordPress development company.

FAQs on Changing Author in WordPress

Will changing the author affect the post's SEO?

While changing the author might not have a significant impact on SEO, it could affect how search engines perceive the content's authority. If the new author has a higher reputation or domain authority, it could potentially benefit your SEO.

What happens to the original author's information?

When you change the author of a post, the original author's information is typically preserved in the post's history. You can view the revision history to see who originally wrote the post and when.

Can I change the author of a post that's been scheduled for publication?

Yes, you can change the author of a scheduled post. Simply edit the post and follow the steps to change the author.

To Conclude

You may decide to change the author of your WordPress post for a variety of reasons, from guest posts to content ownership changes or some mistake. Whether you use block editor or classic, want to change it for a single post or multiple at a time, the process will be quite efficient.

But remember that while changing the author may have a minimal impact on your post’s SEO, it’s essential to consider the overall implications of such a change. Make sure it aligns with your website’s goals and content strategy.

If you need help with this or more post optimizations, consult with our WordPress professionals today!