How to Hide Author Name in Blog Posts WordPress?

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Have you ever wanted to make your WordPress blog posts a bit more confidential or keep the focus solely on your content? Well, you’re in luck! In this tech age where content is king, sometimes it’s all about what you convey rather than who’s saying it.

The reason for doing so might differ, but it’s essential to be familiar with such terms, especially when considering your blog site for link building, guest blogging, or multi-author blogs.

Moving ahead, let’s first understand – The reasons for removing the author’s display name and then accessible practices you can consider to do so.

Common Reasons to Hide Author Name in Blog Posts WordPress

The built-in elements WordPress adds to the blog, such as published date, categories and tags, taxonomies, and comments by readers, add credibility.

By providing these metadata, the navigation to the preferred author and topic gets easier for the reader, resulting in improved user experience and increased subscribers.

However, there are also multiple reasons why you’ll need to turn the tables and remove the author name from WordPress. Let’s check out the common ones:

1. Single Blog Post With Multiple Members’ Collaboration

No matter what your business size is, your every post must pull some additional value to it. Thus, such scenarios raise the need for multiple members, including writers, proofreaders, and editors, to collaborate on a particular blog post and conduct results together. 

Here, crediting an individual name publicly for the entire content piece sounds like an unfair practice. Therefore, removing a particular author’s name can be the best thing to hide author name in blog posts WordPress.

2. Anonymous Authoring Blogs

If you are a blogger who loves to write, you already have a huge audience to fulfill the learning requirements of. As this demand increases, hiring such helping hands becomes a necessity. 

In time, we suggest removing the author’s name in WordPress before you publish it to keep the balance for both writers and readers.

3. Controversial Blog Topics

Once the reader gets to know, they’re definitely reaching out! Might for sharing their opinions, thoughts, or particular feedback they want ‘AUTHOR’ to know. This especially happens when topics include negative product reviews of big names, healthcare, or human/animal rights. 

You Better stay in the dark; that stands as removing the author’s name from your WordPress here. Let’s move ahead with methods to hide author name in blog posts WordPress.

Different Methods to Remove Author Name in WordPress Post

Whether you’re a solo blogger or managing a multi-author website, controlling the visibility of author names on your WordPress posts is crucial for customization and privacy. 

In the following methods, we’ll explore ways to remove the author name, allowing you to tailor WordPress content according to your needs. Choose the method that best suits your goals and take control of your post-authorship display.

Method 1: Manually Remove the Author’s Name

If you are more concerned with WordPress website scalability and SEO, adding plugins for each additional functionality is a thing you must always avoid. Still, you can manually remove the author’s name from the blog using these steps:

Step 1: Select and then tap on the ‘Inspect‘.

Step 2: This will open a new window with the author’s name reflecting on your single-blog page. Depending on the theme, you’ll find the ‘auth-name’ or ‘author-name’ under a ‘div’ or ‘li’ or ‘span’ tag.

Step 3: Navigate to WordPress Admin Dashboard → Appearance → Customize

Step 4: This will open the default WordPress theme editor. On the left-side menu present – tap on ‘Additional CSS.’ and paste the CSS code mentioned below.

.meta-author {
display:none;
}

Please Note: Depending on the class given to the author’s name, the first section of the code might differ.

Method 2: Editing MetaData in Block Enabled WP Theme

With its recent version, there are many upgraded and new WordPress 6.3 functionalities you must learn. There are also various WordPress full-site editor themes you can integrate with it so that you can edit such metadata from the template/theme only.

Step 1: Navigate to WordPress Dashboard → Appearance → Themes.

Step 2: In the currently active theme, tap on the ‘Customize‘.

Step 3: Go to Templates → Single. Tap on the edit icon.

Step 4: Select the ‘Post Author’ and delete it. Don’t forget to ‘Save Changes’ once you are done with editing.

Method 3: Hide the Author in WordPress Using Schema Markup Plugin

Schema Markup is a technical term that is mostly handled by the SEO team. It is the language considered by search engines to read and understand the content and rank it based on its structure quality.

The best WordPress Schema plugins include RankMath, Schema Pro, and Schema App Structured Data. Below is the code mentioned; you can copy-paste it into the functions.php file if you are currently using RankMath.

Step 1: Go to Cpanel → File Manager. If you have access to Cpanel, then you can edit this file using the FTP Client for WordPress software.

Step 2: Then public_html → wp-content → theme → [currently active theme] → functions.php.

Step 3: Copy and paste:

add_filter(“rank_math / snippet / rich_snippet_article_entity”, function ( $entity ) {
if ( isset( $entity['author'] ) ) {
unset( $entity['author'] );
return $entity;
}
return $entity;
});

Method 4: Use a Plugin to Hide the Author’s Name

Quick, simple, and remove the author’s name from your posts in just a tap! Hide/Remove metadata is one of the best and most renowned plugins to conduct such approaches. This plugin lets you a free hand to remove the author and date effortlessly; let us help you with the steps:

Step 1: Steer to WordPress Dashboard → Plugins.

Step 2: Search for Hide/Remove Metadata.

Step 3: Activate the plugin on the left-hand side menu – you’ll see a new tab named ‘Hide/Remove Metadata’.

Step 4: All you need to do there is tap on the button next to ‘Hide author‘; that’s it!

Alternatives to Consider Rather Than Hiding Author Name from Your WordPress Post

None hiding or displaying the author’s name is an invalid choice to make; it all depends on certain situations. It includes different members contributing to your website, maintaining consistency, or anonymous voice – it’s up to you.

However, there are alternatives to consider before taking any step, as it may impact the transparency and credibility of your content. Here are some other options to consider to hide author name in blog posts WordPress.

Use a Generic Author Name

This is advantageous when a group of authors, editors, proofreaders, or freelancers working in a distinct writing style. With a generic name, the author’s name won’t be hidden, and the dedicated team could represent themselves as a part of it. 

To get started:

Step 1: Steer to WordPress Dashboard → Users. 

Step 2: Tap on Add New, then mention the required details, including username and email.

Step 3: Below that, you can add the Display name, for example: ‘Editorial Team’ as you want your readers to see.

Step 4: Designate the role of the author.

Step 5: Go to posts and tap on Quick Edit – there, you’ll see the dropdown containing all author lists. Select the generated generic author name and save it.

Add Author Avatars

This is the best way when you want to keep the display name private and the author pic private, too. Also, this will add a unique touch to the content and readers.

There are multiple plugins, such as PublishPress Authors, that developers consider for adding the author image.

Steps to Follow:

Step 1: Add and activate the PublishPress Authors plugin.

Step 2: From the menu displayed on the left side panel, tap on Authors Authors.

Step 3: You’ll get to see a list of registered authors. Tap on the Edit Author Profile of the one you want to edit the image of. 

Step 4: Switch to the Image tab. 

Step 5: You can integrate with Gravatar and can also manually add the avatar by selecting ‘Custom Image‘. Once you are done, tap on the ‘Update’ button to save the changes.

Privacy Flexibility

Privacy insecurities are the primary reason why most authors want to remove their name from the WordPress post. As the administrator, you must ensure that the author profiles have the authority to share their personal information, including real name and email address, if they want to be visible to the public.

FAQs About Hiding Author Name from WordPress Posts

Can I remove the author's name by editing the child theme?
Yes, you can, but first, you'll need to identify the web file responsible for displaying post information, including the author's name. The standard template files are single.php for single post pages and content.php for archive pages. However, it can vary depending on your theme.
How do I hide the author and date in WordPress?
You can use a WordPress plugin or custom CSS to hide the author and date on your posts. Here are two approaches:
  • Using a Plugin: Install and activate a plugin like "WP Meta and Date Remover." These plugins allow you to easily hide or customize the display of author and date information.
  • Using Custom CSS: If you're comfortable with CSS, you can hide the author and date information via custom CSS.
How do I post anonymously on WordPress?
Use a generic name or pseudonym. You can create a new user with a display name that doesn't reveal your real name and start sharing posts using the same.

Conclusion

Hence, there are multiple ways including for using CSS, manual, theme files and plugins – you can hide the author’s name in the WordPress post and safeguard your and your team’s personal information.

Even so, we suggest you go through the alternatives mentioned above as it will help you maintain credibility among the number of posts and overall website. Still, wondering what could be the best fit? Consult with our experts and get the best way out today!

author
Nikita Shah is a technical content writer at WPWeb Infotech known for simplifying complex topics. With expertise in various technical fields, she crafts engaging articles that makes technology easy to understand. Her clear and concise writing style ensures that readers gain valuable insights while enjoying the content.

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