Chris Wiegman Chris Wiegman

Why Every WordPress Site Should Have Zemanta

Zemanta Logo

Taking the time to write a good blog article is crucial. You must have your facts in line, your thoughts in order, and you must provide links back to referenced content.

Linking is something that is often overlooked often to the detriment of the author. I’ve read many articles referring to an obscure software package or website only to be annoyed when the author didn’t bother linking back to it. Maybe they were short of time, maybe they were just lazy. I don’t know, but it doesn’t raise my confidence in their content.

So how can a time-pressed blogger link back to referenced content easily and quickly? With the use of Zemanta.

Zemanta is a built-in feature for WordPress.com users and a plugin for those of us on WordPress.org. It looks at your post as you type and provides links, related articles, and suggested images for you to insert in your post with a single click.

Zemanta Screenshot
The options window for Zemanta. Clicking on the “Zemanta” link, an image, or an article will add it to your post automatically.

The more you type, the more options it will give you. It can make linking to referenced sites, Wikipedia articles, and a lot of other content incredibly easy which in turn will improve your post and can help bring in more traffic and more loyal readers.