Post Elements & Meta

Control what information appears on your blog posts, including date, author, categories, tags, reading time, and more. Customize how these elements look and where they appear.

Post meta and element configuration in the Customizer

What You Can Do

With BuddyX Pro’s post element settings, you can:

Show or hide post metadata (date, author, categories, tags)
Add reading time estimates
Display comment counts
Configure edit links for administrators
Customize tag display styles
Choose which elements appear on archives vs single posts
Control element positioning and styling

Accessing Post Element Settings

Go to Appearance > Customize
Click on Blog
Settings are split between:

Post Meta Elements

Post Date

Setting: Show Post Date Default: On Locations: Blog archives, single posts

Shows when the post was published.

Display Formats:

Format	Example	Code
Default	January 29, 2026	F j, Y
Short	Jan 29, 2026	M j, Y
Numeric	01/29/2026	m/d/Y
Relative	3 days ago	Custom
Time ago	2 hours ago	Custom

Changing Date Format:

Go to Settings > General
Find Date Format
Select format or enter custom
Save changes

Custom Format Examples:

F j, Y → January 29, 2026
M d, Y → Jan 29, 2026
Y-m-d → 2026-01-29
d/m/Y → 29/01/2026

Author Information

Setting: Show Author Default: On Locations: Blog archives, single posts

Displays the post author’s name and optionally their avatar.

What’s Shown:

Author display name
Author avatar (if enabled)
Link to author archive page

Author Display Options:

Option	Description	Shows
Name Only	Text link	“By Sarah Johnson”
Avatar + Name	Image + text	[Avatar] Sarah Johnson
Avatar Only	Just the image	[Avatar]

Configuring Author Info:

Go to Users > Your Profile
Set Display name publicly as
Update Biographical Info (for author box)
Upload Profile Picture via Gravatar
Save changes

Avatar Sizes:

Archive pages: 32×32px (small)
Single posts: 64×64px (medium)
Author bio box: 120×120px (large)

Style	Appearance	Best For
Default	Plain text links	Clean, minimal design
Badge	Colored background boxes	Modern, visual emphasis
Pills	Rounded background boxes	Friendly, approachable
Underline	Text with bottom border	Subtle, professional

Style	Appearance	Example
Default	Plain text links	wordpress, tutorial, beginner
Badge	Colored backgrounds	[wordpress] [tutorial] [beginner]
Underline	Underlined links	wordpress, tutorial, beginner
Hash	With # prefix	#wordpress #tutorial #beginner

Comment Count

Setting: Show Comment Count Default: On Locations: Blog archives, single posts

Displays number of comments on the post.

Display Formats:

Format	Zero Comments	One Comment	Multiple
Default	0 Comments	1 Comment	12 Comments
Short	0	1	12
Icon	💬 0	💬 1	💬 12
Hidden if zero	(nothing)	1 Comment	12 Comments

Why Show Comment Counts:

Indicates popular content
Encourages engagement
Social proof
Community activity signal

Consider Hiding If:

Comments are disabled
Very few comments (looks inactive)
Minimalist design preference

Reading Time

Setting: Show Reading Time Default: Off Locations: Blog archives, single posts

Displays estimated time to read the post.

How It’s Calculated:

Average reading speed: 200-250 words per minute
Counts all text in post content
Rounds to nearest minute

Display Examples:

“5 min read”
“12 minute read”
“Quick read (2 min)”
“☕ 8 min”

Benefits:

Helps readers plan their time
Increases engagement (commitment)
Professional appearance
Good for long-form content

Best For:

Tutorial sites
Educational blogs
Long-form journalism
Professional blogs

Skip For:

Very short posts (< 3 min)
Image-heavy posts
Video content posts

Edit Link

Setting: Show Edit Link Default: Off Locations: Blog archives, single posts

Shows “Edit” link for users with editing permissions.

Who Sees It:

Administrators (can edit all posts)
Editors (can edit all posts)
Authors (can edit own posts)
Contributors (can edit own unpublished posts)

When to Enable:

Multi-author blogs
Client sites (easy access)
Content teams
Quick frontend editing needed

When to Disable:

Single-author blogs
Clean public appearance
Edit only from admin dashboard

Meta Element Positioning

Control where post meta appears:

Archive Pages

Above Title:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Category Badge | 5 min read         │
│  ----------------------------------- │
│  Post Title Here                     │
│  By Author | Jan 29, 2026 | 12 Comments
│                                      │
│  [Featured Image]                    │
│  Post excerpt text...                │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Below Title:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Post Title Here                     │
│  By Author | Jan 29, 2026 | 12 Comments
│  Category Badge | 5 min read         │
│  ----------------------------------- │
│  [Featured Image]                    │
│  Post excerpt text...                │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Below Excerpt:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Post Title Here                     │
│  [Featured Image]                    │
│  Post excerpt text...                │
│  ----------------------------------- │
│  By Author | Jan 29, 2026           │
│  Category Badge | 5 min read | 12 Comments
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Single Post Pages

Above Content:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│        Post Title Here               │
│  By Author | Jan 29, 2026           │
│  Category Badge | 8 min read | 23 Comments
│  ----------------------------------- │
│  [Featured Image]                    │
│                                      │
│  Post content starts here...         │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

After Featured Image:

┌─────────────────────────────────────┐
│        Post Title Here               │
│  [Featured Image]                    │
│  ----------------------------------- │
│  By Author | Jan 29, 2026           │
│  Category Badge | 8 min read | 23 Comments
│                                      │
│  Post content starts here...         │
└─────────────────────────────────────┘

Separator Styles

Control how meta elements are separated:

Style	Example	Best For
**Pipe (	)**	Author \| Date \| Comments	Standard, clean
Dot (•)	Author • Date • Comments	Modern, subtle
Slash (/)	Author / Date / Comments	Casual, friendly
Comma (,)	Author, Date, Comments	Compact, simple
None	Author Date Comments	Minimal, spacious

Icon Options

Add icons to meta elements:

Element	Icon Options	Example
Date	Calendar, Clock, None	📅 Jan 29, 2026
Author	User icon, Avatar, None	👤 Sarah Johnson
Categories	Folder, Tag, None	📁 Technology
Tags	Tag, Hash, None	🏷️ wordpress
Comments	Speech bubble, Number, None	💬 12 Comments
Reading Time	Clock, Book, Coffee, None	☕ 5 min read

Icon Styles:

Icon Font (Font Awesome, Dashicons)
SVG (scalable, crisp)
Emoji (universal, fun)
Image (custom, branded)

Meta Element Recommendations by Site Type

Magazine / News Site

Show:

✅ Post Date (prominent)
✅ Author (with avatar)
✅ Categories (badge style)
✅ Comment Count
✅ Reading Time
❌ Tags (too cluttered on archives)

Position: Above title or below title Separator: Dot (•) Icons: Yes, subtle

Personal Blog

Show:

✅ Post Date
✅ Author (your name)
✅ Categories (text links)
✅ Tags (on single posts)
✅ Comment Count
❌ Reading Time (unless long-form)

Position: Below title Separator: Pipe (|) Icons: Optional

Corporate / Business Blog

Show:

✅ Post Date
✅ Author (builds authority)
✅ Categories (professional style)
✅ Reading Time (respects user time)
⚠️ Comment Count (if active)
❌ Tags (usually not needed)

Position: Below title Separator: Pipe (|) Icons: Minimal or none

Portfolio / Photography

Show:

✅ Post Date (small, subtle)
⚠️ Author (only if multiple)
❌ Categories (minimal design)
❌ Comment Count (distraction)
❌ Reading Time (visual focus)
❌ Tags (cluttered)

Position: Bottom of post Separator: None Icons: None

Tutorial / Educational Site

Show:

✅ Post Date (content freshness)
✅ Author (instructor credentials)
✅ Categories (topic organization)
✅ Tags (on single posts)
✅ Reading Time (learning commitment)
✅ Comment Count (student questions)

Position: Above content Separator: Pipe (|) Icons: Yes, helpful

Customizing Meta Display with CSS

Hide Specific Elements

/* Hide date on mobile */
@media (max-width: 767px) {
    .entry-meta .posted-on {
        display: none;
    }
}

/* Hide comment count on archives */
.blog .entry-meta .comments-link {
    display: none;
}

/* Hide author on single posts */
.single-post .entry-meta .author {
    display: none;
}

Style Meta Elements

/* Make date bold */
.entry-meta .posted-on {
    font-weight: 700;
}

/* Add background to author */
.entry-meta .author {
    background: #f5f5f5;
    padding: 4px 10px;
    border-radius: 4px;
}

/* Change separator color */
.entry-meta .sep {
    color: #ccc;
}

/* Uppercase categories */
.entry-meta .category-links a {
    text-transform: uppercase;
    font-size: 0.85em;
    letter-spacing: 0.05em;
}

Responsive Adjustments

/* Stack meta on mobile */
@media (max-width: 767px) {
    .entry-meta {
        display: flex;
        flex-direction: column;
        gap: 8px;
    }

    .entry-meta .sep {
        display: none;
    }
}

Common Questions

Why isn’t my reading time showing?

Check these:

Setting enabled: Customizer > Blog > Show Reading Time = Yes
Sufficient content: Post must have 100+ words
Cache cleared: Clear site and browser cache
Theme support: Verify theme includes this feature
Plugin conflicts: Disable reading time plugins

Can I show different meta on archives vs single posts?

Yes! Settings are usually separated:

Blog Archive Settings → controls meta on blog listings
Single Post Settings → controls meta on individual posts

You can enable categories on archives but hide them on single posts, or vice versa.

How do I change the date format?

Go to Settings > General
Find Date Format section
Choose preset or enter custom format
Click Save Changes

This is a WordPress core setting affecting all dates site-wide.

My categories show numbers in parentheses (5). How do I remove them?

Those are post counts. To remove:

Check theme settings for “Show Category Count”
Or add CSS: .cat-links .count { display: none; }
Or use a child theme to modify the template

Can I add custom meta (like “Updated Date”)?

Yes, but requires custom code:

Add custom field to posts
Use child theme to display in template
Or use a plugin like “Advanced Custom Fields”
Or hire a developer for custom functionality

Tags are showing but I want to hide them on mobile.

Add this CSS in Customizer > Additional CSS:

@media (max-width: 767px) {
    .entry-meta .tags-links {
        display: none;
    }
}

How do I reorder the meta elements?

This requires template editing:

Create a child theme
Copy the post template file
Reorder the meta output functions
Or use a plugin like “Post Meta Data Manager”

The author link goes to a 404 page.

This happens when the author has no published posts. To fix:

Ensure author has at least one published post
Check permalink settings (Settings > Permalinks, click Save)
Consider removing link: CSS .author a { pointer-events: none; }

Can I show post views instead of comments?

Not built into WordPress core. You’ll need:

Post views tracking plugin (e.g., “Post Views Counter”)
Custom code to display view count in meta
Or all-in-one plugin like “WP-PostViews”

Accessibility Considerations

Screen Reader Friendly

Ensure meta is accessible:

Do:

Use semantic HTML ( for dates,
for authors)
Add descriptive labels (“Published on”, “Written by”)
Ensure sufficient color contrast
Make links keyboard accessible

Avoid:

Icon-only meta (no text)
Decorative separators that are read aloud
Extremely small font sizes
Relying only on color to convey meaning

ARIA Labels



    Jan 29, 2026



    By Sarah Johnson

Performance Tips

Optimizing Meta Display

For Speed:

Minimize database queries (cache author data)
Use CSS sprites for icons
Lazy load author avatars
Cache category/tag lists
Avoid external icon fonts (use SVG or system fonts)

For Better UX:

Keep meta concise (5-6 elements max)
Use clear labels
Ensure mobile readability
Make all links tappable (44×44px minimum)
Test with real content (long author names, many categories)

Related Settings

Blog Archive Layout – Configure blog listing pages
Single Post Layout – Individual post page settings
Typography – Meta text styling
Color Scheme – Meta color customization
Sidebar Options – Sidebar meta widgets

Need Help?

Visit our Documentation Portal
Contact Support at support@wbcomdesigns.com

Post Elements & Meta

What You Can Do

Accessing Post Element Settings

Post Meta Elements

Post Date

Author Information

Categories

Tags

Comment Count

Reading Time

Edit Link

Meta Element Positioning

Archive Pages

Single Post Pages

Separator Styles

Icon Options

Meta Element Recommendations by Site Type

Magazine / News Site

Personal Blog

Corporate / Business Blog

Portfolio / Photography

Tutorial / Educational Site

Customizing Meta Display with CSS

Hide Specific Elements

Style Meta Elements

Responsive Adjustments

Common Questions

Accessibility Considerations

Screen Reader Friendly

ARIA Labels

Performance Tips

Optimizing Meta Display

Related Settings