---
title: "Write and publish your first blog post"
description: "Blocks, the “/” menu, internal links, the SEO tab, Key takeaways and scheduling: write your first blog post with Éclair and publish it, step by step."
url: "https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/first-article"
lang: "en"
author: "Thierry Gustin"
published: "2026-11-02"
updated: "2026-11-02"
---

# Write and publish your first blog post

> **Key takeaways** — To write your first blog post with Éclair, click Write a post, type the title, then add blocks with the “/” key. Fill in the SEO tab, Key takeaways, the category and the featured image, save with Ctrl+S, then publish right away or schedule a date.

Your first blog post is the best way to learn Éclair's block editor. Step by step, you'll write it, format it, link it to your other pages, optimize it for Google and AI, then publish or schedule it. Every move you learn here will then serve for all your pages.

> **Before you start** — Time: 25 minutes. Prerequisites: know your way around the admin ([Get to know the Éclair admin](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/admin-tour)) and have the blog enabled. Prepare a topic, or a text already written in Word or Google Docs.

## What you'll be able to do

### ⚡ Write fast

Insert a block with the “/” key and format text from the keyboard.

### 🎯 Optimize your post

Fill in the SEO title, the meta description and Key takeaways.

### 📅 Publish or schedule

Go live right away or on the date of your choice.

## Create your first blog post

1. Click **Dashboard › Write a post** (or **Content › Post**). The editor opens.
2. Click in **Post title** and type your title. Camille writes “Your first ceramics class: 5 tips to get started”.
3. Press **Enter**: the cursor moves to the first block, ready for your introduction.

![Article block editor with its title, its blocks and the settings panel](https://eclair.academy/media/2026/11/eclair-academy-editor-en.webp)
*The editor: content in the center, settings on the right*

At the top, a badge shows the status (**Draft** for now), next to the **Preview**, **Save** and **Publish** buttons. On the right, the panel has three tabs: **Document**, **SEO** and **Analysis**.

## How do you insert a block with the / key?

1. On an empty line, type **/**: the list of blocks opens, with a **Search for a block…** field.
2. Type a few letters (“tab” for Table), choose with the arrow keys and confirm with **Enter**. **Esc** closes the list.
3. Another way: the **Add a block** button below your content, or the **+** next to each block.

![Insertion menu opened with the / key, with the list of blocks and the search field](https://eclair.academy/media/2026/11/eclair-academy-editor-slash-en.webp)
*The “/” menu: every block at your fingertips*

Each block has its own small toolbar: **Move up**, **Move down**, **Duplicate** and **Delete**, plus a handle to drag it. A subheading can be set to H2, H3 or H4, and a list to bulleted or numbered. Here are the 18 blocks:

| Block | What it's for |
| --- | --- |
| Text, Subheading, List | Paragraph, section heading, bulleted or numbered list |
| Quote, Callout | A highlighted sentence; tip, good to know, warning, remember or note |
| Image, Video | Image from the media library; YouTube or Vimeo, with no cookies until clicked |
| FAQ, Table | Questions and answers marked up for Google; data in rows and columns |
| Button, Code, Separator | Call to action; source code snippet; dividing line |
| Banner, Features, Team | Big headline with buttons; grid of benefits; portraits and job titles |
| Latest posts, Products | Automatic lists of your posts and, when the shop is open, your products |
| Contact form | Built-in anti-spam form |

## Format text and create internal links

Select a few words: a toolbar appears with **B** (bold), **I** (italic), 🔗 (link), `</>` (code), 🖍 (highlight) and ⨯ (remove link). The `Ctrl+B`, `Ctrl+I` and `Ctrl+K` shortcuts do the same from the keyboard.

The assisted internal link is the most rewarding move for your SEO. Select “our beginner classes”, press `Ctrl+K` and type “classes”: Éclair suggests your matching published pages, posts and categories. Click the right one, and you're done. For an external site, just paste the full `https://` address. The analysis expects at least 2 internal links per post.

## Paste text from Word or Google Docs

Copy your text, place the cursor in an empty Text block, then paste. Headings, lists, tables, bold, italics and links become clean blocks. A level 1 heading becomes an H2, because the post title is the only H1.

> **Images don't come along** — Pasting brings in the text, not the images. Add them afterwards with the **Image** block: they'll be optimized on upload ([Images and the Éclair media library](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/beginner/images-media-library)).

## Save without losing anything

- **`Ctrl+S`** or **Save**: the indicator changes to “Saved” with the time. As long as it shows “Unsaved changes”, remember to save.
- **Local backup draft**: your browser keeps a copy at all times. After an interruption, Éclair offers “An unsaved version was found. Restore it?”: click **Restore**.
- **Version history** (**Document** tab): the last 20 versions, with their date and word count. **Restore** puts one of them back in the editor.
- **Preview**: opens the post with your theme in a new tab, without saving it.

## Optimize your first blog post in the SEO tab

![The editor's SEO tab with the Google preview, the SEO title, the meta description and the focus keyphrase](https://eclair.academy/media/2026/11/eclair-academy-editor-seo-en.webp)
*The SEO tab and its live Google preview*

| Field | Where | Tip |
| --- | --- | --- |
| SEO title | **SEO** tab | 30 to 60 characters; if empty, the title is automatic |
| Meta description | **SEO** tab | 110 to 160 characters, with a clear promise |
| Focus keyphrase | **SEO** tab | The words your readers type, for example “first ceramics class” |
| Web address (URL) | **Document** tab | Short, lowercase, with your keyword |
| Key takeaways | Above the blocks | 2 or 3 sentences, ideally 25 to 90 words |

The Google preview updates as you type. If you change the address later, Éclair creates a 301 redirect on its own. For **Key takeaways**, click **Add “Key takeaways”: the summary Google and AI love to quote**, above the blocks: this summary appears at the top of the post, and AI engines readily quote it.

Finally, open the **Analysis** tab: three rings score your post for SEO, GEO and design, with the list of points to fix. For a post, the analysis recommends 600 words or more. The complete method is in [SEO with Éclair](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/intermediate/seo).

## Featured image and category

In the **Document** tab, **Classification** section:

- **Category**: choose one, for example “Guides”, created during installation. The **Manage categories** link lets you add more.
- **Featured image**: **Choose** opens the media library. The image appears at the top of the post and on social media, where Éclair generates a 1200×630 version.

## Publish or schedule

- **Publish right away**: click **Publish**. The badge changes to “Published”, the button becomes **Update** and the **View** link opens the post online.
- **Schedule**: in **Document › Publishing**, choose a future **Publish date**, then click **Publish**. The badge shows “Scheduled”, and the post goes live on its own at the set time, according to the site's time zone shown below the field.
- **Unpublish**: set the **Status** to **Draft**, then save.

## Shortcuts to know

| Shortcut | Action |
| --- | --- |
| `/` on an empty line | Insert a block |
| `Ctrl+S` | Save |
| `Ctrl+K` | Create a link |
| `Ctrl+B` / `Ctrl+I` | Bold / italic |
| `Enter` / `Shift+Enter` | New paragraph / line break |
| `Ctrl+J` | Open the AI assistant, if it's turned on |

On a Mac, `Cmd` replaces `Ctrl` to save, create a link and open the assistant.

## Key points

- Type **/** on an empty line to choose from the 18 blocks.
- `Ctrl+K` links your first blog post to your other pages in seconds.
- Nothing gets lost: `Ctrl+S` saving, a local backup draft and 20 versions of history.
- Fill in the SEO title, meta description, focus keyphrase and Key takeaways before publishing.
- A future date in **Publish date** schedules the post.

## Going further

- [Reference for the 18 blocks](https://eclair.academy/en/docs/blocks): each block and its settings in detail.
- [Visual mode](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/intermediate/visual-mode): edit your post as it actually looks, right on the page.
- [SEO with Éclair](https://eclair.academy/en/paths/intermediate/seo): every check in the analysis and the method to aim for 100.
- External source: [Google's SEO starter guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide), to understand what Google expects from a page.

## Frequently asked questions

### Does text pasted from Word keep its formatting?

Mostly, yes: headings, lists, tables, bold, italics and links become blocks. Images, however, must be added with the Image block.

### I closed the tab without saving. Have I lost everything?

Probably not. Reopen the post in the same browser: Éclair offers to restore the unsaved version it kept locally.

### Can I go back to an earlier version of my post?

Yes. In the **Document** tab, click **Version history**, then **Restore** next to the version you want. Éclair keeps the last 20.

### Do I have to fill in the SEO title for every post?

It's not mandatory: if empty, it's generated from the title. Filling it in lets you aim for 30 to 60 characters with your keyphrase, which the analysis checks.