As great as it is for writing, publishing that same content using the WordPress editor becomes challenging. Copying content from Google Docs and adding it to the WordPress editor becomes very frustrating due to some of the properties of the classic editor. You can always use the Gutenberg editor to eliminate some of the issues, but you’ll have to compromise the adaptiveness of the classic editor. Is it all getting a little complicated? Here’s a comprehensive guide on moving content from Google Docs to WordPress Editor.
Why Should You Know How to Move Content from Google Docs to WordPress?
As a content strategist, you might be taking all measures to set the formatting just right by adding all the headers, spacing, etc. But, as soon as you copy and paste it into the WordPress editor, it all goes away. Another problem with not knowing how to copy and paste the content correctly is the weird image alignment and missing alt text. Not to mention, if you’re a business owner and manage your website, you must know precisely how to fix all the formatting. Besides, copying content from Google Docs also adds unnecessary code, which makes the website bulky. Knowing how to move content will allow you to avoid SEO mistakes and keep the layout and formatting you intended. At the end of the day, it’s best if you avoid copy-pasting content from Google Docs to WordPress. Here’s why:
Why Is Copy Pasting Content from Google Docs to WordPress Isn’t a Great Idea?
Style-wise, the only problem with copy-pasting content is extra lines and unwanted changes to the font’s size, weight, and properties. Other than that, it’s all about SEO troubles. Now, we can create an entirely separate article on how copy-pasting content from Google Docs to WordPress editor kills your SEO game. But for now, we’ll just list some of the problems below:
#1. Additional HTML Code
When you copy and paste your content, the editor, it adds extra HTML code that includes line breaks and span tags. Each time you paste content, you’ll have to manually delete these codes to make the page lighter. Otherwise, you’re just making your page bulkier and sacrificing quicker load times.
#2. Links Need Further Optimization
The links you embed or put in the content are all set without any instructions. For instance, the links are not attributed with a ‘nofollow’ and ‘open in a new window’ attribute. You have to do it manually for every link. This is again bad for SEO as your page authority is being passed on, and the user leaves your page.
#3. Image Optimization
One of the biggest drawbacks of copy-pasting your content from Google Docs to WordPress editor is that the images aren’t saved in WordPress media. When you go ahead and publish your article without replacing images, you get a weird and long link when someone opens the image in a new tab. To resolve this issue, you must delete all the images, save them to your desktop, upload them on WordPress manually, and then insert them into the article. It feels like a lot of work, right? And it is. Now that you know why copy-pasting isn’t a great option to move content from Google Docs to WordPress editor, let’s look at some tools that help you migrate content efficiently.
Wordable
Wordable is one of the most popular choices from this list and provides much more than just transferring content from Google Docs to WordPress editor. When it comes to using an app or plugin for WordPress to copy-paste content, Wordable is the first name that comes to mind.
Features
Retain Formatting for the Content: Keep the font properties while eliminating any span tags, font tags, or any other excess HTML code. Set a Featured Image and Optimize Media Files: Upload images that you want to add and optimize them with descriptions and alt text for SEO. Post Optimization: Set the page URL, category, and byline and streamline your content publishing strategy. Link Optimization: Format YouTube URLs as embeds and add ‘nofollow’ and ‘open in a new tab’ properties to your links. Automatically Create a Table of Contents: Display a table of contents block based on all the headers.
Given these features, you can make your content publishing workflow much faster and easier. Not to mention, you don’t have to worry about all the problems we had discussed earlier. You can use Wordable to create 5 free exports before buying the premium version.
WordPress.com for Google Docs Chrome Extension
The official WordPress.com Chrome extension for Google Docs is a very barebones tool which is actually its biggest strength! How can being barebones make this app useful? The WordPress.com extension does what it’s meant to do without having all those excess features you may not need. Besides, if you’re currently using an SEO tool for your website, you don’t need all of those fancy optimization features. Regardless, here’s what this extension offers.
Features
Easiest Integration and Transfer: Save drafts for posts directly from the Google Doc file by logging in to your WordPress account and choosing your website. Retain Formatting and Images: No excess HTML is added by this method while retaining the font properties, headers, images, and links.
That’s pretty much it with this extension, but being completely free to use, it does its job well. However, if you’re hoping to find advanced optimization features, you might want to avoid this tool. Another very big barrier to using this free tool is that you need to have a Wordpress.com website.
Mammoth .docx Converter
As the name suggests, Mammoth .docx is more of a convertor than a content-moving tool. With this tool, you can download your .docx file and import it into your WordPress editor. Mammoth converter allows you to convert .docx files into HTML. So, you can download your content from Google Docs and use that file to get an HTML code. You can then add that HTML code into the code editor.
Features
Supports Conversion of all Major Document Elements: Convert text content, images, links, hyperlinks, tables, lists, etc. Maintain Format Consistency: The conversion does not change the format or the font properties. Multiple Conversion Types: Convert .docx into a visual editor file, HTML file, or message.
Mammoth limits your content optimization capabilities and only sticks to keeping the content the same as it was in Google Docs. You have to manually change the link properties and image optimization from the WordPress editor. You can still go ahead and use this fantastic tool for free without any other requirements.
Google Drive Embedder
Google Drive Embedder gives users easy access to embed their Google Drive documents and folders in line. It provides a simple way to share various file types like video, doc, images, zip, and so on by providing a link to open your Google Doc. This plugin works fine on all WordPress installations, including public websites and private intranets.
Features
Allows easy picking of files into embedded Google Drive folders and explore folders without leaving WordPress Provides total control over who can access the files of Drive and folders Provides an easy selection of documents from Google Drive to embed directly into their post or page The Premium version allows direct embedding of files from Google Calendar Allows posts and pages to host their own attachments backed by Drive
This plugin connects Google Drive and WordPress as a single entity that can power thousands of sites to help your business grow. You can also purchase the premium or enterprise version, which has some extra features, including customer support.
EmbedPress
EmbedPress lets you embed documents and media files from many different sources like YouTube, Spotify, Vimeo, and many more into a WordPress site. It’s as easy as copying the URL of your favorite video or image from over 100 sources and pasting them into your website.
Features
Translates the embedded file in your preferred language with WPML in a few easy steps Allows embedding rich media from various popular sources Lets you customize the branding of your multimedia embeds by adding advanced features Allows you to embed Facebook posts via simply copying the URL Supports a variety of diagrams and charts in your WordPress site
These features make EmbedPress a standout and one of the most trusted plugins in the market. To get more, you should check to upgrade it to the pro version. If you aren’t satisfied with it over the next 14 days, you can get your money back by simply canceling your order.
Conclusion – Which Method is Best for You?
Out of the tools we discussed, the best one for you is really just using Wordable, as it offers superior optimization. If you don’t need that, you can use the Gutenberg editor, which comes as default, and make a few minor adjustments. Need your content converted into HTML? Go for the Mammoth .docx converter for moving your content. Regardless of what you choose, it would be best if you addressed the negative impact caused by the simple copy-pasting done in the editor. If you are using the WordPress block editor, here are some WP plugins to create beautiful pages.
