Creating a Picture Link in Blogger Posts

By default, when a user clicks a picture in a Blogger post, the picture opens up in a light box. However, you can also create a picture link so that when a user clicks a picture, a new blog or a website will open. For example, the above image is linked to this post itself which is very handy. In this tutorial, I'll explain how you can link a picture to any blog or webpage.

Default Behavior of an Uploaded Image!

I've uploaded the following image and did not change anything in it. Click and it will open in a light box:

Let's link the above image to some blog or webpage.

Creating an Image Link in the New Post Editor

First of all, upload an image. I'll upload the above image in my post. After that, switch to the HTML mode of post editor.

HTML mode shows the HTML code of uploaded image. By default, Compose mode is enabled which is easy but doesn't allow code editing. Anyway, here is the code of my uploaded image:

Note: Don't worry, your code will not be exactly the same because different images have different names, dimensions and alignment.

Please note that there will be 2 addresses or URLs in the uploaded image. For my image, these URLs are:

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjZS_Sea3PKvqUDwL1rJP2TpbZVGMLf3oq8MrsciQHUqlkkn0-4Jx6a29AxnysraHqdio5m0r297ZcFBPBLJ9YatBb_NeELoJzpvlOg9T9_1aAxoXKU45kyirR1fNdMS9tOCnzZPXVFc/s1600/flower.jpg

&

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjZS_Sea3PKvqUDwL1rJP2TpbZVGMLf3oq8MrsciQHUqlkkn0-4Jx6a29AxnysraHqdio5m0r297ZcFBPBLJ9YatBb_NeELoJzpvlOg9T9_1aAxoXKU45kyirR1fNdMS9tOCnzZPXVFc/s400/flower.jpg

There is only 1 difference in the image URLs which is s1600 and s400. First URL with s1600 is actually the link URL. It is responsible for making this image a link. Second URL with s400 is the source URL. It displays the image.

As I've told you that the first URL is responsible for making image a link so, we need to change the first URL in our image code. For example, if I want to link the above uploaded image to my blog's homepage which is http://www.betatemplates.com/, I'll only replace the first URL of image with the URL of my blog's homepage. After that, the image code will look something like this:

As you can see that I've only changed the first URL. Second URL is still an image. Now, if you'll click the following image, it will take you to my homepage.

Make Image Link Open in a New Window or Tab

If you're linking your image to some other blog or website then it is a good practice to make it open in a new window or tab. By doing this, visitors will stay on your blog.

To do this, I'll just add target="_blank" in the image code just after the link address. The code will look like this:

And here is the image itself. Just click and my blog homepage will open in a new tab/window.

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How to Backup & Restore Blog Posts Using Blogger Import/Export Feature

Blogger has an awesome feature to download and save blog posts on your computer. Of course, you can later restore the posts as well. Additionally, you can also move your posts to some other blogging platform using the export feature or to some other Blogger blog. I'd highly recommend to regularly backup your posts. Check out the instructions to see how to do it.

1- Export or Backup Blog Posts to Your Computer

1. Chose Settings from the list of options. You can press the drop down arrow button to see more options.


2. In the Settings section, click Other from the left menu.


3. You'll see 3 options in Blog Tools. Click Export blog. A window will open where you'd have to click the Download Blog button.


4. An .XML file will be downloaded to your computer. Make sure to give it a proper name and keep it safe. This file will be used to restore your posts later.

2- Import or Restore Blog Posts From Your Computer

1. Chose Settings from the list of options. You can press the drop down arrow button to see more options.


2. In the Settings section, click Other from the left menu.


3. You'll see 3 options in Blog Tools. Click Import blog. A window will open where you'd have to browse the file on your computer & click the Import Blog button.


4. If you're importing posts from some other blog then make sure that Automatically publish all imported posts is not checked.


5. Now your posts have been imported or restored.

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How to Change Jump Break (Read More) Font, Color & Background Color in Blogger Template Designer

Blogger officially supports 'after the jump' summaries. You can insert a jump break anywhere in a post to make it short on the blog homepage. The part after the jump break will be visible only when user will click on the Jump Break or Read More link. In this tutorial, we'll add some coding in the template HTML. After that, you'd be able to change the font, color or even the background color of the Jump Break or Read More from the Template Designer.

Update!: This tutorial has been updated on 06/18/2016.

What is Jump Break or Read More Link?

If you don't know anything about Jump Break or Read More links, please read the following article in the official Blogger help.

Creating 'After the jump' summaries

Steps

Follow these simple steps to complete this Blogspot tutorial.

1. Open the Template section.



2. Click the Edit HTML button.



3. A new window will open. You'd have to click the Proceed button to start editing.



4. Scroll down a bit and you'll see this code:

   /* Variable definitions
   ====================

   Tip: Windows users can press 'Ctrl + f' to fing the code.


5. Replace the above code with the following code:

   /* Variable definitions
   ====================      



6. After that, find ]]> and replace it with the following code:

   .jump-link { float: right; font: $(readmore.font); background: $(rm.bg); }
   .jump-link a, .jump-link a:visited { color: $(rm.link.color); }
   .jump-link a:hover { color: $(rm.link.hover.color); }
   ]]>



7. Now, save your template.


8. After saving template, open the 'Template Designer'.


9. In 'Template Designer', expand the Advanced tab and you'll see "Read More Link" tab at the top.

   
   



10. You can change the font, color and background color and instantly see the preview. However, changes in hover link color will not be visible in the preview.


11. After customizing the Jump Break or Read More link, click 'APPLY TO BLOG' link to save your changes.

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Add Unique Meta Description Tags For Each Post in Blogger

Meta description tags are vital for search engine optimization but adding unique meta tags for each post in Blogger is a tricky thing. I've tried my best to make this process as simple as possible.

Feel free to watch this video and many more videos on my YouTube channel. Make sure you also subscribe to get latest updates as well.

http://www.youtube.com/user/BloggerEngineer

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Blogspot How To: Change Post Title Color in Blogger Template Designer Templates

I have received a lot of comments on a previous post. Readers are asking how to change the post title color in the new Blogger Template Designer templates. Well, here is a very simple step by step tutorial for you.We'll make some changes in the template CSS and then you'll be able to customize post title without any coding stuff.

Warning: Before making any changes, you must backup your existing layout:Blogspot How to: Backup Your Blogger (Blogspot) Template

Steps to Make Post Title Font Customizable in the Blogger Template Designer Templates.

1. Open the Template section.



2. Click the Edit HTML button.



3. You'll see following page with a LOT of code. Don't worry, just expand ....



4. After expanding the code in previous step, scroll down a bit and you'll see this code:

   /* Variable definitions ====================




5. REPLACE the above code with the following one:

   /* Variable definitions ====================     

   
   Don't save or preview your template yet. Proceed to the next step.
   


6. Now find this code:

   ]]>

   and REPLACE it with the following one:

   h3.post-title { color:$(post.title.color); }
   h3.post-title a, h3.post-title a:visited { color:$(post.title.link.color); }
   h3.post-title a:hover { color:$(post.title.hover.color); } ]]>



7. Click the Preview button. You'll see the post title color as blue. Don't worry you can change it later in Blogger Template Designer. Save your template and click the Close button.

Hurray, Coding Done! Go & Customize the Post Title in Template Designer!

Simply click the Customize tab to open the Blogger Template Designer. Select Advanced from the left options. You'll see Post Title Color at the top.:

There are 3 options in the Post Title Color. Here is their detail: Link Color: This is the color of the post title as a link. Any change to this option will appear in the Template Designer. Link Hover Color: This color will appear when someone brings mouse over the post title. Any change to this option will not be visible in the Template Designer. You'd have to Apply the change, open the blog and bring your mouse over the post title to see the change in color. Color on Post Page: This is the color of the post title on post page when post title is not a link. Again, you'd have to Apply the change and open some post title page to see the affect.

Help BetaTemplates!

If this tutorial was helpful then please add a link back to BetaTemplates on your blog. The link code is available at the bottom of this page.

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Video Tutorial: How to Add Facebook Share or Recommend Button in a Blogger Blog

You can easily add a Facebook share/recommend button in sidebar or below posts. This button lets users share your blog content with their friends on Facebook.

You can watch more Blogger help videos by going to my YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/user/BloggerEngineer

Please subscribe and give your feedback.

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