In the world of online content, the tools we use really matter. I’ve seen the challenges that can be encountered when handling a mix of articles, reviews, and other content. This is where the blend of Notion and WordPress comes into play.
Notion offers a great space for planning and teamwork. Its flexible templates and team features make it a top choice for content groups, big or small. Meanwhile, WordPress is a trusted platform for publishing, known for its user-friendly nature and wide range of add-ons.
Using Notion WP Sync to integrate Notion and WordPress, we’ve created a method to build and monitor your content hub. The result? We can plan content smoothly in Notion and then easily publish it on WordPress.
Requirements:
- Notion – You can start with a free account.
- Yoast – You can start with the free version.
- Advanced Custom Fields – You can start with the free version.
- Notion WP Sync – You must have the Notion WP Sync Pro+ version.
Set Up Your Notion Database
In Notion, a database is a dynamic tool that allows users to organize, store, and manage information in a structured manner. Unlike traditional text documents, Notion’s databases provide a more visual and interactive way to handle data.
They can be presented in various formats, such as tables, boards (similar to Trello boards), calendars, galleries, or lists.
You’ll want to set up your data in Notion to get started. You will want to make sure that the data is in a table. If you haven’t done so already, here is a tutorial on creating a Notion database.
Setting Up Notion WP Sync
When working with Notion WP Sync, it’s crucial to understand the complexities of its connection system. Every type of content import requires a dedicated connection.
Plan accordingly and make the most of your synchronization efforts.
Installing And Activating Notion WP Sync
It is important to note that you can not have both the free version of Notion WP Sync, shown as WP Sync for Notion in the WordPress repository, and one of the paid versions of Notion WP Sync installed and activated. In fact, you will receive an error, and one version will be automatically deactivated.
For this tutorial, you will need the paid version of Notion Wp Sync Pro+.
Install and activate the plugin on your WordPress site to begin utilizing Notion WP Sync. Follow these steps:
- Download the plugin file to your computer.
- Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
- On the left side menu, click “Plugins” and “Add New.”
- Click the “Upload Plugin” button at the top of the page
- Click the “Choose File” button and select the plugin file you downloaded in step 1.
- Click the “Install Now” button.
- Wait for the plugin to be installed, and then click the “Activate” button.
Creating the Database Connection
Next, we want to set up the workflow between the Notion database and the WordPress site. Precision is key when importing a database from Notion into WordPress.
You may think, “I do not want to import every article at once.” or, “I think importing a lot of content at once could be overwhelming for the team,” or the content is in various stages of implementation, as seen in the screenshot below. This is where the filter option in the connection setup comes into play. Let me explain.
Filtering Your Data
By using the Post Status column in the Notion database, we can select which items to import during the Connection setup.
You can even set up a set of conditions using the + Add Filter Group option. This is useful when your workflow requires multiple team members to interact with the project before importing is set up.
Next, we want to map all fields to be used in the actual post. This is where we utilize the Advanced Custom Fields integration.
In this tutorial, we set up a custom field to provide the assigned author with additional research information or specific tasks related to the content.
In addition to mapping contextual information for the author, we will also map all of the Yoast SEO data that we have stored in the Notion database and the proposed content brief.
Now click on Publish.
Once you have published the connection, you will need to create the initial sync by clicking the Sync Now button.
Navigate over to the Posts menu and check out your mapping setup. Here, you can see the content instructions for the author and the imported Yoast Meta in the post editor.
Putting the pieces together
Thanks to Notion WP Sync, You can seamlessly import all the pieces of your workflow from Notion into your WordPress site.
You have the ability to map fields to your page builders’ templates or simply publish the content as seen in Notion.
Once your document has been published, you can see that all markup, such as headings, has been imported into your content.
Final Tips
There are a couple of things that are worth noting. Understanding each of these helped create a simplistic and stress-free integration between Notion and WordPress.
Creating connections: Notion WP Sync needs one data connection per import task.
Tip for assigning authors: Currently, in order to sync intended authors to new content assignments automatically, you will need to create a data connection for each author. You would then filter each connection based on who the assignment is delegated to. This setup uses the author column to filter when assignments are imported and to which author the assignment is given.
Post Status: If you set your post to pending, your content will be unpublished and reset to pending with each subsequent update. If you set your post to publish, the content will immediately be live to the public. This is important when considering your workflow process.
Page Content: The actual database column in Notion does not allow for CSS or HTML markup, such as H2 and H3 headers. However, if you click open on the page entry you are working on, you can actually create your page to be imported below the fields you have set.
Important: When mapping the information below the comment section, you are going to choose “Page Content” from Notion and “Content” within your WordPress connection.
In Summary
Notion and WordPress can be seamlessly integrated using Notion WP Sync, allowing users to plan content in Notion and publish it on WordPress. This integration requires setting up a Notion database, installing specific plugins, and understanding data connections and content mapping. The process ensures efficient content management, bridging the planning phase in Notion with the publishing capabilities of WordPress.