In this tutorial you will learn how to install and set up the Create by Mediavine plugin. Mediavine is a popular Ad Management company for content creators, including food bloggers.
You can use this free plugin to create food recipe cards that are enhanced with schema metadata.
For this tutorial I’m using the Nutmeg WordPress theme. I also have a detailed guide for starting a food blog.
Let’s begin.
Video Transcription
Install Create by Mediavine Plugin
Create by Mediavine is available for free on wordpress.org, so you can download it directly from the Dashboard.
Plugin Settings
Before I create any recipes, I’ll go through the plugin’s configuration settings.
There’s not a lot to choose from, but it should be enough for most users.
It is important to note that your changes are saved automatically every time you click on something. Make sure that you don’t click on the wrong thing.
Most of the settings are easy to understand, so take a few minutes to check them all out.
Publish a New Recipe Card
Now let’s create our first recipe card.
I create a new post, with a title, some dummy content and a featured image. I also add two custom block patterns that are available in the Nutmeg theme.
This is what the published post looks like without a recipe card.
Now let’s add the recipe card.
Click on the Plus sign to add a new block and scroll to the bottom of the panel. Select the Recipe block.
It will ask for a title for your new recipe, you can change it later.
Fill in the information about your recipe and select an image for the thumbnail. Unfortunately the plugin will not automatically display the post’s featured image if you forget to set one in the recipe card.
Add the ingredients and the step by step instructions.
If you are copy/pasting the instructions from somewhere else, then select all your text after pasting it and click on the Optimize button. It will format your instructions as a proper list.
If you have a video of your recipe, you can add a link to it.
You can register for a free account and enable two additional features: Recommended Products and automatic nutrition calculation.
Click “Publish and Insert” to add the recipe card to your post. In the editor it displays just the thumbnail, but on the front-end it looks like this.
Recipe Card Styles & Templates
If you go into the plugin’s settings and change the card style, your existing recipes will automatically be updated.
Important to Know
Before you start using this plugin, there is an important technical aspect that I have to mention.
Currently the plugin works by adding a custom shortcode into the content of your posts.
This is not a problem while you are using the plugin, but it will be a problem if you ever decide to disable it and switch to a different one.
Look at what happens if I disable it. The recipe cards disappear with all the content in them, and a shortcode is displayed instead.
If you re-enable the plugin then everything goes back to normal.
End Notes
Congratulations! Now you have a basic understanding of how to install and use the Create by Mediavine plugin.
For this video I used my own Nutmeg Plus WordPress theme, which is compatible with this plugin.
Thank you for watching and have a great day!
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