Have you ever come across the pingback option in your WordPress site settings and wondered: what is a pingback?Should I keep them active, or is it better to disable pingbacks? Can they really help boost search engine visibility, or are they just a source of spam? And again: every time I publish a new article, is it worth trying to notify all the blogs I mention?
If you’ve asked yourself at least one of these questions, you’re not alone. Many website owners encounter this feature without really knowing how to use it. In this article, I’ll clearly explain what pingbacks are, what they’re for, when it makes sense to keep them enabled, and when it’s better to disable them.
What is a pingback: a simple explanation
A pingback is an automatic notification sent whenever you insert a link in your article that points to another site, or when another site links to your content. In practice, they are automatically sent messages between blogs to notify the presence of a link.
Example:
- If you publish a new article and link another site with pingbacks enabled, that site will receive a notification.
- Similarly, if another site links to your content, you will receive a pingback.
Where to activate and manage pingbacks
In WordPress, you’ll find the option under Settings → Discussion. Here you can choose whether to:
- Attempt to notify all blogs linked to from the article.
- Allow link notifications from other blogs (pingbacks and trackbacks) on new articles.
You can also configure the no self ping option to prevent your own site from notifying itself when you link to an internal article.
Pingbacks and SEO: do they really help?
The question many ask is: “Do pingbacks help with SEO?”
The realistic answer is: they can, but with limits. In the past, pingbacks could provide advantages in terms of backlinks, but today search engines mostly treat them as comments, and often the links are nofollow. This means they don’t pass much direct SEO value.
However, pingbacks can still be useful for:
- Discovering who mentions you online.
- Encouraging the creation of a network between websites.
- Keeping track of who links to your work.
When to disable pingbacks
If you run a professional website and want to avoid spam and unnecessary notifications, it can be useful to disable pingbacks. They are often exploited to create low-quality automated comments.
On the other hand, if you manage a personal blog and value the relational aspect between authors, you can leave them active, moderating incoming notifications manually.
Our experience
At Dopstart, we support businesses, professionals, and associations in managing their websites, including the optimal configuration of pingbacks, discussion settings, and SEO tools. Every site is different, and the best choice always depends on communication and visibility goals.
Practical Guide: How to Enable or Disable Pingbacks in WordPress
1. Log in to the WordPress Dashboard
- Go to
www.yoursite.com/wp-admin - Enter your username and password.
- Once logged in, you’ll be on the WordPress Dashboard.
2. Go to Discussion Settings
From the left-hand menu, click Settings → Discussion.
3. Find the pingback options
Scroll down until you find these two options:
- Attempt to notify any blogs linked to from the article
- Allow link notifications from other blogs (pingbacks and trackbacks) on new articles
4. Enable pingbacks
- Check both options if you want to enable pingbacks.
This way: - Every time you publish a new article, WordPress will try to notify the blogs you cite.
- Other sites will be able to send you pingbacks when they link to you.
5. Disable pingbacks
- Uncheck both options if you want to disable pingbacks.
This way you avoid spam and automatic notifications.
6. Save changes
- Scroll to the bottom of the page.
- Click Save Changes.
7. Manage pingbacks for individual posts
You can also decide whether to enable/disable pingbacks for a single post:
- Open the post edit screen.
- In the sidebar, click Discussion.
- Check (or uncheck) the option: Allow trackbacks and pingbacks on this article.
8. Prevent internal pingbacks (No Self Ping)
WordPress often sends pingbacks even to your own internal articles. To avoid this:
- Use a small plugin called No Self Pings.
- You can find it in the WordPress plugin library and activate it in seconds.
- This way, you’ll only receive pingbacks from other sites, not your own.
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