A pingback is an automated notification system in WordPress that informs one website when another has linked to it. Key features of pingbacks include:
Functionality:
- Automatically generated when one WordPress site links to another
- Notifies the linked site about the reference
- Appears as a special type of comment on the linked post
Purpose:
- Facilitates cross-site communication and engagement
- Helps track backlinks and mentions of your content
- Encourages networking between bloggers
Process:
- Site A publishes a post linking to Site B
- WordPress automatically sends a pingback to Site B
- Site B verifies the pingback and may display it in the comments section
Management:
- Pingbacks can be enabled or disabled in the Discussion settings
- Individual posts can have pingbacks turned on or off
- Self-pingbacks (links within the same site) can be prevented by using relative URLs