When you install and configure the Jetpack plugin on your self-hosted WordPress site, you have the option to turn on Likes.
Likes allow your blog readers to show their appreciation for your post (or page) in much the same way a like works on social media.
However, with Jetpack, when someone is logged into WordPress.com and likes a post, their gravatar (a small thumbnail image) displays next to the post Like button.
Activating Likes on your posts applies across your entire site.
But what about when you want to deactivate Likes for a specific post?
That’s what happened to me recently, when I noticed one of my posts was garnering a lot of Likes.
I checked my statistics and noticed there was no increase in the number of visitors to the post.
Which seemed odd to me: why would someone like a post—someone who doesn’t subscribe to my blog—but never visited the post to read it?
After I noticed the majority of Likes came from SEO companies and marketers, I decided it was time to make a change to the post.
How to Deactivate Likes for a Specific Post
Once you’ve logged into your self-hosted WordPress site, visit the post where you want to deactivate Likes.
I’m using my recent After COVID: Benefits of a Remote Workforce [Infographic] post in this example.
- In the right sidebar, select the Jetpack icon.
- In the Jetpack options panel, in the Likes and Sharing section, deactivate the Show likes checkbox. You may need to scroll down to view the option.
- Select Update to save your changes.
Wrapping Up
Jetpack’s Likes features allows WordPress.com users to show their appreciation for your posts or pages.
Activating Show Likes applies across your self-hosted WordPress site, but you can control which posts or pages can be liked by following the steps I described.
Have you deactivated Likes on your site, or on specific posts? Share your thoughts in the comments.
