Post analytics is missing views so you are missing stats for non-subscribers. Yes, third-party analytics can do all of this but Ghost is almost there so why not just add this to make it the complete package.
I’m a novel fan translator and aspiring author who plans to serialize my novel on my own website one day. Ghost is good for blogs, but for fiction, it’s extremely lacking.
The main reason I still couldn’t shift to Ghost despite years of lurking on this forum is the lack of tooltips support. Not footnotes, but tooltips.
As a translator, I often find myself using tooltips to explain parts of the translation that couldn’t be completely expressed in English.
Clicking on footnotes transports you all the way to the bottom of a page, breaking the immersion. It is not suitable for longform reading. Once or twice may be fine, but when you need over 10 different notes on the same page, it quickly becomes annoying.
Tooltips are ideal because it allows the reader to view the note without changing their position on the page.
I made my own WordPress plugin for this, and here’s a video of it in action. [Please ignore the ugly and inaccessible styling. I was using a test blog.]
[Disclaimer: I don’t actually know any coding beyond HTML and CSS. I just used a shortcode plugin generator.]
Achieving similar tooltips in Ghost might be possible with a plugin, but as I said, I don’t know how to code, and hiring a developer is beyond the budget.
I would be elated if Ghost ever decides to include this feature natively.
I forgot to mention—Tooltips are also better because it allows me to select exactly which part of the text warrants the note. Footnote numbers can only be put at the end of the text, with no clear indication if the note is just for that one word, for a phrase, or for the entire sentence/paragraph.
Being able to block members from signing up, like blocking IP addresses, prevent emails containing X, being able to remove comments completely from spammers, trolls etc.
A menu system, more like WP. Sub-pages etc. Then anybody could have a meny they’d want to have. Anything from 1-2 pages, to 10+.
Dynamic translation, like - I’d like for these pages in this collection to be in language X, and these pages and posts in this collection to be in language Y.
Dynamic landing pages, to target language audiences, one for English i.e and one for Chinese.
Have a base for pages, just like posts in a collection. I have a post in the forum about that. I shall link it below.
Support for pages to be included in collections. Sort of like previous point.
Being able to update Ghost from the dashboard.
Last but not least - a dream of sorts - being able to set a domain to a collection. Like a subdomain or top domain, instead of how it is today.
These are the ones I can think of from the top of my head. Below is the link to the topic I was referring to earlier:
i mean, it’s more or less easy to do this all especially if someone understands how to code, but if it’s so easy to do it, why isn’t it built in it’s just a few lines of code anyway. actually maybe someone could make a PR but would it be accepted, that’s the question?
I also remembered that I’d love to see an internal post linking system in the editor, so it’s easier to find previous posts to link to.
And I’d like a media gallery function, so I can easily choose photos and make sure I don’t use the same one often enough as a featured image etc for a post.
Both of these features are mentioned in the ideas category.
After using Ghost for over 6 months, I’ve come to truly appreciate its features. However, I still have a few suggestions to enhance the experience:
Internal link building: Streamline the process of linking relevant keywords to other pages with a simple click, similar to WordPress.
Frontend admin bar: Enable quick access to edit articles directly from the website, eliminating the need to navigate back to the admin panel.
Simplify “nofollow” links: Integrate an option within the internal linking feature to easily add “nofollow” attributes without the need for manual HTML coding.
Improved media library: Implement a user-friendly media library where images can be managed and deleted without resorting to FTP.
Enhanced SEO features: Provide built-in SEO tools that remind users to include alt tags, calculate keyword density, and offer other optimization suggestions.
Seamless updates: Enable self-hosted users to update Ghost directly from the backend interface and receive notifications about new versions.
Newsletter options: Allow for sending newsletter excerpts rather than full articles, encouraging recipients to visit the website for the complete content.
Schema.org integration: Enhance integration with schema.org markup (Reviews, for example) for improved search engine visibility.
Complete review widget: a versatile review widget (with stars and bars to evaluate a product) that is visually appealing.
That’s a very good thread! I’m going with my top 3:
Subpages, the possibility to use paths for tags and sub-tags seems to be mandatory for me.
More than primary and secondary navigations for make specific pages like LMS, courses, specific products or services (implemented on Ghost webpage but not in the main product).
Integration of category translations for being used with Weglot. Weglot is paid but the integration lacks of fully translation because of Ghost limitation.
Let me update this. After 3 more months of usage I would like to add something:
Internal link building: Streamline the process of linking relevant keywords to other pages with a simple click, similar to WordPress
Comprehensive Internal Search Engine (including text and HTML)
Media Library Management: Implement a user-friendly media library where images can be managed and deleted without resorting to FTP
Convenient Updates from the Ghost Backoffice (Not Limited to CLI for Self-Hosting)
Nofollow and Noopener Toggle Options for Links, Product Widgets, and Other Widgets
Inclusion of Alt Text for Product Widget Images
Support for Child Themes
Integrated HTML Editor
Advanced SEO Tools: Built-in SEO utilities that prompt users to include alt tags, assess keyword density, and provide optimization recommendations
Newsletter Customization: Options to send newsletter excerpts instead of full articles, encouraging recipients to visit the website for complete content
Schema Integration: Enhanced integration with schema.org markup (e.g., Reviews) to boost search engine visibility
Comprehensive Review Widget: A versatile review widget featuring both star ratings and bar graphs for evaluating products, with a visually appealing design
I concur with others seeking excerpts when sending newsletters out.
I would also like to see the ability to allow members to subscribe to different newsletters based on tags for better curation and segmentation.
Internal link building, as mentioned by others.
The ability to use JSON structure to generate tabular layouts. Maybe without an actual table, but using divs or something instead? Writing the HTML or markdown is less readable than JSON, imho.
Use of external storage integrations with Ghost Pro. If I have a Google Cloud Storage or an AWS S3 bucket with content, I’d like to be able to connect to it with an integration, browse the content, and select compatible file types (images, videos, etc).
I would like to be able to select multiple content blocks and turn them into a single snippet I can use would be great. Say I wanted a divider above an image for a standard footer on the site. Or maybe I have a standard few blocks of content I commonly use with minor tweaks each time.
I have issues with Google Workspaces email aliases not working for my newsletter or support addresses. I can send emails to those addresses just fine from other domains, but Ghost seems to not come through. Posted workarounds don’t seem to have any effect. I’d love to see some focus here. Forcing complicated signups and workarounds with Mailgun or other tools seems overboard for the hosted version of Ghost.
but would it be accepted, that’s the question?