Trackback
Quick Definition
A trackback is a manual notification you send to another blog to let them know you referenced their content. Unlike pingbacks, trackbacks are not automatic and send an excerpt of your post.
What Is a Trackback?
Older, manual blog notification system. You paste the target blog's Trackback URI, WordPress sends an excerpt on publish. Not verified — receiving blog can't confirm the link exists.
vs Pingback: trackback is manual + sends excerpt + unverified. Pingback is automatic + no content + verified.
Don't use in 2026 — legacy, spam-ridden, replaced by pingbacks and social media. Disable in Settings → Discussion.
Why It Matters
Blogging history. Disable to avoid spam. See our security guide.
Related Terms
BlogA blog (short for "weblog") is a website or section of a website with articles displayed in reverse chronological order — newest first. WordPress was originally built as a blogging platform.NofollowNofollow is a link attribute (rel="nofollow") that tells search engines not to pass SEO authority through that link. Use it for affiliate links, sponsored content, and untrusted user-generated links.PingbackA pingback is an automatic notification that WordPress sends when one blog links to another. It appears as a comment on the linked post, showing that someone referenced your content.
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