WordPress is the leading Content Management System (CMS) platform on the web, powering blogs and websites of major brands, government agencies and universities worldwide.
Even without prior experience with WordPress, getting your new website underway is simple. Simply download the software free of charge and use it on any hosting provider.
Plugins
Plugins add an abundance of functions to WordPress, similar to apps on a smartphone – they add or modify existing functionality without altering the code itself. They are written using PHP programming language, and can impact nearly every aspect of your site; from adding simple contact forms through to full-fledged support ticket systems with client portals – there really are no limits as to what can be created using plugins!
Integrating plugins into your WordPress website is simple. You can find them either through the official WordPress plugin directory, third-party sites or right from within your dashboard. When you find one you like click “Install Now” and WordPress will install it for you!
There is an overwhelming array of plugins, and identifying which ones best suit your needs may be challenging. Some plugins may slow down website load time or cause compatibility issues with other software on your computer; to avoid such complications it’s advisable to use only a select few at any one time and update them frequently.
WP Rocket is one such plugin, designed to speed up website loading time by caching pages, minifying files and optimizing images. Furthermore, its smart website wizard optimizes settings based on your site profile – meeting up to 80% of performance best practices immediately upon installation.
Other plugins are more specialized, like Google XML Sitemaps plugin, which generates special XML sitemaps to aid search engines in indexing your website more accurately. It also alerts search engines when new content has been uploaded automatically as well as allows for priority settings on specific pages or post types.
Before purchasing any plugin, it is always wise to read reviews and technical details about them. Look out for ratings and star counts as well as an explanation of its features and when the last update occurred; additionally it would be worthwhile checking for bug fixes that might have recently occurred.
Themes
Themes utilize content and data stored within WordPress to control how it’s displayed in a browser, similar to how plugins do; the primary distinction being that plugins focus on expanding functionality while themes emphasize design.
Themes provide users with various features they can select, such as page layouts, header and footer styles, color palettes, font options and responsive layouts for desktop and mobile use. In addition, they offer design elements like background images and post formats like lists and galleries.
When selecting a theme for your website, it is crucial that you take your brand’s visual identity into account. Your logo, fonts, colors and overall tone set the stage for how visitors perceive your company; choosing a theme which closely reflects this style will create a more professional appearance across the board and provide consistency throughout.
With an idea in mind of how your website should appear, selecting an ideal theme should be easier. There are both free and premium WordPress themes online available with demos to show how the theme would alter the look of the website. In addition, popular plugins might even provide additional functionality for your site!
Alternatively, if you want your website to support eCommerce and customer reviews, using a theme compatible with WooCommerce plugin will make displaying products easy while accepting payments easily. Furthermore, selecting one with both front-end drag-and-drop page builder capabilities as well as support for WordPress block editor will give you more control over how your pages are designed.
Some themes include plugins to expand their site’s functionality; for instance, an agency theme might come equipped with plugins allowing users to book appointments online as well as upload project overviews and client testimonials directly onto its website.
When selecting themes, speed should also be taken into consideration. Select one which is lightweight and optimized for performance to get maximum mileage from it. To test its speed on different devices, run it through GTmetrix or Pingdom Tools tools such as GTmetrix.
The Content Editor
WordPress content editors offer a full visual WYSIWYG editor with many useful features to assist in the creation and management of website content. It works across browsers and devices and even offers the option for full HTML editing for those wanting a clear view of their code for posts and pages.
Key to this content editor is the ease with which it allows users to make changes quickly and without using HTML code – an immense improvement over WordPress text editor and an important step forward for web content editing.
WordPress content editors feature more than just visual interfaces – they also include tools for creating reusable blocks and keyboard shortcuts to speed up editing. With shortcode functionality you can add commonly used items, like navigation menus or social media buttons directly into posts or pages; additionally you can use the Featured Image block to add a featured image for each post or page.
With the WordPress Content Editor, you can utilize a column block to add a two-column layout to any of your posts or pages. This feature makes structuring long articles or blog posts much easier! Furthermore, other helpful features of the editor include its ability to insert tables or image gallery blocks as well as adjusting text sizes and images accordingly.
“Block Options” tab can also be very handy; this tab enables you to change both global settings (such as header color) and specific block types’ settings, like font size or adding background images or CSS for greater customization of individual blocks on your website. You can even use custom CSS code for further customizing specific blocks!
WordPress content editors can be tailored to meet the specific requirements of each project with plugins and themes, with Froala being one such editor that offers many useful features for customization such as an advanced WYSIWYG editor and text editor.
Installation
WordPress is software used for publishing and managing website pages. In order to use it effectively, a computer must have an installed web server which hosts websites so visitors can visit by typing in their address into a browser window. Your hosting provider or you yourself may install one or both web servers on their system.
At first, you must create a database on your web hosting account to allow WordPress to store data necessary for its operation. To do this, login into cPanel and use the MySQL Database Wizard tool; this will bring up a screen prompting you to choose username and password combinations – avoid common names like “admin”, as these could be targeted by hackers as an entryway into your website.
Once you have created a database, the next step in installing WordPress files on your web hosting account is installing them manually or using an auto-installer from cPanel. For manual uploads you will require either FileZilla or Cyberduck FTP software on your computer to upload manually the files and select either “Move File (Mac)” or “Move Folder (PC” when selecting the folder containing plugin ZIP file and moving accordingly.
Once your files have been uploaded, log into your WordPress dashboard to activate them. Navigating to Plugins > Upload > Find will reveal it for activation. If any issues arise with its functionality, check its support forums or plugin page for information on any known issues.
WordPress is one of the world’s most beloved content management systems due to its many advantages. Notably, it is free and straightforward for use; moreover, as open-source software it benefits all its users by constantly being improved by thousands of developers worldwide – eliminating the need to learn coding to build websites!
