What is WordPress: A Beginner’s Guide to the CMS Platform.

Sometimes ago, people, including me, think that building a website is not easy, it requires code and huge knowledge of the internet. But the reality is, that it is very easy to build a website.

American blogger Matt Mullenweg and British blogger Mike Little made a platform that eases the whole process of building a website.

Initially, WordPress was made for blogging in 2003. But now WordPress has been extended and has become the biggest platform for hosting websites.

What is WordPress?

WordPress is a CMS (Content Management System). It is open-source software which means it is publicly accessible. All you need to do is install the software in your system and Download the Theme.

Why Use WordPress?

Why you should use WordPress when there are more CMSs available, The answer is below

1) WordPress is the biggest platform to make a Website

Approx 43% of Websites on the internet are made by WordPress. This means that 4 of 10 websites you visit are made with WordPress.

2) Easy to use

Before WordPress, it was hard to make a website for everyone because not everyone knew how to code and make, and host a website. But WordPress made it easy for everyone. WordPress gave the platform to make websites even with zero technical knowledge. This means if one doesn’t know the code can make a website.

3) WordPress Is SEO Friendly

Only Building and deploying of Website is not enough we need to reach the perfect audience. So it is very important to use Search Engine Optimization(SEO). WordPress has plugins like Yoast SEO, to rank the website in searches. It helps the website to get the audience.

4) Safety And Secure

You can ensure your safety by the fact that even the official website of the Whitehouse is made with WordPress. WordPress ensures the safety of its customers which is why it became the most used software. It is secure but we also need to keep passwords strong and profiles protected. For more security, you can invest in protecting your website.

How To Download WordPress?

WordPress is very easy to install in the system. It can be downloaded in a few steps.


Step 1:- Go to wordpress.org
Step 2:-Click on Get WordPress in the top right corner


Step 3:-Click on Download WordPress

Exploring the WordPress Dashboard: Navigating the Interface and Customizing Settings

To operate WordPress efficiently first we need to understand the Dashboard. The Dashboard allows users to interact with content.

  1. Dashboard – The dashboard shows the activity and status of your page. Without going inside of every point you can see it on a single page.
  2. Posts – It consists of four categories
    • All Posts – It will show you all posts on your site.
    • Add New – This will allow you to add a new post to your site.
    • Categories – It will show you all the categories of your site and also allow you to make a new category.
    • Tags – Same as a category it will also show you tags you have used and to add a new tag
  3. Media -It shows you all media files on your system to use without searching them.
  4. Pages – It will show all pages existing on the site.
  5. Comments – It shows the comments on your posts. It allows users to get all comments in one place.
  6. Appearance – It is mainly the face of a website, its control that how the site will appear. It has some subcategories:
    • Themes – It shows the installed themes and the option to add a new theme.
    • Theme Settings – It allows the user to customize the header, logo, background color, and much more.
    • Customize – As the name says it can customize the appearance of the site.
    • Widgets – You can see widgets and add some new widgets here.
    • Menus – It shows the user the menus on the site and allows them to add a new menu.
    • Header – With the help of this you can customize your site’s header.
    • Background – It helps to change the background of the site.
    • Install Pluging – This will show you the required plugins to be installed.
    • Edit Themes – This will help you to Edit the theme. But editing may break your site that’s why it is not recommended to edit themes.
  7. Plugins – Plugins are add-ons that increase the experience of the user. In this option there are certain sub-categories :
    • Installed Plugins – This will show the plugins which are already installed on the site. It will also help to activate and deactivate them.
    • Add New – As the name says we can add new plugins to the site.
    • Plugin File Editor – This will help you to edit the plugin. Editing plugins directly is not recommended as it may introduce incompatibilities that break your site.
  8. Users – It gives the data of users on the site. There are 3 sub-categories :
    • All Users – It shows the details of all the users.
    • Add New – This option is given to add new users manually.
    • Profile – This shows all your details of yours and also helps you to edit your appearance.
  9. Tools – It helps to maintain the site through different features :
    • Available Tools – It will show all available tools.
    • Import – This will help to Import the data from a different site.
    • Export – Unlike import, it will export data by file.
    • Site Health – As the name says It shows the health and status of a site.
    • Export Personal Data – This tool helps site owners by exporting known data for a given user in a .zip file.
    • Erase Personal Data – This tool helps site owners by deleting or anonymizing known data for a given user.
  10. Setting – Setting allows user to make edits on site :
    • General Features – You can edit Site Title, Site URL, Tagline, and much more in the category.
    • Writing Setting – It allows the user to control the default category and format of the Post.
    • Readings – It controls what your homepage displays.
    • Discussion – We can say that it will control the interaction between the Site owner and the Visitor.
    • Media Size – It controls the dimension of media on the site.
    • Permalink Settings – It offers you the ability to create a custom URL structure for your permalinks.
    • Privacy – Every website has its privacy policy and you must have it. With the help of this option, you can show your privacy policy.
  11. Collapse Menu – There is only one function of this option which is to minimize the dashboard and make more space for the page.

What is a WordPress Theme?

In simple words, you can say that the theme is the face of the site. It is the interface of your website. Theme can be changed according to need but only one theme can be kept at one time.

There are 10000+ free themes available on the WordPress site. Still, if you are confused about choosing a theme then I will suggest you visit ThemeHunk. There are 200+ ready-to-import best themes. More than 35 free themes and pro themes are available.

How To Install WordPress Themes?

Are you having trouble installing the theme?

No problem I will guide you on how to install themes directly from WordPress to your site.

Just Follow the steps:-

Step 1) Open your WordPress account

Step 2) Go to Appearance and click “Add New”

Step 3) Search your theme in the search bar

Step 4) Click Install for further process

Step 5) Click activate after installation

Step 6) Customize your theme according to your site

What Is a WordPress Plugin?

Let’s read it as “Plug In” it will describe itself. Plugins add some extra features and improve the functionality of the site.

Plugin extends the WordPress experience. There are 60000+ free plugins available on WordPress. You can Install and activate your plugin according to your needs.

How To Install WordPress Plugin?

Step 1) Open your WordPress Account

Step 2)Go to Plugins and click on AddNew

Step 3) Search your desired plugin

Step 4) Click on Install Now

Step 5) Click on Activate

Your Plugin will be activated and shown in installed plugins.

What Type Of Website Can You Create With WordPress?

WordPress can build most types of websites. Here are some of the types which you can build with WordPress.

  • E-Commerce – If you want to sell items and get paid online then you can build this type of website. You can build a website and activate an E-Commerce theme on your page.
  • Blog – If you love to share your thoughts and views on the internet then can make a blogging website. Here you can share Reviews, Recipes, Photos, Videos, Tutorials and so much more.
  • Business – If you run a business and want the people to know more about your business then you can build a business website and show what you serve and how much it costs. You can also brief us about your business, your staff, achievements, recent and upcoming events, and much more. A business website will be the best option for you.
  • Portfolio – If you are creative and want to demonstrate your creativity to the world then you can build a portfolio on your website.
  • E-learning – If you want to teach virtually then you can build such a website and offer courses and get paid. Students can track their progress and boost their performance.

These are a few examples of what kind of websites can you build with WordPress.

Conclusion

WordPress Is the Best platform to build a website. WordPress can make any type of website. You can avail of all themes and plugins free of cost. But You will need to invest some amount to deploy your website.

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