What is WordPress?
WordPress is a website building platform which also serves as a content management system. This document introduces the user with the key elements of WordPress and process to use these elements on your website.
The key elements of WordPress ecosystem:
Pages
This component lets you to create static content on your website
- On the Admin-Dashboard page, click on Pages – > New Page
- Add a page lists types of Pages on left side, and Design Layouts or Themes on right side. Choose required type and layout or click on Blank Page
- In new design layout, place the cursor on the text columns to edit the texts
- To upload the Pic / Media, click on Image on template and click Replace
Here you can either select the Media from existing library such as WordPress Media Library, Google Photos, Pixels Free Photos and Openverse or upload new Media from the system.
- Click on Upload. Select the Media from system. Click on Open.
- Click on Preview on top right corner of the page to get the preview and then click on Publish, to publish the new page
Posts
This component lets you to create various types of content.
- Go to Admin Dashboard. On the Left panel click on Posts -> Add New
- In the new page, place the cursor on Title and Content columns to edit / enter texts.
- The right panel of edit post page, lists publish options like Summary, Post Format, Categories, Tags, Featured Image, Excerpt and Comments.
- To set Featured Image for the post, click on
Featured Image – > Set Featured Image. Choose from Media Library, Google Photos, Pixels Free Photos or Openverse. Click on Insert. - To allow discussion / comments on your post, click on check box for Allow Comments and Allow pingbacks and trackbacks.
- Click on + button on top left corner.
The dropdown shows various Block elements that can be inserted into the post, display Pattern of the post and the Media library.
- Media types that can be inserted into posts are
- Images
- Documents
- Audio
- Video
- To Insert Image to the post, click on + button -> Media -> Open Media Library -> Images. Choose the Image from library, click on Insert.
- You can use the media editing tools like Align, Caption, Link etc for the new inserted image.
- click on Preview to preview the post and then click on Publish to publish.
Theme
This component is design layout that define look and feel of your website and controls visual aspects and appearance.
- Go to Admin Dashboard. On the Left panel click on Appearance-> Themes.
- Right panel shows different Themes available with WordPress.
- Click on the selected Theme. Click on Live Demo for preview. Click on Activate to activate the theme on your site.
- To Edit the Theme, click on Edit Site on bottom right corner.
- Use the toolbar to edit layout and texts of the Theme. Click on Save.
- Click on View Site.
Plugin
This component lets you to add new features and functionalities to your website.
- On the right panel of Admin Dashboard, click on Plugin
- Right panel shows various plugins that can be installed in the site. Plugins requires you to upgrade to Business Plan.
- Plugins available with WordPress are of following categories
- Apart from built-ins, WordPress does allow you to upload own plugins / from third party resource.
Users
This is anyone who uses the website.
- On Admin Dashboard, click on Users
- Right Panel shows all available Users of the site.
- Users at WordPress site are of following categories
- Team Members
- Subscribers
- Roles that can be assigned to Team Members are
- Contributor
- Editor
- Author
- Admin
- Role available to Subscriber is
- Follower
- To add a new Team Member or Subscriber, click on Add to Team
- Select the Role of new member under the dropdown. Enter Email address or WordPress Username
- Click on Send Invitation.
- For the bulk update, it is possible to upload .CSV files containing up to 100 email addresses.
Media:
This component is systematically uploaded and arranged data.
Comments:
This component lets the visitors of your site to leave their feedback to on your website posts.
Conclusion
The build of WordPress and the key elements of its ecosystem has made it easy for anyone to publish their content: be it personal, informative or business related.