Introduction
WordPress is a web content management system. WordPress originally served as a tool to publish blogs; however, it has since evolved to support publishing other web content, including traditional websites, mailing lists, Internet forums, media galleries, membership sites, learning management systems, and online stores.. Available as free and open-source software, it is among the most popular content management systems.
Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, the American developer and English developer released WordPress on May 27, 2003.
Uses of WordPress
- WordPress powers more than 70% of the top sites.
- It is the most used technology to build a blog or a business website.
- It adds value to your resume.
- It is a search engine friendly.
- Easy to include new features in the site with the help of free plugins.
- Little maintenance needed.
Key Elements
- Posts and Pages
- Posts – Users use posts for blog entries, displaying dynamic content in reverse chronological order. They commonly use them for news, updates, and articles.
- Pages – Users use pages for static content, such as their About, Contact, or Services pages.. Pages don’t have timestamps and remain in a fixed position on your website.
2. Media
- WordPress includes a powerful media library that houses all images, videos, pdf files and other uploaded items. It makes it easy for users to see what is available on the site, with basic search and filtering options built in to help them find what they are looking for.
- It includes settings to add/edit media alt text, title, caption and description. Users can even use a simple editor to crop and resize images before inserting them into content.
- Users can add new files to the media library directly by dragging and dropping files or by clicking on the “Add Media” button in the classic editor or the “Upload” option in a Gutenberg block, which automatically adds them to the media library.
3. Themes
- Every WordPress website requires at least one theme to be present. Its users may install and switch among many different themes. Themes allow users to change the look and functionality of a WordPress website without altering the core code or site content.
- Users can directly install themes using the WordPress “Appearance” administration tool in the dashboard, or they can copy theme folders directly into the themes directory.
- WordPress themes are generally classified into two categories: free and premium. The WordPress theme directory lists free themes, and marketplaces and individual WordPress developers offer premium themes for purchase.
4. Plugins
- WordPress’ plugin architecture allows users to extend or depreciate the features and functionality of a website or blog. These customizations range from search engine optimization (SEO) to client portals used to display private information to logged-in users, to content management systems, to content displaying features, such as the addition of widgets and navigation bars.
- Yoast SEO is one of the most popular Plugins which helps to improve SEO optimization.
5. Comments
- WordPress makes it easy to- create content, to interact with audience via comments.
- The comments section is where visitors can leave a comment on posts, pages or other custom post types on the frontend. In the backend, there are a set of actions for writer can take with regard to comments, such as editing or deleting individual comments, or enabling general discussion settings.
6. Users
- WordPress allows you to assign different roles and permissions to users, which helps you manage who can access various sections of your website.
- Key user roles include:
- Administrator: Has full access to the website, including plugins, themes, and settings.
- Editor: Can edit posts, pages, and comments.
- Author: Can publish and manage their posts.
- Subscriber: Can only manage their profile and view content.
Concluding Remarks
WordPress is an incredibly versatile platform. It offers a user-friendly interface, making it easy for beginners to get started.
Whether to build a personal blog, a business website, or an online store, a WordPress provides all the tools you need to succeed online