Let’s start off with a short description of what WordPress is and what you can do with WordPress.
WordPress is a platform, a php script that organizes the content of your website (using a database) and allows you to manage the structure and design of your website (using settings, categories, themes and plug-ins). Now that sounds complicated – but the beauty of WordPress is that they set it up so that it is very easy to use.
If you can use any other basic computer program or internet website – like Word, Facebook, Excel, Ebay or any other one – then you can easily use WordPress to create a professional website!
In a nutshell, here is what you do to create a website using WordPress. Log in to the Dashboard area. Configure a few basic settings, set up any links or categories that you would like for your website. Then choose a design (WordPress calls these ‘Themes’) and add any special features (WordPress calls these ‘Plug-ins’). Then add your content in the form of pages or posts. That’s it – your DONE!
Now I have to take a minute to discuss blogs vs. website. In general, a blog is a special kind of website that is very similar to an online journal or diary. They are used extensively on the internet for people to communicate information on a daily or weekly basis. In fact blogging has become a job or vocation, even a celebrity. Arianna Huffington with the Huffington Post, Michael Arrington with Techcrunch, Pete Cashmore with Mashable, Tim Ferriss with the 4 Hour Work Week, have all become well know celebrities by blogging. And there are many many other blogs on just about any topic imaginable, done for business or as a hobby just for fun.
WordPress was originally designed for blogging. But don’t think that you can only use WordPress for blogging – they have added many features that makes it an excellent platform for creating just about any kind of website imaginable.
If you want to create the common type of website that you see everyday on the internet, WordPress can easily do that, and we will show you how.
A couple terms to define.
A post is where you can add content to your site, and it is generally referring to blogging when you add a post. You could also use the post feature for news, customer updates or a number of other ideas. When your visitor goes to your blog posting, or your news they can expect that the information will be changing on a day to day, or some other regular basis.
A website page is a new area on your website that you get to by clicking a link (as to the ‘Home Page’ which is the main page that your visitor sees when they get to your website). For the most part a page is static content on a day to day basis (if the info is there today, your visitor expects it to be the same information there tomorrow).
Inside the WordPress Dashboard you have the option to create ‘Posts’ and ‘Pages’. You must know which you are using, as each have their place, depending on the flow and structure of your website.
WordPress now comes standard with a Block Editor called Gutenberg. There also is a plugin called ‘Classic Editor’ that allows you to use the regular WYSIWYG style editor that may be more familiar to people who have not done any web design, and have used tools like Word. The examples in the WordPress Setup Guide is using the Classic Editor as for most people it is the more intuitive option.
You can click here for more information on using the Gutenberg Block Editor.
Move on to the next lesson where you will learn about the WordPress Dashboard.