How a beginner can learn how to use WordPress

WordPress is amazing and powers more than 40% of the web. As compared to the CMS crowd, WordPress’s ratio is far ahead.

So, the scope of WordPress is vast as well. WordPress is the best option for learners, developers, and investors.

In this article, we’ll focus on absolute beginners and describe how they can learn to use WordPress.

Let’s describe the subject in more detail.

How to learn and use WordPress?

Learn what WordPress is

Let’s start from the basics.

WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS) that provides a No-Code infrastructure for creating, editing, and managing websites. To be clear, WordPress is leading the pack of competitors, such as Drupal, Joomla, and Wix.

WordPress is Open-source. Anyone can download, use, make changes, and create custom projects with WordPress. For more information, visit the WordPress official resource.

Using WordPress is directly proportional to installation. Once you’ve installed WordPress, you can learn how to use it correctly.

Call to Action: Keep in mind the basic definition of WordPress. It is a Content Management System (CMS) used to create, run, and manage websites.

Learn how to install WordPress

The WordPress installation process is Technical. Only make changes if you need to learn how to proceed.

Note: Here, we aim to install WordPress cautiously, with the assistance of a Support Team or a premium course—if possible.

Before you proceed to install WordPress, here is what you’ll need:

• Web Hosting
• A domain name is required if you’re using online server space.
• A staging website, locally or online. If you’re installing WordPress on a local PC, a web hosting plan and domain name are not requirements.

Let’s describe further.

There are two ways to install WordPress.

1. Automated installers – work mostly on online web servers
2. Manual WordPress installation requires extensive knowledge to proceed and finish the process.

Manual installation requires extensive support. However, installing WordPress via automated installers is automated in most cases.

Call to Action: Watch a video that teaches how to install WordPress. Once you’re confident, practice the lessons on a staging website. Once approved, you can switch to using the lessons on live sites.

WordPress Dashboard

The first screen after a successful login is the “WordPress Dashboard.” Simply put, the Dashboard is the control panel area of a WordPress website.

The Dashboard provides an interface for learning and using WordPress. As an admin, you have complete control.

The left panel lists various options. You can change anything, from content to media files and Themes/Plugins. Going through each menu, learning on a staging site, and determining how Things work will help you understand and use WordPress.

Here is what you should keep in mind:

• Make sure you’re logged in as an “Admin”.
• Some options are sensitive. Those features affect a WordPress site’s performance, settings, and overall status. If you know how things work, keep everything the same.
• If you’re working on a staging site, that’s enough. Conversely, do not proceed. If using an established site is the only option, ensure you’ve taken your site’s backup. Period.

For more information on how WordPress dashboard works, refer to the official resource about Dashboard measures. Also, here is a simple tutorial on how the WordPress dashboard helps.

Call to Action: Log into the WordPress Dashboard. Visit every page and read about available options. Make changes to separate options you understand. Once you change something, notice the change and revert. This is how you can learn the options available in the WordPress dashboard.

Let’s proceed further and learn how to use WordPress as a beginner.

WordPress Maintenance

To create and run WordPress successfully, you must learn how WordPress sites are maintained.

In this regard, WordPress maintenance includes the following key aspects:

• Avoiding errors if they occur. Learning how to fix the mistakes will give you a competitive advantage.
• Page speed matters. Learning how to improve WordPress page speed helps in SEO, too.
• Learning how to take site backups is a pure necessity. For this purpose, you can use WordPress plugins, such as Up Drafts Plus.

Note: If you don’t like proceeding, you can hire WordPress Support Specialists for WordPress Maintenance. An example of a WordPress Support Plan is available on our pricing page.

Call to Action: Try to keep the WordPress page speed regular. Add images, posts, and inline videos to the content and notice if the page speed improves. Similarly, notice the change before and after you’ve made a change. Page speed care is a starting point.

Website Management

Website Management is different from WordPress Maintenance. There is a slight difference.

Let’s explain.

Website Maintenance

Maintenance is tailored towards “avoiding and removing WordPress errors.”

Website Management

Management of WordPress includes everything, from how to create and manage content to taking periodic backups.

To learn how to use WordPress, you must learn how site management works. This includes the following key elements:

• Installation and management of themes, plugins, and 3rd party scripts
• Handling user roles, submissions, and access control for better security
• Monitoring how site traffic reacts to WordPress assets
• Premium plans and expiry dates, such as web hosting, domain renewals, and premium plugins
• Overall management of users, traffic, and leads and see how things are working

Call to Action: The Dashboard should not contain default content. You should update Themes and Plugins on time. Similarly, do not let other users interfere with WordPress. The mentioned options fall under essential site management.

Security of WordPress

WordPress security is vital.

Learning to ensure WordPress is secure is one of the most important investments.

How to proceed? Luckily, WordPress plugins help beginners do complex tasks without coding. For example, installing the WordFence plugin can help you:

• Configure Two Factor Authentication (2FA) on WordPress Login
• Limit invalid users, logins, or unknown access controls
• Have an eye on traffic logs and block unwanted bots from repeatedly accessing your WordPress website
• Send you email notifications to make sure you’re aware of possible incidents, update requirements, or Consequences

Security is a vast field and requires extensive knowledge. However, beginners can learn simple maneuvers. In this scenario, installing a plugin is enough for essential protection. If, for example, you’re more concerned about security, you can sign up for the premium WordFence plan.

Call to Action: Install WordFence and take a test action. For example, once you’ve installed and configured it to deny invalid usernames, try to sign into WordPress with incorrect credentials. Notice how WordFence reacts to invalid credentials. This will give you a starting point for securing WordPress with WordFence.

Page Builders

Learning how page builders work in WordPress is one of the most important aspects of WordPress learning.

As their name suggests, Page Builders are tools that help users build custom layouts in WordPress without learning how to code.

Page Builders like Divi, Visual Composer, and Beaver help users create, design, and back up custom page templates.

Key Point: If you’d like to create and design WordPress the way you want – learning page builders is the only option. Conversely, you can hire WordPress specialists for more information. In such scenarios, if designing or learning page builders doesn’t suit you, you can also buy ready-to-use WordPress themes, layouts, or custom templates, according to what you prefer.

Call to Action:

1. Install a page builder that offers a free trial.
2. Create a standard page in the Dashboard by heading towards Add New Page.
3. Once created, design the page with the page builder and see how things work in the page builder world.

Learn how to extend WordPress.

Increasing WordPress functionality is not a beginner’s business. However, extending WordPress functionality can help you make the most of the WordPress platform.

Let’s consider an example.

You can extend WordPress options without learning to code or change WordPress core files using WordPress plugins.

What to do? Head over to the Plugins page in the WordPress Dashboard. Install a plugin for a task, such as “showing recent posts,” and see what difference you can see on the front end. This is amazing. If you had to change the WordPress core, you’d need a Support Team’s assistance to show recent posts. This is how beginners can extend WordPress options, functionality, and features with “Plugins.”

In this case, most of the plugins are free to use. Some have premium plans, too. If you need premium options, you can also purchase premium candidates.

Call to Action: You can also use code snippets to extend WordPress functionality, such as minor changes like highlighting text. You can make minor changes in the Advanced CSS option or use plugins like Ultimate Shortcodes.

Themes and Plugins

Themes

WordPress Themes help users quickly design WordPress sites. Just upload a theme, and your site will shape up automatically.

As a Beginner, you should have learned how to upload or install a WordPress theme. In this regard, land on the Appearance -> Themes page for more information.

Plugins

WordPress Plugins are used to extend WordPress functionality without learning how to code or go through complex maneuvers.

Plugins are small scripts or tools. Once installed in the WordPress dashboard, you can see relevant options. For example, after you’ve installed a security plugin for WordPress, you can see the option to block invalid user logins.

Call to Action: To make a perfect move, land on the Plugins page for more information on installing a WordPress plugin.

User Management

WordPress supports multiple users. WordPress has user levels, such as administrator, author, contributor, and editor.

Each user role provides different privileges.

While learning WordPress, learning how user roles work in WordPress will equip you to:

• Manage various users with specific roles, access levels, and limitations
• Help you manage a community-based WordPress website

Call to Action: Create different types of users and log into the Dashboard, using each login individually. You will notice that the WordPress dashboard shows extended/fewer options for each user.

WordPress Editors

When discussing creating “WordPress content”, we must address the importance of WordPress editors.

Editors are unique interfaces for creating WordPress pages and posts. When you click on the Add New option for a new post or page, the next screen you see is the WordPress Editor.

After you’ve installed WordPress, go to the Pages or Posts page and click on the “Add New” option. The next screen will help you learn “how to create, edit, save drafts, and publish WordPress content.”

Call to Action: Once a piece of page or post is created, remove it and see how trashing works. You can also restore the content entries in the Dashboard.

Learn how to back up your WordPress website

WordPress backups periodically are essential. A backup plan helps users restore WordPress in case of unusual events.

Taking WordPress backups is not technical. In this case, the WordPress backups help users quickly learn how WordPress backups are taken.

The point-and-click options enable users to take site backups in a few clicks. Period.

Key Point: Install the Up Draft Plus plugin in the WordPress Dashboard. Once installed, go to the Settings -> Up Draft Plus page to learn how to take WordPress backups.

Call to Action: The backup packages are saved on a local PC. On a staging site, experience WordPress’s backup restoration process.

Staging website

As discussed above, you can create a staging website if you’ve learned how to install WordPress.

We described earlier what a staging website is for beginners. Here is a straightforward overview.

• A staging site helps users test maneuvers before applying them on live sites.
• A staging site allows learners without affecting live sites in a testing environment.

In other words, I want to learn how to create and install WordPress sites. A typical site for testing purposes is a “staging environment.”

Call to Action: If you can’t afford to create a staging environment, use YouTube to see all the workflows people have done. In this scenario, the purpose is to learn by watching other people’s videos.

A/B Testing

A/B Testing helps users decide “what agents or use cases are applicable in WordPress”.

In A/B testing, users prefer specific conditions after checking various scenarios. The process helps users choose better options if the output needs clarification.

A staging site is used for A/B testing purposes. Once a specific use case is approved, the purpose of A/B testing is accomplished. The chosen condition is applied on live sites, no doubt.

What to do? Make sure you’ve arranged a staging website for A/B Testing purposes. The staging platform will help you understand how A/B testing works. It’s a testing environment.

Call to Action:

1. Start by testing various options in the WordPress dashboard.
2. Change a choice and see how it affects the WordPress front end.
3. See if you can continue with the change or revert things again.

Content Management

Content Management is creating, editing, removing, migrating, and managing WordPress content.

“WordPress content” refers explicitly to WordPress pages, posts, and custom templates.

Here are the pages you’ll need to access to learn how content management works in WordPress.

• Access the Posts page to manage WordPress posts.
• Similarly, you can access and learn the Pages page for page management.
• If you’ve installed and created custom layouts with a page builder, such as Divi Builder, access the page builder’s options to manage custom templates. In Divi, you can access the Theme Builder page for more information on managing custom templates.

Note: Every tool has its own options. Learning to manage custom templates will be another story if you use a different page builder.

Call to Action: Backup and restore the content entries. This will give you a starting point for managing content in WordPress.

WordPress: How to get help?

Finally, if you have come this far – let’s learn how to get help if needed.

Facebook Groups

Join Facebook Groups for help and support regarding WordPress core, third-party tools, and expert opinions on various topics.

Search for a query and choose the “Groups” filter to find new groups on Facebook. The relevant groups for WordPress support will appear.

Online Forums

Online forums, such as Quora, WordPress Official Forums, and random sources, help users ask questions quickly. Run a Google search to see the available opportunities.

Some forums contain diverse topics. Use such forums to find WordPress support. For example, magazine-type forums contain Technology, Health, Food, Sports, and Education issues.

Ai Support

Today’s age features AI tools as support agents. For example, Chat GPT, Google’s Ai, or Meta Ai can help beginners quickly ask questions.

The tools mentioned above are free of charge. You can run a free search on Meta Ai and get answers accordingly.

WordPress Specialists

We at WP Tech Support® provide maintenance support to WordPress individuals, agencies, and corporate users.

Ask us or post your query in the live chat. We provide support and help you learn how WordPress essentials work.

Google Search

If you’re facing a specific issue in WordPress, running a Google search can help.

There are blogs, forums, and online resources to help beginners fix WordPress issues. Period.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What do I need to set up after I’ve installed WordPress?

In the WordPress dashboard, you can see the basic options to set up after you’ve installed WordPress.

The available options are usually displayed on each page. However, to change the basic options, visit the Settings menu.

Note, keep everything the same if you know how things work. Otherwise, you can affect your site. For more information on how to set various aspects, visit this tutorial.

How do I change my account password in WordPress?

The user’s page in the Dashboard helps users change their account passwords.

There are two ways to change user passwords in WordPress.

1. On the WordPress login page, use the “Forgot password” option. Once you enter your username or email, WordPress will send a “password reset link” to your email. You can proceed and change your password.
2. The second method features the native option to change the WordPress user password. In this case, users can land on the user profile and make changes.

For more information on changing WordPress passwords for users, visit the WordPress official resources. You can also ask your site Support Team if you need help with how to proceed.

What kind of settings can I change in the WordPress Dashboard?

You can change everything in the WordPress dashboard.

You can change everything accordingly, from content to settings and users’ passwords. Please note that you can use all options only if an administrator account is logged in to WordPress. Other levels of accounts have limitations.

To verify if you’ve full privileges, visit your user profile in the WordPress dashboard.

Where should I start learning WordPress?

It would help if you started learning WordPress by covering basic knowledge.

Second, you can create a test/staging website for practice once you’re confident. If you need to learn to make one, as the WordPress installation process is more technical, ask a Support Team for assistance.

In this case, the WordPress official resources for learners provide a quick start. Visit the WordPress official website and use the links available to get started.

What should I do if my site feels like “Hacked”?

First, you should have taken your site’s backup.

If you feel your site is behaving abnormally, consult the following sources.

• Your site’s hosting provider. Ask them if they notice anything unusual.
• Consult your site’s Support Team and ask if they can review your site for hacking logs.
• Hire WordPress Support Specialists. A small fee can help you cover the consequences.
• You can also visit online scanners. The online tools help beginners scan their sites for malware attacks, hacking logs, or mis-happings.

Professional Tips

• If you can spend a small fee, Udemy courses can help you start learning WordPress essentials.
• Remember to take site backups regularly. If you have lost control, backup plans help users quickly restore sites to their previous state.
• Do one thing at a time and give yourself time to digest various learnings. If you’re also running your site, you must ensure things don’t conflict.
• Always create a staging website to practice WordPress workflows. Do not test out various workflows on live sites. You don’t have to lose anything if a staging site is affected.
• To experience the WordPress interface, you can also create and test free sites on WordPress.com. However, managing a self-hosted site is what teaches you actual workflows.
• If you want to skip learning how to install WordPress, it’s better. You can start by learning how to use the WordPress dashboard. This helps you skip technical things and focus on what you can quickly learn and practice.

Over to You

That’s how you can learn about WordPress CMS.

Most of the time, you’ll need to get involved in the process, practice, and improve your knowledge. Don’t make any changes if you need to know a specific option.

For more information, ask us or visit our WordPress care plans page for maintenance, backup options, or speed improvements in WordPress.