WordPress is known as a user-friendly platform, still a lot of things are there to learn when it comes to WordPress for beginners.
Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about WordPress. You’ll find short and easy answers of these questions to guide you.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is one of the content management system (CMS). WordPress is platform which enables you to create, edit, and share content such as written posts, images, and other media on web. In short, you can make a website or a blog with the help of it. Today, on Internet, more than one-third of the websites are on WordPress.
What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
Difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org are one of the most confusing things for WordPress beginners.
WordPress.com is similar to website builder websites like Squarespace or Wix.com. On the other hand, WordPress.org is self-hosted WordPress builder. You need your own hosting and domain. Also you get complete control over your website, while in WordPress.com, there are limited controls.
Can I build a WordPress website for free?
Here answer for this question is both yes and no. On WordPress.com, you can make your website for free, but it will be branded under WordPress.com and you have limited options of customization.
On the other hand, Self-hosted WordPress or WordPress.org is free to download, but you need your own web hosting and domain name. Also there are many plugins and themes available for use with WordPress. Most of them are free and also you can purchase their premium version.
What does ‘open-source’ mean?
While working with WordPress, you may have come across the term open-source. WordPress is open source code – i.e. it is developed by a community, some of them are volunteers and its original source code is freely available and may be redistributed and modified.
Can I build a WordPress website on my own?
Absolutely Yes. WordPress is designed as a user-friendly platform. People those having absolutely zero web development or coding experience can create a professional looking website by using right combination of theme and plugins.
What are a domain name and web hosting, and do I need them to use WordPress?
Domain name is website’s address, for example, our domain name is techblicks.com. Web hosting is space on a computer or web server that you rent for your website.
For using self-hosted WordPress, you have to buy both the domain name and web hosting. These can run as low as $10 per year each or hundreds per month.
What’s the difference between plugins and themes?
Both of these components are important for you, but these are two different things. A plugin is used to add some functionality to your WordPress site, such as Organic SEO, Downloads or spam prevention.
On the other hand, Themes are used to control your website’s looks. There are some complex themes also available which adds special functionality, generally, themes are concerned with features such as layout and style.
How do I install plugins and themes?
It is easy to install a plugin and theme on your website, but ways to install both of them are slightly different. First you have to login to your admin dashboard of website.
Navigate to the plugin or theme directory in your dashboard, here you can search for the plugin or theme, install and activate them. Also, you can upload them to your website.
What are categories and tags?
Categories and tags are used to classifying the content in WordPress websites. By using them, you can keep your website well organized. Categories and tags also useful for users and search engines to find the information easily on your site. They also provide good user experience and help you to rank higher on search engine result pages.
Is WordPress only for blogging?
When WordPress started, it is a blogging platform. After that it was developed further and now, by using plugins and themes, people are now use WordPress to develop websites.
With the right plugins and themes, you can easily crate an online store, portfolio, business site, or something else you want.
How to maintain a WordPress website?
To maintain a website you have to do lot of things. Main thing for maintaining website is to take backup, update it, monitor its security, and many other things. Luckily, you can automate most of them in WordPress.
What’s the difference between posts and pages?
These two types of content will make you confuse easily. To make your website user-friendly, it’s important to use posts and pages properly.
A post has an official publish date and displayed order by date on blog page. If you want to write a content like recipe, tips etc, you should use a post. For example, content you’re reading right now is published as a WordPress post
On the other hand, a page is a static page for timeless content because it doesn’t have publish date, such as a home page or Contact page.
What is a widget?
A widget is a small area used to show content at various locations on your site. These locations are depend on your WordPress theme, usually in sidebar or footer.
Common widgets includes contact information, social media channels, and search bars or top posts etc.
Can we have a separate home page and blog page?
You can have separate home and blog pages. If your homepage is showing blog posts and you want to change it, you have to modify your WordPress setting. In your admin dashboard, navigate to Settings > Reading, then select Static Page under homepage displays setting. Now select your homepage from the drop-down, and choose a blog archive page.
How to add images on WordPress website?
Images and any other media you upload on WordPress, it is stored in the WordPress Media Library. You can upload media directly by navigating to Media > Add New.
You can also upload and add images while writing in the WordPress editor. Click on Add Media, here choose an image or click the Upload button or simply drag-and-drop the file from your computer.
Can we add video and audio files to WordPress website?
Yes, both the audio and video files can be added to a WordPress website, as these are compatible with WordPress. But you know, size of these files are huge and can slow down your website.
Can I customize my theme?
Yes, you can customize WordPress theme with native tool called Customizer. For editing, navigate to Appearance > Customize in your admin dashboard. If you know how to code, you can modify your theme’s files or add your own custom CSS. However, for beginners, this is not recommended.
Can we make money with WordPress website?
Yes, you can make money from your WordPress websites daily. You can make a online store to sell products by using WooCommerce. Beside of online store, you can make money with many other ways too.