WordPress initially began as a blogging platform but has since developed into a potent tool for creating a wide range of websites, from intricate eCommerce sites to personal blogs. It holds a commanding 60% market share in CMS due to its versatility, user-friendliness, and abundance of plugins and themes.
This WordPress tutorial contains all the information you need to get started. We’ll guide you through each step of learning WordPress, from website setup to problem-solving.
Visit our most recent WordPress tutorials at the bottom of this page for additional resources and advice.
Essentials of WordPress
Powered by PHP and MySQL, WordPress is a content management system (CMS) that lets you work alone or with others to create, edit, and publish digital content. Displaying interesting website content is made easy by its support for a variety of text formats, photos, videos, and custom code.
WordPress comes in two varieties: WordPress.org and WordPress.com. The distinction between the two lies not just in the names but also in the way your website will be hosted.
This tutorial will concentrate on WordPress.org, a self-hosted platform. This implies that you can use WordPress on a third-party hosting company like Viseahost, Hostinger, Bluehost etc. and download it for free.
However, WordPress.com is a hosted platform that offers free website creation with some restrictions. To get around the limitations, such as connecting a custom domain name and adding plugins, you will need to enroll in one of the premium plans.
Installing WordPress
After downloading the WordPress software files from WordPress.org, you can install WordPress locally on your PC. But your website won’t be available online.
You must select a web host for your WordPress installation in order to make it publicly accessible. You should, at minimum, search for one that satisfies the suggested system requirements for WordPress:
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- PHP 7.4 or higher
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- MariaDB version 10.5 or higher OR MySQL version 8.0 or higher
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- Support for HTTPS
For total novices or experienced users seeking streamlined website administration, a managed hosting service makes it easier to launch a WordPress website.
For instance, to make managing your website easier, Hostinger Business Web Hosting provides a WordPress AI Troubleshooter, an auto-installer, an intelligent auto-update tool, and many other features.
Although installing WordPress is generally simple, different hosting providers may have their own ways to make the process easier. If you’re using Hostinger’s hosting, you’ll get these three easy steps to install WordPress:
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- Utilizing hPanel’s WordPress Auto-Installer. WordPress will be installed automatically after you finish the initial onboarding steps after purchasing a Hostinger hosting plan. As an alternative, install WordPress with just one click by using hPanel’s auto-installer tool.
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- Utilizing the Hostinger VPS Template. If you decide on a VPS hosting plan, you can quickly install WordPress and the server operating system without utilizing the command line by using Hostinger’s VPS template.
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- WordPress Installation by Hand. Using this method, you download the WordPress installation files from WordPress.org and extract them to your hosting file manager’s public_html directory. Please be aware that this approach necessitates manually configuring the website’s WordPress database.
Installing WordPress Themes
WordPress themes serve as the framework for the look and functionality of your website. Some are designed for eCommerce or portfolio websites, for instance, but others can be used on any website.
Go to Appearance → Themes from your WordPress dashboard to install a theme.
You can explore thousands of free themes in the official WordPress repository by clicking the Add New Theme button. To assist you in narrowing down your options, check out our list of the top free WordPress themes.
As an alternative, you can purchase a premium theme from independent developers or marketplaces. Upload the theme files by hand if you do.
Without knowing any code, you can add a ton of new features to your website with WordPress plugins. There are thousands of paid and free plugins designed for a variety of uses, such as site security and social media sharing.
Installing WordPress Plugins
Similar to themes, a WordPress plugin can be installed by either manually uploading its files or by visiting the official WordPress plugin repository.
Go to Plugins → To find, install, and activate the best WordPress plugins for your website, click Add New Plugin.
Although there is no limit on the number of plugins you can use, to keep your site functioning properly, try not to install too many. Activate the plugins you actually need because accumulating unused ones will cause your website to bloat and become vulnerable to security flaws.
Important! Make sure the website is authentic before downloading any plugins or themes you find outside of the official WordPress repository. Additionally, at all costs, refrain from installing any cracked versions of premium plugins.
Publishing Content
A new post and page must be published in order to create a WordPress website. To increase website traffic, you can use a variety of on-page WordPress search engine optimization (SEO) techniques through content.
Pages like “Contact Us,” “About,” or landing pages with multiple uses are examples of static content that doesn’t change frequently.
Conversely, posts are used for content that needs to be updated quickly, such as news articles or blog posts. For convenience, they can be archived, tagged, and categorized.
The Gutenberg editor was first included in WordPress 5.0 to facilitate the creation and editing of pages and posts. With this update, you can create content using a range of WordPress blocks, such as buttons, images, videos, and text.
Creating a New Post
From the dashboard’s left sidebar, select Posts → Add New Post to create a new WordPress post. On the top toolbar, you can also choose New → Post.
The WordPress post editor interface will be displayed to you; it has a number of features.
Entering the title of your blog post is the first step. Next, use blocks to write the blog post’s actual content. Use the block toolbar options to format the text.
Each section of the post settings panel, which is located on the right side of the screen, has a specific purpose:
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- Post-Summary: Modify the post’s visibility, status, and scheduling. Choose the Stick to the top of the blog option to make the blog post sticky.
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- Categories: In this box, you can add, remove, or modify the post category.
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- Tags: This box facilitates the rapid addition of new tags.
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- The Featured Image: Designate a featured image that will appear at the top of the article.
Click the Publish button in the upper-right corner to start the post. That’s it!
Posts accumulate as you continue to write them, so think about classifying them using WordPress taxonomy to make it simpler for site visitors to navigate. Nevertheless, in order to use the taxonomy effectively, you must be aware of the distinction between categories and tags.
Creating a New Page
The same WordPress block editor is used when creating a new page. As a result, formatting and text input are comparable to creating a post.
Click Pages → Add New Page to start a new WordPress page.
There are no Tags or Categories options on the Pages menu. Rather, it contains the Page Attributes section. There, you can set parent pages and alter the page order.
Pro Tip
Your site will be more user-friendly if you customize the WordPress permalink of your pages and posts to make them easier to find.
Optimizing WordPress Performance
The quantity of text, photos, code, and other media files on your WordPress website increases as it gets bigger. The speed of your WordPress website may decrease as there is more content to load.
Don’t worry, there are many ways to make your WordPress website load faster! Even if you lack technical knowledge, you can now easily optimize the performance of your website with the abundance of plugins and tools available:
Improve the Images in WordPress
Images that are large and uncompressed may take longer to load, but they can be resized or compressed to save file sizes without compromising quality. As a result, think about resizing high-resolution photos or turning on an image optimization tool.
Turn on GZIP Compression for WordPress.
This technique efficiently decreases file sizes, especially for repetitive HTML and CSS, to speed up the loading of your website.
Create a Network for the Delivery of Content (CDN).
speeds up WordPress by storing content in several different data centers around the world and sending it to the visitor from the one that is closest to them. Additionally, caching plugins work well with CDNs.
Turn on a Caching Plugin for WordPress.
reduces the need for PHP scripts to be loaded on each visit by creating a static version of your website. This reduces server requests and speeds up load times by enabling browsers to retrieve some content from their cache. The LiteSpeed Cache plugin comes pre-configured for server-level website optimization when you use Viseahost’s Managed WordPress hosting.
Turn on Lazy Loading.
A web page normally loads all of its content at once, but WordPress lazy loading causes some objects to be delayed until they are needed. Images, for instance, only load when they are visible to the visitor.
Put off Parsing JavaScript
JavaScript is frequently loaded first by themes, plugins, and social media add-ons, which delays the display of HTML and visual content. Visual elements will load more quickly when WordPress defers JavaScript parsing, and JavaScript-based content will load later.
Maintaining and Securing WordPress
Because of its vast user base, there is a lot of discussion and sharing about how to avoid common security problems with WordPress. In light of that, the following fundamental WordPress security steps should be applied to your website:
Updating WordPress
Updating security fixes to guard against known vulnerabilities requires using the most recent versions of WordPress’ core software, themes, and plugins. WordPress updates are simple, but if you want to make sure you don’t miss any updates, think about automating the process.
Making a Backup for WordPress
It’s crucial to backup your WordPress website so you have a clean copy to fall back on in case something goes wrong. Even though you can manually backup by downloading files and the MySQL database, this might be too much to handle for multiple sites or frequent updates. Automated backups are provided by numerous hosting companies, such as Viseahost, Hostinger and WordPress backup plugins.
Using Distinct Passwords and Usernames
Making your usernames and passwords difficult to figure out is crucial for extra security because using generic ones leaves your WordPress site vulnerable to hacking.
To make your password harder to figure out, use capital letters, numbers, and special characters. Use a password manager such as 1Password to safely store your passwords if you have trouble remembering them.
Configure Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Your WordPress login is further secured with two-factor authentication. In addition to their password, users must enter a second piece of information, typically a one-time code that is emailed or sent to their mobile device. By doing this, even if hackers manage to get your password, it becomes more difficult for them to access your website.
Restrict User Roles and Access
You can designate distinct WordPress user roles for each team member if you’re working on a website with several of them. Assign a user the Author role rather than the Editor role, for instance, if they are only required to write content. This procedure reduces the possibility of unauthorized modifications to the credentials and configurations of your website.
Making Money with WordPress
You can create any kind of website with WordPress’ vast collection of themes and plugins, including ones that will help you establish a lucrative online presence, like:
Setting up an Internet Store
By creating your own online store, you can sell goods without being constrained by platform limitations and maintain control over your branding, customer experience, and sales tactics.
WooCommerce, the most widely used WordPress eCommerce plugin, offers a wealth of resources, themes, and add-ons to make the selling process easy. There is a solution for practically anything you want to include in your store, from shipping calculators to payment gateways.
WooCommerce can also grow with your company. The possibilities are endless; you can begin small and progressively expand your online store by adding more goods, features, and capabilities.
Consider registering for quick WooCommerce hosting if your main objective is to create an online store so that your clients can shop with ease.
Establishing a Business Using Affiliate Marketing
By using referral links to promote goods or services, you can make money with the affiliate marketing business model. You must sign up for an affiliate marketing program in order to begin making money; occasionally, this requires website ownership.
You can try a variety of strategies to promote your affiliate links, but one of the best ones with WordPress is to start a blog. The CMS offers all the resources you require to establish a profitable affiliate business, whether you choose to advertise through blog entries, product reviews, or carefully curated lists.
Constructing a Website for Members
Creating a membership website entails providing users with access to premium content or services behind a paywall in exchange for a subscription fee.
This business model is a good option for a passive income source because it generates a steady stream of income. By providing insightful content that keeps users interested and motivates them to come back, it also enables you to develop a devoted following.
You can add the functionality you require to manage memberships, regulate access levels, and establish several subscription tiers with varying benefits using WordPress membership plugins like MemberPress or Paid Member Subscriptions.
Troubleshooting WordPress
It’s common to run into WordPress errors, and you can usually fix them on your own. Some of the most frequent mistakes made by WordPress are as follows:
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- Death’s White Screen. When your WordPress website displays a blank white screen, this error occurs. Usually, PHP errors, theme problems, or plugin conflicts are to blame. Turning off plugins or using the default theme will fix it.
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- “This Website Contains a Critical Error.” When a fatal PHP error happens, usually as a result of a conflicting plugin or theme or an issue with the site’s code, this error message is displayed. Usually, you can resolve this by determining which plugin or theme is malfunctioning.
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- HTTP 500 Error. This common problem, also referred to as a “Internal Server Error,” can be caused by corrupted.htaccess files, plugin conflicts, or incorrect server configurations. Deactivating plugins and themes or reviewing server logs are two ways to troubleshoot the error.
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- “Difficulty Connecting To The Database.” This error occurs when WordPress is unable to connect to its database, which is frequently caused by corrupted databases, downed servers, or incorrect database credentials. Usually, it can be resolved by either fixing the database or checking your wp-config.php file.
Debugging WordPress is another option if you run into issues that aren’t on the above list. When making code changes to your WordPress website, we strongly advise using a staging site so you can test the changes without affecting the live site.
Migrate to WordPress
There are a number of ways to switch your website from another platform to WordPress:
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- Make use of the WordPress Importer. You can import a website from another platform using the built-in importer tool in WordPress.
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- Make use of WordPress Importer Plugins. Look for WordPress importer plugins if the platform you are using isn’t supported by the built-in importer tool.
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- Make use of the Free Migration Service offered by Hostinger. If you wish to switch your WordPress website from another hosting company to Hostinger, we’ll take care of the migration.
Latest WordPress Tutorials
We’ve gone over the fundamentals of using WordPress in this guide, including how to install themes and plugins and a few other pointers to make your site function properly. Check out our most recent WordPress tutorials below if you’re keen to learn more about using WordPress!
