How to create a website or blog in WordPress?
Developing a website using WordPress is simple because all tools and programs are built in such a way that you can easily interact with the various components of WordPress and incorporate them into your site. This content management tool is designed in such a way that even non-technical bloggers and content creators can create their websites with much ease and variations. In this chapter, you will get to know about the basic concept of creating a WordPress website.
Benefits of Using WordPress from a Newbie’s Perspective
Choosing WordPress becomes an added advantage because:
- It does not require any hardcore technical knowledge.
- It is flexible and scaled features.
- It is suited for all types of users.
- It has a smooth integration mechanism.
- It creates a responsive site that can be compatible with devices with different screen sizes such as mobile phones and tabs.
Domain Names and Hosting for WordPress
Once you decide the platform you want to work on, the next thing you need is a domain name and hosting space to bring your website. The domain name will enable your viewers to get to your site with your website’s unique name, and on the other hand, hosting gives a space where your site resides on a server and make sure that your website loads swiftly and smoothly without going down for hours.
If you don’t have a domain name and hosting, then for the development purpose, you can also host your WordPress website/blog on your local PC. You can read the PHP installation article to learn more about this process PHP installation article.
Website Template/Theme
Once you install WordPress, you will see a simple site. To make it more robust and smart, full of content, you need to establish the most appropriate themes that fit your intentions. It becomes helpful in adding a visually appealing look to the front and other pages of your website.
To implement this, log in to your WordPress, and you will be able to see the first screen on your dashboard. After logging in, you can access 150 free themes. You will find the theme option under the Appearance menu.
Once you click on that theme option, it will take you to another screen where you can see square-shaped boxes with individually installed themes. To add a new theme, click the “Add New” button at the top of this page. It will navigate you to another page where you can see the thumbnails of all the themes that are free to install.
Creating New Pages and Posts
Once you have chosen a theme, the next thing you need to do is add pages to your website. To do this, you have to go to “Pages” > choose the “Add New” option. There are various components of this new Page, creating a screen that will be discussed separately in a further chapter.
Similarly, you can add content also by navigating to the “Posts” > “Add New” option. Make sure you refresh the website after every update from the WordPress dashboard so that the saved changes get reflected on your website.
What Are Posts in WordPress?
“Posts” is a component of WordPress that allows WordPress users to inscribe a blog as well as post it on the associated site. These posts are listed in descending order on the front page of the website or blog.
How to Add a New Post in WordPress?
Here are the steps to add new posts to WordPress:
- To add a new Post on your website through WordPress, you have to log in to the WordPress account.
- There you will see Admin Sidebar Menu on the left.
- Go to the Posts on the menu and choose Add New.
- Now you will see a new screen where you will be given the option to add a title and content for your web page.
- There are two primary components of this screen:
1. Title: where you can insert the title of your post
2. Content: where you will inscribe the content for your post. It can be done in two different ways:
- Visual mode is where you can write in a regular format by using WYSIWYG Editor.
- Text mode is where you can write in HTML format like you are writing in Windows Notepad.
Publishing a New Post in WordPress
Once you’re creating content for your blog or site, and you’ve set up all the formats and other tags, the next thing you need to do is publish the content.
For this, you have to click the Publish button for publishing your desired post. This button will be available on the right side of the panel.
Here is the list of components that comes under the Publish section:
- Save Draft — is used for saving the post as a draft.
- Preview — is used for previewing your post before publishing.
- Move to Trash — is used for deleting the post.
- Status — is used for changing the status of your post, whether it is published, pending, or under reviewer draft.
- Visibility — is used to modify the visibility of the post to public, private, or password protected.
- Published — is used for changing the published post date and time.
Edit Existing Post
To edit a post, you have to go to Posts> All Posts. There you will see the list of all created posts. Hover your mouse on any of the posts; you will see an option for Edit and Quick Edit. You can use any one of the options to make changes to your posts.
Delete Existing Post
To delete a post, you have to go to Posts > All Posts. There you will see the list of all created posts. Hover your mouse on any of the posts; you will see a link to Trash. The trash option will allow you to delete a particular post.