Before beginning, it is good to know what WordPress is.
What is the WordPress ecosystem?
WordPress is an open-source content management system (CMS) that allows users to host and build their websites and easily manage them.
WordPress is widely used by business owners, bloggers, and publishers to maintain their online presence and customize their websites.
What is the main function of WordPress?
WordPress assists you in creating websites with no knowledge of programming. It is a simple interface that allows you to manage all the aspects of a website.
Most blogs nowadays are created in WordPress. It is also used for various kinds of websites like company websites, e-commerce, real estate, portfolios, and more.
What are the key elements of WordPress?
The key elements of WordPress are listed below:
1. Posts
Posts are a very vital component of WordPress, which is usually used for creating various types of content. They are commonly used for creating blogs, news articles, and so on. They are usually displayed in reverse order on the home page.
Posts have different components, which are listed below:
- Title/Headline box: This box is made for entering the headline or title of the post. Commas, hyphens, dashes, and apostrophes can be used while entering the title.
- Permalink: “Permalink means “permanent link.” It is the permanent link to a specific page on a website. A permalink is automatically generated based on the title of the post.
- Body Box: It is the box where the user enters his or her writing, images, links to images, and other information that is to be displayed on the site.
- Publish Box: This box controls the state of a post. Drafts are posts that the author has not yet published. Published posts are those that have been published and are live on the site for visitors.
- Format Box: It is generally used to stylize and change the appearance of the posts. Users can choose the desired formats for their posts.
- Categories Box: This box usually displays the post’s category.A blog is typically divided into seven to ten categories.Categories can be managed by going to the Administration Panel > Posts > Categories.
- Tag Box: It helps visitors find similar posts on the website.
2. Pages
WordPress pages are very similar to posts. The difference lies in their usability.
Pages usually hold static content that is unlikely to change regularly. They build up the structure of the website. Depending on the website’s purpose, users can add any number of pages. At least one page is required for creating any website.
3. Media
All files, images, and other uploaded things are stored in this section. Text is a significant part of content, but content creators try to supplement it with media like images, audio, videos, and documents.
4. Themes
Themes govern how content is displayed on the front end. WordPress contains a lot of default themes, which can be useful for beginners. Users can change the appearance of their site by applying a theme by simply going to Appearance > Themes.
5. Plugins
This feature made WordPress the biggest website creation platform in the world. This feature helps users add more functions to their websites with absolutely no knowledge of programming. A WordPress plugin is a piece of software that can be installed on the site with just a few clicks.
Free plugins can be added directly to the site from the dashboard by clicking on “Add New.” A WordPress plugin directory will be opened, where users can browse for solutions. Select Install Now to add the plugin to the site. Once it has been installed, click Activate. Once the plugin has been activated, its functionality will be enabled on the site.
6. Comments
Comments act as an effective way of maintaining visitors’ engagement with the owner of a website. The website owner will have to regulate the comment section of their website.
Visitors can leave their comments in the comment text box. These comments usually appear below the content on approval. Comments can be disabled for any post or blog by the user.
This tool helps build an online community for reviews and discussions.
7. Users
A user is any person who has access to the WordPress site. Every user has a profile along with their personal information and credentials. They are also assigned a role. The user role determines what each person is permitted to do on the site.
8. Concluding remarks
Earlier, people used to hire software engineers to create websites. But now, anyone can easily create a WordPress website.
