What is WordPress? The Beginner's Guide

In this beginner’s guide, we’ll explain what WordPress is and why you should be using it.

After reading this, you’ll know exactly how to get started, where to find the right plugins, and how to grow your personal or business website.

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What is WordPress?

WordPress is a web application that allows you to create a custom-designed website for your business. WordPress has a set of powerful default features that gives you the tools to manage your website using a CMS (Content Management System).

WordPress is one of the most popular website building platforms and is open-source software, so you can even make changes to the core system yourself with the right knowledge.

WordPress is a free and easy-to-use tool that gives anyone the power to create and manage a personal and business website.

Whether you’re an advanced web designer looking to get more out of your website or a novice user looking for a simple way to build a website, WordPress will help you achieve your goals.

No matter what type of web development skills you have, there’s a good chance you have already seen many websites built using WordPress.

In fact, there are over 103 million WordPress websites in the world today.

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Why Use WordPress?

There are many different website content management systems out there with their own unique features. If you’re looking for a website solution that’s straightforward and easy to use, one that’s built around publishing a business website, and that’s free, you should consider WordPress.

A WordPress website can be enhanced by installing plugins or a specific theme.

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Installing WordPress

Installing WordPress can be as simple as a few mouse clicks if you choose the right website hosting provider. I have used many hosting companies over the past 15 years, some are great and some are very bad. let me save you the headache and recommend SiteGround. SiteGround is not the cheapest hosting company, but you get what you pay for in life and super cheap hosting normally results in poor customer service from my experience.

With SiteGround you can get a WordPress website up and running in a few minutes, they provide free optimisation plugin, a free WordPress migration plugin and a free security plugin. The hosting is stable and reliable, and that is all I want for a hosting provider. They also provide good tech support and backup websites on a daily basis!

Here are some other hosting companies to consider:

• https://www.webhosting.uk.com
• https://www.hostinger.com
• https://www.bluehost.com
• https://www.godaddy.com

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Finding and Using Plugins

Once you’ve installed WordPress, you can start adding functionality. One of the first things you’ll want to do is find and use plugins. A plugin is an application that modifies or adds additional functionality to WordPress.

You can find thousands of plugins online or you can install them directly from the WordPress admin control panel.

Plugins are what makes WordPress so powerful, and they can be used for almost everything from creating social media posts to translating your blog posts into other languages.

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Installing a Theme

By default, WordPress provides you with a set of free themes that are pre-installed. You can also install other themes that may be more suitable for the type of business you run.

There are also page builders that allow you to create a fully customised website such as Elementor or Divi.

If you are planning to set up an eCommerce store then you will need to install WooCommerce. I would also recommend the Flatsome theme for online shop design.

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Growing Your Blog with WordPress

Once you start using WordPress, you’ll quickly realize just how useful the software is. The blogging system itself is easy to use and helps you create professional-looking articles with ease. However, the real power of WordPress lies in its community of users.

As you publish articles and add to your blog regularly, others will see your content too. Some of these users will be users that have never used WordPress before, and others will be experienced WordPress users.

At any given time, there are millions of people using WordPress. That means there’s a good chance one of them will see your blog and read your articles.

If you want to get the most out of WordPress, you should follow a few rules.

The first rule is to make sure your posts are fresh and engaging. That’s because the more readers you get, the more likely they are to come back for more.

The second rule is to make sure your links are relevant and topical. That way, when readers click on your links, they’ll stay on your site longer and be more likely to become readers. And, if you want your readers to come back for more, you can ask for their feedback at the end of each article.

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The Bottom Line

WordPress is the perfect web development platform if you want full control over your website and ownership. It is important that you keep your plugins and themes up-to-date with the latest security updates.

I would also recommend backing up your website at least once a week or even better daily.

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Article by Pankaj Shah: DCP London Web Designers