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It’s easy to get lost trying to sift through all of the options on WordPress.com, so I’ve compiled a list of steps every new user should take before they even think about creating content or building an e-commerce business.
So you’ve built a WordPress website and discovered that the WordPress dashboard is everything but user-friendly at first look. You are correct. While it isn’t nearly as intimidating as it seems, it does take some getting accustomed to. We’ll teach you how to use the WordPress dashboard to create your small business website quickly and simply.
Go to the WordPress Dashboard
To begin, go to your WordPress dashboard and log in. If you’re not sure how to accomplish it, put your domain name plus “/wp-admin/” (e.g., yourdomain.com/wp-admin/) into the URL search box and press enter. This will take you to the WordPress login screen, where you can enter your username (or email address) and password.
Go to your WordPress dashboard and log in.
If you’re having trouble getting into your WordPress dashboard, try signing in via your web hosting provider.
Overview of the WordPress Dashboard
You’ll see your WordPress dashboard now that you’ve signed into your WordPress account. The dashboard follows a conventional structure and is divided into three parts. The horizontal top bar comes first. Second, there’s the sidebar, which acts as a menu of choices. The third section is the body, which will show various information based on the left-hand sidebar choice you choose.
The design of the WordPress dashboard
The WordPress dashboard, often known as the admin page, is split into three sections:
- If you have a blog, you’ll notice a notification indicator for new comments on your posts in the top bar. There’s also a link to update your WordPress profile or log out of WordPress on the far right of the top bar.
- The left-hand vertical sidebar is the main navigational tool on your website. For example, click “Pages” to modify current websites or create new ones, or “Appearance” and then “Menus” to alter your website’s primary menu.
- The admin page’s primary controls are in the body. You’ll receive alerts, recent activity, and other updates when you first log in. This screen varies based on which sidebar menu is chosen.
Getting Around the WordPress Dashboard
Your go-to source for customizing and developing your WordPress website is the vertical left-hand sidebar. From web pages and blog posts to adding new plugins for more functionality, adding users, changing your theme, and customizing your theme, it has it all. “Posts,” which homes your blog, “Pages,” which houses your web pages, “Appearance,” which is all things site design (from themes to your site icon), “Plugins,” which is where you’ll add new features to your site, and “Settings” are the most popular sidebar choices.
Quick Reference on the Sidebar
The sidebar has various options for editing and managing your website. While it may seem overwhelming at first, you will be concentrating on just a handful of the choices. Let’s start with the top six, which are used to add material to the site and change plugin settings.
Quick Reference for WordPress Admins
The following are the most commonly used WordPress dashboard menu options:
- Use this menu to create, modify, or publish new blog entries if your website has one.
- Create new pages for your website, such as your homepage, “About Us,” or “Contact Us.”
- Color schemes, typefaces, your site title, logo, site symbol, and formatting are all things to consider when it comes to the appearance of your website. You may also use this to install new WordPress themes.
- Plugins: WordPress plugins are used to enhance your site’s functionality. For example, you might use the Elementor plugin to create drag-and-drop page builders, use Yoast SEO to help your articles rank higher in search engines, or use a contact form builder like WPForms to create custom forms quickly.
- Users: Those who will have several individuals editing, administering, or contributing to the website (e.g., other blog writers) may each have their own login with various levels of site rights.
- Additional admin options, such as altering your default language and time zone, may be found under Settings.
Let’s take a closer look at each of these choices for more information:
Webpages: Create or Edit
“Pages” is where you’ll spend most of your time while creating a company website. Pages allow you to modify and manage existing web pages as well as create new ones. Keep in mind that there are more page choices on the right-hand side of the page editing screen when you create new pages or modify existing ones. You may change the slug, add a featured picture, and change the page characteristics there.
In WordPress, you can see all of your website’s pages.
Here’s what the “Pages” menu item allows you to do:
- Existing websites may be edited
- Existing pages should be deleted.
- Create new web pages.
The default WordPress page editor isn’t very user-friendly. Use a page builder plugin if you want to make designing web pages simpler. The majority are free and allow you to transform your conventional editor into a drag-and-drop editor. Find out which page builder plugins are the best for you.
Add or edit blog posts under the Posts section.
“Articles” are used to generate new blog posts and manage current blog posts on websites that contain or are only a blog. Articles, as opposed to pages, are more simple, since blog posts tend to contain fewer web design features. From the right-hand sidebar, you can modify your post’s permalink (or URL slug), add a featured picture, choose blog categories, and add tags, just as you do with pages.
In WordPress, create a new blog post.
Here’s what the “Posts” menu item allows you to do:
- Editing previously published blog articles (some templates come with demo content)
- Existing blog entries should be deleted
- Create new blog entries.
Homepage, Site Logo, Site Icon, and Other Aspects
You’ll spend a lot of time on “Appearance” when you’re initially creating a new website. To begin, you’ll need to modify your WordPress theme (which acts as your site’s template) which is located under this tab. Then, under Appearance, you’ll need to modify aspects of your site including your logo, site title, slogan, and icon. You may also modify your site’s menu, menu placements (such as the header and footer), and widgets from here.
Your WordPress theme should be changed.
Some of the things you may accomplish with the “Appearance” menu item are as follows:
- Change the theme you’re using (Appearance > Themes).
- (Appearance > Customize > Site Identification) Change your site’s identity, such as your logo, title, slogan, and icon.
- (Appearance > Customize > Homepage Settings) Select the homepage settings.
- Widgets may be managed under Appearance > Widgets.
- (Appearance > Menus) Update and build site menus.
Plugins: Manage Existing Plugins and Add New Plugins
Plugins are code snippets that extend the functionality of your website. There’s a plugin for everything, whether it’s making unique quizzes for your site, gathering user data, or altering your login URL. To give you a sense of scale, the typical company website includes between 20 and 30 plugins. To put it another way, you’ll need plugins, and you’ll probably need a lot of them.
Search for new WordPress plugins.
The “Plugins” menu item is used for the following:
- Plugins > Add New allows you to add new plugins.
- Plugins > Installed Plugins > Manage Existing Plugins
- Unused plugins should be deactivated and deleted (Plugins > Installed Plugins > Hover and click “Deactivate”).
User Management: Create New Users, Roles, and Permissions
You may grant people access to your site through Users if you wish to have several site editors or blog writers. You may add new users and manage current ones from there. This involves assigning user roles such as admin (which gives full access) or author (which grants limited access) (which enables users to write, edit, and publish posts). You may modify user rights and access in Users.
The WordPress dashboard may be used to add new users.
The “Users” menu item allows you to do the following:
- Manage users (Users > All Users) and their responsibilities and permissions.
- Add new users to your account (Users > Add New).
Permalinks, Admin Email, Date & Time Settings, and Other Options
If you’re trying to make a site-wide update and can’t locate it under “Appearance,” it’s probably under “Settings.” Settings, for example, contains everything from your site’s language to the date and time format, as well as permalinks and plugins like Google Analytics and your SSL certificate plugin.
An example of a WordPress dashboard option
Here are some examples of what you can do using the “Settings” menu option:
- Language should be changed.
- Establish a time and date framework.
- permalinks may be managed
- Maintain control of your SSL certificate.
- You can use certain plugins.
Conclusion
At first, the WordPress dashboard, often known as the admin page, may seem perplexing. Most users, on the other hand, will only need to learn about a handful of the menus, such as pages, posts, appearance, and plugins. You’ll soon discover that WordPress is remarkably user-friendly after you’ve mastered these menu choices.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I use the WordPress dashboard?
The WordPress dashboard is the area where you can manage your blogs. You will use it often when creating new posts or editing existing ones.
What are the three primary sections of the WordPress dashboard?
The three primary sections of the WordPress dashboard can be broken down into page, menu, and widgets. Page is where you will find all your posts, pages, and blog content. The menu is where you can organize your website by adding different categories with their own subpages to each one. Widgets allow users to add in various features on a site such as social media icons or Google AdSense without having to build out an entirely new section from scratch every time they need something new added onto their website
How do I use WordPress for the first time?
To use WordPress on your blog or website, you first need to log into the admin. You can do that by going to https://www.wordpress.com and clicking sign up in the upper right corner of the screen then entering a username and email address followed by a password when prompted.
