WordPress, Learn to use it!

You want to learn how to use WordPress? Are you just starting out and need a guide to understanding how WordPress works? Well… this getting started guide is for you!

Dozens of new users every day WordPress send us questions about how does it work WordPress and get their online project off to a good start.

Today's guide is therefore a collection of the most common questions of those who start using WordPress in order to create a website or create a blog.

 

How to use WordPress: introduction to the CMS

WordPress is a CMS (Content Management System - content management system), that is a tool that allows you to manage the contents of websites even without special skills, such as knowledge of programming languages.

One of the strengths of WordPress is the constant release of updates: in fact, developers are always working to ensure greater security, fix bugs, improve and enrich the features.

Keep your site WordPress always updated is very important! Specifically, you will need to update WordPress itself, the theme and all installed plugins.

The frequency of updates depends on when they are released by the developers of the various themes, plugins, etc. When there are updates available, you will find them in your Dashboard in Notice board> Updates.

Warning! Before making updates, always make sure you have a backup copy of your site, as updates can occasionally generate errors.

I don't see the Plugin entry in the Dashboard, why?

You are most likely using the .com version of WordPress (the version that does not require you to have a domain and hosting plan, but is very limited). To use the plugins, you will need to use the .org version of the platform instead.

The differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org are in fact the availability of features like these. Here at SOS WP we only talk about how to use WordPress in the .org version (apart from very rare cases).

Therefore, to use WordPress.com, you will need to subscribe to a hosting plan. We recommend using SiteGround, which offers excellent service, guarantees high performance and maximum security.

How can I see how many people visit my site?

The best tool for monitoring traffic and interactions on your site is Google Analytics. It is a completely free tool that allows you to collect a lot of information on how users interact with your site.

I recommend that you connect your site to Google Analytics as soon as possible, as data can only be collected from the moment the tool is connected to the site.

How do I add images to posts?

WordPress uses an archive of files (images, but also videos, audio tracks and other types of files) called the Media Library. Who is discovering how to use WordPress immediately finds the system for inserting images through the Library very simple and convenient. In fact, if you are writing a post, go to the button Add Media which is located above the Visual Editor, that is the box in which the contents are written.

Here, you can choose whether to select an image that is already in your Media Library, or to upload a new one from your PC.

Once the image is selected, use the options visible on the right to format it (you can work on alignment, size, etc.).

Is there a way to schedule posts in advance?

Absolutely! Running a blog is challenging work, and if you are learning how WordPress works you may have noticed that sometimes it could be very convenient to be able to write multiple posts at once and schedule them to be published.

To schedule a post in advance, prepare the draft as usual. So instead of selecting on the right “Publish”> “Now”, Choose a date in the future.

Once the post is scheduled, it will be published on the day and time you select.

How can I make money with my site?

A lot of users are interested in knowing how WordPress works to monetize a website. There are so many different ways to make money online; one of the most important requirements is to have a certain volume of traffic (for this I refer you to the question on how to use WordPress to get more traffic).

As for actual monetization strategies, the list is long and includes:

• sale of services,
• sale of products,
• promotion of other affiliate services / products,
• membership programs,
• advertising

and many others.

What if you want to create an eCommerce?

Creating an eCommerce with WordPress and WooCommerce is much easier than you think. The shop setup wizard will allow you to enter your first product just a few minutes after installation. The types of products you can sell with WooCommerce range from physical to digital products, and you can also set up product variants in a simple and intuitive way.

If you want to add functionality to your online shop, you can rely on the countless WooCommerce extensions that will allow you to create an eCommerce just the way you want it.

WooCommerce is a tool that can be used by anyone, without special technical knowledge. But at the same time it is very rich in features and it may not be immediate to be able to exploit them all.

Do I need to backup my site?

Absolutely yes! It is essential that you have a backup of your site, to protect you from the possibility of losing your content in the event of errors, hacker attacks or other technical problems.

There are several ways to backup a site WordPress:

• manually, by downloading the files via FTP and the database from your cPanel,
• by subscribing to one of the backup services offered by hosting providers,
• using one of the backup plugins WordPress,
• using a service like ManageWP,

etc.

SiteGround, for example, allows you to make automatic daily backups. The service is included in each hosting plan and allows you to keep your data safe for any eventuality.

These are all valid options, the important thing is that the method you decide to use allows you to restore your site in case the files and / or database are lost or corrupted.

How can I change and / or customize the look of my site?

One of the main topics of our blog is about how to use WordPress to create original, professional and personalized websites. Themes are used to create the graphics of the sites. There are thousands of themes, with the most disparate looks.

My advice is to choose a theme that comes as close as possible to the look you want to achieve, so as to limit additional customizations to a minimum.

Furthermore, the latest generation themes have many options to customize colors, fonts, etc. (when you are about to choose a theme, I always recommend that you try the demo so you can see the template "in action" and test its various features ").

Another way to further customize the look of your site is through CSS. In this case, you will have to work on the code, but don't be scared, CSS is quite simple to learn and apply.

How can I send the newsletter?

The newsletter is one of the most powerful tools to keep in touch with your users!

But how to use WordPress to manage your newsletters? Here are the two main methods:

• You can rely on one of the many external newsletter services, such as MailChimp and GetResponse.
• Alternatively, you can use a plugin WordPress that sends the newsletter through your server space (for most users, however, it is more functional to use one of the external services mentioned above). Among the best, there is undoubtedly MailPoet.

If I have a blog, how much and when should I write?

Great question! The answer: it depends. That is, it depends on your goals and why you have a blog.

A blog can in fact have different purposes, it can be used to keep in touch with your readers, to improve the SEO of your site, or both.

Attendance is important in both cases. You want users to often have new content to read, and search engines to have new content to add to their indexes!

The "quantity" is more important from an SEO point of view. In fact, Google and the other search engines prefer long and in-depth content. If you are interested in the SEO aspect (which I advise you to pay close attention to), it is ideal to publish content longer than a thousand words. Industry experts indicate 1600 words as the ideal length!

How do I get more visits to my site?

First, remember to be patient. On the web, "quality" traffic, that of loyal users who follow you over time, grows gradually.

Here it is how to use WordPress to increase traffic to your site. First of all, you will have to combine various communication channels: first of all, I recommend that you regularly publish content and share it on social networks (very important!) And through the newsletter.

My second piece of advice is to pay attention to the topics you cover and how you structure your editorial calendar. In fact, you want to propose a good mix of topics, so that users always find something interesting.

Another very effective way to increase traffic to your site is through guest blogging, which allows you to make yourself known to users of other sites.

Finally, make sure you learn how WordPress works in relation to SEO, to be able to position your site high on search engines.

Can I create a multilingual site?

Of course! The most popular and complete plugin for creating multilingual sites is WPML. Thanks to it you can choose which languages to work with and add others at any time. With a simple button you can create a copy of an article in the language you want, you just need to insert the translated content.

You can easily translate all elements of your site, including menus, sidebars, footers, etc. and also the important elements for SEO (title, meta description and so on) are quietly managed by the plugin.

With the new version of WPML you can also use a convenient automatic translator that will allow you to speed up your work.