This WordPress guide is dedicated to all those planning to create a website and are wondering what this “WordPress” that everyone is talking about.
In this article, I’m not going to teach you how to use WordPress, how to install a plugin or theme, or how to create and customize your web pages. I will explain what WordPress will allow you to do, how it will help you build your website, and its strengths to enable you to open a successful online business.
So, if you’re looking for a WordPress manual to understand what it’s for and its potential, this is the right page.
You’ll find many in-depth links that will guide you towards a study path if you decide to go ahead with your project.
I suggest taking a look at all the guides, I’m going to suggest, so you can realize what you’ll be able to do with WordPress.
I must point out that in this WordPress guide, we are referring to WordPress.org.
There is, in fact, also a .com version, but it is minimal and not our field. The differences between WordPress.org and WordPress.com are huge. However, if you have already created a blog on WordPress.com, you can quickly transfer your site to WordPress.org.
The most important difference between both platforms is that the .org version is the software you can install in your webspace, which you can get with a hosting subscription. The .com version, on the other hand, is a ready-to-use platform.
This means that the webspace in which to create your site is provided directly by WordPress. To use it, then, you’ll need to create an account on WordPress.com.
If the latter option seems more convenient or more straightforward to you, in reality, it is not so.
First of all, you should know that installing WordPress.org is extremely simple and only takes a couple of clicks; you won’t need any technical knowledge.
However, the biggest problem concerns the fact that the limitations imposed by the .com version are many and can even determine the success of your project.
That’s why here on xschema, we only cover WordPress.org because we care about helping you achieve your goals!
WordPress Guide: What is WordPress?
WordPress is a CMS (Content Management System) or, put, allows you to create websites without knowing any programming language.
You know a simple video writing program, for example, Word?
You can write text, add images, create tables, etc.
With WordPress, you can do pretty much the same thing; only you have many, many, endless more possibilities!
Creating your website and learning how to use WordPress will be incredibly easy, fun, and satisfying because it will allow you to make the website of your dreams in total autonomy.
You’ll be able to create the pages with the look you want and add features quickly and easily, such as contact forms, photo galleries, videos, popups, and much more.
Thanks to its flexibility, simplicity, and wealth of features, WordPress has become the leading system for creating websites. Think that as many as 40% of websites have chosen WordPress!
A curiosity: the WordPress project was born in 2003 and, since its first version, each release is assigned the name of a jazz musician.
Version 1.0 of 2004 was named after Miles Davis and, passing through many other great artists, including Ella Fitzgerald, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, we arrived at version 5.7 dedicated to Esperanza Spalding.
What kind of site can I create?
Born to create blogs, a kind of online diary, over time, has evolved significantly to include very advanced features.
With WordPress, you can make any website you want.
From a blog to a forum, from an eCommerce to a showcase site, and many others.
Starting from a joint base for any website, you can add as many features as you want using themes and plugins, which I will discuss later.
This is the main feature that has made WordPress so famous: flexibility.
There are no limits to your creativity, your goals, your dreams.
With WordPress, you will get exactly the website you want.
Our blog is a real WordPress guide to creating a website of any kind. Here are some examples of our guides:
Guide to creating a blog with WordPress;
- Guide to creating a website;
- Guide to creating a business site;
- Guide to creating an eCommerce;
- Guide to creating a multilingual site;
- Guide to creating a forum;
- Guide to create a site with the reserved area;
- Guide to create a portfolio site.
Explore our blog to find just the WordPress manual you need.
How does WordPress work?
To use WordPress, you’ll need to have a domain and a hosting plan, meaning an address for your website and space on a server to store the files that make up the site.
You can buy the domain and hosting service from a provider, but be careful to choose a quality hosting.
It must be secure, reliable, good performance, and with excellent support service.
Where to find it?
Our long experience in the field has introduced us to a lot of excellent hosting.
That’s why we recommend you go for sure and choose the Italian hosting Server plan.
It includes everything you need to create your website, whatever type it is.
In addition to having excellent performance and support service (in Italian) ready to help you 24 hours a day, it is very affordable and offers different plans to suit your needs.
If you browse the WordPress.org website, you’ll find a page that includes recommended hosting services.
Among them, you’ll find SiteGround, which is also an excellent performing service, very security conscious, and suitable for a wide range of needs.
Once you have purchased the hosting plan, you will need to install WordPress.
WordPress guide: what are the themes
To customize the structure and graphics of your site, you can rely on WordPress themes, which are templates or templates with ready-made graphics that you can change at will.
There are premium themes and free themes, and on our site, you can find many tips on choosing a suitable WordPress Theme.
One of the leading portals on which you can find beautiful WordPress themes is Themeforest.
The choice is vast, but you can help find the right one by using filters and categories.
One tip: keep an eye on user reviews and the number of downloads.
Choosing the suitable theme for your website does not mean, however, only deciding the graphics of your pages.
Themes include different features to offer to your visitors but are also helpful in managing your site.
Some themes, for example, include a page builder, which is a system of page creation more flexible than the standard WordPress one.
If you choose a theme specifically designed for the type of website you want to create, you’ll find specific features.
For example, if you want to create the site of a hotel, you can choose a theme that includes a booking system and page builder to show the rooms.
However, there are many multifunctional themes that you can choose.
WordPress help: what are plugins
To implement functionality, you’ll need to rely on plugins instead.
They are like minor programs that allow you to perform certain functions: they can help create an eCommerce, adding a contact form, helping you with SEO (search engine optimization), and much more.
To give you an idea of everything you can do, check out our WordPress handbook on the best plugins.
As you’ll see, the possibilities are practically endless.
Let me warn you, though!
Those who enter the world of WordPress can easily fall victim to so-called “compulsive plugin installation.”
If you browse through the WordPress plugin directory, you’ll discover a plethora of plugins, and they all sound lovely.
The desire to add dozens of features to your site just because they seem interesting, sound, or even just lovely can be powerful.
WordPress guide: how to learn how to use it
Learning to use WordPress is not difficult.
It will just take a little bit more effort: study the main features, and you’ll start building your website right away.
Here on our blog, you will find, as you could understand, many WordPress manuals dedicated to beginners (but also for experts) that will help you take your first steps.
For the moment, you don’t need to delve into what the technical structure of WordPress is.
What you need at the moment is more a practical study.
For this, we have also made a comprehensive WordPress video course, which includes:
- WordPress basics module;
- module create an eCommerce;
- module create a blog;
- HTML module;
- CSS module;
- workshop to create a restaurant website.
Here, you can compare notes with other friends struggling with building and managing a website like you. We are always present and ready to answer your questions, doubts, curiosity. If you prefer instead to rely on a personalized path, you can turn to our WordPress trainers. You can ask all the WordPress-related questions you want and deepen the topics that interest you most. If you need any WordPress technical support, we are here to help you with difficulty and intervene directly to solve the problem. Check out our WordPress Services page to find out everything we can do for you.
What is WordPress?
It is a system that allows you to create websites without knowing any programming language.
How does WordPress work?
Once you have purchased a hosting and a domain, all you need to do is install WordPress to access the platform’s control panel to create and edit content.
What are plugins?
Plugins are programs that allow you to extend the functionality of WordPress.
What kind of websites can WordPress be used for?
ny website you want