WordPress Tutorial: All-In-One Guide (2021)

WordPress is undoubtedly the most popular content management system (CMS) for creating websites today. A CMS lets users build, manage, and modify the content of websites through a user-friendly graphical interface.

WordPress is popular because it is a feature-rich tool that lets users build a custom website without having to code one from scratch. Nearly half of all websites – 42.5%, to be exact – are built on WordPress.

This all-in-one beginner’s guide will show you how to create a WordPress website. You will learn about the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com and whether WordPress is the best fit for your project.

Furthermore, this guide will provide step-by-step WordPress tutorials and detailed instructions on the installation process, content creation, and maintenance.

WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com: Understanding the Difference

When you look up “WordPress” on a search engine, you will notice there are two types of WordPress available – WordPress.org and WordPress.com. It’s important to know that these two platforms are significantly different.

WordPress is open source software you can use to create a beautiful website, blog, or app

In brief, WordPress.org is the website where you can download the CMS software and use it to build and manage the website. The platform is open-source, so anyone can access it for free and modify it to their liking at no additional cost.

A major benefit of WordPress is its customizability. Users can add extensions called ‘plugins’ to the software to enable custom features, from eCommerce, speed optimization, to website analytics.

To install WordPress, you must purchase web hosting. It’s the service responsible for storing your site’s data and making it available to the worldwide web.

Fortunately, you can find hosting providers that offer reliable service at an affordable price, ranging from $2/month to $10/month. WordPress hosting plans are specifically optimized for WordPress, offering the best performance and security.

Welcome to the world's most popular website builder

On the other hand, WordPress.com is a website builder that runs a custom version of the open-source WordPress CMS software. It is a hosted platform – meaning all websites created on WordPress.com will be hosted or stored on their proprietary servers.

To start a website on WordPress.com, all you need to do is go to the website, create an account, and choose a plan. Which one you pick will determine the features and flexibility you can access on the website builder.

For example, the Free plan doesn’t allow users to use a custom domain. To do so, you must at least upgrade to the Personal plan. Additionally, eCommerce features can only be unlocked by upgrading to the top-tier plan.

The table below illustrates the differences between WordPress.org vs.WordPress.com further:

	WordPress.org	WordPress.com (Free Plan)	WordPress.com (Paid Plans)
Pricing	Free	Free	Personal: $4/month; Premium: $14/month; Business: $33/month; eCommerce: $59/month
Custom domain	Yes	No	Yes
Storage space	Depends on the web hosting plan	3 GB	Personal: 6 GB; Premium: 13 GB; Business: 200 GB; eCommerce: 200 GB
Remove ads	Yes	No	Yes
Advanced design customization	Yes	No	Personal: LimitedPremium, Business, eCommerce: Yes
Membership site	Yes	No	Yes
Google Analytics integration	Yes	No	Personal: NoPremium, Business, eCommerce: Yes
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tools	Yes	No	Personal, Premium: NoBusiness, eCommerce: Yes
Install custom plugins	Yes	No	Personal, Premium: NoBusiness, eCommerce: Yes
Upload themes	Yes	No	Personal, Premium: NoBusiness, eCommerce: Yes
SFTP and database access	Yes	No	Personal, Premium: NoBusiness, eCommerce: Yes
eCommerce features	Yes	No	Personal, Premium, Business: No, eCommerce: Yes
Support	Through hosting provider	No	Yes

WordPress.org vs WordPress.com: Which is Better?

WordPress.org is much more versatile to use compared to WordPress.com. Whether you want to create a small or complex website with lots of content, WordPress.org is an excellent choice.

As long as your hosting has sufficient resources, WordPress.org will be able to run your website smoothly. Thankfully, most web hosting companies let you upgrade your hosting plan with ease.

In contrast, WordPress.com is best suited for simple or small websites. If there’s a need to set up a website quickly, WordPress.com can also be a better fit.

However, it’s not recommended for users who want to have a fully customizable website with plans to scale in the future. The limitations imposed on most WordPress.com plans make it difficult to take complete control of a website.

With that in mind, this tutorial will focus on WordPress.org, as there’s a lot more you can do with it than with WordPress.com.

How to Install WordPress

As mentioned above, installing WordPress requires a web hosting service. There are many hosting providers to choose from, though my personal recommendation is Hostinger.

Their hosting service performed well in my 90-day tests, having only 1 minute of downtime. The price also offers great value for money – the WordPress hosting plans start from $1.99/month to $11.59/month.

Alternatively, check out NameHero, LiquidWeb, and KnownHost. Each of them offers fast-performing hosting services at affordable prices as well.

Once you’ve purchased a hosting plan, you can initiate installation. All the hosting providers mentioned above include an auto-installer. This makes it possible to set up WordPress right from your hosting account, so there’s no need to download the software package yourself.

The automatic installation is more or less the same on all hosting platforms. For illustration purposes, I will show you how to install WordPress on Hostinger’s control panel.

Hostinger: Manage hosting and domain panel

On the Hosting Account dashboard, scroll down to the Website section and select WordPress.

Create a WordPress website with Hostinger

Click Install. A pop-up window will appear, asking you to fill in the information in the following fields:

Administrator username and password. You will use these to log in to the WordPress admin panel.
Administrator email. WordPress will send notifications about your account and website, such as software updates or lost password recovery, to this email address.
Website title. This will appear as your site name on search engine results pages and browser tabs. It’s possible to change it later in the admin panel.
Language. Pick what language to use on the admin panel.
Database password. Create a password to open your website’s MySQL database. Make sure to memorize or take a note of it in case you need to access it in the future.

Once done, press Install. If the installation is successful, you will arrive at the control panel’s WordPress page. Click Edit Website to log in to the WordPress admin panel.

Edit website from Hostinger website dashboard

If the auto-installer doesn’t work, it’s also possible to install WordPress manually using an FTP client. The process may take longer as it involves some technical knowledge, so make sure to follow the instructions carefully.

How to Log Into the Admin Dashboard

The WordPress admin dashboard is where you’ll be able to make changes to your website.

Most hosting providers offer a button to sign in to the admin dashboard from their control panel. However, it’s also possible to access the dashboard directly by following these instructions:

In your browser, go to your website’s address or domain name followed by /wp-login.php.
Enter the username and password you’ve chosen during the installation.

Select Log In.

Unfortunately, hacker attacks are prevalent for WordPress sites. It’s essential to keep the admin dashboard of your WordPress site secure from unauthorized access. Fortunately, there are simple ways to do so:

Set up a strong password. Make sure that your password is highly secure. Use a password generator to randomize a strong password and store it in a password manager like Bitwarden.
Use two-factor authentication (2FA). By enabling 2FA, authorized users can only log in using a previously permitted device. So even if a hacker has your correct password, they won’t be able to log in without the time-based code generated on your other device. Some WordPress plugins that let you enable 2FA are Two-Factor and Duo.
Install a web application firewall (WAF). A WAF will protect your WordPress site from various attacks by filtering, monitoring, and blocking malicious traffic. Plugins that add a WAF to your site include Sucuri and Wordfence.

Navigating the Dashboard Settings

Let’s explore the WordPress admin dashboard and its settings. This is where you can make changes to your site.

Here’s a quick overview of every menu item you’ll find in the sidebar:

Updates. This is where you can view and change the current settings regarding WordPress software updates.
Posts. Create, manage, and organize posts, whether individually or in bulk.
Media. You can organize and upload new content to your media library.
Pages. Create, manage, and organize pages, whether individually or in bulk.
Comments. Organize incoming comments, either approving and deleting them.
Appearance. Customize the look of your site, from installing themes to adding widgets and menus.
Plugins. Manage all your plugins, install new ones, disable or delete others.
Users. Add new users to the website and assign the appropriate roles for them.
Tools. Find tools for importing or exporting data and check site health.
Settings. Change various settings regarding how the site behaves, including the website’s title, URL, default post category, which type of content should be shown on the homepage, and comment restrictions.

In the following sections, I will explain in detail some basic tasks you can do in the admin dashboard.

How to Install Themes

A WordPress theme is a pre-made design template for a WordPress site. By activating one, you’ll be able to instantly change the look of a site without having to edit the code. Many WordPress themes let you customize it further to make it truly unique.

Free and premium WordPress themes are available via the official directory and third-party sources such as ThemeForest and TemplateMonster. Free WordPress themes are generally more limited in features compared to premium ones.

Some themes are specifically designed for particular use cases, such as portfolio, blog, business, or eCommerce. For the best result, make sure to choose a premium or free theme that fits the purpose of your WordPress website. Here are some recommendations:

Portfolio: Astra (Free), Divi ($89/year)
Blog: Blocksy (Free), Newspaper ($59)
Business: Neve (Free), Essentials ($59)
eCommerce: Astra (Free), Flatsome ($59)

To install a new theme, log in to the WordPress admin area, then:

Go to Appearance -> Themes.
Select Add New.
You can explore the WordPress theme directory or upload a theme from a third-party source:

To install a theme from the WordPress directory, browse until you find the one you like most. Select Preview to see how it’ll look on your WordPress site.

Preview WordPress theme before installing it

If you’re happy with it, select Install, then Activate.

To upload a WordPress theme from a third-party source, make sure that you have downloaded the theme file first.

Select the Upload Theme button.
Click Choose File and select the ZIP file of the theme from your computer.
Select Install Now.

Install now button to add a new theme to your website

Once the theme installation is complete, select Activate.

How to Install Plugins

WordPress plugins add additional features to WordPress, extending its functionality. They can be easily installed, updated, and removed without having to edit the website’s code.

Like themes, there are free and premium WordPress plugins to choose from. There are also freemium ones – premium plugins with limited features that can be installed for free. Although many free plugins are sufficient, some users might benefit from the extra features offered by premium ones.

Take a look at some of these essential WordPress plugins:

Yoast SEO – a freemium plugin that helps improve the content of WordPress sites to achieve better search engine optimization. The premium version starts at $89.
WooCommerce – an open-source plugin that transforms a WordPress website into an eCommerce store, adding features such as a shopping cart, payment gateways, shipping management, and tax integrations. Although the plugin itself is free, many of its extensions and supported themes are paid.
UpdraftPlus – a freemium plugin that lets users automatically back up their entire WordPress site regularly. The premium version starts at $70/year.
MonsterInsights – a freemium plugin that integrates Google Analytics to any WordPress site. This lets administrators keep track of traffic and website visitors’ activities. The premium version starts at $99.50/year.
WPForms – a freemium plugin that lets users add a contact form to their WordPress site. The premium version starts at $31.60/year.
Sucuri – a freemium plugin that adds security features such as malware scanning, blocklist monitoring, and live security notifications. The premium plan starts at $199.99/year.

To install a new plugin, log in to the WordPress admin area, then:

Navigate to Plugins -> Add New.
Choose to install the plugin from the official directory or upload one from a third-party source.
- To install from the directory, click Install Now on the plugin you want, then click Activate.

To upload a plugin from a third-party source, firstly download the plugin file to your computer, then:

Select Upload Plugin.
Choose the file from your computer and click Install Now.
Once the plugin is successfully installed, Activate it.

How to Create a New Page

A page contains content that often stays the same for a long time, such as the About and Contact pages.

To add a new page, log in to the WordPress dashboard and go to Pages -> Add New. You will be taken to the block editor, where you can add and manage content on the new page.

A piece of content is called a block. It can be a paragraph, an image, a video, a form, or other types of content. Each block can be added, rearranged, edited, and deleted easily.

To add the main title, simply type it into the designated Add title section.

To add the body text, type it into the block under the title. Alternatively, you can add other types of content by clicking the “plus” button to open the block library.

Browse all blocks on WordPress block editor

To find the block you want, browse them one by one or use the search bar. There are six categories of blocks – Text, Media, Design, Widgets, Theme, and Embeds. Although they are sufficient for most websites, you can get more block types by installing certain WordPress plugins.

Once you’re done adding content to the page, make sure to apply the correct settings before publishing it. Click on the “gear” icon on the top right of the editor to find the page settings:

Visibility – setting it to Public will make the page visible to everyone. To limit the visibility of a page, choose Private to show the page just to admins and editors or Password Protected so that only people with the password can view the page.
Publish – choose the Immediately option to publish the page now or schedule it for a later time.
Permalink – enter a custom slug, which is the section of the URL that comes after the domain name, pointing to the page. To optimize your page for search engines, make sure to choose a slug that contains words relevant to the page.
Featured image – choose an image that represents the page. Often, featured images are used to preview web pages shared on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.
Discussion – by default, comments are disabled on pages. To change this setting, check Allow comments.
Page attributes – set up a page hierarchy, such as a parent page that can be expanded to child pages. To arrange pages numerically instead of alphabetically, enter a number in the Order field.

Once you’re done with the settings, feel free to Preview the page and click the Publish button. However, if you want to publish the page at a later time, select Save draft.

How to Add a New Post

A post or a blog post usually contains timely content. Unlike pages, posts tend to be regularly updated.

Fortunately, the process of publishing pages and posts are very similar. Both use the block editor, with the only difference being the options in the post settings. For example, instead of being organized by parent and child pages, WordPress posts use categories and tags.

To create a post, log in to the admin dashboard and navigate to Posts -> Add New.

In the Add title section, enter the text for the main title of the post. Then, begin to add paragraphs and other types of content into blocks. Click “plus” to open the block library and input the content you want.

Once you have finished adding content, select the “gear” icon in the top right corner to expand the post settings.

After setting up the status and visibility, permalink, and a featured image, assign categories and tags to the post.

To assign categories to a post, simply check the box next to the category name. If there’s no category yet or you want to add more, select Add New Category.

To add tags, enter the words or phrases into the field, separated by commas.

Make sure that your content is ready and the settings are correct before you hit Publish.

How to Add Widgets

A widget is a block of content that you can add to certain areas of your WordPress site, such as the sidebar, header, and footer.

Let’s go over some of the essential widgets to add to a WordPress website:

Navigation Menu – helps users navigate around the site.
Search – adds a search bar that lets users look up everything on a website to find the content they want quickly.
Recent Comments – displays the most recent comments that are left on the website.
Recent Posts – shows all posts that were recently posted.
Gallery – displays multiple images that can be viewed in detail one by one.

As of WordPress 5.8, widgets are part of blocks. So, in addition to the legacy options mentioned above, users can add any item from the block library as a widget.

This new block-based widget system is great for WordPress users who are already familiar with the block editor. However, if you prefer to separate widgets from the block system, an official WordPress plugin lets you use the classic widget editor.

Here’s how to add a widget using the block-based widget editor:

In the WordPress dashboard, navigate to Appearance -> Widgets. You will see a widget editor similar to the block editor used for creating WordPress posts and pages.
In the top left of the screen, select the “plus” button to expand the block library.

Expand the block library on widgets through the plus button

Select the block you want. For instance, let’s add a search bar.

Once selected, the search bar will be added to the preview. Click anywhere on the search bar block to edit it. Feel free to change various settings like the block position, alignment, and search button style.

Once you’re done editing the block, publish it on the website by clicking Update on the top right corner of the editor.

Alternatively, here’s how to add a widget using the classic editor:

Install and activate the Classic Widgets plugin.
Go to Appearance -> Widgets. You will see a list of the available widgets you can add to your WordPress website.

See the old widgets page with the classic widgets plugin

For example, let’s add a Recent Posts widget to the footer of the website. Select Recent Posts, make sure that Footer is checked, and click Add Widget.

Under Footer, expand Recent Posts and edit the widget. Feel free to add a custom title, select the number of posts shown in the widget, and opt to display post dates next to each post item. Finally, Save the changes.

Save recent posts footer on widgets page

How to Create a Menu

A menu is essential for helping users navigate a WordPress website and find the content they’re looking for. Without a menu, the user experience of a site might become frustrating, causing users to leave the site.

Before I begin, decide whether you want to display blog posts on the Home page or a separate Blog page. If it’s the former, feel free to skip these steps:

Log in to the WordPress dashboard.
Create two new pages, for example, “Home” and “Blog”.
Go to Settings -> Reading.
Next to Your homepage displays, select A static page (select below).
From the two drop-down menus, select Home and Blog, respectively.

Change the reading settings to static page

Click Save Changes.

Now, let’s create the navigation menu:

Go to Appearance -> Menus.
Under Menu structure, enter the Menu Name. Then, set up the Menu Settings:

Access menu settings on the WordPress dashboard

Check Auto add pages to add newly created pages to the menu automatically.
Check Primary menu if you’re making the main navigation menu. Feel free to make a Secondary menu later.

Click Create Menu.
Under Add menu items, click View all and select all the pages you want to display. Do the same for the Posts, Custom Links, and Categories too, if needed.

Add items to the menu on the menu settings

Feel free to rearrange the menu items by dragging them. To make a submenu, simply drag the child menu and place it under the parent menu.

Change the menu structure on the block editor

Click Save Menu.

How to Update WordPress

Updating the WordPress software, theme, and plugins is very important, especially for security. Outdated software can have vulnerabilities that let hackers access your site. This can be a serious threat to the data privacy and system security of a website.

The secondary benefit of updating WordPress is unlocking new features. By keeping up with the latest version of WordPress, you’ll access new ways to take your WordPress site to the next level.

Thankfully, since WordPress 5.6, users can set up automatic background updates for WordPress core, plugins, themes, and translation files.

To opt for automatic core updates:

Go to Dashboard -> Updates.
Choose whether you want to update WordPress automatically with each new version or limit maintenance and security releases only.

To set up automatic updates for a WordPress theme:

Go to Appearances -> Themes.
Hover over the theme and click Theme Details.
Select Enable auto-updates.

Enable auto-updates for WordPress themes

To automatically update plugins:

Go to Plugins -> Installed Plugins.
Find the plugin and select Enable auto-updates under the Automatic Updates column.

If you choose to manually update WordPress, regularly checking Dashboard -> Updates is highly recommended. If there’s an update for core, plugins, or themes, you will see a notification for it.

How to Backup WordPress

Having backups of your WordPress site is very important in case of a situation such as a hacker attack or accidentally deleted data. You’ll be able to restore your site using the backup and get it to work normally again.

First, let’s explore how to backup WordPress manually via an FTP client:

Download and install FileZilla, create an FTP Account, and connect to your server using the program. Check out Step 3 of this article’s “How to Install WordPress” tutorial to learn how to do these steps.
Find the directory that contains wp-admin, wp-content, wp-includes, and other WordPress files. This directory can be located in root, public_html, or others, depending on where you installed WordPress.
Select all the WordPress files, right-click, and hit Download.

Download files to local drive with Filezilla

Wait until the download is complete.
Make sure to store your backup(s) in a secure location on your computer.
To restore a website to the version you backed up, follow the same steps – except you’ll have to replace the current version by deleting it and Uploading the backup files.

Second, let’s explore how to backup WordPress automatically using a plugin. There are many backup plugins, but as an example, I’ll use UpdraftPlus:

Install now Updraft Plus WordPress backup plugin

Go to Plugins and select Settings under UpdraftPlus – Backup/Restore.
Go to Settings -> Choose your remote storage. As an example, I’ll select Google Drive and click Save Changes.
A window will pop up, asking you to authorize your Google account. Click on the link and follow the instructions.
Click Complete Setup to return to the UpdraftPlus settings.

Complete the setup for the updraftplus plugin

You have the option to manually back up the website now or schedule an automatic, regular backup.
- To back up now, go to the Backup/Restore tab and click the Backup Now button.

Backup now button within the updraftplus settings

Check the settings you want to use, and proceed to Backup Now.

Perform a backup with the updraftplus plugin

To schedule regular backups automatically, go to the Settings tab.

On the Files backup schedule and Database backup schedule drop-down menus, select how often you want the plugin to perform a backup.

You can also choose how many backups to retain. If you select two, then the third latest backup and older will automatically be deleted.

Change the backup schedule of updraftplus plugin

Click Save Changes.

To restore any backup you have completed, go to Backup/Restore and find the backup you want. Under Actions, click Restore.

Restore from backup with updraftplus plugin

Ready for Your WordPress Journey?

WordPress is a feature-rich, scalable, and beginner-friendly platform for creating any website. In this all-in-one WordPress tutorial, you can find everything you need to know to get started, including:

WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org. Compared to WordPress.com, WordPress.org lets you use all the features for free, although it requires a few extra steps to set up.
How to install WordPress. Install WordPress automatically using your hosting provider’s auto-installer.
How to log in to the admin dashboard. Simply log in to the admin dashboard area, adding /wp-admin.php at the end of the website’s domain name. I recommend adding extra protection to the login page by using a strong password and enabling 2FA and a firewall.
How to install themes. Installing a theme from the WordPress library or adding one from a third-party source.
How to install plugins. Installing a plugin from the WordPress library, adding one from a third-party source, alongside a recommended list of essential plugins.
How to create a new page. Using the block editor to create a page and learning all about the important settings.
How to add a new post. Using the block editor to create a post and other important settings to know.
How to add widgets. Utilizing the block-based widget editor and the classic editor.
How to create a menu. Creating a menu as well as moving the blog section to a separate page.
How to backup WordPress. Backing up WordPress manually via FTP and by using a third-party plugin.