You've chosen WordPress to build your website, but you're feeling a bit lost as you get started. Follow our comprehensive guide to learn everything about the WordPress interface.
Getting Started with the WordPress Dashboard
The Login Screen
The login screen is the first page you see when you try to access the WordPress admin dashboard by going to the following URL: https://mon-site-internet.fr/wp-admin (replace my-website.fr with your domain name).
It's not rocket science. A clear and simple interface lets you enter your username or email address and the associated password to log in. If you've forgotten your password, the " Forgot Password " link will reset it.
The Dashboard
Once you’ve logged in to your WordPress website, you’ll be taken to the dashboard. From here, you can access all of WordPress’s features with just a few clicks. Depending on the themes and plugins you have activated, you can customize the page and change its appearance. Using the Screen Options button in the upper-right corner of the interface, you can show or hide elements and rearrange them with simple drag-and-drop. Keep in mind that the available options vary depending on the plugins installed on your site.
At the top of your screen is the admin bar. It appears when you’re logged in to your WordPress site and provides quick access to creating posts or pages, viewing comments on your site, checking for available updates, and editing your profile. With just one click on “Go to Site,” you can switch to the public section of your website to view your recent updates.
Finally, on the left side of your screen is a side menu that lets you access the various sections and features of your website. Note that the shortcuts displayed may vary depending on which plugins are activated. The Updates sub-tab, which is open by default when you’re on the WordPress dashboard, takes you to a page dedicated to updating WordPress, its themes, and plugins.
Managing Your WordPress Content
Articles
WordPress is based on two main types of content: posts and pages. Both involve creating and formatting content with the goal of publishing it on your WordPress website.
Unlike pages, posts are used to create time-based and chronological content thanks to the specific publication date assigned to them. You can manage them in the “Posts” section of the WordPress admin menu. This is where you canadd, edit, and delete posts on your site as you wish, as well as create various categories and labels (called “tags” in English).
All Articles
"All Posts" provides an overview of the posts published on your site and featured in the Blog or News section. On this page, you can create new content using the "Add" button, or manage and edit existing posts using the options that appear when you hover your cursor over a post’s row. A search field, filters, and batch actions (edit, move to trash) are also available to help you manage your content more efficiently.
Included in a submenu that appears below each article title when you hover over it with the mouse, " Quick Edit " allows you to modify certain settings and content in articles without having to leave the page. Specifically, you can edit:
- the title;
- the URL (or slug);
- the publication date;
- the categories and tags under which an item is classified;
- and finally, the visibility status or publication level (published, private, pending review, draft, or password-protected).
Add an article
When you click “Add” to write a new blog post or news article, WordPress takes you to its“block-based”editing interface. Launched in December 2018, the Gutenberg editor transforms every element of your post into a block that can be combined with others—such as paragraphs, images, or videos. To add a block, simply type “/”or click the “+”icon—both of which are available in the interface—to select the type of block you want. Feel free to experiment with different combinations to create content that stands out in terms of its form and structure.
The right-hand column of the article editing interface is divided into two tabs. The first tab, " Block," which is open by default, lets you adjust various settings related to the appearance of your content:
- text or background color;
- text and typography settings;
- advanced settings, such as adding HTML anchors or additional CSS classes.
The second tab, "Article ," lets you configure the technical settings for your article. In addition, you can:
- Set the visibility of your content to public, private, or password-protected;
- change the post format (standard, image, link, video, etc.);
- assign one or more categories and tags;
- Set up a featured image to be used as a preview in your list of articles and as a header;
- write an excerpt that can be included and displayed as a preview on your blog;
- and allow comments, pings, and trackbacks.
Categories and Tags
Located under Posts > Categories and Posts > Tags, respectively, these two WordPress features allow you to create categories and tags to assign to posts. The goal here is to organize and link different posts so that when readers view them, similar content is suggested, in addition to structuring the blog’s topics.
Creating new categories and tags requires a name, a slug ( or URL), and a description. Much like a family tree, categories can be organized hierarchically by assigning parent categories to the categories of your choice.
Finally, each of these two pages includes a list of all the categories and tags you’ve created to make it easier to manage and edit them. Just like posts, this interface lets you edit, quickly modify, delete, or view the various categories and tags on your WordPress site.
The pages
Unlike posts, which are time-sensitive, WordPress pages are used to create static, permanent content that is meant to stand the test of time.
Just like articles, the interface for managing your website’s pages is located in the “Pages” category of the side menu. This section lists all the pages you’ve created, which you can view, edit, quickly modify, or delete with just a few clicks. To perform multiple actions, check the box to the left of your pages’ titles to select the ones you want, and then use the “Bulk Actions” drop-down menu to make your various changes.
Is your list overflowing and spread across multiple tabs? The WordPress interface includes a search field and a date filter to help you navigate it. By going to the Screen Options in the upper-right corner, you can show or hide certain items:
- the Author, Comments, and Dates columns;
- the number of items per page (20 by default);
- and the display mode ( Compact or Expanded View ).
Of course, just like the dashboard, these elements may vary depending on your theme and the plugins installed on your website.
The default editing interface for pages will be the same as that for posts. Here again, you’ll need to assemble a number of blocks using the Gutenberg editor to create pages that reflect your vision. If you plan to use apage builder plugin such asElementor or Divi, you’ll switch from Gutenberg to a new editor that’s much more comprehensive and customizable. Feel free to check out our WordPress plugin checklist to get started on the right foot to learn more about them!
Media
The WordPress media library contains all the media files uploaded to your site. It can host various types of media, such as:
- images (.jpg, .png, .gif, .jpeg, and .ico);
- audio files (.mp3, .wav, .ogg, .m4a);
- videos (.mp4, .m4v, .avi, .mpg, .ogv, .3gp, .3g2, .mov, and .wmv);
- PDF files;
- or Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files.
Add Media
To ensure the security of your site and prevent its database from becoming overloaded, WordPress sets a maximum upload size. Specifically, if your files exceed the set limit—40 MB by default—you will not be able to upload folders larger than 41 MB using this interface. To work around this limit, there are two solutions: either increase the maximum upload size or use FTP (“File Transfer Protocol”). Note that this second option will likely be necessary for installing premium themes or plugins.
If you're interested in this topic, let us know in the comments! Based on your feedback, we'll put together a tutorial article on this subject. 😉
To add files to your WordPress site, simply go to either Media > Media Library or Media > Add New. On either of these pages, you can select files from your computer or drag and drop them. The only difference is that the Media Library lists all the files that can be downloaded from your website.
The Media Center
As we mentioned earlier, all media files uploaded to your WordPress website are stored in the Media Library. By default, they are displayed in a grid layout. Depending on your preferences, you can change this view to display items as a list by clicking the corresponding icon in the top-left corner of the interface. Additionally, using the drop-down menu next to it, you can filter your files by type and date. Just like with posts and pages, there’s a search bar to find a specific file by name.
Once a media file is selected, a window appears where you can retrieve the file’s URL and enter metadata that will be associated with that item. This metadata includes alternative text to describe the purpose of an image, a title, a caption, and a description. It is highly recommended that you add at least one alt text to each file. These data optimizations help your content rank higher in search engine results. Therefore, when it comes to SEO, it is essential to focus on this metadata, which could very well propel your various files and images to the top of search results.
The media library includes a quick image cropping feature that allows you to set new, appropriate dimensions. To do this, click on the image you want to crop, enter the cropping values, and then click Save.
Although the Media Library’s features are simple, they are nonetheless effective. To take things a step further and expand your options, there are various plugins available to help you better organize, sort, and categorize your files. Feel free to check out the library at WordPress.org to explore the solutions offered by the WordPress developer community.
Comments
Comments appear below all your posts—provided you’ve enabled them—and allow your readers to discuss and share their opinions on the content posted on your blog or news feed. Comments are listed in the Comments tab of your WordPress admin dashboard.
Just like posts, pages, and media, comments appear in a list where you can easily manage them:
- respond to it;
- quickly edit them without leaving the list of all comments;
- edit them;
- mark them as spam;
- or in the trash.
If your comments are pending approval or pre-approved, you can moderate them with a single click using the " Disapprove" or " Approve " button.
Finally, a filtering and search system similar to the article interface will organize comments according to your criteria—a function also served by the tabs “All,” “Pending,” “Approved,” “Spam,” and “Trash.”
As you’ll see, managing the content of your WordPress website requires switching between different windows and interfaces. Although all these elements may seem a bit confusing at first, we want to reassure you. With a little practice, you’ll become a WordPress pro! It’s really not rocket science. In fact, this is one of WordPress’s main strengths, making it the most popular content management system in the world.
Customizing the Look and Feel of Your WordPress Site
Themes
AWordPress theme is a set of template files and CSS style sheets designed to determine the visual appearance of your website.
All themes installed on your WordPress site can be viewed under Appearance > Themes. By default, three themes are installed (Twenty Twenty, Twenty Twenty-One and Twenty Twenty-Two), but you can install as many as you like by clicking the “Add” button at the top of the admin interface. This will take you to a library listing all the themes available on WordPress.org, the official WordPress website.
If you come across one you like while browsing through your search results, simply click the " Install " button and then "Activate" when you hover over one of the cards to install the selected theme on your WordPress site.
Please note: Only one theme can be active at a time on your WordPress site, so choose carefully. To help you make your final decision, you can preview how a theme will look using the " Live Preview" button before installing it.
Finally, as is often the case with premium themes, they may not be available in the WordPress library. If that’s the case, you likely have the files for the theme you purchased from a specialized online store. To install and activate it, simply upload it by adding its .zip folder to your site directly through the admin interface.
Customization
Once you've found and activated a WordPress theme, you can configure and customize it using its own customization interface under Appearance > Customize. This is where you can enable and disable your theme's various modules and modify appearance settings, such as the fonts used or the text color. You also have access to features for page layout, menus, and widgets.
The available options vary depending on the WordPress theme you're using. In most cases, the premium (paid) version of a theme will unlock new customization options that were previously unavailable.
Feel free to experiment with and combine different settings to design a website that reflects your brand. You can preview all changes in real time before saving and publishing them.
Widgets
Widgets are modules that can be placed in predefined areas of a WordPress site, usually in a sidebar or footer. You can manage them under Appearance > Widgets.
Just like posts and pages, widgets are configured using the Gutenberg editor’s blocks to place content (images, text, galleries, etc.) in different locations on your site:
- Main sidebar;
- Header;
- Footer Section 1;
- and footer section 2.
To place a widget in one of these areas, click the “+”button to access a list of blocks. Any changes to widgets already in place are made directly within the selected block; the available options depend on the block type (text, image, list, quote, etc.). Among these available module types, you’ll find WordPress’s native widgets—which are available by default—as well as those added through plugins installed on your site.
Menus
WordPress menus are crucial elements of your website. As the entry point for navigation, menus provide visitors with a first glimpse of the content available . They must therefore be well-structured and clear. Overcrowded menus that are hard to see will tend to drive away your potential leads and future customers.
Once you're in Appearance > Menus, you'll see two tabs: Edit Menus and Manage Locations.
The first tab lets you edit the menus on your WordPress site or create new ones. The interface is divided into two columns: Add Menu Items and Menu Structure. In the left column, click the Add to Menu button to add various items to your menus:
- pages;
- articles;
- custom links;
- and categories.
In the " Structure" column of the menu, you can simply drag and drop items to organize them, edit them, reorder them, create submenus, or adjust their placement:
- main menu;
- submenu;
- off-screen menu;
- logged-in account menu;
- and footer menu.
By going to the Screen Options in the upper-right corner of the interface, you can access several advanced menu settings. By default, to improve visibility and make the interface more accessible to beginners, WordPress hides a number of settings, such as title attributes and CSS classes. You can choose which ones to display to optimize your website’s menus as much as possible.
The second tab in the menu management interface allows you to configure their placement.
These are the options found under the Edit Menus > Menu Settings tab, presented in a more compact format. To assign or modify the menu for a location, use the drop-down list. If you want to create a new one, click “Use New Menu,” which will take you to the creation interface—just as the “Edit” option does when you want to revise or improve it.
Extending WordPress's functionality with plugins
By definition, a plugin is an add-on for a WordPress site that allows you to expand its functionality and add new features.
You can view the plugins installed on your website under Extensions > Installed Extensions in the side menu. From this list, you can enable or disable the plugins of your choice, delete them, update them, and access their settings.
To add a plugin, click the Add button at the top of the Installed Plugins page, or go to the Plugins > Add sub-tab.
Adding plugins takes you to the WordPress Plugin Directory. This is where all the plugins from the official WordPress website and where you can install and activate the ones you want. To do this:
- Search for (1) a specific plugin using the search bar and search options;
- Use the " Featured," " Popular," " Recommended," and " Favorites" (2) categories;
- Browse the plugin library (3);
- Install and activate the selected plugins (4).
Another way to install a plugin without using the WordPress Extensions directory is to“upload”(or download) the .zip files for your plugins to your WordPress site (5). This method is particularly useful for installing plugins not listed by WordPress or for installing older versions.
Finally, the WordPress extensions interface includes a file editor accessible under Extensions > Extension File Editor. By clicking this link, you can edit all the PHP and CSS files that make up your plugins. If you don’t have any knowledge of web programming, you’re very likely to disrupt your website’s proper functioning. So, this is a warning to experienced users only!
Manage Users
WordPress user management adds three subtabs to the sidebar: All Accounts, Add, and Profile.
The "All Accounts" page lists the users registered on your WordPress website and allows you to manage their accounts or reset their passwords if they’ve forgotten them. As with posts and pages, the interface includes filtering and search options to help you find a specific account more efficiently. Additionally, selecting multiple accounts at once allows you to perform bulk actions such as deleting accounts or changing passwords.
To create new user accounts, go to Accounts > Add and fill out the various fields, making sure to include a username and email address (these are required). We recommend using the default random password generation feature for enhanced account security. Complete the creation form by assigning a role to the new user (subscriber, contributor, author, editor, or administrator).
Finally, the last tab, Accounts > Profile, allows you to configure your user profile by entering optional personal information (first name, last name, biography, etc.), setting a new password, or changing the colors of your admin interface.
Tools and Settings
The " Tools " and " Settings " tabs in the WordPress side menu are, respectively, veritable toolkits.
The first one offers a wide range of options that could make managing your website much easier:
- Import articles and comments from other websites or RSS feeds;
- Export the content of your website (articles, pages, media) as an XML file;
- Check the health of your website;
- Export data to comply with GDPR laws and regulations;
- Delete data associated with a user.
The second tab, " Settings," contains the WordPress settings. All of its options are organized into subtabs that control the various sections of a WordPress site:
- General: website title and subtitle, URL, email address, language, date, and time zone, as well as whether registration is open to the public;
- Writing: default category and format for articles, email publishing, and update services;
- Reading: elements displayed on the home page, number of articles on each page, configuration of how posts are displayed, and control over the site’s visibility to search engines;
- Comments: moderation rules and settings for comments on posts;
- Media: Setting the size of images in the Media Library;
- Permalinks: managing URL formats and category and tag prefixes;
- Privacy: Configuring the privacy policy and the pages linked to it.
Depending on the plugins you have installed, new sessions will be added to the existing default ones. Feel free to consult the documentation provided by the developers of these extensions for detailed information on the purpose of the new settings that appear after installation.
It's not rocket science
Although it may seem overwhelming at first, you’ll quickly get the hang of the WordPress interface after spending a few minutes navigating through the different sections. Since it’s constantly evolving through regular updates and installed plugins, don’t hesitate to explore and check out the new options available while staying up to date on the latest news.
After all, it is thanks to the simplicity and accessibility of its interface—which is suitable for any user, regardless of their background—that WordPress has built its reputation as the best CMS for designing websites.
What about you—what was your reaction the first time you tried out WordPress?
