Technically, WordPress is an open source content management system. But simply explained, WP is the most popular and easiest way to create your own blog or website. Since you don’t need to have any programming knowledge to use WordPress, it’s accessible to everyone.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is a CMS for everyone. With WordPress plug-ins and WordPress themes, you get the most out of your blog. WordPress is modular. With a theme you control the look and feel and with plug-ins or extensions you add every feature you can think of.
WordPress is the most used CMS (Content Management System) worldwide. Based on the technologies PHP, MySQL, JavaScript and HTML, WP is built on the typical LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP). The GPLv2 license allows not only the free use, but also the modification of the system.
The strength of WordPress is the ease of use and the almost unlimited expansion through plug-ins. Exactly these two circumstances have made the system grow extremely fast from the beginning. With so-called themes, the appearance of the blog can be completely changed with just one click. Moreover, there are thousands of free themes and just as many paid premium themes. Therefore, WP is suitable for almost all types of websites, such as:
Member sites
Blogs
private websites
Corporate websites
Online stores
Company websites
We will show you how to optimize and improve your own blog. Design, speed and readability need to be adjusted for visitors and search engines.
WordPress is too slow for you? Your WordPress website is…
Short introduction to WordPress
WordPress is a software that can be used for free to realize a website or blog as easy as possible. About 40 percent of homepages present on the Internet today have already been created with this content management system (CMS for short). It allows to manage content and other factors of the site in a simple way and that without being able to program yourself
WordPress is not only limited to private websites, but is also used in the business sector, for example for online stores or for corporate presentations. For maximum flexibility, WordPress is installed on your own web hoster, but there is also a paid alternative, where the homepage is hosted externally.
The popularity of this CMS is also explained by the fact that you can change the appearance of your own website through various themes and plug-ins enable additional functions, for example, the operation of an online store or the creation of a form. Since there are already over 50,000 free plug-ins and 5,000 themes, plus several paid, there is something for every website owner with their individual needs.
WordPress is a content management system based on PHP and MySQL. The code is developed by the WordPress Foundation and countless free helpers under the GNU GPLv2+ license. The first version was available for download on 27.05.2003.
Matthew Mullenweg had started the programming with Mike Little. Mullenweg is still at the head of the company Automattic, which among other things also operates the free blog service wordpress.com.
Where can I find my WordPress login?
For every WordPress website a login address is automatically created. This is the way to get into your WordPress admin.
Now you have to combine the URL of your domain with this addition:
wp-login.php
This means that the link will then look like this:
wordpress.com:
https://yourdomain.wordpress.com/wp-login.php
wordpress.org
https://yourdomain.de/wp-login.php
If you use this link, you will have access to your website anytime and from anywhere.
Alternatively, it is enough to append this to your web address /wp-admin. If it is too much for you to call your website every time via this link, then just save the link as a bookmark.
Other ways to log in to WordPress
A first option to log in is the meta widget. This is installed by default on most themes and allows login in the frontend. However, this widget comes with some disadvantages. These are:
The meta area looks unprofessional
It possibly compromises your WordPress security
The widget is not customizable, so that you can, for example, use the login feature exclusively
The link to wordpress.org is always displayed
RSS feeds are displayed permanently
The second option is a plug-in. It is a sidebar login and allows you to log into frontend. It is also available for free in the WordPress repository. The login function is hereby placed in the sidebar. However, no changes are possible here either. If you want to customize the login function to your site, are Theme My Login or Custom Login are the right themes. For an individualization of the dashboard in the backend it is suitable but such this plug-in Erident Custom Login and Dashboard
This is what you should know about WP Login security!
Especially the login area is a popular point of attack for hackers. This is not only true for your WordPress login. Therefore, you should consider a few things to adjust the security accordingly.
The login should not be placed on an easy to find area.
The default URL should be changed.
Choose a very secure password. A random mixture of letters, numbers and characters is always the most sensible.
Also, make sure to make regular backups. This will give you more security if you have made changes to your website and can reduce damage if the website does get hacked.
What is the difference between wordpress.org and wordpress.com?
Even though they are based on the same software, they are fundamentally different.
wordpress.org
On wordpress.org you can download the CMS for your blog.
wordpress.org is the PHP script you need to download and install on your own web space.
Advantages: You can completely customize WordPress on your own web space according to your own needs. With less restrictions you have full control over your website. You also get full access to all plug-ins and themes. You can also freely choose your username here.
Disadvantages: There are monthly costs for the web space. In addition, the training costs more time. The installation alone is more time-consuming. You are responsible for security and maintenance. This increases the risk of becoming a target for hacker attacks.
wordpress.com
The homepage of the homepage builder wordpress.com.
wordpress.com is a blog service where you can register for free with your email address.
Advantages: The service can be used completely free of charge. And the learning phase is very short. In addition, the updates run automatically and regularly. By hosting with Automattic, security and maintenance are already covered, so you don't have to worry about that
Disadvantages: No plug-ins can be installed. In addition, the free version includes many restrictions, such as only 3 GB of storage space. On top of that, wordpress.com is allowed to place ads on your site.
How do I get started with WordPress?
WP websites consist of two parts. The content and customizations. Content consists of media, posts and pages, which you can edit or add under this point:
Posts
Media
Pages
The customizations you make via the Customizer. Here you can edit menus, add widgets and many other settings. You can get to the Customizer like this:
Design > Customizer
Start by adding some pages. To do this, go to: Pages > Create. The block editor will open. Depending on the theme you have the options to choose a predefined layout or to start with a blank page. Further steps are as follows:
To explain all the next steps point by point, we have created a detailed guide on how to create your own blog.
If you work with the guide, you should get to your first blog in no time. But if you get stuck, you can always find help in the WordPress forums.
WordPress Themes
With WordPress themes you get structure in your site. Because of this you have the possibility to make your website unique. In short, a theme is a sample website, which you can connect to the CMS. However, it does not only determine the look of your website. It is also responsible for what your website can do.
I would recommend Kadence, Divi or Astra. If you are looking for a complete WordPress environment, Thrive Themes is a great alternative.
When you reinstall WordPress, the default theme is automatically included. However, you can also change it. Think carefully about which features are important to you and take your time to look for the right theme. For this, there are live demos that you can watch before installing.
It is important to know that you think about a theme change carefully. If you delete the old theme, all changes and customizations will be lost. This means that you should always make a back-up beforehand. Before you go online with your new theme, try it out in a test environment first.
WordPress Plug-ins
A WordPress plug-in is a PHP script. This extends after activation the WordPress installation by certain functions. For example, you can use a plug-in to link your social media profiles with your website. The advantages of plug-ins are the following:
Performance has an impact on any areas. If the performance is bad, you have to expect a low conversion rate. In other words, online stores lose a lot of revenue when load times become higher. So that the loading times are constantly reduced, you should access different plug-ins
It is up to you to decide whether an all-in-one solution is the right one or whether you prefer to install different plug-ins for individual tasks. We also have these tips to ensure good performance:
Tools that show you exactly where to change something are helpful here. But it is important to know how to use these tools and what to look for. The best tools for onpage optimization are Ryte and Semrush.
WordPress Hosting
Once you have decided on the wordpress.org version, you need to think about where you want to install your site. For this, compare different hosters and choose according to the criteria that are important to you. Ask yourself the following questions:
Is support in your language important to you?
How many domains are necessary?
Is the included e-mail service satisfactory for you?
How fast is the server?
How much security does the server offer?
Best WordPress Hosting
Hosting recommendations are usually garbage.
Often extremely cheap hosting packages for $ 3 are recommended, others advertise a $ 100 VPS, because they earn the most as an affiliate thereby. In the end, we all just want the fastest possible web space for as little money as possible.
And optimized for WordPress!
What else is important? The server should be a fast backbone for your website and the support should answer as fast as possible, and preferably in your language.
You can get all this at Cloudways from $ 10,00 / month.
It is important to choose the location of your webspace or server based on the majority of your visitors. If you write in German, your provider should also be in Germany. For international English-language websites, America is a good choice. You should also consider whether the LiteSpeed server is a better option for you.
Webspace
With webspace you share a server with many other customers of the provider. Each customer gets a place (space) on this server. The resources (processor and memory) are equally available to all. This is also the biggest disadvantage. If a user uses too many resources on the server, your website may respond very slowly or not at all.
With a web server or virtual server (VPS) you rent your own server, where you don't have to share the resources with anyone. So the big advantage is that you have 100 percent of the resources at your disposal. The disadvantage is the high monthly costs.
How much does WordPress cost? WordPress is free of charge. Both the hosted version on wordpress.com, and the self-install version on wordpress.org.
Is WordPress a CMS? Yes, WordPress is a CMS. Although WP was designed as a pure blogging system in the beginning, over the years it has evolved into areal CMS with all the necessary features. Especially through the thousands of plug-ins WordPress can be adapted to all needs.
wordpress.org vs wordpress.com? wordpress.org is a script that you have to install on your own webspace or server. wordpress.com is a service where you can start your blog for free.
Conclusion on WordPress
Now you know the basics about WordPress and what things you need to pay special attention to. The fact is that WP is quick to install and easy to use. Also, you can use it very well in a free version. The individual design options add up to a good overall package.
Because with WordPress, you're using one of the most popular ways to create websites. No matter if you run a blog or an e-commerce store. However, note the differences between wordpress.org and wordpress.com and which of the two is sufficient or better for you.
