Your Guide to Starting a WordPress Website: Setup, Themes, Plugins, and Pages

Getting Started: Setting Up Your New WordPress Website

Once WordPress is installed, your first step is to log into the administrative dashboard. This is your command center for managing the entire website. Typically, you can access it by going to yourdomain.com/wp-admin. After logging in, here are a few initial settings to configure:

1. General Settings: Navigate to Settings → General. Here you can set your Site Title, Tagline, WordPress Address (URL), Site Address (URL), Administration Email Address, Timezone, and Date/Time Format.
2. Permalink Settings: Go to Settings → Permalinks. For better SEO, it's recommended to choose the "Post name" option. This makes your URLs clean and easy for search engines and users to read (e.g., yourdomain.com/sample-post/). Click "Save Changes" at the bottom.

Customizing Your Site: How to Install a New Theme

A theme controls the visual appearance and layout of your website. WordPress comes with default themes, but you can choose from thousands of free and premium options to find the perfect look.

Installing a Theme from the WordPress Directory

1. From your dashboard, go to Appearance → Themes.
2. Click the Add New button at the top of the page.
3. You can browse featured, popular, and latest themes, or use the search bar to find a theme with specific features or for a particular industry.
4. Once you find a theme you like, hover over it and click the Install button.
5. After the installation is complete, click the Activate button to apply the theme to your site.

Extending Functionality: How to Install a New Plugin

Plugins are tools that add new features and functionality to your WordPress site, from contact forms and SEO tools to e-commerce capabilities. The installation process is very similar to installing a theme.

Installing a Plugin from the WordPress Directory

1. From your dashboard, navigate to Plugins → Add New.
2. Use the search bar on the right to find a plugin for the functionality you need (e.g., "contact form" or "SEO").
3. When you find the plugin you want, click the Install Now button.
4. After WordPress finishes the installation, click the Activate button.
5. Once activated, you will usually find the plugin's settings in its own menu item in the left-hand sidebar or under the main Settings tab.

Creating Content: Publishing Your First Page

Pages are used for static content that doesn't change often, such as an "About Us" or "Contact" page. Here’s how to create and publish your first one.

1. In your dashboard, go to Pages → Add New.
2. This will open the WordPress block editor. Start by adding a title for your page in the "Add title" field.
3. Click into the main content area to start writing text, or click the plus icon (+) to add different content blocks, such as paragraphs, headings, images, lists, and more.
4. On the right-hand side, you will see settings for the page (Document) and the selected block (Block). You can set a featured image, change the URL slug (permalink), and adjust other page attributes here.
5. When you're ready for the page to be live on your website, click the Publish button in the top-right corner. WordPress will ask you to confirm. Click Publish again.
6. You can also click Save Draft if you want to save your work and come back to it later without making it public.

By following these fundamental steps, you have successfully set up the basics of your WordPress website, customized its appearance, extended its functionality, and published your first piece of content. For any further questions, please refer to our knowledge base or contact our support team through our support portal.