One of the things we love over at ACA Web Consulting is helping WordPress beginners learn how to manage and maintain their websites. We want our clients to feel empowered to make updates on their own without the help of a web developer. We also recognize that for WordPress newbies, there are a lot of new terms to know. And that can be very overwhelming.
5 WordPress Terms for Beginners
Here’s our list of five terms that all WordPress beginners should be familiar with as they get started with WordPress. And here’s a bonus: many of these also cross over to other content management systems and web design in general!
Dashboard
Also called the backend of your site, the Dashboard is the admin panel that is not visible to your readers. This is where the actual design and customization of your site happens. It’s also where you create and edit content such as blog posts and pages. As the owner of the website, you have unique credentials to access this part of the site. You can also grant access to other users and manage their permissions to give you even greater control over your website.
Responsive
These days, all websites must be responsive. A site is responsive when it adjusts itself depending on the size of the screen on which it is displayed, like a smartphone, tablet or laptop. As the size of the screen gets smaller, the various elements of the website may rearrange, disappear or change their appearance so that the user has the optimal viewing experience. This reduces clutter and confusion, making those viewing your site happy.
Permalinks
Permalinks are just that – the permanent links or URLs to your WordPress posts and pages. The default URL used by WordPress is not very appealing to the human reader. It is suggested that you change your permalinks to a format that is more reader and search engine friendly, such as using the post or page name. You can change the permalinks easily by going to Settings > Permalinks in your Dashboard.
Shortcodes
Shortcodes are small bits of code that are programmed with specific functions. When they are included in your website, the programmed functions appear. Shortcodes are shortcuts of code that create effects such as buttons, quotes, layouts and many other WordPress functions. Many plugins also come with shortcodes to input a plugin’s functionality into various parts of a website.
Widgets
Widgets are features or elements that can be dropped into certain widget areas to add more content to places like the header, footer, sidebar and really any other area of a website. WordPress has default widgets that you can use such as most recent posts, menus, search, and categories. The widget areas vary from site to site. You can even create your own widget areas with a little bit of coding experience!
Do you need help learning WordPress? Give ACA Web Consulting a call today.
Although these terms will get you started, there are many other vocabulary words you will come across as you get deeper into learning about your WordPress website. The internet is a great resource for learning about WordPress, but if you need more personalized assistance, contact us to set up a WordPress consultation. During these sessions, one of our WordPress experts can answer all of your questions and help you troubleshoot any issues you are having.
