WordPress is the most widely used CMSthat you can set up directly from the customer menu via one-click installation with many hosters. In this multi-part series, I will cover all areas of WordPress in detail. I'll show you how to use the dashboard, but I'll also go into the limitations of the system and explain the advantages Raidboxes has over other hosters. Today's part 1 is about WordPress background knowledge and basics.
Websites, CMS and WordPress. How are they connected?
In addition to the usual social media channels, having your own website is a very important communication platform for the self-employed and freelancers. Despite countless possibilities and "business card" options through providers such as Tumblr, Blogger, Facebook etc., your own website, especially with your own domain, is a very important channel. If not the most important. But bloggers also often rely on WordPress as a platform for their internet presence. The idea may seem unlikely at the moment, but nobody knows whether Facebook will still be around in 5 years' time. Large platforms are constantly discontinuing their services. Having your own website makes you independent. Because even if your host should discontinue its services, you can simply export your content.
Does it really have to be your own website?
CMS - What is it anyway?
CMS stands for Content Management System. A CMS allows you to manage your web content. And that's exactly what WordPress does for you. You can also choose a theme (design) and extend the system with certain functions, known as plugins. More on this in the course of this series. In short: with a content management system, you can easily manage and update your content yourself and publish it quickly and easily.
The open source idea
WordPress and some other content management systems are open source. This means that anyone can view the source code, adapt it and help shape the project. Many programmers work on continuously improving the code. Simply because they like it and want to support free software, or because they want to earn money with additional services and plugins. The basic system is free of charge. When using WordPress, you don't pay for the software itself, but for additional services such as hosting, support or professional assistance, as here at Raidboxes. The fact that WordPress is open source and based on PHP, HTML and CSS means that plugins and themes can be offered by other programmers in the first place. This means that there are virtually no limits to the customization options and individualization.
Do you know how WordPress was created?
Why WordPress?
As mentioned above, WordPress is the most widely used system on the web. This means that the number of users and therefore the published information about the CMS is very high and you can find help quickly if you have problems. Just give it a try: Simply ask a question you have about WordPress directly to Google in the same way you would ask me. There's a very good chance you'll get one or more answers straight away.
In principle, the basic system already provides the most important functions. With a number of WordPress plugins (extensions), you can easily extend the functionality of your website and activate additional functions. Later in this series, I will go into more detail about plugins. Just like with plugins, you can use themes to customize your WordPress installation.
With themes, you determine the design, i.e. the appearance of your website. Depending on your budget and desire for individuality, you can get everything from free (less individual) to completely individually programmed WordPress themes.
What about security?
Because WordPress is so widespread, it is naturally also interesting for attackers and offers a correspondingly large attack surface. You or your website are rarely attacked personally. However, there are a number of "bots" on the internet that only search for WordPress installations and automatically test common security vulnerabilities. You should therefore make sure to keep your WordPress up to date and secure. Many hosters, such as Raidboxes, offer corresponding security features and services. This means you don't have to worry about updating plugins, themes and the WordPress core software, for example, and can concentrate fully on your own content.
Everything online
Everything you do with WordPress, you do in your browser and directly online. It doesn't matter what operating system your computer has, you just need a browser. You can also do everything from your cell phone or tablet, for example. This means you need a web server to run WordPress. But that's clear, because your website should ultimately be accessible on the web.
An overview of the most important points:
- Fast help through wide distribution
- Can be expanded almost at will with plugins - from free to self-programmed
- Customizable through themes - from free to self-programmed
- Relatively easy to use compared to other CMSs
- The basic system is open source and free of charge
- Attention: Make sure it is up-to-date and secure if your hoster does not do this
WordPress.org vs WordPress.com - Which is the right setup for you?
When using WordPress, there are several variants that you should be aware of in order to choose the right one for you. Please note: Only variant 1 is wordpress.com, the other variants always use the free open source software from wordpress.org.
Variant 1: wordpress.com
wp.com is a hosting service from Automattic - the company of WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg. Using WordPress.com is a particularly popular option for hobby bloggers, as you don't have to worry about web space or a domain. This is because wp.com provides you with a fully installed WordPress on a server.
There are different payment models from free (with advertising on your site) to different pricing models, depending on what exactly you need and want. With the free version, however, your site runs on a subdomain, so your domain will look like this: yourdomain.wordpress.com. This is not recommended, especially for SEO reasons.
Because the system is completely hosted and maintained by wordpress.com, the functionality is severely limited. You cannot install any (or only limited) plugins there and you are also not as free with the themes as with a self-hosted WordPress. Also, if you want to use FTP or SSH, wordpress.com is not an option for you. In my opinion, it is primarily useful for hobby bloggers or if you just want to have a look at WordPress. However, it is not suitable for professional use.
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org
Option 2: Host WordPress on your own server
WordPress.org offers you the option of downloading the WordPress software free of charge and installing it on your own server. This allows you to use all the options that WordPress offers and tailor them to your needs. The disadvantage is that you have to install and maintain WordPress yourself and take care of updates and the security of your server, etc. You also need a server with certain functions and you need to know how to operate it. This only makes sense for technically experienced users.
Option 3: Host WordPress with generic providers
Due to the widespread use of WordPress and the ever-increasing demand, most (large) web hosts also offer WordPress hosting in addition to hosting other content management systems. The advantage over hosting on your own server is that you don't have to worry about setting up the installation etc. yourself. If you have any questions, you can contact your hoster.
Option 4: host with WordPress specialists such as Raidboxes
There are providers who specialize in hosting WordPress and "only" do that. But they do it really well. Raidboxes offers this service. The young team there specializes in WordPress, is growing continuously and has its servers in Germany, which is important for many people these days. They offer great support and help with all questions.
This option is the right one for you if you want to host WordPress at a high level - including backups, performance optimization, features for managing and developing your projects - and, above all, first-class support without having to worry about it yourself. This makes sense, for example, for stores or websites whose accessibility is very important and where money is lost if they are offline for a few seconds.
How is a (WordPress) website structured?
Due to the large number of websites and user devices, there is no longer a real "standard" for what a website looks like. However, the basic principle is that many websites are structurally very similar. There are various areas and terms in WordPress that I would like to explain here to get you started. It makes sense to take a brief look at these in order to better understand the admin area, i.e. the dashboard.
Do you know the current web design trends?
Areas of the website
A website is divided into different areas. The primary content, sidebars, head (header) and footer (footer area). Depending on the theme (explained later), you can enter or define different content in all areas. Either through text, code or so-called widgets. You will understand how this all works in the course of the WordPress article series.
Website or homepage or pages?
These three terms are often used here and online. What is the difference?
- Website = the big picture, i.e. www.deinewebseite.de with all subpages.
- Homepage = the start page of your website, i.e. the page you land on when you call up www.deinewebseite.de.
- Pages = the individual subpages, for example the legal notice or the "Contact" page. The area in which your blog posts appear is also a page. In the WordPress system, it is called a "post page".
Pages and contributions
WordPress doesn't just have pages, you can also use it for blogging. If you want to blog, you don't create pages, but posts. The area of your website with the posts does not necessarily have to be called "blog" - classic names here are, for example, "news", "current affairs" or simply "magazine".
At first glance, a blog post and a page look very similar. And in fact, you can also create a website that consists only of blog posts or only of pages. The visitor will not see any difference at first. In the end, however, both have a few subtle differences and have an effect on your website.
Pages are static. They are created once and then remain as they are. A typical example is an "about page", an imprint, a contact, a gallery.
Posts are dynamic. This does not necessarily mean that they have to be changed, but they live from topicality, are created for a specific purpose or on a specific topic. This is comparable to a magazine. The overview of the members of the editorial team or the masthead, for example, remains the same, but the articles change in every issue.
And off we go!
Now you've probably got the urge to try everything out. At Raidboxes, you can test WordPress for free and also challenge the support team and ask your questions.
In the next part of this WordPress Basics series, we'll get straight into it. I'll introduce you to the dashboard and explain the basic settings that you should know if you want to understand your system.
