Understanding the Different Portions of a WordPress Website
WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that can be used to create websites. It is fairly versatile and provides users with a variety of options when it comes to the appearance of their website. As with any other CMS, there are several different ways that you can build and organize a website using WordPress. In this article, we will discuss the different portions of a WordPress website and how you can use them to your advantage.
The Front-end
The front-end of a WordPress website is the part that the user sees when they visit your site. This includes everything from the homepage, articles, and any widgets (such as the latest posts or popular posts widgets) that you might want to display on your site. When a user visits your site, they will typically see only the homepage and widgets since these are the first things that load when they visit your site. When someone clicks on a link or image in a widget, they will be taken to the corresponding page on your site. For example, if a user clicks on the latest posts widget, they will be taken to the page containing the most recent content on your site.
The Back-end
The back-end of a WordPress website is the part that the server sees when it processes a request to view a specific page. A WordPress back-end is primarily organized into four different areas – Dashboard, Pages, Post, and Media. The Dashboard is where you can access important information about the website, such as the version of WordPress that is currently being used and any plugins (such as the WooCommerce plugin) that have been installed on the site. The Pages area is where you can find and manage the pages within your website – for example, the home page and any other pages that you might create. The Post area is where you can find and manage the content that is being published on your website – for example, the latest blog posts and any articles that you might write for the press. The Media area is where your uploaded files, primarily images, are stored – for example, your company’s logo, product images, and any background images that you might want to use on your site.
The Admin Area
Unlike a typical user, who is generally only granted access to the front-end of a WordPress site, an admin user can access all areas of a WordPress site – including the back-end. This is a great option for users who need to make changes to the site’s appearance or functionality. When you install the WordPress admin area, you will see a login box at the top right-hand corner of the screen. After you login, you will see the main dashboard of the site – consisting of several links and drop-down menus that you can use to perform various tasks on the site. Some of these links are hidden until you click on them, which makes finding their functionality fairly easy. For example, you can click on Settings to display the WordPress admin settings page where you can change various options about the site’s appearance and functionality. You can click on Tools to display the WordPress tools page where you can find various plugins (such as Hello Fresh) that can be downloaded and installed on your site to enhance its appearance and functionality.
Static and Dynamic Pages
WordPress provides users with the ability to create static and dynamic pages – meaning that they can create pages that exist independently of each other or that can be used to generate content on the fly. If you are familiar with other CMSes, you will know that WordPress offers a lot of versatility when it comes to the way that content is formatted and presented on a website. The flexibility that this offers is one of the main reasons for its popularity. When you create a static page in WordPress, you are not giving the server any instructions on how to gather the content. This means that when a user visits the page, they will see only pre-authored content since the page cannot update itself automatically like some dynamic pages can. However, static pages can be very useful as a starting point since they allow you to quickly and easily create a website without needing to learn how to use a CMS.
The Homepage
When you create a new WordPress site, you will be presented with several options when it comes to the appearance of your home page. The first thing that you will want to do is select a theme for your site. A theme is a collection of styles, colors, and images that can be applied to the entire site and used to create a uniform appearance. Once you have selected a theme, you can start customizing your site’s layout by changing the content in the areas of the page. Changing the content of a homepage is fairly simple; however, if you are looking to completely change the design of your homepage, you will have to upload a new theme to do this. A homepage is typically the first page that a user will visit when they visit your site, so it is important that it is easily recognizable and appealing to keep users engaged.
The About Page
An about page is different from a homepage in that it generally has more content than a homepage and is typically used to tell users more about the person or business that is responsible for the site. An about page is used to provide users with information about the site’s founding members, partners, and other important figures. It can also be used to provide users with important contact information – such as an email address or phone number – that they can use to get in touch with the site’s owners. If you want, you can use an about page to provide users with testimonials from previous clients or to display your company’s mission statement. The most important thing to keep in mind about an about page is that it should be short and to the point.
The Contact Page
A contact page is very similar to an about page in that it has more content than a typical homepage. However, a contact page is used to inform users about the various ways that they can get in touch with the site’s owners. A contact page can contain important contact information – such as an email address or phone number – that users can use to get in touch with the site’s owners. It can also be a good idea to list the various platforms (such as iPhones, Androids, and Windows) that your site supports since it shows that you are thinking about the various ways that users can access your content. If you want, you can create a contact page, list the important services that your company provides, and list your various email addresses that users can use to contact you – or you can create a link to a careers page that provides more information about your company.
The Products Page (optional)
Some companies, particularly those that sell products online, will want to display all of their products or services that are for sale on one page. When creating a products page, all of the products that are for sale will be displayed in a grid with multiple images of each product. The various ways in which users can navigate a products page can vary based on the products that are being offered for sale. For example, if you sell kitchen appliances, you might want to provide users with a quick way to find the item that they are looking for by using filters (such as price, brand, or model) to display only the results that they want. You can also choose to display the various features or specifications of the product or choose to use a textual description to provide more information about the product. When creating a products page for a company, it is important to keep in mind that not all products will fit on one page – particularly if you decide to use a grid-based layout. As a general rule, use an underline or horizontal rule in place of a grid to organize your products.
The FAQ Page
An FAQ page, which stands for “frequently asked questions,” is used to answer various questions that a user might have about your site. An FAQ page is very similar to an about page and can be used to provide users with important information about your site. However, an FAQ page is much shorter than an about page and generally just consists of a couple of short and easy-to-understand answers to common questions. When creating an FAQ page for your site, the goal is to make it as short and sweet as possible while still providing the user with important information.