WordPress is the most widely used CMSWordPress is the most widely used CMS, which many hosters allow you to set up via one-click installation directly from the customer menu. In this multi-part series, I deal in detail with all WordPress areas. I'll show you how to use the dashboard, but I'll also go into the limitations of the system and explain what advantages Raidboxes has over other hosters. Today's part 1 is about WordPress background knowledge and basics.
Websites, CMS and WordPress. What connects all of these?
In addition to the usual social media channels used by self-employed people and freelancers, having your own website is a particularly valuable communication platform to promote your product or services. Regardless of the possibilities and "business card" options from providers such as Tumblr, Blogger, Facebook etc., having your own website, especially with your own domain, is a very important channel. If not even the most important channel. Bloggers also rely on WordPress as the platform for their internet presence. The thought may seem unlikely at the moment, but nobody knows if Facebook will still exist in 5 years. Again and again, giant platforms have closed down. Having your own website makes you independent. Even if your host were to stop offering their services, you can simply export your content elsewhere.
Does it really have to be your own website?
CMS - What is that anyway?
CMS stands for Content Management System. With a CMS you can manage your web content. And that's exactly what WordPress can do for you. In addition, you can choose a theme (design) and expand the system with certain extensions, so-called plugins. More about 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 to continuously improve 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. Because the pure basic system is free of charge. So when you use WordPress, you don't pay for the software itself, but for additional services like hosting, support or professional assistance, like here at Raidboxes. Because WordPress is open source and based on PHP, HTML and CSS, it is only possible to offer plugins and themes from other programmers. This means that there are virtually no limits to the possibilities for customisation and individualisation.
Do you know how WordPress got started?
Why WordPress?
As mentioned above, WordPress is the most used CMS on the internet. A high number of users means there is an abundance of published information on all areas of the system so you can find help quickly when you have an issue. Just give it a try yourself: Google a question about WordPress directly, in the same way as if you were to ask me about it. Chances are you will get one or even several answers immediately.
In principle, the basic system already provides the most important functions. With several WordPress Plugins (extensions) you can extend the functionality of your website without much effort and activate additional functions. Later in this series I will go into detail about Plugins . Just like with Plugins you can individualize your WordPress installation with Themes .
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 (little individuality) to completely individually programmed at 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 many "bots" on the web that only search for WordPress installations and automatically test common security holes. So you should make sure to keep your WordPress up to date and secure. Many host, like Raidboxes, offer corresponding security features and services. Here, for example, you don't have to worry about updating plugins, themes and the WordPress core software and can concentrate fully on your own content.
Everything online
Everything you do with WordPress you do in the browser and directly online. It doesn't matter what operating system your computer has, you just need a browser. You can also manage everything from your mobile phone or tablet, for example. That means you need a web server to run your WordPress website which is where hosting providers come into play.
Key points:
- Getting help is fast due to widespread use of WordPress
- Freely expandable thanks to both free and self-programmed plugins.
- Customizable with free and self-programmed themes
- Relatively easy to use compared with other CMS
- The basic system is open source and free
- You need to ensure your versions are up to date and secure yourself if this isn't provided by your hoster
WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com - What's the right setup for you?
When using WordPress there are several different options you should be aware of so you can choose the best one to fit your needs. To be clear: only option 1 is wordpress.com. The other options use the free open source software from wordpress.org.
Option 1: wordpress.com
WordPress.com is a hosting service provided by Automattic - the company of WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg. The service of WordPress.com is a popular option for hobby bloggers in particular since you don't need to take care of webspace or a domain. At wp.com you get an already installed WordPress instance on a server.
There are different payment models from free (with advertising on your site ) to different price 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.
As the system is hosted and maintained entirely by wordpress.com, the functionality is very limited. You can't install any (or only limited) plugins there and even with themes you are simply not as free as with a self-hosted WordPress. Also, if you want to use FTP or SSH, wordpress.com is no option for you. In my opinion, it is primarily useful for hobby bloggers, or if you just want to have a look at the system. However, this variant is not really suitable for professional use.
WordPress.com vs WordPress.org
Option 2: Hosting WordPress on your own server
WordPress.org enables you to download the WordPress software for free and install it on your own server. This way you can use all the possibilities that WordPress offers and tailor it to your needs. The disadvantage is that you have to install and maintain WordPress, 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 use it. This option is only suitable for those users with enough technical experience.
Option 3: Hosting WordPress with generic providers
Due to the widespread use of WordPress and the ever-increasing demand, most (large) web hosters - in addition to hosting other content management systems - also offer WordPress hosting. The advantage compared to hosting on your own server is that you don't have to take care of setting up the installation etc. yourself. If you have any questions, you can contact your host .
Variant 4: host with WordPress specialists like Raidboxes
There are providers who specialise in hosting WordPress and "only" do that. But they do it really well. At Raidboxes you get this service. The young team there specialises in WordPress, is growing continuously and has its servers in Germany, which is important for many nowadays. They offer great support and help with all questions.
This option is right for you if you want to host WordPress at a highly professional level with backups, updates, performance optimization, features for managing and developing your projects and, most importantly, first-class support without having to deal with any issues yourself. Such a service is vital for websites and shops, for example, where the owner is losing money as soon as the shop goes offline for a few seconds.
How is a (WordPress) website built?
Due to the multitude of websites and user devices, there is no real "standard" anymore as to what a website should look like. In principle many sites are, however, structurally very similar. With WordPress, there are different areas and terms, which I would like to explain here as a short introduction to the topic. It makes sense to deal with them briefly first 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, and footer. In all areas, you can enter or determine different contents, depending on the theme (will be explained in a later article of the series). This can be by using text, by code or by widgets. You will get to know how all of this works over the course of this series on WordPress.
Website or homepage or sites ?
These three terms are often used online and this article. But what is the difference between them?
- website = the big picture, i.e. www.yourwebsite.com with all subpages.
- homepage = the start page of your website, i.e. the first page you land on when you go to www.yourwebsite.com
- pages = the individual subpages, for example the "about us" or the "contact" page. The area where your blog posts appear is also a page. In the WordPress system, it is called "post page".
sites and contributions
WordPress is not only suitable for "regular" websites, you can also use it for blogging. If you want to blog, you do not create "pages", but "posts". The section of your website with the posts does not necessarily have to be called "blog", other popular names for this area include "news" or simply "magazine".
A blog post and a page look very similar at first glance. In fact, you can create a website that consists only of blog posts or only of pages. Visitors won't be able to tell the difference at first glance. Ultimately there are, however, a few subtle differences that will affect your website.
Pages are static. They are created once and then remain as they are. Typical examples include "about us", "contact" or "gallery".
Posts are dynamic. This doesn't mean they necessarily have to be changed, but they are by nature topical and are created for a specific purpose or on a specific topic. This is comparable to a magazine: the overview of the editorial staff members, for example, remains the same but the articles change in every issue.
Here we go!
Now you really want to try everything out. You can test WordPress for free at Raidboxes and also challenge the support here and ask your questions.
In the next part of this WordPress basics series, we will start digging deeper. I'll introduce you to the dashboard and explain the basic settings you should know to understand WordPress system.
