INTRODUCTION

WordPress is an open source Content Management System (CMS), which allows the users to

build dynamic websites and blogs. Wordpress is the most popular blogging system on the web

and allows updating, customizing and managing the website from its back-end CMS and

components.

1.1 What is Content Management System (CMS)?

The Content Management System (CMS) is a software which stores all the data such as text,

photos, music, documents, etc. and is made available on your website. It helps in editing,

publishing and modifying the content of the website.

WordPress was initially released on 27th May, 2003 by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little.

WordPress was announced as open source in October 2009.

Features

User Management: It allows managing the user information such as changing the role of the

users to (subscriber, contributor, author, editor or administrator), create or delete the user,

change the password and user information. The main role of the user manager is

Authentication.

Media Management: It is the tool for managing the media files and folder, in which you can

easily upload, organize and manage the media files on your website.

Theme System: It allows modifying the site view and functionality. It includes images,

stylesheet, template files and custom pages.

Extend with Plugins: Several plugins are available which provides custom functions and

features according to the users need.

Search Engine Optimization: It provides several search engine optimization (SEO) tools

which makes on-site SEO simple.

Multilingual: It allows translating the entire content into the language preferred by the user.

Importers: It allows importing data in the form of posts. It imports custom files, comments,

post pages and tags.

Advantages

It is an open source platform and available for free.

CSS files can be modified according to the design as per users need.

There are many plugins and templates available for free. Users can customize the

various plugins as per their need.

It is very easy to edit the content as it uses WYSIWYG editor (What You See Is What

You Get is a user interface that allows the user to directly manipulate the layout of

document without having a layout command).

Media files can be uploaded easily and quickly.

It offers several SEO tools which makes on-site SEO simple.

Customization is easy according to the user's needs.

It allows creating different roles for users for website such as admin, author, editor and

contributor.

Disadvantages

Using several plugins can make the website heavy to load and run.

PHP knowledge is required to make modifications or changes in the WordPress website.

Sometimes software needs to be updated to keep the WordPress up-to-date with the

current browsers and mobile devices. Updating WordPress version leads to loss of data,

so it a backup copy of the website is required.

Modifying and formatting the graphic images and tables is difficult.

1.2 WORDPRESS INSTALLATION

System Requirements for WordPress

Database: MySQL 5.0+

Web Server:

WAMP (Windows)

LAMP (Linux)

XAMP (Multi-platform)

MAMP (Macintosh)

Operating System: Cross-platform

Browser Support: IE (Internet Explorer 8+), Firefox, Google chrome, Safari, Opera

PHP Compatibility: PHP 5.2+

Download WordPress

When you open the link https://wordpress.org/download/, you will get to see a screen as the

following snapshot:

Download the WordPress zip file from the official site.

Create Store Database

WordPress requires MySQL database. So create a new empty database with

user/password (for example, user as "root" and password as "root" or else you can set as

per your convenience).

Then, you can continue with the installation process as discussed further.

Set Up Wizard

It's very easy to set up WordPress into your system. The following steps describe how to set up

WordPress locally on your system.

Step (1): Extract the downloaded WordPress folder and upload it into your web server or

localhost.

Step (2): Open your browser and navigate to your WordPress file path, then you will get the

first screen of the WordPress installer as shown in the following screen. In our case, the path is

localhost/< Your_WordPress_folder >.

Select your language for the WordPress and click on Continue.

Step (3): In this step, you can view the information needed for the database before proceeding

with WordPressinstallation.

Click on Let's go!

Step (4): Here, you have to enter the information about the MySQL database as described in

the following screen.

Database Name: Enter the database name which you have created in MySQL database for

WordPress.

Username: Enter the user name of your MySQL database.

Password: Enter the password which you had set for MySQL database.

Database Host: Write the host name, by default it will be localhost.

Table Prefix: It is used to add prefix in the database tables which helps to run multiple sites on

the same database. It takes the default value.

After filling all information, click on Submit button.

Step (5): WordPress checks the database setting and gives you the confirmation screen as

shown in the following snapshot.

Click on Run the install

Step (6): Enter administrative information.

It contains the following fields:

Site Title: Enter the name of the site which you are going to create in WordPress.

Username: Enter the username as per your choice while logging in the WordPress.

Password twice: Enter password two times to protect your site.

Your E-mail: Enter your e-mail address which helps to recover the password or any update.

Privacy: It allows the search engine to index this site after checking the checkbox.

After filling all the information, click on the Install WordPress button.

Step (7): After installation being successful, you will get a screen of the stating success as seen

in the following screen.

You can view your username and password detail added in WordPress.

Click on Log In button.

Step (8): After clicking on login, you will get a WordPress Admin Panel as depicted in the

following screen.

Enter the username and password which you had mentioned during installation as shown in

step 6 and click on the Log In button.

Accessing WordPress Dashboard

After the installation process is completed, you will be forwarded directly to WordPress

administrator dashboard. Anytime later you will have to use one of the following URLs to

access WordPress admin area:

http://yoursite.com/wp-admin

http://yoursite.com/wp-login.php

You will need to use WordPress administrator credentials you have entered during installation

in order to access the dashboard.

If you forget the password, you may reset it by pressing the Lost your password? button.

Navigating in WordPress Dashboard

WordPress Dashboard is built to help you manage your site. You will find the Welcome to

WordPress section at the top of the page. In this section, you can quickly access everything you

need to start off with WordPress, like writing your first blog or adding an about page, or

viewing your site, or managing widgets, comments, etc. If Welcome to WordPress is not there

or you removed it unintentionally, go to Screen Options on your upper right-hand corner and

then check Welcome.

You’ll find several other sections on the administrator home page:

At a Glance shows which theme you are running, the number of posts and pages you have and

other recent activity.

Another section is the Quick Draft to be used when you want to add a quick post. However,

you will not get the various formatting features that you will get in the posts section but this is

a quick way of creating a draft post.

Activity box shows latest posts and comments.

On WordPress News box you can see latest news related to WordPress.

Over on the left of your screen, you have the main navigation bar that you will use to get

around your WordPress dashboard.

Main WordPress Settings

Let’s take a look at the basic settings you need to know to use your WordPress site. So when

you go down to Settings on the navigation bar, you will find:

General. Here you can change the main URL, the time zone, the title and the description of

your website.

Writing. On this section you can setup your default category and post format. Want to submit

posts via email? Configure this feature here.

Reading. Here you can choose what the front page looks like: whether it will show the latest

post or a static page. You can also control how many blog pages are shown and whether your

visitors will see the full post or just a summary.

Discussion. In this section you can configure settings, related to comments. You can start by

setting default comment settings.

Media. In this section you can change the default image size and choose the way you want

your files organized.

Permalinks. Permalinks allow you to control the URL structure of your posts.

Posting Your First Post

One of the many benefits of WordPress is that it’s extremely easy to publish fresh content by

adding new posts.

To create a new post, click the Add New button under the Posts section. You will find yourself

on a content creator page which looks a lot like any word processor.

The content section comes in two tabs: the visual, and the text view. The visual view shows the

text as it would appear on the finished page and the text view will show you the post in HTML

format.

Right above the content section, there is a post editor toolbar which will help you format your

post. It has a variety of features, for example: Bold (which would bold your text), italic (which

would italicize your text), underline (which would underline the desired text), add media

(where you can insert photos and videos in your post), HTML tags, text alignment and others.

alignment and others.

On the right hand, you will find a Draft button that allows you to save your work and come

back to it later. Next to the Draft button, there is a Preview button that shows you how the post

will look on the blog when you’ll have published it.

Next, you can change the visibility of your post. The Public option allows you to stick the post

on the front page. This section also allows you to schedule the post for later rather than

publishing it immediately.

Moving down the page, you have a section that allows you to choose a Category and

add Tags to your post.

Play

PRO TIP

In order to reap SEO benefits from your post, it is essential that your post follows a certain

standard structure, consisting of:

Title.A title gives a sneak peek on what the article is all about to the readers. No matter how

good the main body of the article is, if it doesn’t have an equally tempting title, it would

remain deprived from any attention, which is the last thing you would want.

Post format. This is the main body of the post where you will do the talking. It is highly

recommended to format your post accordingly, by making proper use of H2 and H3 tags for

maximum search engine visibility. Further, try to give subheads and pointers in the post to

enhance its readability.

Featured Image. Featured image or a post thumbnail is a representative image that comes next

to your post. It is essential that you use a proper featured image with your posts. It would not

only attract readers, but would also add to the aesthetic appeal of your website.

This is all you need to know to publish your post.

Using Categories And Tags

WordPress Categories allow you to arrange your posts by subjects to make your content easier

to find. To add a new category, go to Posts and Categories:

Click on Category.

Name the category and add a Slug which is a shortened URL for your category. If you want,

you can even add hierarchy to the category and put it under the parent category.

You can also add the WordPress tags in the same way. Click Tags on the Dashboard. Give a

proper name and a slug, as you did for categories, in order to add a new tag.

There is a significant difference between WordPress categories and WordPress tags.

WordPress categories are based on the fact that Categories help group your post with other

similar posts, but Tags are used for creating groups that fit into multiple categories. Example:

beauty is a category, while lips, eyes, hair form the tags. You’re getting the drift, right?

Creating Page on WordPress

Pages are designed for static content, even though you can change or update them whenever

you like. To see the pages your site currently has, choose All pages from the navigation

section.

You can add new pages by clicking on the Add New button under Pages section.

Adding a new page is very similar to adding a new post, except that you don’t have the option

to use categories or tags for pages. However, pages can have parent pages. So, if you wish to

have the page as a child of another page, you just need to indent the page column in the menu

section and it will appear as a drop down menu item from the parent page.

You should take into account that a new page doesn’t get automatically added to the menu. To

do that, you have to go to the Menu section and add the new page to the custom menu.

The Menu can be found under Appearance in the navigation section of the Dashboard. You can

add the page to the menu by checking the box on it and clicking Add to Menu.

Play

WordPress Posts Vs. Pages

Care should be taken that a post is different from the page. Posts are nothing but your blog

entries which you keep on entering from time to time and are listed on your blog in the reverse

chronological order. On the other hand, relate pages to About Us and Contact Us pages of your

website, which are static and created seldom. We will go into more detail for WordPress pages

further below in our WordPress tutorial

Managing WordPress Comments

Each post has an area beneath it for visitors to leave their comments. This is what makes the

posts interactive.

The Comments section on the dashboard allows you to approve, reply, edit, trash or spam a

comment from the dashboard itself. The comment will appear live on the website beneath your

post only when you approve it.

Customizing WordPress Website

One of the best parts of a WordPress website is the quickly customizable options that it

provides you with on the go. Check out the rest of our WordPress guide to see the various ways

you can customize a WordPress site.

Installing WordPress Themes

A theme allows you to control the look and design of your WordPress website including

colors, page layout, and fonts. You can get a free theme or you can pay for a premium one. In

our guide we will mainly focus on the free themes.

To manage WordPress themes, choose Appearance and Themes from the navigation section in

your dashboard.

To install a new theme simply click the Add New button. It will take you to a directory of free

themes. Use search or filters to find a theme you want to use. Once you have chosen the theme

that you like, click on Preview button to see how it looks on your site. If you’re happy with the

result, press Install button.

Play

You can further customize your already installed theme with the help of a theme customization

tool in WordPress. Simply click on Appearance in the left menu, and click on Customize. From

there, you can customize the current theme as per your needs by changing site identity, colors,

background image, menus, widgets and so on.

Play

That’s all it takes to change the look of a WordPress website!

Installing WordPress Plugins

Plugins are extensions that can be installed on WordPress in order to extend its functionality

and add new features to your website.

There are plugins for almost everything. From social media sharing to improving the security

of your site to giving you data about how the people visit your site and search engine

optimization.

To add a new plugin, click on the Add new button under Plugins section. Choose

from Featured, Popular, Recommended, Favorites or enter keyword in the search field to find

the plugin you want. To install the plugin, press Install Now and then Activate buttons.

The Upload Plugin button on top allows you to upload plugins that have been purchased.

Most plugins will give you a new item on your navigation menu: this is where you will control

your plugin from.

Play

PRO TIP

When choosing a plugin, it is best to check if it’s compatible with the latest WordPress version.

This can be seen by checking the date it has been updated. Also, check how many ratings the

plugin has. An out of date or a poor quality plugin may cause problems with your site.

Adding Widgets

Widgets allow you to change the layout and the content of your site simply and quickly.

Widgets can be accessed from the dashboard, under Appearance section.

You will see a list of available widgets. On the side, you have areas where you can place your

widgets. By default you should have the Primary Sidebar, a Content Sidebar, and a Footer

Widget Area. However, the number of widgets depends on the WordPress theme you are using.

To add a widget, you simply need to expand the area where you want the widget to be, drag

and drop the widget there and click Save.

To remove a widget, simply click and drag it away from the widget area. If you want to add

your own text to a widget, choose a plain text widget and then put the text or HTML code in

there.

Play

Updating WordPress Site

WordPress handles small updates itself, so you don't have to worry about it. The larger ones

will give you the option to update at your chosen time. Meanwhile you can look at the features

of the update or put your site on maintenance mode.

There are three things you must always update on your WordPress site: WordPress itself,

themes and plugins. You can update your site from the Update section in the navigation bar.

It is very important to keep your whole WordPress site up to date. That is because when a

plugin or a theme is updated, you may get new functionalities and bug fixes. It is also a crucial

part to keeping a WordPress website secure and fast.

Backing Up WordPress Site

Backing up your WordPress website means making sure that all of your data is kept safe in an

alternative location. In the event of something going wrong with your WordPress site, a backup

is a good way to ensure that all of your files can be restored to their original condition.

PRO TIP

Backup your website as often as possible in order to avoid any nasty surprises. Sometimes,

when moving, deleting, or editing your WordPress files, you will notice an error or change on

your website that can be very difficult and time-consuming to correct. That’s why backing up

your WordPress website is so important.

Using WordPress Plugin

One of the best methods to backup your WordPress site is to use All-In-One WP Migration

plugin which is pre-installed on 000webhost.

In order to create a backup of your WordPress, click the All-In-One WP Migration plugin that

is visible on the WordPress Admin menu. The options Export, Import, and Backups will be

available. Click Export to proceed to the Export Site screen, and then select the Export

To button. You will then be asked to choose a location to save your newly exported WordPress

files:

File

FTP

DropBox

Google Drive

Amazon S3

OneDrive

Box

Choose the first option if you want to save backup files to your computer. The only thing left

for you to do is click Download and you’re all done.

From this point on, you’ll be able to Import all of your safeguarded WordPress files and

database onto your new or existing WordPress instance following almost identical steps. The

only difference is, when you have successfully downloaded the All-In-One WP Migration

plugin on your new website, be sure to select Import instead of Export. With barely any effort

at all, you will be able to see all of your themes, images, text, plugins, widgets, and everything

else exactly as you did before.

Using FTP and phpMyAdmin

There are more ways to create backup of your WordPress site. One way to backup your files in

a safe and simple way is through an FTP client, like Filezilla or Cyberduck. This method is

particularly useful if you cannot access your WordPress admin area.

Follow these steps, to backup your WordPress files using FTP:

Enable FTP transfer option in 000webhost panel, General settings page.

Copy FTP authentication details (host name and username) from the same General settings

page.

Open FTP client and connect to 000webhost server using above mentioned details.

Right click on public_html folder and choose Download.

Keep in mind that due to the nature of FTP, it can take quite some time to download all website

files.

While WordPress files are download, you can proceed and create a backup of WordPress

database. On 000webhost it’s easy:

While in 000webhost control panel, click on Manage Databases icon.

Click on Manage -> phpMyAdmin for appropriate database.

You will be redirected to phpMyAdmin.

Click on Export tab.

Click Go.

That’s it! Once all of your WordPress files are downloaded and the download of the SQL file is

complete, you will have a full backup of your WordPress site.

Although FTP backups are considered a more hands on and manual way of backing up your

WordPress site, compared to the All-In-One WP Migration export and import, it is a relatively

easy way of duplicating your WordPress database and files to another location. In essence, all

you have to do is download the files onto FTP client, and your WordPress site is saved.

Optimizing WordPress Performance

A slow WordPress is a bummer for any website owner. No visitor wants to wait for a page to

take more than 3 seconds to load. Unfortunately, websites powered by WordPress tend to slow

down with time, therefore, it’s important to give a lot of attention to WordPress performance

optimization. In the following part of our WordPress tutorial, we will talk about the potential

causes of slow WordPress website and provide a few tips on how to optimize WordPress.

If you are not a beginner, you would know a better way than checking your website’s speed

from your own browser. Almost all of the modern browsers cache web-pages; cached websites

are displayed almost instantly. This is why it’s recommended to use a tools like Google

Pagespeed Insights or Pingdom to check the speed of your website. It also helps in checking

website speed when accessed from different geographical locations. As already mentioned, it’s

recommended for a website to take less than 3 seconds to load; if you are getting higher times,

here are a few reasons why:

Improperly configured WordPress hosting.

Minimum or no caching.

Bad plugins: poorly developed plugins can hurt your website speed exponentially.

Overhead caused by external scripts: ads, font loaders etc. can also sometimes become an

efficiency bottleneck.

Using WordPress Caching Plugins

Caching plugins are probably the easiest way to speed up WordPress. With 000webhost

WordPress hosting however, you already have most of the work done for you. Two caching

plugins are already installed on your WordPress:

Page cache plugin. The page caching plugin saves the dynamically generated HTML files on

the server via the cache whenever a request is received. This reduces the overhead of execution

of database queries and the PHP code.

Browser cache plugin This plugin reduces the server load by decreasing the amount of requests

received per page. For instance, if you put the right file headers on static files (images,

JavaScript, CSS etc.), the browsers can cache the files on the computer of the user. By

implementing this technique, the browser will check whether the files have changed since last

request and if not, it will just display cached versions instead of reloading everything from the

server.

Although these plugins were created for Hostinger's WordPress hosting, they work flawlessly

on 000webhost. You can find and control these plugins in your WordPress Admin control

panel -> Plugins -> Must-Use section.

PRO TIP

If you have made changes for your WordPress site, but still see the the old version of the page,

it’s possible that caching plugins display cached version instead of a new one. The very first

thing you should do is clear cache. On our Page Cache plugin, it can be done by pressing

the Purge Cache button.

There are other sophisticated plugins that also aid in the overall optimization of a WordPress

website. Ones worth-mentioning are as follows.

W3 total cache

W3 total cache is exactly what its name suggests: a comprehensive caching solution for

WordPress websites. It offers CSS and JS minification, object cache along with the database

cache and page cache abilities.

Minification is the process by which unnecessary characters and blank spaces are removed

from the source code without damaging the functionality.

You can turn on CSS and JavaScript minification in the General settings section of W3 Total

Cache. To turn on minification simply check Enable box and hit Save all settings button.

If you need more control, advanced minification settings can be found on Minify section:

Combine only does exactly what you think it does: it combines all the CSS files but doesn’t

perform minification.

Preserved comment removal only removes the comments from the combined files.

Line break removal can be checked to remove line breaks present in the combined files

WP Super Cache

Just like its aforementioned compatriot, the WP Super Cache is also an excellent caching

plugin choice. It can also fulfill all the caching needs of modern websites. After installation,

you can turn caching on by going to Settings -> WP Super Cache. Here you can click on

the Caching on radio button present in the Easy section, to turn on the caching or tweak any

advanced settings.

Optimizing WordPress Images

Images can often play a part in making a WordPress website inefficient. It’s, therefore, very

important to optimize images i.e. resize and compress them while retaining quality and making

your website faster! A WordPress plugin WP Smush is very worth mentioning in this regard.

After installing WP Smush, all of the pictures you upload in the future will already be

compressed and optimized. Here are the exact steps you can use to optimize your existing

images with it:

From Media go to WP Smush.

Scroll down and select Settings to tweak configuration according to your needs. You can

smush 50 images at a time.

Click on Update Settings and you are ready to go.

Hit the Bulk smush button.