{"id":11759,"date":"2026-05-28T11:19:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T15:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/lits\/?page_id=11759"},"modified":"2026-05-28T11:31:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-28T15:31:11","slug":"what-is-wordpress-and-how-it-works","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/lits\/digital-scholarship\/domains-and-websites\/wordpress-basics\/use-wordpress\/what-is-wordpress-and-how-it-works\/","title":{"rendered":"What is WordPress and How it Works?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>What You\u2019re Looking At\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">When you log in, you\u2019ll land on the Dashboard. The most important area to pay attention to is the menu on the left side.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Here are a few key sections you\u2019ll use often:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pages \u2013 where you create and edit static content (like Home, About, Contact)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Posts \u2013 used for blog-style or time-based content<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Appearance \u2013 where you control your site\u2019s design (themes, layout, menus)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Plugins \u2013 where you add extra features to your site<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There are other options, but these are the core areas we\u2019ll focus on.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">How WordPress Works<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Before you start, it helps to understand how WordPress is organized.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Think of your site in four parts:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>1) Content (what\u2019s on the page)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;padding-left: 40px\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Pages and Posts<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>2) Design (how everything looks)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;padding-left: 40px\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Themes, Templates, Customizer<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;padding-left: 40px\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">These are the frames that display your content<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>3) Structure (how people move around your site)<\/strong><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;padding-left: 40px\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Menus and Navigation<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><strong>4) Features (what your site can do)\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;padding-left: 40px\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Plugins and Widgets<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Important Note<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">There\u2019s one concept that will save you confusion, and prevent mistakes:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Editing a page is not the same as editing your site.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">When you click \u201cEdit Page\u201d, you are only changing that one page<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">When you use the \u201cCustomizer\u201d or \u201cSite Editor\u201d, you may be changing your entire site<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><span data-contrast=\"auto\">If something suddenly looks different everywhere, you were likely editing a site-wide setting.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Next Step<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335551550&quot;:1,&quot;335551620&quot;:1,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559737&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0,&quot;335559740&quot;:279}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It might be tempting to jump into design right away, but it\u2019s much easier to work in order:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Create your content (Pages)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Set up your homepage<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Then customize how your site looks<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What You\u2019re Looking At\u00a0 When you log in, you\u2019ll land on the Dashboard. The most important area to pay attention to is the menu on the left side.\u00a0 Here are a few key sections you\u2019ll use often:\u00a0 Pages \u2013 where you create and edit static content (like Home, About, Contact)\u00a0 Posts \u2013 used for blog-style [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":669,"featured_media":0,"parent":12085,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-11759","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.5 (Yoast SEO v25.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What is WordPress and How it Works? - Library &amp; Information Technology Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/lits\/digital-scholarship\/domains-and-websites\/wordpress-basics\/use-wordpress\/what-is-wordpress-and-how-it-works\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What is WordPress and How it Works?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What You\u2019re Looking At\u00a0 When you log in, you\u2019ll land on the Dashboard. 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