{"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":"2026-07-28T21:01:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T21:01:30","slug":"what-is-wordpress-and-how-it-works","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.trincoll.edu\/tdi\/academic-technology\/research-scholarship\/domains-and-websites\/designing-wordpress\/what-is-wordpress-and-how-it-works\/","title":{"rendered":"What is WordPress and How it Works?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Common Dashboard Sections<\/h2>\n

The following sections are the areas you’ll use most frequently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Pages<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Create and manage static website content, such as:<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Home<\/li>\n
  • About<\/li>\n
  • Contact<\/li>\n
  • Portfolio<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Posts<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Create and manage time-based content, including:<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Blog posts<\/li>\n
  • News articles<\/li>\n
  • Announcements<\/li>\n
  • Updates<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Appearance<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Manage the overall design of your website, including:<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Themes<\/li>\n
  • Templates<\/li>\n
  • Menus<\/li>\n
  • Site-wide styling<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Plugins<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Install, activate, and manage plugins that extend your site’s functionality.<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/h2>\n

How WordPress Is Organized<\/h2>\n

Understanding how WordPress is organized makes it easier to know where changes should be made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

Content<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Content is the information displayed on your website. Content includes:<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Pages<\/li>\n
  • Posts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Design<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Design controls how your content is presented. Design includes:<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n
    \n
  • Themes<\/li>\n
  • Templates<\/li>\n
  • The Site Editor<\/li>\n
  • The Customizer (when available)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    These tools control the visual appearance of your website.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Structure<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

Structure determines how visitors navigate your website. Structure includes:<\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Menus<\/li>\n
  • Navigation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

Features<\/h3>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Features extend the capabilities of your website. Features include:<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n
    \n
  • Plugins<\/li>\n
  • Widgets (depending on your theme)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

    Understanding Site-Wide Changes<\/h2>\n

    Some editing tools affect only a single page, while others affect your entire website.<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Editing a Page or Post<\/strong> changes only that individual page or post.<\/li>\n
    • Using the Site Editor or Customizer<\/strong> can affect your site’s overall design, templates, navigation, or other site-wide settings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      If you notice changes appearing across multiple pages, you were likely editing a site-wide setting rather than an individual page.<\/p>\n

      Recommended Workflow<\/h2>\n

      Although WordPress allows you to work in any order, the following workflow is recommended when building a new website:<\/p>\n

        \n
      1. Create your content (Pages and Posts).<\/li>\n
      2. Configure your homepage and navigation.<\/li>\n
      3. Customize your site’s design and appearance.<\/li>\n
      4. Add additional features using plugins as needed.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Common Dashboard Sections The following sections are the areas you’ll use most frequently. Pages Create and manage static website content, such as: Home About Contact Portfolio Posts Create and manage time-based content, including: Blog posts News articles Announcements Updates Appearance Manage the overall design of your website, including: Themes Templates Menus Site-wide styling Plugins Install, […]<\/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":"\nWhat is WordPress and How it Works? - Technology Data and Innovation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\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=\"Common Dashboard Sections The following sections are the areas you’ll use most frequently. 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