What is WordPress

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What is WordPress and how does it work? I've heard this question several times, on both ends of the spectrum where I work. Both on the one hand, the customers, and on the other hand, those who would like to learn how to use WordPress.

Anyone who works or wants to work with inbound marketing has certainly heard of or used WordPress. After all, it is the CMS – Customer Management System (or content management system) most used in the world. But after all: what is WordPress and how does it work? And what is a CMS?

So, by reading this post, you will know:

• What is a CMS?
• Why have a content management system
• What is WordPress and how does it work
• How to work with WordPress

What is a CMS?

CMS is an application or system for creating and managing content. With it, you can create, edit, publish and organize all the content on your website, including your blog. The CMS provides pre-made website templates, making the technical part easier to work with. In other words, it is a platform that allows you to create, edit and publish content on a website without needing to know how to program.

The user chooses the type and model of the template and starts working on the visual and content aspects based on it. In other words, you can manage texts, images, pages, videos and much more through an intuitive interface. This means more agility, more autonomy and less dependence on a developer for small changes. In addition, the CMS connects to a database with the content that is being created, which also allows for better management.

There are several types of CMS available, including WordPress, which is estimated to be used in almost 30% of the entire internet. We also have Joomla, Drupal and Magento, just to name the main ones. Among CMS, it is estimated that the use of WordPress go up to about 60%.

“A CMS is a content management system that allows anyone to create and update a website without having to code.”

Why use a CMS?

Using a CMS has several benefits. The main one is ease of use: anyone with basic internet knowledge can keep a website up to date. This makes creating and keeping a website up to date, which is essential these days, much simpler. In addition, it can be used online, without the need to install any software.

You can also make updates and visual changes according to emerging trends without the need for investments and complex structural changes. Another strong point of a CMS is the installation of new resources. Updates and inclusions of new tools happen daily, which allows you to improve performance and test new optimization, productivity and conversion tools.

In short, the CMS offers:

• Agility in creating and editing pages;
• SEO optimization in a practical way;
• Installation of new features with just a few clicks;
• Possibility of scalability, from simple websites to robust portals.

Nowadays, if you want to have a blog or a professional institutional website, the CMS is a mandatory tool.

Highlight for SEO

A highlight for using the CMS is the possibility of working and monitoring the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in a more visible and simplified way. This way, you can configure and optimize your website for organic searches. The system allows you to optimize images, structure content and use keywords with the help of productivity tools.

Furthermore, you can work on both small and large projects.

What is WordPress

Now that you know what a CMS is, let’s tell you what WordPress is. WordPress was created in 2003 by Matt Mullenweg and Mike Little, originally as a fork of the b2/cafelog project. Over the years, WordPress has evolved from a simple blogging platform to a comprehensive content management solution capable of serving a wide range of needs, from personal websites to large corporate portals.

Thus, it is a CMS and, as we mentioned, the most used in the world. The functioning of WordPress is a highlight of the system. It works on a tripod: themes, plugins and content. By installing the theme on your website, you can add new features using plugins (which are also used to integrate your website with other tools) and manage the content, including, editing and deleting texts and pages, according to what you need.

Furthermore, if you already have more experience, you can choose to edit the theme codes directly in the tool (always remember to make a backup first!).

How WordPress Works

WordPress is built on three main pillars: themes, plugins, and content. Themes define the look and feel of your site. Plugins add functionality. And content is what you publish: pages, posts, images, videos, etc.

All of this is managed through a simple and functional administrative panel. And the best part is that you can use WordPress without writing a single line of code.

If you want to go further, you can customize everything directly in the source code. This flexibility is one of the platform's great differentiators.

WordPress.com vs WordPress.org

Yes, there are two versions of WordPress and they have important differences.

WordPress.com

It is a hosted solution. In other words: you create your website and WordPress takes care of everything (security, hosting, updates). Ideal for those who want simplicity and have no technical experience.

However, there are limitations: you need to pay for advanced plans to have more freedom of customization, install plugins or monetize the website.

WordPress.org

WordPress.org, on the other hand, is the self-hosted version of WordPress. This means that you need a hosting service to install and manage your website. The main advantage here is complete freedom: you can install any theme or plugin, customize your website’s code, and monetize it however you want.

For those who want to have a professional, customizable website with possibilities for growth, this is the best choice.

“WordPress.com is practical but limited. WordPress.org requires more knowledge but gives total freedom.”

Why has WordPress become so popular?

It's free and open source

You can use, modify, and redistribute WordPress however you want. This has led to a global community of developers coming together to continually improve it.

It's simple to use

Even if you’ve never built a website before, the WordPress dashboard is easy to understand. Creating pages, inserting images, publishing posts — it’s all intuitive.

It is scalable and flexible

With the same system, you can create anything from a personal blog to a robust e-commerce site. This makes WordPress ideal for projects that start small but have the potential to grow.

It has an active community

There’s a massive ecosystem of themes, plugins, tutorials, and support forums. This means you’re never alone.

WordPress Core Features and Functionality

Block-based editor

The Gutenberg editor allows you to create pages and posts as content blocks, which gives you more creative freedom and makes it easier to visually organize your text. And even if you don't like it, you can easily restore the traditional WordPress editor, which is also very intuitive and easy to use.

Media Library

Allows you to upload images, videos and audio directly from the dashboard. Everything is stored and can be reused at any time.

Theme system

You can choose from thousands of free or paid themes. With just a few clicks, your website will look brand new.

Plugins and extensions

Want to add a contact form, an online store, or improve your SEO? With plugins, you can easily expand the functionality of WordPress.

SEO optimized

WordPress is born search engine friendly, but with plugins like Yoast SEO, you can go much further

“WordPress is great for SEO because it gives you full control over URLs, metadata, speed, and content structure.”

How to install WordPress step by step

First of all, you need a hosting service compatible with WordPress. Most hosting providers offer WordPress-specific plans that make installation easier.

Then, download the WordPress files to your hosting. We recommend that this is done by official site, where you can download the Portuguese version without the risk of malware transfer.

Installing WordPress

1. Unzip the package's .zip file on your computer;
2. Create a database for your WordPress on your hosting server, using MySQL with a user with full access and editing privileges. Check with the company where you host how to do this in your management panel;
3. Make a copy of the file wp-config-sample.php on your computer and rename the file to wp-config.php;
4. Change the following items in your file wp-config.php:
   1. Database Name: this is the name that was created in your hosting panel;
   2. Database User: also created in your panel;
   3. Database Password: also created on your panel;
   4. Database Host: host that hosts the MySQL server. This information appears on your hosting panel, in the area where you created the database in item 2.

See which lines will be configured:

/** Database name for WordPress*/

define('DB_NAME', 'data_base_name_here');

/** MySQL database user */

define('DB_USER', 'user_name_here');

/** MySQL database password */

define('DB_PASSWORD', 'password_here');

/** MySQL hostname */

define('DB_HOST', 'localhost').

5. Save your file and copy it to your server, in the same folder where the file was wp-config-sample.php;
6. Run the installation in your browser by accessing the file install.php. See how:
   If it was installed at the root => seudominio.com.br/wp-admin/install.php
   If it was installed in a subdirectory like /blog => yourdomain.com.br/blog/wp-admin/install.php

That way, just follow the next steps and finish the installation.

There is a way for you to install WordPress using the hosting's own installer, if you use a hosting that supports WordPress, such as Hostinger, for example.

Installing the theme and starting work with WordPres

Now that you have finished the installation, access your WordPress (yourdomain.com.br/wp-admin), using the username and password you created. You will see the Menu on the left, where you can choose between installing the default WordPress themes or installing new themes.

Choice of Theme

Choosing the right theme is crucial to the appearance of your website. You can choose from thousands of free themes in the WordPress repository or opt for a premium theme.

The Appearance item is where you should make changes to your theme. It is important to note that the menu on the left can change, depending on the theme and plugins you have installed. But everything happens there. Some items are standardized, which greatly helps understanding the system (posts, media, pages, appearance, plugins and tools, for example). Therefore, all navigation can be done from this menu.

From there, you will be able to change and preview your site. One tip we already give here is to install a free plugin maintenance mode. With it, you can change your website as much as you want, without visitors seeing the changes that are being made live.

Installing essential plugins

To begin with, there are some plugins that are practically mandatory for any WordPress website, such as SEO, security and backup plugins. Yoast SEO, Wordfence, and UpdraftPlus are great starting points.

Basic settings

After choosing your theme and installing the essential plugins, it's time to adjust your site's basic settings, such as title, description, friendly URLs, and reading settings.

WordPress Maintenance and Security

Keeping your WordPress site secure and well-maintained is essential to ensuring its long-term functioning. Therefore, make sure to keep your WordPress, themes and plugins always updated to avoid security vulnerabilities. Additionally, performing regular backups is essential to ensure you don't lose your data. Plugins like UpdraftPlus make it easy to automate this process.

Installing a good security plugin like Wordfence helps protect your website against malicious attacks. Likewise, use strong passwords and enable two-factor authentication whenever possible.

Performance and optimization

A fast and efficient website provides a better user experience and helps improve your search engine rankings. Therefore, use a caching plugin, such as W3 Total Cache or LiteSpeed Cache, to improve your site's loading time. Also, choose a quality hosting provider.

Another point is that large images can slow down your website. Use plugins like Smush to optimize your images without losing quality. Caching and minification are techniques that help reduce your website's loading time and can be carried out with plugins like WP Rocket, automatically and effectively.

In short…

WordPress is much more than a simple platform – it is a comprehensive content management solution that allows you to create a wide variety of websites, from personal sites to complex enterprise solutions. Its simplicity, flexibility, and vast ecosystem of features have made it the preferred choice of millions of users across the world.

The platform continues to evolve and adapt to market trends, maintaining its leading position in the content management industry. With its active community, constant updates, and integration with emerging technologies, WordPress remains a powerful and versatile solution for creating websites of all types and sizes.

Now that you know what WordPress is and how to make it work, get to work! Put your content production to work and appear on the internet!

Talk to Vero Contents, we are WordPress experts!

FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions about WordPress

1. Is WordPress free?

Yes. WordPress is 100% free and open source. You only pay for hosting and domain.

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2. What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?

.com is managed and limited. .org gives you complete freedom but requires more responsibility.

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3. Can I sell products with WordPress?

Yes! With the WooCommerce plugin, you can transform your website into a complete online store.

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4. Is WordPress good for SEO?

It’s excellent. With plugins like Yoast SEO, you can optimize every detail of your website.

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5. Is WordPress secure?

Yes, as long as you keep everything up to date, use reliable plugins and good security practices.

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Article originally published on 07/10/2024 and updated on that date.