A Detailed Guide to WordPress Dashboard: Everything You Need to Know!

Welcome to the WordPress dashboard — your website’s control center! This chapter is your guided tour of everything you’ll see and use in your WordPress website’s dashboard. You’ll feel like a pro by the end, even if you’ve never logged into the WordPress dashboard.

Let’s dive in!

4.1 Logging into WordPress

1. Type www.yourdomain.com/wp-admin on your browser’s address bar. (Don’t forget to replace “yourdomain” with the actual domain that you have bought.)
2. Enter your username and password (Do you remember, you’d set it during WordPress installation in chapter 3?)
3. Click the Log In button.

Pro Tip: Never keep the admin username to default admin or administrator.

4.2 The WordPress Dashboard: Your Command Center

The WordPress dashboard is your website’s “cockpit.” Ummm, let’s say it’s a command center where you will find everything that is needed to run a successful WordPress website.

Here’s a breakdown of the main sections:

4.2.1 The Toolbar (Top of the Screen)

• Visit Site: Click to see how your website looks to visitors.
• + New: Quickly add posts, pages, or media.
• User Profile: Edit your profile or log out.

Example: Maria clicks “Visit Site” daily to check her blog’s appearance.

4.2.2 The Main Menu (Left Sidebar)

This is where the magic happens! Once you get logged in to the WordPress admin dashboard, you’ll get to see the main WordPress dashboard menu. Under these menus, you’ll find additional settings as well.

Refer to the numbers on the image showing the particular menu for better understanding.

Note: The option Astra can also be seen on the WordPress dashboard menu. I have uploaded and activated the popular free WordPress theme Astra as my default website’s theme on the dummy website. I have also bought an Astra Pro plugin to expand theme features. Therefore, this menu option is generated by the free theme Astra. So as of now, ignore the Astra WordPress theme menu option. We will learn about installing and customizing the Astra WordPress theme later as a separate topic.

Let’s explore each option and understand everything you need to know about the WordPress dashboard:

1. Dashboard → Home

• At a Glance: See your website’s stats (posts, pages, comments).
• Quick Draft: Jot down blog post ideas.
• Activity: Check recent comments and updates.

Pro Tip: Use “Quick Draft” to save blog post ideas on the go!

2. Posts (Your Blog’s Backbone)

• All Posts: View, edit, or delete existing blog posts.
• Add New: Write a new blog post (we’ll cover this in Chapter 7).
• Categories & Tags: Organize your content (e.g., “Recipes” or “Travel Tips”).

Example: John created a “Fitness Tips” category for his workout blog.

3. Media (Your Image/Video Library)

• Library: All uploaded images, videos, and files.
• Add New: Upload new media (drag-and-drop files into the window!).

Pro Tip: Rename images before uploading (e.g., “chocolate-cake.jpg” instead of “IMG_1234.jpg”) for better SEO.

4. Pages (Static Content)

• All Pages: Manage pages like Home, About, or Contact.
• Add New: Create a new page (we’ll build this in Chapter 6).

Example: Anna added an “About Me” page to share her baking journey.

5. Comments (Manage Feedback)

• All Comments: Approve, reply to, or delete comments.
• Spam: Check for spammy comments (install the Akismet plugin to reduce spam).

Pro Tip: Always reply to comments to build a loyal community!

6. Appearance (Design Your Site)

• Themes: Change your website’s design (more in Chapter 5).
• Customize: Tweak colors, fonts, and layouts (no coding needed!).
• Menus: Create navigation menus (e.g., Home, Blog, Contact).
• Widgets: Add features to sidebars/footers (e.g., recent posts).

Example: Tom used the Customizer to match his site’s colors to his brand logo.

7. Plugins (Add Superpowers to Your Site)

• Installed Plugins: View or deactivate plugins.
• Add New: Install plugins like Yoast SEO or WPForms (more in Chapter 9).

Pro Tip: Only install the plugins you need—too many can slow down your site.

8. Users (Manage People)

• All Users: See who has access (you’re the Admin by default!).
• Add New: Invite contributors, editors, or authors.

Example: Sarah added her co-writer as an “Editor” to help manage blog posts.

9. Tools (Handy Utilities)

• Import/Export: Move content between WordPress sites.
• Site Health: Check your website’s performance and security.

10. Settings (Control Your Site)

• General: Set site title, tagline, and timezone.
• Writing: Adjust default post settings.
• Reading: Choose a homepage (static page or blog).
• Permalinks: Set URL structure (use “Post Name” for SEO-friendly links).

Pro Tip: Under Permalinks, select “Post Name” so your URLs look like yourdomain.com/my-first-post instead of yourdomain.com/?p=123.

4.3 Customizing Your Site’s Look

Let’s make your website visually appealing—no coding required!

Step 1: Change Your Site Title & Tagline

1. Go to Settings → General.
2. Update Site Title (e.g., “Baking Bliss”) and Tagline (e.g., “Where Sugar Meets Creativity”).
3. Click Save Changes.

Example: Maria changed her tagline to “Healthy Recipes for Busy Families” to attract her target audience.

Step 2: Set Your Homepage

By default, WordPress shows your latest blog posts. To set a static homepage:

1. Go to Settings → Reading.
2. Under Your homepage displays, select A static page.
3. Choose a Homepage (e.g., “Welcome”) and Posts page (e.g., “Blog”).
4. Click Save Changes.

Pro Tip: Create a “Welcome” page first (we’ll cover this in Chapter 6).

4.4 Navigating the Customizer

The Customizer lets you tweak your site’s design in real-time.

How to Access the Customizer

1. Go to Appearance → Customize.
2. Explore options like:

• Site Identity: Upload a logo or favicon.
• Colors: Change background/text colors.
• Menus: Arrange your navigation bar.

Example: Tom previewed different fonts in the Customizer before settling on “Roboto” for his tech blog.

4.5 Essential Settings for Beginners

1. Permalinks (SEO-Friendly URLs)

1. Go to Settings → Permalinks.
2. Select Post Name.
3. Click Save Changes.

Why This Matters: Clean URLs like yourdomain.com/beginner-yoga-tips rank better on Google than messy ones like this yourdomain.com/?p=123.

2. Discussion Settings (Control Comments)

1. Go to Settings → Discussion.
2. Check Allow people to submit comments on new posts (if you want feedback).
3. Uncheck Allow trackbacks and pingbacks (reduces spam).

Pro Tip: Enable Comment moderation to approve comments before they go live.

4.6 Common Dashboard Mistakes to Avoid

1. Ignoring Updates: Update WordPress, themes, and plugins regularly (security!).
2. Too Many Plugins: Only install essentials (e.g., SEO, security, contact form).
3. Messy Media Library: Delete unused images to save space.

Example: John installed 20 plugins and crashed his site. He deactivated unused ones and fixed them.

Pro Tip: Bookmark this page for easy access!

4.7 Practice Time! Let’s Create a Test Post

1. Go to Posts → Add New.
2. Title: “My First Blog Post (Test)”.
3. Write a short welcome message (e.g., “Hello world!”).
4. Click Publish → Visit Post to see it live.
5. Delete it later under Posts → All Posts.

Pro Tip: Use test posts to practice formatting (headings, lists, images).

Chapter 4: Checklist

1️⃣ Logged into the WordPress dashboard.
2️⃣ Understanding the WordPress dashboard.
3️⃣ Customize your WordPress website’s look.
4️⃣ Tweaking your site’s design in real-time with Customizer.
5️⃣ Essential WordPress settings.
6️⃣ Avoiding common WordPress dashboard mistakes.
7️⃣ Creating a test post.

Next Up: In Chapter 5 (A Detailed Guide to WordPress Theme: Everything You Need to Know), you’ll learn how to choose and customize a theme to make your website look exactly how you want—no coding required!

Case Study: Lisa, a travel blogger, spent 30 minutes exploring her dashboard. She set up her homepage, changed her site’s colors, and published her first blog post—all before lunch!