Lesson 01: What is WordPress?
Objectives
- Understand what WordPress is and why it's the most popular CMS
- Learn the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com
- Understand the core architecture: themes, plugins, database, and wp-admin
- Know the key terminology you'll use throughout this course
What is WordPress?
WordPress is a Content Management System (CMS) — software that lets you create, manage, and publish websites without writing code from scratch. It powers over 40% of all websites on the internet, from small blogs to major enterprise sites.
Why WordPress?
- Free and open-source — no licensing costs
- No coding required for most tasks (but you can customize with code if needed)
- Massive ecosystem — thousands of themes and plugins available
- Huge community — easy to find help, tutorials, and developers
- Flexible — can build any type of website (blog, business, e-commerce, portfolio, etc.)
WordPress.org vs WordPress.com
This is a common source of confusion for beginners:
| WordPress.org | WordPress.com | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Free software you download and host yourself | A hosted service run by Automattic |
| Cost | Free software (you pay for hosting) | Free tier available, paid plans for features |
| Control | Full control — install any theme/plugin | Limited — restrictions on free/lower plans |
| Customization | Unlimited | Limited unless on expensive Business plan |
| Best for | Professional sites, client work, full flexibility | Simple personal blogs |
For your job, you'll be using WordPress.org (self-hosted). This is what professionals use and what this course teaches.
WordPress Architecture
Think of WordPress like building a house:
1. The Core (Foundation)
WordPress core is the base software. It handles:
- User management (login, roles, permissions)
- Content storage (posts, pages, media)
- The admin dashboard
- The REST API
You never modify core files. Updates are handled automatically.
2. Themes (The Look)
A theme controls how your site looks — layout, colors, fonts, styling.
- Every WordPress site has exactly one active theme
- Themes provide templates for different page types (homepage, blog post, archive, etc.)
- You can switch themes without losing your content
- We'll use Hello Elementor as our base theme (minimal, designed to work with Elementor)
3. Plugins (The Features)
Plugins add functionality to your site. Examples:
- Elementor — visual page builder (drag-and-drop design)
- WooCommerce — turns your site into an online store
- Yoast SEO — helps with search engine optimization
- Contact Form 7 — adds contact forms
You can install as many plugins as you need (but don't overdo it — too many slow your site down).
4. Database (The Storage)
WordPress uses a MySQL database to store:
- All your content (posts, pages, comments)
- User accounts and settings
- Plugin and theme settings
- Site configuration
You rarely interact with the database directly. WordPress handles it through wp-admin.
5. wp-admin (The Control Panel)
The WordPress admin dashboard (accessed at yoursite.com/wp-admin) is where you:
- Create and edit content
- Install themes and plugins
- Manage users
- Configure settings
- Everything administrative
Key Terminology
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| CMS | Content Management System — software for managing website content |
| Theme | Controls the visual appearance/layout of your site |
| Plugin | Adds specific functionality to your site |
| wp-admin | The admin dashboard (backend) of your WordPress site |
| Front-end | What visitors see when they visit your site |
| Back-end | The admin area where you manage your site |
| Post | A blog entry (displayed in reverse chronological order) |
| Page | Static content (About, Contact, Services — doesn't have a date) |
| Widget | A small block of content placed in sidebars or footers |
| Menu | Navigation links (usually in the header/footer) |
| Permalink | The permanent URL of a post or page |
| Slug | The URL-friendly version of a title (e.g., "my-first-post") |
| Media Library | Where all uploaded images, videos, and files are stored |
| Shortcode | A special tag like [gallery] that embeds functionality |
| WYSIWYG | "What You See Is What You Get" — visual editor |
How a WordPress Page Gets Displayed
When someone visits your site, here's what happens:
- Browser sends a request to your web server
- WordPress core receives the request
- It queries the database for the requested content
- The active theme provides the HTML template
- Plugins add their functionality (forms, SEO tags, etc.)
- The complete page is sent back to the browser
All of this happens in milliseconds.
Exercises
Explore WordPress.org: Visit https://wordpress.org/ and browse the Themes and Plugins directories. Get a feel for what's available.
Find 5 famous sites built with WordPress. (Hint: The White House, TechCrunch, BBC America, Sony Music, and many more use WordPress.)
Review the terminology table above. Write down any terms that are unclear — we'll cover each one in depth throughout the course.
Key Takeaways
- WordPress is a free, open-source CMS that powers 40%+ of the web
- WordPress.org (self-hosted) is what professionals use — that's what we're learning
- The architecture has 4 main parts: Core, Themes, Plugins, and Database
- wp-admin is your control panel for everything
- Themes control appearance, plugins add functionality
- You don't need to code to build professional sites with WordPress + Elementor
Next Lesson: Lesson 02 - Setting Up Local WP