28 Most Frequently Asked Questions by WordPress Beginners

AWC has been helping WordPress beginners since 2009. As a trusted and reliable resource, we have received numerous questions via email, comments, and DMs.

Over the years, we’ve noticed that some questions are asked more frequently than others. And many beginners struggle to find clear answers to these common queries.

In this guide, we’ve compiled the most frequently asked questions from WordPress beginners. This way, users can find answers to their common questions all in one place.

Since this is a lengthy article, we have added a table of contents for easier navigation:

Table of Contents

Getting Started

• How do I start a WordPress blog?
• How much does it cost to build a WordPress website?
• How do I make money from my WordPress site?
• Can I use WordPress without using any blog features?

WordPress Basics

• How do I install plugins in WordPress?
• Why don’t I see the Plugins menu in my admin panel?
• Which WordPress plugins should I install on my website?
• How do I select a theme for my WordPress site?
• How do I install a WordPress theme?
• How to add a blog post in WordPress?
• How to embed videos in WordPress?
• How do I show photos in rows and columns in WordPress?
• How do I add a navigation menu in WordPress?
• How do I use categories and tags in WordPress?

Once You’re Up and Running

• How do I add a contact form in WordPress?
• How do I start an online store with WordPress?
• How do I improve SEO in WordPress?
• How to deal with comment spam in WordPress?
• How do I add an email subscription to my WordPress blog?
• How do I get more email subscribers?
• How to install Google Analytics in WordPress?
• How do I find free images for my WordPress site?
• How do I create my own images to use on my WordPress site?

Troubleshooting

• Can I install WordPress on my computer?
• My WordPress site is slow. How do I speed it up?
• What should I do when locked out of the WordPress admin area?
• How to fix common WordPress errors on my own?
• How to protect my WordPress site from hackers?

1. How do I start a WordPress blog?

First, you need to make sure that you are choosing the right blogging platform for your website. Self-hosted WordPress.org is the best platform, in our opinion. It offers you the flexibility and freedom to grow your blog without any limitations.

Next, you will need to sign up for a WordPress hosting account. All websites on the internet need hosting. This will be your website’s home on the internet.

You will also need a domain name. This will be the address of your website on the internet that your users will type in their browsers to reach your site (e.g., wpbeginner.com or google.com).

We recommend using Bluehost. They are one of the largest hosting companies in the world and an official WordPress hosting partner.

Once you have signed up for a hosting account, you can go ahead and install WordPress.

For complete step-by-step instructions, see our guide on how to start a WordPress blog, and you will be up and running in minutes.

2. How much does it cost to build a WordPress website?

While WordPress itself is free, you will need a web hosting account and a domain name to use on a live website. These will cost you money.

You can get started by signing up for a shared hosting account. After that, you can use a free WordPress theme with essential free plugins to get started. This would cost you roughly around $100/year.

As your website grows, you will need more features, tools, and services to better serve your users. Some of these services and tools will cost additional money. Your goal will be to keep the costs down while offering the best experience for your users.

We have made a complete breakdown for you to look at. It shows you how much it really costs to build a WordPress site for DIY users.

3. How do I make money from my WordPress site?

There are countless ways to make money from your WordPress site. In fact, website owners are coming up with new ways to make money online from their websites every day.

Some of the most common ways to make money using WordPress include:

• Running ads with Google AdSense
• Starting an online store
• Doing affiliate marketing
• Selling pay-per-view content
• Selling online courses
• And more

Check out our list of legit ways to make money online blogging with WordPress to explore more options.

4. Can I use WordPress without using any blog features?

Yes, absolutely. Many WordPress websites are business sites that don’t use any blog-related features at all.

WordPress started as a blogging platform, but now it is a full-fledged CMS and an application framework.

You can create a website using only the pages. If you want to turn off blogging completely, then check out our tutorial on how to disable blog features in WordPress.

5. How do I install plugins in WordPress?

Plugins are like apps for your WordPress site. They allow you to add additional features to your website, like contact forms, photo galleries, and so on.

To install plugins, first, you need to visit the Plugins » Add New page in the WordPress admin area.

Next, you need to search for the plugin you are looking for by typing in keywords (like photo gallery, contact form, and so on).

If you know the name of the plugin you want to install, then you can just enter the plugin’s name.

In the search results, click on the ‘Install’ button next to the plugin that you want to install, and WordPress will install it for you.

Next, you will need to click on the ‘Activate’ button to start using the plugin.

You can also install plugins sold by third-party developers. Those plugins come as a zip file.

Head over to the Plugins » Add New Plugin page and click the ‘Upload Plugin’ button.

Next, you need to click on the ‘Choose File’ button to select the plugin zip file from your computer and then click on ‘Install now.’

For more detailed instructions, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

6. Why don’t I see the Plugins menu in my admin panel?

Most likely, you are using WordPress.com, which is a hosting service created by WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg.

It is a solid blog hosting service, but there are some limitations to using WordPress.com. One of them is that you cannot install plugins.

See our article on the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org for more details.

If you want to move your WordPress.com blog to WordPress.org, then follow the instructions in our step-by-step tutorial on how to move your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.

7. Which WordPress plugins should I install on my website?

At the time of writing this article, more than 59,000 plugins were available in the free WordPress plugins directory alone. Not all of them are great, which leads to the question of which WordPress plugins you should install on your website.

We have compiled a list of essential WordPress plugins you should install on your website.

For more plugin recommendations, you can check out our WordPress plugins section or the WPBeginner Solution Center.

8. How do I select a theme for my WordPress site?

Themes control the appearance of your WordPress site. There are thousands of free and paid WordPress themes available for every kind of website.

First, you will need to decide whether you want to use the free or premium theme. Premium WordPress themes come with support and guaranteed updates.

This does not mean that free WordPress themes are low quality. Free WordPress themes that are available on the WordPress.org theme directory go through a very rigorous review process.

For more details, see our article on the pros and cons of both free vs. premium WordPress themes.

You will also need to consider your audience, your website’s topics, compatibility with plugins, and language requirements.

In our experience, simple and cleaner layouts with lots of white space work well. They are easy on the eyes, and their minimalist design gives you the flexibility to shape them to your own requirements.

We have compiled a list of things you should consider when selecting the perfect WordPress theme for your website.

For more theme recommendations, check out our showcase section, where we regularly publish our expert pick of the best WordPress themes.

Here are some of our recent expert selections:

• Best free WordPress blog themes
• Best corporate WordPress themes for your business
• Best responsive WordPress themes
• Best WordPress themes for photographers

Choosing a WordPress theme doesn’t mean you are limited to its design and features.

Alongside your WordPress theme, you can also use a WordPress page builder plugin like SeedProd or Thrive Architect to create custom landing pages.

Can’t find a theme that you like? You can even use SeedProd to build your own custom WordPress theme (no coding required).

9. How do I install a WordPress theme?

After you have selected a theme for your website, you will need to install it.

Head over to the Appearance » Themes page in the WordPress admin area and then click on the ‘Add New Theme’ button on the top.

On the next page, you can search for a free theme from the WordPress.org theme directory.

If you already have your theme as a zip file, then click on the ‘Upload’ button to select the zip file and install it.

For more detailed instructions, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress theme for beginners.

10. How to add a blog post or page in WordPress?

By default, WordPress comes with two default content types. They are called posts and pages.

Posts are part of a blog and are displayed in reverse chronological order. Pages are static and not part of a blog.

See our guide on the difference between posts and pages.

To add a new blog post, head over to the Posts » Add New page.

To create a new page, you need to visit Pages » Add New page.

Both page and post-edit screens look similar, with minor differences.

For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to add a new blog post in WordPress while utilizing all the features.

11. How do I embed videos in WordPress?

You can directly upload videos to your WordPress site, but we always recommend against that. For more discussion on this topic, see our article on why you should never upload a video to WordPress.

Instead, you should use a video hosting service like YouTube or Vimeo. Simply upload your video to one of these services and then copy your video URL.

Come back to your WordPress site and simply paste the video URL in the post editor. WordPress will automatically fetch the embed code and display your video.

You can also use a plugin to embed video feeds, galleries, and more. See our guide on how to easily embed a video in WordPress for more details.

12. How do I show photos in rows and columns in WordPress?

By default, when you add multiple images to a WordPress post or page, they would appear right next to each other or on top of each other.

This doesn’t look so great. You can easily solve this problem by showing your photos in a grid layout with rows and columns.

For complete step-by-step instructions, see our guide on how to display WordPress photos in rows and columns.

13. How do I add a navigation menu in WordPress?

The navigation menu is a set of links that take users to different sections of your website. It usually appears on top of a website.

WordPress comes with an easy navigation menu management system. It allows you to easily create menus by adding links and displaying them on locations defined by your theme.

For complete step-by-step instructions, see our beginner’s guide on how to add a navigation menu in WordPress.

14. How do I use categories and tags in WordPress?

Categories and tags allow you to sort your content into topics. This makes it easier for you to organize content and for your users to find it.

Categories are for broader topics. You can think of them as different cabinets in a file room. They can also have sub-categories. For example, on a news website, you can have categories for national news, international news, entertainment, and op-eds.

On the other hand, tags are used for more specific topics discussed in an article. Think of them as an index of words that describe an article.

For a more detailed discussion, check out our guide on categories vs. tags and SEO best practices for sorting your content.

15. How do I add a contact form in WordPress?

A contact form allows visitors to contact you directly from your website by filling out a simple form.

By default, WordPress does not come with a built-in contact form, but there are many contact form plugins that allow you to easily create and add forms to your website.

We recommend using WPForms, which is the best WordPress contact form plugin on the market. It lets you use a simple drag-and-drop form builder to make your contact form and add it to any post or page on your website.

For detailed step-by-step instructions, see our guide on how to create a contact form in WordPress.

16. How do I start an online store with WordPress?

WordPress powers millions of eCommerce websites and online stores all over the world.

Using one of the eCommerce plugins for WordPress, you can easily add an online store to your WordPress site and sell both digital and physical goods.

To help you get started, we have created a step-by-step tutorial on how to start an online store.

17. How do I improve SEO in WordPress?

SEO or search engine optimization is a set of best practices that allow you to get more traffic to your website from search engines.

WordPress is quite SEO friendly out of the box, but there is so much more that you can do to make your website even more search engine friendly.

The easiest way to do this is by using All in One SEO for WordPress. It is the best WordPress SEO plugin on the market. It comes with a beginner-friendly setup and includes all the powerful features you’ll need to grow your business.

We have created an ultimate step-by-step WordPress SEO guide for beginners to improve your SEO like a pro.

18. How do I deal with comment spam in WordPress?

Comment spam is one of the annoying things that you will come across as your website grows. However, there are tools and tips that you can use to effectively reduce comment spam on your website.

First, you will need to install and activate the Akismet plugin. Akismet monitors your WordPress comments for spam and automatically blocks spam comments. See our Akismet 101 guide to learn more about Akismet and why you should start using it right away.

Next, you need to enable comment moderation on your WordPress site. This will ensure that all comments are manually approved before they appear live on your posts.

Head over to the Settings » Discussion and scroll down to the ‘Before a comment appears’ section. Check the box next to the ‘Comment must be manually approved’ option.

Don’t forget to click on the ‘Save Changes’ button to store your settings.

Now, whenever someone submits a comment to your WordPress site, it will go into the moderation queue. You can then go to the comments section to review and approve comments. See our guide on how to moderate comments in WordPress.

For more ways to handle comment spam, check out our list of tips and tools to combat comment spam in WordPress.

19. How do I add an email subscription to my WordPress blog?

Most users who find your website from search engines will most likely never find your website again. Email subscriptions allow you to convert those users into subscribers.

This way, your users will get the content delivered to their inbox. It helps you build a loyal audience that keeps coming back.

For complete step-by-step instructions, visit our guide on how to add email subscriptions to your WordPress blog.

20. How do I get more email subscribers?

A plain-looking email subscribe form in your sidebar is often not very noticeable. If your website is new, it can be hard to convince users to subscribe.

This is where OptinMonster comes in. It is the most popular lead generation software that allows you to capture more email subscribers on your website.

Need more ways to boost your email subscriptions? Check out these tested and easy ways to grow your email list, or head over to our ultimate guide on lead generation in WordPress.

21. How to install Google Analytics in WordPress?

Google Analytics is a free website analytics tool. It tells you what pages users are seeing on your website, where they came from, and what they did on your website.

This is just some of the basic information that you get. Google Analytics actually provides a treasure of data that helps you understand what’s working on your website and what’s not. You can then plan your strategy accordingly and improve your website.

The best way to set up Google Analytics is by using MonsterInsights. It is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress and allows you to install Google Analytics easily while making website traffic reports available right in your WordPress admin dashboard.

To learn more, see our tutorial on how to install Google Analytics in WordPress.

22. How do I find free images for my WordPress site?

Images make your website look more interesting. They are the easiest way to build user engagement and increase the time users spend on your website.

However, not all website owners are photographers or graphic designers. You can’t just download and add any image to your website. Those images are probably copyrighted and can cause you trouble in the future.

Luckily, there are thousands of artists and photographers who put their work under the free domain so that other people can use it.

We have compiled a handy list of the best sources for free public domain and CC0-licensed images. You can use these resources to find images and then use them in your posts.

23. How do I create my images to use on my WordPress site?

Sometimes, you may not be able to find a suitable image for your blog post, or maybe you want to create a custom image.

You would think that with this much technology around, there must be dozens of tools that you can use to create images without learning graphic design.

You are totally right, and we have compiled a list of the best tools to create better images for your WordPress blog posts.

24. Can I install WordPress on my computer?

Yes, you can. Many WordPress users install WordPress on their computers to test out WordPress, try plugins and themes, or build a website locally before going live.

For detailed instructions, see our guide on how to install WordPress on your computer using WAMP or MAMP for Mac users.

25. My WordPress site is slow. How do I speed it up?

No one likes slow websites, particularly Google. Slow websites are not only bad for users but also negatively affect SEO.

Luckily, it is not that hard to improve your website’s speed and performance. There are plenty of tips, tricks, and tools that will help you boost performance and make your website noticeably faster.

For complete step-by-step instructions, follow our ultimate guide to speed up WordPress.

26. What to do when I am locked out of the WordPress admin area?

Sometimes, when working on your WordPress site, you may accidentally lock yourself out of the WordPress admin area. To get back in, you will need to fix the issue that locked you out.

See our tutorial on what to do when locked out of the WordPress admin area for detailed instructions.

27. How do I fix common WordPress errors on my own?

WordPress is used by millions of people all over the world. Most likely, the errors or issues that you face have already been solved by thousands of other users.

We have compiled a handy list of the most common WordPress errors and how to fix them. You should bookmark it as it will save you a lot of time and money.

28. How do I protect my WordPress site from hackers?

WordPress powers nearly 43% of all websites on the internet. This makes it a special target for hackers, spammers, and malicious activities.

You can easily protect your site from hackers and malicious attacks by adding layers of security around your WordPress site.

Follow the instructions in our step-by-step ultimate WordPress security guide to protect your website against hackers, malware, and phishing attempts.

We hope this article answered some of the most frequently asked questions by WordPress beginners. You may also want to see these actionable tips to drive traffic to your WordPress blog and our expert picks for the fastest WordPress hosting.

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