WordPress: An Introduction
WordPress is a content-management system (CMS) that allows people without any web or coding experience to build attractive, professional-looking websites. This guide is intended to help new WordPress users get started building their first website.
Learn How To…
Create a New WordPress Site
St. Lawrence University students, faculty, and staff can create a free WordPress site by visiting St. Lawrence University Sites and logging in with your SLU credentials.
The Site Name you choose will also become part of its URL. This is very hard to change, so choose carefully. If in doubt, we recommend a site name that is either based on your name, an affiliated class or project, or a combination.
Please note that for some classes or projects, your site may already be created for you. In those cases, follow your instructor’s instructions for accessing that site.
Note that all sites created on St. Lawrence University Sites are private by default. This means that you and your instructor can view the content, but users who don’t have a SLU login won’t be able to view it. That said, site administrators have access to view all of your content, so create responsibly.
You’ll start from the Dashboard view of your new site. Before you start to build your site, we recommend you change the following settings for maximum design control and flexibility.
First, go to the Appearance tab and select Themes.
Next, activate the Kadence theme.
Then, from the Plugins tab, activate the Kadence Blocks plugin.
Design and Publish Your First Page or Post
Page or Post?
In WordPress you can create and publish your content using one of two main pre-made formats: page or post. Your site might end up being primarily one or the other formats, or a mix of the two.
- Page — Ideal for stand-alone, “static” content such as a Home page or About Me page.
- Post — Ideal for reoccurring content such as articles, journal entries, or blog posts.
If you’re working on a class website or project and you’re unsure whether to create Pages or Posts, ask your instructor.
Did you make a post instead of a page (or vice versa)? Maybe you started working on the site and then realized the other option was a better fit? Don’t worry! You can easily copy and paste your content into a new post or page.
Want to learn how to design a home page? Or how to set up the home page so it doesn’t look like a blog? Try these advanced tips.
Use Advanced (Kadence) Blocks
Whether you create a post or a page, you’ll always start with a blank canvas. You’ll fill that canvas by selecting different “blocks” that allow you to arrange, design, and customize your content.
You can view the short menu of block options by clicking on the black plus-sign button. Then click “Browse all” to see all block options.
You can also view all block options by clicking on the blue plus-sign button in the top left-hand corner of your editing window.
Whenever possible, use the blue blocks that appear at the top of the block list. These blocks offer more design options than the regular WordPress (black) blocks you’ll see if you scroll down in the block list.
If you don’t see the blue Kadence blocks when you go to the Block Inserter, double check that you activated Kadence Blocks.)
Block comparison: These blocks appear similar, and both allow you to add images to your site. But the blue Kadence block is an advanced block that offers many more design options and settings than the regular WordPress block. Use the blue Kadence blocks whenever possible.
To view all blocks you’ve added to your site, click on the three-lines icon in the upper lefthand corner of your editing window. This will display the Document Overview: a handy drag-and-drop tool for selecting, moving, copying, deleting, and otherwise manipulating your blocks.
Add Columns with the Row Layout Block
Web pages are more appealing when the content is thoughtfully arranged. Avoid adding blocks (text, image, etc.) in one long column that requires your reader to endlessly scroll. Instead, add columns so you can more intentionally arrange your content.
Once you select the Row Layout block, you next choose how many sections (columns) you want to include in the row. The image belows shows a two-column selection, where two blocks of content (e.g., text and image, two images, etc.) can be placed side by side in columns of equal width.
The image below shows the two-column selection in action, where two blocks of content (in this case, two images) are placed side by side in columns of equal width (or they will appear stacked if viewed on mobile):
Note: To change the background color (as in this example), select the Row Layout block that contains your content, ensure the Settings menu is open (upper righthand corner of your editing window), and go to the Style tab. If you have trouble selecting the Row Layout block, open the Document Overview (button with three horizontal lines in the top lefthand corner of your editing window). This handy view allows you to view blocks you’ve added, to reorganize them by clicking and dragging, and to copy and paste them using basic copy-and-paste keystrokes.
Add a Featured Image
We recommend adding a Featured Image to your posts, which will serve as the thumbnail image associated with the post. The Featured Image should fit thematically with your content and will ideally be an image you have permission to use (see Image Best Practices for more information).
To add a Featured Image, ensure the Settings menu is open (upper righthand corner of your editing window—highlighted in black below). With the Post tab selected, click “Set featured image” and upload your desired image.
To change the aspect ratio, position, or width of your Featured Image, go to the Customize menu (top left of editing window), Posts/Pages Layout, Single Post Layout, and scroll down to make changes (and preview any changes). Remember to Save/Publish any changes you want to keep. Note that any changes you make here will affect how your Featured Images display across ALL posts.
Save Often and Publish
You should “Save draft” (upper righthand corner) and view your changes frequently. Your WordPress skills will improve the more you experiment with the block settings and evaluate the results. Saving also keeps your hard work from disappearing should something unexpected occur.
When you’re ready to Publish, hit the blue button in the upper righthand corner of your editing window.
Image Best Practices
Keep the following tips in mind:
- Choose images that are high quality with a high enough resolution to be displayed on your site without pixelating. For example, for a full-width hero image that stretches across your homepage, choose an image that is at least 1920 x 1080 pixels (16:9 aspect ratio).
- Ideally, only upload images you have permission to use. If your site is for a class, check with your instructor about specific image guidelines.
- Include short alt text (alternative text) for images, which is a short description of the image that can be read by screen-reading software. This is particularly important for any WordPress site that you hope to one day make public.
- Image captions help users understand your content and where it comes from. Don’t forget to include them.
Advanced Tips
Coming soon!
Questions?
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