For most of the users who are using WordPress for the first time, the Dashboard may seem complicated as compared to their previous CMS.
In this case, until you learn how to use WordPress interface fluently, you wouldn’t be able to proceed with standard procedures.
In this article, we are going to address dashboard importance, functionality, and the way you should be using Word_Press dashboard as a beginner.
What is Dashboard in WordPress?
A WordPress dash-board refers to the home area, screen, feed or page after you have logged into WordPress. The dashboard, in other words, is a collection of managerial features to manage a WordPress-based website with a point-and-click user interface.
Here is the screenshot of the WordPress dash board after you have logged into WordPress.
In the WordPress dashboard, each option is made for its specific purpose. Once you land on a page, you can see the respective options for the purpose under consideration.
What does the WordPress dashboard teach a Beginner?
1. WordPress interface inner dash board provides a pack of point and click options to proceed with WordPress management. Having that clarified, you don’t need to learn how to code to use a specific option in the WordPress dashboard.
2. In the WordPress dashboard, you can control how you manage your site’s content, including pages, posts, and media files such as audio, video, and images. This doesn’t mean however, that you can also control the back-end of WordPress, such as values stored in the site’s dashboard. It means, that if you want to handle database values inside the WordPress dashboard, you can certainly do so with plugins in WordPress.
3. WordPress dashboard provides separate pages for every feature. For example, there is a separate page for all pages in WordPress, similarly, you can find all the posts on the Posts page. In the same manner, media files are stored and available on its page, called Media.
4. WordPress dashboard helps you upload and use multiple themes for your website. In this case, the Appearance ->Themes page helps you upload WordPress themes right in the dashboard. Once you have uploaded a theme, you can activate and use a particular theme with point-and-click options.
5. In the WordPress dashboard, plugins are some scripts or pieces of software that extend the functionality of your WordPress website. While they help you speed up your site, you can fall into the trap if you excessively use the features of installing WordPress plugins in Dashboard. More plugins always result in a slow site speed.
6. The Users page helps site owners create and manage users in WordPress. Here, you can create, edit, or update existing or new users with a point and click user interface. Users are people who have access controls on your site, based on their user privileges.
7. The Settings page hosts multiple options to manage your site’s settings, such as permalink structure, comments, media, and general settings. Here, most of the options directly affect your site’s performance and are subject to be used with caution.
8. If you have installed various plugins, you can also see dedicated menus of plugins in the WordPress dash_board. For example, after you have installed the WordFence plugin for security, you can see its dedicated menu in the Word-Press dashboard.
9. Right in the Dashboard view, you can see different content snippets on the screen. This means you can display or hide different snippets to show various aspects of a WordPress site, such as the number of pages and posts in WordPress, changing the color scheme, or hide the login URL for security purposes.
10. WordPress internal board also provides the option to create content categories and tags. In this case, categories and tags help site owners group various types of content. Categories and Tags also help readers understand the nature of specific content, page, or post.
While the WP dashboard view may provide different options from site to site, the basic interface lists the above options, characteristics, and rules for every WordPress website.
Final Thoughts
WP ((dash-board)) helps beginners create and manage their WordPress-based websites. Not only point and click options, but also WordPress supports various plugins for improved performance.
Once you have installed WordPress, you can proceed to make changes right away. Don’t forget to test out things on a staging website if you are not sure what you are doing in the WordPress (dash-board).
For more information on WordPress, its security and performance, read our knowledge base for more in-depth tutorials and suggestions.
