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An Overview of the WordPress Dashboard and Settings

An Overview of the WordPress Dashboard and Settings

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One of the biggest benefits WordPress offers to its users is its Dashboard, an intuitive content management system that makes it easier for you to manage your site, even if you do not have any web development experience. The WordPress dashboard and settings are simple enough to navigate, and you can use this post as reference until you get really comfortable with it.

Your Dashboard allows you to accomplish a lot of different tasks, from adding a new blog post to changing up the layout of your website and installing new plugins and features. Today, however, we are going to focus specifically on the settings you have in your Dashboard, which people new to WordPress often pass up accidentally.

Below is a list of the default options in the Settings tab, and a bit about what you can do with each of them.

General

Under the “General” tab you can edit your site title, email address, WordPress address and website date and time (and date and time format). The “General” tab also includes an option to have a membership feature on your site, which allows anyone to register. Only use this option if you have a clear purpose for membership established already.

Writing

In the “Writing” tab, you can set default options for your posts, such as the category in which posts will go if you do not set a custom category. You can also choose a default post format. Most of the time that default format will be “standard,” but depending on the look and functionality of your site, you might decide to go with something else. These default settings will help you save time when you write.

Reading

The “Reading” section allows you to further customize the site experience for your visitors. You can choose whether you want your blog to appear on your homepage, or on a blog-specific page on your site. You can also customize how many blog posts appear per page, and whether people will see the full article or just a summary.

Media

The “Media” section allows you to set your default options for what happens when you upload images. Most of the time people keep the standard settings, but you might want to play around with some of the options just to see what options you have.

Discussion

In the “Discussion” section, you can set the notifications you and others will receive on posts. If, for example, someone links to a specific post or page on your site, you could receive a notification. The Discussion section also allows you to turn comments or comment approval on or off.

Sharing

Once you have connected your website to Jetpack, you can connect your social media profiles. This means when you publish a post, you can set it so you automatically publish a message with the URL to your new post on your social media platforms.

Permalinks

How do you want your URLs for each blog to be structured? For SEO purposes, it is highly recommended you choose one that includes the post title.


Getting familiar with the WordPress dashboard and settings will ultimately help you provide the best experience to your users. Before you begin creating content, make sure you have perused your settings and have set up your website according to your wishes.

An Overview of the WordPress Dashboard and Settings // Conroy Creative Counsel
An Overview of the WordPress Dashboard and Settings // Conroy Creative Counsel
An Overview of the WordPress Dashboard and Settings // Conroy Creative Counsel
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I'm Karin Conroy

Founder of Conroy Creative Counsel, an award-winning recognized leader that has cracked the code of smart, sophisticated, and strategic marketing for law firms.

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