When you first log into WordPress, you’ll be placed on the Dashboard. While Dashboard is the name of the initial page you see, it’s also often used to refer to the entire backend of WordPress. Let’s take a look at all the main menu items, and what you can find in each.
There are enough options that we’ll cover half of them this time, then the other half next time. Also, note that if you have any plugins installed, your menu will probably have additional items in there.
Dashboard
Home – Under this menu item, you’ll find the main overview with several widgets full of information. At a glance, you can see some stats about your website, you can quickly make an initial draft of a blog post, and you can see WordPress news and upcoming events near you.
Updates – If you’re wanting to upgrade WordPress, your plugins, or your themes, this is the place to go.
Posts
Want to manage existing blog articles, write a new one, or edit your categories and tags? All that is located under the Posts section.
Media
If you need to manage images or other files you’ve uploaded, Media is the place to do it. You can view all your files as a list or as a grid for easy access. You can also upload files here, if they don’t need to be attached to a specific Page or Post.
Pages
Need to add, edit, rearrange, or do other management tasks on the pages of your website? Any Page-related functionality is located under the Pages section.
Comments
Not surprisingly, Comments is where you go to manage all the comments people have left on your Posts or Pages, depending on what your settings and theme allows. You can edit, delete, reply, or even mark them as spam.
That’s nearly half of the functionality on the backend. Next time, we’ll take a look at the other half of the items on the Dashboard.
If you find this overwhelming and need help, I’m here for you! Contact me so we can talk about any help that you need with WordPress.
