WordPress offers a wide range of options for customizing the appearance and functionality of your site. Editing a WordPress website can seem daunting if you’re new to the platform, but with the right guidance, it becomes a straightforward task. WordPress offers a user-friendly interface and a range of tools that allow you to customize your site to fit your needs. This guide will explore popular approaches on how to edit WordPress websites, including theme customization and content editing.
What You Need to Edit a WordPress Site
Before you begin, ensure you have the following:
✔The WordPress admin URL (e.g., yourwebsite.com/wp-admin/)
✔Admin login credentials
✔Gutenberg or the WordPress Classic Editor installed
✔A page builder for front-end editing (if desired)
With these ready, open the admin URL and log in to your WordPress dashboard.
How to Log Into WordPress
Go to your WordPress login page (typically yourwebsite.com/wp-admin/).
Enter your username or email address and password.
In some cases, you might be able to log in directly through your WordPress hosting dashboard.
Upon successful login, you’ll be directed to your WordPress dashboard.
WordPress Dashboard
The WordPress Dashboard is your primary interface for editing your site if you’re not using a front-end page builder. Here, you can manage and customize your website content and settings.
Understanding the Basics of Website Management
Before you start editing your website, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with some core concepts:
1. Dashboard
This is your central hub for managing and controlling your website. The dashboard provides access to various administrative tools and settings, allowing you to oversee and modify different aspects of your site, such as content, appearance, and user management.
2. Posts
These are the individual entries or articles you publish on your blog. Posts are typically organized by date and categories, allowing you to share timely updates, news, or insights with your audience. They usually appear in reverse chronological order and are ideal for dynamic content that changes frequently.
3. Pages
Unlike posts, pages are designed for static content that doesn’t change often. Common examples include the About Us, Contact, and Services pages. Pages provide essential information about your business or organization and are usually structured in a way that remains constant over time, serving as foundational elements of your website.
4. Themes
Themes determine the visual design and layout of your website. They control how your site looks, including the color scheme, fonts, and overall layout. A theme sets the aesthetic tone and user experience of your site, and you can often customize themes to better fit your branding and functional needs.
5. Plugins
These are additional software components that you can install to extend the functionality of your website. Plugins can add a wide range of features, from improved SEO tools and social media integration to advanced analytics and security measures. They allow you to customize your site’s capabilities without needing extensive coding knowledge.
6. Widgets
Widgets are modular components that allow you to add specific content or functionality to designated areas of your site, such as sidebars, footers, or other widget-ready zones. They offer a flexible way to improve the site’s layout with elements like recent posts, popular articles, custom text, search bars, or calendar events. Widgets can be dragged and dropped into place through the WordPress Customizer or Widgets screen, and their settings can often be adjusted to fit your needs.
7. Media Library
The Media Library is a centralized repository within your site where all uploaded files, including images, videos, audio files, and documents, are stored and managed. From here, you can view, edit, and organize these media files, as well as insert them into posts, pages, or other site content. The Media Library also offers tools for editing images (like cropping or resizing) and provides metadata information for each file, aiding in effective content management.
8. Menus
Menus are used to create and manage the navigation structure of your site. They allow you to organize and display links to your site’s pages, posts, categories, or custom links in a user-friendly manner. Menus can be customized to appear in various locations on your site, such as the primary navigation bar, footer, or header. You can arrange menu items through a drag-and-drop interface and create hierarchical structures with sub-menus for better navigation.
9. Users and Roles
Users are individuals who have access to your website’s admin area. Each user can be assigned a specific role, which determines their level of access and capabilities. Common roles include:
🔹️Administrator
Has full control over the site, including access to all settings, themes, plugins, and user management.
🔹️Editor
Can manage and publish posts and pages, as well as moderate comments and manage categories and tags.
🔹️Author
Can write, edit, and publish their posts but cannot modify posts by other users or manage site settings.
🔹️Contributor
Can write and edit their posts but cannot publish them. They require an Editor or Administrator to review and publish their content.
🔹️Subscriber
Typically only have access to their profile and can view content.
How to edit WordPress Website
#1. Editing a WordPress Page or Post
With the latest WordPress update, you’ll likely use the Gutenberg block editor for editing pages or posts.
To create a new page, navigate to Pages > Add New.
This will open a blank page in the block editor. To edit an existing page, such as the homepage or blog page, go to Pages > All Pages, hover over the desired page, and click Edit.
Alternatively, you can use the Quick Edit feature to adjust the page’s title, URL slug, last modified date, and other settings like password protection, privacy, parent page assignment, page template, comments, and status.
To create a new post, go to Posts > Add New to open a blank post in the block editor.
For editing an existing post, hover over it in the Posts list and select Edit.
Quick Edit for posts allows you to add tags, manage pings, and set the post as sticky (featured).
In the block editor, start by clicking the ‘+’ button to add new blocks. You can drag and drop blocks into the editing area and use the block toolbar and settings sidebar to adjust styles, dimensions, padding, margins, and spacing.
Plugins may add additional settings below the editing interface, such as SEO options with the All in One SEO plugin, where you can optimize meta titles and descriptions.
#2. Editing a WordPress Website Using Elementor
Elementor is a popular page builder for WordPress, known for its drag-and-drop interface and extensive features. To use Elementor:
1. Install Elementor
Go to Plugins > Add New
Search for Elementor,
Install and activate it.
2. Edit with Elementor
For a new post or page, go to Posts > Add New or Pages > Add New, then click Edit with Elementor to launch the Elementor editor.
Elementor’s drag-and-drop interface allows you to choose containers and elements, and then customize them. The free version is strong, but Elementor Pro offers advanced features.
To change the site logo or header, click the top-left icon (three horizontal lines), go to Site Settings, and update the logo and site name. Customize your header by replacing elements in your starter site or using new containers.
#3. Editing the Header, Footer, and Menu in WordPress
Currently, editing the header in Gutenberg requires Full Site Editing, which we’ll cover. For now, to customize your header, locate your theme’s header builder. For example, with the Blocksy theme, go to Appearance > Customize.
You can also access customization via the top bar on your site. Click Customize to open the customization menu.
To use the header builder, select Header from the menu.
The builder supports drag-and-drop for arranging elements into three rows: top, main, and bottom. Click any element to customize it, such as changing your site logo by selecting the Logo element.
To edit your menu, return to the WordPress dashboard and go to Appearance > Menus.
Here you can create new menus, add items like posts and pages, and choose menu display locations.
After updating your menu, check your site to ensure the changes appear correctly. If not, revisit the header builder and adjust the menu settings.
For footer customization, Blocksy uses a similar builder as the header.
Click Footer to access the footer builder. Like the header, you can drag and drop elements, add widgets, and use Gutenberg blocks for design. Manage widgets from Appearance > Widgets.
#4. Customizing Your Theme
To change your site’s appearance:
1. Go to Themes: Go to Appearance > Themes.
2. Open the Customizer: Hover over the active theme and click Customize.
3. Make Changes: Adjust site identity, colors, fonts, and visual elements.
4. Publish: Click Publish to save changes.
Managing Widgets
To manage widgets:
1. Access Widgets: Go to Appearance > Widgets.
2. Add or Arrange Widgets: Drag widgets into areas like sidebars or footers and configure their settings.
3. Save Changes: Click Save to apply your widget settings.
Adding and Managing Plugins
To extend functionality with plugins:
1. View Plugins: Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
2. Install New Plugins: Click Add New, find a plugin, click Install Now, and then Activate.
3. Configure Plugins: Adjust settings under the plugin’s menu or the general settings area.
Adjusting Settings
To modify site-wide settings:
1. Open Settings: Click Settings in the sidebar.
2. Configure Settings: Adjust options for General, Reading, Discussion, and more.
3. Save Changes: Click Save Changes to apply your updates.
Editing a WordPress Site Using Full Site Editor
Full Site Editing (FSE) allows comprehensive site customization, including headers, footers, and templates. To access FSE, go to Appearance > Editor.
When you enter the Site Editor, you’ll see: A panel of options on the left, which is described below.
Your website’s homepage is on the right, as set in your Reading Settings.
Clicking anywhere on the right side will open the editor and hide the left sidebar
.
The left sidebar offers the following options:
▪️Navigation
Manage your site’s navigation menus.
▪️Styles
Customize colors, fonts, and other design elements.
▪️Pages
Edit the content of individual pages.
▪️Templates
Modify the structural layout of your site’s content.
▪️Patterns
Adjust smaller elements of your templates (like headers and footers) and patterns you’ve created.
Your homepage is displayed to the right of these options. Click in this area to close the left sidebar and open the editor for your homepage.
Select and edit your header or footer directly. Upload a logo by clicking the logo block, customize the menu from its settings, and use the Styles tab to adjust the global site design.
Regular Backups
It’s essential to back up your site before implementing major changes. Tools like UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy can help you create backups to protect your website from potential problems.
Conclusion
Editing a WordPress site involves managing the dashboard, customizing pages and posts, handling themes and plugins, and adjusting site settings. Understanding these processes will help you effectively update and maintain your site. Regular updates and backups are crucial for keeping your site functional and secure as you make changes.
