Let's discuss some basic WordPress settings.
As you embark on your WordPress website journey, you'll discover a range of options located
under "Settings" at the bottom left of your dashboard.
We will delve deeper into these options at a later stage, but let's focus on a few key
settings to get your site up and running smoothly.
The learning outcomes are, setting your site title and tagline, updating your site's time
zone and choosing your homepage display.
First up, let's talk about your site's identity.
In the settings menu, you'll find "General".
These elements are not just for show.
They play a vital role in how your site appears in search engine results.
So what can you do?
Craft a compelling title and tagline that not only represents your site but also entices
visitors to open your site when they see it listed on search engines or when they visit
your site.
The site title and tagline should tell visitors what your site is about and who you are trying
to attract.
They are often among the first things visitors will notice on your site.
The title is usually the name of your site, while the tagline is a short phrase or sentence
that aims to communicate the site's main focus.
Please note, you can choose not to display your tagline, but as mentioned, search engines
pay attention to titles and taglines, which will also help you improve your site's SEO.
So remember to add your tagline even though you might decide not to display it on the
front end of your site.
Here is an example from a search engine where you don't see the tagline on the site, but
when you search for Mantis Research, you will see the site title, Mantis Research and part
of the tagline, helping marketers publish research that gets attention.
You can change your site's title and tagline below General settings, as shown in the example
here.
You can also update your site title and tagline within the Site Editor when updating your
header for example.
If you update or change the Site Title block or the Site Tagline block, it will also update
automatically below the General settings.
Next, let's discuss the time zone settings below general.
It is best if your site's time zone matches the time zone settings on your computer or
local time.
It ensures that your scheduled posts go live at the right time, and if you post content
ahead of time, you'll know exactly when it will be published.
You also have the option to select your own date format, as well as time format.
And you can even decide when you want your week to start.
Now, let's focus on the structure of your website.
In Reading, Under settings, you have the power to decide what visitors see when they land
on your site.
Do you want a dynamic homepage that showcases your latest posts, or perhaps a static page?
The choice is yours.
By default WordPress displays a list of posts on the homepage of your site.
This list of posts is automatically updated as soon as new posts are published.
Also, there is no need to create any page to have a homepage with your latest posts.
You might be asking, so where do I edit this homepage that displays my latest posts?
This homepage is displayed via your blog home template.
So, if you have selected your latest posts as your homepage display, you can make your
way to Appearance and click on Editor.
This will open up your Site Editor, and on the right, by default, your blog home template
will appear.
To open it up, merely click on it, and now you can start editing your homepage template
that displays your posts via the Query Loop block.
You can edit and customize your homepage right here.
But if you prefer to have a static homepage, you can go ahead and make your way to pages,
and then create a homepage, as well as a page for posts, in this case my blog page.
And then you can go ahead and create any other pages that you want on your site.
You can head back to the dashboard, select Settings, Reading, and then next to your homepage
displays, activate using a static page.
And then select one of the pages you created as your homepage or front page, and then below
that, you can also select another page to display your dynamic posts or blog, for example.
When you select a static page, your homepage will automatically be assigned to the default
page template.
Let's make our way to pages to see this in action.
When I open my static homepage, and then open up my setting sidebar, we will notice, on
the right, next to template, it says that this page has been assigned to the page template
or the default template.
That means that your static homepage and other pages that have been assigned to this
default template will share the same template, or in other words, the same header and footer.
So if you wanted to update the header and the footer and the structure for this page,
you do it in the template.
But you of course head back to your homepage to start adding content and building your
homepage from here using blocks.
And when you edit your posts page, you will notice at the top it says you are currently
editing the page that shows your latest posts.
And once again, your blog page has been assigned to the blog home template.
And please take note, you will build your entire blog page within the blog home template
and leave this page empty.
Configuring the basic WordPress settings correctly is essential for your site's functionality
and appearance.
And as mentioned, we will look at more settings further down the line.