Among various content management systems, WordPress is a popular choice due to its user-friendly interface and flexibility.

But having a WordPress site is just the beginning. Optimizing it for search engine visibility is a crucial step toward ensuring your content reaches the right audience.

In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the key strategies and plugins that can significantly enhance your WordPress website's SEO, enabling it to rank higher on search engine results pages and attract more organic traffic.

1. On-Page SEO Optimization

On-Page SEO Optimization holds paramount importance for WordPress sites as it lays the foundation for higher search engine rankings, improved user experience, and increased organic traffic.

By meticulously crafting high-quality content, targeting relevant keywords, and optimizing meta tags, WordPress websites become more discoverable by search engines, ensuring that the right audience finds and engages with the content.

Using the proper heading tags, multimedia elements, and logical site structure not only enhances readability for users but also provides search engines with valuable information about the content's relevance and context.

On-Page SEO is the fundamental step that sets the stage for successful online visibility, enabling WordPress sites to establish their authority, credibility, and competitiveness in an ever-expanding digital landscape.

Keyword Research and Analysis

Effective SEO begins with thorough keyword research and Google competitors analysis. Identify the relevant keywords that resonate with your content and target audience.

Utilize SEO tools such as Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to uncover high-volume and low-competition keywords. These keywords will serve as the foundation for your content creation and optimization efforts.

High-Quality Content Creation

Compelling, informative, and unique content is the cornerstone of SEO success. Craft articles, blog posts, and other content that addresses your audience's needs and interests. Utilize proper heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to structure your content logically. Engage your readers with multimedia elements like images, videos, and infographics.

At Camp Media, we use an SEO playbook, which involves all of these factors and allows us to be consistent with the process and outsource our best practices to new members of the team.

Optimizing Meta Tags

Meta tags are the first interaction users have with your content in search results.

Write enticing title tags that encapsulate the essence of your content while incorporating target keywords. Craft concise and relevant meta descriptions that encourage users to click through to your website. Also, use meta robots tags to control how search engines crawl and index your pages.

2. Technical SEO Enhancement

Technical SEO is a vital aspect for WordPress sites, serving as the backbone that supports optimal performance and user experience while ensuring search engines can effectively crawl, index, and rank the website's content.

A fast-loading website, facilitated by caching plugins and image optimization, not only keeps users engaged but also aligns with search engines' preference for responsive and swift sites, leading to higher rankings.

Mobile responsiveness is no longer an option but a requirement, as search engines prioritize mobile-friendly websites.

Implementing SSL certificates for HTTPS encryption not only enhances user trust but is also recognized as a ranking factor by search algorithms.

Overall, Technical SEO Enhancement guarantees that the technical infrastructure of a WordPress site is robust, efficient, and aligned with search engine guidelines. This ultimately contributes to improved visibility, higher search rankings, and a seamless user experience.

To make your website error-free, you can opt for a professional SEO services so that experts with technical SEO knowledge can quickly set your site up for success.

Website Speed and Performance

Website loading speed is a critical factor for both user experience and SEO. Use caching plugins such as WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache to reduce loading times. Optimize images by compressing them without sacrificing quality. Minimize server response time by choosing a reliable hosting provider.

Mobile Responsiveness

Mobile-friendliness is no longer optional – it's a necessity. Ensure your WordPress theme is responsive, adapting seamlessly to various screen sizes.

Responsive themes provide an optimal user experience on both desktop and mobile devices. Test your site's mobile usability to identify and fix any issues.

SSL and Website Security

Website security is not only important for user trust but also for SEO. Implementing an SSL certificate to enable HTTPS on your site not only encrypts data transmission but is also considered a ranking factor by search engines.

Regularly audit your website's security measures and apply updates to prevent vulnerabilities.

3. User Experience and Accessibility

User Experience (UX) and Accessibility are of paramount importance for WordPress sites as they directly impact how visitors interact with and perceive the content.

A well-designed and intuitive site structure ensures that users can easily navigate through the website, finding the information they need without frustration.

By implementing breadcrumb trails, clear navigation menus, and logical URLs, WordPress sites create a user-friendly environment that encourages longer visits and reduces bounce rates. Also, optimizing for accessibility through features like descriptive alt text for images and semantic HTML ensures that all users, including those with disabilities, can access and understand the content.

Not only does this demonstrate inclusivity and social responsibility, but it also aligns with search engines' emphasis on providing valuable and accessible content to a wide range of users.

Ultimately, prioritizing User Experience and Accessibility within a WordPress site contributes to improved engagement, better search engine rankings, and a positive online reputation.

Intuitive Site Structure

A clear and intuitive site structure improves user experience and SEO. Ensure your navigation is logical and user-friendly. Create a URL structure that reflects the hierarchy of your content. Implement breadcrumbs to help users understand their location within your site and navigate back easily.

Accessibility Optimization

Design your website with accessibility in mind. Ensure your content is accessible to users with disabilities by using semantic HTML. Provide descriptive alt text for images and multimedia to assist screen readers.

Following accessibility guidelines not only benefits users but also enhances your site's search engine visibility.

4. Link Building and Off-Page SEO

Link Building and Off-Page SEO play a pivotal role in enhancing the authority, credibility, and visibility of WordPress sites in the vast digital landscape.

By acquiring high-quality backlinks from reputable and relevant sources, these websites garner validation from external sources, signaling to search engines that their content is trustworthy and valuable.

Engaging in ethical link building practices, such as guest posting, influencer collaborations, and industry partnerships, not only establishes connections within the online community but also drives referral traffic and expands the site's reach.

Social media integration further amplifies the distribution of content, leading to increased engagement and potentially generating more inbound links.

Recognizing that search algorithms consider external signals as a measure of a site's authority, Link Building and Off-Page SEO contribute to higher search rankings, expanded online visibility, and a broader audience reach for WordPress sites.

Creating High-Quality Backlinks

Backlinks from authoritative and relevant sources signal to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy. Once acquired, it's also crucial to ensure you get backlinks indexed for them to contribute effectively to your SEO.

Focus on earning backlinks naturally through strategies like guest posting on reputable websites, collaborating with influencers, and participating in industry forums. Avoid questionable practices like buying links or engaging in link farms, as they can lead to penalties.

Social Media Integration

Social media plays a significant role in amplifying your content's reach and engagement. Share your articles, blog posts, and other content on various social media platforms (Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Facebook's new Threads).

Encourage users to share and engage with your content by adding social sharing buttons to your site. While social signals are not direct ranking factors, increased engagement can indirectly influence SEO.

5. Essential SEO Plugins for WordPress

Essential SEO plugins are a cornerstone for optimizing WordPress sites. They offer an array of tools and functionalities that simplify and streamline the complex process of SEO.

Plugins like Yoast SEO and All in One SEO Pack provide invaluable insights and guidance for on-page optimization, ensuring that content is well-structured, keyword-optimized, and equipped with compelling meta tags.

These plugins facilitate the creation of XML sitemaps and breadcrumbs, enabling search engines to efficiently crawl and index the site's content.

Also, caching plugins like WP Super Cache and W3 Total Cache significantly enhance website speed and performance, critical factors for both user experience and search engine rankings.

By integrating these essential plugins, WordPress sites not only save time and effort but also benefit from a comprehensive approach to SEO that contributes to higher visibility, increased organic traffic, and a more competitive online presence.

Yoast SEO

Yoast SEO is a widely-used plugin that offers a comprehensive set of tools for on-page optimization. It helps you optimize content by providing real-time analysis of your focus keyword usage, readability, and meta tags. Configure XML sitemaps and breadcrumbs to enhance search engine crawling and user navigation.

All in One SEO Pack

Similar to Yoast SEO, the All in One SEO Pack plugin provides features for optimizing your content's meta tags, title tags, and meta descriptions. Configure settings for title templates, meta tags, and more. The plugin also offers advanced features suitable for experienced users who want more control over their SEO settings.

WP Super Cache and W3 Total Cache

As previously mentioned, these caching plugins are essential for enhancing website speed and performance. They create static versions of your pages, reducing server load and improving loading times.

Set up browser caching and object caching to further enhance speed. Minimizing database queries also contributes to a smoother user experience.

6. Monitoring and Continuous Improvement

Monitoring and continuous improvement are essential practices for maintaining the effectiveness and relevance of WordPress sites in the dynamic online landscape.

Regularly tracking key metrics through tools like Google Analytics provides insights into user behavior, site performance, and traffic sources. This data-driven approach enables webmasters to identify trends, understand user preferences, and refine content strategies accordingly.

Google Search Console offers invaluable information about how search engines index and rank the site, allowing for swift identification and resolution of any issues that might affect visibility.

As search algorithms evolve and user expectations change, the ability to adapt is crucial. By consistently monitoring and analyzing data, WordPress sites can ensure they remain aligned with best practices. Ongoing improvements based on insights gleaned from these tools can lead to enhanced user experience, sustained search engine visibility, and continued success in a competitive digital landscape.

Google Analytics Integration

Google Analytics provides invaluable insights into your website's performance, user behavior, and traffic sources. Monitor key metrics such as page views, bounce rates, and user demographics. Analyze this data to refine your content strategy and identify areas for improvement.

Google Search Console

Google Search Console is a powerful tool for monitoring your website's indexing status and search performance. Submit XML sitemaps to ensure search engines crawl and index your content efficiently. Regularly review the index coverage report to identify potential issues and address crawl errors promptly.

Conclusion

In conclusion, optimizing your WordPress website for search engine visibility is a multifaceted endeavor. It involves a combination of on-page and technical SEO strategies, user experience enhancements, link building efforts, and the integration of essential plugins.

By implementing these strategies and leveraging the power of SEO plugins, you'll be well-equipped to improve your website's ranking on search engine results pages and attract a steady flow of organic traffic.

Remember that SEO is an ongoing process, requiring continuous monitoring, adaptation, and improvement to stay ahead in the ever-evolving digital landscape.

In the fast-paced and competitive online world, optimizing your WordPress website for search engine visibility is not just a choice – it's a necessity.

This comprehensive guide has explored the key strategies and plugins that can significantly enhance your website's SEO, leading to higher rankings, increased organic traffic, and improved user engagement.

By focusing on on-page optimization, technical enhancements, user experience, link building, and utilizing essential SEO plugins, you're setting your website up for success in the digital realm.

Again, remember that SEO is not a one-time task but an ongoing process. The algorithms that search engines use to rank websites are continually evolving, and staying ahead requires dedication and adaptability.

This means you'll need to regularly monitor your website's performance, analyze user behavior, and stay informed about the latest SEO trends and updates. By consistently fine-tuning your strategies, you can ensure your WordPress website remains competitive and visible in search engine results.

Whether you're a seasoned webmaster or a novice WordPress user, the insights shared in this guide provide a solid foundation for optimizing your website and driving meaningful results.

By implementing the practices outlined here, you're not just enhancing your search engine visibility – you're creating a better online experience for your users, fostering trust, and ultimately achieving your goals in the digital landscape.

So, roll up your sleeves, implement these strategies, and watch as your WordPress website climbs the ranks, attracting more organic traffic and achieving the success it deserves.

As a travel company specializing in dreamy honeymoon destinations, it was crucial for us to showcase our hotels and destinations in a user-friendly and visually appealing way.

ACF and CPTs proved to be the perfect solution for achieving our goal of providing an immersive and personalized experience for our users.

Creating a custom post type for both Destinations and Hotels allowed us to easily categorize these specific types of content. Advanced Custom Fields allowed us to enrich the Custom Post Types with specific metadata that can be dynamically displayed throughout the website.

Example of Honeymoons.com using a Custom Post Type, Custom Template, and ACF to display hotel information.

What Are Custom Post Types?

WordPress Custom Post Types are a powerful feature that allows you to extend the default functionality of WordPress beyond the standard posts and pages. They enable you to create and manage different types of content, each with its own set of attributes and functionalities.

Custom Post Types are essential for organizing and presenting specific content types, such as products, portfolio items, testimonials, events, recipes, and more in a structured and efficient manner.

By default, WordPress comes with two main post types:

Posts

These are standard blog posts that are typically displayed in reverse chronological order on the blog page.

Pages

These are static pages that are typically used for static content like About Us, Contact Us, or a Privacy Policy page.

However, when you need to create content that doesn't fit into the default post or page structure, Custom Post Types come into play.

You can register your custom post types with their own set of attributes, taxonomies, and template files. This allows you to manage and present diverse content in a more organized and user-friendly manner.

For instance, on honeymoons.com, we created a Custom Post Type called "Destinations" to showcase honeymoon destinations.

To create Custom Post Types, you can either write custom code using the register_post_type() function or use plugins that make the process more user-friendly, like "Custom Post Type UI" or "Toolset Types."

WordPress comes with functionality to easily configure the post types to your specific needs by updating the functions.php file within your theme.

The specific code we used to create the Destinations post type is here:

//Destinations register_post_type('destination', // Register Custom Post Type array( 'labels' => array( 'name' => ('Destinations', 'destination'), // Rename these to suit 'singular_name' => ('Destination', 'html5blank'), ), 'public' => true, 'hierarchical' => true, // Allows your posts to behave like Hierarchy Pages 'has_archive' => false, 'menu_icon' => 'dashicons-palmtree', 'show_in_nav_menus' => true, 'supports' => array( 'title', 'editor', 'excerpt', 'revisions', 'page-attributes', 'thumbnail' ), // Go to Dashboard Custom HTML5 Blank post for supports 'rewrite' => array ( 'slug' => '/destinations', 'with_front' => false, 'hierarchical' => true ), 'can_export' => true, // Allows export in Tools > Export 'taxonomies' => array( 'experiences', 'regions' ) // Add Category and Post Tags support */ ));

These Custom Post Types will appear in the wp-admin sidebar with your Posts and Pages:

Custom Post Types have become an essential tool for developers and content creators, as they offer the flexibility to tailor WordPress websites to specific needs, making it a versatile and robust content management system.

What are Advanced Custom Fields for WordPress?

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) is a popular WordPress plugin that enhances the content creation and management experience by providing a user-friendly interface for adding custom fields to posts, pages, and custom post types. It allows website developers and content creators to easily extend the default WordPress post editor with additional input fields, enabling the creation of more structured and dynamic content.

With ACF, you can define various types of custom fields, such as text fields, image upload fields, select dropdowns, date pickers, repeater fields, and more. These custom fields can be used to add extra information to your content, making it more versatile and tailored to specific requirements.

Key features and benefits of Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) include:

1. Custom Field Creation: ACF allows you to create custom fields through an intuitive graphical interface within the WordPress admin area. You can choose from various field types and configure their settings to suit your needs.
2. Field Groups: You can group related fields together into sets called "Field Groups." These groups can then be assigned to specific post types or pages, providing a modular and organized approach to content management.
3. Conditionals and Logic: A powerful feature of ACF is the ability to set conditional logic for fields. You can show or hide specific fields based on the values of other fields, making content creation more efficient and user-friendly.
4. Repeater Fields: ACF's repeater field allows you to create sets of sub-fields that can be repeated as needed. This is especially useful for managing dynamic content like lists, galleries, and flexible content sections.
5. Frontend Integration: ACF makes it easy to display the custom field data on the frontend of your website. You can use simple template tags or ACF functions to retrieve and display the custom field values within your theme files.
6. Extensibility: ACF can be extended through third-party add-ons and custom code, allowing developers to create even more advanced and specialized custom fields and functionalities.
7. User-Friendly Experience: ACF simplifies the content creation process for non-technical users. It reduces the need for custom coding and makes it easier for content editors to add and manage content with structured fields.

ACF has gained popularity among WordPress developers and designers for its flexibility and ease of use. It enables the creation of dynamic and customized websites without the need for complex custom development, making it a valuable tool for both small-scale websites and large, complex projects.

How to Create Custom Templates to Display ACF Content

To dynamically show data using Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) and custom templates in WordPress, we'll walk through the steps with an example from Honeymoons.com using a Custom Post Type of Hotels.

We'll create custom fields for metadata such as the number of rooms, average price, and the hotel URL, and then display this data dynamically on the frontend using a custom template.

Step 1: Install and Activate Advanced Custom Fields Plugin.

First, ensure that the Advanced Custom Fields plugin is installed and activated on your WordPress website. You can find the plugin in the WordPress Plugin Repository and install it from the admin dashboard.

Step 2: Create Custom Fields for Hotel Post Type.

Next, we'll create custom fields for the Hotel post type using ACF.

1. Go to "Custom Fields" in the WordPress admin sidebar and click on "Add New."

2. Create a new field group for Hotels and add the following custom fields:

3. Hero Image (Image)

4. TripAdvisor.com Link (URL)
5. Number of Rooms (Number)
6. Number of Rooms (Number)
7. Price - Low (Number)
8. Price - High (Number)
9. Price - Average (Number)
10. Guest Rating (Number with a maximum value of 10)
11. Star Rating
12. Website (URL)
13. Display URL (Text)

3. Assign Field Group to Hotel Post Type

After creating the custom fields, we need to assign the field group to the Hotel post type.

Step 3: Displaying the Custom Fields in the Custom Template

Now, we'll create a custom template for the Hotel post type, where we can dynamically retrieve and display the metadata.

Create a new PHP file in your theme folder and name it "single-hotel.php" (assuming you have a custom post type template hierarchy in your theme). Replace "hotel" with whatever your custom post type is named.

In "single-hotel.php," start with the regular template code for the header, footer, and post loop. You can start with a copy of single.php.

Use ACF functions to retrieve the custom field values and display them in the template. Use PHP, HTML and CSS to display the content.

You can retrieve the Advanced Custom Fields like this:

$number_of_rooms = get_field('number_of_rooms'); $average_price = get_field('average_price'); $hotel_url = get_field('hotel_url');

And display the content like this:

echo '

Number of Rooms: ' . $number_of_rooms . '

Average Price: $' . $average_price . '

Hotel Website

By capturing metadata with Advanced Custom Fields and displaying that content with Custom Templates and Custom Post Types, you can organize and display data on your WordPress website in a much more dynamic and user-friendly way.

Your WordPress site will not look "out-of-the-box" and your site will provide much more helpful and organized information to the user.

Conclusion

Thanks to ACF and Custom Post Types, Honeymoons.com now boasts a dynamic website that offers personalized experiences to our users.

Our collaboration with ACF and CPTs has empowered us to create stunning hotel and destination pages that captivate visitors and help them plan their dream honeymoon effortlessly.

I hope our case study has inspired you to explore the vast potential of ACF and CPTs for building dynamic WordPress websites tailored to your specific needs. Happy coding!

When selecting a hosting provider, several factors need to be taken into consideration. From the size of your website to the type of server you require to the security measures in place – these all play an important role in determining which host is best suited for you.

In this article, we will discuss seven tips to help you choose a WordPress host that suits your needs. We'll explore topics such as cost-effectiveness, scalability, customer support, and more.

By following these guidelines, you’ll be able to make an informed decision when selecting a web hosting service for your WordPress site.

1. Understand Your Needs

WordPress is a versatile and user-friendly content management system (CMS) that can be used for any business. It's the most popular CMS in the world, powering over 34% of all websites on the internet.

WordPress is used by beginners and certified WordPress pros alike. Because it is so versatile, many options exist for a hosting provider, which can make it tricky when selecting the best hosting provider.

Consider the size and scope of your website. Will you need a lot of storage space? Will it include large files such as images or videos? Do you expect to have high traffic volumes or need additional security measures in place?

Knowing what your website needs and having a clear idea of the features you require from your WordPress host will help ensure that you select the most suitable one.

2. Research Different Hosting Providers

Once you know what your website needs, take some time to research different hosting providers. Look at their features, support, and pricing. Ask them questions regarding any concerns you have with their services.

Also, read user reviews to get an idea of the experiences others have had using that particular host.

Some of the most popular WordPress hosts are:

• SiteGround
• Bluehost
• IONOS
• WP Engine
• DreamHost
• Flywheel
• Kinsta
• InMotion
• Hostinger
• HostGator

Read the full list and reviews at G2 here.

There are a lot of WordPress hosting providers, and there are some key things to consider when selecting yours:

3. Look for Reliability & Security Features

Ensure your host is reliable and secure. Your WordPress host should have a robust server infrastructure with good uptime and reasonable response times. They should also offer security features such as firewalls and daily backups to help protect your site from hackers and other malicious attacks.

Reliability and security are paramount when choosing a WordPress host. Having reliable service means that your website will be accessible to visitors more often, which is crucial to running a successful online business.

With secure hosting, you can rest assured that your website and its data will be safe from malicious attacks.

This is especially important if you're going be hosting sensitive data about your users. For example, if you need to store medical information you need a HIPAA compliant host, and if you need to store financial data you need to be especially careful.

Reliable hosting provides an experience for your visitors and customers that is fast, secure, and hassle-free.

4. Check Support Options

Make sure you have access to technical support when needed. The best WordPress hosts will provide you with live chat, email support and telephone assistance. Additionally, they should have a knowledge base where you can find answers to frequently asked questions.

It’s important to check the support options before selecting a host, as having access to help in case something goes wrong is invaluable. Good customer service can make or break your online business, so it's worth doing your research and finding a provider that will be there when you need them.

5. Think About Scalability & Performance

Choose a host that can grow with you as your website expands. Look for a host that offers unlimited data storage, bandwidth, and email accounts. Additionally, the hosting package should include performance-enhancing features like caching and content delivery networks (CDNs).

These features can help your website load faster, which is essential for keeping visitors on your site and improving search engine rankings. Faster loading times can also lead to higher conversion rates, as customers are more likely to stay on the page if they don’t have to wait too long.

6. Consider Maintenance & Updates

Make sure your host provides automatic software updates and security patches. You should also check if they offer managed WordPress hosting services to take care of maintenance and security tasks for you.

Having a host that takes care of these tasks for you can be very useful, as it ensures your website is running smoothly and helps to protect it from potential threats.

7. Review Pricing & Payment Options

You should be aware of the various cost factors associated with hosting a WordPress site, including renewal fees and add-on services such as domain registration or website optimization. It’s also helpful to have multiple payment options available so that you can choose the one that best suits your budget.

Watch out for hidden fees. Some hosts may advertise low prices or seemingly generous free trials, but then charge extra for certain features or services.

Wrapping Up

By keeping these tips in mind, you can find a WordPress host that meets all of your needs and provides the performance and reliability you need to ensure success for your website.

There are plenty of other tips to become a WordPress hosting guru, so be sure to continue to do your research. With the right hosting provider, you can ensure your site runs smoothly with minimal downtime and maximum security.

What does building locally mean?

A "local development environment" or "developing locally" just means hosting the website's files on your computer as opposed to on a web host's servers.

You may already be doing this. Many programmers develop backend applications locally.

If you are just starting out in web development, you may have built some basic sites with HTML and CSS using text editors like Atom, Sublime, or Visual Studio Code. These simple sites are already hosted locally.

When you start to run more advanced code that needs to utilize PHP, JavaScript, and SQL, you need some more advanced tools that we will discuss later.

Why should I build a WordPress site locally?

Before getting to the tools you need to build a WordPress site locally, let's quickly touch on why you should.

I was recently speaking to a fellow web developer, Daniel, who builds all of his sites locally. He started out building simple HTML and CSS sites and also builds more advanced WordPress sites.

His main reason for building locally, which I thought were excellent, are:

1. Quick setup - there is no need to wait for a hosting provider or to configure a domain name. I work for a number of small businesses and quickly getting a mockup design out the door is a huge benefit of local development.
2. Low cost - hosting and domain names can be expensive. Developing locally is free!
3. No domain name needed - if you are not set on a domain name, you can still start building locally. This provides great flexibility and will save you the pains of migrating your WordPress website.
4. Easy testing - when you develop locally, you can experiment more easily with plugins, themes, and custom development. There are no worries if you break your website. You're the only person who can view and use the website, so move fast and break things!
5. Site Speed - when you make an update to your website, you don't need to wait for a server to render the page. It is like browsing the internet with instantaneous internet speeds.

How to Build A WordPress Site Locally

Now that you've decided to build your Wordpress site locally, you need the help of a tool to build your site.

These tools will set up a web server software, PHP, and SQL database management on your computer. Installing all of these separately on your computer can be confusing, so these tools will make your life easier and allow you to start building more quickly.

Here are two tools used to develop WordPress locally and the steps required to get started.

DevKinsta

DevKinsta is free software provided by Kinsta, launched in January 2021. I recently used it to launch a site and it was incredibly easy to use.

It makes local site creation and development quick and easy for beginners. DevKinsta installs Nginx, MariaDB, and more with a single click.

It takes about 2 minutes to install and get started building your local site, developing themes, experimenting with plugins, and doing custom PHP development.

Since it is a tool provided by a hosting provider, when you’re ready to go live the site is sent to Kinsta. For this reason, you should only use this tool if you choose to host your WordPress website with Kinsta. I currently host 20 sites for myself and clients on Kinsta and think they are incredible.

XAMMP

Using XAMPP requires more steps than DevKinsta, but will teach you a lot about what services and libraries need to be running in order to support your WordPress website.

XAMPP is an open source package that is free and easy to install. The Apache distribution contains MariaDB, PHP, and Perl. Once you download and install the software, you will have access to the XAMPP control panel app.

Using the XAMPP control panel, you can run Apache web server as your local server and MySQL as your database server. You will need to "Start" the Apache and MySQL modules from this panel to effectively turn your computer into a server. Voilà - you have a server!

In addition to XAMMP, you will need to download Wordpress from Wordpress.org. Extract the zip file to .../XAMPP/htdocs/{here}. With MySQL and Apache turned on, you should now be able to access your website from a browser at https://localhost/wordpress/. Voilà - you have the core WordPress files!

Going to the above URL will prompt you to follow the WordPress installation wizard with one more critical technical installation - the database.

The phpMyAdmin app comes pre-installed with XAMPP. You can access it at https://localhost/phpmyadmin/. This is where you will create your database using a simpler interface that you may already be familiar with.

Click on Databases and then Create to quickly add a new database. Voilà - you have the database you need!

Return to your local website at https://localhost/wordpress/ and enter in your new database information, using "root" as your username and no password.

Click Submit and the next screen will finalize your WordPress installation. You will be asked to pick a Site Name, Username and Password. After that, you can access the backend of your local WordPress website at https://localhost/wordpress/wp-admin.

Using XAMPP can be complicated. I have grown incredibly frustrated with some of my local installations but there is plenty of help to be found online.

Going through the exercise of setting up a local WordPress installation will teach you important aspects of server configuration, database management, and how the core files of WordPress function.

Once you are up and running, you can experiment and develop with no limits of using a server.

Conclusion

Developing WordPress locally is something that every WordPress developer should be comfortable with.

Working from home and not commuting has provided me with some extra time in the day that I have allocated to building websites. I have been able to revisit and reevaluate my local development toolkit to more easily create WordPress websites. Hopefully my thoughts are helpful to you.

We only covered two tools to use in this article. CodeInWP has additional tools that they recommend for developing locally. Once you have picked a local development stack, built a WordPress website, created a great design and logo, and picked a hosting provider - your creation will be ready for the internet. Happy building!

I had never built and launched an email newsletter before last week. Below is the story of my experience launching an email newsletter and the key learnings I have found.

My hope is that you can use my learnings to launch your own and possibly avoid some pitfalls along the way.

How to Find the Problem and the Opportunity

Unable to leave my home as a result of local COVID-19 lockdowns, I have had more time to pursue side-projects, learn new skills, and look into developing trends. One trend that is unavoidable for me is the rise in remote work.

Like many of us, I have been part of a forced experiment in working from home for the majority of 2020 and for an unknown portion of 2021.

While there are undeniable benefits of WFH, there are also many challenges that WFH creates. These challenges include:

• Having a proper working environment.
• Managing work-life balance.
• Maintaining professional relationships.
• Addressing burnout.
• Navigating my career.

I realized that millions of others are facing similar challenges in working from home and may need guidance on how to excel at WFH.

The guidance is out there in publications and expert books, but most people don't have the time or drive to find it all.

I saw an opportunity to provide some simple tips and tricks that will help people work from home.

Now the question was how to deliver that information?

How I Decided to Use Email as a Medium

My background is in building websites. A work from home website with educational content was an easy choice, but just not sticky enough for this idea. My websites primarily attract visitors through SEO and I wanted to help people on topics they may not know even exist.

Also, I wanted to explore another medium as an educational endeavor. Time to dive into TikTok? Look into audio media? An email newsletter?

An email newsletter checked all the boxes I wanted. Email newsletters have the benefits of:

• A captive audience.
• Ability to deliver content on a scheduled basis.
• Easy to track metrics.

I have always been a fan of newsletters such as Morning Brew, Tag The Flag, and theSkimm. I find these newsletters inspiring as successful entrepreneurial pursuits but also as wonderful media to communicate to a captive audience.

Email newsletters are a great medium to learn about. Over 83% of businesses already use email newsletters with an average ROI of 4400% ($44 for every dollar spent).

With email, I could set up an automated series that people would only have to take action (sign up) once and I would be able to deliver information to them over one month. I could "set it and forget it" while people consumed the content and received helpful advice for working from home.

Email newsletter it is!

The idea formed into an 8-email series that would be automatically delivered over 1 month. I decided to call it the Work From Home (WFH) Bootcamp.

Early Email Marketing Lessons

Before getting into the details, I had to understand the limits of my new medium.

I know how to speed up a webpage, optimize for SEO, track website visitors, monitor bounce rate, and so on - but I knew nothing about best practices for email, the inherent limits of emails, and what to look out for.

Here are some things I learned.

Email Open Rates

• Average email open rate should be between 15-25%.
• Average click-through rate should be about 2.5%.

What this means is that over an eight-email series, people will only read a couple of the emails. Not ideal. My hope is that based on the nature of the series, people will be expecting the emails, leading to a higher open rate. But low open rates are an inherent factor of email newsletters.

The idea for the Bootcamp was to include informative references in the emails along with some recommendations for products to try. If only 2.5% click through to those in-depth articles and products, the impact of the email to drive actions on other websites would be lower than I expected.

Here are my early results:

Open rate and click rate for the first 1,000 subscribers to WFHBootcamp.com

The first email in the WFH Bootcamp has already been sent to over 1,000 subscribers. Only 26.3% of those subscribers have opened the first email. This is quite a bit lower than I expected and something that I will have to monitor as the Bootcamp grows.

Email Content Optimization

I am familiar with writing website copy and optimizing for SEO. But what makes good email newsletter copy?

Here is what I learned as I prepared to write the email series:

• Length is dependent on the type of email, keep it short for sales.
• Newsletter content should be 90% educational and 10% promotional (HubSpot).
• Subject matters (a lot) - 47% of email recipients open an email based on the subject line alone (OptInMonster).
• Using an emoji in the subject line can increase open rates by 4.2% (Moosend).
• Images are difficult - 43% of people disable images, and some email clients don’t display background images (OptInMonster).

I was trying to distill working from home best practices into 8 concise emails. I decided that my length needed to be under 900 words. This is about 3 minutes of reading time (an eternity in the attention economy).

The average time reading an email is 11 seconds - so writing longer-form content is a gamble. Short attention spans are the limit of the email newsletter medium.

Email Delivery Times

Since I set out to create an automated newsletter about working from home, figuring out when the content arrived in my subscribers' inboxes was important.

GetResponse analyzed about 4 billion emails sent by their customers to gather information on the best time to send to individual email addresses. Here is what they found by day of the week:

Get Response data for email opens and clicks by day of the week.

I decided that receiving WFH content on the weekend did not make much sense. Additionally, the GetResponse data confirmed that weekend emails suffered worse open and click rates. Luckily my email provider had such a feature to only send emails during the weekdays.

There is also a lot of research about the best time to send emails (10am on Tuesday?) but based on this research I decided that the best time to send during the weekday was when someone signed up.

How I Wrote the Content and Generated User Feedback

Writing can be hard, especially as a marketer.

I had been keeping copious notes on WFH best practices over the past year for my own benefit. These notes led me to create an outline, which made it quite easy to start conducting user research and eventually populating that outline with helpful content.

Here is how I got started.

Customer Research

Like all good product development, I started by taking my initial findings to potential customers. I asked people: "what do you want to learn if you subscribe to my newsletter? What are you hoping to get out of it?"

When I first asked people these questions, I got three types of replies:

1. Help me improve the physical comfort of my office space.
2. Help me improve my mental health and well being when working without frequent contact with others.
3. Help me excel as a remote worker and enhance my career prospects.

Fortunately, these categories aligned with what I had hoped to write about. Then, by practicing design thinking (which is a holistic way of applying critical thinking to solving design-related problems that matter to people) I was able to peel back the layers and better understand what users wanted to learn and most importantly, why.

Now was time to write.

A Writing Sprint

I wrote all eight emails over a (long) weekend. This writing sprint was enabled by conducting the extensive industry and user research prior to writing.

Here are the subject lines and lengths of each email:

• WFH Bootcamp #1: Welcome! 👋 Let's Make Your Workspace Work For You 🖥 (806 words)
• WFH Bootcamp #2: Why Your Home Office Matters 🖥 (862 words)
• WFH Bootcamp #3: Winning WFH’s Mental Games 🧘‍♀️ (586 words)
• WFH Bootcamp #4: Let’s Talk About Your Physical Health 🏃‍♀️ (765 words)
• WFH Bootcamp #5: 📊 Boost Your WFH Performance 📈 (545 words)
• WFH Bootcamp #6: 👩‍💻 Managing Your Career👨🏽‍💻 (508 words)
• WFH Bootcamp #7: How Companies Are Thinking About Remote Work 🏬🏢 (350 words)
• WFH Bootcamp #8: WFH and Your Future 🚀🚀🚀 (425 words)

In total that is just under 5,000 words. Double spaced, that is about 20 pages of content.

So basically, the WFH Bootcamp is my research paper for WFH 101.

How I Built the Landing Page

Luckily, creating a simple blog is quite easy.

I built a simple landing page with Wordpress, hosted on Kinsta, used ConvertKit as my email provider, and used images from UnDraw.co.

Standing up the website only took a few hours.

WFHBootcamp.com

For the MVP, the content is exclusively available through the emails. Providing gated content on the website (using a tool like Wordable to quickly add the content from Google Docs to Wordpress) is a logical next step but not a requirement for the MVP of the email series.

For those looking to easily create gated content, services like SubStack offer an out-of-the-box solution to launching newsletters with gated content and paid subscriptions.

How I Launched the Newsletter, and Next Steps

Early Feedback Is Critical

I had been incorporating real world feedback as often as I could. I launched the Bootcamp on an expedited timeline with a beta group of about 100 users (friends, family, connections) as soon as the content was written.

These users provided invaluable early feedback via a customized survey I created via TypeForm.

Was I embarrassed at times? You bet. Did that feeling slow me down? Not at all. As Reid Hoffman says "If There Aren't Any Typos, We Launched Too Late!".

As with building and launching any other type of software product, speed to market is very important.

Not because I fear competitors or imitation, but because I stand by my product and believe that it adds value to real people in real jobs who are struggling to work from home. And the sooner I could get the email series launched the sooner I could help those people.

Builders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customer trust. Getting feedback is key to building trust.

These early users have expanded the growth of the Bootcamp as well. Since launching with these 100 beta users, over 1,000 people have now signed up for the WFH Bootcamp.

What to Monitor With Email Newsletters

As these numbers continue to grow, I am monitoring:

• Open rate.
• Click rate.
• Forwarding rate/email sharing.
• List growth rate.
• Number of unsubscribes.
• Spam complaints.

Additionally, I will continue to generate customer feedback via surveys.

Conclusion

I hope that my story of how I launched the WFH Bootcamp was helpful.

We covered why email is a great medium, the limitations of email, important considerations when writing content, early testing with users, and what to monitor in your email newsletter.

I will continue to monitor, iterate, and improve the emails - as I would with any software product.

Email has proven to be a fun and easy medium to learn and launch a new product in. It has allowed me to quickly launch a product that hopefully helps people be more productive and happy while working from home and it has been a wonderful learning experience so far.

If you need an introduction, you can learn all about the basics of WordPress in my previous article here.

In this post, we will discuss:

• Blogging basics
• Why you should choose WordPress
• Starting a blog for free with WordPress.com
• Starting a self-hosted blog with WordPress.org

Before discussing the steps to use WordPress to create a blog, I will start by taking time to explain the basics of blogging.

What is a blog and why should you start one?

A blog is a discussion or informational website published on the internet. Blogs can be funny, informational, or inspiring and can be published for highly targeted and niche audiences or a broader array of readers (like freeCodeCamp.org/news).

A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the internet consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). - Wikipedia

If you are looking to start a blog (and I was once in your shoes) there are a few reasons that might be motivating you:

1. It’s fun and educational.
2. You are super passionate about a topic and want to share your thoughts with readers about it.
3. You want to use your blog as a website to generate money.

When I created my first blog it was a mix of wanting to share my perspective on a topic and learn more about publishing online (I was 13 and created a blog on GeoCities about video game cheat codes).

That experience has led me to create dozens of websites and now I create websites primarily with WordPress.

The current environment also serves as a catalyst to start a blog. People have more time at home, are reconsidering careers, thinking about pursing graduate school, and learning new programming languages in completely new and unexpected trends.

With the massive rise in working from home, people have had more time to devote to side projects and entrepreneurship. I expect that most people who are starting blogs today are doing so either because they have more time without a commute or they are taking the path of entrepreneurship as the world changes.

Getting started on a new venture has never been easier with a platform like WordPress. Companies like SuperHuman and EarlyBird are able to set-up simple websites that collect pre-registrations. A CMS like WordPress will allow you to start small and expand the capabilities of your website easily over time.

From small ideas to full digital transformation of your business, WordPress comes packed with power to achieve your dreams. No matter how small your idea, it’s easy to get started with WordPress.

Why should you choose WordPress?

WordPress is the most popular blogging software and content management system in the world. It currently powers about half a billion websites.

39% of the web is built on WordPress. More bloggers, small businesses, and Fortune 500 companies use WordPress than all other options combined. Join the millions of people that call WordPress.com home. -WordPress.com

If you are looking for blogging software, WordPress is an obvious choice with 60% of the market.

You have probably heard about or looked at other content managements like Joomla, Drupal, Squarespace, Shopify, and Wix. These content management systems offer great products, but here are 3 reasons to choose WordPress.

1. 500+ sites are built each day using WordPress while only 60-80 per day are built on platform like Shopify and Squarespace
2. You can get started for free.
3. WordPress has an incredible developer ecosystem and you can build your web development skills quickly with WordPress.

So if I’ve convinced you to use WordPress, let’s discuss how to actually get started.

Starting a blog with WordPress.org.

How to start a WordPress blog for free on WordPress.com

Most people choose to use WordPress.org to create a self-hosted website. More on that below. But you can get started for free by signing up at WordPress.com. You can learn more about the differences between WordPress.com and WordPress.org at WPBeginner.

The free WordPress.com platform is a good choice to get started with WordPress. It is very user friendly and you will not have to worry about updates or backups. It’s free for up to 3GB of storage space. Beyond 3GB you will have to pay for more space.

WordPress.com’s free blogging platform will allow you to quickly get started.

Get started here and enter your email, username, and password.

Once you are setup, you will see the WordPress admin backend. Here you can edit your site's contents, select a Theme, and review your site's stats.

WordPress.com dashboard for a free prototype of a website I built.

After customizing your site with easy-to-use visual editing tools, you are all set up to start publishing posts and sharing your content with the world!

The free platform available on WordPress.com is very much freemium and is designed to get you to upgrade to a paid plan. It is a great way to start playing around with the tool and get familiar with adding pages, posts, and editing content.

All free sites are given a domain name of {something).wordpress.com. You can upgrade your plan to select your own domain name or transfer it from another service if you already own one.

The real power of WordPress is unlocked with a self-hosted version.

How to start a self-hosted blog with WordPress.org

WordPress.org allows you to create a fully-functioning website with the same features as WordPress.com and no restrictions. WordPress.org is open-source and 100% free for anyone to use, but you will need to pay for two things before getting started.

To get started self-hosting your WordPress, websites you will need three things:

1. A domain name
2. A hosting provider
3. A willingness to learn (that’s why you’re on freeCodeCamp!)

You can purchase a domain name from a variety of registrars like NameCheap, Bluehost, and GoDaddy. Domains cost about $20 per year.

There are hundreds of hosting providers to choose from. It is easy to choose the same host as your registrar like Bluehost or GoDaddy. Recently, there has been a rise in WordPress-specific hosts like Kinsta that specialize in WordPress.

Once you have your shiny new domain name and hosting provider, you need to install WordPress. Your host will help you do this.

For the advanced developers, you can install WordPress on your own server to have total control over your WordPress installation for better speed and security control.

When installing WordPress, you will usually need to provide some basic site and user information:

• Site title (easily changed later)
• Site tagline (easily changed later)
• Admin username (can not be changed, pick something secure)
• Admin password
• Admin email

When WordPress has been successfully installed on your website, you can access the backend at yourdomain.com/wp-admin. Enter in the login information you provided and you'll be taken to the new admin dashboard of your very own website!

Via What Is the WordPress Admin Dashboard?

WordPress comes pre-installed with a theme (which is updated every year) and usually some demo content like a Sample Post and a Sample Page. This content is already available at your domain.

The next steps after successfully accessing the admin dashboard should be to add your customizations to the site. Start with a Theme and then edit your Pages and Posts.

How to choose and install themes

Themes are a fundamental part of WordPress. A WordPress Theme is a collection of files that work together to produce a graphical interface with an underlying unifying design for a website. They are the look and feel of your website.

Themes can be endlessly customized, but starting with a great theme will make your life very easy. You can select from thousands of themes available on ThemeForest and WordPress.org.

Themes can be easily installed by uploading a zip file into the Wordpress dashboard. Changing the look of your website is as simple as clicking "activate" on the newly installed theme.

After adding some style to your WordPress website, it’s time to add your content.

How to add Pages and Posts to your Wordpress site

Pages and Posts make up the majority of your site’s content. Pages are your webpages like your homepage, about page, contact us, and so on. Posts are the more frequently updated “blogs” that can be constantly added and organized under WordPress Categories.

Whatever you need your WordPress blog to be, it all starts with the content.

Whether it is a simple landing page to collect emails like Superhuman, a publishing superpower like TechCrunch, the official site of Sweden, a financial comparison website, or The Official Star Wars Blog (all of these are WP websites), people want to see your content! So get started by adding pages and posts.

Wrapping it all up

WordPress is one of the most popular software platforms in the world.

It is easy to set up and is endlessly customizable, making it a great choice for starting your own blog and website. Your web development skills will grow with your content and ideas as you get them out into the world.

Whether you use the free WordPress.com or a self-hosted version, WordPress is a great tool to use. So go get started!

“The basic WordPress software is simple and predictable so you can easily get started. It also offers powerful features for growth and success.” - WordPress.com

In short, WordPress is a reliable way to create a powerful website.

WordPress is easy to install and comes packed with functionality out of the box. The core features of WordPress have everything that you need to set up a website with pages, blog posts, navigation, and user management.

But the real power of WordPress is the extensive options to quickly design a beautiful website with pre-built Themes and add incredible functionality with optional Plugins.

In this article we will cover the basics of WordPress including:

• WordPress’ origin and popularity
• Building the basics with Pages and Posts
• Improving design with Themes
• Extending functionality with Plugins

Why is WordPress So Popular?

WordPress is used by about half a billion other websites, including recognizable names such as TechCrunch, The New Yorker, Variety, the official site of Sweden, and The Walt Disney Company.

Tip: to see if a site is running WordPress, you can View Page Source and search for “WordPress” or “wp-” and if you see directories such as “wp-includes” or “wp-content”, the site is running WordPress.

WordPress is still growing like crazy with over 500 new sites built everyday.

Over the past three years, WordPress’ market share of software powering websites has grown by about 8% from 27.3% in 2019 to 35.2% in 2020.

Amazingly, WordPress now powers more websites than websites that do not use any CMS:

Percent of All Websites Not Using a CMS vs. Percent of Sites Using Wordpress. There are more websites using WordPress than websites powered by a CMS. Source: w3techs

One of the main drivers of WordPress’ popularity is that it is free. WordPress is licensed under the GPLv2, which means it is free to use and modify by anyone.

WordPress is estimated to have had over 100 years of developer time contributed to the open source project.

WordPress Basics – Pages and Posts

Setting up a WordPress website involves selecting a domain name, finding a hosting provider, and installing WordPress.

Installing WordPress sets you up with a fully functioning website. But unlocking the real power of WordPress comes with installing Themes, Plugins, and customizing the site.

But let’s start with the basics.

Upon installing WordPress, you will be asked for a username and password. Your credentials can be used to access the admin backend of your website. This can be accessed at yourdomainname.com/wp-admin.

The admin section looks like this:

The WordPress admin backend. Source: WordPress

As you can see, WordPress comes loaded with features that are accessible via the left navigation. For the purposes of this article, let’s discuss the two important content types Pages and Posts.

WordPress Pages

Pages allow you to quickly build web pages. By adding this type of content, you can create webpages at yourdomain.com/newpage.

WordPress has a built in editor that you can use to quickly format text and multimedia into a great looking webpage. The editor is built with “blocks” so that instead of worrying about the alignment and organization of the content, you can focus on creating.

This is what editing content and adding blocks in WordPress looks like:

Easily insert different “blocks” like code into your Pages and Posts.

While the default WordPress Editor is great, it can be enhanced with Plugins and even replaced with content builders that make it easier to drag and drop content in a visual way such as Elementor, Visual Composer, or WP Bakery. The beauty of WordPress is that it is infinitely customizable.

Whatever editor you choose to use, using WordPress’ built-in Pages allows you to easily create dynamic and gorgeous web pages.

WordPress Posts

The Posts section has the same Editor as the Pages section, except this content category creates blog posts. Posts are at the core of WordPress because the software began as a blogging tool.

Posts utilize the same content Editor as Pages, so creating Pages and Posts is the same experience.

The main difference between Pages and Posts is volume. Let’s say a typical small business website will have 5-10 core pages (Home Page, About Us, Contact Us, Services, and so on). That same company could have 100s of blog posts.

To manage the high volume of Posts, WordPress comes with extensive categorization and hierarchy management. Posts can be easily organized into Categories.

Example of categories to organize posts.

Example of hierarchies to organize posts.

You can add and nest as many categories as you need. With Categories, content can be displayed hierarchically on your website such a yourdomainname.com/guides/best-business-practices/yourcontent.

Since WordPress is so highly customizable this "permalink" structure can also be easily changed in the Settings tab.

Custom Post Types (advanced)

WordPress comes pre-loaded with the two main content types (Posts and Pages) but many users want to further customize their content types.

For example, if you want to build a travel website that has a directory of hotels, a custom post type called "Hotels" would be a great addition.

These custom post types leverage WordPress' built-in Editor, categories, and other features of the Posts and Pages. As such, custom post types are a way to quickly develop a dynamic website.

Custom post types can be added via a Plugin or by adding some code into the core functions.php file. These additions are great example of how WordPress is extremely customizable and a great platform to develop your coding skills.

Custom posts like Hotels and Products can be added into WordPress to better organize content and enhance the functionality of your custom WordPress site.

WordPress Themes - Looking Good Is Easy

Once you’ve set up your WordPress website, the next step is selecting a Theme.

A theme is a collection of templates and stylesheets that define the appearance and functionality of a WordPress website.

WordPress comes preloaded with a standard Theme but very few websites actually use this Theme (or hundreds of millions of sites would look the same!)

Themes allow WordPress users to very quickly have a great looking website. In about 10 minutes you can have a website that has the same backend, engine, and look like great sites such as TechCrunch. All that’s missing is the content!

One of the best parts of building a WordPress website is selecting a Theme due to the variety of designs and options. There are thousands of themes available.

Premium Themes can typically be purchased for between $20 and $60. You can download a zip file and easily upload it to WordPress. Once the Theme is activated, your WordPress website adopts the templates and stylesheets. And just like that, you have a professionally designed website!

A word of caution: Theme selection can be tricky and there are many things to consider before installing. I would recommend looking for Themes that have high ratings (someone else has tested it), minimum Plugin dependencies, and are fast.

To test the speed, find a demo of the Theme on the developers website and run it though Google Page Speed. If the Theme performs poorly, don't use it.

Once you select a great base Theme, you have the option to endlessly customize it. You can completely customize your site by editing the Theme file with HTML, PHP, CSS, and JavaScript.

The easiest way to do this is to install a child theme so that you can still update your theme with the latest version.

With a great Theme, you can have a beautiful website. Plugins add the power.

WordPress Plugins Make it More Than Just a Blog

WordPress’ history is rooted in personal publishing and blogging. The project started in 2003 when Mike Little and Matt Mullenweg began working on an “elegant and well-architected personal publishing system.”

But WordPress is now much more than just a blog.

WordPress has over 50,000 Plugins available. WordPress Plugins are PHP scripts that extend the functionality of the core content management system. They can add entirely new features to your site.

Plugins are developed by volunteers and companies. They are typically free and many have premium versions.

Beware of installing too many Plugins, as maintaining the updates can be a never-ending task for WordPress webmasters.

Plugins can be uploaded and updated directly from the admin backend.

Wrapping It All Up

WordPress is a great tool to use to build a website. It is fast, reliable, and extendable.

While WordPress started as a simple publishing tool, it has grown far beyond its humble beginnings. Whether you are looking to create a personal blog, an ecommerce store, or a website for your business, WordPress is a great option.

Additionally, WordPress is a great way to start learning more about web development.

When you start building in WordPress you will be coding with HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP, and MySQL. Since WordPress is open source and insanely popular, there are a ton of free resources (including right here on freeCodeCamp) to go as deep as you want.