This article explains the core WordPress concepts you need to understand to manage your business website.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is the software that runs your website. Think of it like the engine of a car - it handles everything behind the scenes while you focus on adding your content and making changes through a simple control panel called the admin dashboard.
Understanding Posts vs Pages
Pages are for content that doesn't change often, like your About page, Contact page, or Services page. These appear in your website's main menu.
Posts are for content you add regularly, like news updates, blog articles, or announcements. These appear in date order, with the newest first.
Most Irish businesses use pages for their main business information and posts for updates or blog content.
Your WordPress Admin Dashboard
The admin dashboard is your control room. You'll see it when you access your WordPress admin dashboard. The main sections are:
- Dashboard: Overview of your website's activity
- Posts: Add and manage your blog posts or news updates
- Media: Upload and manage photos, PDFs, and other files
- Pages: Create and edit your main business pages
- Comments: Manage comments from visitors
- Appearance: Change your website's look and feel
- Plugins: Add new features to your website
- Users: Manage who can access your website's admin area
- Settings: Configure basic website settings
Understanding Themes
A theme controls how your website looks - the colours, fonts, layout, and overall design. Web60 websites come with a professional theme already set up. You can change themes, but your content (text, images, pages) stays the same.
Think of themes like changing the wallpaper and furniture in your shop - the building stays the same, but it looks completely different.
Understanding Plugins
Plugins add new features to your website. They're like apps on your phone - each one does a specific job. Common plugins include:
- Contact forms
- Photo galleries
- SEO tools
- Security protection
- Online booking systems
Web60 includes essential plugins already installed and configured.
The Block Editor (Gutenberg)
When you edit pages or posts, you'll use WordPress's block editor. Everything is made up of "blocks" - text blocks, image blocks, button blocks, etc. You can add, move, and delete these blocks to build your pages.
It works like building with LEGO blocks - each piece serves a purpose, and you stack them to create your page.
WordPress Menus
Menus are the navigation links visitors use to move around your website. They usually appear at the top of your site. You control which pages appear in your menus and in what order. Learn more about creating WordPress menus.
Users and Permissions
You can give other people access to help manage your website. WordPress has different permission levels:
- Administrator: Full control (that's you)
- Editor: Can publish and edit any posts or pages
- Author: Can publish and edit their own posts
- Contributor: Can write posts but can't publish them
- Subscriber: Can only read content and leave comments
Most small businesses only need Administrator access for the owner and maybe Editor access for staff who update content.
If you're still stuck after reading this article, contact our support team. We're here to help Irish businesses get the most from their websites.
FAQ
Q: What's the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?
A: WordPress.com is a hosted service with limitations. WordPress.org is the free software that Web60 uses, giving you full control over your website.
Q: Do I need to know code to use WordPress?
A: No. WordPress is designed for non-technical users. You can manage your entire website through the admin dashboard using simple point-and-click tools.
Q: How do I add new pages to my website?
A: Go to Pages > Add New in your admin dashboard. Write your content, add a title, and click Publish. The page will appear on your website immediately.
Q: Can I break my website by making changes?
A: It's very difficult to permanently break a WordPress website through the admin dashboard. Web60 creates automatic backups, so any problems can be quickly fixed.
Q: How do I add photos to my website?
A: Use the Media section to upload photos, then insert them into your pages or posts using the image block in the editor.
Q: Why do some changes not appear immediately?
A: Your browser might be showing a cached (saved) version of your page. Try refreshing the page or clearing your browser cache to see recent changes.
Q: What happens if I accidentally delete something important?
A: WordPress keeps deleted items in the Trash for 30 days. You can restore them from there. Web60 also maintains automatic backups for additional protection.
Last updated: 1 March 2026