WordPress is a system that makes it very easy to build and manage a website or blog. It is open source (read: free!) and is used worldwide, from personal blogs to large online stores.


#1. What is the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org?

Good question!

  • WordPress.com is a hosted platform. You create an account and your site is live right away, but you have limited freedom (think fewer plugins and no custom themes).

  • WordPress.org is self-hosted: you download the software and install it on your own hosting, such as Theory7 WordPress hosting. You then have full control over everything.

Want to get serious? Go for WordPress.org and choose good WordPress hosting.

#2. How do I install a theme?

In your dashboard, go to Appearance > Themes > Add New. There you can search for, install and activate free themes.
Want to install a premium theme? Click Upload Theme and upload your .zip file.

Recommended for beginners:

  • Astra: lightweight, fast and super flexible.

  • OceanWP: lots of options and free to use.

#3. Which plugins are useful to start with?

Plugins literally give your site superpowers. Here are our must-haves:

#4. How do I create a page or blog post?

It is very easy:

  1. Go to Pages > Add New Page or Posts > Add New Post.

  2. Enter a title and content.

  3. Add an image or video if you like.

  4. Click Publish, and you are done!

#5. How do I get a video into an article?

To do this, copy the URL of a video (for example from YouTube) and paste it into your post or page on a line of its own. WordPress then automatically makes sure the video is displayed correctly.

For convenience, you can also watch this video from WordPress itself!

#6. How do I prevent spam comments?

Spam is annoying, but fortunately it is also easy to prevent:

#7. How do I make my site faster?

Nobody likes a slow website, of course. Not only for your visitors, but also for your SEO. Try this:

  • Choose a fast host (for example us!).

  • Use caching plugins such as WP Super Cache or LiteSpeed Cache.

  • Compress images automatically with Smush.

  • Only use the plugins you really need.

#8. Can I protect my website against hackers?

Security = essential. These are your basics:

  • Choose strong passwords and change them regularly.

  • Install Wordfence for a firewall and malware scans.

  • Create automatic backups with UpdraftPlus.

  • Update everything regularly (WordPress core, plugins and themes).

#9. How do I add a contact form?

You can use a plugin for this, such as Contact Form 7 or WPForms:

  • Install the plugin of your choice

  • Create a form

  • Paste the shortcode into a page or post, and you are done!

#10. How do I back up my site?

  • Backups are your lifesaver when mistakes or hacks happen. Here is how to do it:

    • Install UpdraftPlus.

    • Set up automatic backups (for example daily to Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive) or use the backup feature of our hosting, going back up to 90 days.

    • You can also back up manually with one click.

Do you have any other questions? Or do you want to get started right away with your own WordPress website on super-fast hosting? Then check out our WordPress hosting and start today!

Further reading