Key WordPress Terms Explained

Introduction
For new WordPress users, navigating the terminology can feel overwhelming. Understanding these key terms will help you manage your readyFlips website more effectively and communicate with developers and support teams. This glossary explains the essential WordPress terms you’ll encounter frequently, making it easier to optimize and customize your site.

1. WordPress Core Terms #

Dashboard #

• The central hub for managing your WordPress site. Access it at yourdomain.com/wp-admin.

Themes #

• Pre-designed templates that define your website’s appearance and layout.
• Example: readyFlips websites come with fully licensed and pre-configured themes.

Plugins #

• Add-ons that extend WordPress functionality, such as SEO tools or eCommerce capabilities.
• Example: Elementor for design and SEOpress for optimization.

Widgets #

• Small blocks of content that can be added to your site’s sidebar, footer, or other widget-ready areas.
• Example: Recent Posts, Search Bars.

Permalinks #

• The permanent URLs for your website’s pages and posts.
• Example: Set clean permalinks under Settings > Permalinks for better SEO.

2. Content Management Terms #

Posts #

• Dynamic content entries, commonly used for blogs or news updates.

Pages #

• Static content, such as About Us, Contact, or Home pages.

Categories and Tags #

• Categories: Organize posts into broad groups (e.g., News, Tutorials).
• Tags: Keywords for more specific post categorization.

Custom Post Types #

• Additional content types beyond Posts and Pages, like Portfolios or Testimonials.

3. SEO Terms #

Meta Tags #

• Snippets of text that describe a page’s content. These tags appear in search engine results.

Sitemap #

• A file that lists all pages on your site, helping search engines index your content.
• Example: Generate a sitemap using SEOpress.

Keywords #

• Terms or phrases users type into search engines to find your content.

Backlinks #

• Links from other websites pointing to your site, boosting SEO rankings.

4. Technical Terms #

Hosting #

• The server where your website files are stored.
• Example: Recommended hosting options include A2 Hosting and HostArmada.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) #

• A method for transferring files between your computer and your website server.

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) #

• Encrypts data transferred between your website and users, displayed as a padlock in browsers.

Cache #

• Temporarily stores website data to improve loading speed. Manage this with caching plugins like LiteSpeed Cache.

CDN (Content Delivery Network) #

• A network of servers that delivers website content faster to users worldwide. Example: Cloudflare.

5. WooCommerce Terms #

Products #

• Items or services you sell through your WooCommerce-powered store.

Cart and Checkout #

• The process users follow to purchase products. Customize these pages for better user experience.

Payment Gateways #

• Services that process payments on your site, like PayPal or Stripe.

Shipping Zones #

• Predefined regions for managing shipping rates and methods.

6. Security Terms #

Firewall #

• Protects your website from malicious traffic.
• Example: Pre-installed firewall plugin included with WPSecurityNinja.

Brute Force Attack #

• An attempt to guess your login credentials. Prevented using LoginPress and strong passwords.

Backup #

• A saved copy of your website files and database. Use plugins like UpdraftPlus or WPvivid.

7. Design and Customization Terms #

Elementor #

• A drag-and-drop page builder for designing layouts and adding visual elements.

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) #

• A coding language used to style your website, such as fonts and colors.

Global Colors and Fonts #

• Pre-defined styles in Elementor for maintaining consistent branding.

8. Miscellaneous Terms #

Admin Bar #

• A toolbar visible at the top of your site when logged in, providing quick access to common tasks.

Staging Site #

• A duplicate of your live site used for testing changes before applying them live.

Shortcodes #

• Small snippets of text or code that add dynamic functionality to your site.
• Example:

  Error: Contact form not found.

  to display a contact form.

Conclusion
Mastering WordPress terminology is key to effectively managing and optimizing your readyFlips website. This glossary serves as a quick reference guide, empowering you to navigate features and tools confidently.