Dashboard Basics (Your Website’s Control Room)
Once WordPress is installed, the first place you’ll land is the Dashboard. This is the “control room” of your website — the place where you add content, change design, install plugins, and manage settings.
If it looks a bit overwhelming at first, don’t worry. Let’s walk through the key areas together.
Logging In
To access your dashboard, open a browser and go to:yourdomain.com.au/wp-adminEnter your username and password (from the WordPress installation step). You’ll then land on the Dashboard home screen.Dashboard Overview
Here’s what you’ll see:
- Left Sidebar Menu – Your main navigation. This is where all WordPress tools live.
- Main Area – Shows widgets like “At a Glance,” “Recent Activity,” or update notifications.
- Top Toolbar – Quick links to view your site, add new posts, and access your profile.
Key Sections in the Sidebar
1. Posts
Used for blog articles or news updates. Each post can have categories and tags. If you don’t plan to blog, you can mostly ignore this.
2. Media
Your library of images, PDFs, and other uploads. Anytime you add a picture to a page, it goes here.
3. Pages
Where you’ll create and manage your main site content (Home, About, Services, Contact). These are different from posts — pages are usually static, not time-sensitive.
4. Comments
If you enable comments on your blog posts, they’ll appear here for moderation.
5. Appearance
Controls the look and feel of your site. From here you can:
- Manage themes (we’ll install Hello Elementor soon).
- Set up menus and widgets.
- Access the WordPress Customizer.
6. Plugins
Plugins add extra features to your site (like Elementor, SEO tools, or backups). You’ll be visiting this often.
7. Users
Manage accounts. You can add other people as Administrators, Editors, or Authors.
8. Tools
Advanced features like imports, exports, or site health. Beginners rarely need this.
9. Settings
Where you configure your site’s basics:
- Site title and tagline
- Time zone (set to Brisbane or your local city)
- Permalinks (URL structure)
First Things to Try
- Change your site title: Go to Settings > General and add your business name.
- Add a page: Go to Pages > Add New and create a “Test Page.” Don’t worry about design yet — this is just practice.
- Check your Media Library: Go to Media > Add New and upload a sample image.
Why the Dashboard Matters
The Dashboard may feel like a lot now, but after a little practice it becomes second nature. You’ll know exactly where to go when you want to:
- Add new content
- Update your theme or plugins
- Adjust settings
- Keep your site secure and up to date
Next Step
Now that you know your way around, the next step is setting up the right theme for Elementor: Choosing the Right Theme.