If you are a WordPress beginner getting to grips with adding and editing content or changing how your site looks, finding free help to actually get things done can be overwhelming. There is so much WordPress information out there it’s hard to see the wood for the trees.
Here’s a brief guide to some free WordPress resources to get you on your way.
The Horse’s Mouth – The home of WordPress
Whilst the ‘official’ WordPress Support community might seem a logical place to go for help it is not the most user friendly place – especially for beginners. Do check out the WordPress documentation (known as the WordPress Codex) but don’t be surprised if you find it confusing – there are better places for beginners.
It’s also worth searching in the WordPress forums to see if your question is dealt with – if not, try posting a questions yourself.
You Tube – don’t get distracted
There a gazillion thousand WordPress videos on YouTube and while some are excellent, many are just useless. So I would avoid Youtube until you have come across some channels you trust.
Google – too, too much to filter through
Searching Google for WordPress answers is terrifying. When I searched “how to add a tab in wordpress” the first result is a link to an article on the make.wordpress blog which is not beginner user friendly. Of course Google will find you some good results, but how long have you got to go through them and find one that works for you? Leave Google and check out the resources below first.
Easy Wp Guide – clear & simple
This is a manual for WordPress aimed at users who need guiding ‘through the process of editing your site content’. Well worth checking out.
It comprises screenshots and text, there are no videos here.
It is available at https://easywpguide.com/ both to read online and as a downloadable .pdf. There is a paid for mobile version too as well as a brandable option.
WP Beginner – well established and reliable
A long established WordPress blog, WP Beginner is also behind several very popular WordPress plugins so you can be confident that it is a reliable source of information. (Do remember, however, that ultimately they are hoping you might buy one of their products).
You can search the blog for specific articles that you may find helpful or for the cost of your email address you can access a range of free tutorial videos at https://videos.wpbeginner.com/
(note that you get access to more of the videos for free here than on the WP101 site where they are from)
Wp101 – video tutorials for beginners
Wp 101 provides WordPress video tutorials for beginners as well as some more advanced videos covering topics like ecommerce and SEO. They only have a limited number of free videos ( you can see more of their videos for free as mentioned above at wpbeginner.com)
The WP101 blog is also worth looking at.
Wp apprentice – more video courses
Another freemium offering where you can access tutorial videos. Some courses are paid for but you can sign up for a free beginners course
iThemes – reliable resource
Ithemes are a major player in the WordPress space offering a range of plugins, themes and training. They have free WordPress videos and you can also sign up to download their free “Getting Started with WordPress” Ebook.
Hosting Providers – beware of tempting hosting offers
Web hosts are more than keen to get you to to build your WordPress site on their platform so many of them offer free guides on how to set up WordPress.
PS – Make sure you do your research before choosing a host
I hope that is a useful list of resources for learning WordPress for free. Do get in touch if you have any questions or want to find out about having your WordPress site built and looked after by Very Simple Sites