A Guide to the WordPress Dashboard (Even If You’re Brand New)

Feeling lost in the WordPress dashboard? You’re not alone.

If you're brand new to WordPress, logging into the dashboard for the first time can feel a little like walking into a cockpit and being told, “Okay, now fly the plane.”

Deep breaths. It’s not as scary as it looks — and you're not expected to know what every button does right away.

Think of the WordPress dashboard as your website’s command center. It’s where you’ll manage everything — from writing blog posts to changing your site’s look and feel. In this friendly walkthrough, I’ll show you around the dashboard like a good neighbor showing you how to work the coffee machine… without making you feel like you should’ve read a manual first.

What Is the WordPress Dashboard?

The WordPress Dashboard is where you manage every part of your website. Think of it as your site’s backstage area — where you create pages, write blog posts, customize your design, and install new features.

Here’s what you’ll see when you log in:

A top bar with shortcuts to visit your site, add content, and access your profile

A left-hand menu with all the key areas of your site

A central area that shows recent activity, quick links, and updates

One of the most important things to understand about the WordPress dashboard is that it's highly customizable. You can rearrange the layout to suit your needs, add new widgets to display information, and even create your own custom dashboard widgets.

This means that you can create a dashboard that's tailored to your specific needs and preferences, making it easier and more efficient to manage your website.

Key Areas of the Dashboard (No Jargon, I Promise)

Let’s take a quick tour of the most important spots in your WordPress Dashboard.

Welcome Screen

The Welcome Screen is the first thing you’ll see. It gives you a bird’s-eye view of your site:

• Recent activity
• WordPress updates
• Quick links (like “Write your first blog post”)

Media Library

This is where all your images, videos, PDFs, and other files live.

How to find it: Click Media > Library in the left-hand menu.

Plugins Tab

Plugins are like apps for your WordPress site. You can use them to:

• Add contact forms
• Improve SEO
• Make your site accessible
• Speed up your site

Where to go: Click Plugins in the left-hand menu. From there, you can:

• Activate or deactivate plugins
• Delete ones you no longer need
• Update plugins when prompted

Tools Tab

This section includes more advanced utilities. You might not use it often, but it’s good to know it exists.

Here, you can:

• Import or export content
• Check your site health
• Manage your database (don’t worry, we’re not going there today)

Settings Tab

This is where the foundational stuff lives. You can:

• Set your site title and tagline
• Choose your timezone
• Decide how your homepage works (static page vs blog feed)

Where to go: Click Settings > General to start.

Customizing the Appearance of Your Site

You don’t need to be a designer to make your site look good. WordPress makes it pretty painless.

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Choosing a Theme

A theme controls how your site looks: layout, fonts, colors, and overall style.

To find a theme: Go to Appearance > Themes

Things to look for:

• Responsiveness (looks good on phones)
• Customization options
• Regular updates
• Good support

Recommended: I love the Kadence theme — it's lightweight, flexible, and beginner-friendly.

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Menus Area

This is how you build your navigation — the links at the top (or side) of your site.

Go to: Appearance > Menus

You can:

• Add pages, posts, or custom links
• Create dropdowns (submenus)
• Rearrange items by dragging and dropping

Adding Widgets

Widgets are blocks you can place in sidebars, footers, or headers. You can add:

• Search bars
• Recent posts
• Categories
• Custom HTML or images

To add widgets: Go to Appearance > Widgets
Most modern themes now use Gutenberg blocks for widgets — super flexible!

Bonus: Add Some Custom CSS (Optional)

If you're feeling brave (or a little nerdy), you can tweak the look of your site using CSS — the code that controls styling.

To add custom CSS:
Go to Appearance > Customize > Additional CSS

Don’t want to code? No worries — you can always use pre-designed templates.

Final Thoughts: The Dashboard Is Your Friend

At first, the Dashboard might feel overwhelming. But once you get used to it, it becomes your creative playground.

• You don’t need to learn everything today.
• You don’t need to install all the things.
• Just start with what you need, and build as you go.

You’ve got this. 💪

Need More Help?

Join our Facebook Group for WordPress Beginners — where you’ll get step-by-step answers, zero tech snobbery, and a whole lot of support.